Myths of the Golf Swing

Over the next few months I am going to cover some golf related topics. The reason for this is because golf is a continually growing sport and a lot more people are playing it these days. Many individuals are retiring down to sunny Florida and either start taking up the sport for the first time or are playing more often than normal.

To start off with I would like to introduce myself and give a little history on my background with golf. I have been in the golf industry for the past 20 yrs, either playing on a competitive level or as a Teaching Professional at various prestigious clubs throughout New York and South Florida. I have worked with numerous Top 100 Teaching Professionals throughout my career and currently train with one today in the never-ending pursuit of perfection. This article will briefly explain two commonly heard myths in golf that I believe are misconceptions. Over the next few months I will continue the discussion about golf in different contexts, with an overall goal of helping golfers, whether new or old, to the game.

Most people that play golf have a tendency to play with their friends and others of equal ability. Many people that play golf also seem to take advice from their friends or anyone around them practicing on the range, rather than taking lessons from a qualified professional. Golf is one of the few sports where individuals actually listen to the advice given to them by others, no matter how inaccurate. Well this is where two big myths come from, one of the myths is “keep your head down” and the other is “Keep your left arm straight” (for right handed golfers).

MYTH #1 “KEEP YOUR HEAD DOWN”

Let’s discuss the first myth, “Keep your head down”. How many times have you played a round of golf with your friends or gone to the range to hit balls and maybe “top a shot”. What’s the first thing everyone wants to point out? Simple, “You didn’t keep your head down” that is why you topped/missed the ball. Actually your head has nothing to do with why you topped/missed the ball. The reason I make this statement is because there are individuals that are blind and play golf, and it doesn’t matter where their head is looking. The real reason one does top or miss a shot in golf is because they have changed their spine angle. When you address the ball you have created an angle in your spine and when you swing the club you need to maintain that angle throughout the swing. If that angle alters in any way one of two things can happen, you can either top/miss the ball or you can do the opposite which is hit it fat.

MYTH #2 “KEEP YOUR LEFT ARM STRAIGHT”

Now for the second myth, “Keep your left arm straight”, (for right handed golfers). Everyone looks at pictures of tour professionals in magazines and “sees” what appears to be a straight left arm. Now when they go to practice or play they will try to swing the club mimicking what they saw in the magazine. In their eyes, they think the tour pro is playing with a locked out Left elbow. In actuality a tour professional plays with very supple arms and at the top of their swing the Left elbow joint does have some give to it, meaning it is not locked out. The problem with locking out your elbow to keep your arm straight is it causes tension, which is one of the reasons why people can not naturally let their arms release through the shot. Another big problem with this is it can cause some undue injury to your body somewhere down the road.

If you have any questions about this article or would like to find out more about what Golf Fitness can do for you and your game give us a call.

Article written by: Dave Challice, BS, PTA, CSCS, TPI FP3, GI2, JC2