Critical Review: Aaron Baddeley's New Swing - The Swing Methodology of Mike Bennett and Andy Plummer
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Introduction
In my critical review of the traditional golf swing, I used Aaron Baddeley as a role model, because he has a very compact swing that generates a very symmetrical clubhead swingpath in the backswing and downswing, and I regard his old golf swing as a good role model for beginner golfers. Aaron Baddeley recently changed his swing, apparently as a result of the teaching of Mike Bennett and Andy Plummer, and a description of some of his swing changes was published in a 15-page article in the June 2007 issue of the Golf Digest magazine [1]. In this critical review paper, I will describe the "apparent" swing changes made by Aaron Baddeley and I will analyse the swing methodology recommendations of Bennett/Plummer in great detail. My main interest lies in the evaluative decision as to whether Bennett/Plummer's swing methodology recommendations are biomechanically sound and whether their biomechanical reasoning is logically coherent, but I am also interested in deciding whether their swing methodology recommendations are suitable for a beginner golfer. As a physician, I have become increasingly interested in the biomechanical anatomy and physiology of the full golf swing, and I believe that many golf instructional teachers are not sufficiently knowleadgeable about this subject. This leads them to make golf swing methodological recommendations that are not entirely consonant with optimum human biomechanics. I believe that the Bennett/Plummer swing methodology has many questionable biomechanical features that are not necessarily biomechanically logical/coherent, and I will provide a detailed personal analysis of their swing methodology in this critical review paper.
Review of Bennett/Plummer's swing methodology with special reference to Aaron Baddeley
In the GD article [1], Peter Morrice states with reference to the Bennett/Plummer swing model that "their secret is a geometry-based swing model that contradicts almost everything being taught in the game today". Is this claim hype or fact? Let's examine the facts.
Bennett/Plummer state-: "The swing we teach looks different because the body never moves off the ball - we call it the Stack & Tilt swing. Keeping your weight on your front foot is the simplest way to control where the club hits the ground, which is the first fundamental of hitting the ball. Golfers who shift to the right on the backswing have to make precisely the same shift back to the left at impact. That complicated maneuver is the biggest source of frustration in the game today." In other words, Bennett/Plummer are essentially arguing that one needs to keep perfectly centralised during both the backswing and downswing to achieve consistent ball contact. What do they really mean when they state that a golfer must remain centralised in a Stack & Tilt manner?
Address position
They provide this photograph of Aaron Baddeley.
Aaron Baddeley at address - posed photograph from reference number [1]
Bennett/Plummer state-: "Picture two points, one midway between the
shoulders and one midway between the hips. These are the swing centers, and
they should be stacked setting the spine central. The grip is neutral, the
weight 60:40 on the front foot. ----- This over-the-ball posture pre-sets a
rotatory swing with no shift to the back foot."
If one looks at the posed photo of Aaron Baddeley, one can see that his spine and head is centralised between his feet and that a vertical line drawn along the left side of the head will hit the ground in front of the ball. Also, note that the shirt buttons (which reflect the likely position of the sternum) is in line with the ball, or marginally ahead of the ball. Is this address posture revolutionary and very different to traditional golf instructional teaching? I think that this address posture is not revolutionary because many traditional golf instructors recommend this posture (60:40 left-right weight distribution and sternum marginally ahead of the ball) when hitting a short iron eg. wedge or half-wedge shot. They recommend this posture because it encourages a steep clubhead downswing path and a descending blow, which will allow the golfer to produce backspin, that is often very desirable in a short iron shot. I think that is only revolutionary if applied to hitting mid/long irons, fairway woods and a driver.
Does Aaron Baddeley actually adopt this perfectly centralised address posture in his "real-life" new swing when hitting a mid-iron? He does not! Here is an address posture photo-comparison of his new swing (derived from the swing videos published by GD in conjunction with their article) and his old swing (derived from swing videos from 2006).
Aaron Baddeley at address - face-on view
In his old swing, Aaron Baddeley adopted a posture that
resulted in his spine being slightly pre-tilted to the right (about 4-6
degrees) and that caused his head to be slightly behind the ball (a vertical
line drawn alongside the left side of his head is slightly behind the ball).
