On The Tee with Hank Johnson

Playing Through a Swing Change Question: Should you continue to play during the time you are making a swing change? In my opinion the answer is YES! I believe that it is very important to continue to play during the time you are making a swing change. To do this you must learn to separate playing and practicing. This is a skill that all good players have so why not learn to make this important mental transition while you are learning your new swing. In practice you should focus on the details of your swing (the parts) in order to change them. Your swing mechanics become much more important than the quality of the shots you hit. Do it right even if you miss the ball until you no longer miss the ball. In play, the ONLY thing that matters is the quality of the shot. There are no style points! You really shouldn’t think about the parts of your swing while you’re playing unless it’s in rehearsal prior to actually playing a shot. When you are playing a shot that matters, you should focus on your target and just “feel” the swing that will make the ball go there. Here’s the process: You use mechanics and swing thoughts to create a “feel” for the whole swing. That’s what practice is for. When you play, you use that “feel” of the whole swing to re-create the mechanics. You have to train yourself to mentally switch back and forth between practice and play. On the course, if you find your mind slipping back to mechanical thoughts, use them to rehearse your swing and then use the whole swing “feel” they create to play the shot. In my view, there is no better time to train yourself to flip the mental switch between practice and play than while you are in the process of making a swing change. If you stop playing while you’re making the swing change then you’ll have to start learning how to play all over again when you start back. Just remember that the way you use your mind for practicing is totally different from the way you use your mind for playing. The process of switching back and forth between these two “mental modes” is a learned skill just like your golf swing. Because it’s a learned skill, it takes practice. What better time to do this practice than while you’re making a swing change.

Keep Your Swing ‘Matched Up” One of the ongoing debates in golf teaching is based on the following question. Does the turn cause the swing or does the swing cause the turn? I’ve done some thinking about this and I think the answer is YES! Even more important than what causes what is that the turn and the swing stay “ matched up” or together. I give my students the following advice. Keep your upper arms in front of the sides of your upper chest and your elbows pointed at the ground as you take the club back to the top and through to the finish of your stroke. This one key will keep your turn and your swing “matched up” in every stroke from putter to driver. If you execute this one key then it doesn’t matter whether you think of the turn causing the swing or the swing causing the turn. Either way your turn and your swing will stay “matched up” or together and after all, that’s really the most important thing. Drills Practice short game shots with a folded towel across chest and under arms. Don’t drop the towel when you swing. Place your hands back to back against each other with the left hand on top and the right hand under. Practice ¾ swings while keeping your hands directly in front of your chest.

The Golf Swing Simplified Final segment in a series: Saving the power for impact In the previous segments in this series we have discussed “Centering your swing” by maintaining a steady head. Creating the motion by “rotating” your trunk back and through. “Connecting” your swing by keeping your upper arms “matched” to your chest. Now we are going to talk about the secret of “storing” the power of the swing for impact. This is commonly referred to as “lag” or leaving the club back so that it comes through last. Everyone has lag at the top of their swing because the right wrist is bent. The back of the right hand is bent back toward the right arm. There are wrinkles in the back of the wrist. It looks sort of like the player is holding a waiters tray with the right hand. Here’s the “the key”. Good players leave at least some of that bend in the back of the right wrist until after impact. This lets the club continue to accelerate all the way through the ball for the most powerful impact. Hard to do? YOU BET IT IS. Instinctively golfers want to throw the clubhead at the ball with their right wrist because it “feels” more powerful. Again “the key” is to accept the fact that throwing the clubhead into the ball from the right wrist will hit short, crooked shots and that leaving at least some bend in the back of the right wrist through impact with the ball hits the longest, straightest shots.

The Golf Swing Simplified Third segment in a series: Connection So far we’ve created a “steady post” that should not sway or bob so that your head can stay steady. This gives your swing a centered arc which is necessary for precision. You will remember that the post can rotate to create the motion of the swing. Here’s the key for this segment. This rotation is what actually swings the arms and club through their arc around the body. That’s right you don’t swing your arms with your arms! They are swung by the rotation of your body. Now in order for this to happen the arms must stay “connected” or “matched up” with the rotation of the body. To accomplish this, think of the arms and shoulders as an upside down triangle. Connection means that the sides (the arms) do not move on their own. They are moved by the rotation of the base (shoulders) of the triangle. This keeps them connected or matched. If you keep your upper arms and elbows the same distance apart from the start to the finish of your swing then they will tend to stay “connected” to the body. You can feel this connection by putting a rolled up bath towel across your chest and under your arms. If your upper arms hold this towel against your chest you will be able to have the feel of “connection”. This drill should only be done in half to three quarter swings with your wedge to get the feel. There is now a very effective training aid to learn the feel of a connected swing. It is called The Perfect Connextion and it is available through our website. I’m currently using it with my students with great success. Several of my players whose swings have been too loose now know what it’s supposed to feel like. Next segment: Saving the Power for Impact

