Golf Swing Power Backswing and Downswing
One of the most difficult parts of the golf swing is determining and maintaining the relationship between the arms and the body.
Since the connection to the golf club starts with the golf grip (your hands), extends thorough your arms and finally ends with your body, this relationship is critical to a consistent and powerful golf swing. The power in a golf swing comes from the use of the body’s major muscle groups. Most amateurs in an effort to maximize the golf swing’s power try to make as big a shoulder turn a possible. But if you take the club back with the shoulder joints only, you deprive yourself of the strength of the larger muscles in the shoulder.
While this is certainly not new information go to the driving range and watch most players disconnect their arms from their bodies on the backswing. During the downswing the large muscles must be engaged but there is no way to have a consistent swing if there is not a consistent coordination between your body and arms. The coordination is virtually impossible when the backswing is from the shoulder joint only.
David Leadbetter has a drill were he has you put a towel under your left shoulder. The towel will drop if you arms are not in sync with your body. Try it! It is harder than you think. We are all conditioned to make as big a shoulder turn as we can when in fact when our body stops so should our arms.
If you look at a picture of Ben Hogan’s backswing in his prime his hands are barely higher than his head. No disconnection there.
As usual we can all take a lesson in how to play the game from Mr. Hogan.
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