Ask The Professor Archives Part 9

I've studied some of the other approaches to the golf swing and have read a bit about your philosophy. Frankly, as much as my heart wants to believe you are on the right track, my head is prompting me otherwise.

JK: The problem starts here. You have read a bit about my philosophy. If you want to understand the golf stroke, you need to apply science. My web site covers physics, anatomy, kinesiology, neuroscience, fitness, nutrition and reviews of other methods, swings, Golf Digest teaching articles and Golf Magazine teaching articles. Once you have scientific knowledge, you will be able to believe with your mind, body and heart that science rules.

Let's use the analogy of a catapult with a sling on the end. You can theorize that the catapult arm does the throwing and the hinge at the sling provides the second lever. The power, however, is not generated by the arm or the sling but by the torsion built up in the winding mechanism. The shaft to which the catapult arm is connected is moving only a few inches per second, but that sling is moving right along. In other words, the inside is moving the outside. That system worked very well for the Romans, and that swing concept would work for a golfer as well.

JK: My web site shows why a Flail (which is a catapult) is not a golf stroke. Science rules.

The problem, as you've noted, is 'spinning out' the hips and torso to provide impetus to the arms. This is the area that always comes back to haunt me. I hit 300 yd. drives with regularity and have driven the green on 325 yd. par fours. But eventually the application of power and timing are misapplied as I begin rotating the hips more and more violently. Then it takes several methodical buckets at the range to get things straightened out. The odd part about all of this is that I can always hit my driver. True, ball flight changes from a smooth draw to a duck hook to a horrendous slice. And correcting it is difficult as I'll begin unconsciously lunging down the target line when the hip turn becomes too violent.

JK: It is very easy to show that the hips and lower body rotation create virtually no clubhead speed and that most amateurs loose clubhead speed due to a body rotation controlled swing. One of my IRON LAW DRILLS is to set on a stool and hit balls. I am 62 year old and can generate over 110 mph setting on a stool.

You cannot create speed where there is no speed. The body rotates with very low speed and on the wrong plane. This is unnecessary mechanical motion that can be eliminated from the golf stroke.

Your method of using the arms to generate the power seems more prudent for someone who consistently has the problems I have.

JK: Again, SCIENCE proves that it is more prudent for everyone. All power in all golf strokes comes from the muscles that create arm speed. The lower body and rotation is NOT one of them.

But your engineering explanation for what is happening...or should be happening...doesn't seem sound.

JK: Again, your problem is that you are working from lack of scientific knowledge. My web site proves it scientifically.

An electric motor shaft will turn whatever is attached to it, and whatever is attached will be moving with more velocity than the surface of the shaft itself. A motor capable of generating higher RPM's with more hp will be able to move a larger and larger pulley or spoke wheel, and as the spokes get longer the speed at the end of spokes gets higher even though the surface velocity of the motor does not change.

JK: This is an excellent analogy. The motor is not moving. It is not rotating or spinning its wires around to make the object move faster. If you think of your body as a motor and move your arms with the correct muscles and levers, you will achieve maximum clubhead speed without unnecessary body rotation. The body only supports. It should only rotate to support the fast moving arms.

Basically, it seems the swinging from the inside technique is simpler. Look at the big hitters and what do you see? Big triceps, or strong midsections?

JK: It not the size of the muscle that is the controlling factor. It is the type of fibers. I explain this in detail on the web site.

I bench press 200 lbs...far more than Tiger.

JK: Tiger bench presses over 300 lbs. Strength alone is not enough. Many very strong people cannot hit the balI very far. I explain why on the web site.

No doubt his generation of arm speed and club speed has more to do with it than triceps strength.

JK: Triceps are only one of the places that assist in clubhead speed production. I show you each muscle and each lever in detail on my web site. You no longer have to work with partial information.

Look at the power hitters in golf these days and what do you see? Strong midsections.

JK: Have you taken a look at John Daly? Nothing else needs to be said to show that this is incorrect. The midsection plays NO roll in producing high clubhead speed. Just because a small percentage of golfer have strong midsections, does not mean that they are responsible for producing clubhead speed.

