Posture Posturing
 

Posture. Can you write a Golf Book and not once use the word..... "Posture"? :eyes:

The TGM Golfer in the illustration below is using the "Turned Shoulder" Plane. The Traditional Golfer is using the "Elbow" Plane.

Below are a couple of ideas about posture and TGM compared to the Traditional approach to Golf Swing and Plane Control. Golf Strokes with the greatest mechanical advantage include an On-Plane Right Shoulder at the Top of the Swing and an On-Plane Right Shoulder during the Downstroke. In TGM, the Right Elbow Controls the Right Shoulder Location during and at the Top of the Backstroke. Plane Angles for longer and shorter Clubs are compensated by changes in Power Package Alignments. The significant alignment of the Power Package is the amount of Bend in the Right Arm. More Bend for Longer Clubs and less bend for shorter Clubs. More bend causes shallower planes and less bend causes steeper planes. All of these are Turned Shoulder Planes and all of these are controlled automatically at Address and by the Right Forearm-Extensor Action Takeaway. It doesn't get any easier than that.

Tradition has Golfers adjust their Posture for each Length Golf Club. More upright stance for longer clubs and more bent over for shorter clubs. An indication of Pivot Controlled Hands Procedure. When a Traditional Golfer arrives at Impact and has been fortunate enough to have his Right Forearm On-Plane to support and Guide the Clubhead, he has forced significant posture re-Alignments during the Swing. I wonder what the Bio-Mechanics people would say about that?

Hi D,

I have been drawing similar stick guys to you ...just not so pretty. You think that if you were to draw in the shoulders on the pivot chaps they would have "rotated shoulder" backswing?

No, but the TGM guy in the upper left corner, if he had a lob wedge may appear to be on a "Rotated Shoulder" Plane. Players Height needs to be considered.

So for TGM we should have same bent for every club? Currently I have the longer club more upright (driver) and with elbow bent.

1. Same Posture for every club. The Right Elbow a Little farther away from the body for longer clubs and closer for shorter clubs (see above illustration)
2. Each length Club has a different amount of Elbow Bend
3. Wedge has a steeper Plane Angle than the Driver
4. Stance is wider for Longer Clubs and narrower for shorter clubs

The illustration represents a Swinger at Standard Address or a Hitter with a Forward Press. If the Hitter relocated his Hands to Standard Address (not recommended), then his Upper Left Arm would be Vertical to the Ground with shorter Clubs and his Elbow would be slightly behind that Location for Longer Clubs.

Please advise
 

Daryl,

How do you go about determining the precise amount of elbow bend? I try to establish my wedges on a horizontal plane...then flex my knees and bend at the waist until the club hits dirt. So it would seem that my posture changes and my elbow bend stays more constant. The only other thing that changes is the amount of right wrist bend, based on ball postion.

You're adjusting your Posture to a Fixed degree of Elbow Bend. The problem with this thinking is that you may have enough Elbow Bend to get a Clubhead with a 60" Swing radius through the Release and Impact Zone before the Right Arm Straightens, but not a 70" Swing Radius. Try adopting the same Posture at Impact Fix for each club with an On-Plane Right Forearm, and so, the Major difference between Driver and Wedge is distance from the Ball and Elbow Bend.

If each club has a built-in degree of Shaft Lean, with a constant ball location, then theoretically, our hands would be in a different location for each club at impact. A wedge would have hands more Forward than a Driver. This might lead one to think that you need more Elbow Bend for a Wedge than a Driver. But Hands more forward for a Wedge has a direct relationship to Stance Width. If the Hands need to be Farther Ahead, then Narrow the Stance.

Thinking out-loud: But this also is misleading for two reasons. First, The more Elbow Bend of the Driver is reduced by Higher Hands. With higher Hands, the Hands need to be farther from the Body. Second, the Shoulders are more open at Impact with a Driver, and the Left Shoulder is farther from the Ball at Impact with a Driver than with a Wedge.

So, the 3" of more Flex at Address for a Driver than a Wedge is augmented by Hand Height and Shoulder Turn. However, you Still have Reserve Flex because the Hands with a Driver aren't as far ahead of the Ball as they are with the Wedge. This reserved Flex may be just enough to get the Driver through the Release and Impact Zone before the Right Elbow Straightens.

And,

But all of the Above is Controlled by the Width of the Stance. With a Narrower Stance, for steeper Plane Angles, Hip Turn, Weight Shift and Knee Action are all interrelated and reduced a similar amount. So, if you kneed less Knee Action throughout the Stroke, then Narrow the Stance but the Amount of Bend was established at Impact Fix and you'll find this to be practically the same for every club.

