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Rotary Swing Golf Instruction – Quick Results!
Al Consoli, Rotary Swing golf instructor, teaching a student how to properly take the club back. Nothing like immediate results and another happy Rotary Swing student!
Steve Stricker: A Complete Swing Analysis Part 2 (The Takeaway)
Before I begin to discuss Stricker’s Move 1, it is necessary to briefly summarize how Rotary swing classifies the correct sequence for the Takeaway.
1. Golfer in proper posture, in the box with the lat muscles engaged.
2. Hips shift 1 inch right transferring approximately 80% of the weight into the right heel (right hip almost to the point of being directly over the right ankle.)
3. Right shoulder blade glide (pulling the right shoulder) focusing on moving the scapula two inches in and slightly down toward the spine.
4. Torso turns 45 degrees.
5. Hips turn 0 degrees.
6. Arms remain passive, straight, and directly in line with the sternum.
Given our understanding of the forces of rotary motion (please see the blog “Why Can’t I Stay Centered?”), we know a pulling motion is an action that moves an object toward center, while a push is a force moving an object away from center. It becomes quite clear that we must invoke a pulling motion in order to efficiently turn the torso in a fashion that keeps us centered during the backswing. This move also serves as a spine stabilizer during the backswing, in turn, protecting the spine during this phase of the swing. Any origin of movement that comes from the left side of the body is a push, and Stricker’s Move 1 is a prime example of its effects.
Stricker initiates his swing with a forward press of the hands. The club is subsequently started back by a pushing motion from his left side. His left arm pushes across his chest which immediately causes a disconnection from his core rotation.
He is now at the mercy of his arms to turn his shoulders, which can be observed by looking at the figure above. Notice the difference in shoulder turn between Chuck and Stricker as the club is parallel to the ground. It is quite clear that the arms have been forced significantly behind Stricker’s sternum by this point. As a result, the right arm is no longer straight, but instead has been forced to bend. In addition, the left wrist has begun to pronate, as can be observed by the circles.
Pay particular attention to the logo on Chuck’s glove as compared to Stricker’s glove. The culmination of these movements results in the club getting inside, the hands and arms working too deep, and the club being moved on a flat plane.
A Shift in the Right Direction
I am extremely proud to be working with Hooters Tour Professional Kris Lim. Kris is an extraordinary young man, whose desire to excel is only exceeded by his desire to understand the fundamentals of the golf swing. Kris did not come to the Rotary Swing Golf Academy looking for quick fixes to improve his game immediately; he came to us seeking answers to questions that were not able to be provided to him through “traditional” instruction. He was tired of hearing that his swing looked great; he wanted results. Kris is a prime example of the type of change that is possible through intellectual understanding and kinesthetic awareness that comes as a product of structured practice that focuses on the anatomical absolutes.
In previous forum posts, I provided some examples of how we first began a little over a month ago. We started by addressing Kris’s Setup and perfecting Move 1 (The Takeaway). As these elements improved, we introduced proper shoulder elevation to keep the club working on a proper plane throughout the backswing. Today is November 23, and it was time for some serious business…Move 3 (The Downswing). Kris is a prime example of a golfer who would rotate his hips without ever making a proper weight shift into the left heel. The results of this dastardly movement can be illustrated from the picture below.
On the left side is a trace of Kris’s swing path. The red line represents his backswing, and the yellow line represents his downswing. It becomes quite clear Kris was over the top which resulted in many “wiped” shots that would weakly balloon and fade. On the right side, you can plainly see Kris’s failure to shift that left hip which left him well short of Neutral Joint Alignment. Kris’s weight is now trapped on his right side which results in the excessive axis tilt and his head backing way up as he comes into impact. He never covers the golf ball effectively, and fails to compress or flight the shot the way he desires. Due to his improper origin of movement, the more he would try to cover the ball, the more fat shots he would hit.
Now let’s examine footage from the lesson on November 23. On the left, you can see a significant improvement in Kris’s swing path. The red line represents his backswing, and the yellow line represents his downswing once again, but take note the orientation of the lines are dramatically different. Due to the backswing improvements, Kris takes the club on a much better plane, and is capable of keeping the club in front of his body. A proper weight shift, planting the left heel and pulling from the left oblique allows the club to shallow slightly and attack the ball from the inside (note the yellow downswing line is underneath the red backswing line). On the right half of the picture, you can see Kris’s head has not backed up nearly as much, and the axis tilt is improved. Kris’s left hip has shifted toward the target before he unwinds the hips which allows him to get into NJA at impact.
