SYNCING THE ELBOW WITH THE SHOULDERS, A KEY ELEMENT IN GOLF
May 2, 2015
A Classic Golf Swing Sequence for Power and Control
In 1964, the 34th President, Dwight David (Ike) Eisenhower was paired with Mr. Arnold Palmer for a celebrity fundraiser for the American Heart Association. President Eisenhower was a very competitive golfer, with a handicap of 12. President Eisenhower was dedicated to his golf game and was the first president to have not only played golf during his presidency, but included golf in his daily schedule. He had a chipping and putting green installed just outside the Oval Office.
During the warm-up at the Pro-Am on the practice range, Mr. Arnold Palmer noticed that the President’s right elbow was separating from his right side, during his takeaway swing. Mr. Arnold Palmer asked President Eisenhower if he was aware that his right elbow was separating from his right side during his golf swing sequence.
Mr. Arnold Palmer related a very simple golf swing coach technique to President Eisenhower. The Sync and Lock golf swing coach technique allows the golfer to sync and lock their predominant elbow (the right elbow for the right-handed golfer) with their shoulders. This Sync and Lock technique creates a compact and powerful golf swing sequence that was perfectly demonstrated by both Ken Duke and David Duval on Golf Channel. Both Ken Duke and David Duval were able to demonstrate the elbow sync technique that allows their right elbow to lock with their shoulders, just by presetting their wrists. This is a very simple wrist action in the golf swing to learn and perform. The lead time to learn and apply this is very quick golf swing coach technique is short, because it is based on the baseball-style golf swing.
Not only does the baseball-style golf swing preset the golfer’s wrists, but also the wrist action in the golf swing also syncs and locks the golfer’s right elbow with the shoulders to create a compact and powerful classic golf swing. The wrist action in the golf swing of presetting the wrists, or what I refer to as the presetting the wristbands, also completes 80 percent of the total golf swing. This in itself is a major confidence builder for the golfer to engage the golfer’s subconscious golf mind to develop muscle memory.
President Eisenhower quickly took note of Mr. Palmer’s suggestion and corrected the fallacy by keeping his right elbow close to his right side. President Eisenhower did such a good job of keeping his elbow close to his right side that he developed a blister on the medial side of his elbow from the stiff military belt that he wore.
In “The ESPY Golf Swing Coach,” the Sync element allows the golfer to keep the right elbow (for the right-hander golfer) close to the side, where the elbow can synchronize the right elbow with shoulders and allow the elbows and shoulders to function as sprockets, like those on a 10-speed bicycle.
Muscle memory (subconscious golf element) is the most important component to establish in the classic golf swing. There is a multitude of muscles involved in the golf swing that are similar to the baseball-style swing. But there are three key muscles the golfer can focus on setting to sync and preset the elbow. These muscles are also trigger muscles to not only establish the golfer’s swing, but to execute the golf swing from the top. From the top of the golfer’s swing, the classic golf swing is on autopilot. NOTHING TO THINK ABOUT!
Boxing Gloves Golf Swing Sequence
I use boxing gloves like my golf swing coach, H.Q. Boatright, used to help me isolate and focus on these Swing Path Muscles. The trigger muscles that I refer to are right underneath the interior part of the boxing gloves wristbands called Pronator Quadratus muscles. There is also a nodule called the Ulna Styloid Process that I use as the pivot point for presetting the wrists, as Ken Duke described during his interview with Lisa Cornwell of the Golf Channel. These important pivot points, the Ulna Styloid Process is shown in The Trigger and Target for CAM and CAM-OVER Figure below. The Swing Path Muscles are used to Sync and Preset the golfer’s swing for the right-hander golfer:
RT. Pronator Quadratus Muscle- to CAM (SYNC) the right wristband and right elbow.
LT. Pronator Quadratus Muscle- to CAM-OVER (PRESET) the left wristband and lock the right elbow.
In the illustration above of the boxing gloves are positioned is how the golfer’s hands are gripping the handle of the club. This orientation is important golf swing coaching technique that is in my book. How the bottom of the left wristband is orientated with the top of the right wristband is key to setting the wrist action in the golf swing. Notice the boxing gloves are inverted in this illustration. So the bottom of the left wristband is really the top of the left wristband in my book.
The RT. and LT. Pronator Quadratus muscles trigger the series of three Swing Path Muscles in the golf swing sequence:
The Brachio-Radialis Muscles- These are muscles that run along the golfer’s forearms that are unique in that these muscles can supinate (Sync) and Pronate (Preset), as illustrated in the figure above.
The RT. Supinator Muscle- This muscle is located just below the right elbow and is critical in syncing the golfer’s right elbow with the shoulders. This was the element that was missing in President Eisenhower’s golf swing sequence.
Thenar Muscles- These are the strongest and most dexterous muscles in the golfer’s hand/wrist that have direct contact with the handle of the golf club. Ben Hogan even mentioned these muscles in his books.
The ESPY Golf Swing Coach is based on a dual CAM and CAM-OVER approach to presetting the wrist action in the golf swing, or what I refer to as the wristbands on the boxing gloves. The best golf tip is establishing the CAM and CAM-OVER maneuvers by using the two Trigger Muscles, RT. and LT. Pronator Quadratus Muscles. The Target Points for both of these muscles are the RT. and LT. Ulna Styloid Process. These two maneuvers (SYNCH and PRESET) properly sync and lock the right elbow next to the right side, as in President Eisenhower’s case. Setting the wristbands was also employed by Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, and P.J. Boatwright, associated with the USGA, and was a distant cousin of mine.
