Posting By Dr. Doug Hoxing

Great post. I would like to follow up your thoughts with some things I learned today from a highly regarded golf researcher, swing instructor and former touring pro.

Today I had lunch with Dave Bisbee, a former touring pro and long time instructor and golf management consultant. He still does some teaching and grew up with Jim Hardy and played a lot of junior golf against Jim's younger brother. He's known Jim Hardy for decades. And, he knows the single plane swing along with having done some university research on the golf swing. He now does corporate clinics for Swing Jacket and a golf development company. This was a fascinating two hour luncheon discussion followed by hitting balls on the range. Here's what I learned.

SWING CENTER, SHOULDER TILT, AND RELATED MOVEMENT. Dave said the swing center was right behind the sternum. Interestingly, that is what biomechanisist Dan Goldstein told me also. Dan said it was behind the sternum and in front of the spine. He recommended emphasizing the turn of the Swing Center more than the turn of the shoulders.

Dave said the Swing Center is what should be visualized as turning in the swing. He described it as visualizing a tilted T but with one important difference. If the T has the horizontal line as the shoulders and the vertical part as the spine, you need to shift your visualization. He said to visualize, if I remember correctly, that the horizontal line turns perpendicular to the spine. HOWEVER, MOVE THE HORIZONTAL LINE DOWN TO WHERE THE STERNUM IS AND VISUALIZE THE STERNUM TURNING WHICH THEN WILL TURN THE SHOULDERS. In other words, you can visualize the horizontal line or top of the T being in two places: 1) on top of the shoulders, and 2) even with the sternum. Turn the sternum horizontal line fully. The Swing Jacket accelerates this learning since it's placed around the chest.

THE DOWNSWING. Dave did research at a university studying which muscles fired in the golf swing using electromyograph (EMG) measurement with sensors on the body. Until he did this research, he had been a believer that the downswing was a "pulling" action with the lead side (left side for him and other righties). However, the data proved him wrong.

He didn't believe the data and kept swinging and then checking and adjusting the sensors on the left side of his body. Guess what? No matter how much he believed to the contrary, the primary muscle activity in the downswing was the right pec and arm. The left side moved out of the way in response to this right side firing. So, forget about the left side lead unless that thought gets your right side to somehow fire first. THIS CONFIRMS WHAT YOU HAVE SAID PREVIOUSLY ABOUT YOUR PREFERENCE FOR RIGHT SIDE DOWNSWING KEYS. This may mean we need to rethink the term "lead" side since it doesn't really lead but moves in response to the power side (formerly "trail" side)

Dave coached me to initiate the downswing with the trail pec (right side for me) firing toward the lead side. Fire the trail pec level to the sternum position--not lower, not higher. So, it will feel like you are firing it "level" but of course your spine is tilted forward so you are firing it in the same plane as it was at address. Dave thinks the sternum should be pointing at the ball at impact, and not to worry if the shoulders are. With this key, however, make sure you have the release discussed next or you will slice. In other words, if you fire the trail pec, make sure your arms are going at the same time and not lagging behind.

THE RELEASE. We talked about the SJ lead rail with the clip and how that teaches the brain that the lead arm should fold and not slide away from the body. The use of the SJ results in the brain directing the lead arm to fold and release in a distance-producing fashion.

BALL POSITION. Dave showed me how the center of the body is key for ball position in this way. He believes the end of the shaft should be in the middle of the stance. If you have non-offset irons, then therefore play them ALL in the center of the stance. IF YOU HAVE OFFSET IRONS, play the ball forward about the amount they are offset to an inch at the most. With woods, play the ball ahead of center the distance of the clubhead length (from clubhead face to the rear).

BACKSWING START. We discussed Dunaway's recommendation that the lead shoulder start first with the upper arm rotating which in turn rotates the left forearm and hand. Dave believes that the we are "hands oriented" so even if we try to start with the lead shoulder, our concentration will be split on that and what the left hand is doing. So, he recommends starting with the lead hand rotating toward the trail side, since the lead hand will need in the downswing to rotate back toward the lead side to both square the blade and to add speed as well as influence the fold of the lead elbow for a powerful release.

THE GRIP. Dave and I discussed the alignment of the wrists. If a player develops a full release as discussed above, he will hook the ball with the two knuckle grip that 90% of all teachers teach. I have had a lot of trouble from hooking the ball. Dave moved me to a one knuckle, wrist hinge aligned grip. He said that was easier than trying to downplay my active hands which he liked but would continue to hook the ball with a 2 knuckle grip. This conventionally described "weak" grip even facilitated a powerful release for me because I no longer feared hooking the shot.

THE FINISH. Dave gave me a finish drill which immediately improved my balance and maintained my spine tilt overall. I had seen this drill before but not for the purpose he gave.

He had me go into my address posture, then take the club right to the finish position with LEVEL SHOULDERS SO I CAME OUT OF MY POSTURE INTO A BALANCED FINISH. What this also did was to teach my brain that impact was a position with tilted spine, and shoulders, which could then be relaxed into level shoulders and erect spine in the finish. This drill taught my brain to stay in the posture through impact since I was giving myself permission to release the strain in going into the flat shoulders finish AFTER IMPACT. Since my brain knew flat shoulders was coming in the finish, it was OK to have tilted shoulders and spine at impact

THE RESULTS. I usually hit a Pitching Wedge about 112-117 yards. Within a few balls in warming up I was hitting my PW farther than I have ever hit it. I asked him how far I was hitting it since he knows the range. He said it was over 130 yards! He also said that I was getting as much as it was likely possible to get out of that Callaway shovel, which I love, with its True Temper S300 sensicore shaft. Same type of distance increase with 8 iron, 3W, and driver--the 4 clubs I hit. I'm a believer and grateful for a real learning experience with someone who has researched the field, distilled the essence from a scientific inquiry, and knows how to communicate the essential and forget the trivial

Hope this was at least interesting, if not helpful.
Great Golfing!

Doc