Ask The Professor Archives Part 7

From Larry W:

A few questions --

I find your debunking of the common understanding of centrifugal force to be nit-picking. I am an engineer. You are technically right, but so what?

JK: Once you believe one lie of authority figures, instead of science, it is easy to believe in all their lies.

I agree with most of what you say about the golf swing

JK: Since you are not a member of my web site, how do you do this? The web site has the science along with the mathematics.

-- except the role of the right hand and arm. Long drivers all say their prodigious length comes from a delayed release-- which cannot happen if the right hand pushes as you say..

JK: I have yet to read anything that a long driver has said or printed that is correct. They are worse than tour players in saying what they feel being correct.

The right arm levers and rotation of the forearms deliver the power in all swings.

That causes a premature release, "casting."

JK: Not if done correctly! Explained in great detail on my web site.

Some long drivers say that the harder the right hand pushes, the slower their club head moves!

JK: Again, this may be the dumbest group of golfers to get advice from. If their advice were correct, everyone would be a long driver.

In fact, ideally, if he were strong enough, a golfer would swing with ONLY his left arm to emulate the "Iron Byron" testing machine.

JK: Here you are correct. However, humans are not strong enough and they must use two hands. This eliminates an Iron Byron swing and the incorrect Two-Lever model of "The Search for the Perfect Swing", "Jorgensen's Physics of Golf", "The Golfing Machine" and the PGA Manual. You are working from a machine model not a human model.

All you need to do is study its movement to understand the role of the arms in golf--which are to setup the delayed release or "flail" described by Percy Boomer.

JK: The golf stroke is not a flail action. I show the actual calculation on my web site. Percy Boomer was also incorrect.

How do you explain the simple and ultimately successful teaching of Ernest Jones?

JK: Ernest Jones's method obtains no more success than any of the other incorrect methods taught. All traditional systems have achieved the same result; an average score of 97.

The only thing Ernest Jones got correct was that the arms produce speed. Everything else is incorrect.

How does that differ from Natural Golf?

The current Natural Golf is a disgrace to my single-axis discovery. They taught pushing at the ball from 1996 to 2002 (their Life-Time-of-Better-Golf by Peter Fox). When that failed, they went to a weed cutting method. This will fail also. But they can dupe the golfing public for another 5 years and then come out with their next method.

From Christopher:

Is the right arm/hand away from the body and down motion the way Hogan, Garcia etc. achieve the increased wrist cock on the way down? I have been using this with the sit down and my distance has gone up at least 10 percent.

The down cock of Hogan and Garcia has nothing to do with achieving distance. It is the maintaining of the cock in the right wrist until waist high in the down stroke that produces club head speed. The left wrist cock is unnecessary mechanical motion that must be recovered from. The left wrist cock in a plane that is 90 degrees to the plane of the swing. Left wrist cock is one of the most unnecessary and hardest to recover from mechanical motions in golf.

From Dean:

In the past, I had many, many problems putting. I tried most conventional putting styles. Even bought a "Thing", but couldn't get used to it. I started chipping alot in practice. So, I got a Ping putter and emulated the successful chipping stroke I had. But, 3 to 6 footers were impossible. I could lag well, but that was it.

I have read your response to a question regarding long putters. Have you seen what Bill Woodley has proposed? He proposes a "mid-length" putter that is placed against the base of the sternum and uses only the right hand to piston the putter. I tried pistoning the right hand with the conventional length putters, and had not succes. It seemed the left hand would seem to get in the way. Would you mind checking it out and giving me your opinion. Bill Woodley has a website. It is www.makeeverything.com. You might find it interesting.

I have seen his work and find nothing scientifically that validates it. Any longer lever system is less effective scientifically. However, science can only optimze the mechanics. Anyone can perform optimum mechanics in a very short period of time when there is no pressure. Good putting is more about conquering the fear factor than the mechanics. The simple old saying of,"It you think you can or you think you can't, your right" is 95% of putting. If you believe you are putting better with Woodley's system, then by all means stay with it. Believe is far more important than any other factor. Placebo is a very scientific belief system and it works!

From Leif:

It is often said that if you don't have a lot of club head speed, you should use a "softer" ball - fx 80 compression - because you will hit it longer than a 100 compression ball. - And at the same time you will get more feel.

What's the science on this matter?

Coefficient of Restitution (COR). Most balls are designed with a 0.81 COR for around 105 mph (the speed that the USGA tests balls). If the ball is optimized for a COR of 0.81 at 80 to 90 mph, it will travel farther when hit at those speeds. The COR drops off after its maximum point. This is why a 110 mph shot hit goes almost as far as one hit at 120 mph with a standard ball - a greater energy transfer.

From Craig:

I was wanting to know how the wrists contribute to club head speed as I am doing a research project on this aspect. I am thinking that the less angle created between the left forearm and the shaft the greater club head speed produced through impact if the wrists release at the right time. Is this correct?

This is correct. It is called Lever-Power-Golf. I call it the greatest physics discovery history of golf. It not only increases club head speed but it takes virtually all the tension of your back and shoulders. If you were a member of my web site, you could get the calcualtion of the horsepower the forearms produce during that part of the swing. I cover that subject in the Kinesiology Section -- 9A. Power.

