virtuocity
Tour Winner
Do you hold the flex in your right knee during the backswing?
Or do you straighten?
Why?
Or do you straighten?
Why?
Right knee flex- backswing
- Thread starter virtuocity
- Start date
garyinderry
Ryder Cup Winner
used to straighten it out fully a couple of years ago. I think a keep flex in it these days.
reason - swing has just morphed from one to another.
I play quite often with a chap who plays off 9. straightening out his right leg is one of the key moves in "his" swing. his swing never changes from day to day, year to year. he has the most reliable swing ive ever seen. same through every club and hits a big ball for a small chap with a slight fade on every shot.
I say "his swing" as it doest look entirely conventional but it works so well. he also has a quite a strong grip. think fred couples without the smooth finish.
reason - swing has just morphed from one to another.
I play quite often with a chap who plays off 9. straightening out his right leg is one of the key moves in "his" swing. his swing never changes from day to day, year to year. he has the most reliable swing ive ever seen. same through every club and hits a big ball for a small chap with a slight fade on every shot.
I say "his swing" as it doest look entirely conventional but it works so well. he also has a quite a strong grip. think fred couples without the smooth finish.
Birchy
Money List Winner
From what I understand players are encouraged to keep the right knee flex and load up the power and then push off the right side.
mcbroon
Journeyman Pro
I hold the flex.
Because a pro told me to when I was 14.
Because a pro told me to when I was 14.
garyinderry
Ryder Cup Winner
[video=youtube;kf96Xhx2kqM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kf96Xhx2kqM[/video]
One Planer
Global Moderator
I allow mine to straighten, but not lock out.
Why? No idea
Something I've always done and see no reason to change it just now :thup:
Besides, these guys got by OK doing it.
Why? No idea
Something I've always done and see no reason to change it just now :thup:Besides, these guys got by OK doing it.
Birchy
Money List Winner
allow nime to straighten, but not lock out.
Why? No idea
Besides, these guys got by OK doing it.
Its not too bad if you can get the knee back in position on the way down as Poulter does in the video above. I suspect a lot of them pros above did the same.
garyinderry
Ryder Cup Winner
I might start doing this again with the driver. I could do no worse :rofl:
One Planer
Global Moderator
To be fair Birchy, I have no idea of the mechanics of it, or the pro's and cons of doing it vs not doin it.
First thing that I had when I went for lesson as to have a video lesson. If it was less than ideal, surely my pro would have picked me up on it?
virtuocity
Tour Winner
Good contributions so far.
Gareth- when you straighten your right leg, do you manage to get it back into its original flexed position?
Gareth- when you straighten your right leg, do you manage to get it back into its original flexed position?
Birchy
Money List Winner
You may already do as Poulter does on the video shown above. My pro mentioned this to me in my last lesson when I asked about power etc. Ive no idea how well I do it or if I even do it at all but its something im trying to do to see if I can improve on distance
One Planer
Global Moderator
No idea pal
Honestly! I have zero idea if I do or not and I don't care either to be honest
.However.
Here are some of my old (2010) positions.
Address:
Half way to impact:
You may have to click to enlarge.
Don't know if this helps or hinders bud.
The idea is to have a solid base, keeping the right knee flexed and firm is to guard against swaying to the right or straightening the leg and pushing your weight onto your left leg in the backswing potentially causing a reverse pivot.
As with all things in golf it's not fixed (meant it) and the pics show various people that at some stage it worked for them (all very old pics for some reason) as they either didnt have the potential issues or rectified it on the downswing.
On the whole it is preferred to flex as opposed to not flex but each to their own individual swing characteristics.
As with all things in golf it's not fixed (meant it) and the pics show various people that at some stage it worked for them (all very old pics for some reason) as they either didnt have the potential issues or rectified it on the downswing.
On the whole it is preferred to flex as opposed to not flex but each to their own individual swing characteristics.
duncan mackie
Money List Winner
it's more about 'what's straight' - in all of the images shown (again) the right leg is still dynamically loaded rather than locked ie it's bent! The degree isn't the issue, it's purely a binary is or isn't issue within the swing.
to understand the difference, next time you are in a pub grab a dart and, holding your arm out completely straight, try and launch it! Now, allow it to bend just a little - a tiny bit - and try again; even that tiny amount of flex enables you to apply huge force that was completely lost to you. Adding more flex will allow the application of more force, but it's the first little bit that really makes a huge difference.
virtuocity
Tour Winner
So Duncan, you think "the more flex the better"?
duncan mackie
Money List Winner
no; I belive that within the conventional swing locking out the right leg on the backswing is to be avoided at all costs - degrees of flex are only relevant to individuals circumstances.
there's no basis for a general 'more is better' at all.
virtuocity
Tour Winner
What could those circumstances be? Or would the list be too long?
(I'm not fishing or sitting here trying to prove anything, by the way..... just interested in people's opinion on this somewhat over-technical matter).
percy_layer
Challenge Tour Pro
Not sure how relevant this is, but...
I'm more concerned with the stability of the right leg (for a right handed golfer) in the backswing as seen from the 'face on' angle, than the amount of knee flex.
I'm more concerned with the stability of the right leg (for a right handed golfer) in the backswing as seen from the 'face on' angle, than the amount of knee flex.
I definitely don't lock and so assume I hold a degree of flex. Not overly fussed as there are plenty of other things to worry about. I understand what others say about loading the power and flex to get more power and maybe I do need to worry more as I'm a powder puff short forum hitter
duncan mackie
Money List Winner
simply related to an individuals 'normal stance' and address position.
every teaching pro I have discussed it with has been of the view that letting it fully straighten represents a risk element in the swing best avoided - retaining any bend/flex avoids it.
