how to power the golf swing

7/29/2019 How to Power the Golf Swing

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How to Power the Golf Swing

Clickhereto go to the index page.

Introduction

This review paper is focused on the biomechanical and physical-mechanical principles

that are essential to the process ofcorrectly powering the full golf swing. Many

beginner golfers incorrectly believe that they power the golf swing with their thrusting

thighs, or sliding torso or via a flipping of the right hand through the impact zone. Allthese simplistic beliefs are totally incorrect and the primary purpose of this review

paper is to offer interested golfers a thorough understanding of the basic

biomechanical mechanisms that allow a golfer to power the full golf swing in the

correct manner. This review paper will be of particular interest to that subset of

golfers who believe that a detailed understanding of golf biomechanics will help them

improve their game.

Most of the concepts used in this review paper were derived from Homer Kelley's

"The Golfing Machine" book [1]. My understanding of these concepts was markedly

enhanced by reading the archived posts in Lynn Blake's forum [2]. Lynn Blake is aTGM instructor who has a great understanding of TGM concepts and he also has the

capacity to express his thoughts clearly and unambiguously. I would never have been

able to clearly understand the TGM book without his clearly expressed insights re:

TGM concepts. In this review paper, I will try to express those TGM concepts in an

easy-to-understand manner, so that they can be of use to the analytical type of golfer

who regularly visits my website.

I will be describing a number of different swing styles in this paper, so that interested

golfers can learn to understand that different golf swing styles are powered in a

different way. A golfer needs to learn how to use the appropriate powering mechanicsfor his selected swing style and he should not mix-and-match fundamental swing

concepts that are incompatible with each other. There are two basic golf swing styles -

swinging and hitting. A golfer can therefore either choose to become a swinger or a

hitter. I will describe how a swinger powers the full golf swing and how a hitter

powers the full golf swing in great detail. It is important that a golfer not mix the

fundamentals underlying a hitting action with the fundamentals underlying a swinging
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action because they may not be compatible. If one does mix the fundamentals, one

becomes a switter (a golfer who uses an admixture of swinging and hitting actions)

and a switter may be plagued by a inconsistent golf swing because his swing

fundamentals may not be working synergistically together in a synchronised manner.

Before I describe the difference in biomechanical movementsbetween a swingerand a hitter, I am going to describe the basic physics of how the clubshaft is propelled

by a swinger and a hitter.

How to power the golf swing - the basic physics

The first concept that a beginner golfer needs to understand with respect to powering agolf swing is the basic concept of how power is applied to the clubshaft. There are

two basic methods of causing the clubshaft to move downwards towards the ball

during the downswing action.

A golfer can eitherpull the clubshaft down towards the ball using the left arm/hand

or a golfer can push the clubshaft down towards the ball using the right arm/hand.

A golfer who pulls the clubshaft down towards the ball using the left arm/hand is a

swinger. A swinger basically holds the club in his left hand and pulls the grip end of

the club down towards the ball - as if he is pulling on a rope. This technique is calledthe rope handle technique. A golfer can simply think of a person who rang church

bells in the medieval era, and imagine how they pulled on a rope attached to a church

bell - they simply pulled the rope down towards the ground. A golfer who swings a

golf club is essentially mimicking that rope-pulling action by pulling the grip end of

the golf club down towards the ball with his left arm/hand. The major difference is

that he is pulling on a solid linear object - the clubshaft - and the direction of the pull

is along the longitudinal axis of the clubshaft. Another major difference is that a

golfer allows the clubshaft to acquire a 90 degree angle between the left arm and the

clubshaft at the end of the backstroke, before he pulls the grip end of the club down

towards the ball. The movement of the left hand arc in space during the downstroke iscircular when the left arm is pulled down across the front of the body and the

clubshaft is therefore being pulled by a pulling force that is constantly changing

direction. How does that constantly changing direction of pull-force affect the

movement of the clubshaft during the downswing?


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The simplest way of understanding the physics of a swinging golf club is to

understand the physics of a double pendulum.

Here is a photograph of the author mimicking a left arm swing action.

Left arm golf swing action

During a golf downswing action, the left arm is swung across the front of the body

from the end-backswing position (depicted in this photograph). At the end of the

backswing, the clubshaft is at a right angle to the left arm. Then during the

downswing, as the left arm is swung across the front of the body, the left hand moves

in a circular arc (depicted by the series of red arrows) because the left arm is

suspended from the body at the left shoulder socket (central hinge point). What

happens to the clubshaft if the left wrist is relaxed and totally passive? The clubshaft

will automatically release and seek a straight line alignment with the left arm. What

causes the club to automatically/passively release if the golfer is not deliberately

uncocking the left wrist during the downswing?

The mathematical explanation of why the club releases has been explained by nm

golfer and you can read his explanation by clicking on the following link.

Mathematical explanation of the club release phenomenon

Basically, the golf club releases because the pulling force at the grip end of the club

follows a circular path. A circular path can be conceived to be a series of straight
http://perfectgolfswingreview.net/New%20Millennium%20Golf%20Science.htmhttp://perfectgolfswingreview.net/New%20Millennium%20Golf%20Science.htm


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line paths that are constantly changing direction so that the overall directional path is

circular (depicted by the series of red arrows in the above photograph). Because the

pulling force at the grip end of the club is constantly changing direction relative to the

centre-of-gravity of the clubshaft, the clubshaft progressively acquires angular

velocity that causes the clubshaft to release thereby allowing the clubhead to catch up

to the hands.

If you find the mathematical explanation too difficult to understand, then you may

find David Tutelman's explanation easier to understand.

David Tutelman's explanation of the club release action -

http://www.tutelman.com/golf/design/swing1.php?ref=

David Tutelman uses the concept of a centrifugal force as causing the club release

phenomenon.

Double pendulum swing model

The double pendulum swing model consists of two arms - the central arm and the

peripheral arm. There is a passive hinge jointbetween the central arm and the

peripheral arm (equivalent to the left wrist in a left arm swing). The only force applied

to the double pendulum swing system is at the central hinge point - a central torque

generator causes the central arm to swing in a circular arc because it is suspended

from the central hinge point. As the central arm swings in a circular arc, the peripheral
http://www.tutelman.com/golf/design/swing1.php?ref=http://www.tutelman.com/golf/design/swing1.php?ref=http://www.tutelman.com/golf/design/swing1.php?ref=


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hinge point (at the end of the central arm) also follows a circular arc, and the

peripheral arm (equivalent to the clubshaft) is passively pulled by its attachment at the

peripheral hinge joint. The only force that the peripheral arm (clubshaft) experiences

is indirect- it simply responds passively to the pulling motion exerted at the

peripheral hinge point, which is moving in a circular direction due to the fact that the

central arm is moving in a circular arc. At every moment in time the peripheral armwants to move in a straight line (in response to the pulling force exerted by the

peripheral hinge point), but because the peripheral hinge point is constantly moving in

a circular direction (= a straight line direction that is constantly changing its direction

in a circular fashion), a centrifugal force develops that causes the club to release.

That centrifugal force is the same force described by nm golfer in his mathematical

explanation. That centrifugal force causes the club to passively release so that the

clubshaft becomes inline with the central arm (left arm) at the low point of the circular

swingarc.

The double pendulum swing model is the fundamental swing model used to design the

Iron Byron swing machine that golf club manufacturers use to test their golf clubs.

Here is an example of an Iron Byron machine - see the PingMan Machine in action.

http://homepage.mac.com/brianmanzella/.Movies/PINGMAN.mov(long download

time)

For a shorter download time try this download site

http://www.mediafire.com/?4tj0bn02yj1 (open the link in a separate window as the

"go-back" link function doesn't work if you open this website link in this samewindow)

Here is a series of capture images from that video.
http://homepage.mac.com/brianmanzella/.Movies/PINGMAN.movhttp://homepage.mac.com/brianmanzella/.Movies/PINGMAN.movhttp://homepage.mac.com/brianmanzella/.Movies/PINGMAN.mov


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PingMan machine - capture images from the PingMan Machine video

Note that the PingMan machine has a single central arm that is actively rotated by

some motorised mechanism at the central hinge point. The club is attached to the far

end of the central arm at a passive joint. No active movements occur at this peripheralhinge joint. During the downswing, the central arm swings at an operator-determined

rate of speed, and the rate of speed is user-controllable. In other words, if the machine

operator wants the machine to generate faster clubhead speeds at impact, then he

simply makes the central arm swing faster.