From a face-on view, one can sense that Aaron Baddeley has nearly the same
amount of spinal tilt to the right in his new swing, and that his head
is behind the ball, and not vertically stacked directly above the ball.
However, there is a significant difference in his new swing's address posture
- when viewed from down-the-line.
Aaron Baddeley at address - down-the-line view
In his new swing, Aaron Baddeley has adopted a 40 degree
bent-over spinal posture, compared to a 30 degree bent-over spine posture is
his old swing. It would also seem that he has slightly less flex in his
knees at address, and that he stands slightly further away from the ball
(clubshaft looks less upright). This address setup would be more suitable for
an around-the-body rotational swing arc, which Bennett/Plummer promote.
Backswing
Bennett/Plummer state the following with
respect to the backswing-: "The spine tilts towards the ball at address, and
when the player swings back, that tilt moves to the right. So to keep the
spine over the ball, which is the goal, the player has to tilt to the left
during the backswing. The first move going back is this tilting action. It
causes the shoulders and hips to turn on a steep downward angle, the right leg
straightening and the left knee flexing forward".
In other words, Bennett/Plummer are recommending that a golfer should concentrate on tilting the upper spine to the left, which drops the left shoulder downwards, at the very start of the backswing - to counteract the tendency of the spine to tilt to the right during the backswing. Why does the spine tend to tilt to the right during the traditional backswing?
The reason the spine tends to tilt to the right during the traditional backswing is causally related to the backswing hip pivot movement. During the backswing, a good golfer wants to avoid swaying the hips laterally to the right, and he therefore "fixes" the right knee positionally so that it doesn't move laterally (although the knee may move backwards, away from the ball-target line, causing the right leg to straighten slightly at the knee joint). If the right knee is "fixed" in position from a lateral-swaying perspective, then any tendency to move the lower body to the right causes the pelvis to rotate over the right femoral head, which is kept "fixedly" in place by the "fixed" right knee positioning maneuver. That causes the pelvis to tilt-rotate in such a manner, that the right pelvis (right buttocks) goes backwards (away from the ball-target line) and slightly towards the target.
See this swing video of Brady Rigggs demonstrating a good backswing hip pivot movement - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvOr5nNqYEw&mode=related&search=
Here is a series of photos from that swing video.
Capture images from Brady Rigg's swing video (see above)
In images 1 and 2, Brady Riggs is demonstrating an incorrect
hip swaying movement that causes the hips to slide laterally to the right
- beyond the yellow line, which was placed alongside the outer right thigh at
address. That causes the upper body to tilt to the left as the golfer attempts
to maintain his balance, and this results in reverse pivoting (note that Brady
Riggs' head is in front of the ball in image 2) . Although
Bennett/Plummer recommend tilting the upper spine to the left at the start of
the backswing, they do not recommend swaying the hips to the right.
Bennett/Plummer also recommend a good hip pivot movement, which Brady Riggs
demonstrates in image 3. Note how a good backswing hip pivot movement, against
a "fixed" right knee, which is kept slightly flexed (or allowed to
straighten), causes the right pelvis to move away from the yellow line, so
that the right buttocks moves to the left and backwards in a rotational manner
(over the right femoral head). Most importantly, note what effect this pelvic
movement has on the lower lumbar spine. It re-aligns the lumbar spine so that
the lumbar vertebral bodies face about 45 degrees to the right, instead of
facing directly forward. The lumbar vertebrae are incapable of rotational
movement, and therefore the lumbar spine must be oriented to the right if the
pelvis tilt-rotates (as previously described). The thoracic spine has a
natural tendency to orient itself in alignment with the lumbar spine, so it is
natural for the thoracic vertebrae to also be oriented about 45 degrees to the
right. That causes the spine to be tilted to the right - as seen in image 3
above. In other words, the thoracic spine has a natural/automatic
tendency to orientate itself to the right if the pelvis is pivoted over
a "fixed" right femoral head during the backswing. When the golfer turns his shoulders in the
backswing, he merely rotates his shoulders (upper torso) perpendicularly
around the rightwards tilted spine. That causes the left shoulder to move
slightly downwards and the right shoulder to move slightly upwards - see image
3 above. The downward movement of the left shoulder is not a deliberate dipping/tilting
motion - it is merely the natural end-result of a 90 degree rotational movement of the
shoulders around the rightwards tilted spine, and the likely final degree of
left shoulder downwards-tilting depends on the degree that the spine is
bent-over at adddress (eg. 40 degrees for Aaron Baddeley's new swing when
hitting a mid-iron).
