The Evolution of the Golf Swing

The golf swing is changing as you read this. There is no such thing as the perfect swing, but the influence of human sports performance sciences has given us a powerful look at a biomechanically efficient motion. Some say this represents a "standard model". The author of this website agrees with this view. Others demand a need for individuality. Here we see both similar techniques and individual swing features. These images are not a representation of the greatest players in history, but a quick look at "swings that work".

The swing has changed for many reasons which include: weather/clothing, turf management, course design, ball construction, equipment and technology.

From the ancestral home of links golf in Scotland to the modern courses in the sun, clothing has played a critical role in the evolution of the golf swing. When you can't move, you adapt your swing motion. As clothing became less limiting to your movement, the swing motion became more free flowing.

When the freedom to swing more efficiently, new problems were introduced. The original Feathery balls were expensive, limiting the number of players who could afford to play. There were also hard. A mishit was a thing to avoid because of the harsh feel. Adding a padded grip increased the size of the handle which required a shortened swing motion. Changing to softer and higher flying balls allowed the grips to be reduced in size causing the swing to oscillated back to a longer motion. Long nosed clubs with long shafts gave way to shorter nose length and shaft lengths. This longer motion also matched up with the need for a smoothly accelerating swing. A smooth acceleration was required to maintain control over the whippyness and inconsistency of ash then hickory shafts. Using the hands was a primary way of controlling the club. With the coming of the steel shaft, the swing motion again shortened. The consistency of the still shorter shafts changed the typical golfer's posture and allow a more powerful body swing to enter into the game. The role for the the use of the hands gradually evolved as a primary factory in the swing. The hands became more of a passive connector rather than an active controller or hitter.

Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, Sam Snead, John Daly, Tiger Woods and a computer mode of Efficiency

Of the "modern" era of players, the swing continued to evolve from the first generation after the Bobby Jones, Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen era which ended the hickory shaft period into the first body swinger era of Ben Hogan, Sam Snead and Byron Nelson. Ideas about how to best hit a ball were being refined and the player skills were improving. The concept of "keep the head still" remained from the Jones era. Keeping the head still meant the was a strong look of a forward leaning at the top of the backswing. In a poorly skilled, current player, this position might be called a "reverse pivot" error. Being in this position required the player to make a backwards "tilt of the T" (spine and two collarbones) to initiate the transition from the backswing to the forward swing. This small movement required some athletic ability and hand-eye coordination many recreational golfer did not possess and had a difficult time learning. A small change in technique which produced good results for both professional and recreational players came from the teaching of Jimmy Ballard "connection" technique. In this technique, the head was allowed to move laterally on the backswing. This small detail produced much more freedom and reduced the need for high level coordination. It also widened the swing arc for more power.

The modern swing evolved with the introduction of quality video analysis which was followed by computer analysis. Video allowed everyone to see how the words in the books and magazines did not always match the pictures. More people of different backgrounds looked at the videos and saw different things. Traditional concepts began to soften when compared with new ideas. The addition of biomechanical and motor learning science refined methods even further. Technologies like computer digitization and analysis, force platforms and electromyographical analysis provided new information that had to be digested. Opinion began to give way to measured fact. The largest obstacle to growth has been hardhead golf pros with an investment in their old ways of doing things.

Home Free Lessons