I have drawn red lines along the clubshaft and central arm, so that you can clearly see

the natural release action of the clubshaft in the mid-late downswing. Note that the

angle between the clubshaft and the central arm is established at 90 degrees at the

end-backswing position and that it remains at 90 degrees throughout the early-mid

downswing because the PingMan machine has a small latch-lock lever that preventsthe early release of the clubshaft (until image 4). After that time-point in the

downswing, the clubshaft releases naturally and the clubshaft is roughly in line with

the central arm at the time of impact. By maintaining 90 degrees of clubshaft lag until

the end of the mid-downswing, the PingMan machine's ability to increase clubhead

speed is significantly increased - see David Tutelman's website for a detailed

explanation [3]. However, it is important to realise that the Pingman Machine's

clubshaft release action occurs passively due to physical forces and that it is not due

to any active uncocking action at the peripheral hinge joint. A beginner golfer needs

to realise that he will not necessarily produce any increase in swing power by

deliberately trying to uncock the wrists when the hands get to waist level. Theclubshaft release action should happen automatically due to physical forces - due to

the clubshaft having gained sufficient angular momentum to cause the clubshaft to

release and progressively catch up to the left arm during the remainder of the

downswing.

If you cannot understand the physics underlying the double pendulum swing model,

then all you need to know as a swinger are three important facts - i) that you need to

swing your left arm from the left shoulder socket during the downswing, and ii) that

the club will be pulled passively by the left hand as the left hand traces a circular arc

and iii) that the club will passively release in the correct manner if you have relaxed

wrists. The primary action that a swinger really needs to learn is how to get the left

arm to swing down towards the ball during the downswing so that the left arm can

pull the clubshaft down towards the ball, and I will describe the underlying

biomechanics in the next section.


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I previously stated that a swinger pulls the club via the left hand, and that a hitter

pushes the club via the right hand. How does a hitter push the club?

A hitter usesan axe handle technique whereby the right hand applies a radial force

to the clubshaft at the grip end of the club. When hitting, a golfer applies an active

right arm-powered force as push-pressure to the back side of the grip end of theshaft via push-pressure applied at pressure point #1 and #3.

Modified photo derived from source [4]

The above photo shows pressure points # 1 and #3. Pressure point #1 is the area atthe back-top area of the base of the left thumb, and normally the lifeline area of the

right palm nestles directly over this area of the left thumb. That allows a golfer to

apply active push-presssure via the right palm to pressure point #1. That active push-

pressure forces the left thumb to move away from the left shoulder socket thereby

straightening a relaxed left arm via a pulling action - if the push-force at PP#1 is

exerted in a direction that is along the axis fo the left arm. This active force is applied


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by a golfer when he tries to straighten his right arm at the right elbow joint and that

active force pulls the left arm straight. This active force is called extensor action. In

other words, throughout the swing (both backswing and downswing), a golfer

should be trying to straighten the right elbow so that he can maintain a constant

extensor pulling force on the left arm at pressure point #1 - and that extensor action

allows a golfer to keep the left arm straight throughout the backswing and downswing.A golfer should not try to keep the left arm straight by tensing muscles in the left arm.

The left arm should feel relaxed and it should be pulled straight via the mechanism of

extensor action (in both a swinger and a hitter). Although a hitter applies a small

amount of push-pressure at pressure point #1 to keep the left arm straight, he does not

hit by only applying push-pressure at pressure point #1 - he also needs to apply push-

pressure at pressure point #3.

Pressure point #3 is the area of proximal phalanx/middle phalanx of the right index

finger neighbouring the first joint of the right index finger, and normally that area of

the right index finger lies against the backof the grip end of the shaft - in other

words, it is behind the shaft. A golfer can sense pressure at that pressure point

(pressure point #3) if he pushes against the back of the grip end of the clubshaft with

the right hand. In a golf swing (whether one is a hitter or a swinger), the right wrist is

always bent back and the right wrist never bends forward (palmar flexes) at any time

point during the downswing - because it would cause the left wrist to bend forward

(flip).


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Tiger Woods bent right wrist and flat left wrist - capture images from a Nike

commercial swing video

The above photo sequence shows Tiger Woods' wrist action through the impact zone.

Note that his right wrist remains bent and that his left wrist remains flat while thehands are passing through the impact zone. Whether one is a hitter or a swinger, this is

a fundamental imperative of a good golf swing - the left wrist must be flat at

impact. If the right wrist is allowed to bend forward in the impact zone, thereby

flipping the left wrist forward, a golfer loses his ability to apply a solid compressive

force to the ball at impact. Whether one is a hitter or a swinger, the clubhead should

never flip past the hands while the clubhead is moving through the pre-impact zone.

The clubhead should always be lagging behind the hands during the entire

downswing, which means that the right wrist is always bent back. In a swinger, like

Tiger Woods, the golfer can sense the clubhead lag pressure at pressure point #3

throughout the entire downswing - because the clubhead always lags behind thehands. A swinger doesn't actively apply a push-force at pressure point #3 during the

downswing - he only senses and monitors the lag pressure at pressure point #3. By

contrast, a hitter applies an activepush-force at pressure point #3 by actively

extending the right elbow during the downswing - as the right elbow actively

straightens it applies an active push-force via the bent right wrist to pressure point #3.

The push force is applied as a straight line thrust action against the back of the grip

end of the clubshaft. Consider the following analogy.

Wagon wheel analogy


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Imagine a situation where a wagon wheel is stuck in the mud. If one wanted to

dislodge the wagon wheel and get it rolling, one could apply a push force along the

circumference of the wagon wheel by placing one's hands on the rim of the wheel and

then pushing along a circular arc direction (the directional arc of the rim of the wagon

wheel). Alternatively, one could attempt to dislodge the mud-stuck wagon wheel by

pushing on one of the spokes of the wagon wheel via a straight line thrust action. It isa radial thrust action because one is pushing the radially-oriented spoke using a

straight line thrust action. That's what a hitter does to power the golf club. He uses the

right arm to push the clubshaft down towards the ball using a straight line thrust

action against PP#1 and PP#3. I will describe the hitter's swing action in greater detail

later in this review paper. At this point, a reader must simply understand how a hitter

applies a straight line thrust force radially to the clubshaft at PP#1 and PP#3 (axe-

handle technique) in order to power the swing.

How to power the golf swing - the basic biomechanics

In this section of the this review paper, I am going to describe the actual biomechanics

of swinging and hitting - how the body and arms work to power the golf swing.

It is important that a golfer realise that the clubshaft is essentially powered by the

arms, and to fully understand how this happens one needs to understand Homer

Kelley's power accumulator loading and release actions.

Homer Kelley stated (1) that there are four power accumulators (numbered 1 through

4) and that three of those power accumulators are used in a set release sequence in a

swinger 's full golf swing action - the sequence is 4:2:3. Homer Kelley referred to this

swing action as a triple barrel action because three power accumulators are loaded and

then released in the swinger's swing action. A hitter usually also has a triple barrel

swing action, but he uses three different power accumulators in a different release

sequence - 1:2:3. A skilled/experienced hitter can also use a four barrel action (use all

the power accumulators in a set release sequence of 4:1:2:3), but a swinger cannot

have a four-barrel swing action because a swinger should never actively usePA#1.

To make sense of the power accumulator loading/release concept, one first has to

understand what's a power accumulator and how it works. I will start off by describing

power accumulator #4 because it is the easiest to understand, and because it is the


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master power accumulator that is responsible for most of the power generated by a

swinger.

Power accumulator #4 is loaded when the left arm is pulled across the chest wall

during the backswing. At the end of the backswing, the left arm should be lying across

the upper chest wall and there should be a sense of pressure at pressure point #4 - thepoint where the left upper arm lies tightly against the left upper pectoral area.

Power accumulator #4 loading and release - from reference number [1]

At the top of the backswing, note that there is an acute angle between the left arm and

the upper chest wall between the shoulder sockets. The exact amount of that acute

angle is not critical - it will be smaller if a golfer has a longer backswing left arm

movement that gets the left arm to lie closer against the chest wall. Note that power

accumulator #4 is loaded at the top of the model's backswing, and ready to be

released. During the downswing, the left arm moves away from the upper torso and

power accumulator #4 is regarded as being completely released when there is an

approximately 90 degree angle between the straight left arm and the upper torsobetween the shoulder sockets - which usually happens by impact (actually at the end

of the followthrough when both arms are fully straight). I will describe the different

methods of releasing PA #4 during the downswing (different methods of causing the

left arm to swing rapidly across the front of the torso) later in this section. At this

point, a golfer merely needs to understand that the release of PA#4 supplies most of


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the power in a swinger's swing action - and that it is conceptually equivalent to the

movement of the central arm in the double pendulum swing model.

