Physically building your setup and tackling two separate acts is building your skeleton to develop your body’s rotational strength in the grip. The beginning is to develop a focus on shaping the hips/pelvis configuration. The hips/pelvis are the fundamental skills to shape the lower and upper body for the movement of club swing mechanics.
There are 4 physical parts to developing any golf swing mechanics. It is hip/pelvic first, Scond is the lower body which is the feet/toes and then the knees attached to the hips/Pevlc. The third is the upper body, which is the configuration from the pelvis/spine to the head, shoulder blades, and arm formation. The fourth is the basis of grip on the ergonomics of the fingers for the club.
The hips/pelvis are the foundation for building your skeletal frame which aligns the skeleton during setup. Then, the hips/pelvis transition movement to address creates a skeleton club swing mechanic.
In the development of your skeleton, the formation begins first with the hip/pelvis forming the skeleton. There are three basic hip/pelvic shapes that the golfer makes. I will be introducing a NEW 4th hip/pelvic setup and address shape that allows for more sheletion rotational abilities in the hands.
In this approach, the goal of the hips/pelvis is to rotate in your golf swing so that the shoulders rotate the grip.
I explain the hips/pelvis from 3 different points of view that golfers are now doing in their swing mechanics. Each point of view of shaping the hips/pelvis influences the rotational strength of the skeletal swing.
I will then introduce you and talk about the 4 ways to shape your hips/pelvis and how it affects the rotational strength of your skeleton.
Being a physical trainer I look at the shape of the body, which is the Skeleton, base on purpose. The shape of the skeleton is critical to achieving the ultimate goals in body movement.
This article focuses on the construction of the body skeleton for rotational strength in the grip. There are many other influences such as Muscle/Fascia (Myofascial) which allows the skeletal range of motion with each club
The first focus on setup is the shape of the hip/pelvis which influences skeletal shaping skills and addresses swing setting skills.
The first type of hip/pelvic shape seen at address is the golfer bending from the lower back or waist in a C-shaped spine to the head. The hips/pelvis form the shape of the spine and may have the tailbone tilted inward and downward.
This C-spine direction doesn’t allow the hips/pelvis to rotate on the swing back, so the clubhead’s movement doesn’t recede as much. Forward twist base on feet is limited in hip/pelvic twists. The more hip/pelvis of the C-file is in the swing, the lower the clubhead range movement and force.
The second type of hip/pelvic shape is very common among golfers, even professionals have the hip/pelvic shape that forms an arch in the lower back. This creates a spine shape like an S on the spine between the tailbone and the head. The higher the arch in the lower back, the hips/pelvis has the effect of locking the hips/pelvis in places, so rotating the hips is a challenge. Unless the lower spine straightens during the swing so the hips/pelvics can rotate at that time. This lower back arch has many influences that affect the abilities for skeletal rotational forces.
Golfers who arch their lower back lean forward at the hip flexors. As they flex their tail bone, they pass their heels, balancing their body weight on their heels. You cannot move or rotate your hips/pelvis while on your heels. Body movement is off the ball of the feet. You will never see a runner start a race on your heels. My opinion is that you should have a 60/40 bodyweight feel between the ball and the heel.
Women can create the best arch at the base of the lower back in the Skeletion structure, so their swings are more for the upper body, unless they have NO arch. Having a bow in the lower back produces a feeling you don’t want. That’s being physically stable for a golf swing in heels.
Since you can see so many golfers with arches in their backs and tailbones going past the heel, their swing type produces upper body swing strength with limited abilities for lower body strength.
The 3rd Direction Hips/Pelvis shape has NO arch in the lower back and can create a straight spine towards the head. No arch, lower back arch, hip/pelvic rotation ability of the hip flaxors is natural and affects the capabilities of the shoulder blades for range of rotation to add force to the grip.
You can see the spine shape with tiger wood and others where the spine is straight to the head, with no rounded shoulders and no arch in the lower back. They bend at the hip flexors and come into direction, which tilts the hips/pelvis forward at the hip flexors, allowing for a straight alignment of the spine to the head and the shoulder blades are NOT rounded.
The three directions of Hips/Pelvis. First there is the type C where it doubles in waiting. Then secondly you will see the shape of the hip/pelvis of the lower back. That shape does NOT have an arch base in the lower back in the hips/pelvis configuration where the spine can be straight.