Bennett/Plummer describe a different type of left shoulder movement in their swing methodology - in the sense that they want the golfer to deliberately dip/tilt the left shoulder down to the ground at the start of the backswing, while allowing the right knee to straighten and the pelvis to pivot over the right femoral head. That deliberate left shoulder dipping action prevents the upper thoracic spine from orienting itself to the right, in natural/automatic response to the pelvis tilt-rotational movement, and the upper thoracic spine is therefore obliged to remain more centralised, or tilt to the left.
Consider this posed photo of Mike Bennett demonstrating his backswing manuever of keeping weight on the left leg during the backswing while dipping his left shoulder down, so that the upper spine tilts to the left during the backswing.
Mike Bennett backswing position - from reference number [1]
A reader can sense what Mike Bennett is doing during the
backswing in order to keep the spine centralised (actually tilted slightly to
the left) - he is keeping a significant
amount of weight on his left foot, and he is tilting the upper spine (thoracic
spine) to the left by deliberately tilting his left shoulder downwards and his
right shoulder upwards. This causes his head to be slightly ahead of the ball
at the end of a shortened backswing. It would also seem that he deliberately
tilts his pelvis, so that the right hemi-pelvis becomes slightly elevated
while the left hemi-pelvis tilts downwards, causing the left knee to flex
forwards. Is this a good backswing maneuver?
Although I very much like the idea of keeping the body centralised during the backswing, I think that Mike Bennett's backswing posture is too exaggerately, and too unnecessarily, tilted to the left. If the head is in front of the ball at the end of the backswing, then the golfer is in a reverse pivot position. I think that it is difficult to generate swing power, and a consistent clubhead swingarc (especially if one overswings), from a reverse pivot position. I think that it is preferable to have a centralised end-backswing position - without resorting to reverse pivoting.
End-backswing position of Ben Hogan - from reference number [2]
Note that Ben Hogan also has a centralised end-backswing position - his spine
appears to be vertical. He also has a straightened right leg, and a right
pelvis (right buttocks) that is rotated to the left and backwards. However,
note that Ben Hogan's left heel is off the ground and he only has his left
forefoot on the ground. In other words, Ben Hogan does not have his weight
primarily over his left foot. Another very important point to note is that
Ben Hogan's head is behind the ball, which indicates that he is not
really reverse pivoting. Although Ben Hogan has a centralised posture with
respect to his feet, he has his upper body behind the ball, and that is
a critically important point. I think that beginner golfers should always
ensure that they keep their upper body/head behind the ball during the
backswing - when using mid/long irons, fairway woods and a driver.
What does Aaron Baddeley do during his new backswing - with respect to keeping the upper body/head ahead of, or behind, the ball?
Aaron Baddeley end-backswing position -
face-on view
Note that Aaron Baddeley gets his upper body/head well behind the ball during the backswing, and that his head is not centralised - in both his old and his new swing. One can also sense that his spine is tilted very slightly to the right, and there is no evidence that his spine is tilted to the left (as demonstrated by Mike Bennett in his posed photo above). I cannot evaluate whether Aaron Baddeley has more weight over his left foot in his new swing - compared to his old swing. It is entirely possible that Aaron Baddeley has shifted his pelvis more to the left and has more weight over his left foot in his new backswing.However, I am sure that Aaron Baddeley cannot have most his weight over the left foot at the end of the backswing, considering that his head and upper torso is vertically situated over a point that is to the right of center. I also cannot sense that Aaron Baddeley is deliberately dipping his left shoulder downwards during the backswing (as demonstrated by Mike Bennett in his posed photo above). It "appears" that Aaron Baddeley is naturally rotating his shoulders perpendicularly around a rightwards tilted spine without any deliberate left shoulder dipping/tilting action - in the same natural/automatic manner as his old swing pattern.
Although Aaron Baddeley does not appear to tilt his spine to the left during his "real life" backswing, he does perform certain backswing body actions that are perfectly concordant with Bennett/Plummer's golf instructional teaching.