The following photo series of Kevin Na's swing will demonstrate the next two power

accumulators - PA#2 and PA#1.

Power accumulator loading and release - from reference number [5]

Before I discuss PAs #2 and #1, consider how Kevin Na loads and releases PA#4.

Note that Kevin Na gets his left arm so far across his upper chest during the

backswing that he gets his hands behind his right shoulder and his clubshaft is

approximately parallel to the ball-target line at the end of the backswing (image 1).Note that his right forearm is vertical to the ground - and that is characteristic of a

swinger who has a full backswing that gets to the end-of-the-backswing position

(hands behind the right shoulder). By contrast, the photo of the lady model in the

"power accumulator #4 photo" demonstrates that she ends her backswing when she is

at the top-of-the-backswing position (defined as the time point when the hands are

opposite the right shoulder, and not above/behind the right shoulder). At the top-of-

the-backswing position, the right forearm is not vertical to the ground, but at an angle

to the ground (roughly parallel to the bent-over spine). Note how Kevin Na's PA#4

releases in the photo sequence and how the left upper arm separates from the left

pectoral area (point X in blue = pressure point #4) to become completely released bythe end of the followthrough (images 2,3,4,5). PA#4 is fully released when there is

approximately a 90 degree angle between the left arm and the left pectoral area of the

chest wall - image 5.

Power accumulator #2 is the angle between the radial border of the straight left arm

and the clubshaft, and this angle is established when the left wrist cocks upwards.


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PA#2 is fully loaded when there is a 90 degree angle between the clubshaft and the

left arm, and a golfer loads PA#2 during the backswing. By the time the hands get to

the top-of-the-backswing (or end-of-the-backswing for a more complete backswing),

PA#2 should be fully loaded (red lines). Note that PA#2 releases after PA#4 in the

downswing. Note that Kevin Na maintains the 90 degree PA#2 angle until his hands

are passing the front of his right thigh (image 3) and that he only releases PA#2 in thelate downswing. This represents a late release. If the release of PA#2 occurs from the

very start of the downswing and occurs gradually (and progressively) throughout the

downswing, that represents a sweep release. Most amateur golfers have a random

release - which is any PA#2 release timing between a late release and a sweep release.

It is critically important to understand that the release of PA#2 is passive in a swinger

and due to centrifugal action - similar to the release phenomenon involving the

peripheral arm in the double pendulum swing model. In other words, a swinger

doesn't actively release PA#2 via an active left wrist uncocking action or via a right

arm thrust action. The later the release, the faster the golfer can swing the left

arm/clubshaft unit during the early-mid downswing (as explained in David Tutelman's

website review) and the greater the potential clubhead speed at impact.

Power accumulator #1 is the bend-angle between the right forearm and right upper

arm at the right elbow joint, and one can see that PA#1 is fully loaded at the end (or

top) of the backswing and that there is a ~90 degree bend-angle at the right elbow

joint (yellow lines). During the downswing, the right elbow straightens and this is

only possible if a "force" causes the left hand to move away from the right shoulder.

In a swinger's action, the right elbow straightens somewhat passively as the left

arm/hand, and therefore the right hand, moves away from the right shoulder (due to

the release of PA#4). At impact, there is still a small amount of bend in the right

elbow (image 4) and the right arm only becomes fully straight after impact (at the end

of the followthrough - defined as the time point when both arms are fully straight -

image 5). In a swinger, the right arm doesn't actively straighten as a result of a very

forceful right triceps muscular thrust action. The right triceps muscle only actively

contracts with enough isotonic force during the downswing to keep the right elbow

straightening slightly (in order to maintain extensor action throughout the entire

downswing) and with only enough isotonic force to sense/maintain clubhead lag (a

constant sense of lag pressure at PP#3) throughout the downswing (which will occur

if the right hand keeps up with the left hand by traveling at the same speed). PA#1 isonly actively released in a hitter's swing action - when the right triceps muscle

actively contracts with a large amount of isotonic force, thereby straightening the right

arm in a straight line thrust action that thrusts the right forearm downplane and drives

PP#1/PP#3 towards the ball (or towards a desired aiming point in the vicinity of the

ball). PA#1 is called the muscular power accumulator, because its active release

depends on the active contraction of the right triceps muscle and its active release


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results in the active straightening of the right arm in a straight line thrust manner.

PA#1's release action is the major power source in a hitter's swing action. By

contrast, it provides no power thrust action in a "pure" swinger's swing action. There

is no time point during the downswing when a "pure" swinger should be actively

releasing PA#1 - actively straightening the right arm in a forceful thrust action. Many

beginner golfers, who employ a swinger's action, try to add additional hitting power inthe later downswing by actively straghtening the right elbow in a forceful thrust

action, and this is a major swing fault (which I will discuss in greater detail later in

this section when I describe the swinger's swing action).

Power accumulator #3 is called the transfer power accumulator and many people

cannot understand how PA#3 works. One can see PA#3 at work in this slow motion

swing video of Tiger Woods - the famous Nike commercial that was produced using a

special camera operating at 4,000 frames/second.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meVTld5GvbM

Watch the back of Tiger's left hand as his club nears impact. Note how his left hand

rolls over (rotates counterclockwise as viewed from above) just before impact. That

rollover of the left hand occurs after the start of the release of PA#2 (uncocking of the

left wrist) and that rollover motion allows the clubshaft to get into a straight line

alignment with the left arm soon after impact - at low point (as seen from a face-on

view). Here are a series of capture images from that swing video that demonstrate the

release of PA#3.

Release of Power Accumulator #3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meVTld5GvbMhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meVTld5GvbMhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meVTld5GvbM


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Image 1 shows Tiger Woods approaching the delivery position - defined as the time

point when the clubshaft should be parallel to the ground and parallel to the ball-target

line and roughly along the toe line. At this time point, PA#2 is still fully loaded and

you can see how PA#2 releases in the time period between image 1 and image 4

(impact). However, note that there is another phenomenon happening in that sametime period. Note how the back of the left hand is facing the ball-target in line in

image 1, and facing the target at impact. That means that the back of the left hand

(and therefore clubface, which is constantly in-line with the back of the FLW) have to

rotate 90 degrees between image 1 and image 3. Note that most of the left hand

rollover action occurs later in the late downswing - between image 3 and image 4. As

the left hand rolls over during that time period, the clubshaft is getting to become

more straight-in-line with the left arm - as seen from a face-on view. That specific left

hand rollover action (which is due to a left forearm supinatory motion) that

allows the clubshaft and left arm to achieve a straight-in-line relationship by impact

(actually at low point) represents the release of PA#3 and it transfers power to the

ball at impact.

Addendum added February 2011: There is a much better way of understanding how

PA#3 works, and that is based on the concept of the left arm flying wedge (LAFW).

Once a golfer understands the concept of the LAFW, then he will realise that the

release of PA#3 is nothing more than the rotation of the intact LAFW intoimpact during the late downswing - and that the release of PA#3 is happening while

the clubshaft is being simultaneously released (due to the release of PA#2) within theplane of the LAFW.

To better understand these concepts - a website reader should view these two U-

stream broadcasts that I (the author) produced in late 2010.

Q&A session number 1 -http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/10886488

Maintaining a flat left wrist post-impact -http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/10830713

Note that there is small degree of overlap between the release of PA#2 and PA#3.

That's perfectly acceptable in a swinger's action as long as the start of the release of

PA#2 precedes the start of the release of PA#3. The release of PA#3 is primarily due

to a left forearm rotation (supination) motion and only partially due to external

rotation of the left humerus in the left shoulder socket and and it represents the
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/10886488http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/10886488http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/10886488http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/10830713http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/10830713http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/10830713http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/10830713http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/10886488


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release swivel action. A release swivel action doesn't happen in a hitter's swing

action. When I describe a hitter's swing action, you will see that PA#2 and PA#3

release near-simultaneously because their release is being driven by the active release

of PA#1 (rather than being driven by a centrifugal action).

