Do you ever notice that when most people swing very hard at the
golf ball it’s just an arm swing and not really using the entire
body.
Do you ever notice that when most people swing very hard at the golf ball it’s just an arm swing and not really using the entire body.
Common sense tells us that the club is connected to the arms so if we swing the arms hard the ball will go far. What most golfers don’t realize though is that in order for those arms to generate the speed you want it’s directly related to your hips.
Let’s do a comparison.
The World Series just ended last month and we saw pitchers throwing the ball 90-plus miles per hour. The commentators would comment on what a “great arm” that pitcher has, which is true. However, if you put that pitcher and sat him on a chair on the pitcher’s mound would he still pitch 90-plus m.p.h.?
Definitely not, because it’s the motion of the hips opening up that pulls the arm through and creates those 90 mph pitches we see.
The golf swing is very similar.
On the backswing you must coil your hips turning away from the ball. This coiling compares to a pitcher’s windup.
To start down, push off the inside of the right foot and slide your hips laterally. Just like a pitcher would push off the rubber. Once you transfer your weight to the left leg the hips then need to open up taking the arms with it and generating increased clubhead speed. As the hips uncoil the arms get pulled into the hitting area and deliver the powerful hit. The hips lead the race and deliver the arms after your weight has already got to the left side.
This is the key to distance. You don’t have to be big to hit it far. You just need to know how to generate clubhead speed.
Remember when all else fails take a lesson. You’ll be surprised how much we can help. And by the way, lessons make great Christmas gifts, too.
To schedule a lesson with PGA-certified instructor Don DeLorenzo, call Gilroy GC at 848-0490.