In the GD article, Bennett/Plummer state-: "As the left shoulder turns down, pointing almost to the ball, the hands move on a circular arc around the body, not up and away, and the arms stay on the rib cage. When the left arm reaches parallel to the ground, it should be angled 40 degrees inside the stance line. To golfers who've been told to swing back along the target line, they will feel way too inside."
It is easier to understand what Bennett/Plummer are saying if one looks at photos of Aaron Baddeley's new swing - from a down-the-line view.
Aaron Baddeley - Mid-backswing comparison
In his old swing, Aaron Baddeley had less of an
around-the-body swingarc, and you can see that when his left arm is parallel
to the ground, that it is only angled-in about 30 degrees and that his hands
are opposite his right inner/mid-chest. In his new swing, Aaron Baddeley has
more of an around-the-body swingarc, which causes his left arm to be angled-in
about 40 degrees so that his hands are opposite his right lateral chest, when
his left arm is parallel to the ground. As
the backswing continues, this will result in a flatter left arm position.
Aaron Baddeley - End-backswing comparison
Note certain features of Aaron Baddeley's end-backswing
position in his new swing - i) his right knee is less flexed and his
right leg is more straightened, ii) his left arm is just below his shoulder
turn and parallel to his shoulder turn, iii) his clubshaft angle is flatter
and the clubface is parallel to the back of his left hand (more neutral and
not slightly closed as in his old swing). What are the potential
advantages of these swing changes?
These swing changes are very characteristic of a rotatory swing style, which is a much more around-the-body swing style than the traditional swing style. If you look at Aaron Baddeley's old swing's end-backswing position, you can sense that he is standing more erect and that his arms are swinging up on a slightly steeper angle than his shoulder turn. There is also a sense that his arms are less "connected" to his body and that his left arm is moving along its own track/arc, independent of upper torso body movements. Golfers who swing like this have a tendency to swing the arms across the front of the body during the downswing, so that the left arm moves from right-to-left across the front of the body independently of, and not necessarily perfectly coordinated with, torso rotational movements. One can sense this phenomenon by studying photos of Aaron Baddeley's followthrough positions.
Aaron Baddely - followthrough comparison
Note, in Aaron Baddeley's old swing, that his clubshaft
swingarc is more vertical and that the clubshaft first appears above
his left shoulder in the down-the-line view (in contrast to his new
swing where the clubshaft first appears below the left shoulder
signifying a flatter, more around-the-body, swingarc). Also, note that the
clubface is more closed to the clubhead swingarc in his old swing,
suggesting that the forearms crossed over passively during the early
followthrough period - called a passive crossover release. A passive crossover
release is a common feature of a more upright swing style, where the arms
swing across the front of the body, and this can potentially result in greater
variations in clubface angle through the peri-impact zone, from swing-to-swing. A
rotatory swing, where the arms swing around the body in closer coordination
with the rotation of the entire torso, may enable a golfer to achieve
greater clubface control through the impact zone, and this could be a
potential
advantage of a rotatory swing style.
I presume that Aaron Baddeley learnt his new rotatory swing style from Bennett/Plummer, but it is important to realise that many other golf instructors teach a rotatory swing style that is slightly different in its basic/fundamental features. Bennett/Plummmer are certainly not the first golf instructors to recommend a rotatory swing style, and I suspect that the first modern-day proponent of the rotatory swing style is Jim Hardy, who has written two books on his rotatory swing system - called the Hardy one-plane swing (which I will review in great detail in a future critical review paper). I personally believe that a rotatory swing style is a viable alternative to the traditional swing style (described in my detailed review of the modern, total body swing) and many beginner golfers may find a rotatory swing style better suited to their body's biomechanics. I am personally not biased against a rotatory swing style from a theoretical biomechanical standpoint, and I think that every beginner golfer should consider exploring both swing styles to find which swing style results in a more optimised, more consistent, ball flight (from their individual perspective).
Downswing
Bennett/Plummer state with respect to the downswing-: "The
entire body starts the downswing together. More weight immediately moves to
the left foot, with a distinct leaning into the left knee. Remember, the
priority is to get the swing centers in front of the ball at impact."
