How well do you understand the mechanics of a good golf swing?

[Backsticks]

On a scale of 1-10, how well do you understand the mechanics of the golf swing?

Like pretty much the great majority of the golf playing population of the world I would rate myself a 1. There may be some people, properly educated in physics and biomechanics who rate a 2, but the reality is that the level of understanding of the the golf swing, and what makes a good one is almost non-existent.

Professionals golfers have no more a clue than the rest of us handicappers - they play it better, and can talk a pseudoscientific jargon about technique, but the bottom line is they just happen to be players who are able to play the game better than the rest of us.
Most of what passes for 'mechanics of the golf swing' discussion is just talk of style.

Its a good challenge though and any genuine advance in its understanding would be very interesting. Basically at the moment its a you have IT or you dont scenario, and no one knows how to make make someone a good golfer - let alone truly know why one person is better than another.

All the talk amongst pros, swing gurus, the multi major winners, teachers, club pros, etc is basically bollocks. Fun bollocks though.

 

[Canary_Yellow]

Like pretty much the great majority of the golf playing population of the world I would rate myself a 1. There may be some people, properly educated in physics and biomechanics who rate a 2, but the reality is that the level of understanding of the the golf swing, and what makes a good one is almost non-existent.

Professionals golfers have no more a clue than the rest of us handicappers - they play it better, and can talk a pseudoscientific jargon about technique, but the bottom line is they just happen to be players who are able to play the game better than the rest of us.
Most of what passes for 'mechanics of the golf swing' discussion is just talk of style.

Its a good challenge though and any genuine advance in its understanding would be very interesting. Basically at the moment its a you have IT or you dont scenario, and no one knows how to make make someone a good golfer - let alone truly know why one person is better than another.

All the talk amongst pros, swing gurus, the multi major winners, teachers, club pros, etc is basically bollocks. Fun bollocks though.

Thanks for the heads up, I'll change the scale immediately.

On a scale of 0 - 2, how well do you understand the mechanics of a good golf swing?

 

[Backsticks]

Thanks for the heads up, I'll change the scale immediately.

On a scale of 0 - 2, how well do you understand the mechanics of a good golf swing?

Yes, I was going to mention that starting the scale at zero would give a better indication of the knowledge of a great majority of golfers. I would keep the 10 for the top end though - the truth is out there even if we are very far away from it at the moment.

The fun is in trying to figure it out. It is a mechanical problem though, and I think the reason for the negligible level of understanding is that it is indeed a tough one and far out of reach of the minimal real scientific investigation has gone into it. It is effectively being done by amateurs (the 'professionals' included), on a part basis for fun, and by the mechanically uneducated - it should really surprise that they arent making much progress on the topic.

 

[the_coach]

gotta say that particular opinion of no research & a negligible level understanding is a totally misguided one & so very far off the mark & just full of assumptions that are not at all fact based ... but each to their own

was trying to stay out of this thread tbh but don't want folks to be misguided in any way by stuff that just is not at all correct

so I have a pretty comprehensive understanding of the golf swing over time through study (both academic & informal) of a number of areas of the golf swing - bioengineering - biomechanics - kinetics - kinematics

along with a working understanding of launch monitors - the numbers & the relevance to shot results & swing motion
along with working knowledge & operation of 3d motion analysis - how that relates to the movement of both the club & the body

despite what was eluded to in a recent post through an opinion & not a real understanding of just where 'science' & the golf teaching industry currently is - in truth everything from ball flight to a clubs movement (in terms of forces placed on a club - alpha, beta & gamma swing torques) body motion & ground force reactions so just about everything that contributes to a golf motion & then subsequently what happens to the ball in a golf shot is totally & quantifiably measurable

we can measure with optical 3D motion capture system both the kinematic & kinetic - just how the body & how the club move & how fast in each & every part of the golf swing

just a further point over a statement about the club (handle) movement from an earlier post - about how the handle needs to move to then release the shaft and club head to the ball - contrary to what was implied there which was - a continued downwards movement of the hands/handle to get the clubhead 'out' to the ball

what the hands/arms/handle need to do is to move a tad outwards & downwards in the first half of the downswing until opposite the trail leg - at that area opposite the trail leg the handle has reached it's lowest position in the swing - from there the arms/hands/handle need to move both a tad left & upwards - it's that movement (because of a good body motion) that then sends the shaft & clubhead both downwards & outwards to the ball for an optimum strike

the handle is really moving upwards & left - not continuing downwards all the way to impact

 

[Canary_Yellow]

gotta say that particular opinion of no research & a negligible level understanding is a totally misguided one & so very far off the mark & just full of assumptions that are not at all fact based ... but each to their own

was trying to stay out of this thread tbh but don't want folks to be misguided in any way by stuff that just is not at all correct

so I have a pretty comprehensive understanding of the golf swing over time through study (both academic & informal) of a number of areas of the golf swing - bioengineering - biomechanics - kinetics - kinematics

along with a working understanding of launch monitors - the numbers & the relevance to shot results & swing motion
along with working knowledge & operation of 3d motion analysis - how that relates to the movement of both the club & the body

despite what was eluded to in a recent post through an opinion & not a real understanding of just where 'science' & the golf teaching industry currently is - in truth everything from ball flight to a clubs movement (in terms of forces placed on a club - alpha, beta & gamma swing torques) body motion & ground force reactions so just about everything that contributes to a golf motion & then subsequently what happens to the ball in a golf shot is totally & quantifiably measurable

we can measure with optical 3D motion capture system both the kinematic & kinetic - just how the body & how the club move & how fast in each & every part of the golf swing

just a further point over a statement about the club (handle) movement from an earlier post - about how the handle needs to move to then release the shaft and club head to the ball - contrary to what was implied there which was - a continued downwards movement of the hands/handle to get the clubhead 'out' to the ball

what the hands/arms/handle need to do is to move a tad outwards & downwards in the first half of the downswing until opposite the trail leg - at that area opposite the trail leg the handle has reached it's lowest position in the swing - from there the arms/hands/handle need to move both a tad left & upwards - it's that movement (because of a good body motion) that then sends the shaft & clubhead both downwards & outwards to the ball for an optimum strike

the handle is really moving upwards & left - not continuing downwards all the way to impact

I'll give you a 9.5 / 10. Leave you with something to aim for in case I ask again in the future.

Can't have our resident coach getting complacent!

 

[bobmac]

Can't have one of our resident coaches getting complacent!

Fixed

 

[Canary_Yellow]

Fixed

You're very reliable, Bob, I was going to put at the foot of my previous post (ps. Bobmac will be along shortly to correct my post!)

 

[ScienceBoy]

I'm not a coach so no, does a professional football player understand it? No they just kick the ball.

I aim to know one thing, what I need to practice to hit the ball straight.

I leave all the rest to someone else as I don't want to take anything to the course other than my rehearsed PSR and swing.