15. For the handicap player, a dominant body action only ever gives you an illusion of power

A swing that delivers power and accuracy consists of two levers. The first, or main, lever is the big slow moving rotational action of the body. As it goes through its motion the weight transfers back and forth across the stance. It is essential that the power delivery of this action is kept at a low input for reasons I will discuss later. Virtually everyone in the game picks up the idea of the body action fairly quickly because it is a movement we can identify from other activities in our lives. There is no mystery attached to it.

However, as I said at the outset, success requires two levers and unfortunately, the second lever action is not only totally unique it also feels very inadequate when first experienced. The effect the second lever has on the clubface has the unfortunate effect of contradicting many golfers logic of the game. This means that when the first few faltering attempts with this "new" action deliver the inevitable less than perfect shots, the mind rejects it. It is this rejection that causes many players to fail. It is the failure to see and accept why this action is so important that many players never reach the level they felt they should have.

So what is this second lever? It is the supination and pronation of the hands and forearms, more often than not passed off as "oh, wrist break." However, it is far more than wrist break. Wrist break is a hinge action but I am talking of a rotational hand and forearm action. Nothing primes you for this movement. It is a unique action brought about out of necessity in order to allow the golf club to be swung in the unique way it is designed to be swung. Master this action and you will have a very realistic chance of bringing your golf ball under control. Unfortunately, not only is it an alien movement to us, it also feels weak when first used, even for people who are quite strong.

Therefore, it does not feel logical to use a “weak” movement to propel a ball a long way when you have huge muscle reserves in the neck, shoulders and back. So what happens? The body action muscles its way into a dominant role. Instead of having a synchronized working relationship between the two movements, the body takes up the vast amount of the workload and the swing is lost. Instead of effortless power, we get powerless effort. A dominant body action only ever gives you an illusion of power. The unique wrist /forearm action is impossible to describe in words so I will not even attempt to do it. Get yourself booked in for a lesson and allow the Pro to move you through the action in order to feel it. Then take the feeling away with you and keep practicing it.