As I said yesterday, Jim had a two part question. In the second part he asked: 'When you begin the backswing is there some weight going into the inner portion of the right leg and do you, when starting the downswing, pull down with both hands and give a little shift to the outside of the left hip.' Here's my answer.
Jim,
The weight transfer to the inner part of the right leg that you ask about, happens in a slightly different way than in the start of the backswing. I believe and teach a setup I call “Pre-Loaded Heavy Right.” This means that in the setup, we set our weight on the inside to center of the right foot and leg. This sets us behind the ball for starters and tremendously reduces and eliminates any chance of one over-shifting the weight in the backswing, over sliding, and reduces the chances of the right leg bowing outward as well as straightening up. This pre-loaded starting position also helps reduce and, in fact, is a cause and factor in assuring that the backswing will be a limited turn and to 3/4 length. When Pre-Loaded Heavy Right, turning the shoulders too much and/or going to parallel and getting the club laid off at the top of the backswing, will cause a loss of balance. Since the balance mechanism of the body has the job of setting and maintaining balance, this aids in making sure the swing stays short, with limited turn.
This Pre-Loaded Heavy Right position is similar to a baseball pitcher loading onto his right or back leg, just prior to lifting his arm to throw. We know he is completely loaded onto the back leg because he lifts his front leg to begin his delivery motion to throw. A tennis player also does the same move, loading the back leg when he first sets his weight onto the back leg and then tosses the ball up above his head to serve it. It was watching pitchers and tennis players that helped me figure out the Pre-Loaded Heavy Right starting setup position.
You also ask about starting the downswing by pulling down with both hands to give a little shift to the outside left hip. The correct move is that the left hip and knee actually begin the lateral left shift or slide, “The Bump,” as I call it, a split second before the arms and club reach the top of the backswing. This is similar to casting a fishing rod where one is already pulling the handle forward while the tip of the pole and the line is still going backwards. The key to The Bump is that it a very small one. With the PPGS setup being around shoulder wide, the hip bump, to start the weight transfer forward to the left leg — which in turn ends the arm and club swinging up and begins pulling them down ' will have the belt buckle move no more than around one inch. That's all.
Now to address this pulling down with both hands. You are 100 percent correct that both hands are used in pulling the down the club. It is like pulling a church bell rope. You pull down using both hands and arms with equal power and speed, and then they are both pulled up with equal force and speed when the bell snaps back up. The key point is that when the bump stops the backswing and begins the change of direction of the hands, arms and club, there is actually a slight free fall for a few inches. This is GRAVITY giving a super free boost of energy and speed to begin the change of direction into the downswing. At this time, both hands and arms are firing up to simultaneously, with equal power and speed, begin pulling the club downward to impact and then to swing up to the T-Finish. Both hands have to be involved because if only one hand is used ' usually the left as most instruction teaches, with the right staying out of the picture ' the other becomes dead weight and creates drag. There is a law of physics that basically states that if two or more objects are involved in motion, if one is doing less then the other, the “lazy or lesser” one is placing that system in a condition called drag. Webster's defines “DRAG” as “anything that hinders.”
Lastly, I believe that the pulling down of both hands and arms in the transition is enhanced and more efficient if we in fact think of and swing by “Swinging up to the T- Finish.” This swinging up actually triggers the lower body and hips to bump, and is much more smooth, efficient and powerful in starting the transition and the subsequent swinging the arms down to impact, and then up to the finish. For these reasons I now call the swing motion from the transition, to impact and up to the finish, as “The Forward Upswing.” Since the downswing part is FREE, because of gravity, we don't need to think of and put a great deal of effort into hitting down. But since, from impact to the finish, is going up and “against gravity” — which is no longer helping but rather hindering ' I believe that is where we need to put the mental and physical effort. And, the sooner you start it, “SWINGING UP,” right from the transition, is the optimum way. So, when you transition, swing up, using both hands and arms with equal power and speed.
The Surge!
P.S. Learn more about pulling down and swinging up. Click here for our PPGS series.