A Centered Pivot Golf Swing

[mvmac]

Wanted to put this together to explain an important aspect of what a centered pivot looks like and the movements that are involved.

[sk golf]

Great video Michael!  Seems to be working for world #1.

[MiniBlueDragon]

Excellent description of the centered pivot!

The only thing I would also add to the description would be that the rear shoulder does the reverse of the left, e.g at the same pace that the left shoulder moves to the right and down to match the middle point between shoulder and hip, the right shoulder moves up and left the same amount . When I started out with a centered pivot my concentration was so much on how to move the left shoulder I would ignore the right shoulder which ended up in a 'sway' of the upper body.

[Mr. Desmond]

Thanks, Michael - great viewing for an insomniac when I first saw this at 3 am - From site and placing my fingers on the screen, it looks as if Donald moves his hips and head about an inch or so (more or less) to the right; his weight moves onto the right foot and then he recovers all of it as he moves slightly left at the top of the swing.

Great analysis.

Can you do another video focusing on the downswing? Legs, Hips, Shoulders, Ches, and Arms (or some of the preceding). Thanks.

[mvmac]

Originally Posted by Mr. Desmond

Thanks, Michael - great viewing for an insomniac when I first saw this at 3 am - From site and placing my fingers on the screen, it looks as if Donald moves his hips and head about an inch or so (more or less) to the right; his weight moves onto the right foot and then he recovers all of it as he moves slightly left at the top of the swing.

Thanks, very that last second move back to the center can be somewhat common.  Nick Price, from the video's I seen also does a similar move.  As well as Mac O'Grady, almost an extension and a tilt

Originally Posted by Mr. Desmond

Can you do another video focusing on the downswing? Legs, Hips, Shoulders, Ches, and Arms (or some of the preceding). Thanks.

Video on the downswing with those pieces is noted

[Quinn07]

Thanks Michael,

Great explanation - I am not a huge follower or even fully understand the snt method (as I haven't done a lot of research on it), but I do agree and like the center pivot idea that you have explained here.  I used to try and get my weight over my back foot and transfer it forward and it was not very successful.  Since I have started trying to keep my weight centered, I have had a lot more success particularly with my contact with the ball.

Thanks again.

[sk golf]

Here is a good one!

Left handed!

[gwlee7]

Mike, since you know my swing so well, see if I have this correct in terms of this video.

I am basically moving my shoulder "back" more than "down"and that's what continues to cause me to come up and off the ball in the backswing.

[iacas]

Originally Posted by gwlee7

Mike, since you know my swing so well, see if I have this correct in terms of this video.

I am basically moving my shoulder "back" more than "down"and that's what continues to cause me to come up and off the ball in the backswing.

Greg, you're simply not moving your shoulder down enough long enough. You move down and back, then you continue the back but the down stops and then switches to up.

The shoulder should make a quarter circle arc if it turns 90 degrees. At no point in the backswing (to 90) should the shoulder ever move up or even level.

[gwlee7]

Yep.   Thanks "not Mike". Obviously, you know my swing just as well as Mike does as you've seen the "killing a snake with hoe" swing in person.  Still trying to find the time to get up there and check out the indoor teaching facility.

I will get this down someday.  I need to continue to visulalize that left shoulder moving circular instead of linear.

[mvmac]

Originally Posted by gwlee7

Mike, since you know my swing so well, see if I have this correct in terms of this video.

I am basically moving my shoulder "back" more than "down"and that's what continues to cause me to come up and off the ball in the backswing.

What Erik said Yes, Greg, more DOWN with the left shoulder.  More side tilt.

[Tiger90]

Originally Posted by mvmac

What Erik said  Yes, Greg, more DOWN with the left shoulder.  More side tilt.

Exaggeration is a very important step in trying to fix something you've done for ever.  You always feel as if your doing whatever it is your supposed to be doing, but most of the time you are not doing it enough.  When you try to exaggerate it, you will gain way better feel for this movement.

[wormkiller]

One thing I noticed in Mike's video is that as the golfer's went through their backswings, their heads stayed in essentially the same location.

[mvmac]

Notice how the shoulders are moving.  This is Heath Slocum with his instructor Mark Blackburn

[The_Pharaoh]

Originally Posted by mvmac

Notice how the shoulders are moving.  This is Heath Slocum with his instructor Mark Blackburn

I played on the same college golf team as Mark Blackburn. His transformation into one of the best coaches in the US is nothing short of miraculous. He couldn't break 90 and didn't have a clue when I knew him. He must have really pulled his sh¡t together once he left college.

[mvmac]

Originally Posted by The_Pharaoh

I played on the same college golf team as Mark Blackburn. His transformation into one of the best coaches in the US is nothing short of miraculous. He couldn't break 90 and didn't have a clue when I knew him. He must have really pulled his sh¡t together once he left college.

Wow, that is really interesting.  I know he was or is an authorized Golfing Machine guy, which is all the pressure point, accumulator lingo we use.  Might have also spent some time with Mac, but I'm not sure on that one.  He's put out some good short articles in the golf mags, so he's in the circle

[The_Pharaoh]

Originally Posted by mvmac

Wow, that is really interesting.  I know he was or is an authorized Golfing Machine guy, which is all the pressure point, accumulator lingo we use.  Might have also spent some time with Mac, but I'm not sure on that one.  He's put out some good short articles in the golf mags, so he's in the circle

Other than him accepting my LinkedIn invite about 3 years ago, we've had no contact since we left college! Reading his website though, he seems to have studied with a lot of excellent instructors so he has obviously picked up a tip or two along the way!

[darrylc]

Mike,

Nice video, sir.  Let's pretend I was going to practice turning my left shoulder down to the correct position.  If I setup a gadget that held the end of a stick at the correct destination spot (or had someone hold it there), where exactly would that be?  It appears the height would be about where the bottom button of a polo shirt would be.  How about distance out from the chest?

Thanks - Darryl