I want to mention at no time during this lesson did we talk about swing plane or what the club was doing; we focused solely on proper origin of movement in the downswing. The golf swing needs to be based on a pull-pull relationship in order to abide by the laws of physics of rotary motion. Kris serves as an excellent model of what can be achieved by focusing on how the human body is designed to work. While we have lots of work left to do, Kris is finally traveling on the road to success. RST provides the road map for this journey…want to follow along?
steve strickers golf swing analysis the setup
Steve Stricker’s ascent to the 3rd in the Official World Golf Rankings is an inspirational story to all of us in the golfing world who are striving to improve our games. Stricker joined the PGA Tour back in 1994 and achieved early success in his fledgling career. In 1996, he won two tournaments and compiled 7 top ten finishes. He finished the year 4th on the PGA Tour money list and appeared poised for greatness. As quite often happens in this fickle game, Stricker had nothing but lean times to follow, however, as he would proceed to struggle mightily and eventually lose his card in 2004. Determined to rededicate himself to resurrecting his career, Steve persevered, and tirelessly worked at retooling his swing. Relying solely on sponsor’s exemptions in 2006, Stricker managed 7 top ten finishes and was voted PGA Tour Comeback Player of the Year. I can speak from personal experience in stating that his story is proof nice guys don’t have to finish last. I had the pleasure of talking with him on the practice tee at Westchester Country Club in 2007, several days before his fantastic victory at The Barclay’s, the first leg of the inaugural Fed Ex Cup Playoffs. He is a soft spoken, humble man and undoubtedly one of the nicest professional golfers I have had the good fortune to meet in my career.
Stricker’s golf swing has certainly been the buzz throughout the major golf media these days, and many have analyzed his swing attempting to explain his second coming. This is the perfect opportunity for us to examine Stricker’s fundamentals and discuss in greater detail how he measures up to the Rotary Swing Model. We will be breaking down Steve’s swing into five parts: Setup, Move 1, Move 2, Move 3, and Move 4.
Setup
We shall first examine Stricker from a down the line view. In this image, it appears Stricker is hitting a hybrid club on what we can assume to be a short par 4. We have talked at great length about the importance of a proper Setup and how the goal for the Setup is to ensure that our bodies are anchored to the ground in such a way that will provide a stable, centered engine for our golf swing, and that the proper muscles are engaged for correct posture, stability, and power. As we examine Stricker at address, it becomes quite clear that a number of improvements could be employed.
1. Improper Hinge from the Hips.
Chuck Quinton and Alison Thietje have gone to great lengths to describe in detail how the body is designed to function. Rotary Swing commonly refers to these fundamentals as the anatomical absolutes. These are not opinions or preferences but are facts about the design of the human body. One of these anatomical absolutes is that the body is designed to bear its weight directly over the ankle joint in order to be balanced. We want to accomplish the same when setting up to a golf ball. Stricker’s weight is not properly distributed at address. He displays an improper hinge from the hips, which causes his upper torso to be positioned very upright. This can be observed by the blue line drawn from his posterior to the ground. The lack of space from this line to the back of his heels indicates more hinge is necessary. Proper hinging from the hips ensures that we will not introduce any excessive curvature of the spine during Setup. This brings us to our next area of contention.
2. Rounded Shoulders (Excessive Curvature of the Thoracic Spine)
We want the spine to remain in neutral joint alignment throughout the entire golf swing for obvious health and safety reasons. Stricker, because of the improper hinge from the hips, has now allowed his thoracic spine to slump or round. The result of this excessive thoracic bending is becoming disconnected from the core muscles of the body. Stricker has effectively gotten out of “the box,” put himself into “the rectangle.” The effects of this will be very eloquently illustrated when we examine Stricker’s Move 1 in the next installment.
3. Extended Arms
The arms should remain tension free at Setup. When this is performed correctly, the shoulder and elbow will be in neutral joint alignment. The arms should hang naturally underneath the shoulders with the elbows directly beneath the shoulders. The hands will hang naturally underneath the chin. In Stricker’s case, improper hinge from the hips and the rounding of the shoulders have put him into a position of extending his arms, which can be observed by the red and black lines. The extended arms and disconnection from the core will greatly affect Stricker’s origin of movement as he starts his swing.
4. Excessive Knee Flex
Stricker displays an excessive flexion of the knees. This can plainly be observed by the yellow line drawn up through the center of the ankle joint. The back of the knee joint should rest on this line, but it is quite evident that this is not the case. The body is designed to bear its weight over the center of the ankle joint in order to be balanced. We want to accomplish much the same when setting up to the golf ball. Excessive knee flex forces the weight of the body to be positioned over the balls of the feet which does not allow for the effective use of the body’s anatomical design. Once again, this element of Stricker’s Setup leads to some balance issues that become more clearly defined in his backswing.
