Introduction:

The Redemptive Golf System.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Introduction..........................................................	1
Why The Fundamentals?....................................	7
The Set-up.............................................................	8
The Full Swing......................................................	12
The Shoulders/ Rotator Cuff Muscles................	15
The Rotator Cuff Exercises.................................	18
The Arms And Hands..........................................	20
The Legs And Feet (Lower Body Action)...........	32
The Laser Guide Swing Training System..........	34
The Follow-through.............................................	42
Putting It All Together.........................................	43
Short Shots............................................................	45
The Composite Putting System...........................	48
Competition/ Playing Under Pressure................	59

“It’s never too late to be what you might have been.”

C George Elliot (1819-1880), English Novelist.

“If you keep doing what you always have been doing, then you will keep getting what you always have been getting.”

Source Unknown

“Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.”

John Wooden

About the Author:

Dan Blevins is a graduate of Earlham College (Richmond, Indiana) with a degree in Biology, and California State University (Fullerton, Calif.) with classes in education and psychology. A four-sport varsity letterer in college (track, cross-country, baseball, and golf), the four years that he played varsity golf sparked the beginnings of his intense interest and search to develop a golf system that would allow him to consistently play at his best. An avid reader, he used his knowledge in human anatomy/physiology, psychology, and movement studies, to finally piece-together the system that he had been looking for all those years. During his senior year in college, Dan was the recipient of the Wendel M. Stanley Senior-Scholar Athlete Award, named after the school's 1946 Nobel Prize winner.

A resident of Anaheim, California, he has worked both in business and as a teacher in the Anaheim Union High School District while teaching such subjects as Chemistry, AP Physics, and advanced math. As a substitute teacher, he had the unbelievable coincidence of having Tiger Woods in many classes when Tiger attended Orangeview Junior High and Western High School, which are both in the Anaheim Union High School District.

His father, Harold Blevins, was born in Topeka, Kansas, and is a cousin of 5-time British Open winner, Tom Watson, through his grandmother whose last name was also Watson. Dan modeled his putting stroke after Watson's, which produces deftly accurate results, and he describes it as being like a person with a "modern, high-precision, scoped, rifle versus others who are using 18^th-Century muskets."

Introduction:

To become the best golfer possible, you would need to devise a system that would most consistently produce the best swing technique. It’s an excruciating trial-and-error process that each one must negotiate, and a never-ending process of refinement of thoughts and procedures to use when playing on the course. It would be fantastic if we could find something that said, “Follow these procedures, and use these thoughts, and you will reach your golfing potential!”

Today, there is no blueprint to follow if you wish to become the best golfer that you can possibly become. The complex movements of golf swing technique, and the interplay between the mind (thoughts and memory techniques) to elicit these movements, present a tremendous challenge to be solved. Most golfers have gone up and down nearly every conceivable road—reading the instructional material, taking lessons, watching videos and telecasts, and more—only to find that they have made little, or no, progress. Effort and hard work in other fields usually translates into mastery, but with golf you have to piece-together, or build, a highly-thought-out swing scheme by sifting through a sea of information, rather than just learning the whole volume of the available information. It’s very difficult to discern which roads to take.

J. Douglas Edgar (1886-1921), one of the great players and instructors of his time, suffered many years of hardship and frustration with his obsession to master the game of golf. A self-proclaimed duffer of many years, he was able to assemble a swing system to beat such great players as Tommy Armour and Harry Vardon, who once said of Edgar, “He will be the greatest of us all.” In his book, The Gate to Golf, Edgar says, “...my golf career has been most laborious and I can safely and truly say that if I could have seen ahead, I probably would not be a golf professional at the present time.” Edgar likened a golfer’s search for golfing excellence to that of a person “...lost in a thick fog, walking round and round in a circle, or like a man looking for a secret door into an enchanted garden, many times getting near it but never quite succeeding in finding it.”

Edgar stuck with golf because of an inward feeling that there was a secret in the game, which once found, would enable him to reach his goals as a player and a teacher. Edgar chanced upon the secret when he fashioned the idea known as “the gate.” First, he understood the correct movement at the start of the downswing, and he devised the gate as a means to insure “the movement.” In essence, “the gate” is three box-like structures (one can use cigarette packages as a substitute) placed on both sides of the ball in such a manner that forces the golfer to hit the ball while the clubhead travels from inside the ball-to-target line. If one does not “hit from inside-out”, then the clubhead will make contact with the boxes near the ball. Today, hitting from the inside is considered to be one of the fundamentals of golf, and it is chiefly due to the insight and work of J. Douglas Edgar.

Edgar’s secret sufficed for him, but golfers of today continue to search for a means to push the envelope past the current level of golf swing technology. The fact that we continue to see, and use, the same traditional methods and informational sources to teach and learn the golf swing—including those that were that were used over half of a century ago—is evidence that we have a long way to go before we have the technology that will allow us to play consistently to the highest levels of our playing ability. Anytime we see a large number of remedies for a particular disease listed in a medical textbook, we can be certain that no remedy is particularly efficacious; the existence of so many remedies to solve the problem of swinging a golf club—the enormous variety of instructional methods, the variety of swing thoughts, etc...—is evidence that we have yet to find a system that is particularly efficacious. In other words, we are still far from conquering the elusive nature of the golf swing.