Bold and Bold Color by Daryl.

Quick before it evaporates!
 

[quote=Daryl;65219]You're adjusting your Posture to a Fixed degree of Elbow Bend. The problem with this thinking is that you may have enough Elbow Bend to get a Clubhead with a 60" Swing radius through the Release and Impact Zone before the Right Arm Straightens, but not a 70" Swing Radius. Try adopting the same Posture at Impact Fix for each club with an On-Plane Right Forearm, and so, the Major difference between Driver and Wedge is distance from the Ball and Elbow Bend.

Otay that makes sense. how do I go about attempting what you recommend? Will you step it out for me? I sense a wisp of something here. The key for me recently has everything to do with the right elbow i.e. degree of bend, postions, fanning etc.

[quote=okie;65221]

1. Get a Wedge and a Driver
2. Hold the Wedge in your Left Hand
3. Put the Driver in your Right Hand
4. Adjust yourself into Impact Fix with the Driver and Right Forearm On Plane and a Wider Stance with your Hand in the Line of Sight to your Left Foot.
5. Let go of the Driver and let it drop to the ground.
6. Do not move your Pivot alignments and Right Forearm.
7. With your Left Hand, put the Wedge in your Right Hand. The Clubhead is above the ground.
8. Bend your Right Elbow until the Clubhead Touches the Ground. Narrow your Stance until the Hands are over the Left Foot. Simply moving the Right Foot will not reposition the Hand in the Line of Sight to the Left Foot so Don't forget to re-Center your Head.

Thanks, Daryl. That is EXACTLY what I was looking for. Okie needs a step by step...down to brushing his teeth! I will work on it during my next practice session.

Over the past year, I've viewed hundreds of Golf Swings in painfully Slow Motion. I'm amazed that so few Pro's and Amateurs Do not Have On-Plane Right Forearms at Release but may have On-Plane Right Forearms at Impact. Then it dawned on me that anyone who straightens the Right Arm at Impact will have an On-Plane Right Forearm, or at least appear to have that Alignment. So I started to ask "why can't they all have On-Plane Right Forearms at Release? That's when the On-Plane Right Forearm is needed most. Golfers who adjust the Pivot Components in order to Adjust Plane Angles fall into a Trap. Most Golfers Stand-Up during Release which forces the Right Forearm to come into Release too high. They try to apply the Pivot speed directly to the Clubhead rather than using the Pivot to Accelerate the Arms. Or, in TGM terms, the Power Package.

The premise of this thread is simply that the Power Package Alignments alone adjust to varying club lengths in a Hands Controlled Pivot Swing, which differs from Pivot Controlled Hands which adjusts Pivot Components to match varying lengths of Clubs. So, if the Pivot is like an engine of the swing, then the Power Package is like the Transmission.

I think that this is not only consistent with TGM Power Package theory, but may be necessary for day to day, Golf Round to Golf Round consistency. Pivot Adjustments are not needed to control the Swing Plane if it's under the Control of Power Package Alignments. This leaves the Pivot to adjust to conditions such as uneven lies, and special shots without imposing influence on Swing Plane in addition to existing as a Rotor.

The illustrations below are measured and proportioned to a normal person. Both left and right wrists are Uncocked at Address and though the Right Forearm is not On-Plane, it's only because the Hands are not leading the Clubhead and given that the Clubshaft lies more across the base of the fingers of the Right Hand. So, I doubt that its possible for a perfectly On-Plane Right Forearm at Standard Address (with an Uncocked and Flat Right Wrist). However Hitters, using Impact Fix Hand position for Address will have an On-Plane Right Forearm if they include a Bent and Level Right Wrist.

The Power Packages of the Driver and Wedge have identical alignments and adjust to different club lengths by dropping (or raising) from the Shoulder sockets. It seems like the Right Elbow Bend is the same at address for each Club length because Both Wrists are Uncocked. This really blows because even though an On-Plane Right Forearm will have different degrees of Right Elbow Bend at Impact for different Length Clubs, this particular Alignment needs to be re-established before Top Position to cause different Plane Angles for each Length Club. So now I have to go through the most boring and labor intensive task of determining if Extensor Action can determine this alone, and how and why.

So, it would be great if some Swingers or Hitters reading this, would try a few strokes with different length clubs using the same Pivot Component Alignments at Address and report back to this thread with their thoughts. I don't expect anyone using a Pivot Controlled Hands Procedure to have as much success, but who knows for sure.

I think that the first Question to answer is whether or not Pivot Component Adjustments (knee flex, waist bend, etc.) are necessary in Non-Pivot Strokes using different Length Clubs. That may lead one to discover how the Power Package controls the Swing Plane.