Energy to the Ball....PIVOT! and "Chain Reaction"

Effective Pivot---swing engine---"Chain Reaction"

Pivot is what starts the club back...(not hands/arms)

(Rotary Swing Thought) move the right shoulder blade in two inches and down towards the spine to move the club back< on the take way. (think about pull right side...top of the swing pull left side).

Generating golf swing power from the ground up... through your feet... hips... shoulders... arms... hands... and ultimately though the head of the club into the ball. Any break or disruption in this "chain" will quickly turn your power-swing into a limp noodle.

Power is transferred from the feet on up, (often called "loading" the feet),

Two key "weak links" in your chain that will rob your swing are

1. Left Shoulder Area. Okay... ANY tension in your shoulder area muscles (your trapezoids and deltoids if you want to get all technical) will block the flow of energy coming from the feet up through the body. In fact, tension will always stifle the flow of power, so you want to stay calm, loose, and tension free.
2. Wrist Tension and Thumb Pressure. And speaking of tension, you'll especially want to keep all tension out of your wrists. In most cases wrist tension is the result of squeezing the club grip with your thumbs. You should be able easily pick up your thumbs with no tension throughout the swing. Relaxing your thumbs may initially feel like the club is about to fly outta your hands.
    Next time on the range, think about these 8 things:
   

   1. Address. You should sense the weight in your feet evenly distributed between right and left. You should be able to lift your toes and feel the weight on the balls of the feet.
   2. Takeaway. Dont lift the club with the hands on the takeaway. Wrong. This is power leak #1 because it means you can't stay connected with your body pivot. The result is the dreaded "slap-at-the-ball" arm shots that we talked about earlier. No power in that kinda swing.
   3. Activate. Start the takeaway by activating the feet with a slight rocking motion. Imagine pushing a kid on a swing for a moment. You first pull him back a little to initiate the swing. It's the same with the golf swing. The feet initiate the backstroke sequence with a slight "rock" of the hips.
   4. Loading. As the club moves back you will be shifting your weight to the right side -- loading the right hip and leg. You want it to "feel" like 100% of your weight is on your right side, but once again, that's an illusion. In reality there will be about 85% of your weight on the right side.
   5. Downswing. From the top, your wrists are naturally cocked and you should feel the feet begin to pull the club down - not the arms. Imagine a rope attached from the end of the club handle to the inside of your left foot. Keep the hands "soft" (meaning a light grip... not hand lotion) and let gravity do its job as you pivot.
   6. Release - You're now performing a powerful pivot. Your wrists should still be fully cocked and your weight is back to 50-50. This is an athletic position to deliver a powerful, explosive blow to the ball as your legs go from bent to straight in the "vertical jump" move.
   7. Impact - Keep your head behind the ball through impact with your right wrist bent and your left wrist flat. Let me repeat that -- your right wrist is bent, and your left wrist flat at impact. Are you sensing that's important? At this point your weight begins to shift to your left side.
   8. Follow Through - This will be the first time in the golf swing that both arms are straight. Continue to shift your weight onto the left side.

   
   Accuracy and power is all about alignment... the pivot... and staying loose. The rest will automatically fall into place "naturally" -- if you let it happen.
   
   Concentrate on alignment... pivot... and staying loose and relaxed...and you will make golf shot!