I do a lot of posting now on yahoo answers in an effort to help more golfers and, of course, to promote The Joe Norwood Golf Swing
- The question had to do with someone who uses a free arm swing and how to get more distance.
- My Grandfather always said to leave the Driver in the bag or at home and play with a 3 wood.
- He did not like to talk about distance and was more concerned about accuracy.
- Many of you have the book, the DVD, come to this forum and since my YouTube video has over 10,000 hits I can only conclude that you watch it also.
- The simple answer is the shoulders. Most people who perform this swing start down to the 7:30 position and rotate the upper body to 12:00 while the arms are descending. They think they are descending but they are just dropping the arms and two moves are missing to reach the maximum potential with this swing, i.e., distance with the Driver.
What to do
- To achieve the most distance off the tee with this swing you have to piston the right shoulder to its maximum on the way down and at the same time at impact - initiate the cross lateral move. Any movement of the lower body with respect to rotation away from the 7:30 position while this movement is taking place will cause anything from a poor hook to a poor slice. Joe always told me to swing below my right knee on the down swing.
- The biggest challenge is to piston (I’m going to use the word slap for this post) or slap the shoulders into the impact area when they are square to the target. Do not be surprised when you are practicing this that the ball slices like a banana or is pushed out to the 1:30 position. This happens when I’m warming up because I’m focusing on the slap and once I get the slap then I work on slapping the shoulders at impact to the 12:00 position. This can be practiced with the two ball golf-o-metric where you use each hand and arm to go below each other. Left arm lower on the backswing – right arm lower on the downswing.
- You cannot place the ball inside your left heel for this. You will only slice or push the ball more.
- I position the ball in from the middle of the left arch to the beginning of the left heel and since my left foot is pointing out 45 degrees this means the ball is at least a few inches more to the left.
- The reason for this is that you are slapping the ball on upswing not on the downswing like every other club in the bag and maybe that’s why Joe didn’t like the Driver.
- Remember your hips follow. They rotate slightly after impact. Your belt buckle is pointing to the 1:30 position not 12:00.
There’s More
- One more thing and this will cause even more challenges.
- Joe talked and wrote about the Three/Quarter golf swing.
- I decided a long time ago that a Three/Quarter golf swing was not going to get me the compression I needed to smack the ball with the Driver.
- This move is only done with the Driver and when added to the slapping of the shoulders and the cross lateral move will provide even more distance
- Once your backswing is at its height meaning the right forearm cannot hug the right bicep any more and the right elbow is tucked in as much as it will go then there is one more little move that will extend the swing without lifting the elbow.
- At this point of the swing you push the top of the right shoulder into the neck (without moving your head) thus forcing the left shoulder down. This is pistoning at its maximum and it’s all done with the right side. On the backswing at its top go a little more by forcing the right shoulder into the neck and the left shoulder will drop lower to the ball.
- Very Important!!!! Do not start the downswing with the shoulders. The shoulders are the pistons, the arms are the rocker arms, the hands are the crank shafts of the swing and the lower body is the engine block of the swing and the feet are the motor mounts holding everything in position so the swing runs as smooth as a well maintained engine.
Joe always used the analogy of an automobile when teaching. It really is a great way to communicate. One more thing, the swinging machine Iron Byron is anchored and uses centrifugal force in a circle and most importantly uses hydraulic fluid to control its wrist at impact. Who can imitate Hydraulic fluid? No one can so the best way to use the wrists is to control them by sealing them during the initial phase of the backswing. Use no wrists at all on the downswing, at impact and follow through. Any movement after the swing in the wrists will start with the follow through and end at the backswing and bring only confusion. This swing is the only swing that comes close to the anchored lower half of Iron Byron.
Dan Norwood
http://www.dan-norwood.comhttp://www.dan-norwood.com/the-anatomy-of-golf-joe-norwood.htmlPreview the Book at:
http://www.dan-norwood.com/GOLF-O-METRICPREVIEW.htmlJoe Norwood the Man and his Swing:
http://www.dan-norwood.com/Joe_Norwood_The_Man_and_His_Swing.pdfThe semi-mysterious golf instructor
http://www.usgtf.com/articles/joe-norwood.htmlJoe Norwood's 1st publication in 1941
http://www.dan-norwood.com/Joe_Norwood_1941_Pamphlet.pdfYouTube Video of Joe Norwood Swing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdR6Ev1gXDU