Now it’s time to introduce a 4-hip/pelvic shape that I’ve thought increases the chances of greater body rotational strength.
This NEW hip/pelvic shape in setup and direction starts with standing up, make sure your feet are pointing directly at your head, then feel your hips/pelvics to the side where your spine is tilted. The lateral angle of the spine is from the hip/pelvis and the balance sensation of the heel is 60/40. In order to NOT have an arch in your lower back, your hips/pelvis should be tilted forward slightly to NOT have an arch in your lower back. Take the time to notice the NEW feeling before going down to the lower body setting. Then to the upper body, the spine and the head passage. Now it’s time to create the lateral tilt of the hips/pelvic and spine in the direction.
What you will see from behind in a golfer setup is that the hip/pelvic is tilted and the spine is tilted to one side from behind. This is a NEW sensation to increase hip/pelvic twist. At address, view from behind the hips/pelvics at an angle to the spin, all aligned for the rotation capabilities of the shoulders.
The new sensation for golfers is to rotate the hips/pelvics with an angle in the hip flexors where the force is felt in the hip joint/hip flaxor area in the rotation of the hips. Preventing right foot dynamics is more important than ever.
This is a NEW hip/pelvic steering configuration that requires the golfer to drive very slowly as it alters the swing feel of the skeletal rotational actions. The swing is a unit where the hips do NOT need to adjust during the downward swing. Making the hip/pelvic tilt angle with the head of the shoulder at address affects feel and improves rotational abilities to grip the ball.
To add to the setup and address that affects the shoulder blade where they don’t come up during the swing, the placement of the head in the setup goes to address and is at address.
If you try this to find the head placement for the swing so that the shoulders going up are very limited, if at all. If the head is in front of the shoulder, it can move up freely during the swing. Try this by pulling your head/chin back NOT up and then see if your shoulders can move up. You will find limited upward shoulder movement during the swing as it is all about shaping the skeleton.
To maintain this head position in direction as you lean forward at the hip flexors, your chest pulls your head forward. Most golfers have their heads forward and their chests back, allowing the shoulders to come up without resistance. The goal is for the head not to lead the movement when entering address. It’s a small thing but it has a big effect during your swing.
To create this lateral alignment of the hips/pelvis and spine, tilt the IT band or the hip-leg joint to one side. It is right at the hip/leg joint where the hip/pelvis tilts so that the spine is angled from the tailbone to the head. Then bend the hip/pelvic flexor going in a direction that allows for the angle of the hips/pelvis and shoulders tilt both hands in the direction. Keep in mind that these are new sensations and it takes time to build in the benefits and practice and most of all give it a try and see the range of abilities.
If you would like to see an example of a hip/pelvic side tilt on a swing. Watch Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons with his two swing drawings of him nearly hitting the ball. Look at the tilt of the hip/pelvic angle as his club enters the ball. With this lateral hip/pelvic tilt, you allow your left shoulder to be up and your right shoulder to bring the clubfaces into the ball if you want to drive the ball up and out.
I have a saying that flat shoulders produce flat ball drives. You hit the ball with your left shoulder up, the club faces going up. The misconception is that the swing of the driver’s club is a circle that is not exact. As the clubface hits the ball, the angle of motion changes to produce an increase in euphoria based on the left shoulder angle being hp. This upward tilt of the shoulders allows for the placement of the elbow straight, which affects the timing of the clubface to hit the ball with greater force.
The ergonomics of gripping fingers is complex, as Ben Hogan shows, but there is much more unspoken in his book.
Skeletal development begins with shaping the hips and pelvis to shape the rest of the skeleton based on the golfer’s abilities. We all adapt to skeletal and then muscular/fascial skills in club swing mechanics.
I like to present what moves the range and strength of the skeleton is Myofascial. Myo is muscle which is strength. Fascial is a connecting tissue that connects the links throughout the body’s range of motion. Fascial determines the range of motion and affects the base of movement influences on emotion and the head generator produces that direct energy.
There is much more here, but not having or creating lower back pain while playing golf is what I hope to give you an idea of the possibilities with myofascial and skeletal movement.
Check out two other articles I’ve written about the influence of swing. The most important is shoulder stress and how to alter it to increase range skills through core breathing as a FIX during setup at address and through the swing. Changing the tension in the shoulders is a must for the best swings.