After Inbee Park won the Kraft Nabisco Championship last month, I got a few emails from Surgites asking if she was using the Peak Performance Golf Swing on her way to victory in the year's first major. Most of the comments revolved around what the announcers were saying, such as Inbee swinging too vertically and not turning enough. Well, she went on to win her 2nd career major, so I don't think she's too worried about pleasing the commentators!
First of all, I have never worked with Inbee, so I cannot speak to her swing thoughts. However, it is clear that she's closer to a vertical swing than she is to a rotational swing. She turns a bit more than I would teach, but her results sure speak for themselves.
It all goes back to when a vertical swing was no longer the norm in golf. If you look at any of the great players from before the 1990s, most of them swung vertically. When the "X" factor swing (which is now simply known as a rotational swing) became popular, the vertical swing became a thing of the past. It's unfortunate because swinging vertically is the way your body was designed to swing a club. Just look at the longevity of a guy like Tom Watson. In 2009, at 59 years of age, he nearly won his 9th major championship. If he had been using a big rotational swing his whole career, there's a good chance his body would not have held up the way that it has. It's a testament to his hard work and staying in shape, but it's also because of his timeless, vertical swing.
There will always be a debate between rotational and vertical when it comes to a golf swing. That's why my job is to spread the Peak Performance Golf Swing as far as I can, so that one day we can become the majority again. With your help, I think it's possible!
Keep it VERTICAL!
The Surge
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Comments
Vertical till '92
Tom Weiscopf
More recently and still vertical
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuO7IUf856E
Some of you older golfers may remember what a pretty swing he had and his many painful loses during the 70's and 80's. Near misses but still one of the greats of the day. 4 runner up finishes at the Masters.
Tom Weiskopf
Robert;
Yes I remember "Long Tom" -- one of the longest drivers of his day. His biggest problem was being a perfectionist with a terrible temper at times.
Yet near the end of his tour career, he had about a two year run of being nearly unbeatable.
Keep hitting them STTRAIGHT and LONG
Amos
Tom Weiskopf
Robert;
Yes I remember "Long Tom" -- one of the longest drivers of his day. His biggest problem was being a perfectionist with a terrible temper at times.
Yet near the end of his tour career, he had about a two year run of being nearly unbeatable.
Keep hitting them STTRAIGHT and LONG
Amos
Vertical swing hip turn
I find that when I limit my hip turn with minimal lower body action, and just swing mostly with my arms, I get more distance and accuracy. How much hip turn, in relation to shoulder turn should there be?
Depends
Your hips should likely turn about 30* - 35*. But I wouldn't think about it at all. Your body--both hips and shoulders--are almost certainly turning more than you think simply because they have to in order to allow your arms to swing freely. I try to think only about lifting my arms from my shoulder sockets and I get more turn than I really want.
Vertical swing hip turn
Thanks for your input!
Hips
Reflecting on my current swing thoughts I considered your comment Robert.
I agree that we tend to turn too much any how. I actually need to focus on keeping my knees and lower body as quiet as possible. I make no extra effort to turn but rather limit the turn. Love the way Surge worded the " body supports the arm swing". Keeping that front left knee still is a key in restricting the turn. That reminder about the slight tension in the lower back arch is a good one for me too.
The other thing I have become increasingly aware of is the need to have my upper body start back down without any sudden jerking or forceful added tension from the top. Really kind of a conscious tempo thing but not a pause. While it has always been challenging for me to bump with the lower body as an intentional first move, if I just let the club drop in from the top without any big power thrust I actually get plenty of zip any how and speed/whoosh at the bottom. Before learning the PPGS I had the over the top power move with the right arm and upper body. That had me across and the big slice was the result. Now just hold the knees (in the back swing) and then start down gradual then I can let it rip and let it go accelerating through and up.