On The Tee with Hank Johnson

Power Three! Storing the Windup.
(Starting Down)

POWER

Third segment in a series: Storing the windup (starting down)
At the top of the swing, the body and arms are wound up or coiled and potential energy is stored in the muscles of the body. For maximum power, the sequence of the downswing must store this energy until the proper time for release through the ball. To accomplish this, two simultaneous movements should happen to start the downswing. The left knee (for a right handed player) should move back over the left foot where it started. The right elbow should move back in front of the right hip where it started. Both of these movements must be accomplished without unwinding the shoulders and upper trunk. And Without and uncocking or unturning of the hands and wrist.
At this point: The weight is flat on both feet
The knees and hips have returned to a square position (where they started)
The shoulders are still turned approximately 45 degrees to the hips
The left arm is still across the front of the chest
The hands and wrist are still turned and cocked and located approximately waist high.

This position is referred to as The delivery position because the golfer is positioned to release maximum power through the ball to the finish of the swing.

Next segment: Releasing the Power

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Power Two - Role of Hands and Arms in Windup!
POWER!
Second segment in a series.

The role of the arms and hands in the wind-up

The arms and hands must be prepared (loaded) to transfer the power of the pivot into the club which ultimately delivers it to the ball. The hands are a pair of adjustable clamps that attach the club to the arms. Their original placement on the club dictates how efficiently they can allow the club to swing and the clubface to strike the ball squarely. The wrists are a pair of hinges that must also be properly aligned at address to maximize the potential for an accurate and powerful acceleration of the club through the ball.

Note: The address positioning of these elements is so individual that it is best handled in a lesson from a qualified instructor.

The arms along with the club represent a lever system with the lead arm (left arm for a right handed player) acting as The Primary Lever. The rotation of the body (the pivot) swings the lead arm to the top of the swing. The trailing arm functions like a piston that supports the extended but relaxed condition of the lead arm. It also raises the lead arm to the appropriate position at the top of the swing. To get maximum potential benefit from the wind-up of the body the arms must stay connected or matched up to the pivot. This simply means keeping the arms and hands together and in front of the chest (where they started) all the way to the end of the backswing.

Next segment: A properly sequenced forward swing.

POWER!
First segment in a series. The wind-up
The pivot (body turn) creates the power of an efficient golf swing. Its the motor of the swing and does all the work.
This power source is made more powerful by creating coil or elastic loading in the large muscle groups of the upper legs, hips and lower trunk.
Elastic loading or coil is created through motion against resistance. For example; the backswing rotation of the upper body against the resistance of the lower body.
In order to accomplish this, it is critical for the player to start from a balanced and centered address position.
Think of any athlete in the READY POSITION. They are centered on their feet and ready to move in any direction. Their knees are flexed, their butt is out and their head and chest are up. They are ready for action! A powerful golf set up should include all these elements.
The objective of the backswing pivot in golf is to rotate the shoulders and upper trunk as much as possible while holding the feet legs and hips as still as possible. This creates the maximum elastic loading in the strongest groups of muscles mentioned above.
This is accomplished by “holding the ground with the feet and rotating the chest and shoulders around and over the back leg.
There should be no shifting of the hips and the head should stay steady all the way to the end of the wind-up. Lateral shifting of the hips and /or excessive movement of the head will allow the power of the wind up to be compromised.
Next segment: The role of the arms and hands in the wind-up.

Hank Johnson
February 2009

Better Putting- Segment 5
Green Reading – More Art than Science
The ability to read a green is based on stored experience that is gained by trial and error.
Very few greens are flat. If they were, they would be boring to play on and water would not drain off after a rain or irrigation. Therefore virtually all putts involve negotiating some slope. The ball is required to roll up a slope, down a slope or across a slope. A good percentage of putts involve more that one of these slopes. Green reading is the ability to recognize slopes and predict their effect on the ball BEFORE you putt.
Speed is pre-determined. You have to roll the ball with enough speed for it to reach the hole or roll just past it if you miss. The ability to read a putt is really the ability to predict the effect of any slope that the ball must roll on at that pre- determined speed.
The process is as follows:
1. Feel the pace or speed you plan to give the ball.
2. Rehearse the stroke that this pace or speed requires.
3. Visualize the path or line along which you expect the ball to roll.
4. Aim along the start of that path or line.
5. Repeat the stroke youve rehearsed.
6. Watch to ball roll until it stops.
Develop the habit of watching EVERY putt you hit until it stops rolling. This will give you feedback for future putts and maximize the storage of experience. If the putt doesnt do what you expected, go back and see if you can find the slope that fooled you.
Some things to remember:
1. Slopes near the cup or at the end of the balls roll will have the greatest effect because the ball will be slowing down.
2. Downhill slopes add to the balls roll and cause the ball to break less.
3. Uphill slopes slow the balls roll down and allow the ball to break more.
4. The drainage pattern in a green will tell you the probable effect of slopes on the ball. Water tends to run downhill, so do putts.
5. Wind above 5 miles per hour will also affect the roll of a putt just like it affects the balls movement in the air.

Hank Johnson, PGA
January 5, 2009

Better Putting – Segment Four

Feel for Distance/Speed/Pace
One thing that ALL great putters seem to have is good touch. This simply means they have good feel for how much pace or speed to give the ball for it to roll the proper distance.
As we talked about in a previous segment, having a stroke with only one speed source make it much easier to control distance and I prefer for the pivot of the upper trunk to be this single speed source.
In this type of stroke, the hands just hold the putter while the rotation of the shoulders and rib cage swing the arms and putter. The motion should be smooth with no hit at the ball.
This feel is something you have to aquire on your own, and there is only one way to do it.
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE
Lag to a line: Stretch out a string across a portion of your practice green. From a minimum of 20 feet away, try to roll balls to the string and make them just touch it. Vary the distance you are from the string and just try to feel the distance you need to make the ball roll. It’s the same as learning how hard to shoot a basketball. It’s just trial and error experience. You just have to put in the time.
Ladder drill: Take a dozen or so balls to one end of your practice green. Make sure it is at least 50 feet to the other end. Hit the first putt as close as you can to the fringe at the other end of the green without actually going into the fringe. Hit the next putt as close to the first ball as you can without going past it. Hit the third putt as close to the second ball as you can without going past it. Continue this process until your ladder of ball is as near to all the way back to your starting point as you can get. If you go past the previous ball the game is over. Count the number of successes you had and record your score. Try to break your personal record the next time you do the Ladder Drill.
Lag and Finish Drill: Putt three balls to a hole no closer than 30 feet. Putt out the balls and keep score. Play 6 holes with 3 balls doing this from at least 30 feet. This will give you a total score for 18 holes. Par is two putts per try or a total score of 36 putts for even par. Your goal is to be capable of shooting under par doing this drill.

Hank Johnson, PGA
February 1, 2009