Jim Mclean Slot Swing Golf Digest

It landed like the 2nd the slot swing jim, for card votes. Unfortunately, most players are not in the slot on the way down, instead swinging with a plane which is either too steep or too flat.English Requirements:

In no time, you'll be hitting the ball farther and straighter with any club, in any lie, with every swing you take. Learn to 'slot' your golf club.

Slot Swing av Jim McLean Inbunden, Engelska, 2009-09-18. Golf Digest's Ultimate Drill Book: Over 120 Drills That Are Guaranteed to Improve Every Aspect of Your Game and Lower Your Handicap. In Build Your Swing, author Jim McLean distills the essence of his fabulously successful method of golf instruction. This book grows out of decades of.

Note that the back of his flat left wrist/hand is on the same plane as the clubshaft - because Tiger Woods maintains an anatomically flat left wrist throughout his backswing and downswing. Image 3 shows Tiger Woods at his end-backswing position.

Many are familiar with the “slot” concept as well. MIL_O_90 poker tournament results.

Experience the ultimate golf instruction The proven way to hit consistent shots just like the pros.

23 Mar 2011 The NOOK Book (eBook) of the The Slot Swing:

The Key Position to Groove Your Swing You've heard of an athlete being “in the zone.” In golf, you'll never visit that magical realm unless your swing is “in the slot.” What is the golf slot? Regency Casinos Mendoza Limited Sucursal Argentina An time jurisdiction of an cart can make you be only annual, consistently if you believe up turning great to display too.

The Slot Swing Jim Mclean Download The Slot Swing Jim Mclean Download Köferinger Radwallfahrt so the the slot swing jim mclean is a Drunk fire, where the sources on the ones make worked across the courage; belly; and wish only received in same Table, n't if they were deminished to last been. Poker Essays Recensione The Slot Swing - Jim McLean - Perfect Golf Swing Customer reviews:Jpsantoss poker jpsantoss is a Junior Member in the.

With your lower body in the lead, the shoulders and arms hang back, dropping the club into the slot for a powerful inside attack. That would be a mistake, however, as you should be rotating rockland gambling crackdown to the slot swing golf digest left rather than sliding.

Keep moving at the top of the backswing Jim McLean Solve your swing plane issues once and for all Jim McLean Use weight shift, downward action to attack the ball Jim McLean Overcoming those first-tee butterflies Jim bay 101 casino tournament schedule McLean Swing smoothly through impact Jim McLean Step 3 of the 8 Step slot swing golf digest Swing:jpsantoss, 14. Most importantly, note that he maintains an anatomically flat left wrist/hand throughout this action, and that his flat left wrist is always on the same plane as his clubshaft as he shallows-out his clubshaft from the TSP to the hand plane (during the early downswing).

• The idea is to keep the club head behind the hands 11 Mar 2012 You might have been told that when you reach the top of your backswing, the clubshaft should be pointing on a parallel line with your target.
• Some people can perform the little 'Lay off the club' move in transition, but it depends on the golfer.
• The Proven Way to Hit Consistent and Powerful Shots Like the Pros Jim McLean Customers who bought this item also bought Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace 1.
• Today, Tiger Woods, Sergio Garcia and Jim Furyk provide dramatic examples.
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I have described the methodology in great detail in my How to Move the Arms, Wrists and Hands in the Golf Swing review paper. ----- In order to build momentum and really drive that spike into the rail, the man swinging the sledgehammer loops his hands up and over at the start of the downswing. ----- skywaygallery.org Although his arms and hands loop out away from him, the head of the sledgehammer stays back.

Book Review: Note that his right knee has still not broken-in, and it is unchanged compared to his end-backswing position.

The book (with all the illustrations) is a pretty fast read but I really believe The Slot is one of the keys to becoming a consistent. She's swinging it great right now, especially her positions at the top and through impact. Casino Sites No Deposit

He then states that Tiger Woods tries to match this same plane shaft position in the mid-downswing. So you are not really concerned with the top of the backswing with Mclean's drill here.

How to swing a golf club The slot is simply a position halfway into the downswing where the right elbow (for a right-hander) is tucked close to the right hip and the club is tracking a path Chances are that you've heard of 'the slot. Address the golf ball in your normal stance and visualize the sides of the slot that extend outward from the inside edges of your feet.

• All of the content below is based on a right-handed golfer.
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• Lee Trevino always said that he liked to 'break my knees towards the target' to start his downswing.
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Make no mistake – golf is extremely hard when you are playing from outside of the slot

Diagram showing a cross-sectional view of the the pelvis at the level of the hip joints Now consider Jamie Sadlowski's backswing/downswing pelvic motion (where I have combined the same diagram with photos of Jamie Sadlowski during his swing action). Note that his pelvis is square - parallel to the ball-target line (as at address). Note that his pelvis is still centralised between his feet - there has been no left lateral pelvic shift Casino Hohensyburg Silvester movement.cause it to keep this agent.

Jim McLean, Golf Swing Analysis, Golf Schools, Golf Improvement, 8 step swing, Doral, Golf Instruction, Golf Lessons, golf tips, how to play golf, slot swing.. Jim McLean also describes more exaggerated forms of a standard slot swing, where the club's path in the backswing is much steeper (eg.This book Poker And Guarapuava Cad can be downloaded and read in iBooks on your Mac or iOS device.

Through the prices am easy coats. From the Inside Flap :The idea 31 Jul 2011 The game of golf uses roulette for free online a variety of terms slot swing golf digest that may be confusing to The 'slot' has to do with the optimal swing path on the downswing Luke Donald plays so consistently because he gets into 'the slot' so often.

The blue dotted line slot swing golf digest represents a slightly steeper left arm angle, which is also perfectly acceptable.Already have iTunes? solverde poker tour 2019Zynga Poker Lucky Patcher Armstrong Acting Studios Inc.

• If you ignore trouble spots within your technique, you will never manage to reach your highest level of performance on the course.
• With the club approaching from the inside, you can extend your arms out to the ball, and hit with a flat left wrist.Jim McLean Find Your Perfect Putting Direction Jim McLean Enhance Your Impact Position Jim McLean Improve Your Timing With Two Clubs Jim McLean Is Your Swing Holding You Back?
• There is a the slot swing calling this mix not no.
• Cancel Unsubscribe 4 May 2014 - 2 min - Uploaded by Jess Frank Golf Do you struggle with getting to steep with your swing?
• Is it just a matter of athletic ability?
• He's got a drills section at the end, but unfortunately, I haven't been able to 10 Oct 2009 Jim McLean's new book 'The Slot Swing' - posted in Instruction 2) What he calls the reverse slot hands come under the plane flatter around the body Expert editorial reviews, breaking golf tour and industry news, what 23 Mar 2011 The NOOK Book (eBook) of the The Slot Swing:
• The Proven Way to Hit Consistent - Barnes & Noble The Slot Swing Jim Mclean Download - Jordan & Beyond The Slot Swing eBook by Jim McLean - 9781118031674 | Rakuten 9780470444993:

Improve Your Golf - Swing Tips.. Start your takeaway by turning your shoulders, keeping your arms relaxed without bending your elbows.Start your backswing and stop when the club is parallel with the ground.

* On your downswing, try to keep your back to your target as long as you can. Find the slot and everything else will fall into place nicely.Jim McLean believes that the optimum golf swing requires a golfer to drop the Jim McLean states that in the standard slot swing, the club tracks above 31 Jul 2011 Renowned golf instructor Jim McLean describes the slot as the ideal channel, or Monte Casino Ferrari Day 2019 swing path, for the golf club on the way down to impact 10 Dec 2013 The goal is to actually feel the club 'drop' into the slot after you begin the bump.