From Dean:

I am sure you have heard what the thieves (oops), uh, Natural Golf Corp. people are doing/saying now. They have a new infomercial...It takes almost everything that is "new" or "different" from their last failures from you and Scott. They are attempting to teach people to release the club (roll the forearms). I went to a NG school years ago. The taught me not to release. Do you realize it has taken me 3 years to break that habit!

They also state that "Moe Norman used Natural Golf to win 33 tournaments and shoot 3 scores of 59!" Even I know that Natural Golf did not exist then. These people have absolutely ZERO morals or ethics. It is a shame that something that was created (Natural Golf) out of someone's (You, Jack) enthusiasm to improve your enjoyment and everyone else's who has ever held a golf club, has now been reduced to whatever marketing hype, junk, crap they can sell.

The reason I got involved with Natural Golf was because of my love of the game and because of your obvious and clear enthusiasm for what you had discovered and your desire to share it. I still have the "yellow" booklet. Do you know that I believed enough in the method to go out and buy a used set of forged clubs (old Hogan Edge) bent them upright, re-gripped them with non-tapering grips to see if this worked?

I was shooting regularly over 100. Before I tried it, I broke 100 maybe 5 times. I had never broken 90. The first time out, with these bent up, too short clubs and only one practice session with these clubs, I shot 85! Plus, I did not putt well that day. I had my very first attempt at an eagle! (Missed it, but made the birdie.) I was hitting drives 275, 9 irons 145-150. This after I was playing Callaway irons and hitting 7 irons 150.

My eyes were opened!. Unfortunately, I went to a NG school later and got screwed up. It has taken a few years and a lot of reprogramming, but things are coming along nicely. Handicap from 26 to 16. I haven't broken 80 yet, but I have shot 81 about 6 or 8 times. I just wanted you to know what those morons are doing. But, I also wanted you to know that you have made the game something special for me. I have heard all sorts of remarks about how "odd" my swing looks to them. But you know what, after all of this time, my handicap has dropped 10 strokes or so, and they are stuck where they are.

Natural Golf is a complete disgrace to my discoveries.

1. They have spent the last four years teaching people to push at the ball with their "Life Time of Better Golf." I wonder when the 150,000 people they say bought the system can expect their refund.

2. They make statements and claims that, as you have stated, are totally false. How Moe Norman and I got together is well documented. No one at the current Natural Golf, and especially Larry Olson, had anything to do with either our meeting or the Titleist deal. If you listen to Natural Golf spin you would think that Larry Olson was Moe Norman's savior.

3. I understand they have gone to a weed cutting method. This will fail also. The golf swing in NOT like cutting weeds. I have seen a video clip of their new head instructor. It is a traditional golf swing.

4. They have used my patent (I assigned to Natural Golf long before the investors were involved and the takeover took place) in false marking of their clubs. No clubs they manufacture and no method they teach is similar to my patent.

It is a shame that anyone with money can make any kind of statements they choose on an infomercial and in marketing.

From Walter:

Can you describe the position of the trailing wrist in the LPG swing? It seems to be flat at address, then bent in the backswing from the moment the trailing elbow is moved back and still bent at the top position. How long does it stay bent in the downswing?

The right wrist stays bent until waist high in the down stroke. The right arm levers (triceps, forearm and right wrist cock) then straighten and rotate. Since the left triceps help bring the club to the waist high position when it is bent, the club head will be moving faster than with a straight left arm method. This is why there is more club head speed with LPG than with traditional.

From Jonathan:

Recently I have read The Physics of Golf second edition by Jorgensen and have a few questions about the maximpact clubs as a result. In the book which gives the equations ,that are used to optimize the maximpact clubs, I believe they are used to match an already existing club.

How do the impact clubs match and what do they match?

JK: Every club matches from the L (60 degree) lob wedge to the 3 iron. This is possible because of my 10 gram head spread technology.

Are there any type of discounts for juniors for your clubs?

JK: YES, Juniors receive a 50% discount.

I'm a high school golfer (17) and would like to get the best set of clubs when I need a new set. I have struggled with the palm grip and now use a finger grip so if possible is there any way I could get a smaller grip on the max impact clubs?

JK: They can be assembled with any grip you specify.

I am really, really grateful for your contributions to golf and hope you keep inventing a better and easier way to swing a club.

From Bart:

Do you use the SST puring on your shafts?

All custom club makers spine align. It is an easy process. No one advertises it because there is a patent on the process. It is one of those patents that cannot be inforced. No one is claiming to do it in writing or verbally except the company licensed by the patent holder.

From Michael:

I just saw a new driver on TV. I am sending you the address. Seeing that you are a scientist I would like to have a response from you telling me if this new technology is bunk or not. I am not a scientist. Can this really work?

Here is the address www.ntgolf.com. It is called Next Technology.

This is a scam, a charlatan promotion. Nothing in that site would hold up to scientific investigation. Most of their claims are stupid.

I recently saw a show on how to determing the true center of your golf balls. There was a simple technique for this. It involves spinning your balls in water, but I didn't catch all the steps. Do you know how this is done?

Sharper Image sells a device for finding the center of rotation. It is $24.95. Much better than water.

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