The Right Forearm, Extensor Action and Swingers vs. Hitters

This is part of what I'm working on with Ted Fort, who works closely with Lynn Blake whose star pupil is PGA Tour Pro Brian Gay.




So, I've basically gone from being a 'swinger' to a 'hitter.' From my brief understanding of TGM, one way to describe a 'swinger' versus a 'hitter' is by how they establish 'extensor action.'

Extensor action is the straightening of the right arm (for righties) on the downswing. We all know that the right arm folds on the backswing and then it has to eventually straighten out on the downswing to full extension just after impact.

The pic below shows extensor action. In picture D, the right arm is folded and in picture G the right arm is fully extended.


In this case, a golfer can do it one of two ways. The golfer can just 'thrust' the right arm so it's straight after impact. That's a 'hitter'. They use their right side and 'thrust' the right arm. A 'swinger' will take their left arm and pull their right arm until it extends after impact.

Either can work. In fact, I was 'swinging' up until my second lesson and was hitting the ball with incredible accuracy. Now I am in full hitting mode and I've noticed a good 10-20 yards more in distance. And as Homer Kelley says in 'The Golfing Machine', a golfer can do both 'swinging' and 'hitting.' Of course, some TGM'ers are saying there's no such thing as 'pure hitting', but we'll get to that another time.

A good rule of thumb is Mr. Kelley's statement:

Hitting and Swinging seem equally efficient. The difference is in the players. If strong - Hit - if quick - Swing. If both - do either. Or both.

3JACK