In a swinger's action, the release swivel action causes the left hand to rotate intoimpact so that the back of the left hand (and flat left wrist) faces the target at impact.

However, impact is simply a "captured" moment-in-time, and in real-life reality the

left hand should continue to rotate after impact. However, the continued rotation of

the left hand post-impact is not due to independent left forearm rotation, but due to

counterclockwise rotation of the entire left arm (left upper arm and left forearm) due

to external rotation of the left humerus at left shoulder socket level. That

counterclockwise rotation of the entire left arm causes the back of the left hand to

rotate horizontally so that the FLW remains vertical to the ground and this

phenomenon is called horizontal hinging. If the release swivel action (rollover release

of PA#3) blends seamlessly with a horizontal hinging action, then the clubface will

close steadily through impact (through the 1/4000 second time period when the ball

remains in contact with the ball) and that steady clubface closing action allows the

clubface to maximally compress the ball. If one doesn't employ horizontal hinging,

but uses either an angled hinging or vertical hinging action, then the clubface will not

be closing steadily through impact. This will result in power leakage and prevent

maximum ball flight distance (for a given clubhead speed at impact). I will discuss

this hinging issue in greater detail in the next section on the swinger's swing action.

Here is a link to an excellent swing video lesson by Brian Manzella on the power

accumulator concept.

http://homepage.mac.com/brianmanzella/.Movies/manzellashort7.mp4

This is an Apple Quicktime movie, and you will need Apple Quicktime, or an

equivalent video viewing program that can view a mp4 file.

Swinger's swing action - the biomechanics

I have previously stated that a swinger releases three power accumulators in a set

sequence - 4:2:3. The release of PA#2 and PA#3 occurs passively (secondary to the

centrifugal release phenomenon - a phenomenon of physical mechanics previously

explained in the double pendulum swing model explanation). That means, from a

power perspective, that a swinger needs to concentrate his effort on how best to
http://homepage.mac.com/brianmanzella/.Movies/manzellashort7.mp4http://homepage.mac.com/brianmanzella/.Movies/manzellashort7.mp4http://homepage.mac.com/brianmanzella/.Movies/manzellashort7.mp4


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actively release PA#4. There are different golf swing styles that a swinger can adopt,

and they use different biomechanical methods of actively releasing PA#4.

The most common method of actively releasing PA#4 is the pivot-driven swing and

it is the method used by the majority of PGA tour players.

What happens in a pivot-driven swing? Basically, a swinger pivots his torso in space

in a rotational manner so that the upper torso rotates counterclockwise (as seen from

above). When the swinger loads his PA#4 at the top/end of the backswing, the upper

left arm gets loaded against the left pectoral area and pressure is felt at pressure point

#4. During the first part of the pivot-driven downswing, when the upper torso rotates

counterclockwise, the left upper arm temporarily remains in contact with the left

pectoral area of the chest wall - which means that there is an increased sense of

loading pressure at PP#4 and there is consequently no release of PA#4 in the early

downswing. At a certain time-point in the downswing, the upper torso decelerates

(speed of upper torso rotation decreases) and the inert left arm is catapulted passivelyaway from the upper torso into a freewheeling left arm swinging motion. That

represents the release of PA#4. Homer Kelley states in his TGM book [1], that one

should "consider Pivot Thrust as Body Power blasting a Swinger's essentially inert left

arm into orbit toward Impact". When a golfer initiates a pivot-driven release of PA#4,

the pivot action usually starts with a pelvic shift-rotation movement, which is then

immediately followed by an upper torso rotational movement. Many TGM swingers

start the upper torso's rotary motion with an assertive thrust motion of the right

shoulder in a downplane direction. That right shoulder thrust action causes the

entire upper torso to rotate as a single unit, and the left arm is then passively pulled

forward by the rotating upper torso.

Basically, there are three general types of pivot-driven swinging actions - i) an upper

body swinging action where the lower body remains static and the swinger rotates

only his upper body; ii) a total body swinging action where the golfer rotates his

lower and upper torso at the same rotational speed - exemplified by Jim Hardy's one-

plane swing (Hardy OPS); and iii) a lower body swinging action where the lower

torso (pelvis) turns first followed sequentially by a secondary rotation of the upper

torso (shoulders) - exemplified by Ben Hogan's and Tiger Woods swing style.

Many beginner golfers who use a pivot-driven swing unintentionally use an upper

body swinging action because they have not learnt how to pivot-rotate their pelvis

correctly in the backswing and/or downswing. They can still release PA#4 effectively

with a great deal of force and they can often generate a great deal of clubhead speed at

impact. However, they often don't hit the ball as far as they potentially could (for a

given speed of release of PA#4) because their clubhead swingpath is *out-to-in and

this causes the clubface (if it faces the target at impact) to hit the ball with a glancing


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blow that results in slice spin. If they have their clubface oriented in the same

direction as their out-to-in clubhead swingpath at impact, then they will pull the ball

left. The ball will often go a long way (if they rotate their upper torso at a fast speed

and release PA#4 very efficiently), but the ball will likely end up in the rough well left

of the left edge of the fairway. I therefore recommend that a body-swinger adopt a

total body swinging action or a lower body swinging action - if physical limitationsdon't make this choice impossible - and they should try to avoid becoming an upper

body swinger.

[* side issue - see mydownswing chapterto understand why an upper body swing

style usually results in an out-to-in clubhead swingpath]

There are a number of golf instructors who teach a rotary swing where the primary

mantra is ABT (always be turning). That mantra applies to the rotating torso and

rotary swingers primarily focus their attention on performing a fluid torso rotary

movement. The prototypical rotary swing is the Hardy One-Plane Swing (HardyOPS). If you are interested in learning the Hardy OPS, you can read his books [6] [7]

or purchase his DVDs [8].

Here is a link to a swing video of Jeff Ritter performing the Hardy OPS.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pu-wDdY8-g4

Jeff Ritter performs the Hardy OPS exceptionally well. He pivots very fluidly. Note

his bent-over posture, which is very characteristic of a Hardy OPS golfer. It takes a

great deal of flexibility and athleticism to perform the Hardy OPS as efficiently andfluidly as Jeff Ritter - because one has to rotate the upper and lower torso

simultaneously at a fast speed.

Here is a series of capture images from that swing video.
http://perfectgolfswingreview.net/downswing.htmhttp://perfectgolfswingreview.net/downswing.htmhttp://perfectgolfswingreview.net/downswing.htmhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pu-wDdY8-g4http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pu-wDdY8-g4http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pu-wDdY8-g4http://perfectgolfswingreview.net/downswing.htm


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Jeff Ritter - Release of Power Accumulator #4

Image 1 shows Jeff Ritter at the top of the backswing with his PA#4 fully loaded.

What is characteristic of a good Hardy OPS golfer is how fast and assertively they

rotate their torso at the start of the downswing. They generally rotate their upper and

lower torso as a single rotating unit, and they rotate their torso so fast that the left arm

remains in contact with their left pectoral area (pressure point #4) in the early/mid

downswing (image 2). Release of PA#4 is delayed until the late downswing (image3). However, although a Hardy OPS golfer has a delayed release of PA#4, he still has

a swinger's swing action because PA#2 is released passively via a centrifugal action

(double pendulum swing action model) and the PA release sequence is still 4:2:3. The

arms are essentially passive in the Hardy OPS and PA#1 is not actively released in a

hitting manner. In a revised version of his Hardy OPS (first described in his second

book), Jim Hardy recommends an active right arm throw action at the very start of the

downswing. However, this right arm throw action is not intended to drive load the

clubhsaft (using a hitter's axe handle technique). Rather, it allows the right arm to

keep up with the left arm during the pivot-driven downswing (during the time period

when the power package assembly remains intact), and it allows the right arm to alsomaintain continuous extensor action at PP#1. If the right arm keeps up with the left

arm, then the straightening action of the right arm in the late downswing, which

causes the right forearm to paddlewheel into impact, can synergistically assist in the

efficient release of PA#3.


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The quintessential pivot-driven swinger's style is the Ben Hogan lower body

swing style and that swing style is used by the majority of PGA tour players eg. Tiger

Woods.

The characteristic feature of the Hogan lower body swing style is that the pivot action

starts from the ground-up with the lower body rotating first and the upper torsosecondarily.

