Where do swing faults come from?

[Stuey01]

If you have a poor swing then no amount of strength will help, but I you have good technique and strength... Is that not better?

And "Ping man" may not be able to achieve a 20 year old level of flexibility, but he can improve on his own current level of flexibility, which will help.

 

[chrisd]

If you have a poor swing then no amount of strength will help, but I you have good technique and strength... Is that not better?

And "Ping man" may not be able to achieve a 20 year old level of flexibility, but he can improve on his own current level of flexibility, which will help.

When it comes down to available time to work on my game though it is a question of what do I gain most for the time spent? Bearing in mind that I am 60 with 2 new hips and a knee reconstruction, on Monday evening I had 2 spare hours in the early evening so I went to my club and spent 2 solid hours practicing my chipping, would I have been better going to the gym and working on my (quite reasonable) flexibility and strength?

 

[CheltenhamHacker]

And "Ping man" may not be able to achieve a 20 year old level of flexibility, but he can improve on his own current level of flexibility, which will help.

Is this why I am so unflexible at the age of 24, because I own Pings? Awesome, good excuse.

Wish I had known about their reputation before I bought them

 

[Stuey01]

When it comes down to available time to work on my game though it is a question of what do I gain most for the time spent? Bearing in mind that I am 60 with 2 new hips and a knee reconstruction, on Monday evening I had 2 spare hours in the early evening so I went to my club and spent 2 solid hours practicing my chipping, would I have been better going to the gym and working on my (quite reasonable) flexibility and strength?

Probably not. Technique trumps strength if you only have time for one.
You might want to consider fitting some stretching into to your routine to ensure you maintain your "quite reasonable" flexibility. The majority of older golfers I know have started to see their game slipping primarily due to a reduction in flexibility affecting their swing.
A few minutes each day, personally I like to stretch for a few minutes before bed, would be time well spent.

 

[mjyounie]

A very valid point. I currently have this exact same issue in that my pro wants my to be able to rotate my shoulders further on the backswing without straightening my right leg or rotating my hips too far but I am not flexible enough to do it so I am using a shorter swing. I need to work on my flexibility in that area but am struggling to find the time. If you have any suggestions that don't take huge amounts of time and can be done at home I'm all ears.[/QUOTE]

A very simple and effective way to improve your shoulder rotation and increase your range of motion is to get in to golf set up, weight nicely balanced just like when you are stood over the ball and put the club across your chest. from this position hold you lower body as still as you can by engaging the muscles and turn your shoulders as if your making a backswing. Once you have got to the point in which you feel you cant go any further pause, take a deep breath and as you exhale really work the body and continue the turn. You should find it allows you to go that little further. If its doesn't happen straight away and you make no progress stick with it. Repeat the exercise as much as you can. The trouble with flexibility and things like increasing your shoulder turn is that you have to push yourself outside of your comfort zone. If it not hurting slightly then your not working the body enough. You might find that the next day you are a little sore in places but this is a good sign as it means you have worked the areas your wanting to improve to the point in which the muscle fibres are torn. This is a good thing if you are going to successfully increase your flexibility.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

A very valid point. I currently have this exact same issue in that my pro wants my to be able to rotate my shoulders further on the backswing without straightening my right leg or rotating my hips too far but I am not flexible enough to do it so I am using a shorter swing. I need to work on my flexibility in that area but am struggling to find the time. If you have any suggestions that don't take huge amounts of time and can be done at home I'm all ears.

A very simple and effective way to improve your shoulder rotation and increase your range of motion is to get in to golf set up, weight nicely balanced just like when you are stood over the ball and put the club across your chest. from this position hold you lower body as still as you can by engaging the muscles and turn your shoulders as if your making a backswing. Once you have got to the point in which you feel you cant go any further pause, take a deep breath and as you exhale really work the body and continue the turn. You should find it allows you to go that little further. If its doesn't happen straight away and you make no progress stick with it. Repeat the exercise as much as you can. The trouble with flexibility and things like increasing your shoulder turn is that you have to push yourself outside of your comfort zone. If it not hurting slightly then your not working the body enough. You might find that the next day you are a little sore in places but this is a good sign as it means you have worked the areas your wanting to improve to the point in which the muscle fibres are torn. This is a good thing if you are going to successfully increase your flexibility.

