Left arm in the golf swing

[tmarshl]

Re: Left arm in the golf swing

I had a lesson today with my pro and he told me something which totally changed my swing (for the better). Recently they found some old film of Bobby Jones swinging, transferred it to video, and analyzed it in detail.

They found that Bobby Jone's downswing speed was just 1% faster than gravity! I have been told for years to let the club "drop into the slot", but I guess I never actually believed it. Hearing that one of the greatest golfers in history had such a languid downswing made the light-bulb go on over my head.

It also became much easier to swing with my left arm, and leave my right arm out of it. Once I truly tried this, my swing became much smoother, and I hit the ball farther and straighter.

Another paradox of golf: swinging slower at the top of the downswing generates more club-head speed and power at impact. What a joy this game is.

[tmarshl]

Re: Left arm in the golf swing

One plane swings are difficult for people who are tall. I tried a one-plane swing for several months, and although it worked well, my back was killing me after a round for bending over so much. The nice thing about a one-plane swing was the consistency I could achieve without worrying about perfect tempo.

Since I am tall (6'3") I have resolved to get the two-plane swing right. I am making great progress on this, but I find that all of the moving parts have to work in perfect synchronization. Tempo is king of the two-plane world.

[BrianW]

Re: Left arm in the golf swing

I had a lesson today with my pro and he told me something which totally changed my swing (for the better). Recently they found some old film of Bobby Jones swinging, transferred it to video, and analyzed it in detail.

They found that Bobby Jone's downswing speed was just 1% faster than gravity! I have been told for years to let the club "drop into the slot", but I guess I never actually believed it. Hearing that one of the greatest golfers in history had such a languid downswing made the light-bulb go on over my head.

It also became much easier to swing with my left arm, and leave my right arm out of it. Once I truly tried this, my swing became much smoother, and I hit the ball farther and straighter.

Another paradox of golf: swinging slower at the top of the downswing generates more club-head speed and power at impact. What a joy this game is.

This is the way Bobby did it, classic and graceful :