Where The Power Comes From In The Golf Swing

By | on February 4, 2016 | 24 Comments |


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Paul Wilson is the creator of Swing Machine Golf and founder of Ignition Golf. Paul's golf swing technique is based on the Iron Byron swing machine. YouTube Channels: Paul Wilson Golf and Ignition Golf Tips. Please Join me on Google+

24 Responses to “Where The Power Comes From In The Golf Swing”

  1. September 11, 2012

    GregJones

    Hi Paul,
    I left an earlier message about my ability to get to my left side in the downswing. I have a physical handicap in that I have a steel pin in my left leg and a fractured hip where my left leg is turned out aproximately 45 degrees. When I try to touch my right leg to my left in the downswing I tend to lose my balance and fall back. Do you have any suggestions/drills that I could practice get the feeling that you describe? By-the-way I am 69 and don’t have the flexiblilty I once had.

    Thank You

    • September 12, 2012

      Paul Wilson

      Greg,

      I must have overlooked this message. I cannot find it.

      I shot a tip on this which I will be posting shortly. If you cannot touch the legs physically then you cannot touch the legs. What you must be doing is focusing on turning the hips to hit the shot. When you do you can still generate substantial power. Focus there and the looseness of the wrists. When you don’t turn all the way through though you will tend to push the ball. So you either have to aim left or work on releasing your wrists so the ball draws back on target.

      So focus on your hips in the downswing. Use the turning of your belt buckle as your trigger. This should do the trick. Also, keep your eye open for the tip. I should be posting it next week. Then you will see me do it with minimal hip turn. This should give you confidence that you can still hit the ball well enough to play some good golf.

  2. December 21, 2013

    ThomasLoftus

    Great tip Paul. My question is with regards to firing the hips and impact. Do you feel any tightening in your butt cheeks as you are touching your legs together? I am still not sure I am feeling what I should in my lower body at/after impact other than my knees touching or do you not worry about your gluts? Hope what I am asking is clear.

    • December 24, 2013

      Paul Wilson

      Thomas,

      No I do not feel and butt tightening. I feel a driving sensation from the right big toe, calf and right butt check but is more that I have used the muscles not a tightening. A radiating would be a better term. Just focus on using the trigger you want to use getting you to the ending point of the legs perfectly touching.

  3. December 21, 2013

    RandyGorman

    Can you do a video on how the knees, especially the left (front) knee should look on the back swing and also how I assume the left foot should not move on the downswing, other than the shifting of the weight to the instep. I video taped my swing for the first time and was shocked to see my left heel lift and/or my left foot taking a small turn/step towards the target. In terms of the left knee on the back swing, it looked like it bowed out past the right knee. Perhaps that is ok, but wondering if human nature is causing my knee to be out of the correct position vs the right knee.

    Thanks
    Randy

  4. December 22, 2013

    DavidMonin

    Paul where can i get a swing speed radar i australia, ???
    Also i have developed a problem in my swing when playing a half swing. it seems that i am hitting to ball with the toe of the club and it shoots out to the right. i dont think it is a shank but could be wrong. It comes and goes and effects confidence on anything under 100m
    Regards
    David

    • December 25, 2013

      Paul Wilson

      David,

      You cannot get a Swing Speed Radar in Australia. These are doppler radar and need to be licensed in each country. Maybe it will happen in the future but for now you are out of luck. Maybe there is another unit you can get.

      If you are toeing it you are lifting up when you swing. The more you lift the more you toe it. This could be as simple as you swinging too hard. The harder you swing the more you will come up to see what you hit. You could also have the weight on your heels or be setting up too low.

      I should do tips on these shots. On the list they go.

  5. December 23, 2013

    JohnShaughnessy

    I am a 74-year-old male golfer, I

  6. December 24, 2013

    JohnShaughnessy

    Paul

    Thanks to your tip on “Where the power comes from in the golf swing”, I am virtually sure why I’m having trouble getting over 90 mph with my driver. This a.m. I realized the reason I can match your clubhead speed with arms only. You have to be using your arms since you are NOT moving your upper body or using your legs to move your arms. I am doing the same thing and my speed is the same as yours. On the other hand, when I do the upper body swing and drive the legs, I must be continuing to activate and try to hit with my arms. This has to be my problem!

    I’ve got to learn to swing my arms by using my upper body rotation. I honestly thought I was doing that, but I must not be.

    This morning I swung my left arm hard, first with arm only. Then I swung my left arm with my upper body rotation and not only do I feel the difference, I actually feel the blood rush into my left hand fingertips!

    Now I need to learn to do this with a golf club. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

    Thanks for the great Christmas present!

    John Shaughnessy

    • December 26, 2013

      Paul Wilson

      John,

      Glad you liked it. Thanks for the feedback.

      Th difference is my wrists are loser which allows the club to lag more. This creates more whipping action.

      Yes, you are using your arms and legs. I am not but I have done this for a long time. As you keep working on it you will feel when you are using the arms so you can keep them turned off. It does take focus. A lot of people feel less arms for the first time and they thing they’ve “got it” when really they are just using the arms less than what they were. Powerless arms means you are not using them at all. This is a huge difference. So get used to turning them off a little and get used this effortless feeling then turn them off even more and so on.

      For now, just get the arms out of the swing. This will get you understanding and feeling this looseness. Once you get used to this start working on increasing the rotational speed of the lower body.

