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Staying connected: A common issue for junior golfers and women

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Junior golfers should be encouraged to enjoy the game, but we want to make sure they don’t instill detrimental tendencies into their swings that will stick with them for life.

In this article, I want to discuss issues I tend to see mostly in male junior golfers who are in the 12-to-15 age range, and female golfers for most of their lives. It’s during this time that most boys have not begun their growth spurt and the girls have not gained the strength to support their taller frames.

These issues lead to pivot inefficiencies that cause the hips to outrace the upper body, the low points to bounce around, and hands to become overactive through impact. If left alone, these propensities will plague these types of golfers for the remainder of their careers.

Below is an example of the disconnection I am describing above.

Screen Shot 2015-04-19 at 8.04.28 PM

Here is a sample player who is 14, slightly shorter and smaller than the average person his age, but still a good player. Because he has not hit his growth spurt, you can see that his pivot is quite faulty. He’s trying to hit the ball farther because the tees he plays have moved farther back. 

You can see that his right forearm is on plane with the club shaft and the direction of his swing is pretty consistent; however, the faulty pivot makes his face-to-path relationship faulty and that causes him to struggle.

His hips have outraced his upper body during the transition, and his right shoulder has moved too far downward through delivery, thus moving his low point backward. When the low point moves back, in order to not hit fat shots, the hands will be activated and he will “throw” the club through impact. As this happens, the closing rate of the club head will be skewed, his low point will shift, and the club’s static loft will be altered.

When we add those things together, we get a recipe for mishits that fly offline. So what’s the cure?

You must help these types of players to “feel” and understand “connection” and what they should be striving for as they get older, taller, and stronger. Understand that this “look” I’m showing you is unattainable until the physiology of the players’ body can support it at full speed. However, there is no reason why you cannot work this technique into partial shots and wedges.

Screen Shot 2015-04-19 at 8.04.44 PM

A few thoughts, feels and drills:

  • Take full swings at quarter speed with the thought of moving the sternum, zipper, hands, and club head together through impact.
  • The goal here is to feel the hips slowing down enough so the upper body can catch up.
  • Use a drill made popular by Nick Faldo: Place head covers under arms and hit balls at partial speed to coordinate body with arms, hands, and club.
  • As is often said, the player will feel that the right shoulder works not just downward, but outward as well through the impact zone.
  • Players will also find that their low points are much more consistent and more solid impacts will occur.
  • Finally, when everything is connected and moving together, the club will have a dynamic loft at impact that is more consistent and more playable for the shot at hand.

Juniors and women golfers must have some type of connection through impact or they will fight mishits, loss of distance and lack of trajectory control.

If you have any questions, concerns or looking for specific assistance, please leave a comment and I will promptly reply.

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Tom F. Stickney II, is a specialist in Biomechanics for Golf, Physiology, and 3d Motion Analysis. He has a degree in Exercise and Fitness and has been a Director of Instruction for almost 30 years at resorts and clubs such as- The Four Seasons Punta Mita, BIGHORN Golf Club, The Club at Cordillera, The Promontory Club, and the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort. His past and present instructional awards include the following: Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher, Golf Digest Top 50 International Instructor, Golf Tips Top 25 Instructor, Best in State (Florida, Colorado, and California,) Top 20 Teachers Under 40, Best Young Teachers and many more. Tom is a Trackman University Master/Partner, a distinction held by less than 25 people in the world. Tom is TPI Certified- Level 1, Golf Level 2, Level 2- Power, and Level 2- Fitness and believes that you cannot reach your maximum potential as a player with out some focus on your physiology. You can reach him at [email protected] and he welcomes any questions you may have.

10 Comments

10 Comments

  1. rob campbell

    Apr 22, 2015 at 2:56 pm

    This article left about half the commenters with a similar question. I’m part of that group. Is everybody who talks about firing the hips wrong? Can you re-do this article or have you written it somewhere else where it’s more clear and/or not space-limited?

  2. Jim

    Apr 22, 2015 at 1:33 pm

    Great article, but I’m 67, male, and still have the same problem of coordinating the hips. Prolonged problem caused major back injury resulting in surgery. My problem results from backswing that is too upright and a downswing that puts the club lagging behind, stuck, and too shallow resulting in fats, thins, flip hooks and or pushes. This 2-way miss causes my golf score to totally depend on my timing that day. I’d give anything to learn how to make a full backswing and keep the club in front of me.

