Pitfalls

I've now completed five rounds using Paul Wilson's 'Swing Machine Golf' method. That is, for five rounds I have been trying to implement his method for swing the golf club. This doesn't mean I have always succeeded, not at all. It just means I have been trying to:

Coil from the top, and
Uncoil from the bottom.

This is his method in its simplest form. It is all about trying to stop hitting the ball predominantly with the arms and shoulders Wilson wants us to swing with powerless arms and focus on the contribution of the lower body - legs, hips and core - as we turn onto our front foot.

The method is derived from observations of the mechanics of the 'perfect swing machine' - Iron Byron - the golf club and golf ball testing machine invented some years ago by golfers inspired by the great golfer Byron Nelson. The machine has a powered core that rotates and swings a flexible, powerless, arm that is in turn connected via a hinging device to the handle of the golf club.

Wilson's method incorporates three principles that are based on the physical structure of this machine:

Powerless arms
Flexible wrists
Constant forward tilt.

While acknowledging that human beings are not machines and have two arms and two legs to complicate the rotation, Wilson says we can still copy the basic operation of the machine: coil and uncoil, and swing powered by our core, not our arms.

The only trouble is after years of applying power to the golf swing primarily by the use of arms, shoulders and wrists it is very hard to turn these off and rely on rotational (core) speed and powerless arms to swing the golf club.

The good news is that when applied correctly the powerless arms, flexible wrists and constant forward tilt (just like the machine) work absolutely beautifully in producing powerful, consistent and straight shots.

The bad news is that the average golfer (me) will continue to be bombarded by all sorts of tips and theories about how to play golf - many of them sounding perfectly valid and worth a try. The difficulty is in resisting these lures and sticking to the simple swing machine method.

So far, Wilson has been accurate in his predictions: several bad rounds, a gradual increase in the number of very good shots and a stabilisation of scoring. But the proof will come after maybe another five rounds when, according to Wilson, greater consistency and better scores should start to emerge.

I like the swing machine method because it is an integrated whole, a unified theory, call it what you will, not just a collection of tips, no matter how good they might be in isolation. Like most golfers I need a method that I can follow, stick to, work on, etc., and that will help me ignore the static or white noise of golfing instruction.

Another year another theory

In my end of 2011 review, I outlined three key elements of the golf swing: basically to do with grip, plane and rhythm. A lot has happened since then - despite some success with the swing I was using.

I've decided to go back to 'Swing Machine Golf', the baby of US teaching pro Paul Wilson, who bases his theories on Iron Byron, the mechanical device now copied and used widely to test golf balls and clubs.

Wilson cites three elements of this machine's construction as the reason for its incredible consistency when hitting golf balls - core rotation. flexible joints and constant forward tilt (in a nutshell). Wilson acknowledges that human anatomy (and psychology!) differs from the machine's, but develops his ideas from the three elements.

The reason I've gone back to Wilson is because he has convinced me that many of the so called keys or fundamentals taught or adopted in golf are 'quick fixes' or 'band-aids' that require the golfer to make compensations or corrections, which then fail under pressure or only have a limited life.

The principles Wilson teaches are basically very simple and conventional, particularly in relation to the grip, stance, alignment, etc. But where his teaching is different is in the way he applies the above-mentioned swing machine principles to the golf swing itself.

Wilson points out that Iron Byron has an arm (as against our two) that is completely powerless. The power in the swing he advocates comes entirely from the rotation of the core (leg, hip and torso). The arm or arms are completely powerless - they are merely extensions of the golf club.

The idea is to create tension (spring like) through the winding up of the shoulders and the resistance of the core when taking the club back in the backswing. This is then released by rotating the core (in one of three ways as preferred) and allowing the freely hinging wrists to deliver the club via powerless arms to the ball.

The constant forward tilt is established at set up and maintained throughout the swing so that the clubhead sweet-spot meets the ball with great consistency - as it does with Iron Byron. Not so easy is the creation of the free or loose wrists - a hangover from years of holding off or attempting to steer the golf ball. It will take time for me to free up my wrists so that they release correctly.

The powerless arms concept is not unique, but Wilson's emphasis on it is contrary to most golf teaching. It is also a very difficult thing to ingrain in one's swing because of years of using arm muscles to try to 'hit' the ball. Wilson wants the arms to move towards the correct swing plane without manipulation and he explains the physics in a very convincing way.

Anyway, I like Wilson' ideas and I am (again) working my way through his book and trying to adopt his principles. I am up to round 4 using them, with another five or sis to go before (Wilson says) the new swing will start to take effect and my ball striking will start to become more consistent. We shall see.