      Do this drill immediately. I you cannot do this you are not even close to what I am after:

      DRILL: This Is The Best Drill You Should Be Doing Right Now: https://ignitiongolf.com/drill-three-quarter-distance/

  7. December 27, 2013

    PeterGunn

    Paul – I thought you should be creating torque by turning your upper body more than your hips, but when you turn it looks as if all your torso is turning together. Happy New Year, Peter (UK)

    • December 30, 2013

      Paul Wilson

      Peter,

      Keep in mind that some of these swings I do I am not even trying. I just step up and hit it. I can assure you that most all of my swings my hips are moving very little. If they were over rotating you would see the grass between my knees (visually) from the down the line view. Seeing this grass could only occur on a knee rotation of about 45 degrees. Mine definitely do not move that much.

  8. February 5, 2016

    LarsUhrbom

    Hi Paul,
    if you compare with or without wrist action / lag angel what is the result of clubhead speed relative to body rotation / leg power ?

    Regards,
    Lars

    • February 5, 2016

      Paul Wilson

      Lars,

      That is going to be a big difference because this wrist action/lag is what I am using to get effortless power. Lock the wrists and I hit it nowhere. I may do one in the future.

  9. February 5, 2016

    RaymondCHASTEL

    What a fine lesson again ,Paul :there’s everything here you should know and implement in it .
    Out of curiosity,I looked up the swings of ancient golfers ,a century ago ,as filmed by high speed caméras:JOYCE WETHERHED(1904) ,BOBBY JONES ,HARRY VARDON ,JAMES BRAID :each one of them rotates the lower body as you demonstrate ,with very fluid motions .The best looking swing is the “Lady ” JOYCE WETHERHED ,who says “I just take the club back and I take it through “.What strikes me is the “fluidity “of their movements ,perfect tempo, no “forcing” of the club :the wrists are very loose as you show ,the backswing is very long and ample ,no impression of great speed ,the swing looks more linear than rotational,but the rotation is there .
    Bobby JONES is perfect!Harry VARDON’s swing is not a model ,his left arm folds in the backswing ,while JOYCE WETHERHED and BOBBY JONES have immaculate straight left arms .
    You teach the strict golf orthodoxy !

    • February 5, 2016

      Paul Wilson

      Raymond,

      Glad you liked it.

      I like those older swings. They were great and still match golfers of today. Today’s swings are shorter and tighter but we know more about the swing now versus back then.

  10. February 6, 2016

    LarsUhrbom

    Thank You very much,
    I’m looking forward to se it on video,

  11. February 6, 2016

    RaymondCHASTEL

    Paul ,Also in the “ancient golf lore ” ,there’s a book of 1946 by ERIC PRAIN ,by the title of “LIVE HANDS “, with photos of top English golfers of the past (The names are now forgotten ,but ROBERT OPPENHEIMER still stands out) .There’s another one more recent following up on “LIVE HANDS ” called “IT’S ALL IN THE HANDS “.
    I know perfectly well you don’t like much talking about the role of the hands ,except they have to be passive and do nothing at all,but maybe there’s more to it…
    The great Spanish players like OLAZABAL ,BALLESTEROS ,DE LA TORRE etc.. emphasized the role of the hands and when I was tutored by the Basque PLAYERS ,in the South West of FRANCE ,close to the Spanish border(OLAZABAL played at the ROYAL GOLF CLUB in SAN SEBASTIAN close by ) they also told me to make “good use ” of the hands .
    The Young Spaniards at that time played “pelota” at the “Fronton “and developed enormous velocity with their wrists .
    I knew in the ’70’s the European Senior European Golf Champion who played at my Club at CHANTACO (near BIARRITZ ) :he was previously a “Pelota “champion and his right forearm was the size of the upper part of my legs :he didn’t need much of a rotation to send the ball miles ,but to do so ,he also utilized his legs which were obviously very powerful,after years of running after the “pelota ” at the “fronton ” !
    These comments are not intended to deter from your excellent teaching which is more adapted to “normal guys “like me

    • February 7, 2016

      Paul Wilson

      Raymond,

      I don’t see the hands as hands. The hands and wrists are a hinge. They are loose. They will do everything they should if they are powerless. They will hinge and re-hinge 100% of the time.

  12. February 9, 2016

    JeffLubin

    Hi Paul, Great stuff as usual. I understand you want no tension/control with the arms. However on the take away how do you get the arms in position with no independent control? Do you use control of the arms until you get to the top and then shut them off?

    It almost funny watching you take this easy little swing with no body and while I go flying threw the ball as fast as I can and have have about the same speed showing up my my swing radar. I hit the ball about 210 yards. There has to be a magic trick that you can feel and understand, while people like me also understand but for whatever reason, can’t do it the same way. As much as I do “nothing” with my arms, it still can’t get much over 84.

    Will keep watching and trying though..
    Jeff

  13. Paul ,I saw a demo by long drive Champion JOE MILLER :he swings at 144 MPH ,club head speed ,ball speed 205 MPH ,carry 350 yards:unlike JAMIE SADLOWSKI who,is “Mr Average” ,he ‘s a huge guy ,but he swings very much in the same way :he demonstrates perfectly what you say , a big turn of the upper body ,a powerful thrust of the legs and hips .Additionnaly he tees the ball high in front of the left big toe (I can’t do that !).There’s also a “trick ” I find difficult to achieve :accelerate the club when it’s two feet from the ball..

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