If at first ...

I'm now into my second week of using the Duplessis / Wilson big muscles approach to the golf swing. I will call it the DW method. And, although I'm not yet playing particularly well, I am more than ever convinced that this is the way all average (define average how you will) golfers should go.

The method fundamentally involves using the big core muscles of the body, but including the knees, hips and shoulders, to control and power the golf swing. It requires, almost as an act of faith, de-emphasising the role of the hands and wrists, which must remain powerless, mere hinges (or hingers) and holders of the golf club.

Now, some professionals will say 'well, the hands are your only point of contact with the golf club; you must educate them'. And this sounds logical. Unfortunately, or as my 3-year old grandson says 'affortunately', the hands are connected to the brain, and the brain, both consciously and unconsciously, can be quite capricious. Sometimes, our brain has second thoughts, or feels the need to make a last split second correction, which might work out well, but usually doesn't.

This capriciousness and unpredictable manipulation of the hands is the main source of the inconsistent ball striking that is characteristic of the average golfer.

There are, in my view, two solutions. The first is to hit several hundred golf balls every day for ten or so years, as the pros do, learning to control the thought processes that contribute to the golf swing. This is not an option for most people.

The second solution is to as far as possible take the hands and wrists out of the equation. That is, make them passive extensions of your arms, shoulders and body. Then, use the coiling of the upper body on the backswing and uncoiling of the whole body (starting from the ground up) on the downswing to power the golf swing.

Many teaching pros will agree with this principle of starting the downswing with the lower body. However, most do not sufficiently emphasise the importance of passive hands and the need to suppress the impulse to hit at the ball with the hands. Generally, the simple coiling and uncoiling concept (of teachers like RD and PW) ends up being complicated by all manner of technical concepts relating to weight transfer, elbow positions, wrist cock, release, etc. etc.

The result of all this theory is that most average golfers, including me, though not teachers like the aforementioned RD and PW, forget that the golf swing is, or should be, much like throwing a ball. It should involve the quite natural coiling, shifting of weight and release that is characteristic of anyone with a semblance of hand / eye coordination.

I should make an admission that this coiling and uncoiling is not quite as easy as it can sound. There is practise involved in correct alignment, maintaining good balance, timing the transition and suppressing the desire to hit at the ball, not to mention the other complication of decision making about the shot being attempted.

Finally, I should also say that I stand by my previously advocated fundamentals (don't sway, get the weight on the front foot and don't try to hit too hard), but I'm working to integrate them with the coiling and uncoiling concept discussed above. And, if at first I don't succeed ...