[Jeff]

12PB

I applaud your persistence in asking probing questions. Getting to the nitty-gritty details can sometimes be very instructive.

You seem to be implying that I am capable of good hula hula flexibility in my backswing.

That's not true. Consider the facts.

Look at Anthony Kim's torso rotation in the backswing. Note that his torso has an even rightwards slope. That is frequently seen in good golfers and it is due to the even spread of rotation over the entire thoracic spine and upper lumbar spine. Each of AK's thoracic and upper lumbar vertebra are capable of about 2-6 degrees of rotational movement. That allows him to spread the rotational load (difference between the degree of thoracic and pelvic rotation) over 12 thoracic vertebra and about 3-4 lumbar vertebra. So, if AK rotates his pelvis 45 degrees and his upper torso 105 degrees, then the 60 degrees of rotational difference can be roughly evenly spread over those 15+ vertebra.

I have a very inflexible lumbar and lower thoracic spine which is incapable of any rotation. The only part of my spine that can rotate is my mid-upper thoracic spine. Note that I rotate my pelvis about 50 degrees and my upper torso only about 70+ degrees. That means that I only have 20+ degrees of upper torso rotation. Also, note where the rotation occurs. It only occurs at the level of my mid-upper thorax level. That causes me to have a slight reverse pivot as I try to torque my upper torso against the resistance of a more restricted lower body turn. Also, if you look carefully, I don't really rotate perpendicularly around my spine in the backswing - I tend to lift up in the late backswing as I pull my right shoulder back. You can see that I can get my right shoulder more targetwards than I can get my left shoulder anti-targetwards, and that is part of my lifting maneuver.

So, I do not exhibit good hula hula flexibility in the backswing. I can torque my upper torso by about 20-30 degrees because my lower torso is grounded through my "fixed" right knee and my feet.

Now consider the downswing. I exhibit far less "apparent" hula hula flexibility in the downswing because my upper torso is ungrounded and free-floating. Therefore, when I torque my pelvis when using an active pivot action, my upper torso (which is free-floating) reacts immediately and also rotates. I am not capable of generating any dynamic X-factor (increased torso-pelvic separation) at the start of the downswing. I have learnt how to deal with this limitation by performing a compensatory action. Knowing that my right shoulder is going to turn immediately when I start my pelvic shift-rotation move, I immediately actively drive my right shoulder downplane even though I haven't yet developed any secondary axis tilt. That means that my shoulders are not turning perpendicularly around my spine. I can do it - but is doesn't feel comfortable. Also, that right shoulder downwards thrust downplane at the very start of the downswing can cause a disruption of my kinetic sequencing, which is not a good thing. That's why I do better with a reactive pivot action. I can throw my hands down-and-out on the plane before my torso reacts, and I am better able to generate a more synchronised, smoother swing action using this type of pivot action.

Obviously, a golfer cannot drive the ball as far using a reactive pivot action swing than a pivot action swing. How much loss in distance do you think will occur when using an arm swing versus an active pivot-driven swing in a good golfer?

Jeff.