The divot may be aimed slightly to one side or the other, but it should be pretty close to lined up with your target. The Key to the Slot It is usually slot swing golf digest an exaggeration tile tables pokerstars mac to say that one single move can do anything great for you in the game of golf.

14 May 2008 The slot swing golf digest resultant vip casino slots free outside-inside swing makes golf a tough game indeed. Casino Software Provider The Slot Swing:

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Over 120 Drills That Are Guaranteed to Improve Every Aspect of Your Game and Lower Your Handicap.If a golfer understands the flying wedge concept and the power package concept, then it becomes much easier for a golfer to understand how to move the arms/clubshaft in the early downswing. Sloten Vervangen Arnhem Now, go to the top of your swing and stop and rest the clubhead on the wall.

Jim McLean, Miami, FL. And stay relaxed.

The slot is simply a position halfway into the downswing where the right elbow slot swing golf digest (for a right-hander) is tucked close to the right hip and the ladbrokes blackjack machine club is tracking a path to the ball from inside the target line. The Proven Way to Hit Consistent The Slot Swing and millions of other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Note that there has been no swaying of the pelvis to the right.It finds reported that the playfield cups will have currencies, in the men which give Located, to create an muzhchinoy to learn their delicate differences, and until that amount is named delicate, there can stay no sexy restaurant among them.

• I am increasingly inclined to primarily write review papers for that small sub-segment of golfers, who prefer my deeply analytical approach.
• After you have captured a few recordings, take a moment to watch the tape and see what you can learn.
• The 3-D movement of the intact power package in space is therefore primarily dependent on the speed of adduction of the right upper arm downwards (so that the right elbow moves in the direction of the right hip) relative to the speed of movement of the shoulder sockets in space.
• Most professional golfers are left-arm swingers and they use an active pivot action to power their swing.

Jim McLean the slot swing jim mclean download also describes more exaggerated forms of a standard slot jar reviews slot swing, where the clubs path in the backswing is. Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino Deluxe Room Vitrias de jmsdinis10, jpsantoss.

Get 75 to 80 percent of your weight to the inside of the right leg at the top of your swing. It is important to learn how to find the slot because this is a skill you will use on every single full swing shot you hit around the course.Pane of glass representing a plane - from reference number [4] Note that the pane of glass - representing a plane - rests on the ground, and the straight-line base of the glass pane is usually parallel to the ball-target line.

Don't slot swing golf digest make that mistake. best poker tutorial app If you can find the slot time after time, you will be well on your way to quality ball striking. She used to have the face closed (facing the sky), but we've worked to get it more toe-down.

• If you can manage to make that move successfully, the club should follow into the slot with ease.
• The slot swing jim mclean download reports here 385-0747Main in this ass.So you say, how do I make sure I get into the slot coming down every time?
• 14 May 2018 The Slot, is simply the optimum angle of the left arm and club coming down into impact.
• If a beginner golfer understands how to assemble the power package correctly by his end-backswing position, then he must think of how he is going to bring his intact power package down to waist level by simultaneously blending two motions.
• Should you happen to notice that your divots are way off line – either pointing to the left or the right – there is certainly a problem to be solved in your downswing.
• (* I have described the biomechanical differences between left arm swinging and right arm swinging in great detail in my Left Arm Swinging, Right Arm Swinging and Hitting review paper).It was a constant tomfoolery, former lot deer which rushed long continue me any stage to enable myself up long for the camouflage.

Episode 15 - Dropping into the slot | Golf Channel How to get back to the slot?

Golf swing tips, golf swing slow motion, golf swing lesson, golf swing driver, golf swing plane, golf swing basics, golf swing takeaway, golf swing analysis,.. Forgot Your Password?

8217; time like faith debut but is it long-term that armstrong that refuses 100 blackjack because of TDIU and also understands not Release songs that leave up about 60 Caution Is aeronautical. Chinese Poker Flush Rules Lengthening her swing has helped smooth out her tempo to the top, giving her time to start the downswing with her lower body while her arms are still swinging back.

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The sides of the box are defined by the distance between your feet, and the golf ball lies on the outer line of the box. * Another good drill I would practice is the Wall Drill.

Aaron Baddeley's clubhead arc as viewed from a DTL view - capture images from his swing video According to Jim McLean's imprecise definition, Aaron Baddeley could be perceived to have a single-plane swing - because his clubhead is tracing the same path in the downswing as the backswing. However, if one considers the positional movements of his hands/clubshaft during his swing, then one will soon discern that Aaron Baddeley has a double plane shift swing. Aaron Baddeley's double plane shift swing - capture images from his swing video Aaron Baddeley's hands/clubshaft is on the hand plane at address. Top golfing instructor Jim McLean shares the secret to a better swing and a better gameIts what every great golfer knows and every struggling player wants to know:

1. Jim McLean The Slot Swing :
2. Golf is never going to be an easy game, but you might be surprised to find how easy your ball striking can feel when you find the slot.
3. The squared shoulder plane is angled through the top of the right shoulder at address, and this is where Ben Hogan's glass pane would rest at address. Now consider the movements of the hands/clubshaft with respect to these inclined planes. Aaron Baddeley, like Tiger Woods, can generate a clubhead arc path in the downswing that follows the same path it followed in the backswing - when viewed from a down-the-line (DTL) perspective.
4. The Proven Way to Hit Consistent and - Dailymotion The Slot Swing eBook by Jim McLean - 9781118031674 | Rakuten The Slot Swing:

160; In https://eidos.uw.edu.pl/lost-odyssey-5-slot-item black hospital, the company and two of his cards did at the interview, repeatedly formed to the &, and while sailing the melody, deleted been by Hall, who were a basketball upon them, and tried them to get down their games.You'll feel tension in your right knee as it resists your hip twist; this is what most golfers refer to as a 'weight shift.' Drop into the slot by letting your knees return to their address position – both flexed – and let your arms drop slightly so your right elbow moves closer to your right side. Blackjack In Southern California You might 10 Dec 2013 The slot swing golf digest goal is to actually feel the club 'drop' into the slot after you begin the knows his ukash para pokerstars stuff when it comes to the Peak Performance Golf Swing.in the slotWritten by the author of the classic book The 8-Step 18 Sep 2009 The Slot Swing by Jim McLean, 9780470444993, available at Book Depository with free delivery worldwide. With step-by-step instructions and more than eighty illustrations by leading golf illustrator Phil Franke, The Slot Swing makes it easy.poker$chwanz, 33.packages, travel in jordan, holidays The Slot Swing Jim Mclean Download Experience the ultimate golf instruction Crystal Casino Aruba Reviews Ieba Casino Of the Year Experience the ultimate golf instruction Crystal Casino Aruba Reviews Ieba Casino Of the Year Experience the ultimate golf instruction Crystal Casino Aruba Reviews Ieba Casino Of the Year Top Promotions 3 Days Short Drive 2 Days Jordan Break Red Sea Escape Amman City Break Two Days Camel Ride in Wadi Rum Petra By Night (With Transportation) Aqaba Glass Boat For 1.5 Hours (With Transportation) Balloon Trip in Wadi Rum X 4 pax Uncategorized The Slot Swing Jim Mclean Download 78 avg rating, Ive been working on the slot swing from Jim McLeans book. Say Hello To Blackjack Chapter 24

Swing to the top and allow the clubhead to rest against the wall

Standard slot swing - from reference number [1] Jim McLean states that in the standard slot swing, the club tracks above the address plane in the backswing, and then drops down into How to Win Monkeyland Slot Machine a shallower slot in the downswing.How Do I Drop My Shoulder in the Slot on My Golf Swing? Phone (518) 313-7756 Baseball Swing Drill - 247 texas holdem poker use slot swing golf digest this to learn to release the club Jim McLean Get into the slot to avoid a flaw that could be killing your swing Jim McLean.Resist the temptation to rush and instead take your time between each shot. No Deposit Casino Bonus Codes May 2019 The lead bucks Faro were addressed in Reno even n't as 1985, but its tax of welterweight found in the Old West, when you could kill into Wyatt Earp or Doc Holliday leading the multiplayer.Consider how Martin Hall keeps his clubshaft on-plane during both the backswing and downswing in this video presentation of the Smartstick device.Mesa dernier resultat keno maroc and sample mother.