I have produced this crude hand-drawn diagram to demonstrate certain kinetic

features of the lower body swing style.

Kinetic sequence in a pivot-driven swinger's swing action

This diagram does not represent any true measurements obtained from a pivot-driven

swinger who uses a lower body swing style, and it is not drawn to scale. It is merelydesigned to be representational of certain kinetic phenomena that occur in a swinger

who uses a lower body swing style (ala Ben Hogan). Time is on the X axis. The

intersection point between the X axis and Y axis represents the start of the

downswing. Rv stands for rotational velocity (or angular velocity) and it roughly

demonstrates the speed of rotation of the lower body (pelvis), upper body (shoulders)


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and left arm at different time points in the downswing. I have truncated the

deceleration parts of the curves.

The first diagram represents the perfected lower body swing style - as exemplified

by a swinger such as Ben Hogan or Tiger Woods. The downswing starts with a lower

body (pelvis) rotation followed shortly thereafter by an upper body (shoulder) rotation- and this increases the degree of torso-pelvic separation in the early downswing

(increases dynamic X-factor). The diagram suggests that the pelvis only starts rotating

at the start of the downswing, but many good PGA tour players (like Tiger Woods)

actually start rotating the pelvis forward even while the club is moving back to its

end-backswing position. The diagram shows that at a certain time-point in the

downswing, that the pelvis rotation will naturally decelerate and that the shoulder

rotation will naturally decelerate a short time later. I do not want to discuss the

biomechanical factors that cause deceleration of the pelvis/shoulders in this review

paper. I merely want a reader to note that when the upper torso (shoulders) decelerate

that the left arm will continue to rotate at a faster speed (because it has acquired

enough energy to continue to acclerate throughout the late downswing) - and that this

represents the release of PA#4. The left arm will eventually decelerate in the last

phase of the downswing when PA#3 releases.

The second diagram represents the kinetic sequence of a swinger who uses the

Hardy OPS swing style where the entire torso rotates as a single unit - ala Jeff

Ritter's swing. The left arm remains in contact with the left pectoral area during the

early/mid downswing and PA#4 only releases when the pivot subsides thus allowing

the left arm to swing freely towards impact, and then through the impact zone.

Note that the slope of the left arm speed graph does not steepen after the shoulders

slow down in a pivot-driven swing. In other words, the left arm does not accelerate at

a faster speed at this time point - the left arm simply continues to move at roughly the

same rate of acceleration it had acquired during the time period when it was being

driven by the rotating upper torso (which applied constant push-pressure at pressure

point #4). When the shoulders decelerate, the left arm can continue to swing freely

and faster across the front of the body towards impact because there is no impedance

to the free movement of the left arm across the front of the body.

The speed of movement of the left arm during the late downswing depends on the

speed of rotational movement of the rotating upper torso in the early-mid downswing

- because the left arm is inert and it acquires nearly all its energy from the rotating

torso (with only a small amount of energy being supplied by the left shoulder girdle

muscles). The faster the torso rotates, the faster the left arm speed, and the faster the

ultimate clubhead speed at impact. If a pivot-driven swinger wants to hit the ball a


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long way, then he needs to rotate his upper torso faster in the early-mid downswing so

that he can release PA#4 with a greater amount of velocity.

Here is a swing video of a golfer - Jamie Sadlowski - who won the 2008 World Long-

Drive Competition. You can see why he can drive the ball a long way - because he

rotates his upper torso super-fast in the early/mid downswing and that super-fast uppertorso rotation induces his left arm to swing at a very fast speed towards impact (due to

the release of PA#4).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0h-5zCB4Lzw

A lower body swinger can induce PA#4 to release even earlier (before the upper

torso rotation decelerates) if the upper torso rotates very fast in the early downswing

and catapults the left arm off the chest wall - "essentially blasting the inert left arm

into orbit". This phenomenon is more likely to occur if the golfer starts the

downswing with an assertive thrust of the right shoulder downplane that triggers anearlier release of PA#4. However, an assertive right shoulder thrust that occurs

independently of the speed of rotation of the entire upper torso can cause a more

jerky, and too-fast release of PA#4 and a swinging left arm that travels too fast

relative to the rotating torso. If the left arm swings too fast relative to the speed of

rotation of the upper torso, then the left arm will whip through the impact zone too

fast (relative to the rotating torso) and flip around the torso to the left - predisposing to

duck-hooked (snap-hook) shots. A swinger needs to execute his pivot-driven swing

very smoothly so that there is no asynchrony between the speed of movement of the

upper torso and the speed of movement of the left arm across the front of the body

during the downswing.

Look at how smoothly Ben Hogan rotates his upper torso in this swing video lesson -

even though he starts the downswing with a lower body rotation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QL_6M_xZvq0

If you study the swing videos of PGA tour players using a swing analyser program,

you will be able to discern the exact pattern of left arm release (PA#4 release) in that

individual golfer.

Here is a link to a swing video demonstration of Ben Hogan's PA#4 release pattern.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWbppUcInrs

In the swing video lesson video of Ben Hogan (that I just mentioned) one can see that

Ben Hogan's PA#4 release action starts in earnest when his hands get down to about
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0h-5zCB4Lzwhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0h-5zCB4Lzwhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QL_6M_xZvq0http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QL_6M_xZvq0http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWbppUcInrshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWbppUcInrshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWbppUcInrshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QL_6M_xZvq0http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0h-5zCB4Lzw


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waist level. The reason for the delayed release is that Ben Hogan had an assertive

lower body swing action that pulled his intactpower package assembly down to waist

level - Ben Hogan often stated that his "arms/hands get a free-ride" when he started

the downswing with a lower body swing action and his pivot action pulls his entire

power package assembly (loaded PA#4 and loaded PA#2) down to waist level, thus

delaying the release of PA#4. Note how the angle between the left arm and the uppertorso (and distance between the hands and the right shoulder) doesn't increase in the

early downswing.

At the opposite end of the spectrum to Ben Hogan's PA#4 release pattern is a PA#4

release pattern where the left arm is pulled away from the chest wall as soon as the

downswing starts - and this pattern is characteristic of an arm swinger (ala Leslie

King).

Here is a link to Leslie King's opinions on his method of starting the downswing with

a pulling of the left arm downplane while keeping the shoulders back.

http://www.golftoday.co.uk/proshop/tuition/lesson11.html

Here is a copy of Leslie King's instructional statements from that lesson.

Now, maintaining the shoulders in the fully turned position, we simply commence the

downward swing of the left hand and arm. That is how the downswing starts, and nothing could

be simpler!

I stress again, the SHOULDERS MUST REMAIN IN THE FULLY TURNED POSITION at thebeginning of the downswing! The same left foot action that has "charged" the hands with power

is enabling us to control the shoulders.

By keeping the shoulders fully turned the left hand and arm can swing freely from the left

shoulder, taking the club-head down into the ball on a club line that will result in a swing intoand along the line of flight through impact.
http://www.golftoday.co.uk/proshop/tuition/lesson11.htmlhttp://www.golftoday.co.uk/proshop/tuition/lesson11.htmlhttp://www.golftoday.co.uk/proshop/tuition/lesson11.html


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Hold your shoulders in the fully turned position as the left hand and arm begins to swing

down... this ensures good club line through the ball.

In other words, Leslie King recommends the immediate release of PA#4 at the very

start of the downswing - while keeping the shoulders back. There is no pivot-thrust

action in his swing methodology and the torso pivots reactively to support the

movement of the left arm across the front of the body. The Leslie King swing

methodology works reasonably well and it is a very legitimate way of powering the

release of PA#4 - it may be especially useful for elderly, inflexible golfers who cannot

perform a body pivot action efficiently. However, one cannot hope to win the World

Long-Drive Competition using a left arm swing pattern, because a left arm pullingaction (due to the active muscle contraction of left shoulder girdle muscles) cannot

propel the left arm forward with as much speed as a world-class pivot-driven swinger

can propel his left arm towards impact. The rotating upper torso is a tremendous

energy source for inducing a powerful release of PA#4.

