This page will grow as I receive more questions from the readers. I will try to update this page at least once a fortnight.

Question:

You talk about the body and the hands. Which do you see as more important to your swing?

Answer:

I consider them both important. In their own ways. I want to feel my centre. I want to feel where it is. You don’t have to think about it. Just feel it. As far as MOVEMENT goes, I feel most of the movement in the arms and hands. I feel a slight "kick start" to the backswing with the turn of the navel, but this is only a fraction of a second move. Feels like about an inch only. After the SWING has started, I feel the movement mainly in the hands … probably because they travel the greatest distance. I feel the hands tracing a circular orbit, accelerating smoothly, and staying loose.

Question:

How do you know when the backswing is to stop and when you are overswinging? I know with this type of action I've been known to see the clubhead out of the corner of my eye at the top of the backswing.

Answer:

First of all, seeing the clubhead out of the corner of your eye at the top doesn't necessarily mean you are overswinging with this kind of swing. Colin Montgomery says that he WANTS to see the clubhead at the top. However, if you FEEL that you are overswinging, then you probably are.

I talk about "keeping the string taut". As you go from the mini-swing to your "full" swing, work up gradually, increasing your backswing little by little, adding slightly more and more momentum at the start of the backswing. With the smaller swings, can you feel a COMFORTABLE extension between the shoulders and the hands? The only way you can do this is to trace a smooth circular path with the hands. As soon as the Swing is disrupted, and the "string" is no longer taut, you'll feel it. The arm (left arm especially) will feel like it's moving in and out of its socket (very hard on the rotator cuff tendons), and the hands/clubhead will no longer be orbiting around the centre (navel). Start with small SLOW swings feeling the constant radius. Gradually build up your swing, both in length and speed until you feel you are swinging at around 80% of what you would consider as your "full" swing. You'll probably be hitting close to your full distance by this stage, and the swing should feel effortless. My definition of "overswinging" is when I feel the hands and the clubhead "breaking out" of their orbit around the centre. If I can use the analogy of Earth and a satellite, overswinging is analogous to the satellite having too much speed and the Earth's gravitational pull not being strong enough to hold it in orbit. Thus the satellite "escapes". Keep the satellite in orbit around Earth. Keep the hands and the clubhead in orbit around the centre (navel). By this, I don't mean swing on a "flat" plane around the navel. As the hands progress to the top of the backswing, it will move up towards the right shoulder (this happens naturally). What I am saying is that try to FEEL that the swinging motion of the hands is always under control ... in orbit. Feel it gradually decelerating to the top, and then accelerating back down again.

Question:

Is this actually a one piece type of takeaway as described where you move the hands and navel back where the clubhead lag going back is created? Do you keep turning the navel, or is it more a concentration of swinging the club? Do you have to even worry about the navel? Can you just swing the club back?

Answer:

The navel-turn at the start of the backswing is mainly to "kick-start" the backswing. It only lasts a fraction of a second, and it's main purpose is to "inject" some momentum to the clubhead. You don't have to use it if you feel comfortable just swinging the hands away. It's not the same as the "one piece takeaway". The swinging motion of the hands and the turning motion of the navel feel distinctly separate in my swing. Yet they feel together (especially through impact). It's hard to explain in words. The navel does keep turning back, but slowly. After the initial burst of momentum, it feels like the swinging momentum of the club and the hands are turning my navel. The reason the clubhead lags is due to it's own weight. This serves as the "clutch of a car" if you like, so you can "rev up" a bit before the clubhead actually starts moving. As soon as you let the "clutch" go, there is a quick, yet smooth burst of momentum. This is a very subtle, "fraction of a second" thing and it's tough to explain. Although it FEELS like a big deal, when I watch my swing on video, I can barely see this initial lag.

Let me try to explain it this way. I used to perform the takeaway SLOWLY. Low and slow. I would gradually build up speed as I reach for the top of the backswing position. I then realised that this is completely opposite to the way a pendulum swings. The swing should be fast near the bottom of the arc, and then gradually decelerate as you reach the top. The only way you can do this is to give the swing a "burst" or "injection" of momentum at the start. The "one piece takeaway" has everything moving away together, slowly. With the flail type of take away (or swing-away, if you like), the navel starts the turn to the right as the inertia of the clubhead resists this motion. When this is overcome, there is a sudden yet smooth burst of clubhead speed away from the ball. The clubhead NATURALLY stays low to the ground away from the ball, instead of you TRYING to keep it low. The hands are loose, and make no attempt to manipulate the clubhead away from the ball.

One more thing. The initial turning of the navel can be felt as an initial "weight shift". Instead of feeling the navel turning/moving to the right at the start, you may like to feel some weight starting to move towards your right foot. As long as you generate some momentum it's OK. The reason I like to focus on the navel is because it's the centre of my swing. By monitoring the centre, I can keep the Swing under control throughout the swing.

Question:

Do the arms stay relatively close to the body on the backswing, or is it more like a "3 Seconds to Better Golf" thing where the right elbow doesn't go back inside early?

Answer:

I feel that the initial movement is in a straight line, directly away from the target. While I make no effort to bring the clubhead inside during the backswing, I don't over extend my self to keep it moving in a straight line. After working with the flashlight, you can sort of "imagine" a beam of light when you are swinging a regular club. Trace a straight line away from the target with the imaginary beam of light during the backswing, and trace a straight line towards the target on the through-swing. This will naturally get you swinging on plane.

Question:

What's the dividing line between lose and sloppy wrists. Can you be too loose?

Answer:

Yes, you CAN be too loose. You have to have certain amount of tension just to keep the structure of the swing. However, I like to feel that I am as loose as possible while doing the mini-swing. As I gradually build up length and speed, my body will naturally provide enough tension to keep the structure. The tendency is to introduce too much tension.

Question:

How is the vertical component of the golf swing implemented when you SWING the club during the backswing. How do the hands go from around waist level to

shoulder level (or above)? It always feels to me that you must manipulate the hands at least a little to lift them to the top. Thanks.

Answer:

The shoulder muscles aren't floppy during the flail swing. They do contribute. As the right arm bends, the hands move up from waist level up towards the right shoulder.

The KEY difference with the flail swing is that by getting the club to Swing early on in the backswing, the hand path is "guided" by the Swing. Does that make sense? Things naturally seek out the correct plane.