5. Ankles Not Properly Rolled Inward
Looking at the face on view of Stricker now, he has failed to roll his ankles in slightly which has been highlighted. This important Setup feature serves to stabilize lateral hip movement in addition to ensuring that the right foot does not roll outward as we load into the right side on the backswing. This action makes a proper weight shift in the downswing more difficult to perform with maximum efficiency.
In summary, Stricker’s combination of Setup flaws does not put him in an anatomically correct address position. His main faults are the following: he is effectively disengaged from his core, and his weight is on the balls of his feet. These faults and their effects will become more apparent as he starts his backswing and will be covered in great detail in the next installment, Steve Stricker: Move 1(The Takeaway).
Steve Stricker: A Complete Swing Analysis Part 1 (Setup)
Steve Stricker’s ascent to the 3rd in the Official World Golf Rankings is an inspirational story to all of us in the golfing world who are striving to improve our games. Stricker joined the PGA Tour back in 1994 and achieved early success in his fledgling career. In 1996, he won two tournaments and compiled 7 top ten finishes. He finished the year 4th on the PGA Tour money list and appeared poised for greatness. As quite often happens in this fickle game, Stricker had nothing but lean times to follow, however, as he would proceed to struggle mightily and eventually lose his card in 2004. Determined to rededicate himself to resurrecting his career, Steve persevered, and tirelessly worked at retooling his swing. Relying solely on sponsor’s exemptions in 2006, Stricker managed 7 top ten finishes and was voted PGA Tour Comeback Player of the Year. I can speak from personal experience in stating that his story is proof nice guys don’t have to finish last. I had the pleasure of talking with him on the practice tee at Westchester Country Club in 2007, several days before his fantastic victory at The Barclay’s, the first leg of the inaugural Fed Ex Cup Playoffs. He is a soft spoken, humble man and undoubtedly one of the nicest professional golfers I have had the good fortune to meet in my career.
Stricker’s golf swing has certainly been the buzz throughout the major golf media these days, and many have analyzed his swing attempting to explain his second coming. This is the perfect opportunity for us to examine Stricker’s fundamentals and discuss in greater detail how he measures up to the Rotary Swing Model. We will be breaking down Steve’s swing into five parts: Setup, Move 1, Move 2, Move 3, and Move 4.
Setup
We shall first examine Stricker from a down the line view. In this image, it appears Stricker is hitting a hybrid club on what we can assume to be a short par 4. We have talked at great length about the importance of a proper Setup and how the goal for the Setup is to ensure that our bodies are anchored to the ground in such a way that will provide a stable, centered engine for our golf swing, and that the proper muscles are engaged for correct posture, stability, and power. As we examine Stricker at address, it becomes quite clear that a number of improvements could be employed.
1. Improper Hinge from the Hips.
Chuck Quinton and Alison Thietje have gone to great lengths to describe in detail how the body is designed to function. Rotary Swing commonly refers to these fundamentals as the anatomical absolutes. These are not opinions or preferences but are facts about the design of the human body. One of these anatomical absolutes is that the body is designed to bear its weight directly over the ankle joint in order to be balanced. We want to accomplish the same when setting up to a golf ball. Stricker’s weight is not properly distributed at address. He displays an improper hinge from the hips, which causes his upper torso to be positioned very upright. This can be observed by the blue line drawn from his posterior to the ground. The lack of space from this line to the back of his heels indicates more hinge is necessary. Proper hinging from the hips ensures that we will not introduce any excessive curvature of the spine during Setup. This brings us to our next area of contention.
2. Rounded Shoulders (Excessive Curvature of the Thoracic Spine)
We want the spine to remain in neutral joint alignment throughout the entire golf swing for obvious health and safety reasons. Stricker, because of the improper hinge from the hips, has now allowed his thoracic spine to slump or round. The result of this excessive thoracic bending is becoming disconnected from the core muscles of the body. Stricker has effectively gotten out of “the box,” put himself into “the rectangle.” The effects of this will be very eloquently illustrated when we examine Stricker’s Move 1 in the next installment.
3. Extended Arms
The arms should remain tension free at Setup. When this is performed correctly, the shoulder and elbow will be in neutral joint alignment. The arms should hang naturally underneath the shoulders with the elbows directly beneath the shoulders. The hands will hang naturally underneath the chin. In Stricker’s case, improper hinge from the hips and the rounding of the shoulders have put him into a position of extending his arms, which can be observed by the red and black lines. The extended arms and disconnection from the core will greatly affect Stricker’s origin of movement as he starts his swing.