The Golf Swing Simplified Second segment in a series - Rotation Because the shape of the golf swing is circular, good swings contain a rotational component. The post your body represents must stay steady but it can rotate. Because the trunk is tilted forward at address the rotating post can be visualized as the trunk’s center line from top to bottom and this line should be seen as going into the ground behind the player’s heel line. The shoulder turn and hip turn in the backswing and the hip turn and shoulder turn in the forward swing provide the rotation for the post. This rotation creates the circular shape of the golf swing. Highly skilled players learn to use their hip turn to accelerate their shoulder turn in the forward swing by creating separation or “lag” between the two. When looking at powerful golf swings, the shoulders turn back and pull the hips around. In the forward swing, the hips are turning through ahead of the shoulders. This results in a buildup of torque in the large muscles of the body. The shoulders eventually overtake the hips but only after impact with the ball. A less powerful way for the post to rotate is for the hips and shoulders to turn back and through together with no separation. This sequence of movement is usually present in less athletically skilled players and players who suffer from lower back discomfort. It is possible to produce effective shots related to accuracy with this type of unified body rotation. They are just less powerful. Common errors that would contribute to a golfer’s inability to rotate properly would include: Poor posture Lack of flexibility in the trunk and hips Limited range of motion in the thoracic spine Limited range of motion in the cervical spine Lateral shifting of the hips in the forward swing in an attempt to create power Lack of core stability Lack of stability in the lower body The rotating post is the power source of a good swing. Its motion stretches and releases the strongest groups of muscles in the body. These muscles include those in the thighs, hips and trunk. Developing the ability to create rotation around a stable center will give the player both power and accuracy. Next segment: Connection

The Golf Swing Simplified First segment in a series - Steady Post The motion of a golf swing can seem very complicated and if you try to consciously control everything that needs to happen then it really is complicated. Here’s some good news for you. You don’t have to control everything. There are just a few truly fundamental movements. If you will practice these few things into habit then all the other things will tend to take care of themselves. Think of your spine as a steady post that extends all the way to the ground behind you. At the top of the post is your head and it must stay steady. If you are in your golf address position, the post will be angled toward the ball from 35 to 45 degrees, depending on the club you are hitting. During your swing, this tilted but steady post should not “bob” or “sway”. By keeping the post steady, you keep your hips and shoulders centered between your feet. This will produce a centered arc for your swing and will accurately return the clubhead to the ball time after time. Your legs are responsible for supporting and stabilizing the post. If you keep your feet flat on the ground and minimize the movement in your knees until after club impact with the ball, then the post will tend stay steady. Common errors that would contribute to a golfer’s inability to maintain a steady post would include: · Poor posture · An attempt to rotate more than the body’s flexibility will permit · Faulty hip action and/or shoulder action · Excessive movement in the feet and knees · Trying to achieve a preconceived position at the top of the swing (ie. Club parallel to the ground at the top of the backswing) · A conscious effort to “drive with the legs” in the forward swing in an attempt to create power · Trying to create an active weight shift In summary, think of your body as a “steady post” with your head as the top of the post. The head should not “sway” or “bob”. A steady head will give you the best chance to have a steady post and a centered arc that will accurately return the clubhead to the ball. Next segment: Rotation Hank Johnson, PGA February 16, 2011

Know your Golf Physical Characteristics If you are currently working with a Golf Strength and Conditioning Professional, you should review your program with them to see if any adjustments need to be made as you approach your season. Off season training and pre-season training are not the same. You should accept the fact that your physical makeup dictates your golf swing. Like everyone, your body just has movement patterns it likes to make and it will continue to try to go back to those patterns. These patterns are normally a result of previous activities or the strength, speed and flexibility you personally have in the different areas of your body. I encourage my students to have a qualified sports medicine professional who is knowledgeable about golf do, a physical evaluation related specifically to the requirements of a golf swing. This evaluation is the basis for their Golf Strength and Conditioning Program. For years, I used the HealthSouth Golf Program, which I helped develop, as a physical resource to help me be more effective with my students. I now use the Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) program to screen my students. This screening does a number of things. 1. The TPI Evaluation helps me be sure that I’m not asking a student to do things that are outside their physical capabilities. 2. If physical limitations are found, and the student is willing to do some training, the limitation can be improved and in some cases eliminated all together. I use a qualified sports medicine professional to design and supervise this training program for my students. Many golf instructors have been trained to do the TPI evaluation and they are very qualified to do it. However, in my judgment, you need a qualified sports medicine professional to design and supervise your training and conditioning program. 3. If the limitation is permanent, then I can modify the swing mechanics for the student to accommodate the limitation. This approach reduces the likely hood of a golf injury. It accelerates the improvement rate of my students. And finally it assures them that if they are spending time and energy on a physical training and conditioning program they are getting the most benefit from it. For more information about TPI go to www.mytpi.com

Consistency Definition: The ability to be asserted together without contradiction. Golf application: A golf stroke pattern within which all components are compatible and supportive of each other. Most golfers are already consistent in doing whatever they do. They are just not happy with whatever they do consistently. Perhaps what they really want is more Certainty. They want their shots to be more predictable when they are playing. Golf, by it’s very nature is unpredictable. “No one knows what will happen in golf until it happens. All one can do is work and suffer and wait for fate.” - Bobby Jones Understand that you are likely to play your average game on any given day. Things you can do: 1. Develop a very precise pre-shot routine that promotes consistency in; GRIP AIM POSTURE BALL POSITION 2. On the course confine your focus to; TARGET TEMPO TRUST 3. Practice like you play; SMALL TARGETS DIFFERENT CLUBS DIFFERENT LIES DIFFERENT SHOTS