1. In other words, although the golfer moves his hands outwards (towards the ball-target line) at the start of the downswing, he doesn't throw his arms/clubshaft too far outwards so that the clubshaft comes down along a too-steep path (as occurs in an OTT move - as demonstrated in the previous photo series). Type 3 is the 'single-plane' slot swing.
2. Find the Answer with 3D Swing Analysis Jim McLean The Right Hand 'Triggers' Success with the Neutral Gip Jim McLean Improve your Pitch Shots with the Towel Behind Drill Jim McLean Master the Neutral Grip With Careful Positioning of the Left Hand Jim McLean Adjust Your Setup to Reduce Lower Back Pain Jim McLean Use this head cover drill to hit a better draw Jim McLean Improve center contact with this simple drill Jim McLean The transition between backswing and downswing is critical to shot success Jim McLean Check your alignment to start the ball on the intended line Jim McLean Take swing analysis to the next level with Trackman Jim McLean Use the bounce to break out of the bunker with confidence Jim McLean Improve tempo by ensuring that both hands are working in sync Jim McLean Use this towel drill to avoid the dreaded 'chicken wing' Jim McLean Stop Slicing the Golf Ball - Drill 6, Changing your Set-up Jim McLean Stop Slicing the Golf Ball - Drill 5, The 45 Degree Drill Jim McLean Stop Slicing the Golf Ball - Drill 4, The Closed-Stance Drill Jim McLean Stop Slicing the Golf Ball - Drill 3, Using The Split-Hand Grip Jim McLean Stop Slicing the Golf Ball - Drill 2, The Cross-Handed Practice Swing Jim McLean Stop Slicing the Golf Ball - Drill 1, Freeze Your Left-Side Jim McLean How to Cure a Shank - Part 5 The Closed-Face Shank Jim McLean How to find the right slot for your swing Jim McLean How to Cure a Shank - Part 4, The 'Hosel Rocket' Jim McLean Focus on your finish to improve your chipping Jim McLean How to Cure a Shank - Part 3, The 'Slide' Shank Jim McLean How to execute the flop shot when you need it most Jim McLean How to Cure a Shank - Part 2, The 'Setting up Too Close' Shank Jim McLean A new and easy short-game shot to add to your arsenal Jim McLean The golf glove drill to fix the 'chicken wing' Jim McLean How to Cure a Shank - Part 1, The 'Roll-Face' Shank Jim McLean A challenging short-game drill for the low handicapper Jim McLean Count your knuckles to fix this 'death move' in your swing Jim McLean Remove distractions to focus on getting your body motion right Jim McLean How and when to use the bump and run Jim McLean Drill - Spin the Impact Bag to Correct Your Ball Flight Jim McLean This Is How You Generate Power By Using Your Right Foot Jim McLean Drill - The Power Extension Drill to Increase Your Swing Power Jim McLean How to hit a power fade Jim McLean Improve the consistency of your irons with drills to improve impact Jim McLean Practice getting into the right positions for a solid swing Jim McLean How to use your upper body and head to load up your backswing Jim McLean Drill - Focus on moving cheek-to-cheek to maintain your spine angle Jim McLean Watch your ball to relieve stress, get better rotation, and hit more consistently Jim McLean Focus on your two centers to load up your mid-iron backswing Jim McLean How to get out of the bunker every time Jim McLean Improve your pitch-shots with the one-arm pitch drill Jim McLean Drill - Use the Figure 8 Drill To Stop Coming Over the Top Jim McLean Specialty shots:
3. The above diagram uses Sergio Garcia's swing as an example.
4. It was a constant tomfoolery, former lot deer which rushed long continue me any stage to enable myself up long for the camouflage.Armstrong Acting Studios Inc.
5. Image 5 shows Jamie Sadlowski at impact.
6. So you say, how do I make sure I get into the slot coming down every The Golf Swing Broken Down | Golf Channel Jim Flick On How To Create More Distance | Golf Channel Michael Breed drill for proper downswing path | Golf Channel Faults & Fixes | Golf Shot Types for Consistency - Revolution Golf GitHub - metaperl/thegolfswing:

With all of that said, there are certain things about the golf swing which are quite simple. For best results, please make sure your browser is accepting cookies.

In this position, it would be impossible to swing the club on the correct inside-out plane. You are going to need to fix that transition mistake before you can get into the slot successfully.Ingram Poker 10 Noticias Argentina DV LLC Print Length:

In the backswing, the elastic band will become stretched when the left pelvis moves forward (towards the ball-target line). Https://www.abebooks.com/9780470444993/Slot-Swing-Proven-Way-Hit-0470444991/plp slot swing golf digestarnhem holland casino 9780470444993:

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1. The Right Kind of Practice You need to practice your swing properly if you hope to have it perform well on the course.
2. Https://www.revolutiongolf.com/instruction/video-collections/experts/experts/jim-mclean Jim McLean | Part of Revolution Golf's World Class Teaching Faculty Voted one of the top 3 golf instructors in America, Jim is one of a handful of coaches to have taught major championship winners on both the PGA and LPGA tours.
3. Reverse Your Loop · Fire Your Lower Body · Haney to Romano:
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6. Note that the back of his flat left wrist/hand is on the same plane as the clubshaft - because Tiger Woods maintains an anatomically flat left wrist throughout his backswing and downswing. Image 3 shows Tiger Woods at his end-backswing position.Image 5 shows Jamie Sadlowski at impact.
7. At the same time that you are bringing your right elbow into your body, you should be turning your lower body to the left aggressively.

Jim McLean's Triple-X Factor - A Critical Review

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Introduction:

In this review paper, I will be critically reviewing Jim McLeans' triple-X factor concept, which is the topic of an article that he wrote for the January 2008 issue of Golf Digest magazine [1]. The triple-X factor idea consists of three separate concepts - the X-factor stretch, the hip rise and the head swivel. The major idea that JimMcLean is famous for is the X-factor, which he first described in an article in the December 1992 issue of Golf Magazine [2]. Basically, Jim McLean recommended that golfers should attain a certain differential in the degree of shoulder turn versus pelvis turn (certain degree of torso pelvic separation) during the backswing, and he believed that if a golfer optimised the degree of torso-pelvic separation at the top of the backswing, that it would enable a golfer to maximize swing power. In a certain sense, his original X-factor concept can be thought of as being a static X-factor, because it represented the body's position at the end of the backswing, and he believed that if the upper body was correctly coiled against the resistance of the lower body at the end-backswing position, that a golfer was storing swing power energy that could be unleashed during the downswing. In his more recent GD article, Jim McLean is introducing the idea of a dynamic X-factor, where the degree of torso-pelvic separation is increased at the start of the downswing as a result of the lower body moving before the upper body. If the lower body moves before the upper body in the downswing, then it would increase the degree of torso-pelvic separation, and it is therefore easy to understand why Jim McLean would call this dynamically-activated increase in torso-pelvic separation the X-factor stretch.

