Andrew Rice Golf

Posts Tagged ‘transition’

A common complaint I hear from golfers is that their swings are too fast or aggressive.  They just have a sense that they are quick either in the transition or the downswing.

Timing is very important throughout the golf swing. When a golfer feels quick the first thing they do is try to ’slow down’!  In an attempt to get some rhythm in the swing they go overboard in slowing everything down. That leads to an overly slow start to the swing, which in turn leads to a rapid change in pace in the transition and on into impact.  It is this drastic change in speed that conveys the sense of quickness and aggression in the swing.

Ernie Els

The PGA Tour average time for the backswing is 0.74 seconds, with an additonal 0.25 seconds to make the down swing and get to impact. Notice that there should be a 3:1 ratio backswing vs. downswing. That means that a Tour golfer will invariably strike the ball in less than a second from when the swing started.  Ernie Els, one of the smoothest swings out there, takes in the vicinity of 0.78 seconds to complete his backswing with Anthony Kim, one of the fastest swingers taking 0.60 seconds.  The vast majority of golfers I teach invariably take well over 1 second to complete the backswing!  In watching Els or even Kim, most golfers believe they swing a lot faster than either of those two top players.  Wrong!

Anthony Kim

Each of the above golfers are able to maintain a good rhythm in their swing because they maintain that 3:1 ratio in their swings.  When a backswing takes over a second to complete the golfer is now faced with a 4:1 or even 5:1 ratio which feels way out of rhythm.

Here are a few pointers when trying to get the timing back into your swing:

• Don’t try to speed your backswing up too quickly – take one pill a day and not the whole bottle!
• The body should not feel hurried; the wrists and arms will create much of the necessary speed.
• Try a few shots with the clubhead starting 2-3 feet ahead of the ball and then flow into the backswing in one motion. This gives the club a rolling start and gradually increases the pace.
• Remember that rhythm does not have to be slow!
• Stay patient and gradually build up to it; try to blend the downswing speed into the transition and backswing.

Things to Ponder:

• In the six events Tiger Woods played in 2008 he won more prize money than Jack Nicklaus did in his entire career! That is crazy!
• Lee Trevino is a legend, but I cannot stand watching him teach or commentate on TV.  He is just too much “Lee” for me.
• Tim Clark cannot be feeling too good this week. How about the four swings he made in the playoff only to lose?
• Sorry for the slow down in posts this week, but I am floating on a boat with my family this week in the Gulf of Mexico. I’ll be back at full force next week!

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!

I have come to believe that the majority of modern day golf instruction is based primarily around instructor style preference. Way too much of the information being peddled is ‘form’ based vs. ‘function’ based.

In studying the top golfers of all time there are no two swings that are alike. Who is to say that Ben Hogan’s flat plane is better than Jack Nicklaus’ vertical arm move? Who is to say that Sam Snead’s slight over the top move was better than Nick Price’s drop down transition?

Tom Watson

At the end of the day it all comes down to IMPACT! It is the one position in which all of the great players are decidedly similar. From Patty Berg to Lorena Ochoa and Tom Watson to Peter Thompson – all these players are almost identical at impact. If this is the case, which, trust me, it is, then the look of the swing should play less of a role in a golfer’s improvement and the focus should be more on impact.

Here are the elements of a great impact position:

• the weight is noticeably on the front foot; 80% or more
• the handle always leads the clubhead
• the head remains over the ball, while the hips have shifted to the target; this creates what I refer to as body ‘curve’
• the clubhead travels down (downswing!) into the ball; this includes fairway woods and the driver!

The next time you take a lesson make sure your teacher works towards getting you into a better position at impact. It is the only way you will start to hit better golf shots!