Post by imperfectgolfer on Jun 21, 2019 10:54:26 GMT -5
Watch this BeBetterGolf video where Tony Luczak is instructing Brendon DeVore on how to better hit a long iron.
I agree with Tony that a golfer must have the clubhead traveling more parallel to the ground (generating a shallower clubhead attack angle) in the late downswing when hitting a long iron (or fairway wood or driver). In other words, the "feel" is that the clubhead is sweeping along the ground through impact.
However, I totally disagree with Tony's advice on how to accomplish that goal.
Tony advised Brendon to swing more downward-and-outward to shallow the clubhead attack angle. However, he does not explain how that "move" can shallow the clubhead attack angle.
Then, Brendon seemingly concluded that he must avoid the following early-mid downswing move.
Capture image from the BBG video.
Note that Brendon is at the P5.5 position with his hands well outside his right thigh and also below waist level. To accomplish that hand position at P5.5, note that he has to have a lot of secondary axis tilt and right lateral bend.
Brendon states that this "body motion" approach is sub-optimal and he wrongheadedly stated that it will predispose to flipping. I totally disagree with his opinion, and I think that he has got it 100% wrong. I think that it is very advantageous to acquire a lot of secondary axis tilt and right lateral bend if one wants to generate a shallow clubhead attack angle, so that the clubhead can travel relatively parallel to the ground (with a small negative clubhead attack angle of <2 degrees) in the later downswing just before impact.
Here is a comparison of the hand arc path of Dustin Johnson's driver swing and wedge swing.
The red splined path is Dustin Johnson's hand arc path.
Image 1 shows Dustin's hand arc path when swinging a driver. Note that his hands move downwards-and-slightly away from the target between P4 (1st white dot position on the hand arc path) and P5 (5th white dot position on the hand arc path). Note that his hands reach their lowest point on the hand arc path (where they become closest to the ground) at P5.5 (9th white dot position on the hand arc path). At that P5.5 time point, his hands are well outside his right thigh. Then, note how his hands travel relatively parallel to the ground between P5.5 and impact, and that allows him to get the released clubhead to travel relatively parallel to the ground in the last 12"-15" of clubhead travel just before impact. Note how Dustin Johnson has to acquire a lot of secondary axis tilt and right lateral bend in order to biomechanically create that hand arc pattern.
Image 2 shows Dustin Johnson's hand arc path when hitting a wedge. Note that his hands only reach the lowest point on the hand arc path after the hands bypass the right thigh (2nd last white dot on his hand arc path) and that his hands are traveling diagonally downwards-and-forwards during his mid-late downswing. Note that he has far less rightwards spinal tilt and little right lateral bend. In other words, when hitting a short iron with a desirably larger negative clubhead attack angle, a skilled pro golfer will stand with his thoracic spine aligned more vertically at address and he will acquire no/little secondary axis tilt + right lateral bend during the downswing and he will direct his hands more diagonally down towards the ball in his mid-late downswing, so that the hands only reach their nadir point on the hand path after they bypass the right thigh.
I think that shaping the hand arc path is the optimum method of creating the different clubhead attack angles needed for a driver (or fairway wood or long iron) swing compared to a short iron swing, and the body and hands have to move very differently to efficiently create those very different hand arc patterns (as seen in that Dustin Johnson comparison image).
Jeff.