You wrote-: "I'm 39 until the 26th of this month. I'm aware that some use age as an excuse, but I won't put up with that garbage. Tell them to get in the gym, take a lesson, or stop complaining."
Phew!
I have seen that attitude among many golf instructors. It is a great pity! The problem is not age per se, it's age-related physical inflexibility problems. Many elder people don't suffer from age-related flexibility problems - like Gary Player. However, others do - like Arnold Palmer. He has such poor torso flexibility at present that he virtually has to stand erect to execute a torso rotation. The age-related torso inflexibility problem is not remedial with gym workouts if the problem is genetic - an increased age-related genetic predisposition to calcification of spinal ligaments and/or increased fibrosis of the intervertebral discs and paraspinal ligaments that causes a major loss of disc/ligament elasticity.
OB Left
That photo of Homer has no relevance. Look at how he swings the string - his hand and arm is outstretched away from his body. In a "real" golf swing, a swinger has his right elbow in a pitch position alongside his right hip at the delivery position with the right elbow still bent - like Aaron Baddeley in the next photo. From that position, consider the biomechanical events involving the left upper limb that must occur if he wants to rotate the flat left wrist/hand 90 degrees into impact.
Jeff.
Last edited by Jeff : 01-18-2009 at 01:18 AM.
Reason: grammar
That photo of Homer has no relevance. Look at how he swings the string - his hand and arm is outstretched away from his body. In a "real" golf swing, a swinger has his right elbow in a pitch position alongside his right hip at the delivery position with the right elbow still bent - like Aaron Baddeley in the next photo. From that position, consider the biomechanical events involving the left upper limb that must occur if he wants to rotate the flat left wrist/hand 90 degrees into impact.
Jeff.
Id bet that in Homers swirling balsa wood clubhead experiment, the club face conditions and string line from #3 to sweet spot would be present regardless of any degree of bend in his right elbow.
These things have nothing to do with the right elbows condition in his demonstration. That is the reason for the string line, there being no mechanical or rigid connection, just CF seeking to establish an aligned club face. This should be good news! I cant fathom how to play good golf without this sweetspot "feel". This phenomena is our best friend when properly applied.
Imagine swinging the club shaft instead: "Ok so this is now my pitching wedge and therefore given its heel to sweetspot measurement of x inches I now need to swing x inches parallel to and inside of the target line" And then, "Now for a 9 iron the measurement changes so Im just going to swing ........Ok now for my 6 iron which has a different measurement again .......etc etc. A different plane line for every heel to sweetspot measurement!
Why not just swing the sweetspot at the ball or aiming point? It's the sweetspot that our hands feel afterall.
I never "feel" the sweetspot and I always hit the sweetspot when I hit a golf ball. Off-center hits are not one of my problems. I don't think of the sweetspot or the clubshaft when I swing - I primarily think about my "hands". I want my hands to produce an i) on-plane swing, and ii) forward shaft lean at impact - which requires a flat left wrist and a bent right wrist at impact.
When you state that you "feel" the sweetspot - when do you "feel" it?
Yodas Luke
I don't know why you have gone off on a tangent by writing about "motivation". I was only stating that golf instructors have to understand human biomechanics and teach golfers to swing efficiently within the framework of their biomechanical limitations. It is my experience that many golf instructors are near-clueless regarding the topic of biomechanical limitations and their "effects" on the optimum execution of the golf swing.
Jeff.
Last edited by Jeff : 01-18-2009 at 01:25 PM.
Reason: added a question
I don't know why you have gone off on a tangent by writing about "motivation". I was only stating that golf instructors have to understand human biomechanics and teach golfers to swing efficiently within the framework of their biomechanical limitations. It is my experience that many golf instructors are near-clueless regarding the topic of biomechanical limitations and their "effects" on the optimum execution of the golf swing.
Jeff.
I would agree, about some being clueless. But, you say "limitations", and I say abilities. I don't like the victim mentality, so my issue is with the verbiage.
It's important to be able to accommodate. One of my students is a double amputee from above the knees. I would say that's not the best case scenario for golf. But, other than looking a little stiff, you'd never know. I've seen him hit it about 240 with a driver. My goal for him is 100% of his potential. It's not to lament over his "limitations".
I think of the word "abilities" and "limitations" being equivalent from a biomechanical perspective - because I don't harbor any emotional feelings about any golfer's limited biomechanical abilities. I am totally neutral, and I simply try and understand how to best optimize a golfer's golf swing biomechanics/mechanics/physics for his "given" set of biomechanical abilities (limitations).