The idea of turning the body as an "entity" at the start of the downswing is not controversial when using a rotatory swing style, but the idea of deliberately getting the two swing centers (upper swing center between the shoulders and lower swing center between the hips) in front of the ball at impact is very controversial. In fact, I have never seen this "phenomenon" in a full golf swing performed by a PGA tour golfer. As I have previously stated, many professional golfers get both swing centers ahead of the ball when hitting a short iron, but I think that it is a radical idea when applied to a long iron, fairway wood or a driver. Why?
Consider Bennett/Plummer's idea of getting both swing centers ahead of the ball at impact.
Mike Bennett demonstrating a drill - from reference number [1]
In this drill, which Bennett/Plummer recommend, the ball is
positioned in the center of the stance, and the golfer must deliberately
ensure that both swing centers get ahead of the ball at impact.
I think that it is very difficult for a good golfer to efficiently swing the arms very fast around the body, in a controlled/balanced manner, while simultaneously allowing the upper swing center to get ahead of the ball at impact. Tiger Woods, and many professional golfers, swing their drivers so fast across the front of their body when hitting 300 yard+ drives, that I cannot imagine them keeping their body in balance if they allow their upper swing center to get ahead of the ball at impact.
Consider the appearance of Tiger Woods and Adam Scott at impact when hitting a driver.
Tiger Woods/Adam Scott swing comparison
In the top series of photos of Tiger Woods and Adam Scott at
their end-backswing positions, I have drawn a red line alongside their left
outer hip and a yellow line vertically in line with the centre of their heads.
Note that both Tiger Woods and Adam Scott have a centralised backswing pivot
motion - they rotate their upper thoracic spines centrally/vertically with
only a small amount of tilt to the right while they pivot their pelvis over
the right femoral head. However, note that both Tiger Woods and Adam Scottt
get their head well behind the ball, and back of center, at the
end of the backswing - like Aaron Baddeley in his old/new swing photo
above.
Note the degree of spinal tilt of Tiger Woods/Adam Scott at the impact (actually immediate post-impact) position in the lower series of photos. Both players have a marked degree of spinal tilt (away from the target) at impact and their upper swing center is definitely behind the ball at impact. Why does this phenomenon occur?
Both Tiger Woods and Adam Scott, like most PGA tour golfers, start their downswing with a hip shift-rotation movement that initially squares the hips while simultaneously shifting their hips laterally towards the target. As the downswing proceeds, they start to straighten their left leg and they start to pivot their pelvis over the left femoral head. The "straightening left leg" fixes the left side of their lower body and creates what is called a "firm left side", thereby limiting further lateral shift of the pelvis to the left. As their lower body continues its forward drive into a "straightening left leg", the pelvis is forced to rotate around to the left around the "fixed" left femoral head ("fixed" by the "straightening left leg") - note that both Tiger Woods and Adam Scott have an open pelvis position at impact (lower series of photos). Note that both Tiger Woods and Adam Scott keep their head back at the end-backswing head position (although Tiger Woods has an idiosyncratic tendency to drop his head in the early downswing), and both players keep their upper swing center well behind the ball during the downswing, impact, and immediate followthrough period. In fact, I think that it is correct to think of the upper swing center (between the shoulders) as the core swing center that must be kept unmoving/stationary during the downswing if one wants to have a controlled/consistent full golf swing, and I think that many beginner golfers will get into a lot of trouble if they allow the upper swing center to move forward of the ball during the downswing (as Bennett/Plummer recommend) - presuming that they have moved their upper swing center behind the ball during the backswing (like Tiger Woods and Adam Scott). A common end-result of allowing the entire body to move ahead of the ball at impact is a weak push-slice shot. A beginner golfer should realise that the left foot is the primary "base of support" for the entire body during the late downswing, and the head can be perceived to be the upper stabilising support post. One can then perceive of the downswing axis being situated between these two points, and one can imagine how the entire torso spirals around to the left during the late downswing and early followthrough period - around this rightwards tilted downswing axis. If the downswing axis is allowed to move forward of the ball, or if the downswing axis is allowed to tilt forward, during the downswing, this can potentially result in a major loss of balance and control. Try it!
Consider an image of another famous golfer - Ben Hogan - at impact.
Hogan approaching impact - from reference number [2]
Note how Hogan is hitting into a "straightening left leg" and
note that he is pivoting his pelvis around to the left over the left femoral
head. Also, note that Hogan's upper swing center is behind the ball as
he nears impact, and that his spine is tilted away from the target.