Even the greatest golfers attest to the elusiveness of this game. Jack Nicklaus states that a golfer never stops learning, and that one can always get better at this game. In his book, Bobby Jones on Golf, Bobby Jones calls the game “an inexhaustible subject,” and he cannot imagine “that anyone might ever write every word that needs to be written about the golf swing.” Ben Hogan said, “There are nine jillion things to learn...I don’t think anyone knows all there is to know about the golf swing, and I don’t think anyone will ever know.” Essentially, most believe that the swing movements are so complex, and there are so many variables in this game, that it appears inconceivable that a person can ever get to the ultimate point of enlightenment and shoot the lowest possible scores and achieve the highest degree of consistency. Wouldn’t it be great to find one definitive system that works better than all others?

Inconsistency seems to have become an integral part of the game of golf. Top players rarely shoot four consecutive scores that are close to one another, and even the best players rarely win three, or four, tournaments in the span of a year. In a nutshell, it’s very difficult to get one’s swing, and the mechanics of the short game, to hold up for an extended period of time. Even those who have a good understanding of sound swing mechanics, usually experience a lifetime, push-pull, process of finding and losing “their game” (even Tiger Woods, after winning The 1997 Masters Tournament by twelve shots, said that it was the first time that he ever had his “A game” for four rounds). Many just accept the elusiveness, and inconsistency, of this game saying, “That’s just the nature of this game.” Today most seek consistency by “pounding” an enormous number of balls on the range, hoping that the “muscle memory” will allow their swings to hold up on the course. In addition, many top tour professionals depend on the constant supervision of a swing “guru,” or highly-esteemed teaching professional, to help them to maintain sound swing technique.

Current instructional methods, and swing schemes, are insufficient to guarantee a high degree of consistency. We already have the swing figured out—it’s basically the same series of movements— but future advancements in golf will come from the development of the best memory techniques, and swing training techniques, that will allow you to consistently shoot lower scores.

There are basically a few reasons that it is very difficult to successfully negotiate the process of becoming a fine golfer. First, the golf swing is extremely difficult to analyze and to understand because it is a complex amalgam of movements (rotation, vertical lift, etc.) that occur simultaneously, and in sequence; In other words, it is very difficult to see and understand the individual movements (hands, arms, shoulders, etc.) when everything moves so fast, and at the same time. Second, there is a massive amount of instructional material that can lead to great confusion; it can seem like there are a million different ways to swing the club, when everyone is actually trying to describe the same series of movements. Third, the human mind (memory) has limitations that make it very difficult to have a firm grasp of the golf swing. Even though one may have a deep understanding of sound swing technique, it is very difficult to retain and to reproduce on the golf course. Thus, to progress to a high level of playing proficiency, each golfer must first complete the arduous task of learning sound swing mechanics, and then the equally-arduous task of finding the best swing thoughts that will allow the most consistent reproduction of these mechanics.

In the following pages, I will present a revolutionary swing training system designed to lead to the understanding and the consistent execution of a sound golf swing. This system is based on years of research in physiology, biomechanics, psychology, and learning and memory technology. I have designed this system to circumvent the problems of traditional swing training methods by incorporating conceptual images that lead to a high degree of technical understanding and the ability to produce a higher degree of control and consistency. To achieve this, we first must gain an understanding of the exact location and function of the muscles of three very important areas: the left hand and arm, the right hand and arm, and the shoulders. These three areas are part of a three-point focus that is the secret to a sound swing and tremendous consistency—it is the foundation of this system. Such concepts as lower-body movement (e.g., weight shift), constant spine angle, keeping the head still and behind the ball, and many others, have been practiced for many years and have become “second nature” (or at least, subconscious); thus, we can narrow our focus to these crucial areas: the action of the left and right arms, and the shoulders. Most golfers often understand these three areas vaguely and we can gain great control, and the understanding, to produce a sound swing if we focus down to the anatomical level—muscle groups and their specific functions. In addition, I will present many key thoughts and visualizations to facilitate the understanding of the individual swing movements and I will teach one to incorporate these movements into one smooth swing. These concepts will not only be used to give one a greater understanding of the swing movements and to ingrain these movements into “muscle memory” before one steps foot on the course, but they also serve as swing thoughts to ensure the correct execution of the golf swing on the golf course. Thus, I’ve designed this system to allow one to control a tremendous number of swing variables—simultaneously—which goes far beyond the degree of control that one can attain with the use of traditional swing training systems, or the use of individual swing thoughts.

I’ve named this system “The Redemptive Golf Swing” because it is designed to allow golfers to achieve higher levels of playing ability, after years of being stuck in the same “rut.” Golf is one of those games where dedication can be spent to countless hours of playing and practicing, year after year, yet no improvement in playing ability may be realized. This system will allow one to move forward. I have purposely tried to refrain from restating all of the sound information that can be found in most books on the subject, such as the intimate details of the grip, the set-up, and other fundamentals. Restating all of this information would only make this work more laborious and confusing—and redundant to those who have read it countless times!

“If you keep doing what you always have been doing, then

you will keep getting what you always have been getting.”

—Source Unknown

References:

1.) Edgar, J. Douglas. The Gate To Golf. 1920. Published privately in Washington, D.C.

2.) Jones Jr., Robert Tyre. Bobby Jones On Golf. 1984. Golf Digest Inc.

Why the Fundamentals?

