Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Ross Jul 18, 2021 · Edited
Yes, partly, depending on which/who’s definition you choose to attach to the term. All I know is Carl Lohren noticed long ago that Ben Hogan would start the back swing (or takeaway) using his shoulders first to move the club and arms. Hogan also had a drawing in his 5 Lessons book, of the arms close together with a rope wrapped around them keeping them close together. I have used both of these concepts to develop our takeaway or start of the back swing. I have changed and added my own tweaks to improve the ideas. Many other instructors add hinging and redirecting to try to control swing plane and add distance at a great cost to consistency with no benefits. The best thought is to keep it simple … learn the duplessisgolf setup, and just use your “shoulders” only to move the arms and club. Hope this answers your question.Ross Aug 09, 2017
Sorry, no. I don’t like “positions” or a view of what something is supposed to look like. Every golfer is different, moves different and has a different body make up. If a student thinks they are not doing something right… they’ll manipulate their arms or wrists during the swing to try to get to a “position” and the position might not fit their body type.I’d prefer talking over a students swing video, they send me, so I can help correct something the right way. It may be a “setup” issue that changes the “look” at the top of the backswing vs. the student trying to manufacture the look during the swing. I hope this makes sense. If you’re not sure, send me a Down The Line swing video (no charge) and I’ll take a look.
Ross Dec 09, 2014
If you front shoulder is hurting, something is not right. You may be turning too far. You may be pushing down instead of around your shoulders. You may want to feel both shoulders turn around your spine, or the back shoulder pull towards your spine. If your do the Large Muscles Drill, you should experience the same feeling… freedom and no pain.As far as “how far” or an example…everyone is different. It is not how far you wind up… it is more how fast and complete you rotate on the downswing. The forward movement is KEY! The backswing is just the preparation for the downswing. This is just like throwing a ball… you don’t take your arm back farther, you just turn through faster and accelerated and complete.
Ross Dec 09, 2014
Hi Spartan
The back arm does NOT attach to the side of the body. The arms are controlled by the shoulders. Yes the back arm does bend a little, but the main goal for the arms are for the elbows to stay close together. This helps defeat the arms from working on their own or lifting on their own (which disconnects from the body/shoulders). If the shoulders are allowed to control the arms/club, the large muscles can take control and easily return the arms/club back to impact correctly (essentially, how they started).Usually, you can learn with short backswings and then lengthen as the shoulders take more and more control. As you lengthen, you will usually find a point where the arms/hands take over trying to add more… that’s when things break down. The more you can control that “break down”, the more consistent your swing will become.
WTG on the eagle Dave! I’ve always thought a big part of the enjoyment is the process, so when you put together 3 great shots, you could reflect on the hard work and practice that lead up to the result ?
Ross Oct 01, 2021 · Edited
The height the arms/club travel “up” (as you say) is different for every golfer depending on their body size, type and height… and the amount of tilt each golfer has in their spine, depending on the club selection and course conditions (level ground, on a slope, ball above/below). Age and flexibility is another factor that limits the shoulder turn.Now, your friends mean well, but actually lifting your arms higher does not necessarily equal more distance. It does equal disconnection from the Large muscles and the chance for more inconsistency in many areas, but usually, the arms/club getting left behind is one of the first. Keep in mind that if done correctly, the shoulders will move the arms/club up roughly perpendicular to the spine angle. Your maximum distance is about how efficiently you wind up and unwind and how square the club face returns, and how close to the sweet spot on the club face you make contact. There are other factors.
There is a difference in actually lifting the arms in the backswing and the arms being moved by the shoulders. The arms may continue slightly at the top of the backswing due to the momentum of being moved by the shoulders. This can happen to golfers with a faster backswing. I’m not suggesting to speed up your backswing, I’m only mentioning that there might be a little more momentum at a faster pace and it may take the arms/club slightly higher. This must be done by the shoulders or you’ll disconnect.