How To Build A Better Golf Swing, Part 1

[Music] The golf swing you're going to develop may seem complicated at first, even difficult, but it really isn't. In fact, you're probably very good at some parts of that swing right now. For instance, the swing you make in baseball or softball has some very similar movements, and so have the swings you've made in many other sports. Think of any sport, your own favorite. And you're almost sure to find elements of the golf swing in the basic movements. And even if you haven't a favorite yet, you'll find the golf swing easier in some respects because first, although your feet and body move, you maintain a central position. And second, the ball is sitting there, it won't move until you move it. Actually, the ball only gets hit because it's in the way of your swing. So, the swing's the thing to work on. Let's take a look at the principles involved. First, where does the power come from? The golf swing is a winding up of power, not just in your arms, but more importantly through your whole body. So, start now thinking about coiling and uncoiling. That's where the main power comes from. Winding up and unleashing. The golf swing has a rhythm, too. Back and through. Feel it. Back and through. Listen. [Music] deliberately back, then accelerating through the ball and subsiding to a quiet finish. So, memorize that rhythm. It will help keep your swing consistent every time you use [Music] it. The swing has a center about the top of your sternum. Feeling as though your head is still will help keep the center of your swing as steady as possible. Your swing has a plane, too, a channel or path through space which your hands, arms, and club follow. Your swing has an arc like the rim of a wheel, the path your club head travels. [Music] And your swing has a direction in line with the direction you want your ball to go. Now, a fine golfer doesn't think about all those things when he swings. They're just part of his feeling for what he is doing. You won't think of them either after you've developed your swing. But for the time being, you'll have to at least until you've developed that set of habits that put together will give you a golf swing. First, the habit of feeling the power flow. How your muscles generate that winding up and unleashing power. Here's a way to introduce your muscles to the golfer's power flow. Stand in the ready position. Feet shoulderwidth apart. Knees slightly bent. Body bent slightly forward at the hips. Now reach out. Palms facing each other and start swinging your arms. First think of your hands. Hands over right shoulder. Hands over left shoulder. Hands over right shoulder. Left shoulder. Right. Left. Now think of coiling in your upper body. Wind up the upper body. Unwind the lower body. Wind up. Unwind the lower body. Now think about getting your body well around on every turn. Back to the target. Then knees to the target. Back to the target. Knees to the target. Point your belt buckle down the fairway. Now your legs. Make your right knee go to your left knee. Right knee to the left knee. Right knee to the left knee. Right knee to the left knee. And finally start feeling your weight shifting off your right foot and onto your left foot. Off the right foot. Onto the left foot. Off the right foot, onto the left foot. Get the feeling. All the basic body moves of the golf swing are right there. Winding up and unwinding, coiling and unleashing. You should swing hard enough that you can feel a rush of blood into your fingertips. Feel the rhythm. Keep it going until your muscles develop the habit. and use this exercise often. It's the best habitizer in the flow of power. Now, let's think of the center of your swing. Remember, no wheel runs true without a steady center. And your golf swing will need a firm, steady center, too. So, here's another exercise to help you get the feeling of a steady center. To make a steady center a habit in your swing, set your forehead against a partner's hand. Don't lean on it. Keep all your balance in your own feet and legs. Ask your partner to hold firm and steady while you do the free swing again, using his hand as an anchor point. Let your hips shift forward as they should, but never the center. That point at the top of your breast bone. Feel the steadiness in your center. Your head may turn a little, but otherwise it feels as though it doesn't move off your partner's hand. There's a balance present now that holds your center steady. And notice your swing ends with an arch in your back as your body turns toward the target. So there's another habit your body should develop, the steady [Music] center. Now let's start making a habit of a plane in your swing. Good golfers have a swing in which they feel their arms and the club stay in approximately the same plane back and through and finish. And the plane always runs through their swing center and through the ball. Here's a way you can feel that plane and make it a habit in your swing. Spread your arms and keep them level. Now do that