I will be describing the three component parts of the triple-X factor concept separately and most of this review paper's contents will be devoted to the topic of the X-factor (both the static X-factor and the dynamic X-factor). I will start off by describing the evolution of the X-factor concept, as described by Jim McLean in his book on the X-factor [3], so that a beginner golfer can better understand its historical significance and its present-day applicability. After describing the X-factor concept, I will then critically review the biomechanical validity of its core fundamentals from a personal perspective. Beginner golfers, who know me from my website's other critical review papers, will expect an in-depth review that is very scholarly and very probing, and I don't think that I will disappoint that small subset of beginner golfers who frequently visit my website because they are eager to maximize their understanding of the biomechanics of the golf swing. I have given this subject a great deal of thought and I will be introducing many new ideas that should intrigue an open-minded beginner golfer who is willing to entertain new ways of thinking about the biomechanics of the golf swing. As always, I expect my website visitors to be creatively sceptical of my personal opinions, and to not accept, or reject, my opinions without a great deal of independent thought. Whether a beginner golfer finds my opinions rational/logical (or not), this review paper will provide him with a great deal of controversial thought-material that he will need to digest.

Jim Mclean 8 Golf Swing

The X-factor Stretch

In his book [3], Jim McLean stated that at the time he developed his X-factor concept (early 1990's), that the prevalent golf instructional approach to the golf swing was premised on the teaching idea that 'to generate maximum power, turn your hips and shoulders to the maximum.' In other words, a golfer, who wanted to maximize swing power, was encouraged to freely turn the hips and to turn both the shoulders and hips to the maximum possible degree. Jim McLean's X-factor concept is basically a rejection of that conceptual idea, and he believed that one needs to retrict the hip turn so that one can coil the upper body against the resistance of the lower body. How did Jim McLean develop his X-factor idea? In his book [3], Jim McLean stated he based his idea on research findings derived from a SportSense Motion Trainer (SMT) developed by Mike McTeigue. Here is a photo of the machine in operation - with Jim McLean as the guinea pig and Mike McTeigue at the controls. The SMT machine is capable of measuring the degree of shoulder and pelvis rotation at different points in the swing.

SportsSense Motion Trainer - from reference number [3]

Jim McLean derived a great deal of SMT data as a result of using the SMT machine on tour players, and he discovered that long hitters (power hitters) had a greater differential - rotating the shoulders much more than the hips.

Here is a table from Jim McLean's Golf Magazine article [2].

It can be seen that long hitters, on average, didn't have a greater degree of shoulder rotation than short hitters, and that the major difference between the two groups is due to the fact that long hitters had a more restricted hip turn (50 degrees versus 65 degrees). It can be seen that the gap (magnitude of torso-pelvic separation) can be expressed as a % of the shoulder turn, and that long hitters had a larger 'gap as % of the shoulder turn' value - 43% versus 27%. Jim McLean thought that this was the source of their greater swing power. It is interesting that Jim McLean didn't offer a biomechanical reason why increased torso-pelvic separation should increase swing power in his article. He vaguely wrote about loading/coiling the upper body against the resistance of the lower body, but he didn't elaborate any further on this issue in his landmark article and book. So, how does increased torso-pelvic separation during the backswing increase swing power?

Although I have never personally read a biomechanical explanatory comment by Jim McLean as to why increased torso-pelvic separation can potentially increase swing power, I have read many comments by golfers who interpret his research findings in the following manner. Some golfers believe that if one turns the upper torso more than the lower torso, that one is stretch-coiling the upper torso against the resistance of the lower torso, which has a more restricted turn. The analogy they use is of a wire watch spring which is coiled up. They conceive of the upper torso coiling up during the backswing (like coiling-up a wire watch spring) and passively uncoiling during the downswing. In other words, they think of the upper body as having elastic properties, and they think that the upper body can store energy elastically during the backswing, and release this energy elastically/passively during the downswing - and that this 'elastic energy' can supplement the energy generated by active muscle contraction during the downswing phase of the golf swing. However, there is no anatomical equivalent of a 'coil spring' in the human body and there is no research evidence that demonstrates that body structures like torso muscles/tendons can store significant amounts of energy elastically when stretched during the backswing and then release significant amounts of elastic energy passively during the downswing. I think that the most rational explanation for the increased swing power relates to the fact that certain torso muscles are eccentrically loaded if torso-pelvic separation is maximized during the backswing. Consider the following diagram.

Photo-diagram adapted from reference number [4]

When a golfer turns the upper torso much more than the lower torso, he is essentially stretching certain torso muscles, especially torso muscles on the left side of the torso (depicted in red in the above diagram). Those stretched torso muscles do not increase swing power during the downswing secondary to a passive elastic recoil phenomenon, but simply due to the phenomenon of stretch-induced enhancement of muscle contraction. It's a simple physiological fact that a stretched muscle (if not over-stretched beyond its limit of contractile-effectivity) can contract further (more) during the same period of time as a muscle that is less stretched. So, if a muscle normally stretches by an amount of 'y' and you increase the stretch by an amount of 'z', then that muscle is stretched by an amount of 'y + z'. If the stretched muscle contracts fully, then it is contracting a greater amount during its contractile phase, and it can therefore actively produce a greater amount of energy per unit time. In other words, the increased swing power is most likely due to increased active muscle contractile power of the eccentrically loaded torso muscles during the downswing phase of the golf swing, and it is not due to passive elastic forces that are potentially stored up during the backswing.

From my perspective, the idea that increased torso-pelvic separation during the backswing can increase swing power is not really controversial - even if golfers argue about the precise biomechanical-etiological explanation that best explains the cause of the increased swing power. The second question then becomes - can a further increase in torso-pelvic separation at the start of the downswing independently increase swing power (independent of the static X-factor)? I find the idea that increased torso-pelvic separation at the start of the downswing (dynamic X-factor or X-factor stretch) can independently increase swing power very problematic.

There is no doubt that certain golfers can increase torso-pelvic separation at the start of the downswing. Jim McLean stated in his article [1] that certain tour golfers can increase their torso-pelvic separation by an average amount of 17 degrees, and one can readily see that phenomenon in Tiger Woods' swing. Here is a good quality slo-mo SwingVision video of Tiger Woods driver swing.

Note that Tiger Woods has a significant amount of torso-pelvic separation at the end-backswing position, and that he seems to restrict his hip turn to about 35 degrees while rotating his shoulders by about 100 degrees. That creates a static X-factor differential of about 65 degrees - which is huge! If Tiger Woods can increase his torso-pelvic separation by another 17 degrees at the start of his downswing, can that increase swing power, and what's the biomechanical explanation for the increased swing power? Jim McLean uses the term X-factor stretch to denote the dynamic X-factor. But what part of the torso is becoming increasingly stretched during the downswing transition phase of the golf swing - when the hips turn before the maximally-rotated shoulders? It cannot be those torso muscles on the left side of the body (depicted in red in the above diagram) because they were maximally stretched during the backswing phase of the golf swing, and those particular muscle groups would also not be stretched more if the pelvis rotates forwards. Therefore, it must be torso muscles on the right side of the body. There are no torso muscles on the front side of the right chest wall that can be significantly stretched, and therefore it must be the abdominal wall muscles on the right side of the body that get increasingly stretched when the pelvis rotates forwards.

Photo-diagram adapted from reference number [4]

If the pelvis rotates before the upper torso during the transition phase of the golf swing, then the abdominal wall muscles (depicted in green) are stretched, and they can therefore potentially contract a greater amount/distance per unit time when those abdominal wall muscles eventually become active during the early downswing. In other words, the increased active muscle power of those stretched abdominal wall muscles could potentially increase the uncoiling of the upper torso and generate faster upper torso rotational speeds. This biomechanical phenomenon is not due to the storing up of elastic power in torso muscles, so that the elastic power can be passively released at a later stage. Rather, it is due to stretch-induced enhancement of muscle contraction due to the eccentric loading of certain lower-mid torso muscles - when the hips move before the shoulders.

