La Danse du Golf and the 6 Basics

In my last article I told you about the false basics.

The worst and most damaging of these are "Head Still", "Leading Arm Straight" and "Front Heel on the Ground."

Let me help you to feel the consequences of these false beliefs with a simple exercise. Holding any club lightly across your hands, start by copying my position in pic1 paying particular attention to your footwork.  Now move through to the position in pic 2.  Once you get the idea, just keep moving right and left in a continuous and fluid manner keeping the club facing your belly button.

Before going any further, if you have a bad back please read right through to the end before trying anything else.

Now, for comparison and without a club, copy me in pic3 then move to my position in pic4 keeping your left arm straight, your left heel firmly on the ground and your head completely still.  As you attempt to turn your shoulders to the right you will find out why the golf swing has been unnatural and why, if you do have a bad back, golf has been aggravating, if not causing, your back pain.

Can you imagine how much your spine is twisting and how much tension you have created?  If you are fit, supple and young you may be able to do all this but, if you are over 50 and as stiff as I am (56 and having had a back operation 10 years ago), you just won't be able to do it comfortably.

Traditionally, we have been persuaded to believe that turning the shoulders against a resisting lower body will produce some kind of coiling action on the backswing which will spring us back through the ball with amazing speed.  Another part of this 'method' is to look for width as we stretch to the maximum at the top of the backswing.  But most golfers are not athletes or gymnasts and these difficult moves will leave you tense, tight and out of position.

How do stiff muscles produce speed?  Quite simply, they don't.  They act as brakes and will demand greater effort to achieve only moderate club head speeds.

Now, go back to the relaxed and comfortable exercise as in pics1