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jclenden
USA
206 Posts |
 Posted - July 12 2009 : 11:36:04 AM
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I decided to have some fun on the range, just to break up the routine and experiment with something new. I got my inspiration from the Sports Science TV show about “Happy Gilmore Golf” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wguFY0DDoAU), where they conducted an experiment to see if Padraig Harrington could hit a golf ball further by taking the “Happy Gilmore swing”. The answer: YES, 10% further. Through the analysis they concluded that the reason why was that his whole body was turned further away from the ball as he began his downswing than it was using his conventional swing. More body turn equates to more distance.
So, I played around with the footwork to see what it felt like. I noticed something. If your whole body is turned away from the target right before you begin your downswing, like the “Happy Gilmore swing”, you absolutely CANNOT use your arms to power the swing. You absolutely MUST use your torso to “hurl” the club through the ball. Sooooo, in the name of “fun” I decided to capture that “feeling” by repeating the last step of the “Happy Gilmore” motion before I addressed the ball, and then I took my stance and tried to repeat that feeling. I ripped it! It’s tough to eliminate the arms from the swing so I needed to do something extreme in order to better ingrain that feeling. It worked, and it was kind of fun! Some of you who are adventurous may want to experiment with that extreme body turn and hurling the club to get a better feel for what it’s like to swing with your torso. But there was a caveat - using that swing thought caused me to sway my head some of the time. But once I got that under control, bye bye golf ball.
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kfarkle
USA
248 Posts |
 Posted - July 12 2009 : 12:24:34 PM
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| Now you've done it!... |
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jclenden
USA
206 Posts |
Posted - July 12 2009 : 1:02:38 PM
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Kurt, I'm expecting a video of you trying this later today. |
Edited by - jclenden on July 12 2009 1:03:07 PM |
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kfarkle
USA
248 Posts |
 Posted - July 12 2009 : 1:24:08 PM
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This one is yours, Jeff...I've got all the trouble I can handle for now. It's your turn to get yelled at.
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simpleswing
951 Posts |
 Posted - July 13 2009 : 1:04:46 PM
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Hi jclenden,
I have to say that I've done some of the same experimentation and had similar results.
That said it's a whole other thing to take the Happy Gilmore swing to the course. I doubt we'll be seeing Padraig using the HG swing off the tee on any holes in the British Open this week.
Joe Davidson
Simple Golf
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jclenden
USA
206 Posts |
Posted - July 13 2009 : 8:17:43 PM
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Joe, I have no intention of taking Happy Gilmore to the course! However, I will take the "feeling" of the swing to the course. In addition to Happy, I was also looking at video of people who throw the discus and the hammer at track & field meets. They, also, do something similar. They begin their final thrust with their back facing completely away from their target, they extend the left leg and plant it behind them (i.e. toward the target), and then they drive their force into it in order to violently turn the hips and torso toward their target in order to generate maximum rotary force.
The golf swing is similar, in that you're trying to generate rotary force toward a target using your torso by pressing into a firm leading leg. The person throwing the hammer or discus get virtually no power from their arms, wrists, or hands. It all comes from the powerful turn of the torso against a braced left leg up until the moment of release (impact in golf), at which time they vary in how they finish their throws (our swings). You teach the same principle in SS. We must "whip" the torso. The sensation I get from the Happy Gilmore swing is not really "whipping", but rather a violent but free whole torso rotation towards the target. Maybe it's my dance background, but it just creates a better image and feeling in me than the thought of "whipping". I'll use that feeling on the course tomorrow and we'll see how it goes. So far, I'm 2 for 2 at the range! |
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jclenden
USA
206 Posts |
 Posted - July 14 2009 : 9:16:37 PM
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Well, Joe, what can I say?  My Happy Gilmore inspired swing changes resulted in my best 9 hole score ever, as I shot a 2 under par 33 in league play. I missed 2 birdie putts of 5' or less, so I easily could have been 4 under. Before each shot I practiced by turning my back completely on the hole, took a hop step backward, planted my left leg, and then whipped my body through. Then I took a normal stance, made a complete torso turn but kept my arms low, and I hit 8/9 GIR and generally struck the ball well. I'll post a video when I get a chance. The H.G. inspired swing is probably just the "normal" SS, but I needed the image of a free-wheeling swing to really get me there. Go Happy! |
Edited by - jclenden on July 14 2009 9:20:43 PM |
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kfarkle
USA
248 Posts |
Posted - July 15 2009 : 11:38:38 AM
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Now you've really done it!...Does this mean you'll quit your day job? Need a caddie?
Great round, Jeff!
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simpleswing
951 Posts |
Posted - July 15 2009 : 11:52:40 AM
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Hi jclenden,
Okay now I understand. I was picturing you "hopping" all around the tees out on the course.
I'd love to see the video. I do think that the HG inspiration gave you the motivation for a bigger core turn which is definitely the way to increase power.
You're recent scoring efforts have been truly amazing. Keep up the good work.
Joe Davidson
Simple Golf |
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Happy Gilmore on the Range