4. Excessive Knee Flex
Stricker displays an excessive flexion of the knees. This can plainly be observed by the yellow line drawn up through the center of the ankle joint. The back of the knee joint should rest on this line, but it is quite evident that this is not the case. The body is designed to bear its weight over the center of the ankle joint in order to be balanced. We want to accomplish much the same when setting up to the golf ball. Excessive knee flex forces the weight of the body to be positioned over the balls of the feet which does not allow for the effective use of the body’s anatomical design. Once again, this element of Stricker’s Setup leads to some balance issues that become more clearly defined in his backswing.
5. Ankles Not Properly Rolled Inward
Looking at the face on view of Stricker now, he has failed to roll his ankles in slightly which has been highlighted. This important Setup feature serves to stabilize lateral hip movement in addition to ensuring that the right foot does not roll outward as we load into the right side on the backswing. This action makes a proper weight shift in the downswing more difficult to perform with maximum efficiency.
In summary, Stricker’s combination of Setup flaws does not put him in an anatomically correct address position. His main faults are the following: he is effectively disengaged from his core, and his weight is on the balls of his feet. These faults and their effects will become more apparent as he starts his backswing and will be covered in great detail in the next installment, Steve Stricker: Move 1(The Takeaway).
Why Can’t I Stay Centered?
I am entering my seventh month as a certified RST instructor, and the number one issue that I see plaguing my students is the ability to minimize head movement and stay centered during the swing. While it may seem benign enough, I can tell you this problem destroys speed, power, and efficiency of the golf swing.
Examining the golf swing from a purely scientific perspective, we can all agree that the swing is circular. It stands to reason that we can summon upon our tedious days in physics class to further understand the laws of motion that govern our golf swing. Who knew our college general education requirement could help us hit more greens in regulation? The diagram below illustrates the forces at work during circular motion.
The Rotary Swing is based upon creating centripetal force. Centripetal force can be defined as the component of force acting on a body in curvilinear motion that is directed toward the center of curvature or axis of rotation. Using the diagram above, we can plainly see that the origin of movement is the figure rotating in the center of the circle. The figure rotates in order to swing the ball on the end of the string in a circular fashion. The faster the central figure rotates, the faster the ball will travel at the end of the string.
What would happen to the speed and path of the ball if the central figure moved several inches to the left or right during this rotation? Would the ball on the end of the string accelerate at a greater rate? You don’t need a Ph.D. to recognize that once the fixed origin of movement is moved, the resulting path of the ball is disturbed by the added lateral movement. This is exactly what happens to a golfer that exhibits excessive lateral head movement as the swing begins. The origin of movement has been disturbed, negatively affecting the speed, power, and efficiency of the resulting swing.
Hope I did my college professor from American University proud with my contrite explanation of circular motion, but now the question becomes, how do I stop this from happening in my swing? This is what we golfers really care about; no offense Mr. Newton.
First, check your stance width. Remember that advice you received about your stance being shoulder width apart? Let’s think about that for one moment. As Chuck Quinton so eloquently stated to me, “The last time I checked, my legs and feet were attached to my hips, not my shoulders. Why would the width of my shoulders have anything to do with how wide I want to stand?” Rather than using the shoulders, the Rotary Swing provides an exact measurement for each golfer to find the appropriate stance width to maximize the swing base and prevent excessive lateral head movement: you must have the center of each ankle joint two inches outside of neutral joint alignment. In other words, the center of your ankle joint at Setup will be positioned two inches outside the center of your hip joint on each side. Any wider than this, it becomes very difficult to prevent lateral head movement during your backswing and will interrupt the creation of rotary motion.
Second, in order to create a truly rotary motion, make a full shoulder turn, and minimize lateral head movement, the golfer MUST pull the right shoulder (for right-handed golfers) behind his head to create the desired backswing. To most golfers, this will feel quite alien in nature, as almost all golfers start the swing either with the hands, arms, or left side. Any such movement to start the backswing forces the golfer away from center and now has the golfer moving in a linear fashion. The head and upper body are forced to follow the motion, and the result is a swing sapped of power.
RST’s goal is to create movement that rotates around the spine while staying centered. If you have been scratching your head asking that perplexing question, “Why can’t I stay centered?” I just provided you with two possible answers. Check that stance; work on pulling that right shoulder behind you to start your swing, and pay attention in physics class!
Learning Proper Weight Shift…from a Frisbee?