You wrote-: "I cannot see the fingers of the pianist playing Mozart that misses a key, but I can hear it. Must everything been seen to know?"
I think that's a weak argument. You are using your auditory sense organ to assess the accuracy of a pianist's note-playing. That's appropriate because you are using the appropriate sense organ to sense sound waves. However, if you want to assess whether the pianist's fingers are moving in space properly, then you must use the appropriate sense organ - the visual sense organ (or its appropriate surrogate substitute, a high speed swing video camera).
If the clubshaft hosel is actually moving around the clubhead sweetspot in space during the golf swing, then surely it must be visually-apparent.
I think of the word "abilities" and "limitations" being equivalent from a biomechanical perspective - because I don't harbor any emotional feelings about any golfer's limited biomechanical abilities. I am totally neutral, and I simply try and understand how to best optimize a golfer's golf swing biomechanics/mechanics/physics for his "given" set of biomechanical abilities (limitations).
Jeff.
How much do you teach, and do you often work with those that have "limited biomechanical abilities"?
You wrote-: "I'm 39 until the 26th of this month. I'm aware that some use age as an excuse, but I won't put up with that garbage. Tell them to get in the gym, take a lesson, or stop complaining."
Phew!
I have seen that attitude among many golf instructors. It is a great pity! The problem is not age per se, it's age-related physical inflexibility problems. Many elder people don't suffer from age-related flexibility problems - like Gary Player. However, others do - like Arnold Palmer. He has such poor torso flexibility at present that he virtually has to stand erect to execute a torso rotation. The age-related torso inflexibility problem is not remedial with gym workouts if the problem is genetic - an increased age-related genetic predisposition to calcification of spinal ligaments and/or increased fibrosis of the intervertebral discs and paraspinal ligaments that causes a major loss of disc/ligament elasticity.
Wow, when I glanced at the photos before reading the text, I was going to give you a big atta-boy on the pictures. I thought you were showing me your Impact pictures. They are great pictures, no matter who it is.
Some of my students have had or have polio, MS, stroke victims, birth defects, etc. Not one complains about what they can't do. They are proactive in learning what they can do. That's the attitude that I want in a student, and that's the attitude that I have as a teacher. It's always about the positives. If you don't think you can succeed, stay home. If you live by the motto "I can't", then you won't.
When my guy with a polio ravaged right arm takes your money on the course , you'll stop feeling sorry for him.
__________________
Yoda knows...and he taught me!
For those less fortunate, Swinging is an option.
Last edited by YodasLuke : 01-18-2009 at 09:55 AM.
You wrote-: "I'm 39 until the 26th of this month. I'm aware that some use age as an excuse, but I won't put up with that garbage. Tell them to get in the gym, take a lesson, or stop complaining."
Phew!
I have seen that attitude among many golf instructors. It is a great pity! The problem is not age per se, it's age-related physical inflexibility problems. Many elder people don't suffer from age-related flexibility problems - like Gary Player. However, others do - like Arnold Palmer. He has such poor torso flexibility at present that he virtually has to stand erect to execute a torso rotation. The age-related torso inflexibility problem is not remedial with gym workouts if the problem is genetic - an increased age-related genetic predisposition to calcification of spinal ligaments and/or increased fibrosis of the intervertebral discs and paraspinal ligaments that causes a major loss of disc/ligament elasticity.
JEFF.
Jeff,
You know what the irony of that statement is? Sure enough Yodasluke will be the one in his group that develops age related physical problem.. arthritis something ... he will be striken. He acts all high and mighty now, while he's barely into middle age but you watch... when life dishes out some of its lessons to him (and its surely will with such a self-righteous attitude... karma) he'll be screaming excuses at the top of his lungs to some young know-it-all punk telling him to get to the gym and quit making excuses .
Anyway Jeff, you're doing fine given your age and late taking up of the sport. Congrats..
You know what the irony of that statement is? Sure enough Yodasluke will be the one in his group that develops age related physical problem.. arthritis something ... he will be striken. He acts all high and mighty now, while he's barely into middle age but you watch... when life dishes out some of its lessons to him (and its surely will with such a self-righteous attitude... karma) he'll be screaming excuses at the top of his lungs to some young know-it-all punk telling him to get to the gym and quit making excuses .
Anyway Jeff, you're doing fine given your age and late taking up of the sport. Congrats..
I am not the High and Mighty, but I did speak to Him today. He said to tell you that His name is not "karma".
, you'll stop feeling sorry for him.
Hybrid Mode
