June 24th, 2009 | 
Author: 
Posts Tagged ‘backswing’
The 84 Degree Secret Explained
It Starts at Address....
The most interesting discovery I made when studying the top golfers of all-time for Its All About Impact has been the 84 degree secret. It is uncanny how different all their swings are yet the vast majority of them find a way to obey this important element in the swing.
Please keep in mind that the 84 degree line is only important as it pertains to impact. It serves to position the weight correctly throughout the swing so that the body can easily fall into the proper impact position.
As you view the picture above picture a line running up this golfers right side (left as you view it). The line forms an 84 degree angle off of vertical (90 degrees). The line should run up the outside of the right leg, cut through a portion of the shoulder and just barely graze the side of the head. When studying swings I started to use this line to isolate body movement and quickly found it to be a good guide for the address position and as a player approached the top of the backswing.
At address the head should not break the line. I noticed with golfers who had too much tilt at address this was quite prevalent and they all had a difficult time assuming the proper impact position once they had started poorly. Notice the picture below.
Too Wide and Tilted
Another common fault was breaking the 84 degree line in the backswing with too much lateral motion. This fault very often originates with too much tilt at address. Try to feel centered over the ball throughout the backswing. Keep in mind that this can be done while still maintaining a sense of loading into the back side or leg. Note that this is not stack and tilt, which I believe to be a much more extreme approach. Notice the picture below.
Too Much Lateral Motion
I have found that an excellent drill that conveys the appropriate feel is the ball drill pictured below. Position your back foot up against a wall and place a basketball or soccerball between your head and the wall. Crossing your arms across your chest, pivot into your back side feeling the wind and torque in your core muscles. Hold the position at the top to absorb the sense or feel you have. This is what the body should feel like when it is correctly positioned to compress the ball at impact!
84 Degree Drill
Posted in Long Game, Swing Philosophy | 
Tags: 84 degree secret, address position, backswing, centered, compress the ball, impact, impact position, stack and tilt, weight shift | 
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The Shoulder Pivot (Part 3 of a Four Part Series)
- The Proper Shoulder Pivot
I often hear golfers speaking about ‘turn’ and getting their lead shoulder ‘behind’ the ball. In my opinion these thoughts very often cause a golfer to pivot the body incorrectly; thus making it difficult to get into a sound impact position.
In my research conducted on the top golfers of all time one of the few factors that was consistent to each of them was the manner in which they wound/pivoted their shoulders.
As the picture illustrates, at halfway through the backswing the right forearm is always above the left forearm (speaking as a right hander). This forearm position indicates that the lead shoulder is traveling down and the back shoulder is, conversely, working up. When executed correctly this move will give the golfer a sense of torque building up in the body, without a great deal of length to the swing. A correct shoulder pivot also deters the upper body from any unnecessary lateral movement.
As an exercise, place a club across the front of your shoulders with the grip pointing toward the target. Positon a ball where it would normally be and assume your normal posture. As you pivot into the backswing try to get the grip of the club to point at the ball. While this gets the shoulders a little too steep it will serve you well in conveying the sense required to get the shoulders to work correctly.
This is one of the very few elements that top golfers have in common.
Shouldn’t you have it in your swing?
Things to ponder:
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Is Charles Howell really that bad with the putter?
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Boo Weekley will win the Players Championship!
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Jerry Kelly pulled an Angel – he vanished for most of the final round and then slipped back in the back door. Well done!
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How does Sabbatini play the way he does with that move of his?
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I played Callawassie Island for the first time yesterday and would highly recommend it to anybody in the area!
Posted in Long Game, Swing Philosophy |
Tags: backswing, boo weekley, Callawassie, Charles Howell, grip, impact position, pivot, posture, shoulder pivot, swing, turn |
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