The scientific method has allowed us to accrue a list of fundamentals (e.g., a straight left arm, a straight and constant spine angle, a steady head, the Vardon grip, etc.) that produce a more efficient swing and thus more consistent results. After decades of trial-and-error testing, these fundamentals have been accepted into theory as the best means to swing a golf club. These fundamentals are the base upon which any swing advancement must be built. Just as Isaac Newton said that he stood on the shoulders of giants (his scientific theories were built upon the theories of his predecessors), a swing must stand on the shoulders of these fundamentals. Anyone who tries to develop a swing, and ignores these fundamentals, is only making the process more tedious, lengthy, and difficult.

The ideal scenario would be for one to focus simultaneously on all of the fundamentals. Since the human mind does not have the capacity to focus sharply on all of these points at the same time, the closest that we can come to achieving this ideal is to devise a concise swing system that integrates these fundamentals into a narrower focus. In short, advancement in swing technology must include key thoughts and visualizations, and other memory techniques, which allow golfers to consistently achieve the fundamentals of a sound swing. We are not looking for a different swing, but merely the best visualizations and groupings of swing thoughts that will allow us to reproduce the swing more often.

“When your game has a solid foundation and you don’t have

to rely on luck, you make your own breaks.”

— Gene Littler

The Set-Up:

A large volume of good instruction has been written on sound grip and set-up principles. Ben Hogan's book, Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals Of Golf, thoroughly covers these principles and is an excellent reference. Also, Jack Nicklaus's book, Jack Nicklaus, The Full Swing, gives excellent pictures and instructions to guide one in achieving a proper grip and set-up. A sound grip and set-up are the foundations upon which this swing system is built. By properly gripping the club and placing one's body into sound positions, the muscles can work in unison to produce a fluid and repeating golf swing. Everything in the body is connected, through a series of muscles, tendons, and bones; if one segment of the body is out of position, it can ruin the entire swing.

The goal of the golf grip is to place your hands in a manner that will allow the consistent production of the desired shot (see figure 1). The modern grip techniques (the Vardon, the interlocking, and the ten-fingered) allow maximum control of the shot, because they reduce the influence of the small, tough-to-control, muscles of the hands and arms. This is achieved because the hands are placed on the club so that they oppose one another; this nullifies the influence of the hands and allows the larger muscles of the shoulders, arms, and legs to control the swing. These larger muscles are less prone to “twitchy”, or jerky, undesirable movements, that could result in disaster on the golf course.

Your left hand should grip the club so that most of the pressure is in the last-three fingers (the ones furthest from the thumb), and the club should be balanced by running it up into the “butt of the palm.” Your left wrist should arch downward, which allows it to serve as a strong link that will not break down at impact.

In the Vardon and the interlocking grips, the right hand is placed so that the ring finger (the finger next to the “pinky”) runs snugly up against the index finger of the left hand. Also, the right hand is a finger grip, with the club mainly held by the middle-two fingers of the right hand. In addition, the right wrist should also arch downward. We can gain maximum control of the golf ball by placing the hands, fingers, and wrists in these positions.

The “V’s” formed by the thumb and the forefinger should point toward the seam of the right shoulder. If the “V’s” point to the outside of the right shoulder this will promote a closed clubface at impact which will result in shots that go to the left for a right-handed golfer. If the “V’s” point to the inside of the right shoulder (a little more towards the left shoulder), then this will promote an open clubface and shots will tend to go to the right.

The slightest change in the golf grip can greatly influence one’s golf swing. Gary Player said that he was about a 6-handicapper, compared to the average touring professional, when he first left South Africa to play in the British professional events. He attributed an alteration in his grip (he moved his left thumb more toward the right side of the shaft) as one of the main reasons that he was able to improve and eventually win important tournaments. He arrived with a very flat swing and an excessively weak grip (the thumb was on the left side of the shaft), but with insight, and a tremendous work ethic, he was able to fix these problems.

Arm placement is another important set-up principle. The arms and hands are the links that allow the body to transmit power and control to the club. Just as with the hands, improper placement and use of the arms will result in a loss of power and control. The goal of the grip is to unify the hands to perform as one; the arms should also be positioned to perform as a unit.

The arms should be held close together, and the upper-portions should be pressed against the upper-torso. To ensure against any independent action of his arms, Ben Hogan imagined that they were held close together by being wrapped with rope, or twine. He also focused on using only the inside muscles of the arms. Any movement of the upper arms, away from the body, will destroy the unified action of the arms and the link between the body and the club head.

Another important fundamental is to set-up with a straight spine that is maintained at a constant angle to the ball, throughout the swing. Many golfers accomplish this task by visualizing the spine as a straight post, which runs from the base of the neck to the tailbone. One then swings the club around this central axis (the post), by shifting the weight back and forth while maintaining the straight spine. A straight spine is essential because it allows the golfer to get the club back to the address position, and thus to swing the club in a consistent manner.

The following are important swing principles that one should have ingrained into memory:

· Left hand (club goes up in pad of palm)/right hand (fingers).

· Use the inside muscles (legs and arms).

· Hold the arms close together, with the upper segments in close contact with the upper torso.

· The arms should hang straight down over the feet.

· Weight shifts to the right and behind the ball during the backswing, and back to the left side for the downswing.

· Keep the weight on the insides of the feet.

· Swing around the straight spine (the central axis).

· Keep the head still.

References:

1.) Hogan, Ben. Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals Of Golf. 1957. Simon & Shuster. N.Y., N.Y.

2.) Nicklaus, Jack. Jack Nicklaus, The Full Swing. 1982-1984. Golf Digest/Tennis Inc. Trumbull, Ct.

