Since there is not a lot of instrumentation of pros it's a source of debate what they ACTUALLY are doing. Are thty REALLY pulling in with their trail arms and if they are why don't they know it? Bertholy notes some experiential evidence as well as opinion on these points:
More evidence of the dominant roles the conditioned responses and inherent reflex actions play in the Golfswing is provided by the experience and observations of that outstanding lady Golfer, Ruth Jessen, winner of the Hogan Award, 1972, for her courageous comebacks after repeated adversity and accompanying surgery. In spite of these setbacks, she won the big money Sears Classic in the spring of 1971.
Nearly all the greaat players of the last forty years developed their swings while they were children. Having learned chiefly by mimicry while their imitation powers were acute and while their kinesthetic acceptability factors were at their highest, there was minimum mental involvement present. Being only slightly aware mentally of what they were accomplishing as far as the Golfswing was concerned, these children grew to adulthood as their Golfswings also grew with them in a rather pleasant and ideal fashion. Now having reached adulthood, these former child Golfers, when swinging a golf club, were in the large majority of cases, only fractionally mentally aware of what their kinesthetic memory was performeing in the Golfswing.
This is one of the reasons why I have for forty years believed the true functions of the right arm in the Golfswing have been misunderstood. Insight of this phase of the Golfswing and the workings of the remarkable kinesthetic memory is offered by Ruth Jessen's comments in Golf WOrld of January 11,1972.
The courageous Miss Jessen, in the process of regaining her strength and Golfswing after tendonitis surgery of her right elbow, made the following observation after a daily regimen of hitting one big basket of balls, then playing nine holes. (Quote): "The operation has actually helped because it is forcing use of the left side, but I had no idea how much the right hand and arm are used to hold the club up in the backswing, and to restrain for late release in the downswing. I am encouraged and it is becomming fun to play again." (Unquote). This indeed is fascinating evidence of the role played in the Golfswing by the right arm as to its Golfswing inherent innately produced reflexes and as to the GOlfswing-desireable conditioned responses, those acquired beneficial habits, such as right arm restraint that prevent the destructive right hand cast and right arm thrust, its innate reflexes.