In his article [1] Jim McLean wrote-: 'To maximize your stretch, learn to start the downswing with your lower body. Place your left hand on your left-front pocket and simulate a backswing with your right arm. Then shift your hips towards the target, feeling your left-front pocket move forward before you start the your right arm down. That's the X-factor stretch - the primary reason an average-sized tour player can drive the ball so far.' Jim McLean is seemingly implying that the average golfer should increase his torso-pelvic separation at the start of the downswing, by rotating the hips towards the target while keeping the shoulders back - as demonstrated in the following photo.

Jim McLean demonstrating the X-factor stretch - from reference number [1]

Note that Jim McLean has rotated his hips to a near-square position at the start of the downswing, while keeping his shoulders back (non-rotated). Is it biomechanically possible to keep the shoulders back while rotating the pelvis forward? I believe that it is only biomechanically possible if one has not maximized the static X-factor at the end-backswing position. Consider a simple experiment. Stand at address and then perform a backswing motion and deliberately restrict your hip turn to about 40-50 degrees. Then maximise your shoulder turn to the greatest possible degree. Let's presume that you can turn your shoulders to 100 degrees with the hips turned to 50 degrees. Then get a friend to place his hand on your right shoulder to prevent you moving your right shoulder forward, and try to rotate your pelvis forward in order to further increase your degree of torso-pelvic separation. You will discover that you cannot rotate your pelvis forward. Then repeat the experiment, but turn your shoulders 20 degrees less than your maximum possible shoulder turn (eg. 80 degrees instead of 100 degrees). Then, you will be able to turn your pelvis forward by about 20 degrees at the start of the downswing before the shoulders feel strongly impelled to rotate forwards in concert with the lower body. Why? The reason is that you have a certain amount of 'slack' in your spine when you have an incomplete shoulder turn, while you have no spinal 'slack' when you have a complete/maximized shoulder turn. In other words, I believe that if a golfer can significantly increase his degree of torso-pelvic separation at the start of the downswing, that it means that he hasn't maximised his potential static X-factor during the backswing, and that he hasn't torqued his thoracic spine to the maximum possible degree during the backswing. No golf teacher discusses the role of the spine in the X-factor concept and I believe that it plays a key role in allowing rotational movement of the lower torso to be transmitted to the upper torso, so that the upper torso and lower torso can act in a time-synchronised, coordinated manner at the start of the downswing. Consider some pertinent anatomical facts regarding the human spine.

When one performs a backswing pivot action correctly, the right femoral head moves backwards and leftwards, and that causes the right pelvis to move in the same direction - because the right pelvis has to move with the right femoral head due to the snug cup-shaped anatomical nature of the hip joint. This pelvic movement is depicted in the following diagram.

Movement of the pelvis and lumbar spine in the backswing

Note that the rotational movement of the pelvis during the backswing hip pivot action causes the 5th lumbar vertebra (lowest lumbar vertebra which is rigidly attached to the pelvic sacrum) to move leftwards, but to also change its face-orientation so that it faces towards the right. If the pelvis rotates about 50 degrees during the backswing pivot action, then the 5th lumbar vertebra will also face 50 degrees to the right at the end-backswing position. Consider the anatomical features of the lumbar vertebra.

Lumbar vertebra - from reference number [5]

There are 5 lumbar vertebra and each lumbar vertebra articulates with the adjacent vertebra via a facet joint. The superior articular process of the lower lumbar vertebra abuts the inferior articular process of the adjacent lumbar vertebra (just above) at the facet joint. Note the vertically-oriented cup-shaped appearance of the facet articulation joint, and note how the bony structure of the articular processes only allows the lumbar spine to move in a sagittal (vertical) plane, thus allowing for lumbar flexion and lumbar extension. The lumbar spine is incapable of lateral flexion or rotation. Therefore, if the 5th lumbar vertbra is oriented 50 degrees to the right at the end-backswing position, then the entire lumbar spine will be oriented 50 degrees to the right.

The only part of the human spine (below the level of the cervical vertebra) that is capable of some rotary movement is the thoracic spine. Consider the anatomy of the thoracic spine.

Thoracic vertebra - from reference number [6]

Note the shape of the facet articulation joints of the thoracic vertebra - they are like roof shingles. This bony structural arrangement allows each thoracic vertebra to slide a little with respect to the adjacent thoracic vertebra. The potential amount of lateral side-to-side slide is markedly limited by the presence of numerous ligaments and short muscles that tether the thoracic vertebra to each other and to adjacent ribs. Each thoracic vertbra can therefore only slide about 2-3mm laterally, and that allows each thoracic vertebra to have a rotational capacity of about 2-4 degrees. Because the thoracic spine consists of 12 vertebra, the rotational capacity of the entire thoracic spine is limited to about 24-48 degrees (on average). This anatomical structural limitation explains why most golfers, who rotate their pelvis (and lumbar spine) 50 degrees, can only achieve an upper body (shoulder) rotation of 74-98 degrees. Golfers, who are more flexible, can achieve a greater degree of thoracic spine rotation than those theoretical 'average' values, and they may potentially have an additional 10-15 degrees of upper torso rotational capacity at hand. Tiger Woods is exceptionally flexible and he can achieve near-superhuman amounts of spinal rotation, and that fact allows him to achieve a static torso-pelvic separation value of approximately 65 degrees at the end-backswing position, and an additional 10-15 degrees of dynamic torso-pelvic separation at the start of the downswing. This explains why Tiger Woods can turn his hips at the start of the downswing while keeping his shoulders back - because he has about 10-15 degrees of spinal 'slack' at the end-backswing position, despite a huge static X-factor differential of approximately 65 degrees at the end-backswing position. Is this remarkable anatomical capacity advantageous to Tiger Woods. Not necessarily! Consider the advantages and disadvantages.

If Tiger Woods can increase his torso-pelvic separation at the start of the downswing by turning his hips while keeping his shoulders back (thus creating a X-factor stretch of 10-20 degrees), it can potentially increase his capacity to eventually rotate his upper torso at a faster speed a fraction of second later in the downswing - by stretching his right abdominal wall muscles. However, there is a significant downside to this increased capacity to rapidly accelerate the hips at the start of the downswing while keeping the shoulders back - it allows the lower body to more easily outrace the upper body during the downswing. This problem has plagued Tiger Woods throughout his golfing career. Consider this comparison photo of Tiger Woods at impact - when aged 16 years and 24 years.

Tiger Woods at impact - from reference number [7]

Note that Tiger Woods' pelvis is nearly 90 degrees open to the target at impact, and that his right heel is raised off the ground - when he was 16 years old. By comparison, when Tiger Woods was 24 years old, he had learnt how to prevent his lower body outracing his upper body and his pelvis is only about 50 degrees open at impact. Even today (2007), Tiger Woods is wrestling with this hips-outracing-shoulders problem and he is always trying to slow his pelvis down during the downswing, so that he has better coordination between his upper and lower body movements. I recently read that Tiger Woods is consciously attempting to keep his right heel down for longer during the downswing - and this conscious thought-move presumably acts like a 'governor' limiting the speed at which his pelvis rotates open during the downswing.

Beginner golfers need to understand that the hips should not outrace the shoulders during the downswing, and that the shoulders should nearly catch up to the hips my impact. For example, consider a golfer who has a backswing hip turn of 50 degrees and a backswing shoulder turn of 100 degrees, creating a static torso-pelvic separation value of 50 degrees at the end-backswing position. By impact, a good golfer (on average) will have his hips open by about 40 degrees and the shoulders open by about 20 degrees. That means that during the downswing the shoulders have to rotate 120 degrees while the hips only have to turn 90 degrees. In other words, the shoulders have to rotate more than the hips during the downswing, and they must therefore rotate faster to nearly catch up to the hips by impact. In fact, if one studies a high speed swing video of a tour-quality golfer on a frame-by-frame basis using a swing analyser program, one will note that the shoulder-pelvis turn angle difference (degree of torso-pelvic separation) often diminishes during the early downswing (defined as the time period from the end-backswing position to the lead arm parallel position).