Many golfers believe that the standard body-pivot method of releasing PA#4 (ala

Tiger Woods) is superior because one can torque the upper body against the resistance

of the lower body during the backswing if one deliberately restricts the rotation of the

lower body during the backswing. This is the basis of Jim McLean's static X factor

theory - the theory that swing power can be increased by increasing the degree oftorso-pelvic separation during the backswing. I have personally studied the scientific

literature supporting this theory's fundamental belief in great depth, and I find the

scientific evidence very unconvincing in terms of scientific conclusiveness. I believe

that alternative body-pivot swing styles work equally well in terms of releasing PA#4

efficiently. Consider the classic body swing styles of Sam Snead and Phil Mickelson

- they both allow their pelvis to rotate freely in the backswing and they can hit the ball


25/72

as far as golfers who utilise the X-factor principle of torquing the upper body against

the resistance of a lower body's restricted backswing turn.

Sam Snead

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDn_2_kvmBE

Phil Mickelson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrJjTJcIMhY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtEfOAruVco

The reason why they can both drive the ball a long way is because they have a full

backswing that allows for a complete loading of power accumulator #4 (left arm

loaded against the left upper chest wall during the backswing). They also have asuperb downswing pivot action that allows them to fully and efficiently release power

accumulator #4. If a golfer can get the left arm to swing freely and fast towards

impact in the downswing, then he will hit the ball a long way.

A very convincing demonstration of how effectively one can release PA#4 without

using the X-factor principle can be seen in Shawn Clement's one-leg swing video

lesson.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2FnfZlRwak

Here is a composite capture image from that swing video lesson.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDn_2_kvmBEhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDn_2_kvmBEhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrJjTJcIMhYhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrJjTJcIMhYhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtEfOAruVcohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtEfOAruVcohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2FnfZlRwakhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2FnfZlRwakhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2FnfZlRwakhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtEfOAruVcohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrJjTJcIMhYhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDn_2_kvmBE


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Shawn Clement's one-leg swing action

Note how freely Shawn Clement rotates his pelvis back during the backswing. He

essentially has zero X-factor in his swing because he rotates his pelvis back as far as

he rotates his shoulders. Yet, he can still hit the ball over 200 yards with his five-iron

while swinging in this manner. If you watch his swing action in that swing video, you

will understand why - it is because he loads PA#4 adequately during the backswing

and unloads PA#4 very efficiently during the downswing, thereby allowing the left

arm to swing at an adequate speed in the late downswing.

The important learning point, from a developing golfer's perspective, is that a

swinger primarily needs to release PA#4 fluidly and efficiently and produce a

free flowing left arm swing that reaches its maximum speed in the late

downswing (and not the early downswing).

The timing of the release of PA#4 (the time point when the left arm separates away

from the chest wall) can be early (in a left arm swinger's action ala Leslie King) or

late (as in the Hardy OPS swing) orintermediate (ala Hogan's swing) and it depends

on the mechanism of releasing PA#4. The main learning point is that a swinger needs

to get the left arm swinging freely, and that left arm speed must progressively increase

during the early-mid downswing and only reach its maximum speed in the later

downswing. Over-acceleration of the left arm during the early downswing must be

avoided. Left arm speed must smoothly increase until it reaches a maximum speed in

the late downswing and it then needs to decelerate slightly prior to impact - so that


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there is enough time to complete the release of PA#2 and especially PA#3 (so that

there is enough time to complete the release swivel action).

I previously stated that a swinger uses a triple barrel swing action and that he releases

PA#4 and then PA#2 and then PA#3 in that set sequence. I also stated that the release

of PA#2 is passive and due to centrifugal forces. I will now discuss the release ofPA#2 in greater depth.

The release mechanics/physics of PA#2 is a complex subject and I have produced a 20

minute swing video presentation on that subject. I created a home made studio by

simply hanging a painter's dropcloth in front of my garage door and I used my cheap

camcorder to make this amateurish video lesson presentation. Hopefully, you can hear

my voice clearly despite the background noises. The background noises were from

construction workers who were repairing my neighbour's roof, and I didn't originally

think that my cheap camcorder's microphone was sensitive enough to pick up those

extraneous noises. However, I was obviously wrong!

This 20 minute swing video lesson is divided into three segments that must be viewed

consecutively.

Segment 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhAIx-DcbeU

Segment 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxl90OLrCvo

Segment 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BA4cE56Vfw

I am going to emphasize certain points (that I made in the swing video) in this next

section on the release of PA#2.

Release of power accumulator #2

The first point that a swinger must understand is that PA#2 is released passively due

to a centrifugal action and not due to any active uncocking left wrist actions. A golfer

should not deliberately uncock the left wrist by using left forearm muscle power, and

the left wrist should be very relaxed so that it does not impede the passive centrifugal-

induced release of PA#2.

I used a double pendulum swingle stick contraption in that swing video presentation

to demonstrate that passive release of PA#2 is due to the fact that the peripheral hinge

joint (left wrist) moves in a circular direction in the downswing, and that passive

release would not occur if the peripheral hinge point (left wrist) pull action occurred

continuously along the longitudinal axis of the peripheral arm (clubshaft) - a
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhAIx-DcbeUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhAIx-DcbeUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxl90OLrCvohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxl90OLrCvohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BA4cE56Vfwhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BA4cE56Vfwhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BA4cE56Vfwhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxl90OLrCvohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhAIx-DcbeU


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continuous straight line pull action directionally in-line with the clubshaft. The degree

of centrifugal force developed when the peripheral hinge point (left wrist) moves in a

non-straight line direction is dependent on the i) degree of the change of direction of

the pulling force and ii) the abruptness of the change in direction and the iii) amount

of pulling force (due to hand speed) being exerted at the exact moment in time when

the left wrist abruptly changes its direction of movement. One can therefore use theinsights gained from studying the release pattern of a double pendulum swing model

to understand why the club releases differently in different golfers. Consider a few

examples.

If a beginner golfer starts the downswing with i) a very assertive pulling force exerted

at the level of the left wrist from the very top of the swing and ii) he moves his left

wrist down to the ball in a wide sweeping circular arc, then the club will start to

release immediately. Once the club starts to release one cannot hold the club back.

This early release (from the very start of the downswing) is called clubhead

throwaway(casting) and the resultant release pattern will be a sweep release. In

other words, the early release is due to over-acceleration of the hands at the start of

the swing combined with a circular pattern of hand movement.

To achieve a later release a golfer needs to i) not exert much pulling force at the level

of the left wrist in the early downswing and ii) let the left wrist move in a more

straight line direction during the early-mid downswing and iii) ensure that maximum

left arm/hand speed occurs at the time point when the left wrist is abruptly changing

direction (changing direction to a more circular motion with a small radius = tight

curve) during the later mid-downswing.

Consider Sergio Garcia's club release action - he has a very late release (often called a

snap release).


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Sergio Garcia's late release pattern - capture images from a swing video

Image 1 shows Sergio Garcia at the top of his backswing with PA#2 fully loaded -

note the 90 degree angle between the clubshaft and the left arm.

Image 2 shows Sergio Garcia in the early downswing. He has started the downswing

with an assertive pelvic shift-rotation movement that gets him to a hip-squared

position. This lower body motion actually starts while the club is still moving back toits end-backswing position, and during this time period Sergio is not pulling his left

arm rapidly down to the ball. Many PGA tour players state that they "feel" that they

are leaving their club behind at the start of the downswing - during the time period

when they are actively shift-rotating their pelvis to the left (time period of maximum

pelvic rotational speed). Note that the angle between Sergio's clubshaft and his left

arm has become even more acute at this time point and that phenomenon is partly due

to the fact that Sergio has very relaxed wrists at the exact moment when his left

hand/wrist is not being pulled very fast down towards the ball. That allows the weight

of the clubshaft/clubhead to be affected by gravity and this contributes to the

clubshaft-left arm angle becoming more acute.

Image 3 shows Sergio Garcia at his late release position. I used a spline tool to trace

his left hand/wrist movement during the early-mid dowswing. One can see that

Sergio's hand arc is U-shaped and that the middle section of the U-shape is close to a

straight line. In other words, during that early-middownswing time period, the passive

centrifugal releasing force that can potentially induce a release is minimal because the


30/72

left wrist pulling action is directed roughly along the longitudinal axis of the

clubshaft. Then, note how Sergio's hand arc abruptly changes direction when his

hands pass his right thigh. At that time point, his left hand/wrist (which is merely the

peripheral end of his left arm) is traveling at its maximum speed - see thehand-drawn

diagramabove to understand why the left arm is travelling at its maximum speed at

roughly that time point in the downswing - if the kinetic sequence evolves in anoptimally efficient manner. If Sergio's hands are moving at their maximum speed at

the exact moment when the hand arc's motion has it smallest radius, then the passive

physical force inducing a centrifugal release is at its maximum value, and that fact

accounts for Sergio's ability to execute a late snap release.

