Golf / Swing Terms I Do Not Understand

[Meltdwhiskey]

I've got a few and I imagine some other folks might have some as well.  I'll start with one that has been bothering me lately that I hear that I'm having trouble applying to reality.

"Keep the club in front of you" or some variation of this. Hands, clubhead, etc.

Pic of a golfer in top position:

The hands are not in front of the body.  The club is not in front of his body.  The clubhead is on the actual opposite side of his body. And this is some amateur with an iron.  If you look at professionals with a driver, the left arm is practically vertical and the clubhead is behind the back.

And from here - the proper sequence would be lower body, hips, shoulders, etc.  Nothing that gets the club in front of the body.

I feel dense right now.  What am I missing?

[Ernest Jones]

I've got a few and I imagine some other folks might have some as well.  I'll start with one that has been bothering me lately that I hear that I'm having trouble applying to reality.

"Keep the club in front of you" or some variation of this. Hands, clubhead, etc.

Pic of a golfer in top position:

The hands are not in front of the body.  The club is not in front of his body.  The clubhead is on the actual opposite side of his body. And this is some amateur with an iron.  If you look at professionals with a driver, the left arm is practically vertical and the clubhead is behind the back.

And from here - the proper sequence would be lower body, hips, shoulders, etc.  Nothing that gets the club in front of the body.

I feel dense right now.  What am I missing?

Your not missing anything, it just an old golf McTip that isn't actually real, more of a feel/sensation. I tried to make the same point here , but it was pretty polarizing. Some people like it, some, like me, find it misleading and inaccurate.

[Golfingdad]

To me, that advice refers to the hands/arms/right elbow in relation to the shoulders.  It would be much easier to see if the camera were directly behind this guy instead of in front of him.  Look at this post, specifically the two pictures on the right.  Top is what I think of when people talk about hands/arms/elbow getting "behind you."  And the bottom is, to me, keeping everything "in front of" the body.  At some point during the backswing, a lot of people (myself included) stop turning their shoulders but let the hands and arms keep going.  This is where you can get everything to fall behind you.

Anyways ... my 2 cents.

[billchao]

"Keep the club in front of you" or some variation of this. Hands, clubhead, etc.

The hands are not in front of the body.  The club is not in front of his body.  The clubhead is on the actual opposite side of his body. And this is some amateur with an iron.  If you look at professionals with a driver, the left arm is practically vertical and the clubhead is behind the back.

It's a feel; I'm not sure it actually happens, but what they're talking about is the relationship of the arms to the torso. I've had this demonstrated to me by an instructor, once. Basically, the idea is you don't want your right elbow (as a righty) to pull your left arm across your body in such a way that your hands and grip of the club past the plane extending out perpendicular to your right shoulder.

If that doesn't make sense (sorry, I don't think I articulated it well enough), take a look at this:

See how Mike's hands are "in front" of his torso, and not to the side of it? That's what that phrase is talking about.

[saevel25]

The hands are not in front of the body.  The club is not in front of his body.  The clubhead is on the actual opposite side of his body. And this is some amateur with an iron.  If you look at professionals with a driver, the left arm is practically vertical and the clubhead is behind the back.

And from here - the proper sequence would be lower body, hips, shoulders, etc.  Nothing that gets the club in front of the body.

I feel dense right now.  What am I missing?

From a person who has spent years perfecting getting the clubhead behind the hands in the backswing. Perfected getting the elbow way to deep in the backswing. I can tell you when you get on plane, and in a better position. The arms "FEEL" like they are more infront of the body. Not literally, but compared to how deep they were before, its a drastic difference.

Lesson of the day, anything you read in a golf magazine. Little tidbits of information like that, don't take them literally

[Meltdwhiskey]

Thanks for the responses.  I guess we are saying that indeed you do not want to keep the club in front of you.  My goodness why would I hear something that many times and it be in accurate?!

[Meltdwhiskey]

I've got another one.  "Stay behind the ball."

Pic of an unknown golfer at impact:

There is a heck of a lot more of this golfer in front of the ball than there was at address. And I'd say it is the same for every golfer on tour.  The head and the right foot is the only thing that does not move toward the target or get in front of the ball.  I'd think the advice is to actually get some things in front of the ball.

Do they mean to just keep your head back?

[Ernest Jones]

Is that dude in the witness protection program?

[Meltdwhiskey]

Former mafia golfer.

[JetFan1983]

LOL, why is Luke Donald swinging with an executioner's mask on?

PS- Good idea for a thread BTW. Hopefully it catches on.

[Meltdwhiskey]

LOL, why is Luke Donald swinging with an executioner's mask on?

PS- Good idea for a thread BTW. Hopefully it catches on.

Ha! As I was starting to insert the picture, I was warned of copyright something or other so I just took out all logos and likenesses. And what makes you think that is Luke Donald?  That could be me!