TEEING OFF

By D.J.  Tomasi

In all sports there is a sequence

of motion that maximizes performance

— a “golden sequence”

that all the great players in that

sport adhere to. They have stumbled

on it through solitary practice

and experimentation, as Ben

Hogan described his 10-year search

in the famous statement, “You

learn this game in the dirt.”

 

Or they may have a coach who guided

their progress. Whatever the route,

the prize usually goes to the athlete

who finds the Rosetta Stone and

then puts forth the effort to translate

that knowledge into super-performance.

 

In golf, part of the code is the

Kinematic Sequence, revealed over

the last few years through the use

of 3D motion analysis where electronic

signals record what is going

on in key areas such as the hips,

shoulders, arms and clubhead.

 

The information is translated into

charts and graphs that describe energy

transfers from the core of the

body, radiating outward from the

center through the upper torso,

along the arms, down the shaft and

finally into the ball.

 

The segments of your body —

each in their turn — accelerate

early in the downswing then progressively

slow in order to pass

their energy to the segment immediately

following until, by impact,

the clubhead has accumulated a

majority of the entire system’s energy

concentrated in one small

area, i.e. the clubhead.

 

The system (the body and your

club) is displaying a law of physics

called the conservation of momentum,

but in this case a better name

for it might be the collection of energy,

for that is the end result.

 

Golf’s golden sequence is as follows:

Starting back to the ball,

your core (aka hips or pelvis) accelerates,

then slows quickly as the

shoulders reach their peak rotational

speed just behind the hips.

The shoulders then slow and your

front arm reaches its max only to

slow just before impact to allow the

clubhead to gain its maximum

speed at the moment of collision.

 

Notice how the energy produced

through coil radiates out from the

center of your body to the outermost

point of the orbit — your

clubhead.

 

You can see now how important

your timing (or Time IQ) is. Golf is

not only a matter of what you do,

but when you do it. To recalibrate

your Time IQ, start by changing

your image of what happens in the

transition zone at the top of your

swing, an area that entices manipulation

from even the most well-intentioned

golfers. Implant the

image of starting the downswing

like a 747 taxiing down the runway,

gaining speed and power gradually,

rather than a dragster squealing

away.

 

To wit: Never force the club from

the top. Give yourself the gift of

time, a gift that will allow golf ’s

golden sequence to be your friend.

 

Dr. T.J. Tomasi is

a teaching

professional in

Port St. Lucie,

Fla. Visit his Web

site at

tjtomasi.com.