Oosthuizen - long hitter - explanations?

[RC]

Beautiful. Surely one of the most efficient swings around and he is going at it full out -- this is a very powerful swing and only may look relatively easy because his upper body really does very little until he has already expended a huge amount of energy with his lower body. Trying to swing any harder with a swing like this would only slow his clubhead speed down. Carefully watch the bottom half of his body as it fires -- amazing.

[JWL1957]

Like Watson was explaining......... he releases freely and hard?

[RC]

It is a very modern, post the period of the power shift in the Ryder Cup to Europe, swing that combines both the rotary swing concepts of that time and the linear down the line concepts that have followed. There is no flying chicken wing in this type swing because you can see the release and it is a result, not an activation of the hands and arms coming into impact and beyond. The arms go naturally. It is a swing that should stand up for a long time unless he slows down his lower body. Els had a lot of this kind of power, a little differently, but similar, until he got a little slower at times and looked like he was not getting through the ball as freely. Els' nadir period swing looked like a tired leg swing at times and caused a little hanging back of middle mass and this produces inconsistency. He now looks to be about half way between the then and now swing. OOstie has a little better start down because his club position allow him to make that amazing shift and turn back into impact. To do that you need a simple position at the top, so he can stay relaxed and not adjust anything before firing his body, and does not have to time his downswing because it is almost all controlled by big core muscles, a more reliable approach. Elkington and Purtzer in their prime had variations of this ability. As did Nelson and Hogan. The best part of this new young man's swing is that he has no worries with where his club face is at impact. If he can maintain this swing, he cannot help but be right on the mark. I guess we will see over time if this is his norm. All I know is the first time I saw his driver swing (which was during the Open,) I thought this is the best and most accurate swing I've seen in a long time. If the rest of his game is anywhere as good, he can win big ones. Time will tell.

[Stretch]

One analysis:

[colin007]

There is no flying chicken wing in this type swing because you can see the release and it is a result, not an activation of the hands and arms coming into impact and beyond.

you obviously know more than i do, being a much better player than i am, but how is a bent left arm at impact not a chicken wing?

[laxbballgolf]

It is a very modern, post the period of the power shift in the Ryder Cup to Europe, swing that combines both the rotary swing concepts of that time and the linear down the line concepts that have followed. There is no flying chicken wing in this type swing because you can see the release and it is a result, not an activation of the hands and arms coming into impact and beyond. The arms go naturally. It is a swing that should stand up for a long time unless he slows down his lower body. Els had a lot of this kind of power, a little differently, but similar, until he got a little slower at times and looked like he was not getting through the ball as freely. Els' nadir period swing looked like a tired leg swing at times and caused a little hanging back of middle mass and this produces inconsistency. He now looks to be about half way between the then and now swing. OOstie has a little better start down because his club position allow him to make that amazing shift and turn back into impact. To do that you need a simple position at the top, so he can stay relaxed and not adjust anything before firing his body, and does not have to time his downswing because it is almost all controlled by big core muscles, a more reliable approach. Elkington and Purtzer in their prime had variations of this ability. As did Nelson and Hogan. The best part of this new young man's swing is that he has no worries with where his club face is at impact. If he can maintain this swing, he cannot help but be right on the mark. I guess we will see over time if this is his norm. All I know is the first time I saw his driver swing (which was during the Open,) I thought this is the best and most accurate swing I've seen in a long time. If the rest of his game is anywhere as good, he can win big ones. Time will tell.

Nice post! Seems like a great analysis to me.

[Chas]

you obviously know more than i do, being a much better player than i am, but how is a bent left arm at impact not a chicken wing?

I'm confused, what does a slighly bent left arm at impact (if that's the case, I'll have to check ....) have to do with the dreaded CW? I must be missing something.

Very interesting post, RC. Cause for deep contemplation and lengthy rumination ..... [to be serious, you make a lot of sense]

[nevets88]

I'm confused, what does a slighly bent left arm at impact (if that's the case, I'll have to check ....) have to do with the dreaded CW? I must be missing something.