Rotary Swing students must have a firm understanding of one of the key goals of the swing model, to utilize a proper right to left weight shift (for righties) just as we would in any other throwing or hitting sport. Most amateur golfers underestimate the importance of this simple yet critical step in the golf swing. You could have the best takeaway in the world, but if you are hitting the ball off your back foot, you are doomed to struggle.
A great way to gain a deeper understanding of proper weight shift would to be to grab a Frisbee and head into your backyard.
When we examine my fine Frisbee form, you can see the kinetic sequence as it evolves. I begin by twisting my torso opposite the direction of the throw. The rotation of my torso turning pulls my hips around as my weight transfers into my rear ankle joint. My weight now shifts into my front heel as the front foot plants. Once planted, my hips begin to rotate causing my upper body to lag behind. I continue my pivot, and my right arm begins to extend and the disk is propelled out of my hand as the shoulders and arm are pulled through with maximum power, speed, and extension. Does this chain of events look familiar to anyone? We can learn many lessons from a simple Frisbee toss, but the take home message that you can apply to your golf swing is simply this, in order to maximize your efficiency, you need to learn to utilize a proper weight shift. My power was produced by loading into my trailing side, and transferring my weight back to the leading side. My first move down was to transfer my weight into my front heel and unwind my hips. At no time did I attempt to use my small muscles in my arms and shoulders to propel the disk forward. It would not work well with a Frisbee, and its works even less efficiently with a golf club in your hands.
The Secret to Your Success…
I have been playing the game for 27 years, and I have the calluses to prove it. Back in my amateur days, I was fortunate enough to live on a golf course, and I had the time to spend hours on the range perfecting my swing. I would rise at the crack of dawn and head over to the practice tee armed with a roll of medical tape, a handful of cigars, and a gallon of iced tea…not exactly the breakfast of champions, I admit. I would pound balls with the efficiency of a manufacturing plant assembly line, whacking a shot and raking in the next nugget. If Ben Hogan was correct and the answers were in the dirt, I was ready to dig to China. As time wore on, I could develop a ball flight that pleased me for the session, so off to lunch I would go. After a turkey club on wheat toast, no mayo of course (I have to make up for the cigars somehow) and an icy beverage, I was ready to go back to the gold mine. Another couple of hours would pass, and the afternoon play on the course would slow, so I would head out for a quick 18. 2 ½ hours later I would come in for another sandwich, maybe another cigar if I had any left, and back to the range to toil some more. Dusk would be upon me, and the assistant professional would go through his nightly ritual of shooing me away; all in all, a great day. My hands were tender, my back was sore, but a small price to pay for excellence in my humble opinion.
Does anyone else see the flaw in my master plan? What exactly was I doing? I had goals for each session, and I displayed the dedication necessary to master this game. I wonder if this scenario sounds familiar to anyone. Well if it does, I can tell you from personal experience, STOP WASTING YOUR TIME!
The fatal flaw in my master plan to achieving excellence was the brain simply does not learn at 100 miles per hour. Effective change in a movement patterns does not occur by beating balls like a semi-automatic weapon. In essence, all I was doing was improving my timing, not improving my swing. Believe me, my plan was not one for true improvement. I thought I was mining for gold in that practice tee dirt…all I was unearthing was pyrite.
The key to understanding an effective plan for golfing success is becoming educated on how exactly the brain learns. Neuromuscular Reeducation is the definition given to any form of athletic training, rehabilitation program, or bodily movement that requires muscles and nerves to relearn a certain behavior or specific sequence of movements. It is important for us to fully understand how our muscles and nerves eventually learn and develop the neural networks and motor pathways necessary to perform the task effectively. As a new movement is introduced, the body begins to develop a broad kinesthetic sense (sensation of muscle movements through nerves) necessary to facilitate the movement (Dr. Larry van Such). As the first movement is perfected, the next segment is stacked on top of that movement. This forces the muscles and nerves to increase their kinesthetic ability or awareness to adapt to the new movement. The process is repeated and ultimately the muscles and nerves become perfectly coordinated, together producing the desired effect. Every day one practices, the muscles are constantly refining the pathways necessary to master these movements. This makes them appear effortless and without any conscious thought. When one masters a new motor skill, the athlete transitions from active effort to automatic ability. Essentially, the new movement pattern becomes hardwired into the brain. This is known as implicit or procedural memory.