Many of the Natural Golf philosophies make sense to me.

JK: If your talking about Natural Golf since 1995, you will be greatly disappointed in anything they say or teach.

Since they legally took over my company in 1995, the have changed the equipment and the swing. They are an ABSOLUTE DISGRACE to my Single-Axis discovery.

The wider stance would prevent lunging.

JK: The stance only need to be shoulder width. This width of stance provides stability and the restricts rotation. Natural Golf teaches a stance that is too wide.

I'm still pondering the grip.

JK: If you become a member of my web site, you will not need to ponder. You can use SCIENCE to see that the grip I teach is superior. The grip Natural Golf teaches in their Lifetime of Better Golf will cause you fight a snap hook as long as you use it.

In the one piece takeaway there's no arm twisting or excess wrist motion and that should help keep the clubface squared.

JK: The backstrokes only function is to get the club to the correct position at the top. This is not possible without forearm rotation. Natural Golf's advertising is false.

The single plane swing philosophy has always seemed sound in principle to me, but keeping the club on plane on the forward swing is the problem most of us have.

JK: This, again, is another of the principles that science show to be non-optimum and that no good player performs. All single plane swing devices make a golf stroke non optimum. Throw them all away.

I tried using a Swing Jacket and by Gawd I can strike the ball and hit a smooth draw shot after shot after shot. Take the jacket off and a while later the right elbow is flying again.

JK: Your right elbow has a lot more freedom of movement without the Swing Jacket. However, if you truly want a non effective golf stroke, keep your arms connected to your body.

Using the arms to do the swinging has worked well for me in the past when I'm really feeling the clubhead and my timing is correct. Swinging from the inside out works very well for me until my hips get overactive. Then I can't hit anything but a driver...where the wider stance keeps me under control.

JK: When the hips lead, the ball is all over the golf course.

It seems to me there must be a combination of philosophies that is the true method.

JK: That is why I have a science site. Your philosophies are similar to the Greek philosophers. They only did mind experiments. Modern science uses experiments and mathematics. My web site uses science. My philosophy is the true method. If you can count to three and move your right arm, your can reach you potential as a golfer.

As soon as smaller muscles take control things seem to become more inconsistent. And the idea of the triceps and forearm muscles doing the work seems odd to me. I've hit my longest and straightest rounds when my arms felt light as a feather. It's all a puzzle, Jack. And no one can play or enjoy playing when they have an analytical nature and don't know who to believe.

Allow your analytical nature to become a member of my web site and acquire some science. Most golfers never let facts get in the way of their theories. If you believe in science, you will never have to ask the question about who to believe again.

From Michael:

When using your palm grip, would this also work with a split grip using your LPG? By split grip I mean not having the hands touching each but having a 3" space between them.

I have experimented with making clubs 5 inches longer and using a hockey swing. It works exceedingly well. For each inch you move your right hand down on the shaft (up to about 6 inches) you will achieve greater and greater control of the club and your accuracy. You will virtually eliminate the over-the-top slice motion. It is very hard to move the right shoulder forward when the hands are separated. The negative is that for each inch you move your right hand down on the shaft you lose clubhead speed and distance.

If you follow my suggestion of increasing your clubs by two inches and then separating your hands by two inches, you get a nice blend of accuracy and distance.

To optimize for any one individual, you will have to do your own experimenting. Purchase 5 clubs and make them with one inch length variation and test them with different hand separations.

JK: This question is from Larry Whitaker who has his own web site teaching centrifugal force and Ernest Jones "Swing the Clubhead". As such Mr. Whitaker would have no science background and will have all the same lame arguments and questions that you have seen on the site since it's inception. Mr. Whitaker will not become a member of my web site and get educated. Traditional teachers never let facts get in the way of their theories. However, for the umpteenth time, here are answers, again, to the same old questions.

Larry H:

What is "lever power?" I saw Moe Norman on TV and he swings centrifugally -- which is the only possible explanation for his ability to get the clubhead back to the ball so accurately.