It is interesting to note that Bennett/Plummer claim [1] that Jack Nicklaus had a vertical spine when he was playing in the 1960s and1970s, and they also stated in the same sentence " --- while modern teaching says the spine tilts back". I think that photos of Jack Nicklaus from the early 1960's demonstrates exactly the opposite fact - that Jack Nicklaus had a significant degree of spinal tilt away from the target at address, at the end of his backswing, and during his downswing.
Jack Nicklaus driver swing from the 1960s -
from an online golf discussion forum posting [3]
Note the position of his upper and lower swing centers (blue dots) at address relative to the ball (yellow line), the degree of spinal tilt at address (orange line) and the degree of spinal tilt at impact (blue line).
What about Aaron Baddeley's new swing? Does he also keep his upper swing center behind the ball at impact (like Tiger Woods, Adam Scott, Ben Hogan, and Jack Nicklaus), or does he follow Bennett/Plummer's advice of ensuring that both swing centers get ahead of the ball at impact?
Aaron Baddely at impact - face-on view
Note that Aaron Baddeley has his upper swing center well behind
the ball at impact, and that his spine is tilted away from the target - in
both his old and new swings.
Although Bennett/Plummer recommend getting both swing centers ahead of the ball at impact, I have never seen a photographic image of a professional golfer achieving that goal. I will continue to keep an open mind about the advisability of getting both swing centers ahead of the ball at impact, and I will update this critical review paper if I discover logical reasons for Bennett/Plummer's radical recommendation, or if I discover photos of PGA tour players rigorously following Bennettt/Plummer's radical advice.
I cannot fathom why Bennett/Plummer would favor this radical swing methodology for beginner golfers. I can understand how a professional golfer, like Aaron Baddeley, can take Bennett/Plummer's advice with a pinch-of-salt, and use it as a "feeling" to slightly modulate his own professional-quality swing. However, I am concerned that beginner golfers will get into a lot of trouble if they keep most of their body weight on their front foot during the backswing and consequently reverse pivot, and if they then try and ensure that their upper swing center gets in front of the ball at impact. I can readily imagine a recurring scenario where many golf instructors are going to have their appointment books filled with beginner golfers, who have unilaterally/independently tried the Bennett/Plummer swing methodology without professional guidance, and who then need remedial golf instruction.
Impact and followthrough
Bennett/Plummer state with respect to impact/followthrough-:
"The turning body is supplying the initial acceleration, so the player must
maximize the rotational speed. The hips have limited turning capacity when
they're tilted, so they have to come out of their tilt to keep accelerating.
The move that releases the hips is a springing up of the lower body, where the
butt muscles push the hips upward and toward the target. The player has to
feel as if he is jumping up as the club comes down."
To better understand what Bennett/Plummer mean by "jumping up" during the downswing, one has to mimic their recommended backswing/downswing actions as a practical experiment. Start off by getting to Bennett/Plummer's recommended end-backswing position where the spine is tilted to the left, the head is slightly ahead of the ball, most of the body weight is over the left foot, and the right pelvis is higher than the left pelvis. Then try and get to a post-impact position, where the spine is tilted slightly to the right, the left leg is straight, and the left pelvis is slightly higher than the right pelvis. To achieve that goal, you will feel that you are actively tilting your pelvis, from a right-up to a left-up pelvis position, in a "jumping-up" manner. I can understand why Bennett/Plummer refer to this springing up movement of the lower body as a "jumping up" movement - considering the fact that most of the body weight at the end-backswing position is over the front foot, and Bennett/Plummer-style golfers have to drive their pelvis (lower torso) under their upper torso before impact in order to get to a post-impact position where the spine is tilted to the right for the first time (remember that Bennett/Plummer want the swing centers to be ahead of the ball at impact, but they then want the upper swing center to be behind the lower swing center soon after impact). I don't like the active driving/jerking nature of this lower body springing-up movement and I think that it may be very stressfull to the lower back over the long term. I much prefer the smoother hip tilt-rotational movement found in the traditional golf swing.
Consider the pelvic movements of Tiger Woods' swing.
Tiger Woods driver swing - as seen from the back
Note that Tiger Woods has level hips at address (image 1).
