Kenny Perry and Hitting Article

Nice article over at PGATour.com about Kenny Perry and his use of the right arm in the golf swing (http://www.pgatour.com/2009/tourlife/instruction/02/03/fultonblog_02309/index.html)

Here's some excerpts:

In the golf instruction world, Perry would be considered more of a "hitter" of the ball. This means that Perry actively straightens his right arm on the downswing.

This straightening effort of the right arm is often times overlooked in an otherwise sound golf swing, but it's very apparent with Perry's move because of how flat he keeps his feet are at impact. With a less active lower body at impact, Perry uses his right arm on the downswing as his major source of power and control.

The best way to describe his right arm on the downswing is that it is "pushing down and out." Pushing down allows the right arm to actively straighten while maintaining the bend in the right wrist. This feeling is no different than if you were to try to push something into the ground with your right arm.

I sort of disagree with this notion here as a 'swinger' can certainly have a flat rear foot at impact. Moe Norman probably had the flattest feet in a golf swing and was very much a 'swinger' of the golf club. But Perry has often been thought of as a 'hitter' in TGM circles. His 'coach' Matt Killen also seems to have some of the basic concepts of TGM down pretty well from hearing him speak.

Most amateurs do not accomplish this. They tend to release the right wrist too soon, resulting in inconsistent impact. For those who struggle with this issue, the described "pushing down" of the right arm should become more of a conscious effort.

Yes. Many amateurs have no idea of the flat left wrist at impact. And those who do don't realize that the best way to get a flat left wrist at impact is to not actively try to keep the left wrist at impact. One way to do that is to focus on keeping the right wrist bent at impact by pushing the right arm. This is a 'hitting' procedure.

I think one of the things that I find funny in the talk about 'hitters' vs. 'swingers' is the notion that most golfers are meant to be 'swinging.' Yet, these same people that mention that also claim that hitting is better for golfers with less flexibility. In my opinion, I don't see many flexible people when I head out to the range and I think golfers would tend to struggle to control a clubface by using their non-dominant arm and side. Kenny Perry shows that you can play world class golf and be a world class ballstriker and use a 'hitting' procedure.




3JACK