Golf the Maharvelous Way

Hi Everyone.

So here we are in early 2012!!  The weather has been very mild this winter, and that has allowed so many of you to play more golf during the winter than is normal. That should have you ahead of your game for the spring.  March is almost here, and at that time you can expect more golf weather.  But don't wait til then>

I wanted to use this piece to revisit something that I constantly see in students I work with.  A loss of power resulting in a loss of distance.

I don't think a lesson goes by without the student, at some point, asking what they can do to hit it further?.  My answer is usually the same,  a more efficient weight shift to create more club head speed. 

In the book  Bobby Jones on Golf, in his reference of the use of the body, he points out 3 common characteristics of professional golfers. 
    1.  The hips begin to unwind (rotate back toward the ball) even before the club has reached the end of the backswing.
    2.  If the left heel had been raised during the backswing (something very common in big hitters), then it was returned to the ground before the hands made much of a move into the downswing.  Raising the heel also allowed for more rotation in the backswing, a critical piece of the golfswing.
    3.   At impact, the hips had continued their rotation to a point where the front of the body has almost gotten to a position of "facing" the target.   This last part may be regarded as the most critical of all things when wanting to create more power, while maintaining control of the club.

With today's technology, it is so simple to see what is going on in a golf swing.  As I see more and more students, it is becoming a consistant theme, ineffective or no weight shift at all.

I have made this issue the subject of previous writings.  It is being returned to because it is vital that golfers of all skill levels incorporate this in the swing.  Even in this little piece, and I just picked up on it as I loaded this page to write, you can see me in 1978.  At the end of this page is a picture of me hitting balls.  As you can see, I am just past impact, but take note of how far my hips have rotated past the impact position, yet the shoulders have not "chased" along with the lower body.  So in essence, there is a sense of separating the upper body from the lower body.  By rotating around, it creates centrifugal force, thus clubhead spead.  By the upper body remaining back as long as possible, a golfer will get consistant direction and straighter shots.

This move in the swing is visible in all other athletic moves.  Baseball players "step" into the pitch (weight shift), a quarterback steps into the throw (hips rotating to create power), tennis players and others.  The hardest thing for the average golfer to accept is the starting of the knees/hips back toward the target before the club has reached the end of the backswing.  So yes, you will have the lower body going in one direction while the upper body is still moving the opposite direction. 

However, it is the next part that causes the most problem to the average golfer.  The impulse to help the club return to impact.  This is what we all refer to as "casting".   What we really hope to create is a "lag" of the club. I will get into that in a future writing. For now, work diligently on getting comfortable with turning your lower body back to impact and through impact, before your club actually completes it's backward motion.

Bottom line, if you want effortless power, you need to create clubhead speed, from centrifugal force, created by rotation.  That is a simple as I can put it.  Be patient with it, but make it part of your swing.  You will love the results.

Til next time,

Remember, golf is an easy game!

If you want help with your game from Boyd County's only PGA Professional, please call me at 606-928-6321 or Click Here to request additional information.


    
    Rich Mahar
    PGA Professional
    rmahar8874@aol.com