Note that his right hip is slightly higher than the left hip at the end-backswing position (image 2). This is not a deliberate hip tilting maneuver, but merely the end-result of a 'correct' backswing pivot motion over a "fixed" right femoral head.
Note how Tiger Woods squares his hips at the start of the downswing (images 3 and 4) and note how the pelvis becomes level again.
Note that Tiger Woods' left hip becomes higher than the right hip in the late downswing (image 5), impact position (image 6) and early followthrough (image 7) as he pivots over a straightening left leg and a "fixed" left femoral head. Although it looks like Tiger Woods' lower body is springing up at impact, like Bennett/Plummer describe, note that his spine is tilted to the right throughout the downswing (images 3-5), impact position (image 6) and early followthrough position (image 7). That's a critical difference to the Bennett/Plummer swing model - where the spine should be tilted to the left throughout the downswing and impact phases of the swing. I think that it is easier, and less stressfull to the lower back, for the lower body to spring up onto a straightening left leg when most of the upper body weight is behind the left hemi-pelvis/left leg, and I think that this entire "springing up" action can be performed in a more smooth, and more consistent, manner if the left hemi-pelvis is unloaded during the downswing.
Also, note what Bennett/Plummer state about the effect of this lower body "springing up" action on the clubhead. They state-: "The upward thrust of the lower body that releases the hips - notice here the leg and butt muscles pushing forward - also helps deliver the club to the ball. Because the body is leaning on the front side, the club comes down steeply and will crash into the ground unless the swing shallows out. The pelvic thrust takes some of the steepness out of the swing". Bennett/Plummer are apparently conceding that their reverse pivoting maneuver (body leaning on the front side during both the backswing and downswing) will cause a steep downswing clubhead swingpath that will result in the clubhead hitting into the ground behind the ball (fat shot) unless they introduce a shallowing maneuver (hip thrusting up maneuver) to prevent this from happening. I think that this too-steep downswing clubhead swingpath doesn't occur in the traditional golf swing - note the position of Tiger Woods' hands at the end of the backswing (image 2) and note how the hands simply descend smoothly down towards the ball during the downswing (images 3-5) along a non-too steep arc that automatically shallows out in the later phases of the downswing as the lower body pivots over a straightening left leg. There is no increased likelihood of hitting into the ground behind the ball in the traditional golf swing (if correctly executed), and no additional shallowing-out maneuver is routinely needed to prevent this 'fat shot' phenomenon from happening. Fat shots (hitting into the ground behind the ball) is a common problem that plagues beginner golfers who reverse pivot during the backswing, and I think that a pelvic thrusting-up (pelvic springing up) maneuver is an unreliable method of solving this problem. I think that beginner golfers are better off mimicing the 'correct" backswing pivot motion described by Brady Riggs in his swing video above that creates space under the right side of the body for the arms/club to descend smoothly down to the ball along a non-too steep path.
Finally, I am concerned about the long term effects on the lower back of finishing the full golf swing in a reverse C position.
Consider Bennett/Plummer's statements with respect to the followthrough-: "The body has straightened up, with the hips turning to face the target and the torso flexing forward. The spine elongates and tilts away from the target to counter the spring action of the lower body."
In other words, Bennett/Plummer are stating that the spine has to tilt backwards after impact to conterbalance the effect of the pelvic thrust maneuver. This results in a reverse C position, which may produce chronic back problems over the long term. I have noted that Aaron Baddeley now has a reverse C position in his new swing's followthrough.
Aaron Baddely - End-followthrough position
One can see that Aaron Baddeley is now trying to arch his lower back in the followthough of his new swing, while he previously ended up with a straight lower back, and very erect posture, in the followthrough of his old swing. I hope that this reverse C followthrough doesn't lead to chronic back problems over the long term.
Concluding remarks
I very much like the "look" of Aaron Baddeley's new swing
(except for his tendency to use a reverse C followthrough maneuver). He now
has a more rotatory arm/clubshaft swingarc, a left arm that follows the
shoulder turn in the backswing, and a shorter backswing. However, and most
importantly, he still
keeps his upper swing center behind the ball during the backswing and
downswing - despite having a very centralised swing. I don't have any personal
contact with Aaron Baddeley, so I don't personally know whether his new swing
has resulted in better ball contact, a better ball flight, and/or better
swing-by-swing ball flight consistency. I will update this review paper if I
ever find out more about his new swing's performance during both practice and
competition.
