CHAPTER ONE
PROPER BODY MECHANICS
FOR A GOOD GOLF SWING

In his book Five Lessons, The Modern Fundamentals of Golf, Ben Hogan describes the movement that takes place in the golf swing as a "continuous chain of actions." "Like the component parts of the engine of an automobile, the component parts of the swing fuse together and work together in a purposeful sequence," wrote Hogan. "As each component performs its part of the operation, it sets up the proper operation of the other components with which it is connected."

Proper sequencing is the key to making a timely, powerful golf swing. For example, in the forward swing the first body part to move is your legs, followed by your hips, shoulders, and, finally, your arms and hands. Your hands transfer the power you've generated up to that point to the club. If that sequence is broken (for example, if your hands start down first), or there's a glitch in the kinematic chain, your ability to hit the ball solidly is greatly diminished. And there is very little room for error: Miss the center of the clubface by as little as a quarter of an inch, or even less, and you can find yourself in the trees with the chipmunks instead of in the fairway. Get the sequencing correct, and you strongly enhance your chances of hitting the center of the clubface and finding the heart of the fairway.

The ultimate goal is to perform the correct movements automatically without having to think so much, to repeat your swing under pressure as though it were on autopilot.

The following swing sequence of Vijay Singh, shot in 2004 at the Mercedes Championships in Hawaii, will help give you a better understanding of the proper movements, or biomechanics, required of your body during the swing. It's Vijay at his very best—he shot to number one in the Official World Golf Ranking in '04 and also captured PGA Tour Player of the Year honors with nine victories and more than $10 million in earnings.

This chapter will analyze in detail eight key positions in Vijay's swing—from address to the finish. You will learn the proper sequencing of movement that will allow you to make a full backswing. You will also learn why it's important to keep the clubhead lagging behind your hands well into the downswing, and what it means to clear your hips.

Of course, not everyone is built like Vijay, nor do they have the time to spend four to five hours a day hitting balls on the practice range, as he's known to do. But with a better understanding of the fundamental movements of a tour player's swing, you'll gain an appreciation for the golf-specific exercises you'll see later in this book, and why they're being prescribed for you.

Your address position, or how you stand to the ball, lays the groundwork for your swing. It impacts your body's movement, the path the clubhead takes during the swing, your balance, the clubhead speed, and the point at which the clubface makes contact with the ball. In other words, it's the most important position in golf. "Set up correctly," wrote Jack Nicklaus in Golf My Way, and "there's a good chance you'll hit a reasonable shot, even if you make a mediocre swing. Set up incorrectly, and you'll hit a lousy shot even if you make the greatest swing in the world."

The angles created by your body at address form the foundation of a good setup. In the photo above (left), you'll see that Vijay's spine angles to the right, away from the target. This lowers his right shoulder, which mirrors the position of his right hand on the club—below his left. More importantly, it presets his upper body behind the ball, so that he has an easier time loading his weight onto his right side and turning his shoulders. It also presets his body in the correct impact position, with his head and upper body behind the ball, so that he can transfer maximum force to the ball.

Vijay tilts forward from his hips—about 30 to 35 degrees—so that his chest points toward the ground. This directly impacts the path, or plane, the club will take during the swing. Hogan referred to this plane as a tilted pane of glass running from the ball through the top of your shoulders. It is also frequently defined as the angle your shaft makes when soled on the ground at address. Your club is considered to be on-plane when your shaft travels parallel to this tilted line during the swing. The more on-plane your swing is, the flatter your angle of approach is into the ball and the more clubhead speed and power you're able to generate.

If you stand too erect at address, your shoulders will swing on a more horizontal plane and there will be little downward movement to the club. You'll have to significantly alter your posture during the downswing to get down to the ball. Bend over too much at address, and your plane will be more vertical—almost straight up and down. Consequently, you'll have a hard time turning your shoulders and delivering the club from the inside with any speed or accuracy.

Provided Vijay maintains his forward tilt, he should be able to rotate his shoulders and pelvis back and through with maximum speed and efficiency, without having to make any compensations to his swing. His shoulders will remain on-plane, helping to deliver the clubhead from the proper inside path for a solid hit on the ball.

Vijay's weight is centered over both feet, just forward of his arches, which creates good balance and the desired swing path. Put too much weight on your toes and you'll pick the club up too steeply; too much toward your heels and you'll swing the club too far to the inside. His stance width, which is measured by the distance between his heels, is widest with his driver and narrowest with his wedges, or shortest clubs. A wider stance helps support a longer swing and encourages a bigger swing arc and more clubhead speed. A narrow stance restricts the amount of shoulder turn you can generate in the backswing but increases your body rotation through impact.

Vijay starts the club back with the big muscles of his chest and shoulders; his hips are the last to move. In fact, there's little movement to his hips during the first few feet of his backswing. His lower body remains very quiet, as though it were cast in cement. Vijay's left arm remains snug against his chest as he turns back, which helps keep the clubhead outside of his hands and on-plane. This is the primary function of the takeaway—to get the club started back on the proper plane, with good rhythm and tempo. Vijay also gets great extension with his arms, which creates a bigger, wider swing arc and more power.

Copyright © 2007 by Vijay Vad, M.D.