What a beginner golfer, who uses a swinger's pivot-driven swing action, needs to

understand is that he must get his kinetic sequencing action optimised so that the left

wrist pulling action speed is maximum at the exact time point when his left hand arc's

circular motion is at its tightest (smallest radius) - if he wants to achieve a late release

(like Sergio Garcia).

How can a beginner golfer mimic Sergio's U-shaped left hand swingarc? The issue is

complex because it involves the complex arc-of-movement of the left shoulder socket

in space during the downswing, which is affected by the timing of lower body versus

upper body movement and the timing of the secondary development of secondary axis

tilt. As a general guideline, here is an useful method of influencing the U-shape of the

left hand arc during the downswing.

The first element that a golfer, who uses a pivot-driven swinger's action, must get

correct is his kinetic sequencing, so that his lower body shift-rotates to the left while

his left hand/clubshaft "feel" like they are being left behind. That lower body left-

lateral shift action should also create the secondary axis tilt necessary for an optimal

left hand pull down action - directed by using the aiming point concept. Look at image

2 - note how Sergio's lower body shift action has produced secondary axis tilt and

note that he is in a good position to pull his hands straight down towards the ball.

What do I mean by the statement "pull the hands straight down to the ball"?

The concept of pulling the hands straight down to the ball is a TGM concept [1],

which Bobby Clampett emphasizes in his book [8]. Here is a photo from that book.
http://perfectgolfswingreview.net/power.htm#hand%20diagramhttp://perfectgolfswingreview.net/power.htm#hand%20diagramhttp://perfectgolfswingreview.net/power.htm#hand%20diagramhttp://perfectgolfswingreview.net/power.htm#hand%20diagramhttp://perfectgolfswingreview.net/power.htm#hand%20diagramhttp://perfectgolfswingreview.net/power.htm#hand%20diagram


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Bobby Clampett aiming - from reference [9]

One can see that Bobby Clampett is aiming his eyes at a point about 4" inches ahead

of the ball. He states that the aiming point concept applies to the hands - that one

should aim one's hand thrust action in a straight line direction towards the aiming

point so that one can get one's hands on that line at impact, thereby ensuring that the

hands lead the clubhead into impact. In other words, a golfer should attempt to pull

his hands in a straight line direction down towards the aiming point. Of course, it isnot really possible to pull the left arm in a straight line direction down towards the

aiming point - because the left arm, which is suspended from the left shoulder socket,

has to move in a circular manner. However, the left shoulder socket is constantly

moving leftwards during the downswing and therefore the left hand (which is merely

the peripheral end of the straight left arm) must move in a U-shaped manner during

the downswing. An U-shaped curve has a relatively straightish upper section and a

more rounded lower section. Each individual golfer will generate a different U-shaped

curve.

Here is a capture image of a superb golfer who has a more rounded U-shaped hand arc(compared to Sergio Garcia) and this results in a random release pattern.

Swing video of Anthony Kim - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqmejmw-

lu4&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqmejmw-lu4&NR=1http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqmejmw-lu4&NR=1http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqmejmw-lu4&NR=1http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqmejmw-lu4&NR=1http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqmejmw-lu4&NR=1


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Anthony Kim's hand arc - capture image from a swing video

One can see that Anthony Kim's hand arc movement pattern is more rounded than

Sergio Garcia's (in the previous photo) and he therefore releases his club earlier - note

that he has already lost the 90 degree angle between the left arm and clubshaft before

his hands pass the front of the right thigh.

I don't think that a beginner golfer should obssesively attempt to acquire a late releaseaction (like Sergio Garcia's late release action) because there is very little time in the

late downswing to get the club to release fully so that the clubhead can become square

by impact. It may be better to mimic Anthony Kim's random release pattern.

Each beginner golfer should experiment to find which release pattern works best for

him. It is dependent on many biomechanical and alignment factors - efficacy of the

lower body's shift-rotation movement in the early downswing, degree of secondary

axis tilt developed in the early downswing, hand speed pattern during the downswing,

degree of left wrist tension, length of the clubshaft and ball position.

Here is a photo of Aaron Baddeley's hand arc (old swing).


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Aiming point concept - capture image from an Aaron Baddeley swing video

One can envisage Aaron Baddeley aiming his straight line hand thrust motion towards

an aiming point well ahead of the ball - yellow arrowed line. That allows him to

generate a distinct U-shaped handarc.

If a beginner golfer attempts to aim at an aiming point well ahead of the ball and finds

that he cannot square the clubhead by impact (because of physical limitations and/orinefficiencies in his kinetic sequencing), then he should use an aiming point further

back - blue arrowed line. That will produce a more rounded U-shaped handarc and an

earlier release pattern, which may be particularly useful for longer clubs which have a

wider clubhead swingarc eg. driver.

Whatever release pattern a golfer uses in his swinger's action - the fundamental

rule is that the release of PA#2 must be passive, and not primarily due to any

active left wrist uncocking action or any push action from an active release of

PA#1 (actively straightening right elbow).

Release of power accumulator #3

The release of PA#3 is also passive and it should happen naturally without any need

for a conscious thought-action.

How does the release of PA#3 happen in a swinger's swing action?


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To understand the release of PA#3, one first needs to understand that a swinger should

always incorporate a start-up takeaway swivel action in his takeaway action. There are

two major swivel actions in a swinger's backswing/downswing action - i) during the

backswing's start-up takeaway swivel action the left forearm rotates clockwise and

this rolls the left hand (pronates the left hand) and ii) during the release swivel action

phase of the downswing the left forearm rotates counterclockwise thereby reversingthe roll action of the left hand (reverses the pronation that occurred during the

takeaway swivel action). To understand this concept, first consider consider the

takeaway swivel action.

The takeaway swivel action and the release swivel action can be clearly seen in this

swing video of Anthony Kim's swing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8finF6n64Qg

Anthony Kim is a quintessential swinger and he has a superb swinger's action.

Anthony Kim - takeaway and release swivel actions

Image 1 shows Anthony Kim at address. At address, his left humerus is neutral

(neither internally rotated or externally rotated at the left shoulder socket joint). His

left forearm is also neutral (neither pronated or supinated) and the back of his left

hand faces the target.

At the end of the takeaway (image 2) his left hand (and therefore clubface) has

undergone a 90 degree rotation so that the back of the left hand approximately faces

the ball-target line. That left hand rotation is due to two factors - i) some internal

rotation of the left humerus at the left shoulder socket joint, which is made easier due

to the fact that the left shoulder socket is simultaneously moving down-and-around to
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8finF6n64Qghttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8finF6n64Qghttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8finF6n64Qg


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the right; and ii) some clockwise rotation of the left forearm (a pronatory movement

of the left forearm).

Image 3 shows Anthony Kim at the delivery position in his downswing - his

clubshaft is parallel to the ball-target line, parallel to the ground, and along the toeline.

Note that the club's toe is pointing upwards and that the back of the left hand isroughly facing the ball-target line. That means that from a biomechanical perspective

he is in the same position where he was at the end-takeaway position (his left forearm

is slightly pronated and his left humerus is slightly internally rotated at the level of the

left shoulder socket joint). From the delivery position to the impact position, his left

hand must undergo a 90 degree rotation so that the back of his left hand faces the

target at impact - and this 90 degree rotation represents the release swivel action.

Image 3,4,5 shows how the back of the left hand (and clubface) rotates 90 degrees

into impact and this represents the passive release of PA#3 (plus passive release of

PA#2 because the left wrist is also uncocking during the release swivel phase of the

downswing). During the release swivel action, the left humerus is externally rotating

at the level of the left shoulder socket and the left forearm is rotating

counterclockwise (left forearm is undergoing a supinating = reverse-pronating roll-

over action). These biomechanical actions happen naturally/automatically/passivelyas the left humerus/left forearm rotate back to their neutral positions by impact, and

these biomechnical actions do not require a conscious thought action. In other words,

a golfer does not have to think ofactively releasing PA#3. Instead, he should merely

let the release swivel phenomenon happen without interference (eg. an example of

interference = actively resisting the roll action of the left hand into impact by

deliberately trying to keep the clubface open through the impact zone - which can

conceived to be a "steering" action, or "holding the clubface open" action, that should

be avoided).