  3. MASSIVE MIKE!

    Apr 22, 2015 at 1:28 pm

    good idea

  4. Nathan

    Apr 22, 2015 at 11:47 am

    Tom,
    I started playing golf at the age of 15 and I’m currently 19. In the four years I’ve been playing, I have worked my way down to a 3 handicap. During those 4 years I have always had the issue you described, that my hips far outpace my upper body. I currently swing a driver at 117 mph so I definitely don’t need more speed. What can I work on in order to reduce this separation. Also, what part of my body should I specifically work on strengthening? Upper body? Core?
    Thank you for any help that you can offer

  5. Alex

    Apr 21, 2015 at 10:24 pm

    Tom, I apologize for asking this as it may be off topic, but…

    Don’t you think that if someone has this issue (I’m 28 and I STILL swing like this after learning to play good golf with this type of swing when I was young and I’ve never been able to train it out) they should feel like their whole body turns equally through the ball on the downswing?

    I’ve always thought that if the shoulders turn 90 back and the hips turn 35-45 or whatever is about half of the shoulders, that you should be trying to start the shoulders first because they are already 40 something (or more sometimes) behind the hips. If you fire the hips and they’re already that far in front of the shoulders, wouldn’t that just create this problem?

    I feel like flexible folks like myself (and young kids, women, etc) that learn to “fire the hips” like a lot of us were taught will just do this forever because we’re only creating more and more separation that isn’t going to be helping in sequencing?

    I can understand firing hips if they almost match the shoulders in the backswing, to create separation…but if the hips are really only turning half of the shoulders on the way back…seems like they already have the head start they need. Simply turning hips shoulder etc all together would retain that separation that is already created?

    • joe

      Apr 27, 2015 at 3:45 pm

      1st – take a look at this picture, the shoulders trail the hips so its true that the hips lead and shoulders follow http://www.golftoday.co.uk/proshop/features/2009/images/rory_mcilroy_swing_sequence_11.jpg

      2nd – You are assuming that everything is happening at the same speed. What I mean is that you are saying the shoulders theoretically starting first because they have to make up for the 40 degree difference. The mistake with this thinking is that you are speaking as if the hips and shoulders are moving the exact same speed, which is incorrect. Even though the initiate with the hips, the farther you get away from the hips, the more speed that body part has. Like a baseball pitcher, on release of the ball his hips are moving slower than his torso, which is slower than his arm, which is slower than his hand – this is a biomechanics of the human body issue. Your shoulders will reach the ball slightly later than the hips most likely, but they are also moving much faster than the hips and that difference isn’t as large as you may think. Initiating the hips does a lot of things, but for the sake of this article and your thought process, the most important thing it does is get the body moving as a unit, vs. a bunch of diff. parts.

  6. GoRapsGo

    Apr 21, 2015 at 9:29 pm

    Good article. I think that this is a problem for males too. Maybe not because of physical limitations, but misinterpreting information that is out there.

    For example, I’m working on slowing down my hip turn so I can stay more connected. A couple of years ago, I was told to initiate the swing with the lower body and turn the hips so there is room to swing the club. I did that, but my upper body got stuck which resulted in slices. To fix the slices, I would manipulate my hands or do the chicken wing to get the club in the right position while my upper body was trailing my hips.

    Recently, I don’t concentrate on my hips on the downswing any longer. I focus on starting my downswing by pulling my arms down to get it in front of me. The hips take care of themselves and my arms and upper body are connected. I still need to work on this, but I find that this new perspective is improving my contact.

  7. Cons

    Apr 21, 2015 at 12:48 pm

    Tom-

    I have heard the following statement more than once when watching swing sequence videos- ” the player clears their lower body early so that they can swing the club freely through impact.”

    .. How does one clear the lower body early and while avoiding outracing the upper body?

  8. Tribe Fan

    Apr 21, 2015 at 9:45 am

    Tom, another great article explaining a complex idea! Thank you. When you said “His hips outraced his upper body,” are you saying that all parts of the body (hands, arms, trunk, legs) should move together in transition? There seems to be mixed messages all over the place (magazines, announcers, etc) with transitional sequencing. One thing seems true to me when I watch the best swings: the lower body initiates transition with a push off the ground and pulls the trunk, arms, and club through. As you say, however, without connection this isn’t possible. Would you agree?

