1st Tee Talk
Some things are fluid and some things are constant
Your gait makes your walk distinctive. Watch your playing partners in more detail and you will see them walking in their own way, yet the action of one foot in front of the other is a constant for us all. The same is true for your swing. When I am on the lesson tee and see a swing a couple of hundred yards away, I know who it is instantly – I have been here twelve years and I know your swings well!
We see this when we watch golf on TV with each Tour Professional displaying their individual style in which they swing. However, their club meets the ball in very similar ways, measured in millimetres and 0.1 of a degree, so we must have some sweet science applied to each high performing swing as well as individual styles.
Check out this brilliant image above (or click here to view in full) I have copied from one of the world’s top coaches, Brian Manzella.
In each picture the club head is a long way behind the players’ hands and the shaft is running through their right forearm around 40 degrees angle relative to the ground. They are milliseconds from smacking the ball and their shafts are in almost identical positions. This must be one of the constants in any golfer’s ambitions for their swing and I have been advocating this measurement with any Member who wants to optimise distance and strike. This week four Members have learned this position in very quick fashion and the results are easily measured by Trackman data and a much improved ball flight.
I really like this montage as it removes a lot of distractions about what constitutes a correct swing. Shaft aligned to right forearm is a constant for the world’s best, so are you doing it? Come and see me to build a better swing and better game; golf is tough, but science-based learning is very productive: richard.harrison@roehamptonclub.co.uk or 020 8876 3858.
Enjoy your golf.