Are you a hitter or a swinger?

[HytrewQasdfg]

Description of difference between swinger and hitter from the interent:

Swinging action The swinger relies on centrifugal force to move his golf club. The main action involved here is to throw the clubhead into orbit, down and out, hold on to it, and let centrifugal force do its job without attempting to disrupt its action. It’s easier said than done because any attempt to "add to the shot (hit stronger)" or manipulate the clubface will disrupt centrifugal force and will result in steering disaster. Swinging is the most common way of moving the golf club because it does not rely on muscular power but rather on the player’s skill to use centrifugal force. As a result 99% of the children start to play golf as swingers because they have not enough muscular force and a majority of them stay this way growing old. This is also a reason why many club pros who started the golf as youngsters (and as swingers) only teach golf this way to their students. While this is OK if their students are children, it can make things tougher with adults starting to play golf because those adults’ natural instincts is to use muscular force as they’ve learned to do in their everyday’s life and less skilled to use centrifugal force! Known players who are swingers include Geoff Ogilvy, Vijay Singh, Fred Couples, Jack Nicklaus… Hitting action The hitter on the other hand does not rely on centrifugal force but on muscular force instead. The main action involved here is a muscular thrust of the right arm against the primary lever assembly (that is the left arm plus the club as a whole). The clubhead is not thrown into orbit. Instead, the hitter pushes radially (against the radius!) against the shaft with his right arm only. Hitting is less commonly used by golfers (at last consciously!) because golfing instruction out there is mainly about Swinging. However, this is a very efficient way to play Golf. It has often been reported that hitting is particularly accurate. This said, it is worth noticing that Lee Trevino, who is a hitter, is credited to be the most accurate player of his time. Known players who are hitter include JB Holmes, Kenny Perry, KJ Choi, Lee Trevino…

[WUTiger]

This sounds like some silly question an opponent would throw at you in the first round of match play. This is like asking someone if they have trouble putting on the Egyptian grass, or if they use waggle or pre-set before takeaway.

[vmsea]

This sounds like some silly question an opponent would throw at you in the first round of match play. This is like asking someone if they have trouble putting on the Egyptian grass, or if they use waggle or pre-set before takeaway.

hahah

reply with: why is your wife interested in swinging?

[Zeph]

This sounds like some silly question an opponent would throw at you in the first round of match play. This is like asking someone if they have trouble putting on the Egyptian grass, or if they use waggle or pre-set before takeaway.

Or if you start the backswing on an in breath or out breath.

On the topic, I don't think most players know what they do, and I'd say it is not as black and white as stated in the quote. Everyone is using centrifugal force, but the degree of arm muscles used varies.

[saevel25]

I am a hacker right now,

[GDIB_net]

WOW! This may be the best question I've seen on this board.I've been an addicted swinger for a long time.Would love to be a hitter.Actually would like to do both at the same time. GREAT ? thx GDIB

[saevel25]

Well if you consider who has more major's i think the swingers win, add in Sam Sneed and Bobby Jones into that category, the swingers have ruled golf.

[grantc79]

Well if you consider who has more major's i think the swingers win, add in Sam Sneed and Bobby Jones into that category, the swingers have ruled golf.

Arnold Palmer and Lee Trevino were both hitters though :)

I personally am a Hitter and love it. It is EXTREMELY accurate though I must admit it isn't for everyone and I am still perfecting the stroke. The vast majority of people are not hitters because they are unfamiliar with it but it is a very efficient way to hit the golf ball. The tell tale sign is the right fore arm at impact. If it is at a 90* angle to the body then that is definitely a swing. If it is pointing towards low point then that MIGHT BE a Hitter.

[HytrewQasdfg]

This has been an interesting response. After about 100 views only 10 people seem to know the ansnwer in the poll, and only one serious answer in the thread.

IMHO, this is pretty basic stuff (in the same league as knowing things like if you are right or left handed). Knowing if you have an arms driven or body/rotational driven swing would seem to be a big deal if you are trying to improve your swing mechanics, as advice for one does not apply to the other (in fact will often make the other worse).

[HytrewQasdfg]

Arnold Palmer and Lee Trevino were both hitters though :)

Yes, there have been some very successful hitters. Nothing wrong with it.

The only downside I have heard to being a hitter is it is harder to maintain as you get older. I understand even Palmer flirted with changing his swing style when he got older and started to lose some of his distance (were talking long after he retired from golf though).