The Rotary Swing model takes this fundamental fact about human learning into account and has developed a hierarchy for learning the golf swing. The hierarchy is as follows:
1. How the Brain Learns
2. Setup
3. Weight Transfer
4. Takeaway (Move 1)
5. Back to Target (Move 2)
6. Downswing (Move 3)
7. Follow Through (Move 4)
Chuck Quinton and Alison Thietje have developed a plan in which the golfer learns each fundamental and then stacks another one on top of it. It makes no sense for us to worry about the downswing if we cannot even set up correctly to the golf ball. Once we observe a breakdown in a step, we will remove a piece and go back to perfect that step. Once the Setup has been mastered, the next step is stacking the Weight Transfer. If at any time there is a breakdown in one of the fundamentals of the Setup, we must remove any instruction about the Weight Transfer, and readdress the Setup. This follows the process of neuromuscular reeducation. This process should be continued throughout the course of building a sound golf swing. While this process may not necessarily be viewed as fun, it is necessary to impart real change in motor patterns rather than allowing ourselves to expect to make any lasting change in our golf swings with a “quick fix” or improved timing. As Chuck always says, “There are no quick fixes in the golf swing, only temporary ones.”
RotaryGolfSwing.com Premier Instruction Website Nearing Launch
The premier golf instruction website, www.RotaryGolfSwing.com, is nearing launch! Unlike anything you’ve ever seen, this golf instruction website will be the standard by which all other golf instruction websites are measured! The new integrated and custom built video player keeps the videos ordered in the same format as the Rotary Swing Tour Hierarchy of Learning. Other improvements to the current www.RotarySwing.com website include a new navigation that keeps the video that you are on viewable in the navigation bar below the video screen. When you click a new video, only the video itself changes, the entire page is NOT reloaded!
New Rotary Swing Video Player
The new video player loads very fast and is easy to use. ALL the videos are HD, allowing you to see detail like never before, yet encoded to allow even slower, older computers and slower internet connections to view the more than NEW 200 instructional videos.
The Online Golf Lessons system is also much improved and cleaner, allowing for easier reading of notes from your instructors and allowing you to upload multiple files at once. Another new feature is that you can now manually delete files that you have uploaded and deletes posts in the comments section.
If you haven’t visited the new site, there is a great description page available at http://www.rotarygolfswing.com/why-rotary-swing.php that describes the new website and learning system in great detail. We are hoping to launch by the end of November, 2009, so stay tuned!
Missing “The How”
“If I stop learning today, I will be teaching badly tomorrow.” (Unknown) Good advice from a relative unknown wouldn’t you say? OK. Vegas is not in my future, maybe I better leave the humor to the professionals.
When I began to pursue my dream of teaching the game that my grandfather forced me to love so much as a youngster, I wanted to understand everything I could about the swing. I realized that my self- taught point and shoot method probably would not be all that successful for any perspective students. I began my research. I watched video tapes, read books, observed lessons, and tried a multitude of swing theories for myself. I took copious notes on what I liked, and jotted down even more quips about the things that didn’t work at all. Volumes later, I felt I had a pretty successful manual in place for teaching the game…or did I?
One thing I will state as clearly as possible, to my own credit, I have no ego. I have never been one to trumpet my way as the only way, or even the correct way for that matter. I had a very good success rate with students, and there were very few occasions that I felt they walked away from their time spent with me, and were not improved in some fashion. I did, however, feel that my skills were lacking, not from an analytical or intellectual standpoint, but something was just missing. I could not place my finger on the pulse of the problem, but I would think about it constantly. This fact may speak volumes about my ongoing insomnia, but that is a discussion for another blog someday soon.
I attempted to broaden my horizons by reading books about how people learn, and let me tell you, for a guy who went through college, graduate school, and a stint in medical school with an undiagnosed reading disability, this was no small task! At the end of the day, I was still searching for the missing pieces…until Rotary Swing.
“Most teachers are knowledgeable. Good teachers are intelligent. Great teachers are patient. Exceptional teachers are students themselves.” (Dale Dubin. M.D.)
I was knowledgeable, I was intelligent, and I was patient; so what was still missing? Meeting Chuck Quinton and Alison Thietje gave my elusive question a definitive answer; I was missing “The How.” I lacked the key kinesthetic knowledge to explain to my students how to swing the club. There are a number of ways to turn your shoulders, but only one correct way to initiate the movement, remain centered, and create centripetal force. Rotary Swing, unlike my swing model, was not based on opinions and preferences, but it was based on medical and scientific facts about how the body is designed to move. This made everything crystal clear in my eyes; it does not matter if you can manipulate the club haphazardly into a series of “correct” positions if the origin of movement is wrong. You are destined to fail more often than you are destined to succeed.
The process of discovery for me has been a six month journey that I have enjoyed every step of the way. I continue to learn something new every single day I encounter a student, whether it be online or in person. I will make certain that never changes because being a Rotary Swing Instructor is not just about being a knowledgeable, a good, or a great teacher; it is about being a student myself, and striving to be an exceptional teacher.