Regarding the Bennett/Plummer swing methodology, I find two recommendations particularly problematic - i) the recommendation to keep most of one's weight on the front foot during the backswing; and ii) the recommendation of ensuring that both swing centers are in front of the ball at impact. From my previous comments, it must be obvious to the reader that I do not favor this controversial approach. However, I will continue to study their approach and I will update this review paper if I need to modify my present-day opinions.
Addendum added July 2007:
New insights into the S&T swing methodology.
I have recently seen a number of golfers using the S&T swing method with great success. I have also tried the S&T method and it definitely works. When I originally analysed the S&T method, based on the June 2007 GD article, I was under the impression that Bennett/Plummer recommended that the spine be tilted to the LEFT during the backswing and downswing, and I thought that they only wanted the spine to become tilted to the right after impact. My original impression was wrong. I now understand their swing methodology better, and my greatest insight came from seeing a swing video of Mike McNary, taken from the back - see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Jm71JpO01U
I have created a series of capture images from that swing
video.
Image 1 - Mike adopts the standard address position, with his spine tilted
slightly to the right. The red dots are the swing centers - upper swing center
midway between the shoulders, and lower swing center midway between the hips.
Image 2 - Mike then shuffles about in his address position, and places more weight on the left leg, and this causes his spine to be less tilted to the right. The upper swing center is nearly stacked vertically over the lower swing center, and both swing centers are ahead of the ball.
Image 3 - End-backswing position. Note that Mike pivots over a nearly straight right leg which is angled more towards the target, which causes the right buttocks to move back and to the left. This causes the lumbar spine to be reoriented to the right. However, Mike doesn't allow his upper thoracic spine to also become tilted to the right (as occurs in the traditional swing). He keeps the upper spine nearly vertical. One can also sense that his entire pelvis has moved slightly over to the left and that Mike has a significant amount of weight on the left leg. Note that both swing centers are ahead of the ball. Note that I have placed a red line alongside his left outer hip at the end-backswing position.
Image 4 - Start of the downswing. You can see that Mike is putting more weight on the left leg (like "squashing a soda can under his left foot") and that the hips don't have to slide too far to the left because he is already weighted over the left leg. Note that he still has a slightly rightwards tilted spine. Note that both swing centers are ahead of the ball.
Image 5 - Mid-downswing. Note that the spine is very slightly tilted to the right, and that both swing centers are ahead of the ball. Note that the hips are now square and the right hip is no longer higher than the left hip.
Image 6 - Late downswing, nearing-impact. Note that the spine is very slightly tilted to the right, and that both swing centers are ahead of the ball. He is now starting to pivot around to the left over a straightening left leg.
Image 7 - Early followthrough. Note that the spine is very slightly tilted to the right. Note that his head hasn't moved during the downswing - and that it is ahead of the ball position throughout the downswing.
This series of images demonstrates that the spine is never tilted to the left during the S&T swing, and that there is NO reverse pivoting in the S&T swing. These images also demonstrate how the swing centers are ahead of the ball during the entire swing, and are definitely ahead of the ball at impact.
Interestingly, I cannot see any ABRUPT lifting of the left hip at impact/early followthrough and I therefore cannot identify an over-aggressive "hip springing-up" phenomenon that may lead to chronic back problems.
Addendum addded October 2007:
I have gained yet more insights into the S&T swing, and I now perceive it to be a leftwards-centered backswing swing style, while most PGA tour players use a rightwards-centered backswing swing style. I also think that a rightwards-centered backswing swing style is better than a leftwards-centered backswing swing style from a biomechanical perspective. Instead of explaining the differences in this paper, I have written a new paper comparing the two different centralised backswing swing styles in a new paper called "Optimal Weight Shift in the Full Golf Swing", which is available in the miscellaneous topics section of my website.
Comments, criticism, and controversy:
Insightful comments from readers will be included in this section of this critical review paper.
References:
1. The New Tour Swing. Article written by Peter Morrice. Golf Digest Magazine. June 2007.
2. The Fundamentals of Hogan. David Leadbetter.
3. Online golf discussion forum at
http://brianmanzella.com