[thrasher]

Definitely a swinger here, and much more so as I've undergone my recent swing changes. My current goal is to move the club into "the slot" after my legs initiate the downswing and then just let things happen. I'm hitting the ball quite a bit farther AND straighter now!

[grantc79]

This has been an interesting response. After about 100 views only 10 people seem to know the ansnwer in the poll, and only one serious answer in the thread.

Depends really.

I think the analysis of the best players in the world learn as kids and kids are a lot more flexible than they are strong, thus the best players in the world are more often than not swingers is pretty true. I had never really thought about it like that, but it is probably the case. I do think most people blend both into their swing and I don't think most realize that they do, and how much they do of one over the other. As far as "knowing what you are to help your swing mechanics" I guess that's true but it doesn't apply to many players. Some players have the mechanics switch turned on and don't know how to turn it off and that gets in their way. Other's dont know how to turn on the mechanics switch at all and simply play on feel alone. Just depends on the person. With proper instruction either one can do well.

[grantc79]

Yes, there have been some very successful hitters. Nothing wrong with it.

It doesn't require flexibility to be a hitter though, only strength.

I personally think it is a lot easier to be strong as an ox as and old man rather than flexible as a gymnast as an old man. But I might be wrong.

[RIduffer]

I have had alot of success using a hitting procedure on pitch shots. I just feel my right arm take the club back (pulling left arm straight) then right elbow thrust through impact (right wrist bent, left wrist flat). Don't know if this is really hitting the way TGM describes, but it's my basic understanding of it and it works pretty well. I have experimented with using a similar feel on full swings, but I don't understand all the hitting components well enough, and have not been as successful.

[grantc79]

I have had alot of success using a hitting procedure on pitch shots. I just feel my right arm take the club back (pulling left arm straight) then right elbow thrust through impact (right wrist bent, left wrist flat). Don't know if this is really hitting the way TGM describes, but it's my basic understanding of it and it works pretty well. I have experimented with using a similar feel on full swings, but I don't understand all the hitting components well enough, and have not been as successful.

The longer the club the harder it is.

I lose quite a bit of distance hitting due to not being as efficient at it. But that said I am a lot more accurate with it.

[Where's the Cart Girl?]

I think this is a tough question to answer for most people because what they think they are doing in a golf swing is often not what actually is happening. I don't know if i fit the given definition of a hitter, because I don't really feel as if my right arm is acting that way, but I consider myself a hitter for two reasons.

1.) I take fairly deep divots and when I miss, I miss fat. Probably 10-1 my mis-hits are fat compared to thin on iron swings. I feel like someone hitting at the ball would see this pattern more so than someone who swings through it.

2.) The only lesson I ever took the pro told me I had a "golf hit" instead of a golf swing. And I trusted his analysis after watching myself on video violently driving downward into the ball from the top.

A test he had me do was turn a 3-wood around and swing the shaft end and listen to the whooosh generated. "Swinging" the club would result in the sound being pronounced out in front of where the ball would be positioned. Whereas hitting at the ball would have the sound pronounced nearer the actual ball position.

[B-Con]

How can a hitter not rely on "swing"? Conceptually I can see how the wrists and arms would play into "hitting", but by my understanding the shoulders and hips have a small path compared to the path the wrists take and really only rotate about their axis, generating the centrifugal force that the arms and wrists build on.

If that's a good way of looking at it, wouldn't sweep-releasers be "swingers" and lag-generators be "hitters", more or less?

[HytrewQasdfg]

How can a hitter not rely on "swing"? Conceptually I can see how the wrists and arms would play into "hitting", but by my understanding the shoulders and hips have a small path compared to the path the wrists take and really only rotate about their axis, generating the centrifugal force that the arms and wrists build on.

No.

As I understand the definiton a swinger is someone that uses the body trunk to power the swing (hips & back). A hitter is some that uses their arms and shoulders to power the swing. At the extreme, a swinger can strike the ball while keeping their wrists, arms, and shoulders 100% relaxed (so they act more like ropes attached to their shoulders). Arm rotation, lag, etc... can all be generated by a swinger without using any arm or should muscles. A hitter can strike the ball without rotating their body at all, buy using 100% shoulder, arms, and wrists. Hogan would be a 95% swinger. The only hitter move he incorporated was the "slap the ball" move he made at the bottom of his downswing.