I’m not a doctor, while I do have a bit of knowledge regarding kinesiology attained through swing research and a lifetime of athletic pursuits, but this article really set my Spider Senses tingling when I read about Jordan Spieth’s wayward ECU tendon.
Basically, the sheath that holds his left ECU tendon in place is torn and it pops out from time to time, leading to his having to WD from events or miss them altogether when this occurs.
Part of the problem that plagues golfers who feel they aren’t getting any power in their swinging comes from the failure to release freely on the down swing.
I’m sure a good portion of swingers who don’t release fully are simply inhibited because they fear the actual impact moment and so they try to “push” the club through the ball without releasing the club head.
It looks crazy at first with all of the bouncing and shifting around before the back swing pivot, but if you look closely at the reigning World Long Drive Champion Martin Borgmeier’s swing action, it’s pretty solid.
You can see the swing I’m featuring below on YouTube and I’ll break down what I like about it, as well as the “flying foot” compensation that has taken over the entire golf world from junior tours to long drive: Continue reading
When it comes to the Classic Golf Swing, I’ve always used Jack Nicklaus as an example of a near-optimal motion, but there’s someone else who has been overlooked, even though I mention him quite a bit.
That person is Greg Norman, who is considered to be the best ever driver using a persimmon club when you take into account driving distance and accuracy.
Thanks to BM for reminding me of the existence of overhead video showing Jack Nicklaus’ driver swing.
If you’re interested in Jack’s “Golf My Way” video, you can find it here on Youtube. The overhead part from which I took the below shots to make a couple of Gif.s is at 45:00 of the video.
I’ve finally figured out what it is that has certain swingers jumping off of their leading foot through impact.
I know, I’ve already said it has to do with them not shifting their weight to the leading foot on the down swing, but there’s more at play here than just that one thing.
If you asked me what the issue is in a nutshell, I’d say, “Let’s go for a spin.”
There are two issues here – consistency & injury risk.
Taking a look at his latest video proffer, I can’t imagine what it must be like trying to hit a ball at full speed and still having to worry about and perform that leading foot twist through impact.
Someone needs to pull the Mad Scientist aside and tell him he’s going to completely wreck himself if he keeps on his current track.
Someone, anyone – do him that favor and stop him going the way of Tiger Woods.
His impact & follow-through phase are truly, truly nightmarish. Follow me over the break for some scary stuff.
Update: WOW – It looks as though I was absolutely on the money with my speculation, because you’ll find at bottom a clip I found just before hitting “publish” on this post.
Rather than re-write it, I’ve inserted it at bottom, but I’d love if you’d read the post from beginning to end instead of jumping to the evidence.
Many people are not actually aware of what a proper “release” is in a mechanically-proper golf swing.
You can blame modern instruction and television analysts.
Most of those people are stuck in the visual of the “hold-off” release where the arms and hands continue to move as if to “push” the club through impact and to throw the club “at the target.”
WAX Golf 