Dispelling Golfing Myths and Misleading Terms

Whilst playing golf I have heard and experienced many strange and unusual interpretations of the golf swing and related matters. These expressions, terms or sayings have been passed down through the years until they have become unwritten laws relating to the world of golf. Whilst there may be some truth behind the principles upon which these terms were originally based, taking them too literally or out of context can seriously inhibit our ability to swing the club. Also, these terms can be confusing and are generally open to different interpretations by each individual. In teaching, interpretation and understanding of an instruction is vital and therefore, clarity and accuracy of terms and phrases is essential if true improvement is to be achieved. I will now clarify and dispel some of the golfing terms and myths which have been perpetuated through the years.

Term No. 1 – KEEPING THE HEAD DOWN OR STILL

This is probably the oldest golfing cliché of them all! If a golfer buries their head in their chest or locks their head in position as the term suggests, it will greatly limit the ability for the shoulders to coil and inhibit the proper rotation of the whole body. Keeping the head down will only cause the spine to straighten and the head to lift coming into impact otherwise you would have a broken back! The head must move with the spine during the swing if any real power is to be generated. The head should not move up or down excessively but remain at a constant level until after impact. In a recent study of the top 100 players in the world, it was found that in the backswing, there was a sideways movement of the head towards the non-target side of between 1 and 4 inches. Try throwing a ball side arm from your address position and you will get an accurate feeling for the range of permissible and necessary head movement in the golf swing.

Head Down Bad Position

Head Clear Good Position

Term No. 2 – KEEP THE TARGET ARM STRAIGHT OR STIFF

If the target arm (arm nearest target) is kept rigid, straight or stiff during the backswing the only thing you will succeed in creating is tension. Your fingers will tighten around the grip of the club, the arm tenses and muscular gridlock spreads throughout the upper body. The arms will now move independently of the body and the tension created will inhibit the rotation of the shoulders thus causing the swing to become hand and arm dominated. It is necessary to have a degree of relaxation or softness in the arms to promote a proper backswing and enhance your rhythm. This will also encourage the arms and body to move together in a more connected fashion and not independently of one another thereby producing a more efficient motion. The target arm will be firm and straight at the moment of impact but this is as a result of centrifugal force pulling on the clubhead (physics) and not a result of tension.

Straight Left Arm Bad Position

Flexed Left Arm Good Position

Term No. 3 – PULLING DOWN WITH THE BACK OF THE TARGET HAND
OR THE BUTT OF THE CLUB

Similar instructions such as creating the late hit or maintaining the wrist hinge/angle (second lever) also fall into this category. Several years ago with the advent of high-speed photography it became possible to freeze the motion during the golfswing. As a result, people began trying to isolate and intentionally recreate parts of the golfswing in which the club was travelling close to 100 mph. If the club is travelling that fast it is an effect of something that has happened before, it cannot be a cause. If a golfer pulls the butt of the club down or pulls with the target hand or arm in the downswing they create unnatural angles with their arms. Pulling down with the target hand or arm will force the target elbow up to the sky coming into impact, resulting in the classic “chicken wing” position and no proper extension. Better advice may be to try to keep the elbows pointing downward throughout the entire swing motion thereby creating the proper forearm rotation required to square the club at impact.

Staying Behind the Ball Bad Position

Covering the Ball Good Position

Term No. 4 – STAY BEHIND THE BALL

Another consequence of high-speed photography and video was the ability to isolate a players´ impact position. It showed that a players head was in fact behind the ball at the moment of impact. As a result people began trying to keep the head and the non-target shoulder back behind the ball at impact. This causes the weight to remain on the non-target leg resulting in all kinds of poor shots. It is true that the head is behind the ball at impact but just after impact, the forceful uncoiling of the shoulders should allow the head to rotate with the shoulders and come up through the shot. The shoulders actually catch up and pass the hips just after impact. At the finish of the swing we will be facing our target, this ensures that the shoulders have out-turned the hips and a correct weight shift has been made.

Term No. 5 – SWING SLOWER, SWING EASIER, LET THE CLUB DO THE WORK

These terms have developed because most people have an instinct to “hit” the ball. This normally results in a loss of rhythm, timing, tempo and ultimately, control. These instructions are given on the basis that if we swing slower or easier we will have more control. This may or may not be true however, we can be sure of the following; the club does no work by itself, swing easier only hits the ball shorter not better, and slowing down a bad swing only gives you a slow bad swing.

Term No. 6 – MUSCLE MEMORY

Most golfers practice for hours under the assumption that they are storing memory into their muscles. The fact is that muscles do not have the capacity to store information. Practicing is important for toning and strengthening muscles and improving technique but storage of information is a function of the brain. Muscle memory is a “mythical” state in which muscles remember things instead of the brain. It is as valid as moustache memory, clothing memory, hair memory and fingernail memory. In other words, if your muscles are capable of remembering how to swing the club, then your shirt should be able to remember also. It does not exist!!

Term No. 7 – A DRAW GOES FURTHER THAN A FADE

When asked which shot goes further most people answer that a draw goes further than a fade. When asked why, most answer because a draw has top spin. With this in mind, allow me to quote the following from the Titleist Golf Ball Aerodynamics Department relating to common myths; “there are television golf commentators who time and again will attribute a long carrying and/or rolling shot to a player putting a lot of overspin on the ball. This is utter nonsense for 2 reasons: first, it is impossible to put any overspin on any shot other than a completely topped one, and second, even if it could be done, the shot would be much shorter than one with backspin. Such a shot would only fly a small fraction of the normal distance and even with extra roll would still be shorter” If we accept the experts view that we cannot put overspin/topspin on the ball then why would or should a draw go further? The answer is it doesn´t. If we understand what swing path and what clubface angle produces a draw or a fade then we will realise that what is imparted on the ball is a degree of side spin (which gives the shot it´s shape/flight). If the degree of side spin is the same (imparted by the swing path) and the clubface square (as it should be to produce a draw or a fade) then there is no scientific reason why the ball should go further. As long as we compare like for like then this holds true. Clearly, a hook will go further than a slice however, in this case the comparison is not the same. With a hook the clubface is closed and loft taken off the club whilst with a slice the clubface is open and loft added to the club. If you are still in doubt does a left handed players draw go further than a right handed players fade? After all they are the same shot!

It is evident to see how these innocent one-liners (and there are many more) can hinder a golfers development. It is important that we understand these terms and the faults that they inevitably breed and then forget them! These terms inhibit and can destroy the motion and rhythm required to swing and play consistently. Also as we can see, some are based on untruths and are not factually correct. How we interpret these terms may have affected our thinking and our previous performance. In the simple act of throwing a ball, there are not many people who would keep their head down or still, their arm straight or stiff, create unnatural angles or stay back. So why is it so many do so when they play golf? Maybe the language which has been used does not create or convey the correct meaning. Maybe it is misunderstood and misinterpretated. There is a simple test for a golfing term:-

1.    It must be easy to understand and not abstract.
2.    It must make good common sense, be logical or be proven.
3.    It must not violate the rule of cause and effect (i.e. it cannot ask you to consciously do something when the club is moving at 100 mhp with creates a physical impossibility).
4.    It must be clearly visible in the swings of the worlds´ best players.

Paul is based at Oliva Nova Club de Golf, Oliva, Valencia, Spain