Jamie Sadlowski does a more obvious version of this, see 4 seconds in: It almost looks like the bent arm allows for more leverage. I'm guessing if he (or LO) had a straight left arm, he'd hit it fat, so somewhere in the swing, he got lower to the ball? Anyone, anyone?

[Stretch]

I think with him it's a shallowing move because he's lagging into the ball so hard. See 0:55 - 1:30. Holy shit!

[sean_miller]

I think with him it's a shallowing move because he's lagging into the ball so hard. See 0:55 - 1:30. Holy ****!

What a swing!

PS. 2:07 to 2:12 was my favourite part.

[jamo]

Sadlowski's shoulders are turning so fast I bet he has to chicken wing or he would have way too much lag into impact, and the club would be even more delofted.

[iacas]

Sadlowski's shoulders are turning so fast I bet he has to chicken wing or he would have way too much lag into impact, and the club would be even more delofted.

It's a bit of that, and the shallowing thing, but mostly it's an extension of the "jumping" principle. It helps to "snap the club around the corner" at the ball to get even more clubhead speed... just like "jumping" in a "regular" golf swing.

[RC]

In the typical chicken wind, the left elbow does left leading the swing out of impact. In both Sadlowske and Oostie, they shallow out and the elbow folds down pretty quickly. Both are using their torque and lag from their bodies to pull the arms around and they stay ahead of the ball with the left arm late into the swing. However, both of these guys are still swinging out and then down the line rather than pulling the left elbow left too soon. Watch Oostie's rapid release and how his hands rotate through the shot. You cannot do that by using your hands to flip the club, that happens because the body has cracked the whip so to speak.

A very difficult concept is that we want a rotary swing motion, but we also want a strong linear move at the same time, a linear move without the head coming forward at impact. Without the weight shift and linear component, we could not maintain balance and the right leg would fly around in a Gary Player-like walk through. It is all too difficult to explain by someone like myself. I just know when it all happens and you seem to be able to pound the ball. It is easier than trying to just swing harder, you just swing faster. I like the thought of jumping through the shot even though we might not go airborne. The power felt being released is a lot like an explosive snap of the whip but it starts in the ground and works it way up through the body and the arms and hands are the last thing to fire.

I actually have a picture somewhere from the old 8 photos in one picture high speed camera. It is old, from the wooden driver days, and in a long drive contest. Right after impact, both feet are complete off the ground, toes pointed downward and space between them and the ground. Doing that, I hit the old equipment and ball 342 yards in a contest in the 1960's. That was long back then. That is not something I would recommend, but clearly an extreme case of jumping -- not the most accurate way to hit a ball.

[MJP]

I think with him it's a shallowing move because he's lagging into the ball so hard. See 0:55 - 1:30. Holy shit!

I think you are right. It's only right before impact his left arm begins to bend.

[MJP]

It's a bit of that, and the shallowing thing, but mostly it's an extension of the "jumping" principle. It helps to "snap the club around the corner" at the ball to get even more clubhead speed... just like "jumping" in a "regular" golf swing.

I've heard of "jumping" before and have researched it but cannot find anything on it. What is "jumping" as it relates to the golf swing?

[iacas]

I've heard of "jumping" before and have researched it but cannot find anything on it. What is "jumping" as it relates to the golf swing?

Using the ground as leverage. Extending. What Nick Faldo is doing on the right side but not doing at all on the left side:

Let's stick to the topic though... You could start a thread on extending through impact, though.

[sean_miller]

I've heard of "jumping" before and have researched it but cannot find anything on it. What is "jumping" as it relates to the golf swing?

If their prime wasn't 15 years ago, you could likely find lots of youtube video of Laura Davies and Kelly Robbins hitting a driver - those gals could generate a lot of power and they were barely on the ground at impact - iirc.

[Rexx]

Paul Casey comes to mind as another person that really "jumps" at impact (watch his left foot):