Andrew Rice Golf

Posts Tagged ‘centered’

There are many ways to swing a golf club, but only one way to hit a golf ball correctly.

The whole idea behind my philosophy is the above statement.  When looking at the top players of all time, there are no two golfers that swing the club the same way, however they all manage to impact and strike the ball in a similar fashion.  How is it possible that Lee Trevino, Ray Floyd and Nancy Lopez can make the ball get to the target the same way that Ben Hogan, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods do?  The only answer can be impact.  A position where the weight is well on the front foot, the handle leads the clubhead into the ball (with irons) while the head remains over or slightly behind the ball.

Today I will identify a few key factors that facilitate a sound impact position.  Swing the club any way you want, but obey these few simple points, because the vast majority of the greatest golfers follow them. (Sounds like a good idea to me!)

Grip:

A Slightly Strong Grip

Almost every champion golfer has a grip that favors the strong end of the spectrum vs. the weaker side.  I can only find one legendary golfer that utilized a weak grip and that would be Ben Hogan – all the others were strong, with a few being neutral.  A strong grip encourages the hands to lead the clubhead into the strike – an integral part of a proper strike on the ball.

Set-Up:

The Set-Up

At address it is important for the head to be centered between the feet.  This will leave the spine relatively verticle and the shoulders fairly level.  Stance width should favor narrow over wide and the ball should never be too far forward.  Keep in mind this set-up is in place to allow the golfer to get into a proper impact position as simply as possible.

The Pivot:

There are two important points to note in the pivot motion: the plane upon which the shoulders pivot and whether or not the body stays within the 84 degree line.  The plus here is that the better the shoulder pivot, the less likely the body is to move laterally and get across the 84 degree line.

In the shoulder pivot, the lead shoulder must move down and then across vs. simply turning across and behind the ball. Notice how Nick Price’s right forearm is above his left halfway back. This is due to the fact that his shoulder have pivoted on the correct, steeper plane.

The 84 Degree Line

As the body winds to the top and just before transition begins, the back side of the body should be flush up against the 84 degree line.  This loads the energy in the swing efficiently and prepares the body to glide effortlessly into a sound impact position.  If you do happen to break the line with your hips or upper body here, you will be challenged to get to the proper impact position.

Notice how all of the above factors are in place to facilitate the body being able to get to impact in an efficient manner.  This is the secret to all of golf’s greatest players’ swings: they all had different swings, but everything they did allowed them to get into the proper position to deliver the club onto the ball correctly.  You would do well to incorporate a few of these elements into your swing.

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

Body position is the most important factor influencing impact and the quality of the golf shots you are hitting.

In the illustration notice how Annika’s right side seems to form a straight line. From the outside of her back foot all the way up her right side to the right side of her head can be covered with a straight line laying at 84 degrees. This indicates the 84 degree secret.

Mickey Wright

It is quite amazing how many of the top golfers obey this ‘84 Degree Secret’!

To be clear this is not Stack and Tilt which actually encouraged the golfer to feel as if they are leaning towards the target. Here the upper body remains steady/centered while the body pivots to the top without drifting across the line.

The ‘84 Degree Secret’ is essential to achieving a correct impact as it makes it simple for the golfer to get to the proper hit position. Think of it this way; if you move the upper body six inches off the ball in the backswing, you now have to find a way to get it back to where it started, at exactly the right time, and in one third the amount of time it took to get it out of position.

Keep the upper body centered/over the ball and you will start to compress the ball like never before!

A recap of the last four articles and how they pertain to a great impact:

• A strong grip allows the handle to lead the club head with the club face remaining square.
• A ‘vertical’ set-up where the head is centered between the feet and there is minimal shoulder tilt prepares the body for the proper pivot.
• A steeper shoulder pivot keeps the upper body centered and allows for a descending attack into the ball.
• The 84 degree secret! Eliminate lateral motion and keep the head over the ball to make for a simplified transition into the hit.

Should you have any questions or queries please feel free to post a comment!

Things to ponder:

• Tiger is in for a battle this weekend! Good for golf and good for us.
• Quail Hollow has the look and feel of a US Open, but trust me it is not even close. There are six holes on the course where I would be thinking birdie! Now the other twelve are a different story……
• There are over 15 million active blogs available online. Thanks for reading this one!
• I like what Stuart Appleby said about the 17th at Quail Hollow, “Bad design!” I second that motion.
• Phil seems to be working out and in better shape, yet how does he always manage to look a little chubby to me? Amy needs to up his shirt size me thinks.
• Please post a comment – I am heartbroken that there have not been any thus far………
• Stay well!