A Sudden Noise
I was in the yard the other day, praciticing Move 1 with a folding mirror. It would, I often muse, be easy to dismiss the takeaway as a mystery of the universe. But, determination is wonderfully oblivious. In a full sweat I was doing takeaways in slow motion, over and over and over. Out of nowhere, a loud noise stopped me cold. It was the screech of an Osprey (Pandion haliaetus). The Fish Hawk is a common fixture here on the Chesapeake. Once, nearly extinct, today the birds are so common that they will make a nest on nearly any elevated horizontal platform near the water. During the summer, they are ubiquitous. A neighbor has a platform nest about 300 yards away. Their screeches are continuous all summer long. You get to where you don’t hear them.
But, I heard this one. Why? It slowly dawned that I hadn’t heard one for a week. So, I walked to the pier, 7-iron still in-hand to see this bird. Perched high in a dead Red Oak, the victim of lightning, sat this lone bird. He was a traveler. Passing through from some place north, he was headed south when he dropped in to check out this creek. We all have our internal and external calendars: School starts back, Football starts, or the birds of summer leave. Whatever we anchor it to, the seasons tell us they are changing. This hawk had a message for me; “Fall is on top of you, son.”
Golf has been an odd lot this summer. The void from the course closing down last winter hasn’t been completely filled. The swing, although greatly improved, is not ready for prime time. The work on it is continuous, and pleasant. The “learnings” come frequently. But, there are miles to go. The fault lies not in RST, but in years of building, and reinforcing a really bad move. RST is an exercise in building. What a joy it would be to build on bare ground. Still, the days on the links with the wife and friends are the best of times. There are more good shots, less bad ones, and the error band has shrunk tremendously. Online lessons with Al have been awesome. Time and patience and persistence are the orders of the day. Winter will give the opportunity to improve. In some ways, I’m looking forward to it like never before.
The hawk started screeching again, shaking me from my drifting. Way off in the sky was a dot that was no doubt another Osprey. My creek visitor screamed for his buddy to come down and visit this new place with him. Within a minute, the dot was overhead and circling. The two talked to each other in their high-pitched and penetrating voices. It was summer all over again for a few minutes. But, the tilt of the earth and the photo-period were not to be denied. South America was a long ways off. The Osprey in the tree grew more restless until it jumped and flew up to be with his southbound kin. I watched them head relentlessly south until the dots on the horizon disappeared. With them, they took summer.
Venus was starting to show. There were mere minutes left of daylight. Time enough to get in a few more reps in front of the mirror.
Of Father’s Day and Golf
Numerous times today the broadcasters at the US Open will discuss golf and Father’s Day. In the collective national memory, we are supposed to have many fond memories of schlepping around the course with Dear Old Dad. Of course, that’s not the case for all of us. I only have one.
Pop has been gone for 20 years. I came late in life to him. He was truly the product of a different age. As a young boy he went to the Train Depot to watch Uncle George and the Upper Marlboro contingent of the Doughboys come home from the Great War. So he was there for the Depression, and the Second World War, and all the manifestations of the Cold War that followed. Saturdays weren’t meant for golf. They were meant for the farm. I didn’t find golf until my Navy years.
Home on Leave from the submarine one day I was headed to the course. The Old Man looked up and asked where I was going. When I told him he asked if he could come. “Sure.” It was more shock than anything. He never seemed to approve. Men who lived through the Depression tended to take a dim view of leisure. He was no exception. But, he was interested. So he walked the course with me. Twin Shields was the name of the course. It’s one of those courses that used to be fairly common; privately-owned, downscale, and a couple of notches above muni. It’s still there, celebrating 40 years of business despite the annual rumor ritual that it will be sold for development. http://www.twinshields.com/history.html
The wife and I were walking that course last week at twilight. June 14′th was the anniversary of Pop’s passing. Walking the course I found myself drifting back to that one day. When we were on the back, away from everyone he asked for a club. I tossed a ball on the ground. He took a swing with that old 7-iron and hit it fairly straight for about 100 yards. He handed back the club with a big, toothy grin: “I could see where this would be fun.” There wasn’t a lot of chatter. But, walking up Eighteen he unexpectedly put his hand on my shoulder: “You need to stay with golf, Son. It looks good on you.”
Of course, I didn’t listen. The new bride was not a fan. Golf went on the shelf for a number of years until SHE got bit by the bug. Life comes full circle sometimes through unforseen avenues. Walking up Eighteen with her the other day towards sunset against broken sky it was impossible to forget that day with the Old Man long ago. It was a golf memory; singular. But, it was one to remember.
