Breaking the Distance Barrier

Dear Fellow Golfer,
I am a golf and physical fitness instructor who also happens to be a mechanical engineer. A pretty unusual combination I would say that gives me a broad perspective on this game...

Over the years I have studied the reliability and function of the golf swing using a combination of my engineering back ground, practical knowledge of teaching golf and experience of physical fitness education to produce a swing development program that is simple, yet very effective.

The golf swing is an organic system of joints, levers and motors that is governed by the same principles of motion and complexity of control as any mechanical system.

I am sure you have heard mechanics or engineers use the term "the more moving parts, the less reliable the system". The same can be said of the golf swing. The more moving parts you have in your swing, the harder it is to control and the less consistent your swing will be from shot to shot.

The number of "moving parts" you have in your golf swing is governed largely by the "flexibility" range of your swing and how far you push your swing beyond this range.

The further you push your swing beyond your natural flexibility, the more physical breakdowns occur creating "unwanted motion" that increases the complexity and inconsistency of your swing.

In many cases these break downs take place without you knowing because they are so difficult to "feel" or detect in real time, even with a trained eye watching you.

Trying to copy the swings of the pros can hurt your game...

All too often the techniques of many instruction courses and golf articles you read are based on the observation of the swings of top class golfers who have spent years developing their golf physiques.

As technically sound as these courses are, many encourage you to swing well beyond your "physical capabilities" causing "mechanical break downs" in your swing simply because they ignore your shape, size and flexibility.

Remember this. If you are unable to match the flexibility range of the top players and you try to copy their swings, you will make your swing worse.

You only have to watch the swings of Sergio Garcia and Bubba Watson below to appreciate their incredible swing flexibility and how difficult it is for the average golfer to copy their technique.

Before I became a full time instructor and golf author, I studied the motions of the swing just as I would any mechanical system. Since the golf swing is a moving entity, the "Laws of Motion" equally apply as they would to any mechanical system.

I completed this analysis five years ago and it completly changed the way I teach and think about the golf swing and I am kicking myself for not doing this years earlier.

The big realization that came out of this study was how critical it is to avoid mechanical breakdown during the swing and how seriously that impacts the power of the swing.

Many golfers are aware that they are causing breakdowns during their swing, but simply ignore them as being important to their swing performance.

If you understand the simple physics and mechanics behind the golf swing, you will relaize the impact to your accuracy and distance performance of even the slightest of swing break down.

Every golfer has a swing range within which they can eliminate most "unnecessary motion" in their swing thereby improving their swing balance and optimizing the swing torque and distance they can generate during the swing.

This is what I refer to as your "natural" swing range where you will experience the highest level of swing control.

What many golfers do not know, especially us senior golfers who are not quite as mobile as we used to be, is just where the limit of their swing flexibility ends.

Believe me, once you understand the mechanics of the swing, many of you will be pleasantly surprised where the limits of your flexibility end!

Once you uncover your "natural" swing which "matches your physique" your distance and consistency performance will soar...

It does not matter if you are physically restricted by your body shape, by injury, stiffness due to maturing years or by your perceived lack of physical strength, you have a "natural" swing that is capable of producing solid golf shots.

Breaking the Distance Barrier will give you the knowledge you need to extract and develop your "natural" swing...

I release a frequent newletter from my main online teaching wesbite at Highlander School of Golf.

This newsletter is full of articles and golf instructional tips that tend to be a little more technical in nature about swing technique, strategy and golf fitness.

Take a look at a sample newsletter which features playing golf at Saint Andrews.

Register for the Newsletter to recieve notification of new squidoo article releases and receive a free download of the Alignment and Stance routine taken from my book.