Certain teaching circles have brought exposure to several Golfing Machine concepts recently, most notably the concept of the flying wedge. If you are unfamiliar with this concept the [right forearm] “flying wedge”  is the angle created by the right forearm and right wrist bend and the right elbow and clubhead which allows the clubhead to trail the hands. It also plays an important role in controlling the clubhead line of flight as well as sweet spot control. Other topics in the The Golfing Machine have been controversial and highly criticized, most notably whether or not one can have too much lag. One can argue the same over the topic of the right forearm flying wedge.

From what I have been witnessing, the concept is being missapplied. Watching instructors explain to students that they need to hold the flying wedge, or that they need more flying wedge they are really referring to right wrist bend which is part the flying wedge. Wrist bend is an important piece of the flying wedge but there comes a point in which too much right wrist bend will actually become a fault as opposed to a solution. Why? Depending on the grip type and hand location at the address position, the hands may or may not move further forward from this position at impact and change the degree of bend in the right wrist. Too much right wrist bend will lead to a decrease in the effective mass hitting the golf ball (moment arm) and lead to contact issues becuse of the shortened radius, as well as the sweet spot moving off plane and an Angle of Attack that is too steep.

So now your asking, “How do I know if I have just enough amount of right wrist bend and right forearm flying wedge?”  And the answer is simple. Look at your left arm flying wedge!  The left arm flying wedge is the angle formed by the left arm and club. From a face on position at impact, the left arm and clubshaft should be in a straight line. The two wedges should compliment each other. If the left wrist starts to arc or bow (flex inward), then there the too much right wrist bend!

On the heels of one of the most exciting Masters in history, Charl Schwartzel was able to fend off the charging competition to win his first PGA Tour event and Major. While demonstrating remarkable composure, Schwartzel appeared to be destined for greatness after chipping in on the first hole for birdie and then sinking an approach shot for eagle on the third hole. He seemed to be in command of his ball all day and birdied the last four holes in a row en route to winning the year’s first major championship. One of the greatest parts about Schwartzel’s consistency this week was his ability to reproduce a consistent alignments in his setup.

 Recent topics about the address position of the golf swing arose the question  as to whether or not the right forearm should be setup on the same plane as the clubshaft at address. Master’s champion Charl Schwartzel sets up with his right forearm above the clubshaft plane and you should as well.

Putting the right forearm on plane at address means that the right elbow (right-handed golfer) will have significantly more bend (flexion) at address than if the arms were to just naturally hang. This will prevent the elbow from bending (flexing) incrementally in the backswing which prevents the left wrist from cocking incrementally as well. Next,  if the elbow is bent too much at the address position, the club will have a tendency to be taken away too inside on the backswing.

With the right forearm on plane at address the increased bend in the right elbow will have a tendency to tilt the shoulders to the right and lead to very flat shoulder turns. Finally, with the elbow already significantly bent at the address position, most golfers will continue to flex the right arm in the backswing leading to over-flexed right arms, bent left arms, leading to the clubshaft crossing the line at the top. 

Instead, allow your arms to hang naturally at the address position and try to feel as if you are continuously trying to keep your right arm straight in the backswing  to help improve your backswing alignments!

There has been conflicting and confusing information floating around about the movement of the putter face and its implications on impact and the starting line of the putt. Should I putt with an arc, or should I be trying to incorporate a Straight Back and Straight Through putting stroke? While in theory, a straight back and straight through sounds like the simplest solution, it is in fact the most difficult. 

Putters are built at an angle (approximately 70 degrees) and do not move in a vertical plane, but rather an inclined plane. It is because of this inclined plane, the putter head will move in a natural arc as it moves on the face of the inclinced plane. It then becomes necessary to differentiate the face motion of the putter to the target vs. the path (the arc inscribed by the clubhead of the putter). The first type of rotation occurs as the putter moves back on the inclined plane. The face will appear to rotate open and then rotate close on the downswing . This is known as Absolute rotation, or rotation of the face compared to the target. The second type of rotation is in relationship to the path of the clubhead which is known as relative rotation (being relative the path). How open or closed the face is to the path at any point in the stroke. Ideally, this motion should be limited to increase the consistency of sweet spot control and face angle. 

When golfers try to make a “straight back straight through” stroke, they are trying to keep the face square to the target at all times in the stroke. This would mean closing the face on the backstroke (to keep the face pointing at the target) and then opening it on the downstroke into the follow through. In order to accomplish this, one would have to constantly be changing the alignments in the wrists, elbows, and shoulders throughout the entire motion.  This stroke is a highly erratic stroke and  interrupts the all important face to path alignment as well as the dynamic loft of the putter.  

How do I putt on a natural arc and minimize the relative face rotation?  at setup, take note of the angles in all of the joints in the upper body including; head, neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, fingers. Try to minimize the rotation of the distal joints (the joints away from the center of the body) while allowing the shoulders to move without changing the head and neck!

What is rhythm? How do I obtain it? Can it be taught? The answer is yes!  Just as in all aspects of the golf stroke (putting and full swing) the answer is not only soluble, but easily attainable as well. The mystery dissolves with a closer look at perhaps the most overlooked axiom in the stroke, the dynamics. More simply put, dynamics in putting refers to the motion and time it takes the putter to travel.  The average rhythm of putting strokes on the PGA tour takes approximately twice the time on the backswing as it does to impact. The actual time may vary  between each player, much like a signature,  but the ratio stays at approximately 2:1. When working with the dynamics of the stroke, you can actually improve someones “touch” without the repetitiveness of hitting hundreds or thousands of putts! “Touch” infers the ability to consistently produce a high precision movement of the putter to roll the ball a particular distance, which is vital for producing  the correct delivery speed for the ball to enter the hole . Struggling with the yips? Poor dyanmics lead to erratic face and distance control issus, especially on those short putts!

Here is an example of a “yip” stroke

putting stroke 001

Here is an example of improved dynamics and better ratio

putting stroke 002

To improve your dynamics today, make a practice stroke and count “one…two” during your natural backswing (no matter how fast or slow that may be) and “one” during from the end of the backstroke to where impact would be (no ball yet remember).  The speed of the count will be different for each individual; faster or slower depending on your natural tendency; the goal being to acheive a backswing length roughly twice as long as the downswing to impact. Once you can get into a consistent rhythm and have timed it out, then you may try it stroking a ball to a target with the same count; “one…two…one”!

Here is a different look and take on an issue that plagues many golfers and instructors. When someone is given a club for the first time, the unusual shape of the tool and plane of motion the tool was designed to move on is unique from many of the usual sports that individual may have played previously. What develops is exclusive placement and positioning of the hands around the club in a manner that allows the golfer to sense the weight and the center of gravity of the club. Golfers will move and rotate their hands around the shaft to make the face look and feel correctly.  When moving dynamically, the changing weight and sweet spot sensation (the feel of the club) causes the individual to “torque” the clubface in either cw (clockwise) or ccw (counterclockwise) .

Steve torquing the club face closed (ccw counterclockwise)

Try this drill-

When teaching someone a “proper grip” (left to interpretation by the instructor) give them a shaft or dowel without a clubface. Most of the time the placement, positioning, and precision of the grip of the individual  is consistent and aligned properly. There is less likelihood, or need for that matter, for golfers to torque their hands and fingers around the faceless dowel or club in a manner that would produce “unusual” grips.