The Advantages of the Wrist Action in the Golf Swing
Again, the major advantage of the dual cam classic golf swing is that 80 percent of the golf swing sequence is established with two simple maneuvers (Supinate and Pronate); see illustration above. The dual cam action synchs and locks the right elbow with the shoulders, which is a major objective of Mr. Palmer’s tip to President Eisenhower. This takes advantage of the golfer’s natural mechanics by allowing the elbows and shoulders to behave as sprockets, like on a ten-speed bicycle. The golfer is shifting gears between the address position and again at the top position in the golf swing. This also engages two of the strongest muscles in the hand called the Thenars (Thenar and Hypothenar) to transfer the power from the forearm, arm, and lower and upper body. These two muscles are the only ones capable of transferring this power to the handle of the club.
Note: Swinging the handle of the club is also the basis of Mr. Eddie Merrins’, The Little Pro, video series, entitled Swing the Handle, not the club. Mr. Merrins explains the WHAT, and The ESPY Golf Swing Coach takes this to the next step to explain the WHY and HOW. This was also a technique used by Colonel George Robert Hall, who was held at the Hanoi Hilton for over seven years. He survived his captivity by mentally playing his golf game in his head in his seven-and-a-half foot square cell. He was able to shoot his handicap less than six weeks after his release at the Greater New Orleans Pro-Am Open with a 76.
The ESPY Golf Swing technique is a great method to improve and maximize your golf swing. Start keying in on The two Trigger muscles (RT. and LT. Pronator Quadratus) and the two Target Points (RT. and LT. Ulna Styloid Process) to establish these three components (SYNC, PROTRACT, and YAW). The rest of the body’s 640 muscles will be automatically incorporated into your golf swing and help you to develop distance and control in your golf swing you are looking for.
Problems with the Modern Day Golf Swing
There are some issues with the modern day golf swing that are just now coming to light, in regard to injuries, especially the back. Peter Kostis wrote a great article in Sports Illustrated Golf Magazine in the March 2016 issue that looks at this issues of the modern day golf swing. The ESPY Golf Swing Coach is based on the classic golf swing, with some advancements, by incorporating biomechanics, like sprocket mechanics, and syncing the low threshold muscles with the high threshold muscles. The golfer, to maximize their golf swing, must learn how to preset the wrists to use the forearms and arms to use the massive torso muscles. This provides the golfer with a tremendous advantage to create POWER and SPEED through impact.
Also, you can’t miss this issue of Sports Illustrated Golf Magazine, because this issue of March 2016 has the inescapable photograph of David Ferherty on the front cover of this issue.
YOU CAN’T MISS WITH THIS!
How the golfer can use the wrist action in the golf swing to sync the golfer’s elbow with the shoulders to develop a key element in the golf swing, purchase your copy of The ESPY Golf Swing Coach from the links below, or visit your local bookstore:
My book can also be purchased at Edwin Watts Golf Store in Jackson, Mississippi. Phone No. 601-956-8784
Health and Fitness Program Golf Exercise for Power
This book is based on a self-coaching forum (ASPEN Pyramid) that provides the beginner and advance single-digit handicap golfer with safe ergonomic classic golf swing for more power and control without debilitating injuries that are common with some modern-day golf swings. As part of the ESPY Golf Swing Coach is a workout program designed especially for golfers and a effective diet program detailed below:
Please take advantage of my SR-925 Diet Program, where I lost 6 inches in my waist in 3- months (FREE of CHARGE) with the CASPER Workout Program, detailed in Section 20 of my book, great golf swing workout:
Please include an exercise routine in your weekly schedule.
ESPY Golf Swing Coach- Developing the golfer’s Rhythm w/o creating the golfer’s Blues.
Also, learning The ESPY Golf Swing Coach process is an excellent way to develop Rhythm without experiencing the Blues in your golf game for confidence; learn how to take your baseball-style swing from the batter’s box to the tee box.
Golfer’s Locker Room for learning and applying Simple Golf Swing Tips.
Please visit “The Locker Room” for an Index of all my golf articles to improve your golf game and life. Discover how you can take your baseball swing from the batter’s box to the tee box.
For Comments or questions please contact me at 1-888-514-1228 Mon – Fri from 9 am to 4 pm CT Zone.
A Recommendation for your Golf Game:
I would like to recommend an interesting radio program that I regularly listen to from my home state Arkansas on my I-Heart Radio app on KARN 102.9 FM station, out of Little Rock, AR. They air a golf show called Arkansas Fairways and Greens, at 7:00 AM CT each Saturday morning, hosted by Bob Steel, and co-hosted by Jay Fox and Charles Crowson. Bob occasionally as has his guess Alex Myers with Golf Digest and Ron Sirak with Golf Channel. I was interviewed on his show about my book, The ESPY Golf Swing Coach. This show is worth tuning into for golf news and information.
Jay Fox is an Administrator with Arkansas State Golf Association that discuss amateur golf and rules of the game.
Two decisions that you can make for yourself and your kids are to get a copy of my book and place the book and a golf club into their hands. You will never look back, but only forward. You will not miss with this for yourself and/or your kids.
Until next time– Be Synched, Tee-to-Green, with The ESPY Golf Swing!
