Last week we discussed the kinematic sequence of the golf swing. The kinematic sequence needs to be in order to transfer speed to the golf ball. This means that your hips, then upper body and finally the arms must work in a sequential sequence to maximize your speed.
This week is about ground force dynamics and identifying which type of player or what mix of player you can perform most efficiently. For years there were many opinions, many incorrect, about how everyone should swing the club and create speed. Thanks to guys like Scott Lynn at UC Fullerton along with other top instructors we are starting to understand where players get their power from. Measuring ground force with Swing Catalyst or Boditrak has really improved the understanding of why some people hit it short and some hit it long.
Many of us how wondered how a guy like JB Holmes can hit is so far. He doesn’t appear to have a long swing, much wrist set, not too much motion in the down swing. Until pressure plates become popular players were not measured. It took a while even to figure out what to measure. So why does JB Holmes hit it so far, Vertical force!
In his down swing he moves into a flex position with his legs and as he is rotating before impact he is also pushing up off the ground. When he does this he is just about doubling his weight in force into the ground. When Tiger used to dip his head low at the start of the downvswing this was not necessarily a swing fault, this was his way to create ground force, thus power.
What are the three (3) basic body power sources
- Lateral motion
- Rotational motion
- Vertical motion
The key is to know which type of player you are. There is not a right or wrong there is just how your body works most efficiently.
- The lateral player swings somewhat like a hockey player strike a puck. They will move off the ball a little away from the target with the hips and move aggressively at the target with the hips to start the down swing. They will still h
ave rotation and up force but more lateral than the others forces. These players are typically two post players with pressure moving to the right foot and then left foot. - Rotational players are somewhat similar to stack and tilt players and keep more weight on the lead or left foot during the swing. Many times these are right eye dominant players. Bo Weekly is a player that uses more rotation for power than the other forces as you can see by the chart. Bo has very little lateral or vertical as you can see in the chart that shows rotation in the yellow line.
- Vertical players are not new but new to be measured. These are the player that use the other two forces but add the vertical motion for extra power. You might think of a player like Jack Nicklaus who was a very long hitter during his era. A player like Dustin Johnson is a good model of a modern vertical force player.
The key to all this for you is to figure out which player you are so you stop making bad changes to your golf swing. Most amateurs try to maximize their later force even though they get very little power from this and errant shots. I would suggest going to an instructor that can measure your pressure during your swing so you know what to work on and more importantly what not to work on. 
With this knowledge, there is a thought that if you’re are lateral you will start with more pressure on your right foot. If you are rotational you will start and keep most the pressure on your left foot and if you are vertical you will be more of a center post or center pressure player. Note that this is not where your weight is but where you are exerting pressure against the ground.
If you’re near Newport Beach you may want to call Pelican Hill and have Tim Mitchel measure you?
Good luck
Jim Hartnett, PGA
www.myhome4golf.com