free swing again, keeping your arms extended. Remember the flow of power around your steady center. The same body of movements. Can you feel the path or plane? As your right arm swings back, your left arm points at the ball. And at the finish, your right arm points at the [Music] ball. Here's another way to get the feeling of plane. Take any lightweight pole or flag stick. Hold it in both hands at the middle. Then swing back and then forward. As you swing down, the end of the pole should point to the target line. The entire pole extending on both sides of your grip let you see and feel the plane your golf swing must eventually develop. Instead of a pole, you can use a wood club and grasp it in the middle of the shaft. A partner can help you here. He can see the plane and help you get the feeling. Now, the next swing factor, arc, the path your club head travels. A good golfer's arc is as wide as his arms can make it. The left arm on the back swing and the down swing. Both arms in the impact zone. The right arm during the early follow through. That means reaching out extension. Swinging out as far as each respective arm will let you. Here's a way to get the feeling of that extension. A paper streamer on a club that will put your arc right out where you can see it. Use the same swing movements and rhythm your muscles are starting to learn the flow of power around the steady center. Reach out, extend your arms, and make as big an arc as possible. Practice this from time to time, and your arms will form the habit of extending through the swing. There are two more feelings your muscles will have to get used to: stretch and target side leadership. For a right-handed golfer, it's the left side. For the left-hander, the right side. In either case, the side toward the target. At the top of his bike swing, a golfer should have a feeling of stretch on his target side. Only if he feels stretched can he be sure he's gathering his power. And only if he expends that power with a strong pulling target side movement with his lower body can he make maximum use of his power. So here's an exercise to get used to the feeling of stretch and target side lead. Hold a towel in both hands like this and swing back the way your muscles are learning to do. But at the top of the back swing, pull further back with your rear hand. Feel the stretch. Now release the towel with your rear hand and swing through with your target side leading the movement. Feel the swing starting in your lower body muscles of your target side. A pulling feeling all down the target side. Now finally we should think about centrifugal force. One of the important reasons you're forming all these habits is to have your club head traveling at its maximum speed at the moment it hits the ball. And the weight of the club head helps here by increasing centrifugal force in your swing. Here's a simple way to feel it. Fix a knot in a large towel. You can tape it so it won't snap out. Then using the same swing movement you've been habitizing, swing the towel so that as the knot passes your imaginary ball, the towel is stretched straight out like a straight extension of your target arm. When you can do this, and it may take quite a bit of practice, you'll know you're using centrifugal force to its maximum. Extremely important in the release of power to the club head. Here's another way to get into the habit of timing the release of power accurately. Grip a club upside down near the club head and swing it with your target arm only. Let your other arm hang freely. Reach back and feel the stretch and swing. Hear that swoosh? That means you're doing it right. But suppose it doesn't swoosh. and often it doesn't at first. That simply means you're not unwinding with enough force or you may not be relaxed enough. If you're trying too hard to control the club by holding it too tightly, you may not get a swoosh. Let it fly. Let it [Music] swoosh. There you've got it. Keep it swooshing and give your target arm muscles a chance to learn their role in your golf swing. Now, one more thing. Add your other hand like this and make the swoosh again. Remember power flow. [Music] [Music] rhythm. Steady center. consistent plane, wide arc and centrific. ical release of power. Your muscles are capable of all these if you practice the exercises we've shown well enough and long enough to put them all together into a habit which will be your golf swing. If it seems strange that you haven't really hit a ball yet, remember it's your muscles and your sense of rhythm that make your golf swing. Once you have this, your club will do the work of hitting the ball [Music] well. Then you can begin visualizing yourself putting swing and club together to meet all the exciting challenges that await you on a golf course. Challenges that will reap the greatest rewards when met with a sound, patiently built swing. So, when your muscles feel ready, let's go on to the next step where we'll talk about putting it all together with a club and a ball. [Music] Do you [Music]