1 Iron Golf
Swing Tips XXV
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The Perfect Swing and Ball Position
by David Lake   David Lake
As I have stated many times in past newsletters, the perfect swing is an around-the-body swing with absolutely no lateral swaying motion to the right on the back-swing or to the left on the down-swing (R/H golfer). You can liken it to having a pole extending from the base of your skull that runs directly down through your spine and is shoved into the ground - you simply rotate your torso around the pole on your back-swing, down-swing, and follow-through while keeping your hips as stationary as possible. The next time you watch a golf tournament on television you will note that all of the pros make this type of swing with every club in their bag (including the driver). The reason that they do is because it allows for a complete and natural release of the wrists through impact which produces the desired crack-the-whip effect for increased distance. It also produces a dramatic increase in ball striking consistency since there are far fewer moving parts. The dreaded lateral sway that you see in 95% of amateur golfers greatly inhibits the ability to release the wrists through impact resulting in lessened distance and an open club-face. Consistent ball striking is virtually non-existent with a lateral sway since your timing would have to be perfect on every shot when moving laterally through impact.


There is another point to notice when you watch pros play, and that is that they use a center-of-stance ball position on the vast majority of their shots. The only exceptions would be bunker play, a short pitch or chip, and with the driver (although the pros use a ball position much closer to center than amateur golfers). One reason is that the lowest portion of the swing arc is directly in the center of the stance ensuring that the club is coming down into the ball as opposed to scooping it. The other, and most important, reason is that this is where the wrists naturally release which squares the club-face and adds considerable power to the shot (the crack-the-whip effect). The combination of a stationary swing (as noted above) and center-of-stance ball position ensures consistent and solid ball contact every time and will take your game to a whole new level.


The key to making an around-the-body swing is proper posture. This means a straight back with the buttocks protruding slightly as if you were going to sit down on a stool. Unfortunately, we have all been taught to use a forward ball position with most of our clubs which dictates a lateral sway in our swings in order to "catch up" to the forward ball position at impact. This lateral sway and reaching for the forward ball requires a rounded back posture which has been ingrained strongly in our swing over the years. In order to develop a correct and powerful swing this ingrained swing posture must be overcome since it is impossible to rotate your torso and arms around a stationary base while having a rounded back. The only way to undo a poor swing posture and replace it with the correct one is through time spent at the range and swing repetition while consciously setting your posture on each swing. As I have stated before, it is impossible to institute a swing change or correct a fault on the course.


The distinct advantages of a set of 1 Irons is that you only need to develop one correct swing and swing posture while using the same center-of-stance ball position with every club in the bag.

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