Happy Father’s Day to all of you out there.
Reality Check…This is a tough one to post
This past weekend I slammed smack dead into that wall called reality. I played in the Virginia State Amateur qualifier at Kingsmill on their woods course (not the River that the LPGA plays on) and to be kind to myself it was not pretty. I have got my handicap index down to 7.3 from a 12 a year ago and have been consistently in the low 80′s high 70′s thus far and to be honest I did not expect to qualify but I did expect to post some decent scores.
Well I wish I could say that was the case but it was the exact opposite. I have to just get it out…97, 85. Ouch! But you know the one thing I can say is that I am in a good place mentally and to my credit after posting that 97 after round 1 I went back out there unlike every other person who posted in the 90′s….they all WD’d. I absolutely would not even consider that…never quit…it is NOT an option!
I just don’t know what happened but the only thing I can say is that I was Tiger on the range and Barkley on the course…at least that is how my swing felt. I know that tournament golf is very different than playing on the weekend and I have preparing for that for the last 2 months. I have immersed myself in books on the mental game and have even been working with a local coach with guided meditation techniques which I have to say honestly is probably the only reason I was able to press on.
I woke up early and took my dog for a walk to warm up and then spent about a half an hour stretching and loosening up and then drove to the course. Once at the course I took my driver, a hybrid, 8 iron and wedge to the practice tee to loosen up and as I said I felt like Tiger. My swing felt great…very relaxed with a great tempo and I was throwing darts and nailing every target with a great strike and a baby draw. I spent the final 30 minutes chipping and putting and after the great warm up I was excited about what lay ahead.
Well I get to my first hole (#10) and yes I had some butterflies but I have trained myself to channel that into positive energy. They weren’t “oh please don’t shank” butterflies but they were more like “Thank you God for giving me this opportunity…this is what golf is all about” excitement butterflies. Well…I stood over my ball and executed my routine flawlessly and proceed to hit a snap hook through the trees on the left which I couldn’t see but there was the 18th green on the other side and a lake there so I hit a provisional and did the exact same thing only this time the snapper went farther up the treeline and I knew that one would be in play. Anyway long story short a few chunks and chili-dips later I put the ball in the hole for a quad. And that is pretty much the way the rest of my day went. I can honestly say that I felt like I was able to stay in the present on each shot (and there were many) and I didn’t feel as though I dwelled on the bad ones (and there were many) so I am not sure what went wrong. I do know that my swing felt tight and rushed the whole day and it was no where near the smooth rhythmic swing I had on the range.
So here I am left to wonder what had happened and why things went the way they did. I have received a lot of great input from my brother, who is an excellent golfer and athlete, and other good golfers that I know and I am very excited to get together with my pro and discuss what happened so that I can learn why things went the way they did so that at the next one (yes there will be a next one…and soon) I will be better prepared. I feel that the only way this can be a failure is if I do not learn from it and believe me when I say that I will take the time to digest every stroke of the 182 that I took this weekend to understand what happened and why. And although this bull really tossed me off pretty hard I have already dusted myself off and am ready to get back on for another ride.
Why Hank Haney Failed with Charles Barkley on The Golf Channel
First off, allow me to say that I have a great deal of respect for Hank Haney’s ideas around swing plane. The idea of parallel planes is an original idea in my opinion that I had not heard before Haney, so I give him credit with the idea. That being said, his idea that he doesn’t care what the body does and he only cares about the club should now be shown for what it is – the complete wrong way to train an amateur golfer.
When working with tour pros the job is quite easy. They all already move their bodies so well, that you can focus more on the movements of the club. Amateurs on the other hand, move their body like Barkley. Barkley is SO club focused and focused on hitting the ball that he’ll NEVER get past his hitch with the way Haney is training him.
Honestly, we’ve dealt with swings like this a lot, Barkley’s steepening of the shaft move is far from uncommon in amateur golf. Charles’ is more severe than most, but it’s all related to the same thing. He needs to put his mind in rotating his left oblique to clear his hips on the downswing. That’s it. He needs to go through the exact same drills that we use during our lessons each day and during our clinics.
Take a quick look at his old swings and guess what he does – ROTATE. Now, his hips stop turning and he’s focused on hitting the ball. Haney has actually made his problem WORSE by only focusing on the club. Six months later and he’s still in the exact same boat with a problem that we could fix in a week.
Learn to move the muscles correctly, rotate the body and stop worrying about the club (for now) and Barkley would be fixed in 6 days, not 6 months – guaranteed.
