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Body control key to good swing mechanics

Over the past couple of weeks, I have focused primarily on describing swing flaws associated with improper body rotation.
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Over the past couple of weeks, I have focused primarily on describing swing flaws associated with improper body rotation.

These flaws include the sway, slide and early extension. All of theses effects are caused by incorrect body rotation during the backswing and downswing.

The fact remains that the body is the power train that drives the car and the arms and your hands are the wheels!

What I mean is that the wheels will not turn unless the motor is turned on and the proper transfer of power reaches the wheels or otherwise known as your arms and hands.

How does this relate to the golf swing? Simply put, too many golfers start the backswing by moving their hands and arms, ultimately causing the body to react as an afterthought. This creates many swing flaws on its own, but ultimately generates a lack of power and poor ball contact.

One of the more common swing flaws I see on a daily basis is what is referred to as a target arm collapse. First of all, I need to explain what the target arm is.

The target arm is the arm that is closest to your target (the direction that you are hitting the ball towards).

Using target arm rather than left and right assists in helping both right- and left-handed golfers understand the explanation. Therefore, be sure that you understand that target side refers to the left side of your body, be it arm, leg or hand for right-handed golfers and the right side of your body for left-handed golfers.

In this article I shall be referring to your target arm.

The target arm collapse refers to the bending of your target arm in the backswing. This happens to most golfers to some degree. One could debate the actual cause of the target-arm collapse as each player may bend their target arm for many reasons. Some of these reasons may include knowledge (did not know it needed to stay straight), flexibility, strength or even one’s anatomy can affect whether you keep your arm straight in the backswing.

Regardless of which category you may fall into, the first step is to understand that the target arm must remain straight during the backswing.

In the paragraphs that follow, I shall explain what I believe is the root cause of bending your target arm during the backswing. I shall also explain the proper sequence of the body and arms to assist in not collapsing your target arm when you arrive at the top of the backswing.

First of all, other than knowledge you must understand that the body will always take that path of least resistance!

What this means is that if it is easier for the body to bend the target arm in the backswing, then naturally that will happen. Naturally, there is less torque in your arm and shoulder as you swing into your backswing by bending your target arm.

Therefore, your mind will automatically want to bend your arm as it makes the movement easier. Understanding this is important because by attempting to keep your target arm straight you are breaking natural tendencies that make the movement easier.

You need to train the mind as you are training your body. In other words, attempting to keep your target arm straight will feel uncomfortable at first.

Other than knowledge, the main contributing factor to bending your target arm during the backswing is tension.

Tension begins in your hands and comes in the form of gripping the golf club too tight. If you grip the club too tight, you restrict the ability of your wrists to have movement. This movement — or what is referred to as a hinging motion — is critical to ensuring you do not bend your target arm.

Begin by gripping the golf club just tight enough that if someone were to hold the head end of the club, they could not twist it in your hands but would be able to slowly pull it out of your hands.

Another analogy would be holding a bird. You want to hold the bird just tight enough that it does not escape your grip, but not so tight that you injure it. Starting with the proper grip pressure is critical to keeping your target arm straight during the backswing.

The next step is ensuring that you create hinge during the backswing. Contrary to what you may have heard, there is plenty of movement in the wrists during the backswing. In our address position (the position you stand in when addressing the ball) you want to make sure there is an angle between your arms and the golf club that is resting on the ground directly behind the ball.

This angle is very important as if it is not there then you have some form of tension in your wrists.

Begin your backswing by turning your shoulders. Your arms, hands and ultimately the golf club will move as you begin to turn your shoulders at the beginning of the backswing. Remember, your body is the motor that drives the car, therefore it is your shoulders that begin the club moving back.

Keeping your target arm straight, begin to create hinge (cocking of the wrists) early in the backswing. By the time your target arm is parallel to the ground, you should have already created 90 degrees of hinge (between your target arm and the golf club) in your wrists.

From here you just continue turning your shoulders until you have reached the top of your backswing.

Your body positions at the top of your backswing will include; shoulders turned 90 degrees (from the start); target arm straight with the golf club resting on your thumbs; hips have rotated approximately 45 degrees and approximately 70 per cent of your body weight should be positioned on your trail (foot furthest away from your target) foot.

Understanding that your target arm needs to remain straight during the backswing is the first step.

Ensuring that you start with a relaxed grip pressure in your address position will assist you in creating the proper hinging motion during your backswing, making it easier to keep your target arm straight.

Spending time on the driving range working on extension and making it a part of your golf swing will most certainly assist in consistent ball striking. Play well and have a great week!

Scott Bergdahl is the head professional at Lakewood Golf Resort near Sylvan Lake. His column appears Tuesdays in the Advocate.