The essence of the golf swing

[dreichert]

There is only one essential to  regularly perform a mechanically correct golf swing which will result in consistently solid and on target golf shots.  The forward arm (left arm for right handers) must control the arc or radius of the golf swing through the back swing and into the hitting area which is the only way to consistently get the clubface square to the ball at impact.  The rear arm's only function is to release or propel the club through the hitting area.  If the rear arm takes over at any time before this you will have to make an adjustment to get the club face square at impact. This will require good timing and produce inconsistent results.  This is at least 90% percent of a correct golf swing with grip, stance, and ball position making up the other 10%.  This 10% by the way, is the only thing teaching instructors (excluding Carl Lohren) can teach.  They try to teach aspects of the downswing which are doomed  to failure as the downswing is happening too fast.  If the forward arm controls the arc or radius of the club as above the correct downswing occurs automatically with no thinking or effort by the player.

Most golf instructors come into the profession because they are good players but not good enough to make a living as a player.  They had good golf swings the first time they picked up a golf club and never had to learn the mechanics of the golf  swing nor can they recognize the mechanical faults of players they try to teach.  They can help good players with mechanically sound swings because these players already have forward arm control naturally.  They cannot help players with mechanically incorrect back arm controlled swings except to put on a bandaid here and there or give them a psychological lift.  Only those instructors who learned the swing from the ground up and really understand the mechanics have the potential to help the high handicapper.  Unfortunately, once players have established a swing controlled by the back arm it is highly unlikely they will be able to change to forward arm control  (I know this from personal experience).

This forward arm control of the swing can rarely be accomplished unless the forward arm is your dominant arm or you are ambidextrous.  Many if not most tour pros and good players exhibit tis phenomenon.  Thus it is simple for them to control the arc of the swing with their dominant arm which is key.   Examples include Ben Hogan, Johnny Miller, Greg Norman, Curtis Strange, Adam Scott, and Sergio Garcia.  Bob Charles and Phil Michelson are right handed and Mike Weir and Steve Flesch are ambidextrous as are most all of the lefties on tour except Bubba Watson.  Jack Nicklaus was left eye dominant which suggests some element of ambidexterity. If you look for it as I have you will notice many good players exhibit this feature.  If you see a child with a great golf swing you can bet they their forward arm is dominant or they are ambidextrous.  It is very difficult to explain the importance of forward arm control any other way.  The usual reason given is that the unavailability of left handed clubs but this doesn't explain Michelson or Charles.

My own experience also attests to the importance the dominant arm being the forward arm.  It took me nearly 60 years of regular play, 30 years of  continuous lessons with different pros, and range time which I  suspect exceeded any other individual to learn this.

Doc

[iacas]

Originally Posted by dreichert

This 10% by the way, is the only thing teaching instructors (excluding Carl Lohren) can teach.

I was going to read what you had to say, but then I saw this, and now I don't have to.

I did see you can't spell Phil Mickelson's name, though.

[Old1964]

Is this Patrick again?

[WUTiger]

dreichert,

I appreciate the thought and effort you put into your essay, but there are parts of it I don't buy.  Here's some points I wish to discuss.

Originally Posted by dreichert

There is only one essential to  regularly perform a mechanically correct golf swing which will result in consistently solid and on target golf shots.  The forward arm (left arm for right handers) must control the arc or radius of the golf swing through the back swing and into the hitting area which is the only way to consistently get the clubface square to the ball at impact.  The rear arm's only function is to release or propel the club through the hitting area....

So far, so good. But, we need to look at the how of the teamwork of the left and right arms. A couple of things are necessary for this to work.

The wrists must hinge properly on the takeaway.

The golfer's physique and athletic ability must be taken into account. Thirty years ago, the mainstream instructor buzz was to have a full, long backswing in order to maximize momentum, and to ensure we had a long golfing career (encourages flexibility). Ten years ago, some teaching pros started to emphasize a 3/4 swing for everyday golfers. I've gone that way, and find I get better motion through the ball and better clubhead speed than with the old "reach for the stars" method a la Nicklaus in the 1970s. Also, I'm 61 now, a little beat up, and need a more compact swing that's not so hard on the body. And I would suggest that golfers of only average athletic ability need a more basic swing than those with better ability.

Related to the above bullet point, I think that each golfer has an optimum "balance point" at the top; overswing this, and you lose your balance.

Left arm needs to lead, but I'm finding wrist hinging (hand loading and unloading) require the left and right hand to work together.

