The Natural Golf Swing (7 page)

The swing is one continuous motion.

The golf swing is governed by a set of physical laws familiar to anybody who has studied Grade Eleven physics. What do these laws say and how are they applicable to the swing motion?

In its simplest terms, centrifugal force is the outward force acting on a body that is rotating in a circle around a central point. The central point in the swing motion is the trunk of a golfer’s body, specifically a point right around his navel. The golf club rotates around this central point as we move our weight from the centre to the right foot, or first pivot point in the motion, and on to the left foot, or second pivot point.

Centrifugal force is powerful. It pulls the golf club outward
and downward as the player moves toward the target. It can generate clubhead speeds of more than one hundred m.p.h. and gives the player a feeling of tremendous energy. Moreover, the wider the arc of the swing, the more power generated, and, ultimately, the greater the distance the ball will travel.

The power of centrifugal force as we move from loading to unloading.

Centrifugal force generates a feeling of our arms being pulled out of their sockets. We control the periphery, that is, the club, by controlling the centre. We put the clubhead in delay when we unload or transfer weight to the left foot. And all we are doing is transferring weight and rotating around a central point. The inside, to be sure, isn’t moving that much. It’s like the eye at the centre of a storm, the centre force that creates a tornado. The inner controls the outer. It’s much easier and much more efficient to control the clubhead from the centre than to try to do so by manipulating it – as I did when I first hit balls on the range at St. Charles.

This law of physics states that an object, once set into motion, will continue in its state of uniform motion unless otherwise disturbed by an outside force.

Inertia.

The reader may ask: what does this principle have to do with the golf swing?

Applied to the golf swing, this law implies that if we set the clubhead in motion, it will tend to remain along the path of that motion unless we interfere. For example, if we set up with the clubface facing the target, or square to the target line, the blade angle will remain constant unless we
deliberately
disturb its original angle. (We can disturb the angle by twisting our hands or lifting them or maneuvring them in any number of ways which change the angle – that is, alter the angle and path of the clubhead.) It stands to reason, then, that we do nothing consciously with the arms, wrists, and hands during the swing so as not to disturb the intended path.

If centrifugal force is the governing factor in generating power in the swing, then inertia is the governing factor in producing consistency. How is this so? Consistency occurs when the
golfer is able to
repeat
his swing by letting it travel along the same path every time. We repeat the swing motion by doing nothing to interfere with the path of the clubhead; that is, we allow the law of inertia to keep the blade angle constant.

Rotation of trunk of the body.

Bearing in mind these two laws of physics, let us examine how they operate in executing the swing motion.

The swing motion is a means of connecting a starting position to a finishing position. The key word is
connecting
. This connection can be achieved naturally during the motion – that is, by allowing the laws of motion to prevail. Let’s run through the sequence of the swing motion and identify where each law of motion comes into play.

You prepare for the swing motion by setting up a starting form in which you are in balance. Your weight is equally distributed between both feet. You then transfer weight to your right foot while rotating the club around the trunk of your body. I like to refer to this stage of the motion as “loading”; you load up on power, or generate potential energy.

The loading motion requires two elements: 1) that the arc (that is, the measure of the outer circumference of the circle on which the clubhead travels) is maximized so that centrifugal force can work its magic in generating power; and 2) that your hands and arms do not interfere
with the natural rotation of the loading, or, as it’s commonly known, the backs wing motion. In other words, once we start the loading motion we do nothing to interfere with the natural path the club will take. We allow inertia to work.

Why do we transfer weight and rotate during the loading motion as opposed to, for example, picking the club up and swinging it along a path? The answer, clearly, is that weight transfer is the most effective means of moving the clubhead so that we can create inertia
in
the clubhead. We don’t want to consciously use our hands, arms, or shoulders since this destroys the integrity of the motion. And so we transfer weight. This removes any conscious hand action from the motion.

Take a club in your hands now and assume a starting form. Don’t concern yourself with what you look like. Now, simply hold on to the club and let your weight shift back toward your right foot. Notice how far the clubhead has travelled,
without you doing anything consciously with your hands, arms, or shoulders
. You initiated the motion through footwork and the clubhead went along. You let inertia work. Footwork and weight transfer are the most effective means of making a motion.

The swing motion is also a rotary motion if we are to do it in balance. As we transfer weight back, we allow our hands, arms, and clubhead to rotate around our trunk while transferring weight to our right foot. (If we didn’t do so, we would soon roll to the outside of our right foot and lose balance.) The club continues to track on its own due to inertia; as the centrifugal force starts to supply its power, the clubhead continues to move back, uninterrupted.

The “unloading” motion, or downswing, involves a weight shift toward the target so that at the end of the swing one
hundred per cent of our weight is on our left foot. As in the loading motion, we must maximize our arc in order to achieve maximum power and minimize any interference with the clubhead path so as to maintain control. By doing so we achieve both power and control.

We will create consistency and power only if we maintain balance throughout the entire motion. Without proper balance, centrifugal force and therefore clubhead speed are compromised. Without balance, our hands, arms, or shoulders can interfere with the motion, forcing us to sacrifice consistency.

Balance governs the swing motion. The better balanced we are, the better our chances of producing a fluid swing motion. The best swing gives direction and power in balance.

The essence of the natural golf swing, then, entails connecting a starting position to a finishing position. The connection is best achieved through weight transfer and rotation. In the backs wing, we “load” up with power by shifting weight to the right foot. In the downswing, we “unload” the power by transferring all the weight to the left foot. The angle at which we set our left foot in the starting form – and it is slightly different for every golfer depending on flexibility – creates a point of resistance in the left knee and hip so that our bodies stop directly on the target. This is the source of direction. It’s a pointer; we’re going to get there.

During the course of the weight transfer and rotation, the basic laws of motion apply in generating maximum power and control, neither of which can be fully realized without good balance. Seen as a motion, the swing is not complicated. There’s no need to break it down into 1,001 components. The means of understanding the swing as a sequence of movements that happen naturally once we initiate the motion are available. My goal is to present you with an overall, comprehensive theory that will take care of what I call the “by-the-way” or “involuntary” happenings that occur during the motion. You won’t need to concern yourself with the minutiae that lead to paralysis by analysis. You’ll learn to evaluate every one of your swings according to just a few factors,
and you’ll be able to understand these factors both intellectually and physically, given the theory and the drills.

Curvature due to alignment relative to target.

To review: the most effective swing is one which produces consistency and power in balance.

Consistency depends on a pure plane, the path the clubhead travels relative to a target. Inertia is the primary source of consistency. A pure plane will produce curvature, that is, straight, left-to-right, or right-to-left shots. We design curvature into the shot by assuming a starting alignment relative to a target.

Power is a function of a maximum arc combined with weight transfer – the arc being the distance the club travels while we are in balance, or the perimeter of the plane. Centrifugal force is the main source of power; its effect multiplies when combined with weight transfer.

Inertia and centrifugal force work together to allow the golfer to produce a controlled, consistent, and powerful motion. If we set up in a balanced position and maintain a balanced route by not interfering with what we have, the motion will repeat every time. We’re giving up control to gain control. We’re letting physics take over. We’re marrying the principles of the swing motion to principles of the physical being.