But this does not make sense. Your hips are not in the way of your hands. When was the last time you hit your hip as you were swinging your club? The fact is, you don't have to rotate your hips at all in order to make a golf swing. Some systems actually recommend minimal hip rotation during the impact portion of the swing.

In my own basement research, "clearing the hips" does help put the club on a more powerful, more direct path to the ball coming into the point of impact.

The reason is...

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Nicklaus urges golf ball to be "rolled back" - There's a very interesting article by Jack Nicklaus in the March issue of Golf Digest called "I've Been Thinking." One of the points he usually makes in articles like this is that, in his opinion, the modern ball goes too far and has changed the game for the worse. As he says in this article, "My greatest concern, because I believe it has the most effect on the most parts of the game, is the golf ball."

According to Nicklaus, after about 60 years in which the game (and equipment) stayed pretty much the same, in the 1980s and 90s the game of golf started to change dramatically. In the 80s it was the introduction of metal headed drivers and "woods", and in the 90s it was changes in golf ball technology. Both changes let players hit the ball farther.

Golfers at all levels like to have their egos stroked, but the truth is, a guy like Fred Funk does not add 30 or 40 yards to his drives by working out or by improving his swing. These increased distances are mostly a result of "technology" changes. It is a familiar refrain, but for guys like Nicklaus who design courses this has meant the classic old courses aren't long enough anymore.

We lesser mortals have come to take these ongoing "improvements" for granted because we think it levels the playing field between good players and not-so-good ones -- it makes us think we can become better golfers by simply buying new clubs or using a different ball.

The irony is that just the opposite has happened. It is a well-known fact that high handicap players do not get the same benefit out of technology improvements as do better players. While a pro might be able to hit different balls different distances, your average hacker doesn't see these increases because he or she doesn't have a consistent enough swing and can't generate the club head speed required to take advantage of the new balls.

It is a bit different with clubs, since larger metal heads and game improvement irons mean fewer duffed shots. But I suspect this advantage is again over-estimated for higher-handicap players. For a bogey golfer playing a 380 hard hole driving the ball 200 yards rather than 180 still won't produce very many pars. Why? Because he still can't make the 180 yard approach shot. So he's just as far ahead using a 5 iron off the tee.

So technology improvements have actually widened the gap between the pros and the schmos. And to add insult to injury courses are now being made tougher and longer to accommodate the 5 or 10% of golfers who are "big hitters."

At the root of the issue is the way golf is driven by marketing at all levels from recreational to professional. The inability of the golfing poobahs at the USGA and R&A to control the "improvements" has meant that golf has become a consumption driven sport like no other. And the chance of this changing in the foreseeable future are slim to none.

As is often the case here, the weather is unpredictable. The first few days were very wet, although temperatures were quite bearable. We only had the opportunity to play three courses in PEI this trip: Rustico Resort, Crowbush Cove, and Dundarave at Brudenell River. I will have pictures and more complete reports over the next couple of weeks.

Generally speaking I was very impressed with Dundarave, and a bit let down by Crowbush.

On the second leg of our trip we are in Cape Breton at the extreme eastern end of Nova Scotia. I finally had the opportunity to play Highlands Links, situated out on the ocean along the famous Cabot Trail. Highlands is very highly rated in all course ratings world wide, and, frankly, I expected to be disappointed. But that was not the case at all. It is a fantastic course, among the best I have played anywhere. I will have a full report, with many photos, soon.

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Hip Rotation in the Golf Swing

by Rick Hendershot

There are almost as many theories about the golf swing as there are instructors. And one of the least understood aspects of the swing is the rotation of the hips to an "open" position just before impact.

Most contemporary golf instructors believe it is necessary to "clear your hips just before the point of impact" in order to get your hips out of the way of your hands. According to this theory, if you don't "clear your hips" your hands and arms will be impeded and will not be able to attack the ball with power.

This is sometimes used as an explanation for why an overly "vertical" stance is not a good thing. According to this line of thinking, when you stand too close to the ball your hands will not be able to make a clean pass in front of your body because on the way down your hips will get in the way.
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In the current issue of Golf Digest David Leadbetter talks about something he calls "swing chi." My first reaction was to sneer and say to myself -- "another useless gimmick from Leadbetter." But possibly I was being too hasty. Maybe this idea isn't as dumb as it first sounds. I think the idea he is trying to get at is that there is a natural sequence to a golf swing that results in the maximum explosive transfer of energy when striking the ball. Sounds simple enough.

He calls this "swing chi" because "chi" (or "qi", or "ch'i") is a concept used in many traditional Chinese traditions to mean something akin to "life force" or "energy flow", usually involving the idea of proper balance and integration.

The idea is that things are in their optimal state when they are in balance and the parts are properly connected -- when the energy flow, the "chi" is not obstructed. According to most of these traditions, this applies at both the spiritual level as well as the physical level, and has obvious applications in the areas of medicine, mental health, spirituality, physical therapy and martial arts.

So if one believes in this sort of thing, what follows is that there might be different kinds of therapeutic techniques that could be used to put things in their proper balance when they are out of whack -- adjustments for your spirit, therapies for your body, and, yes, fixes for your golf swing.

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Now of course it would be easy to take this idea too seriously and go off on mystical tangents and down philosophical blind alleys. But the idea that a properly sequenced swing is a pretty important goal for a golfer seems fairly obvious.

And if it is helpful to visualize one's swing as a smooth, balanced, properly synchronized and unobstructed flow of energy through the body and into the ball, then I say go for it.

Contact me directly at rh@internetgolfreview.com with your submissions.

-- Rick Hendershot, Linknet Golf Blogs.

In spite of relatively poor driver accuracy I still played pretty well. 83 at GA -- one of my best rounds there ever -- with less than perfect conditions. The greens are still recovering from a hard summer, and they're getting ready to tear up and replace 5 of them after closing (today- Oct 31).

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Golf Workouts Can Transform Your Game

by Mike Pedersen, Golf Fitness Expert

I’m sure by now you’ve heard most of the professional players; both men and women actively participate in golf workouts. It’s no secret. But why then do most amateur golfers ignore this? Is it because it seems like work? Or, does the thought of actually breaking a sweat get you tired already?

Either way…the proof is in the bag. The number one player in the world, Vijay Singh, does his golf workouts all the way through Sunday of each tournament. Does it look like it’s hurting his game? I don’t think so. Back in 1997, a young, very athletic golfer came on the professional scene and blew everyone away. I think you know who I’m talking about.
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I've made a point of taking fall photos of some of the golf courses we've been playing the last few weeks. You can see them at Rick's Golf Course Features.

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Having had the privilege of playing there this summer, I'm not surprised.

In my own review I said "this course is as nice a "links" style layout as I have played anywhere."

See my review of Dakota Dunes.

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Pegged and Magnetic chess sets have come a long way over the last few years. Recall those sets that were supposed to be magnetic but kept falling off ruining the game? Not so with these specially sourced travel chess sets made available through the chess Baron.

You can turn the board upside down, shake it, and the pieces will not move - turn the board back up the right way and continue the game! Or play upside down if you prefer. The peg chess sets are superb in detail - no problem telling apart the bishops and the pawns.
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