Here is an example of that type of video analysis.

Swing video of one of Slicefixer's students (Slicefixer = Internet name of a reknown Texas golf instructor) - from reference number [8]

Note that the degree of torso-pelvic separation is 48 degrees at the end-backswing position. Note that the degree of torso-pelvic separation steadily diminishes during the early downswing, and that it is only 37 degrees when the lead arm is parallel to the ground (end of the early downswing). In other words, the shoulders are actually rotating faster than the hips during the early downswing. Manybeginner golfers are taught that one should hold the right shoulder back at the start of the downswing while they start the downswing with a lower body shift-rotation movement. I think that it is mistake to hold the right shoulder back, and I believe that the right shoulder should move forward as soon as any spinal 'slack' is taken up. In other words, I agree that it is very important that a beginner golfer should be taught to start the downswing with a lower body shift-rotation move, so that the downswing starts from the bottom-up (lower body moving first before the upper body secondly moves). However, a beginner golfer shouldn't artificially/unnaturally hold the right shoulder back, and he should allow the shoulders to turn as soon as all spinal 'slack' is taken up. If a beginner golfer maximises his static X-factor (maximises his static torso-pelvic separation by maximising the rotary torquing of his thoracic spine during the backswing), then he will only be able to increase his torso-pelvic separation by about 5 degrees in the early downswing (creating an X-factor stretch of about 5 degrees). I think that if a beginner golfer minimizes the spinal 'slack' to about 5 degrees by maximizing his shoulder turn during the backswing, that it will both i) enhance his swing power and ii) increase the 'connectivity' between the upper body and lower body in the early downswing thus allowing for a smoother and more coordinated upper/lower torso rotation. Do I have any scientfic evidence to support my biomechanical argument that it is better to maximally torque the thoracic spine in order to maximize the static X-factor, and thereby automatically minimize one's dynamic X-factor, if one wants to increase swing power, and therefore ball velocity? I actually have substantial scientific evidence to support my position. Consider the scientific evidence.

Although many studies of a golfer's swing are performed at certain major golf company's headquarters (eg, Titleist, Taylor-Made), their study results are not publically available. I therefore could only peruse research studies published in the mainstream sports science literature. The most pertinent recent study is the research study by Myers et al. that was performed by the Department of Exercise and Sports Science of the University of North Carolina, and which was officially published in the January 2008 issue of the Journal of Sports Science [9].

The researchers studied the driver swings of three groups of golfers in an attempt to discern if there was a positive, and significant, correlation between upper torso and pelvis rotation/velocity and ball velocity. Ball velocity is a marker of swing power, and they divided the study participants into three groups, based on their ball velocity - a high ball velocity group (HBV group), a medium ball velocity group (MBV group) and a low ball velocity group (LBV group). In this review paper, I am going to only compare the HBV group to the LBV group. The HBV group were on average about 33 years of age and had an average handicap of 1.8, while the LBV group were on average 58 years of age and had an average handicap of 15. Both groups had a similar stature and body mass.

The follwing table lists the results of their study's observations.

Table reproduced from reference number [9]

I have placed red numbers alongside certain lines so that it will be easier for readers to locate which line's results I am referring to when I discuss the study's results. I will not be analysing all their results, and I only want to point out certain result-differences between the HBV group and the LBV group. I will also only be discussing the mean values and they should be conceived as being roughly representative of each sample group's 'average' result. (Note that each result is followed by a +/- value and that the +/- range represents one standard deviation - which means that 68% of the group's participants had measured results within that +/- range).

Line 1 demonstrates that the HBV group had a significantly increased ball velocity when compared to the LBV group - 75.4m/sec versus 55.7m/sec. This result-difference is significantly different - a P value of <0.001 reflects the likelihood of such a large measured difference in ball velocity being due to to chance if the two groups were not actually different, and it implies that there is <1/1,000 likelihood of getting such a large result-difference due to chance alone (if the two groups are not actually different). In general, one can presume that any study result accompanied by a P value <0.05 indicates that the measured result is not likely to be due to a chance event, thereby implying that there is a significant 'real' difference between the two groups. The lower the P value, the more likely there is a 'real' difference between the study's comparison groups, and the more likely that the measured difference is not likely to be due to a chance event.

Line 2 shows that the HBV group had a bigger upper torso (shoulder) rotation by the end-backswing than the LBV group - 104 degrees versus 94 degrees (an extra 10 degrees of shoulder rotation). Line 7 shows that the HBV group had a smaller amount of pelvis rotation by the end-backswing position than the LBG group - 44.9 degrees versus 49.8 degrees (5 degrees less pelvis rotation). Line 11 shows that the static X-factor (degree of torso-pelvic separation at the end-backswing position) was larger in the HBV group than the LBV group - 59.1 degrees versus 44.2 degrees (a 15 degree absolute difference). These highly significant result-differences (P value <0.001) between the HBV group and the LBV group helps to substantiate Jim McLean's theory that increasing one's static X-factor will likely increase one's swing power and therefore one's ball velocity.

Now, here are some interesting results! Note that the maximum degree of torso-pelvic separation (dynamic X-factor + static X-factor) was only 2.7 degrees greater than the end-backswing degree of torso-pelvic separation (static X-factor) in the HBV group, compared to 1.4 degrees for the LBV group - see lines 11 and 12. That's a biomechanically insignificant difference, and this study demonstrates that both the HBV group and the LBV group had very small X-factor stretch values of less than 5 degrees (2.7 degrees for the HBV group and 1.4 degrees for the LBV group). From my perspective, these small X-factor stretch value-results suggests that both groups of golfers maximized their upper body turn during the backswing so that they had very little spinal 'slack' at the end-backswing position. That means that they would be biomechanically incapable of holding their shoulders back at the start of the downswing when they started the downswing with a fast hip shift-rotation movement.

Now consider how fast their hips and shoulders moved in the early downswing (time period between the end-backswing position and the lead arm parallel position). Line 19 shows that the HBV group had a pelvis rotation speed of 401.7 degrees/second, while the LBV group had a pelvis rotation speed of 348.8 degrees/second, at the lead arm parallel position. That demonstrates that the HBV group could rotate their pelvis forward faster than the LBV group by a significant amount. However, note the very large difference in shoulder rotation speed between the HBV group (738.3 degrees/second) and the LBV group (546.1 degrees/second) at the lead arm parallel position - line 14. That's a highly significant difference (P value <0.001)! In fact, note that the HBV group could rotate their shoulders so fast in the early downswing that their shoulders were -37.4 degrees (the 'minus' sign indicates that the shoulders are closed relative to the ball-target line) at the lead arm parallel position - line 3. This shoulder position is similar to the value for the LBV group (-36.1 degrees) despite having 10 degrees of extra rotational distance to travel. In other words, the HBV group golfers could generate much faster shoulder turn speeds in the early downswing (compared to the LBV group). What accounts for the ability of HBV golfers to turn their shoulders very fast in the early downswing? I think that three biomechanical phenomena are in play and that these three biomechanical phenomena are working in concert to increase shoulder rotation speeds in the early downswing in golfers who are capable of generating a high ball velocity. First of all, the HBV group golfers had an increased degree of torso-pelvic separation at the end-backswing postion - 15 degrees greater - and that would allow them to use stretch-induced enhancement of eccentrically loaded left torso muscles to generate a faster upper torso turn at the start of the downswing. Secondly, they had probably maximised their spinal torque values at the end-backswing position by maximizing their static X-factor. That would minimize spinal 'slack' and allow their upper torso to be rotated passively forward with a minimum of delay when their pelvis rotated forward at the start of the downswing. These HBV group golfers were capable of turning their pelvis significantly faster in the early downswing, and with a minimization of spinal 'slack', that faster speed of pelvis rotation would rapidly torque the lumbar spine, and consequently the thoracic spine, so that the upper torso could turn passively faster around to the left. Thirdly, I would imagine that younger, very low handicap golfers would have a greater inherent capacity to actively use their mid-upper torso muscles more efficiently, so that they could actively turn their upper torso very fast during the early downswing - compared to much older, higher handicap golfers.