Figure 1— Illustrations of the golf grip. In the left hand, the club runs from the index finger and is pushed up into the “butt of the palm” near the end of the club; the thumb is placed near the top of the club’s grip and most of the pressure is in the last-three fingers. The right hand is considered a “finger grip,” with the middle-two fingers providing most of the support, or pressure. The idea is to have a “palms-facing” grip so that the hands can work together as one unit.

There are several variations of the grip. First, the overlapping (the Vardon), the interlocking, and the ten-finger grips are variations that are characterized by the placement of the “pinky” of the right hand. Second, the hands are turned to the right of the neutral position in the strong grip, while a weak grip has the hands turned to the left of the neutral position. Usually, the stronger grips produce a “draw,” or “hook,” and the weaker grips produce a “fade,” or “slice.” The bottom left (two) grips illustrate a strong left-hand grip (thumb placed more on the right side of the shaft), and the left hand placed in a weaker position.

The Full Swing:

By studying the progression of Ben Hogan’s golf game, we can gain great insight about the process of becoming a highly skilled golfer. In the early years of his career, Ben was a struggling professional plagued with a loose and highly unreliable swing. However, through an uncanny power of observation and the ability to study and test information, he was able to develop a golf swing and a rock-solid swing scheme that enabled him to become one of the greatest players in the history of the game. He had a thorough understanding of all aspects of the swing—the exact set-up positions, and the exact muscles to use— which enabled him to piece together a swing scheme that did not fall apart under pressure.

After years of searching for “a secret”, or means, to increase accuracy and consistency, Ben Hogan devised his plane-of-glass visualization. He visualized a plane of glass that ran from the ball through the mid-point of his shoulders, and he imagined that his arms brushed up against this plane as they went to the top of the backswing. By doing this he attained the same swing plane and arc for each swing, which was the key that allowed him to attain a tremendous level of consistency.

While I was developing my game and working as a substitute teacher, Tiger Woods was in many of my classes from the time he was in the seventh grade until he graduated from the twelfth grade at Western High School. I was amazed that this kid, whom I first saw in a seventh grade math class at Orangeview Jr. High School, was considered the best player of his age in the world and that he could beat the best high school players in Orange County, who were four to five years older. I believe that Tiger became such a fine player at such a young age, because of his early, and year-long, regime of daily practice, weekly lessons, and playing in as many tournaments as possible. Through all of this, he became extremely comfortable in tournaments, he developed superior technique, and he found memory techniques to reproduce it on the course. Even though he was much younger than many of the golfers he competed against, he was essentially a kid with the technique of a touring professional (his first professional instructor, Rudy Duran, said that he was essentially a ‘shrunken touring professional’ at the age of six). I remember watching him tee off at The Cypress Golf Club during one of his high school matches, and soon after he pointed to, and turned, his shoulders in a very specific manner saying, “It goes like this.” He had a very precise visualization, or memory technique, which allowed him to consistently produce the correct shoulder turn. Over the years, I’m sure that he picked up memory techniques for all of the shots, and the individual movements of the swing—all of which is the software that allows him to play as well as he does today. Most of golf is technique, and he had a means to reproduce this technique at an early age.

One of the main reasons that Tiger was able to progress to his current level of play was because his entire game was built on sound positions, and fundamentals (In an interview of 1997, Jack Nicklaus said, “Tiger Woods has the best fundamentals that I’ve ever seen.”). By placing the parts of his body in the same sound, time-proven, set-up positions for each shot, he maximizes his chances of hitting the desired shot. You have to have a first-rate grip and set-up, if you hope to play anywhere near Tiger’s level of play. We’ve seen many touring pros “push” their games to much higher levels in efforts to compete with Tiger Woods, and the first part of this process was to make sure that they had the best possible fundamentals and set-up positions. You can’t beat a repeating machine at its task, unless you make adjustments to become more efficient than that machine!

The best players have at least one thing in common: each has a highly-detailed understanding of swing dynamics. At this level, there is no such person as the so-called “natural golfer” (one who can play the game well without any hard work, or deep thought). No matter how much one tries to simplify it, the golf swing is an unnatural, complex, motion that must be meticulously studied if one is to attain a high level of proficiency (the great golf instructor, Alex Morrison, called teaching the golf swing “one of life’s most difficult callings...due to the fact that the correct positions and movements are the exact opposite of what anybody would do instinctively.”) A person with superficial knowledge of the swing, or who mainly relies on “feel,” is at a great disadvantage when compared to a person with Hogan-like knowledge. The key to making “shot after shot”, especially in extreme pressure situations, is to learn a system to consistently produce a sound golf swing; this can only come about by meticulously studying the details of all aspects of the swing. If you wish to consistently beat your playing partner, you have little chance unless you have at least equal, or better, fundamentals and swing technique.

Players like Sam Snead, Lee Trevino, Fred Couples, and Seve Ballesteros, appear as though they could be labeled “natural golfers.” They may look like they play the game by “feel” and without mental effort, but any of these players could talk all day on the most intimate details of the swing. Talking to Lee Trevino about the effects of shafts and other club components, is like talking to an aeronautical engineer about air flow dynamics, wing configuration, and airplane performance. Sam Snead and Seve Ballesteros had such profound understandings of the cause-and-effect relationships of set-up positions and certain swing movements, that each has been able to use this insight to attain such labels as “the greatest shotmaker” and “the greatest short game player” of all time, respectively. These people always had swing thoughts and information going through their minds, and poor play could usually be attributed to poor concentration in these areas.