Note how the right elbow straightens progressively during the release swivel phase of

the downswing. The right elbow straightening is NOT due to an active release of

PA#1, but it is due to enough right triceps isotonic muscle action that allows the right

hand to keep up with the left hand. Note how Anthony Kim's right forearm is "on-

plane during the late release swivel phase of the downswing - it is aligned in-line with

the clubshaft along the elbow plane line at impact (see my review paper on the

swingplaneto understand the subject of plane lines and the concept of being "on-plane"). If the right forearm is on-plane at this stage of the downswing, then it will

cause the right palm to face the target as the hands reach their impact location. In

other words, the on-plane movement of the right forearm synergistically helps to

direct the accurate/timely release of PA#3 (roll-over rotation of the left hand) into

impact.

Now consider a very important point about the release of PA#3.
http://perfectgolfswingreview.net/swingplane.htmhttp://perfectgolfswingreview.net/swingplane.htmhttp://perfectgolfswingreview.net/swingplane.htm


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Consider this composite image from the slow motion swing video of Tiger Woods'

swing [10].

Capture images from the Nike commercial of Tiger Woods' swing

This video was captured at 4,000 frames/second (which is 8x the speed of the BizHub

Swing Vision camera that apparently operates at 500 frames/second). I used the spline

tool in my swing analyser program to follow the sequential movement of Tiger's

lower left arm in the late downswing (from just before the delivery position to the

impact position) - each white dot represents 10 frames, or 1/400th second. One can

therefore see how fast Tiger's left arm is moving during the late downswing. Note thatthe white dots get closer together as he approaches impact, which means that Tiger's

left arm speed is decreasing as he nears impact. This happens naturally in a skilled

swinger's swing action and it occurs while the left hand is rotating into impact (due to

the release of PA#3). What is the importance of this fact?


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It is important that the left arm decelerate slightly in the last phase of the downswing

(as the clubshaft approaches impact) for there to be enough time for the left hand to

rotate into impact so that the clubface can get square by impact. If a golfer moves the

left arm and therefore the hands too fast through the pre-impact zone, there may

insufficient time to complete the release swivel action prior to impact, and the

clubface will be open at impact thus producing a push or push-slice ball flight. Inother words, a golfer must not over-accelerate the left arm/hands through the impact

zone - the clubshaft must accelerate through the impact zone, but the hands have to

decelerate slightly prior to impact. Over-acceleration of the hands through the impact

zone is a common problem in high handicap, developing golfers - and it will

predispose to a failure to complete the release action of PA#2 and PA#3 and it will

result in an open clubface at impact. One of the most frequent causes of this

problem is switting - a tendency for a swinger to apply an active right armhitting action in the late downswing in an attempt to supply more power. A golfer

must avoid this switting problem by preventing the right hand from providing any

excessive push-force in the downswing. A swinger's action is a left-sided pull action

- the left arm pulls the club's grip via the left hand (a process called drag loading),

and the club release phenomenon (release of PA#2) must occur with optimum

efficiency and timing so that the clubhead can reach maximum speed at impact (or

just past impact when all the power accumulators have fully released their load). In

my swing video lesson, I demonstrated a left arm-only swing and I demonstrated how

a swinger must get his release timing correct - so that the clubshaft swishes through

the impact zone (thereby getting the clubhead to travel at its maximum speed through

the impact zone), and this is achieved by an optimised release of PA#4 and then PA#2

in a set sequence, and it is not due to the application of any right arm power. If one isa swinger with an optimised release of PA#4 and PA#2 that results in a very fast

centrifugal release of the clubshaft in the late downswing, then there is no

practical method of getting the clubshaft to travel faster through the impact zone

by adding right arm power in the late downswing - the right arm/hand can only

interfere with the clubshaft's motion in the late downswing if they attempt to add

additional push-power.

In my swing video lesson, I demonstrate how an urge to hit with the right arm/hand at

some time-point in the mid-late downswing can produce deleterious effects. There

are two right arm hit actions that switters frequently use in an attempt to add more "hitpower" to their golf swing, and they are both potentially destructive.


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Switting - the use of a right arm hitting action in a swinger's action - from the author's

swing video lesson

Image 1 demonstrates how the hands/clubshaft should appear just prior to impact in

an optimised swinger's action (when the sequential release of PA#4 and PA#2/3

occurs with optimal timing). The hands should be leading the clubshaft into impact, so

that clubhead lag is maintained all the way into impact. The left wrist should be flat

and in-line with the straight left arm at impact. The right wrist should be slightly bent

back (dorsiflexed).

Image 2 shows what usually happens if a switter tries to supply additional "right-sided

hit power" by actively palmar flexing the right wrist as the hands approach impact.

The straightening right wrist bends the left wrist and flips the clubhead past the hands.

This is a disaster! If the flipped clubhead hits the ball, it will do so with a lack of solid

compressive power (due to the loss of clubhead lag) and with a loss of directional

control (it will often cause the ball to be pull-hooked left to a variable degree).

Image 3 shows what happens if a switter maintains a bent right wrist but attempts to

add "right-sided hit power" by actively straightening the right arm (activelystraightening the right elbow via a very active right triceps muscle contraction) in the

late downswing. The actively straightening right arm pushes the left hand forward by

applying push-pressure at pressure point #1 and this results in the hands being pushed

too fast through the impact zone. The hands get too far ahead of the ball before the

club releases completely => the clubface is open at impact => the ball is push-sliced

to the right.


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Essential Advice for Swingers = Do not become a Switter = Do not attempt to

"hit" with the right arm/hand in the late downswing in order to produce more

swing power.

A beginner golfer can easily assess whether he is using "right-sided" push power in

his swing action by first performing a left arm-only swing. Grip the club firmly withthe 3rd, 4th, and 5th fingers of the left hand (which are collectively called pressure

point #2) and load PA#4 and PA#2 by swinging the left arm across the upper chest in

a backswing motion while ensuring that there is a 90 degree angle between the left

arm and clubshaft at the top of the backswing. Then swing the left arm down to

impact while pulling actively on pressure point #2. Allow PA#2 to passively release

and get a "feel" of the clubhead swishing at a fast speed through the impact zone.

Then gently place the right palm over the left thumb with minimum pressure and

repeat the downswing action making sure that the right palm does not provide any

push-pressure on pressure point #1 during the downswing. If you can swing faster

with a more effective centrifugal release of PA#2 (that allows the clubhead to swish at

maximum speed through the impact zone) compared to your usual swing action - then

you may have been a switter and your right arm/hand has been interfering with your

swinger's action. The right arm/forearm should only provide enough active push-

power to keep the right hand on the club to a sufficient degree that allows a golfer to

use PP#3 to sense lag pressure and prevent clubhead throwaway (seerole number 2

below) and with enough low-level force to apply constant extensor action throughout

the downswing and followthrough.

Here is an example of "pure" drag loading - where the golfer swings with only one

arm. This in an example of a golf swing where the swing is entirely powered by the

release of PA#4 (pivot-driven) and where PA#2 and PA#3 release occurs passively.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUTk7m5PozQ

Can you imagine that golfer adding right arm power to his swing by applying right

arm/forearm push-pressure at some time point in the mid-downswing? How would he

efficiently synchronise the left arm's pull power with the sudden supplementary

application of active push power from a right arm action? I am not implying that it is

impossible to be an efficient switter, but I think that it is technically much more

difficult compared to being a pure swinger or a pure hitter.

Addendum added February 2011:
http://perfectgolfswingreview.net/power.htm#Rolehttp://perfectgolfswingreview.net/power.htm#Rolehttp://perfectgolfswingreview.net/power.htm#Rolehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUTk7m5PozQhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUTk7m5PozQhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUTk7m5PozQhttp://perfectgolfswingreview.net/power.htm#Role


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I have significantly revised my opinions regarding the use of the right arm in a

swinger's action. I now believe that there is a subset of golfers who will perform a full

golf swing better if they actively use their right arm to actively assisist in the release

PA#3 +/- PA#2 in the late downswing - my latest/updated opinions regarding this

issue are available in my new review paper calledThe Power Mechanics of Swinging,

Hitting and Swing-Hitting.

The right arm/hand have a number of critically important functions in a swinger's

swing action - but the right arm/hand should not be used to supp

how to power the golf swing

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