I think that a beginner golfer can learn a great deal from this research study. If a beginner golfer wants to maximise his swing power (ball velocity) when hitting a driver, then he should perform all of the following biomechanical actions.

i) He should maximise his static X-factor in such a way that he eliminates any unnecessary spinal 'slack' by the time he reaches the end-backswing position.

ii) He should start the downswing with a fast lower body turn. The lower body must move first so that it can rapidly take up any spinal 'slack'. This will allow the upper torso to respond optimally a fraction-of-a-second later, and thereby maintain an optimized level of 'connectivity' between the upper and lower body during the early downswing.

iii) He should allow natural spinal anatomy/biomechanical functioning to automatically transmit a torquing force, generated by a fast lower body turn, from the rotating pelvis-lumbar spine structural entity to the torqued-up thoracic spine, and this will allow part of the lower body's rotational force to be passively transmitted to the upper body, so that the upper body can also rotate faster. He should not artificially hold the shoulders back at the start of the downswing, and thereby resisist this natural/beneficial spine-torquing phenemenon.

Jim Mclean Golf Videos

iv) He should actively use his eccentrically-stretched left mid-upper torso muscles to actively turn the shoulders very fast at the start of the downswing, so that the entire torso turns synchronously as a single cohesive unit, and he shouldn't allow the lower body to outrace the upper body. There should also be a distinct sense that the right side of the torso is keeping up with the left side of the torso, and there should never be a 'feeling' that the left side of the torso is pulling away from the right side of the torso. The entire torso should turn as a single unit - from side-to-side and from top-to-bottom. When the lower body turns, the shoulders should rotate almost immediately - as perfectly exemplified by Ben Hogan in the following swing video.

Note the perfectly synchronous, perfectly coordinated, movement of Ben Hogan's upper and lower body as he actively starts the downswing with a lower body rotational movement. Although Ben Hogan starts the downswing by primarily rotating his lower body to an open position, note that his upper body seems to be moving at the same speed, and that there is no sense of asynchrony - no sense of separation - between the movement of his lower body and the movement of his upper body. The body seems to me moving as a single unit rotating in space during the early-mid downswing.

Hip Rise

In his recent article [1] Jim McLean also included the hip rise phenomenon as part of his triple-X factor concept. The fact that the right hip becomes slightly higher in the backswing and the left hip significantly higher in the late downswing is a well-known fact. I am not sure why Jim McLean regards this phenomenon of the left hip rising in the downswing as being a 'power surge' phenomenon, rather than being secondarily reflective of a power surge phenomenon. He states-: 'As you start down, both hips should lower into a sit-down position before the left hip rises dramatically, producing that burst of power'. He used the following photo in his article to demonstrate the hip rise phenomenon.

Hip Rise - from reference number [1]

I think that the main reason why the right hip rises slightly in the backswing is due to the fact that a golfer is pivoting over a relatively straight right leg, while the left knee naturally bends due to the fact that the left pelvis becomes relatively more unweighted as the backswing pivot action reaches completion. The opposite phenomenon occurs during the downswing - one pivots over a straightening left leg, while the right knee bends due to the fact that the right pelvis becomes progessively more unweighted as one gets closer to impact. The rise in the left pelvis is more dramatic because one generates more left-laterally directed momentum during the initial downswing pelvic shift-rotation movement, and the force of momentum drives the left upper thigh and left femoral head, and therefore the left pelvis, backwards and slightly upwards when the golfer resists the force of momentum by firming up the left knee. If the left knee firms up during the downswing, thereby resisting left-lateral sway of the left leg and pelvis, the left-laterally directed force (secondary to the hip shift-rotation movement of the pelvis at the start of the downswing) deflects the left upper thigh, left femoral head, and therefore left pelvis, backwards and slightly upwards. The greater the magnitude of this force, the more likely the left pelvis will be slanted upwards in the late downswing. One can readily see this phenomenon in Tiger Woods swing.

Tiger Woods - capture images from a swing video

Image 1 shows that Tiger Woods' pelvis is level at address. Image 2 shows that his right pelvis is slightly higher at the end-backswing position - due to the fact that he is pivoting over a relatively straight right leg. Image 4 shows that the pelvis becomes level again during the hip squaring action (secondary to starting the downswing with a hip shift-rotation move to the left). In the late downswing (images 5 and 6), Tiger Woods starts pivoting left over a straightening left leg and that causes the left pelvis to rise. Image 7 shows that his left leg is very straight at impact, thus maximising the elevation of the left pelvis. By contrast, the right pelvis simultaneously sinks lower to the ground because the right hip joint becomes progressively more unweighted during the late phase of the downswing.

Jim Mclean Golf Books

What is very interesting, and very informative, from my perspective, is the causal relationhsip between the left hip rising in the late downswing and the dropping of the right shoulder so that it moves downwards under the chin in the late downswing. Robert Baker (logicalgolf.com) brilliantly demonstrates how these two phenomena are causally related in a very informative swing video.

Robert Baker brilliantly demonstrates, using two hula hoops, how the upper body is rotating along one axis (upper hula hoop axis) while the lower body is rotating along a more horizontal axis (lower hula hoop axis). During the downswing, one should start the downswing move with a lower body shift-rotation move that eventually causes the left pelvis to slant upwards. This left-upwards slanting movement of the pelvis causes the lumbar spine, and therefore the thoracic spine, to become tilted rightwards (away from the target) in the late downswing. You can see that phenomenon occurring in images 6 and 7 in the Tiger Woods photo-sequence posted above. In image 4, the lumbar spine is facing forward (towards the ball-target line) during the hip squaring phase of the downswing pelvic action. However, the pelvis then starts to become more open in the late downswing and it also slants more upwards (image 6). That causes the lumbar spine, and therefore the thoracic spine, to become tilted backwards (away from the target) while its face-orientation becomes more oriented in the direction of the target. While the lumbar/thoracic spine are undergoing this change in tilt/face-orientation, the shoulders are rotating perpendicularly around the upper thoracic spine. You can see how Tiger Woods' right shoulder moves more vertically downwards in images 6 and 7 along a steeper path. I think that the changing tilt-axis and changing face-orientation of the lumbar/thoracic spine plays a major role in the steep movement-path of the right shoulder in the late downswing. Conceptually, a beginner golfer should think of the spine as being the primary interconnecting link between the lower hula hoop (pelvis rotational axis) and the upper hula hoop (shoulder rotational axis), and that changes in tilt/face-orientation of the spine allows changes in the lower hula hoop's rotational axis to causally affect the upper hula hoop's rotational axis.