“The man who can consistently hit the ball close to perfection without

thinking deeply about what he’s doing hasn’t been born yet, and never

will be.”

— Gary Player

“You aren’t born with a club in your hand, you have to manufacture

a swing.”

— Ben Hogan

The Shoulders/ Rotator Cuff Action:

To attain consistency, you must have a means to consistently produce the individual movements that make up the swing. Thus, it’s extremely important to have a method to ensure the correct shoulder turn. The following are some swing thoughts to turn the shoulders from various sources:

· “...bring the left shoulder under the chin to a position behind the ball.”

· “...hips and shoulders are to start turning away from the ball...”

· “...the left shoulder should pass under the chin and your back should be facing the target.”

· “...the body turns like the hub of a wheel.”

· “...your shoulders turning on the same plane as your hips.”

· “...throughout the swing...the shoulders retain the same ratio to the ground.”

· “The left shoulder ...moves transversely...away from the ball.”

Rather than offering worded instructions to turn the shoulders, much of the literature simply tells one to turn the shoulders, or states that the shoulder turn is an unconscious phenomenon that occurs naturally in response to the swinging of the club.

It’s very difficult to describe the kinesthetic (muscular) sensations that occur when one swings the club, and it’s even more difficult to describe these in such a manner that other people can understand and use these in the development of their game (this is probably the foremost reason that there is so much instructional material). The nebulous nature of this material, and the fact that I could not find something that I could absolutely rely upon to ensure a correct shoulder turn, led me to search for something better. I studied the individual muscles of the shoulder area, and developed a system to activate the specific shoulder muscles which ensured the consistent execution of the correct shoulder turn. All one needs to do is to understand the location of these muscles, learn to feel the location of these muscles, and then learn to activate these muscles during the swing.

Physiological research has revealed that the rotator cuff muscles (a group of four muscles that are located on the front and back of each shoulder) produce the force to correctly turn the shoulders in the golf swing (see Figure 2). We can consistently produce the correct shoulder turn by isolating, and learning, the action of the rotator cuff muscles. By focusing down to the anatomical level—visualizing the rotator cuffs turning the shoulders back and forth—we can eliminate a multitude of variables that are responsible for inconsistent shot making. Instead of some unreliable swing thought to swing the club back (e.g., "get the left shoulder under the chin"), we have a precise method to ensure the correct rotation of the shoulders. All one has to do is isolate these muscles, and learn to consciously activate them to control the shoulder turn.

Muscles move the body by contracting (shortening), and thus pulling tendons and bones. The rotator cuff muscles rotate the shoulders by pulling one shoulder outward, and the other shoulder backward. For example, for a right-handed golfer, when the rotator cuff muscle at the front of the left shoulder contracts, the left shoulder swings outward; when the rotator cuff muscles in the back of the right shoulder contract, the right shoulder swings backward. Together, equal-force contraction of these muscles result in a perfect rotation of the shoulders for the backswing of a right-handed golfer. The forward swing requires equal-strength contraction of the right-front, and left-rear, rotator cuff muscles.

More specifically, the rotator cuff is comprised of one large muscle on the front of each shoulder, and three smaller muscles located on the backside of each shoulder (see Figures 2 and 8). There are several exercises that you can do to strengthen these muscles, and the next-day soreness will give you a good idea of the muscle locations (see “Rotator Cuff Exercises”). By strengthening these muscles, you can increase the chances that they will control the shoulder turn over other muscles. A good key for repeating the same shoulder turn is to focus in on turning the shoulders back, and through, with the rotator cuff muscles. Over time, these movements will be ingrained into “muscle memory” and will become "second-nature" during the swing.

A good method to practice the proper shoulder turn is to swing the shoulders, back and forth, with the hands held together behind the back. Concentrate on turning the shoulders around the fixed-axis of the spine, while shifting the weight back and forward (to the insides of the feet) in the proper sequence. When shoulder-turn problems occur on the course, visualization of this drill will help you to get back to the proper shoulder turn.

Rotator Cuff Exercises:

Now that you have learned about the location and function of the rotator cuff muscles, this section will show you how to strengthen these muscles, feel their location, and learn to activate them to produce the correct shoulder turn. You can achieve these objectives by doing rotator cuff exercises. These exercises are the link that will allow you to activate the correct shoulder turn, at will, on the golf course!

The following are three exercises to strengthen the muscles of the rotator cuff: 1.) External Rotation (Teres Minor and Infraspinatus); 2.) Internal Rotation (Subscapularis); 3.) Elevation (Supraspinatus). Do the same number of repetitions on both sides, to ensure that one side does not become more dominant than the other.

The purpose of the rotator cuff exercises is several-fold: First, strengthening these rotator cuff muscles will ensure that these muscles control the shoulder turn over other muscles such as the Deltoid; Second, equal strengthening of both sides will protect against an incorrect turn which could occur if one side was stronger than the other; Third, next-day soreness, and awareness of the position of these muscles during the exercises, will allow you to feel and to understand the location of these muscles; this will allow you to focus upon the location of these muscles, and to call upon them when executing each swing.

In addition, there are countless sites on the internet (in both writing/pictorial as well as video format), that can be found in the search engines to strengthen and stabilize the shoulders. Some of these exercises are “static exercises”, others can use lightweight dumbbells, elastic bands, and specialized “gym-type” equipment. Some common search engine keywords would be shoulder stabilization exercises, rotator cuff exercises, shoulder stability, etc…

Exercise 1: Rotator Cuff—Dumbbell Internal Rotation.

