I came across this image above from my pressure plate suppliers, BodiTrak, and it got me thinking about two recent incidents with clients who have become obsessed with the seduction of power. This is perfectly understandable in a golf world where we are bombarded with images and videos of the latest superstars on Tour hitting it miles. To put this in context, Luke List and Cameron Champ, both have recorded drives in competition, of 380 yards plus! For amateur golfers who have swing speeds in the 100 to 105 mph range, it is understandable why they would want to hit the ball further and power is an important part of golf but used in the right way! Which would you prefer if you had a choice? A driver you can hit 300 yards plus or a round of 69. That very question was posed a few years ago in the States and the 300 yard big dog overwhelmingly won the vote. For this to make sense, a line needs to be drawn in the sand regarding amateurs and professionals. Can you add 50/60 yards to your drives if you already hit it a decent distance for your handicap?
"The worst possible seduction is the ability to be able to hit the perfect shot...once"
This is the first problem for my two budding "bomber" clients. They never get to see images like this above. It is not mainstream media, it is not fashionable, it is the fight being waged a long way from the bright lights of winning Tour events. Pictured are Padraig Harrington with the two co-founders of the Titleist Performance Institute, Dr. Greg Rose and Dave Phillips. They are probably working on sequencing drills, all designed to help Padraig hit the ball further and straighter. All fine and dandy I here you say, but unlike your ability to lose weight or become fitter or whatever your life goals are, this avenue of improvement is not open to you. Pick a number, multiply it by ten, and it still won't get you in the door, these guys are so in demand for their expertise in the power arena that only the most interesting cases (for them) are accepted.
“The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses, behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights.” Muhammad Ali
This is problem number two for our would be power aficionados. This image above and many more like them are portrayed in the golf media as desirable indicators of power moves in the golf swing. Even more lamentable, they are foisted upon a gullible, fawning, golfing public as achievable. You know what I am talking about, how many time are you down the range and you see golfers attempting all sorts of golf poses that bear no resemblance to real life. This image above is a nanosecond in time, it doesn't exist for normal golfers, if you did manage to achieve it, you would most likely need a good health insurance policy. And yet, I look at this Disneyland fantasy world every day!
There is more chance of (a) your husband appearing on the front cover of Sports Illustrated or (b) your wife pole dancing in Vagas, than achieving these golf positions.
Problem #3 that rears its ugly head is testing. Where do you go to get evaluated in terms of...
Physical screen, can you physically move in a way that will help you to achieve maximum power?
Club fitting, where do you go to get a quality product and trust the fitter to actually know his craft?
Finally, how many facilities in Ireland have the equipment to test you and the knowledge base to know what to do with that information?
Let's go back to that line in the sand, the Kinematic Sequence is a fancy way to describe how the body should most efficiently unwind from the top of the backswing. But the bad news for my two aspiring clients is, as swing speed increases, the impact pattern will also change. So, even if they do the hard miles and add some speed, they now need to learn a new movement pattern to harness this speed increase. And this is what makes the game so difficult, no one size fits all, not even close!
Even assuming you surmount all these obstacles, the protocols and interventions used by the top coaches to help their players to hit the ball further are eye watering. It's a lot of hard work to add on even a few MPH at the top end of the scale.
An hour to spare?
Podcast Corner!
I am a big fan of Podcasts, I like to listen to them in the background while working on all things digital. There are some terrific ones around (if you know where to look) and I will try to guide you towards some of my favorites. This week its back to the always excellent, Andrew Cotter, and the European Tour Podcast, "Life on Tour." A cast of many pros and the boss himself, Keith Pelley, star this week in Dubai. Enjoy!
Last Word
Last word this week goes to the Capto putting
The new kid on the block is making serious inroads into the putting market and I am attending a two-day seminar early next week in Italy so will be able to report back on its progress but early signs are encouraging!
Thank you for reading, it is much appreciated!
Enjoy your golf if you get out to play and remember it's only a game!
Will talk to you all towards the end of next week and let you know what Capto is like!
Tadhg
Tadhg Harrington is a full time, professional golf instructor, and owner of the Harrington Golf Academy, based in Dublin, Ireland. He is a graduate of the Titleist Performance Institute and Setanta College. He is the eldest brother of three-time time Major Champion, Padraig Harrington.
He succeeds, employing empathy, passion and exceptional customer service, teaching above the noise, the quick tips, and the latest fads and is truly unique in the Irish golf industry.
The Harrington Golf Academy provides long term coaching programs designed to bring sensory processing to motor learning skills. Tadhg teaches the long game at Drynam Park Golf Centre and short game at Roganstown GC. His business partner, Ex European Tour Player, Rebecca Codd, also teaches full time at Drynam Park Golf Centre.