  9. Jordan

    Apr 21, 2015 at 9:00 am

    Tom, What is it about these players’ physiology that doesn’t enable them to stay connected? I am sure that there are many adult male players who suffer from the same swing faults. But perhaps in the latter case, the issue is more about technique, whereas with the juniors/women, they lack the upper body strength to make a proper backswing and get in the right position at the top?

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Instruction

Clement: Stop ripping off your swing with this drill!

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Not the dreaded headcover under the armpit drill! As if your body is defective and can’t function by itself! Have you seen how incredible the human machine is with all the incredible feats of agility all kinds of athletes are accomplishing? You think your body is so defective (the good Lord is laughing his head off at you) that it needs a headcover tucked under the armpit so you can swing like T-Rex?

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How a towel can fix your golf swing

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This is a classic drill that has been used for decades. However, the world of marketed training aids has grown so much during that time that this simple practice has been virtually forgotten. Because why teach people how to play golf using everyday items when you can create and sell a product that reinforces the same thing? Nevertheless, I am here to give you helpful advice without running to the nearest Edwin Watts or adding something to your Amazon cart.

For the “scoring clubs,” having a solid connection between the arms and body during the swing, especially through impact, is paramount to creating long-lasting consistency. And keeping that connection throughout the swing helps rotate the shoulders more to generate more power to help you hit it farther. So, how does this drill work, and what will your game benefit from it? Well, let’s get into it.

Setup

You can use this for basic chip shots up to complete swings. I use this with every club in my bag, up to a 9 or 8-iron. It’s natural to create incrementally more separation between the arms and body as you progress up the set. So doing this with a high iron or a wood is not recommended.

While you set up to hit a ball, simply tuck the towel underneath both armpits. The length of the towel will determine how tight it will be across your chest but don’t make it so loose that it gets in the way of your vision. After both sides are tucked, make some focused swings, keeping both arms firmly connected to the body during the backswing and follow through. (Note: It’s normal to lose connection on your lead arm during your finishing pose.) When you’re ready, put a ball in the way of those swings and get to work.

Get a Better Shoulder Turn

Many of us struggle to have proper shoulder rotation in our golf swing, especially during long layoffs. Making a swing that is all arms and no shoulders is a surefire way to have less control with wedges and less distance with full swings. Notice how I can get in a similar-looking position in both 60° wedge photos. However, one is weak and uncontrollable, while the other is strong and connected. One allows me to use my larger muscles to create my swing, and one doesn’t. The follow-through is another critical point where having a good connection, as well as solid shoulder rotation, is a must. This drill is great for those who tend to have a “chicken wing” form in their lead arm, which happens when it becomes separated from the body through impact.

In full swings, getting your shoulders to rotate in your golf swing is a great way to reinforce proper weight distribution. If your swing is all arms, it’s much harder to get your weight to naturally shift to the inside part of your trail foot in the backswing. Sure, you could make the mistake of “sliding” to get weight on your back foot, but that doesn’t fix the issue. You must turn into your trial leg to generate power. Additionally, look at the difference in separation between my hands and my head in the 8-iron examples. The green picture has more separation and has my hands lower. This will help me lessen my angle of attack and make it easier to hit the inside part of the golf ball, rather than the over-the-top move that the other picture produces.

Stay Better Connected in the Backswing

When you don’t keep everything in your upper body working as one, getting to a good spot at the top of your swing is very hard to do. It would take impeccable timing along with great hand-eye coordination to hit quality shots with any sort of regularity if the arms are working separately from the body.

Notice in the red pictures of both my 60-degree wedge and 8-iron how high my hands are and the fact you can clearly see my shoulder through the gap in my arms. That has happened because the right arm, just above my elbow, has become totally disconnected from my body. That separation causes me to lift my hands as well as lose some of the extension in my left arm. This has been corrected in the green pictures by using this drill to reinforce that connection. It will also make you focus on keeping the lead arm close to your body as well. Because the moment either one loses that relationship, the towel falls.

Conclusion

I have been diligent this year in finding a few drills that target some of the issues that plague my golf game; either by simply forgetting fundamental things or by coming to terms with the faults that have bitten me my whole career. I have found that having a few drills to fall back on to reinforce certain feelings helps me find my game a little easier, and the “towel drill” is most definitely one of them.

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Clement: Why your practice swing never sucks

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You hear that one all the time; I wish I could put my practice swing on the ball! We explain the huge importance of what to focus on to allow the ball to be perfectly in the way of your practice swing. Enjoy!

 

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