Technique: Lie with your back flat on the floor, press the upper arm against your side, and bend your elbow to form a 90-degree angle. While keeping the upper arms pressed against your side and the floor, slowly lower the dumbbell close to the floor and then raise it until it is pointing straight upward at 90 degrees to the floor. Repeat 10 times and then change sides.

This exercise strengthens The Subscapularis muscle, which is located at the front (anterior side) of each shoulder.

Exercise 2: Rotator Cuff—Dumbbell External Rotation.

Technique: Lie on your side as illustrated. Press the upper arm against the side and on line with the shirt seam. Bend the elbow to form a 90-degree angle. Slowly lower the dumbbell toward the floor and then slowly raise it until your arm is pointing straight upward. Repeat 10 times, and then change sides and do the same with the other arm.

This exercise strengthens The Teres Minor and The Infraspinatus muscles, which are located on the back (posterior side) of each shoulder.

Exercise 3: Rotator Cuff—Dumbbell Elevation.

Technique: Hold the dumbbells with the back of the hands (the side opposite the palm) facing forward and the thumbs pointing toward the floor. With straightened arms angled out at 30 degrees to the shoulder plane, slowly raise the arms to just below shoulder level with the thumbs continuing to point downward. Do not go up to shoulder level or higher, since this could result in injury. This exercise strengthens The Supraspinatus muscles which are located on the posterior (back) side of each shoulder.

To summarize, this section presented a carefully-devised system to ensure a correct shoulder turn. First, we learned that the rotator cuff muscles (one located at the front of the shoulder, and three on the back) pull one shoulder outward, and the opposite shoulder backward, to produce the correct shoulder turn. Next, I presented the rotator cuff exercises as a means to not only strengthen these muscles, but also as the avenue to become familiar with the sensations, and locations, of these muscles. The ultimate goal is to be able to summons these muscles, time after time, to produce the correct shoulder turn.

The Arms & Hands:

Now that you have a detailed understanding of the shoulder turn, this section will complete the three-point focus by presenting the details of the left-arm, and the right-arm, action. While the shoulders rotate the club backward during the backswing, the hands and arms contribute by lifting the club upward (the vertical component). The blending of these two motions (rotation and lift) produce a smooth arc that is typical of a sound swing. The combined motion of both arms is nearly identical to a lumberjack's straight, over-the-head, chopping motion with an axe.

We can see, and understand, the correct left-arm motion by studying the details (the path of the arm , the tensions in the muscles, etc…) as one swings the club to the top with only the left hand and arm (see Figure 3). When viewing the left arm in this manner, it is apparent that it remains nearly straight and that it functions to keep the club in “a square position” throughout the swing. Often, Tiger Woods swings the golf club with only his left arm as a practice drill before he hits a shot on the golf course. Apparently, he has found this drill as a reliable means to consistently produce the correct left-arm motion.

The Triceps and The Anconeus muscles extend the elbow and thus straighten the left arm. These muscles are located in the posterior region of the arm, since they pull in the opposite direction of the flexor muscles located on the anterior side of the arm.

Figure 4 illustrates an area, near The Brachioradialis of the left forearm, which I call “the left-arm focal point.” If you watch the swing of a professional golfer from directly behind (near an extension of the target line), the function of this area becomes more apparent. I’ve found that the correct left-arm action can be achieved by focusing in on this area, at the start of the backswing. Not only does the left arm remain straight, but this focus keeps the club in a square position as it goes to the top of the backswing. The muscles of the radial and posterior brachial regions, which comprise all the extensor and Supinator muscles, act upon the forearm, wrist, and hand to keep the club in the perfect position during the swing. The Supinator and the Biceps Brachii muscles act as direct antagonists of the rotational force of the club and arms, which would move the arms and swing the clubhead well inside of a “square” position. In other words, these muscles act to gradually counteract the tendency of the rotational force to pronate the left arm during the swing; they keep the hand and arm in the same position as at address, which is the position they would naturally occupy when placed across the chest—the prone position, or the position of action.

Professionals concentrate on keeping the left arm straight, because it allows them to consistently get the club back to the address position at impact. Breaking the left arm, or bending it at the elbow, will result in all types of mishits (e.g., “fat” and “thin shots”) because there will be no precise key to enable one to get back to the ball. A straight left arm gives the golf swing a constant radius, and thus it is a very important fundamental. This is the key that trick-shot artists focus upon to hit the ball with unbelievably long, and “whippy”, shafts.

While the left arm remains nearly straight during the backswing, the right arm folds upward and against the right side (see Figure 5). The right arm gradually cocks up so that the right forearm is parallel with the shirt seam at the top of the swing. The Biceps and The Brachialis are the primary muscles that flex, or fold, the right arm in the golf swing. The Pronator muscles of the right forearm counteract the rotational force that would otherwise turn the right hand and arm in a clockwise direction (from the perspective of a right-handed person swinging the club). The Pronator Teres pronates the upper-portion of the lower-right forearm, while the Pronator Quadratus supplies the force to pronate the lower-portion of the right forearm (near the wrist).

