The QATSPY Golf Sports Page: Simple Golf Swing Tips
By: Charles W. Boatright
The Baseball-Style Golf Swing of Syncing the Elbow with the Shoulders for Distance and Control
Mr. Arnold Palmer playing in a Pro-Am with President Eisenhower noticed a issue with the President’s golf swing on the driving range. The issue the President had was that his right elbow (President Eisenhower was right-handed) was separating from the President’s right side during the takeaway swing. Syncing and locking the golfer’s predominant elbow with the shoulders is a baseball-style golf swing technique that any minor or major league baseball player would be very familiar with standing in the batter’s box or on tee box.
Two of the key elements in the baseball-style golf swing mechanics are properly presetting the golfer’s wrists (wristbands) and syncing the right elbow for the right-handed batter. These same two elements, shown below in my grandfather’s sketch in his red book, can allow the golfer to sync the right elbow with the shoulders. These two elements, presetting the wristbands and syncing the elbow, are probably two of the most important golf swing fundamentals for the golfer to learn and execute on the golf course. The wristbands that I refer to are from the pair of boxing gloves that I mentally use to preset my golf swing.
The proper presetting of the wrists and the syncing of the right elbow with the shoulders, a basic golf swing fundamental.
Developing a baseball-style golf swing is as simple and easy as the golfer properly syncing and presetting the wrists similar to how the baseball batter would preset their wrists in the batter’s box to sync their elbow with their shoulders, shown below of the photograph of the baseball batter. If the batter just lower his forearms in this photograph, they would have properly preset the wristbands and synced their elbow. This is just the horizontal version of the golf swing.
Syncing the elbow was a golf swing technique that Mr. Arnold Palmer brought to the attention of President Dwight Eisenhower on the driving range of the 1964 American Heart Association’s Charity Golf Tournament. Synching and locking the right elbow with the shoulders is probably one of the most important components to improve your golf swing mechanics and technique on and off the golf course. The first two elements, SYNCH and PRESET, allow the right elbow, for the right-hander, to cam back and lock the golfer’s elbow with shoulders by keeping the elbow close the the right side. This wrist action in the golf swing sets up a compact golf swing with a mechanical advantage called sprocket mechanics, shown in the figure below:
Dual CAM Action Golf Swing Mechanics
Equally important as syncing the elbow with the shoulders is the Dual CAM action of the right and left wristbands. One of the illustrations in my book, The ESPY GOLF SWING COACH, in Section 2, demonstrates how the wristbands are cammed and cammed-over, using a KEY MUSCLE located in the lower right and left forearm, called Pronator Quadratus Muscles. The TRIGGER POINT to preset the RT. LT. Pronator Quadratus Muscle is a nodule over the pinky finger, called the Ulna Styloid Process.
This dual cam action presets the wristbands shown enlarged below to naturally engage The Swing Path Muscles. These are critical muscles the golfer can use to feel in order to establish the critical muscle memory in the golfer’s subconscious mind. The TRIGGER MUSCLES are used to coordinate the golfer’s swing sequence. It is impossible for the golfer to train all the muscles used in the golf swing. Because the golfer uses majority of the 640 muscles in the human body to establish the golf swing.
A more manageable process for the golfer to use is to develop the critical muscle memory using three (3) pair of muscles, what I call The Swing Path Muscles. These muscles are the Brachio-Radialis, Supinator, and Thenars Muscles. I use the two TRIGGER MUSCLES, the Pronator Quadratus muscle, to feel these muscle preset in my golf swing. I want to feel these three (3) muscles sync and lock my elbow with my shoulders. The Dual Cam Action syncs my right wrist and preset my left wrist show below.
The Dual Cam Action ESPY Golf Swing Sequence:
- Supinate (SYNCH) pivot the right Trigger Muscle (Pronator Quadratus) at the right Ulna Styloid Process (CAMMING).
- Pronate (PROTRACT to PRESET) pivot the left Trigger Muscle (Pronator Quadratus) at the left Ulna Styloid Process (CAMMING-OVER).
- This places the right elbow into the LOCK Position for the last maneuver called the YAW. SUBSTANTIATION THAT THE GOLF SWING IS THE BASEBALL-TYPE SWING – ESPY GOLF Swing Coach
The TRIGGER and Swing Path Muscles allows the golfer to take their baseball-style golf swing from the batter’s box to the tee box to synchronize the elbows with the shoulders, like how the sprockets on a 10-speed bicycle function, to produce power in the takeaway and speed in the downswing. Like the bicyclist, the golfer naturally shifts, or reverse the gears at the top of the golf swing to produce speed. This allows the golfer’s core muscles to produce speed instead of trying to swing the arms and forearms faster.
John Wooden, former basketball coach at UCLA, had seven principles that he used in his coaching. The first principle of his seven principles concerns success. Success is paying attention to the small things done correctly. The presetting the wristbands and right elbow are small elements, but are often overlooked components in the golf swing and some golf lessons. Presetting the wristbands and syncing the elbow are essential for distance and control.
In my book feature Figures 2-2 (A) and (B) shown above are two of the most important golf swing sequences in THE ESPY GOLF SWING COACH for develop the critical muscle memory. The LOCK position in a lot of golf books is not shown, but is an important position to establish.
NOTE: Figure 2-2 (B) is illustrating the baseball version of the golf swing in the LOCK position. This is also what I call my LOCK position.
To learn how to develop your baseball-style golf swing technique and incorporate the Dual Cam Action ESPY 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
820 East County Line Road, Ridgeland, MS 39157
My book can also be purchased on-line at:
Amazon.com
Barnes & Noble
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.
Check out my full library of BLOGS @ www.espygolfapp.com/blog or purchase your copy of “The ESPY Golf Swing Coach” @ www.espygolfapp.com/store.
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Once you learn WHY, you don’t forget HOW!
YouTube Videos:
https://youtu.be/ZGVNrIw_wlo (Cam & Cam-over elements)
https://youtu.be/K2FDHZ3AX9w (Figuring your proper swing plane)
https://youtu.be/TO82PMO6G8M (Developing muscle memory)
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.