Originally Posted by dreichert

.... Most golf instructors come into the profession because they are good players but not good enough to make a living as a player.  They had good golf swings the first time they picked up a golf club and never had to learn the mechanics of the golf  swing nor can they recognize the mechanical faults of players they try to teach. ...   Only those instructors who learned the swing from the ground up and really understand the mechanics have the potential to help the high handicapper. ...

What do you base this upon? Do you have a systematic way to grade instructors that others would consider valid? What numerical data to you have to back this up?

I'll acknowledge there are a fair amount of bandaid golf instructors out there. I would suggest these are the guys who cancel a lesson because they have to finish laying carpet (their real job) for a big account.

I find full-time teaching pros better able to compare different swing philosophies (StackNTilt vs. The Connection, etc.) and offer technique options for students. The student has to hunt around to find the better pros, but they are out there. Also, a student must practice to get better.  Pro can't make progress with a student if they basically repeat Golf Lesson No. 2 three times a summer due to no post-lesson practice..

Also, the bandaid is all some golfers want. Most golfers don't spend a couple of hours a week here on The Sand Trap, much less on the practice range.

Originally Posted by dreichert

This forward arm control of the swing can rarely be accomplished unless the forward arm is your dominant arm or you are ambidextrous.  Many if not most tour pros and good players exhibit this phenomenon. ...

....My own experience also attests to the importance the dominant arm being the forward arm.

Is ambidextrous inherited , or can it be learned to a degree? Skilled craftsmen who work in machine shops and musicians learn to use both arms and hands at the same time to perform certain tasks. Can't semi-serious golfers learn this to a degree?

Also, I see potential problems with "the dominant arm being the forward arm." Many golf gurus stress the importance of letting the big muscles of the body guide the golf swing.  I would suggest your dominant hand (not lead hand for most golfers) is much more twitchable - likely to make jerky movements - than the off hand.  When I bowled, I switched to left-handed because I found I got less twitch than with my right hand. Also, I played fairly good golf when I used to bowl, in part I believe because I learned some ambedixtery from rolling the bowling ball with the left hand, and developed the left arm muscles.

Again, interesting post, but I take issue with several parts of it.

[tshapiro]

I agree with the left arm as the primary swinging arm, but, head alignment, loading in the backswing, and utilizing the core to initiate the downswing are equally as essential. And, I do agree that 90% of golf instructors don't understand the swing even though they can do it by feel.

[dreichert]

Agree wrist hinging is necessary but I think it tends to occur naturally with a left arm controlled backswing.  If you try to control the backswing with the right arm then you must consciously hinge the wrists and very early in the backswing.  However a right arm controlled backswing is much more complicated and difficult to perform correctly and keep the club path on the proper arc.   Wrist cock and elbow bend must be precise.  Usually one will swing the right arm too wide, out and around which feels more powerful but disconnects from the body and proper arc.  Then you must make a major adjustment in the downswing which if not done correctly requires one to square the club face with the hands often resulting in an open faced push slice or a closed face  duck hook.

Also I failed to mention that there must be maximal clockwise rotation of the left forearm in the backswing held until it is uncoiled naturally through the hitting area providing much more club head speed, power, and distance.

Physique is not important in controlling the backswing with the left arm.  Athletic ability is very important for club head speed, power, and distance but the athletic individual still must have the proper technique of control of the swing arc  with the left arm.  Have you seen Charles Barkley's swing?

Trying to make a three quarter backswing or "reach  for the stars" only distracts you from executing the proper left arm controlled backswing arc and the "basic" swing for non athletes is no different.

A left arm controlled backswing keeps you balanced during the swing and won't allow you to over swing.

The right arm only follows the left until it extends powerfully through the hitting area.

My comments concerning teaching pros is based on twenty-five of more or less continuous  lessons from various teaching pros.  All have tried to teach only down swing  techniques.  None of these lessons have improved my handicap  and with the last instructor my handicap went from mid single digit to the mid teens.  All of the instructors I've had have teach one  unique down swing move  which they say will make you a scratch golfer.  Eventually I realize that I can't make this move and switch instructors to no avail.  I have since  realized that all my lessons only distracted me from learning the proper golf swing.  The only instructor I know who understands the proper mechanics of the golf swing is Carl Lohren who published his ideas in his book "One Move to Better Golf" and has written an updated version of this book..  I don't have any specific numerical data for statements about instructors

Teaching any other technique than left arm control is doomed to failure  Unfortunately once one has learned  a right sided swing it is almost impossible to change to the proper left arm controlled swing.  A bandaid is the only thing a student can hope for.

