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Bobby Jones' swing challenges current dogmas
by Rick Hendershot, The Weekend Golfer
When instructors, analysts, and swing theorists talk about the early days of golf -- the hickory days before steel shafts and the modern ball -- they almost always refer to the golf swing of those days as being very "wristy". Of course we can still see remnants of this "wristy" swing in the chipping and putting techniques used by the likes of Palmer, Player and the early Nicklaus in the 60s and early 70s. And Jones certainly demonstrates his "wristiness" in the segment on the "short game".
But his full swing is not nearly as old-fashioned looking as the "wristy" moniker would lead one to believe. In fact, I think the fluidity, grace, and power of his full swing actually call into question some of the more important dogmas of modern teachers.
The most important of these dogmas is the modern preoccupation with creating tension (or "torque") between upper and lower body -- the "coil" as it is so often called. I call it the "coil-like-a-spring" theory. The theory is that on the backswing one should rotate the shoulders up to 90 degrees while restraining the rotation of the hips to somewhere around 45 degrees -- not because these are the comfortable limits of rotation, but because tension between top and middle is supposed to generate power.
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As the theory goes, the resulting tension between the big rotation of the shoulders and the not-so-big rotation of the hips is like the winding of a spring. This torque is waiting to be released on the downswing.
Being a fairly new golfer, I first encountered this theory in Nick Faldo's book "A Swing for Life". Faldo was under the influence of David Leadbetter at that time, so it's probably safe to assume it came from Leadbetter. More recently I've heard Jim McLean use this terminology (www.golfspan.com). And it's fair to say, I think, that this has become orthodox thinking among "conventional" teachers.
In these videos, Jones swings like he's never heard of the coil-like-a-spring theory. In fact he specifically says one should avoid tension whenever possible. For instance in Bobby Jones Golf Tips he says when describing the full swing: "The whole picture will be one of apparent ease and comfort, entirely free from strain of any kind." (p.48)
This is not because he doesn't rotate. The first thing you notice about his swing is the tremendous hip rotation he uses -- much more than many of his contemporaries (he says) and certainly more than modern-era golfers.
This concept of tension between upper and lower body is alien to him. In fact, he gives the lie to the tension theory. There is absolutely no evidence that he is trying to restrain his hip rotation.*
Jones also demonstrates the questionable status of two other dogmas related to backswing rotation. The first is that one should never take his backswing past "parallel-at-the-top". This is supposed to result in dire consequences such as duck hooks. But Jones demonstrates how a "full" backswing (well past parallel) works perfectly well. In fact, he specifically says one should go past parallel and "point right of the target".
The second related dogma has to do with keeping the front foot on the ground during the backswing. This is supposed to increase the stability of the swing, help eliminate swaying, sliding, or lifting, and help out in the coil-like-a-spring department by restraining lower body rotation. But again, Jones makes no attempt whatsoever to keep his front foot planted. In fact graceful, relatively non-stressful movement of the front leg (and foot) are integral parts of his backswing, and an important trigger for helping to make the transition to the downswing. (He also describes this somewhere in the tapes.)
Perhaps the graceful, non-stressful nature of these movements is why Nicklaus says, in his introduction, that amateur golfers would be better to emulate Jones' swing than that of most tour pros.
I suspect that all three of these things are related. Letting your front foot come off the ground during the backswing allows you to rotate more, go past parallel at the top, and reduce the tension in your left (front) side.
Like most relatively new golfers, for the first couple of years of my golfing life I had a tendency to lift my front foot off the ground during my backswing. At a driving range one day one of the assistant pros saw me swinging and advised me to keep that foot on the ground. Why I asked? "Because it gives you a more stable base and restrains the rotation of your hips."
Another faithful disciple of David Leadbetter. He obviously hadn't seen Bobby Jones' swing.
*NOTE: Jones does acknowledge that there is tension created at the point of transition between back swing and downswing.
"I have a feeling...I am pulling against something. There really is nothing to pull against except the tension in my own muscles -- there is another dangerous word, but there is no other that fits -- set up by the effort of the stroke."
But he is not saying this tension is created by the different amounts of rotation of upper and middle body, nor is he saying that this tension is a source of power as the advocates of the "coil like a spring" theory claim.
In fact it seems to me that Jones' description is much closer to kinesiological descriptions of how muscles work in stretching / throwing situations. But of course I could be wrong about this.
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Rick Hendershot is a marketing consultant, writer, and internet publisher who lives in Conestogo, Ontario, Canada. He publishes several websites and blogs, including Trade Show Tips, Web Traffic Resources, Marketing Bites, SuperCharge Your Website with Power Linking, and many more. He is also an avid golfer and student of the game. |