I focus upon an area near the lower-to-middle portion of the right forearm, which ensures the correct folding of the right arm. This region spans the lower-half of the forearm (from the wrist to the middle of the forearm, or the inner and anterior aspect of the forearm near the Flexor and Pronator muscles), and I visualize that it is above the radius bone. Take the tip of your left-index finger and place it on top of the radius bone of the right forearm, just above the wrist; next, while keeping the index finger on this spot, place the tip of the left thumb on the top of the radius bone at a position about half-way up the right forearm. I call this region, between the index finger and the thumb, “the right-arm focal point.” In fact, often I place the left index finger and the left thumb on my right forearm, and visualize this area, before I swing the club. Also, I try to "cock it up" on a path that will gradually get the right arm into the desired position at the top. The correct folding of the right arm ensures a “tight swing”, and maximum ball control.

This right-arm focus is effective because it targets an area of the forearm that comprises the Flexor and Pronator muscles. I discovered that these muscles act upon the forearm, the wrist, and hand to counteract the forces that would otherwise move the right arm and clubhead out of position during the backswing (this being for a right-handed golfer). Without contraction, or tension, in these muscles, the backswing forces would cause the right hand and arm to supinate (turn the hand and arm over to the right, or turn the radius away from the ulna). Also, when the Pronator muscles in this region are fixed (when the Radius is held in a fixed position) they assist the other muscles in flexing (folding) the right forearm upward. These muscles also help to counteract the tendency of the Biceps to supinate the right forearm, when it flexes the right forearm upward.

When shots go astray, often it is due to improper arm action. The arms must work together, and the easiest means to ensure this is to use the inside muscles and to make sure that the arms are held close together with the upper portions in contact with the upper torso. As said previously, Ben Hogan visualized rope, or twine, wrapped around the arms and also made sure that the upper portions of the arms were pressed against the upper torso; these measures ensured a “tight swing”, and very accurate golf shots.

To train the arms to fold correctly, Sam Snead advocates a drill in which he hits five-iron shots with his feet held very close together. By concentrating on swinging around the fixed axis of the spine in this manner, you can maximize accuracy because this trains for the synchronization of the independent movements of the body and arms. This allows you to “swing” the clubhead, rather than to use leverage from some independent muscle movement. The great golf teacher, Jimmy Ballard, called it ‘swinging the club with connection.’

While on the “arm-and-hand” subject, it is also very important to note that these muscles should not be too over-worked with weight training, or other forms of heavy work, that can result in a loss of feel and flexibility. You should be able to feel the clubhead swing, but too much bulk can get in the way of this process. In addition, when the arms become too strong it impedes your ability to correctly fold the arms against the body and to attain a unified swing. Jack Nicklaus was cognizant of the effect of too much muscular work on his golf swing, and he abstained from such things as heavy gardening for as much as two weeks before a major competition. Sam Snead would cast his fishing rod with both hands for the fear that his swing would be ruined by an overly-strong right hand. In his book, Power Golf, Ben Hogan tells how “a well-known competitor” ruins his feel for the 1937 U.S. Open because he uses a hard rubber ball to strengthen his hands on the train before arriving there. Lee Trevino has said that he was leery of giving, or getting, a hard handshake on the first tee for fear of losing feel for the club. These examples illustrate the importance of muscular “feel” and flexibility in the game of golf.

To summarize, focusing in on the correct movements of both arms ensures that the club is lifted in a precise and sound manner, each time. These movements, combined with the rotator cuff movements, are the desired movements that blend into a smooth, sound, and repeating swing. In all three areas—the shoulders, and the left and right arms—we have focused down to the anatomical level to achieve the highest degree of control over these movements. This three-point focus allows us to control a tremendous number of variables with only three swing thoughts. These are precise instructions to swing the club, and the result should be great consistency. The goal is to practice these movements so that they come together as part of a smooth, unhurried, swing on the golf course. Several great pianists have also been known to train in this manner by practicing the left-hand, and right-hand, parts separately, and then combining the two into one fluid performance. The following sections will present information and visualizations designed to further help in understanding how to swing the club with these muscle groups.

Figure 3— Illustrations of left-arm action. The left arm remains nearly straight, or fully extended, during the swing. The action is best understood, and felt, by swinging the club with only the left hand and arm.

Figure 6— Illustrations of “the right-arm focal point,” right-arm action, and the muscles of the anterior-side of the right forearm. During the backswing, the right arm flexes upward while the upper-half remains close to the right side. The Pronator teres and the Pronator quadratus keep the right arm from turning over to the right, and thus opening the clubface. I’ve found that I can ensure the correct right-arm action by concentrating on the action of the right arm, and by zeroing in on “the right-arm focal point.” Although I refer to this region of the right arm as a point, it is an area that spans the lower-half of the forearm. I think of this as straight-line area that runs along the radius bone (the portion where the radius is closest to the skin’s surface).

Figure 7— Frontal and side views, showing positions of the hands and arms at several phases during the backswing. The left arm remains fully extended, which gives the swing a constant radius and allows the golfer to consistently return back to the ball on the downswing. The right arm cocks upward and remains close to the right side. The correct execution of these movements will place the club in a “parallel position” (to the target line) at the top of the swing.

Figure 8— Anatomical illustrations of various muscles of the left arm, the right arm, and the shoulder areas. By understanding the exact location and function of many of these important muscles, one can focus upon these areas to ensure success. Like concert pianists, who practice and understand the role of each hand, the golfer should practice and understand the movement of each arm. In addition, the golfer should practice and understand the rotational movement produced by the rotator cuff muscles of the shoulders. These three areas become a three-point focus which is the secret to a sound swing and tremendous consistency—it is the foundation of “The Redemptive Golf Swing.” Such concepts as lower-body movement (e.g., weight shift, etc.), constant spine angle, keeping the head still and behind the ball, and many others, have been practiced for many years and have become “second nature” (or at least, subconscious); thus, we are able to narrow our focus to these three crucial areas (the left and right arms, and the shoulders). These three areas are often vaguely understood and by focusing down to the anatomical level—muscle groups and their specific functions—we gain great control to produce a sound swing.

