The Basic Steps to Perfect Golf.

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Bottom of Swing Arc - Master - (Changed -20/04/2008)

Bottom of the Swing Arc.

The Photograph shows the difference between the way High Handicapped golfers and Professional golfers strike the ball.

The swing of the average PGA Tour player bottoms out four inches in front of the ball. The average swing bottom of a high-handicapper is an inch or so behind the ball.

A high-handicap golfer would reduce his or her average score by four strokes for every forward inch of improvement made on the swing bottom.

In other words, if you want to break a scoring barrier, focus on improving your club's position through the impact zone. This also applies to the short game.

Courtesy of the "Golf Digest"

Point of interest

By keeping the club head swinging to the bottom of the swing arc, it means that the club head continues to travel along the straight to the target line for that important milli-second.

Therefore as this illustration points out, if you wish to strike the ball correctly and also hit the ball straighter, you must learn to swing the club head at a steadily accelerating tempo to the bottom of the swing arc (until both arms are fully straightened) whilst the shoulders are held parallel to the target line - but you must keep the head positioned so that the left eye is slightly behind the ball and in the Fixed Frontal condition until well after the ball has been struck.

As the first section of this lesson illustrates, every top class golfer aims to bottom out the golf swing about four inches in front of the ball, except when using the driver. This means that when playing irons and woods the ball is struck with a descending blow, an action which imparts back spin on the golf ball, thus giving the ball a unique flight trajectory.

For instance, when long irons and woods are used, it creates a moderate back spin action of the golf ball which causes the ball to curve upwards to its maximum height until the back spin dissipates.

However, when short irons are used it creates a much higher back spin action and therefore the ball moves on a much more pronounced upwards curve as it soars to it maximum height, but importantly the ball will still be spinning at a high rate as it hits the ground, thus causing the ball to spin back.

However the biggest benefit to be gained by swinging the club head to the bottom of the swing arc is that it club head is still moving at its maximum velocity as it goes through the contact area, but importantly it should theoretically reduce the urge to inject extra power as the club head approaches the golf ball, thus enabling the golfer to dramatically control the power and the accuracy of the golf shot.

Therefore by mentally removing the golf ball from the swing path, the increased accuracy can directly be attributed to swinging the club head with a descending blow as it swings to the bottom of the swing arc.

Location of the Bottom of the Swing Arc.

To understand where the bottom of the swing arc is located, carry out the following exercise using a three wood:-

Adopt the normal address position and place a marker on the ground just left of the centre of your stance, to indicate the normal ball position.

Step back a couple of inches so that the clubhead is adjacent to the marker.

Just before you perform a back swing movement, hold the club head so that it is just touching the ground.
( It is important to hold the head firmly in the original address position throughout this exercise.)

You will note that as you slowly rotate the shoulders into the back swing movement, the club head moves smoothly away and upwards from the ground.
( Remember to keep the elbows as close together as it is physically possible.)

However, if you return the hands and the club to the original address position, and hold the shoulders firmly in the original address position whilst you simply use the shoulder muscles to slowly pull the arms/golf club towards the target area -- -- you will note that as long as you hold the shoulders firmly in the original address position, the club head immediately begins to dig into the ground, thus stopping the club head from moving any further.

This indicates that the bottom of the swing arc of the golf swing is to the left of the ball position.

The position of the bottom of the swing arc is adjacent to the big toe of the left foot and this is the actual point that you must focus on as you carry out the golf swing, but this actual point is totally reliable on the golfer making sure that the head is firmly held slightly behind the ball at the precise moment the club head makes contact with the ball, why?? -- let me explain.

If your head moves ahead of the original address position ( towards the target area) and remains in that position until the precise moment the club head makes contact with the ball, it means that the whole body has swayed towards the target area thus causing the bottom of the swing arc to move forward by the same amount.

Therefore because the ball is stationary, it means that the ball position effectively moves back in the stance, thus creating a situation where the golfer could possibly hit the ball "thin"

Similarly, if the head is too far behind the original address position at the precise moment the club head makes contact with the ball, it means that the whole body remains too far behind the ball position, thus causing the bottom of the swing arc to move backwards by the same amount.

Therefore because the ball is stationary, it means that the ball position has effectively moved forward in the stance, thus creating a situation where the golfer could possibly hit the ball "fat"

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Please Note.

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