JK: Since physics books show that there is no such thing as centrifugal force, NO one can swing centrifugally. Moe gets the clubhead squarely back to the ball through hand manipulation. Even a non-trained person can watch his hands from 0.06 seconds before impact and just after impact and see that he and all golfer use forearm rotation and hand manipulation to square the clubface. The reason Moe squares the clubface more often is that he is using a Single-Axis grip.

EVERYTHING I have ever read about golf, the oldest books all advocate SWINGING the club.

JK: Unfortunately everything you have read is someone's perception and they are all false. There are no golf books that even come close to what actually happens in a golf stroke. The worst are the PGA manual, books by David Leadbetter, Butch Harmon, and Michael Hebron.

Percy Boomer says to stand "in a barrel" and swing the club.

JK: Percy Boomer was 100% incorrect when it came to the golf stroke. Mr. Boomer was very proud of being uneducated and he continued with the same non-scientific uneduated perception in his golf instruction -- uneducated with no science to back even a single claim.

NONE encourage the student to try to leverage from the handle. .

JK: That is because none of them understand physics, anatomy, kinesiology, neuroscience, fitness and nutrition. I do! It is all on my web site. I prove your beliefs are false. I challenge you to scientifically prove even one of mine to be false.

That doesn't work.

JK: It ABSOLUTELY does work. At age 62, I use levers to create over 110 mph clubhead speed while sitting on a stool -- air carry over 250 yards.

Am I wrong??

YES!

From Tim Mc:

When putting with your method do you watch the ball or the clubhead? I find I get a lot straighter (hit the training bracket less) motion when I watch the club).

Distance control in putting is the single toughest thing in golf to master. Direction is easy because the distances are so short. You seldom never miss more than a few inches left or right on 90% of your putts.

I focus on the back of the ball and the speed of my right hand while watching the clubhead hit the ball over a spot about 6 inches in front of the ball. There is nothing correct or incorrect about what I do.

What ever sensation you have that allows you to focus on distance control with the initial ball roll in the direction you intend is correct.

From John L:

I hit my 1 Iron longer and straighter than my driver. I have a Callaway Big Bertha 1 Iron stiff shaft. I hit it 250 to 270. My driver starts right and slices. Would a shorter shaft driver help? Or should I just keep hitting the 1 Iron? I would like to hit a driver. Can I shorten a driver to the length of my 1 Iron and expect more distance because of the lower loft and what flex shaft should I get?

Based on this information only, it is not possible to give a answer. Based on other players who hit one iron that far, you should be able to hit a driver well over 300 yards. You need to test a series of drivers with different stiffiness until you find one that suits your swing. Shortening your driver defeats the purpose of the driver. This is a band aid measure that does not solve the real problem - the wrong driver.

From John R:

I am having trouble pushing my long irons right with the ball setup at the right breast. When I place the ball between the right and left breast going from short to long irons, which from what I can tell from your video the ball placement stroke trainer did, I get the forearms sufficiently rotated to hit the ball straight.

JK: This works, but there is a noticable throwing at the target instead of the power move.

When you determined all irons should be hit off the right breast was there a slightly different movement at the start of the down swing that made this preferrable?

JK: Yes. That is why I changed. If you make the power move, you will be both long and straight with ball farther back. However, if the ball farther back just does not work for you, then by all means move it forward a little. There will be a loss in distance. Obviously, however, accuracy is equally as important as distance. Find the position that suits you best.

From Aaron L:

I have seen a biomechanics expert and he says that I have very poor rotational flexibility. In the test I stand and keep my legs still and turn my left shoulder as far as I can without moving my legs. I can turn my left shoulder 50 degrees and he says I should turn it at least 90. Is it possible to turn your shoulders 90 degrees without moving the legs? (Note: I am aware that shouldErs turn independantly. I am using the term 90 degree shoulder turn as everyone in golf knows what it is.)

How flexible can one be in the wrist area in terms of the number of degrees in which it can move up or down i.e. cocked with a a flat wrist?