Figure 9—Illustrations of the takeaway. The shoulders, hands, and arms move back together to form what is called a “one-piece takeaway.” In this manner, the grip-end of the club should point toward the center of the body (stomach, sternum, etc.) during the initial stages before the club moves up and around the body. The club starts backward with a simultaneous shifting of the weight from the left foot to the right foot, while the shoulders turn freely around the fixed axis of the spine. At the start of the swing, the rotator cuffs turn the shoulders, while the hands and arms retain the same relative position to the shoulders as at address. It is not until after this first part of the swing—“the one-piece takeaway”—that the arms begin to lift the club to the final position at the top of the backswing.

Figure 10— Illustrations of the lower-arm action. During the initial stages of the takeaway, the arms should maintain the same relative address positions. The rotational force of the arms and the club will impel the left arm to pronate and the right arm to supinate. However, the muscles of the left, and right, arms counteract these forces. In other words, during the early stages of the backswing, the Supinator and Pronator muscles act to keep the Radius and Ulna bones from moving out of position.

The Legs And Feet (Lower Body Action):

If you read a good portion of the instructional material, you will find a wide number of explanations on how the club starts backward during the first part of the backswing. “The one-piece takeaway” is probably the most common explanation, meaning that everything (hands, arms, shoulders, the left knee, etc.) starts back together, or in unison. Also, the rebound from the forward press is widely cited as the initial force, or movement, that starts the clubhead moving backward.

Do you initiate the backswing with the upper-half of the body, or the lower-half? There are schools, or “camps,” that advocate one way, or the other—and even that both halves are the origin of the initial movements. Although some schools teach that the legs and feet serve strictly as a base of support for the upper-body, others strongly cite the action of the feet and legs as being responsible for the initiation of a sound backswing. Harry Cooper says, “the cardinal sin in golf is making the initial move from the waist up.” Jimmy Ballard advocates a “rhythmic kick of the left foot and knee.” Johnny Miller explains the initiation of his swing as “a rock forward, rock back move” of the knees. Bobby Jones attributes the take off, or beginning of the backswing, to the action of the left foot. In his book, The Education Of A Golfer, Sam Snead emphasizes the importance of the feet when he helps a “slumping” Toney Penna by advising him to take the club back, and to control everything, with his feet. Also, Jack Grout and Jack Nicklaus emphasize “lively feet” as an essential part of the swing. These examples illustrate the important role of the feet and legs when swinging a golf club.

During the backswing, the majority of the weight must shift from the inside of the left foot to the inside of the right foot; this weight then must shift back to the inside of the left foot during the downswing. Also, while making this weight shift the legs must maintain the same relative degree of flex as at address (or it wouldn’t be possible to consistently return to the ball). Thus, the muscles of the feet and legs are very active during the swing and the action must occur in a very coordinated manner to produce the desired results. In actuality, the weight shift is a balancing act in which the leg muscles contract, or become fixed, to accommodate the shifting weight (e.g., the right leg muscles become fixed to accommodate the increased load that is placed upon them, during the backswing for a right-handed golfer). In other words, when the center of gravity is shifted backward during the backswing, the muscles on the right side are stressed to maintain balance and position; when the center of gravity is shifted forward (to the left during the forwardswing), the muscles on the left side are stressed to maintain balance and position.

Previously, we talked about turning around the central axis, or straight spine. Many golfers achieve this concept with the hub-and-wheel visualization: the neck, head, or spine is the hub, and the clubhead turns around in the same arc and plane as the outer-rim, or spokes. Many teach this turning-around-the-central axis concept by asking their students to visualize a weight on the end of a string that is swinging around on the same plane; the weight represents the clubhead, and the center of the arc represents the spine, or neck.

With the hub-of-the-wheel and the weight-and-string visualizations, there is only one axis, or pivot point. However, to avoid problems with these visualizations we must understand that we turn by shifting the weight onto the right hip, and then back to the left hip. Thus, there must be some form of lateral shift to achieve this.

At the start of the backswing, you should focus on the action of the feet and legs to ensure a consistent and effective takeaway. Visualizing the action of the legs condenses many fundamentals into one central focus, which allows you to accomplish several tasks: First, it ensures the proper weight shift and a smooth takeaway; Second, it allows you to keep the constant radius of the swing which is vital to consistency; Third, it allows you to take the club back in the same manner each time and to achieve “the one-piece take-away,” by providing “a cue” for the muscles of the upper-body to perform their function. Finally, this allows you to “build-up” a swing momentum and centrifugal force so that you accelerate through the ball at impact. As with the arms, you should focus on using the inside muscles. The essential problem is that the swing is a rotational movement around a fixed axis, the spine, but it has to be achieve by shifting the weight amongst two points, which are the hips.

To update, we now have two main areas of focus: 1.) The action of the feet and legs, and 2.) The three-point focus (the shoulders, and the left and right arms). It is important to have a clear visualization of these movements in your mind; study them while swinging a golf club, and watch professionals swing on television, or video.

References: Snead, Sam. The Education Of A Golfer. 1962. Simon & Schuster, Inc. Rockefeller Center, 630 Fifth Avenue

New York 20, N.Y.