START PLAYING GOLF, THE ANTI COVID SPORT
March 12, 2021
I often see golfers trying to mimic swing postures of top players, but in doing so they ruin their game. This happens because it is wrong to select single photo frames of a golf movement in which every action is interlinked and it is impossible to attain a posture without knowing the cause which leads to this . I am convinced that the main source of confusion arises when we seek to achieve the “lag”, i.e. that magical moment in the downswing when the wrists form an angle with the club head. This is very noticeable with great champions, but when amateurs try to copy this action they do not succeed.
In fact, many believe that this position is achieved by cocking the wrists in the backswing and keeping them locked in the same position until impact with the ball. Nothing could be further from the truth. In terms of angles, creating a correct “lag” does not imply maintaining but -rather- decreasing the angle of the wrists’ flex in respect of their position at the top of the backswing. This will then create a delay of the club head with regard to the position of the hands , which is vital to promote club speed and, as a result, will send the ball further.
In the above image you can appreciate how – in a correctly performed swing – the angle created by the wrists and the CLUB HEAD (oppure si tratta dello SHAFT?) at the top of the backswing is much wider than when the player begins to move at the start of the downswing. In fact this means that the wrists have moved and were not absolutely still. However, to avoid any misunderstandings, you should know that this action is not executed with the hands, it is the wrists which come into play due to a reflex motion caused by the movement of another part of the body...... namely, the legs. So, in order to create “lag” and therefore increase the speed of the club head, you must know how to use the legs efficiently.
Yes, it is indeed so and I shall explain how it works: during the backswing the torso rotation generates centrifugal force and launches the arms to the right, thus giving them a lot of speed. The backswing ends when the counter-movement of the lower part of the torso – which is the cause of the weight shift onto the right foot in the backswing – will be transferred back to the left leg with a convinced and decisive action of legs, buttocks and hips. This action will interrupt the upward motion of the arms and give the impulse for their descent. However the club - being longer and heavier than the arms and having stored much more peripheral speed - will be affected much more slowly by the change of direction given by the legs and will continue, for a fraction of a second, to travel in the direction dictated by the torso in the backswing: that is, upwards. The “lag” will be obtained by encouraging this delaying action in the movement between club and wrists. Therefore, wrists and arms must be passive whereas the legs must be ready to take control of the downswing. If you have problems with this aspect of your game, I suggest you come for a practice session with the K-VEST Swing Analysis System - the only method which allows you to “feel” the correct movements - and to sample the special training programme I have created to optimize your “lag”.
See you soon.