Cheers, will give it a try

 

[Stuey01]

Do not stretch to the point of tearing!
You get micro tearing from weight bearing exercise, like lifting weights, when your muscles then heal the adaptation is to get bigger.
Stretching works via a different mechanism and you do NOT want to stretch to the point of tearing, at all.

 

[bobmac]

I think it's a very bad idea giving out advice on exercise to anyone without knowing anything about their medical background first.

Just my opinion

 

[mjyounie]

Do not stretch to the point of tearing!
You get micro tearing from weight bearing exercise, like lifting weights, when your muscles then heal the adaptation is to get bigger.
Stretching works via a different mechanism and you do NOT want to stretch to the point of tearing, at all.

Oops! I meant to write "if you fins the next morning you are hurting slightly this is NOT"" a good sign"

 

[mjyounie]

I think it's a very bad idea giving out advice on exercise to anyone without knowing anything about their medical background first.

Just my opinion

very true and i would like to add that this exercise is something i would definitely speak to your coach about doing before you first do it. The same goes to the stretching. Everyones body is different so therefore you need to take the time to find out what works for you

 

[Hobbit]

I think swing faults come from little pixies that live at the bottom of my golf bag. They rub themselves mischievously against the grips, sprinkling stupid dust as they go. This is why Tommy Two gloves wears two gloves.

 

[TheClaw]

If you're already good at golf then strength & conditioning and stretch training could get you that extra few percent.

Most folk on here however, (myself included) could do with an on-plane swing, a good short game and better rythm to play better golf.

Being stronger and faster with a wonky swing will not make you play better, instead you'll probably lose more balls.

If you are in such poor physical condition that you cannot address the ball properly then golf is the least of your worries.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

I think swing faults come from little pixies that live at the bottom of my golf bag. They rub themselves mischievously against the grips, sprinkling stupid dust as they go. This is why Tommy Two gloves wears two gloves.

I strongly disagree with that statement

Swing faults come from that same tiny wee bit of your brain that that says, 'you can pull out from the roundabout if you are quick enough' and 'Its quite easy for me to climb on the roof to fix that loose slate'.

 

[JustOne]

Its not a coincidence that 99% of players on both the European Tour and Pga Tour are into their gym work. If being physically fit to play good golf wasn't needed as you said then why the worlds best players be in the gym 6 days a week regardless of their schedule?

I'm sure Bobby Jones wasn't in the gym 6 days a week, actually no one had heard of going to the gym until Tiger came along but they were still shooting under par day-in-day-out.

Nowadays the schedule is longer, the travel is greater and the courses are longer so both fitness and stamina are a plus for a TOUR player.... but not so much for
Mr TEEITUPONASUNDAYWITHHISMATESPLAYINGFORABEER kind of golfer.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

David Howell
Broken leg jogging
Busted ribs weightlifting
To name just a couple from his injury wrecked career.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I would rather work on my technique and swing within the confines of the ingrained faults I've got after 30 years. My teaching pro and I are working at stripping the layers away and polishing rather than changing these days. Got a much better action after the work in 2012 and so this year its about the short game and keeping the swing ticking over

I haven't got the time or the inclination to work in the gym on core stability, flexibility etc. It doesn't interest me and I play for fun and while I want to get as low as I can I want to have some fun. My short game is the culprit for not kicking on into single figures and I can play decent golf within the limitations of my faults

 

[duncan mackie]

I strongly disagree with that statement

Swing faults come from that same tiny wee bit of your brain that that says, 'you can pull out from the roundabout if you are quick enough' and 'Its quite easy for me to climb on the roof to fix that loose slate'.

finally some sense!

now, better get back to putting that ladder up against the pyracantha and just trim the top with the trimmer............(and I have loads of swing faults too)