Joe,
I hear conflicting instructions, one that says to keep the head still, and other “experts” that say show me someone who keeps the head still and I will show you someone who cannot play. Which is correct?
Cal
Hello Cal,
Jack Nicklaus had an instructor who used to grab the back of his hair to keep his head steady while he swung. There is a difference between the terms “still” and “steady”. Still means don’t move it at all (which is not correct). Steady means you can rotate it while you keep it in the same place. Some people can also get away with allowing the head to move slightly back during the backswing, but not up or down. If you look closely at Jack’s swing, you will see just before he begins the backswing, his head turns back a little, and then he keeps it steady.
Joe
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Joe,
I have read in several magazines that when using the driver you are supposed to tee it very high, play it way forward in your stance, and hit the ball on the way up. I get better results by playing a normal ball position, and so do other people that I know. What is the idea here, and why does it not work for people like me?
Peter
Hi Peter,
The theory behind hitting the ball on the way up is supposed to increase launch angle and reduce underspin which then keeps the ball from “ballooning“ and losing distance. However I think this advice is only for those with very high swing speeds who prefer maximum distance without worrying about accuracy. For people with lower swing speeds there are some advantages to underspin. For one, underspin somewhat cancels out sidespin, thus reducing hooks or slices. Secondly, underspin keeps the ball airborne longer. Thirdly, if you hit the ball too much on the way up, you might give it topspin, resulting in the ball diving instead of rising, like a “duck hook”, thus losing distance. This can also be illustrated with tennis and ping pong balls. Although the recommended ball position for most golfers can vary depending on the club being used, there is nothing wrong with experimenting to see which ball position works best for you, because we are not robots, so there is no one single ball position that is guaranteed to work for all golfers.
Joe
I have read in several magazines that when using the driver you are supposed to tee it very high, play it way forward in your stance, and hit the ball on the way up. I get better results by playing a normal ball position, and so do other people that I know. What is the idea here, and why does it not work for people like me?
Peter
Hi Peter,
The theory behind hitting the ball on the way up is supposed to increase launch angle and reduce underspin which then keeps the ball from “ballooning“ and losing distance. However I think this advice is only for those with very high swing speeds who prefer maximum distance without worrying about accuracy. For people with lower swing speeds there are some advantages to underspin. For one, underspin somewhat cancels out sidespin, thus reducing hooks or slices. Secondly, underspin keeps the ball airborne longer. Thirdly, if you hit the ball too much on the way up, you might give it topspin, resulting in the ball diving instead of rising, like a “duck hook”, thus losing distance. This can also be illustrated with tennis and ping pong balls. Although the recommended ball position for most golfers can vary depending on the club being used, there is nothing wrong with experimenting to see which ball position works best for you, because we are not robots, so there is no one single ball position that is guaranteed to work for all golfers.
Joe
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Joe,
Are the terms flying elbow and chicken wing both meaning the same thing?
Trish
Hi Trish,
No. The flying elbow refers to the top of the backswing when the back elbow is too far away from the body. The chicken wing refers to the follow thru when the leading elbow is bent outward, which is always a bad thing that will rob you of power and accuracy. The flying elbow is not always a bad thing depending on how you swing. Although it is not recommended, several good golfers get away with it because their first move on the downswing is to quickly get the back elbow to the hip ahead of the club. Among those who have flying elbows are Jack Nicklaus, Fred Couples, and John Daly. If you want to avoid a flying elbow, study Vijay Singh, who keeps the back elbow close to the body.
Joe
Are the terms flying elbow and chicken wing both meaning the same thing?
Trish
Hi Trish,
No. The flying elbow refers to the top of the backswing when the back elbow is too far away from the body. The chicken wing refers to the follow thru when the leading elbow is bent outward, which is always a bad thing that will rob you of power and accuracy. The flying elbow is not always a bad thing depending on how you swing. Although it is not recommended, several good golfers get away with it because their first move on the downswing is to quickly get the back elbow to the hip ahead of the club. Among those who have flying elbows are Jack Nicklaus, Fred Couples, and John Daly. If you want to avoid a flying elbow, study Vijay Singh, who keeps the back elbow close to the body.
Joe