JK: If you have seen an expert and he say you have limited flexiblilty, then I would hesitate to give an answer without some video of the test he performed.

Flexibility is useful, but not nearly as important as arm speed and forearm rotation. Minimal left wrist cock is all that is necessary. You need maximum right wrist cock and good forearm rotation to achieve distance.

Do you do any schools in the UK?

JK: I do not schedule schools outside of the US at this time. However, if someone can afford my fees, I will fly to any part of the world for private lessons.

Purely for power what would the ideal swing look like?

JK: 1. An LPG backswing.
2. Tiger Woods arms speed in the downstroke making the power move.
3. Stable body that faced the target at impact with both feet flat on the ground.
4. A 10 degree inside to outside clubhead path with full extension of the right arm down and out through impact.
5. The head and right shoulder will feel as if it is being pulled around by the arms.

I am 62 years old and using the above techniques, I am swinging between 117 and 120 mph and air carry between 270 and 280. I have recently had drives of 350 and 375 yards (both downwind - one on flat ground and one uphill) using a new 5 degree lofted 320CC Titanium head. Typical with no wind is around 300 yards with roll.

From Robert R:

I have been playing for over 20 years off and on. I just got video taped and WOW....what a mess!

How can I stop "leaning back as I take away the club at address"? My teacher suggested that I may want to "press left". Is this the solution?

No, that is error correction. What you need is a way to train the correct motion and understand it and why. My Master the Golf Swing and How to Master the Golf Swing videos do just that.

From Tim M:

I came across an interesting site. (Louisville Golf.com). They are still making wooden drivers, 3 woods etc. On that site they talk about "gear effect" and how it makes wooden woods more forgiving on toe and heal shots than metal woods.

Is this "gear effect" real or hallucinatory marketing?

Gear effect is real. It has to do with the center of gravity being moved between 1/2" to 1" behind the face of the club. When a ball strikes the heel or toe, there is a component of force at an angle to the face that rotates around the center of gravity. If you had a straight faced driver and hit it on the heel or toe the ball would go about 50 yard and then dive almost straight right or left depending on where you hit the ball. I have actually done the experiment when I tested clubs.

I do not believe anyone can make a wooden headed club that is superior to the metal heads. Metal is stronger, lighter and far easier to place weight at maximum places. There are always ways to make a machine test give you the answers you want.

Irons do not have gear effect. The center of gravity is at the clubface.

From Tim :

Is there anything you know of concerning the golf swing and one's dominant eye?

JK: Nothing with double blind studies.

Observation:
1. Right eye dominant player align to the right and pull back across their bodies.
2. Close to 100% of golfers misalign due to vision -- where you see something is only an approximation -- never exactly there in space.

I noticed you sometimes wear glasses and sometimes not (I assume contacts in those). Are you aware of any depth perception changes going from contacts to glasses (or vice versa)?

When I do not wear glasses, it strictly for a picture. I have very poor eyes. One is near sighted and the other is far sighted with astigmatisms. I have to align as if I am hitting the ball out of bounds left to hit a straight shot.

Major work needs to be done in this area.

From Maiken H:

I'm a mechanical engineering student at Purdue University. I've decided that for one of my final projects I'm going to try to analyze some of the stresses that occur within a golf club (comparing graphite and steel) at the time of impact with the ball. I'll be using a finite element analysis program, however, It's been awhile since I have looked at forces and moments and such.

To simplify the problem a little (for my benefit) I'm going to assume that the shaft is fixed at the top of the handle (a pinned joint if you will) and that the force is exerted on the club head perpendicular to the face. My problem is trying to come up with a reasonable force to apply. Is this something you could help me figure out?

I apologize it isn't really a question about golfing, but I read your comments about centrifugal force and thought you might be a good reference for my project.

F (rt) = r(MV)
            = MVf - MVo
            = (0.003 slugs)(280 ft/sec) - (0.003 slugs)(0 ft/sec)
            = 0.84 slug ft/sec

rt = 0.0005 seconds.

F = 1,680 slug ft/sec2 = 1,680 lbs 

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