Golf Swing Key Concepts - Part VII

Mike Jacobs (GSED) with a superb video on 'hitting' and 'swinging' and why we actually do both.



Here's a Jeff Evans video also helping explain why I don't believe anybody can truly be a 'pure hitter.'



As you can see in the Evans video, if one were to try and 'purely hit' that would push the club up towards the sky on the startdown because that's the only direction one could 'push' the club with the right arm.

So I believe what happens is what Jacobs talks about in his swing. The *reality* is that the golfer has to pull the club down with the pivot and/or the left arm and then they push the club with their right arm as they get to about P5-P6 range. And as Jacobs explains in his video, 'pure swingers' really don't exist because without having force across the shaft (aka pushing) they simply cannot provide a lot of power with the club.

IMO, the point is not to really think 'pull then push' because that will probably be difficult for the golfer to think about and properly execute.

However, I still believe the idea behind 'swinging' and 'hitting' still has value.

Why?

Because it gives the beginning golfer a good 'starting point' as to how they will try and get the club to the ball on the downswing and will give struggling golfers an 'alternative' to help out their downswing.

IMO, the latter may be more useful to golfers.

Essentially, if you feel like you pull the club with your left arm, much like you would pull a large rope attached to one of those large, medeviel bells and are trying to 'ring the bell' and that approach is not working for you like you would like. There's a decent chance that you are pulling too much with the left arm on the downswing. So the concept that may work better for you is to start pushing with the right arm.

Conversely, if you feel you pushing the club with your right arm on the downswing and struggling with that, you may need to start thinking of pulling the club with your left arm and/or your pivot instead.

I think this concept helps explain why a golfer may need to switch their mindset in the downswing because the reality is (and Jacobs is basically quoting what physicists and biomechanical engineers have stated) that we do both and we just need to make sure that we do not 'overdo' pushing or pulling.





3JACK