Ambidexterity is congenital but control of the non-dominate arm can be learned quite well.  Those without upper extremities can learn dexterity with their feet.  It is likely that only compulsive range rats can get the reps to learn to control the non-dominant arm properly  in golf golf swing.

Big muscles can't guide the golf swing to the proper arc.  The left arm initiates the swing and the big muscles are secondary in the back and down swing.  "Twitchy" or not the left arm must control the swing arc which is extremely difficult if it is not the dominant arm.

[dreichert]

Correct use of the backswing with the left arm will keep the head aligned properly and load the backswing.  The downswing is done naturally without conscious thought or control if the left arm controlled back swing is executed properly  Trying to initiate the downswing with the core muscles would require very precise timing and be difficult to do properly with any consistency

[dreichert]

I'm not sure what you are seeing.  Can you give further clarification?

You' right about the incorrect spelling of Mickelson.  I never been great at remembering names either.

[poser]

Man this place is turning into a haven for nut jobs who can't break 80 but, are going to tell us all they know the best way to swing.  Super duper pooper scooper.

[saevel25]

This doesn't make sense because only 10% of the population is left handed, meaning there left side will be dominant. So basically unless we all should be swinging left handed the majority of us would be using a lot of our right side to control the golf swing. I might agree the left arm keeps things on plane in the backswing, because this arm stays straight while the right arm breaks down. This arm stays straight through impact and until the swing bottoms out which at that point both arms are straight, and the swing reverses and the left arm breaks down. But feeling is very individualistic and must be found by each player. A good teacher would not try to say, "It feels like this," but rather try to find what feels right for that person based on trial and error. The pro i go to is very left side oriented in his swing, but i am more central. I can not feel my left arm much in the swing, so i tend to play with more body motion than an arm motion, i am very right side dominant.

[EverythingGolf]

Originally Posted by saevel25

This arm stays straight through impact and until the swing bottoms out which at that point both arms are straight, and the swing reverses and the left arm breaks down.

Both arms are not straight until about 3 feet past impact. The right arm is bent until that point.

[dreichert]

The best instructors are those who learned the mechanics of the swing from the ground and are not necessarily good players though if they understand the correct mechanics of the golf swingand persist in trying to master then get enough reps to ingrain it they can become good players.  Golf pros can play the game well naturally from the time they picked up a club but most have to clue about correct golf swing mechanics and if you don't know that how can you teach the swing.

[dreichert]

That's the point. Since only 10 per cent of the population is left handed why are many if not most of the very good golfers who play right handed are natural lefties.  It's because there is a tremendous advantage in being able to control the left arm in the golf swing and if the right hand takes over you are doomed.  Of course many very good golfers are ambidextrous with good control on both sides.  Yes, I believe right handed people would have better swings and lower scores if they played left handed.  As Alex Morrison a renowned  golf instructor in the past "golf is a right handed game for left  handers"  Morrison by the way was a tennis pro at a country club who didn't play golf but was forced to teach golf when the golf instructor quit.

You can become a proficient golfer with a swing controlled by the right side if you practice and play enough.  Consistency will be the problem since it is very difficult to stay on the correct arc this way and an adjustment on the down swing will be required and timing becomes an issue.

[dreichert]

The right arm extends through the hitting area to add club head speed and power which is the only role of the right arm. It doesn't fully straighten until after impact.

[Golfingdad]

This definitely sounds like Patrick again.

[rossvanwyk]

Does sound a wee bit like Patrick.

I don't think the point is if you're left or right handed at all. I would totally agree that your leading arm is the dominant arm. So left for righties, right for lefties. Of course there are so many other things going on in the swing, but primarily the golf swing is based around your leading arm (totally excluding wrist hinge and everything else that needs to be considered)

If you were a right hander and heaven forbid you lost an arm, I think you have way more chance of playing great golf if you just had a lefty. Of course very tricky to get strong enough and controlled enough but that behind said, you can get the perfect arc and what not just with a leading arm. Not so much with the trailing. I saw a guy on a local channel who lost his right arm (right hander) and I couldn't believe what he was doing with just his left. Absolutely beautiful swing. Played a par 5 , 280m drive with a slight draw, 4 iron draw to back of the green, chip and putt. Unreal.

But anyway, this is probably Patrick and with all likelihood will derail horribly...

[dreichert]

Who is Patrick? I'd like to get to know him.  He's got to be really intelligent if my ideas resemble his.

[Mr3Wiggle]

Derek Zoolander says moisture is the essence of wetness.