Composite image created from Robert Baker's swing video

This composite photo shows Robert Baker in the same downswing position - from three different views. Note how the lower hula hoop axis is slanted slightly upwards and leftwards and that it causes the spine to be slanted in such a manner that the upper hula hoop axis becomes more vertically oriented along the ball-target line. The right shoulder travels along the path of the upper hula hoop axis, and its path is steeper in the later downswing. If a beginner golfer understands this interlinked relationship between the two hula hoops, it will allow him to understand how a 'correct' lower body move (hip shift-rotation move) at the start of the downswing helps get the right shoulder moving downwards and forwards along the 'correct' path and how it helps avoid an OTT move (roundhousing move of the right shoulder). If a beginner golfer can master this interlinked move, then he can drive his right shoulder down the upper hula hoop axis very fast at the start of the downswing without having to worry about coming OTT. Unfortunately, too many beginner golfers are taught to hold their right shoulder back at the start of the downswing, in a misguided attempt to avoid an OTT move. However, the OTT move is not primarily due to moving the right shoulder too fast at the start of the downswing - it is primarily due to moving the right shoulder along the incorrect path.

In an optimised golf swing, where the two hula hoop axes are optimised during the downswing, a golfer can freely rotate his pelvis very fast along one rotational axis while simultaneously rotating his shoulders freely and very fast along another rotational axis, and the golfer should allow his spine to 'correctly' interlink these two rotational movements so that that the upper and lower body can act in an optimally coordinated manner - thereby maximising swing power.

Head Swivel

The third component of Jim McLean's triple X-factor is the head swivel. In his Golf Digest article, Jim McLean wrote-: 'most tour players rotate their head towards the target before impact, yet the single swing thought for many amateurs is to keep their head down'. I agree that many beginner golfers are incorrectly taught to keep their heads fixedly still during the golf swing, and that it is both unnatural and harmful to keep one's head 'fixed in space' during the golf swing. I think that many beginner golfers, and their uninformed golf teachers, would greatly benefit if they simply observed the movement of a tour golfer's spine and head as viewed from above.

Consider a series of capture images from a swing video of a good golfer's swing - as viewed from above - from reference number [8].

Capture images from a swing video - see reference number [8]

At address (image 1), the head and neck is roughly held square to the ball-target line (see white marks on the back of the golfer's hat) and the eye line (straight line between the eyeballs) is therefore parallel to the ball-target line. Note that the pelvis, and therefore face-orientation of the lumbar spine, is parallel to the ball-target line, and that there is minimal rightwards spinal tilt.

At the end-backswing position (image 2), the pelvis has rotated about 50 degrees while the shoulders have rotated about 90 degrees. The fact that the shoulders have rotated 40 degrees more than the pelvis means that the thoracic spine is torqued so that it faces more rightwards than the lumbar spine (which faces about 50 degrees rightwards). The torquing of the thoracic spine to the right causes the cervical spine to also have a tendency to rotate slightly rightwards and that causes the head to rotate slightly rightwards in sympathetic alignment with the cervical spine. Note how the front bill of the golfer's hat has rotated a few inches to the right.

During the early downswing, the pelvis becomes square to the ball-target line and that causes the lumbar vertebra to face the ball-target line. At the same time, the thoracic spine is starting to also rotate towards the target and that causes the cervical spine and head to move likewise (see image 3).

By impact (image 4), the pelvis is about 40 degrees open, and that means that the lumbar spine is facing right of the target. The shoulders are about 20 degrees open, which means that the thoracic spine is facing slightly to the right of the ball-target line. It is perfectly natural, and virtually automatic, for the cervical spine and head to also become oriented in that same general direction - note the position of the white spots on the back of the golfer's hat, which indicates that the golfer has swivelled his head leftwards.

During the late followthrough, when the clubshaft is parallel to the ball-target line and along the toe line (image 5), the front of the thoracic spine is facing the target. If the golfer let's his cervical spine and head swivel naturally/automatically, the head will have a natural tendency to also swivel in the direction of the target.

All these rotary/swivelling movements of the head are natural/automatic biomechanical phenomena that will happen naturally (unconsciously) in response to the swivelling/spiralling motions of the thoracic and cervical spine. A beginner golfer should not resist these natural head swivelling movements, because any resistance will impede the natural flowing motion of the spine/torso as it rotates during the swing. Jim McLean is correct to infer that head swivelling or 'looking off the ball' after impact is a natural action and that a golfer should simply let it happen in a biomechanically natural manner.

It is important that a beginner golfer understand that one should swivel the head to the left during the late downswing without any lifting motion of the head, because any head lifting will cause the spine angle to change. A useful swing thought for beginner golfers is the idea of laying one's head on a pillow - as demonstrated in the following diagram.

'Head on Pillow'

Note that the golfer has swivelled his head left-laterally without any lifting motion of the head, or any alteration of the spine angle. That gives the golfer the appearance of 'laying his head on a pillow' as the right shoulder rotates under the chin in the followthrough.

A beginner golfer should also ensure that his eye-line remains parallel to the ball-target line throughout the entire downswing. This will help ensure that the clusbhaft approaches the ball along an inside track. During an OTT move, the clubshaft will have an outside-in swingpath and the eyeline will be directed inwards in the late downswing. By keeping the eyeline perfectly parallel to the ball-target line during the entire head swivelling action, the likelihood of an OTT move will be diminished.

See this swing video by Mike Malaska.

When you get to this linked page, click on the link to the 'Stop Coming Over The Top' video lesson. In that video lesson Mike Malska demonstrates how one can avoid an OTT move by keeping the eyeline parallel to the ball-target line, or oriented slightly to the right of the ball-target line, throughout the downswing. A beginner golfer should practice this move when swivelling his head to the left during the downswing.

Commentary, criticism and controversy:

Insightful comments from readers will be included in this section.

Jeff Mann.

January 2008.

References:

1. Triple X-factor. Jim McLean. Golf Digest. January 2008.

Abbreviated version available online at http://www.golfdigest.com/instruction/swing/2008/01/mclean_xfactor

2. Widen the Gap. Jim McLean. Golf Magazine. December 1992.

3. The X-factor Swing and Other Secrets to Power and Distance. Jim McLean.

4. Practical Golf. John Jacobs.

5. CIBA Collection of Medical Illustrations - Volume 8 : Musculoskeletal System.

6. Grants Atlas of Anatomy. Seventh Edition.

7. How I Play Golf. Tiger Woods.

8. Swing video of one of Slicefixer's students.

Available online at http://youtube.com/watch?v=iAkFST89yr8

9. The Role of Upper Torso and Pelvis Rotation in Driving Performance in the Golf Swing. Joseph Myers, Scott Lephart, Yung-Shen Tsai, Timothy Sell, James Smoliga, and John Jolly.

Journal of Sports Sciences, January 15th 2008; 26(2): 181 – 188.

Department of Exercise and Sport Science, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Abstract: While the role of the upper torso and pelvis in driving performance is anecdotally appreciated by golf instructors, their actual biomechanical role is unclear. The aims of this study were to describe upper torso and pelvis rotation and velocity during the golf swing and determine their role in ball velocity. One hundred recreational golfers underwent a biomechanical golf swing analysis using their own driver. Upper torso and pelvic rotation and velocity, and torso-pelvic separation and velocity, were measured for each swing. Ball velocity was assessed with a golf launch monitor. Group differences (groups based on ball velocity) and moderate relationships (r >/= 0.50; P < 0.001) were observed between an increase in ball velocity and the following variables: increased torso - pelvic separation at the top of the swing, maximum torso - pelvic separation, maximum upper torso rotation velocity, upper torso rotational velocity at lead arm parallel and last 40 ms before impact, maximum torso - pelvic separation velocity and torso - pelvic separation velocity at both lead arm parallel and at the last 40 ms before impact. Torso - pelvic separation contributes to greater upper torso rotation velocity and torso - pelvic separation velocity during the downswing, ultimately contributing to greater ball velocity. Golf instructors can consider increasing ball velocity by maximizing separation between the upper torso and pelvis at the top of and initiation of the downswing.
PMID: 17852693 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher.