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Why do we take a backswing in golf?


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2 hours ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

If properly fit there should be no trade off between them. Getting a fitting optimized both 

Not every fitting is to optimize distance.  I can assure you that there is an equipment setup that would allow me to hit it further.  My fitting is optimized for sufficient precision with enough distance.  

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17 minutes ago, edteergolf said:

This is why that working a bit on speed also tends to correlate to improved accuracy.  There is a point of diminishing return.  

Once you can no longer control the path because the accelerations required to get it there are too great, or you can't time the movements to build that much speed then your control goes away. But the club is still going to be incredibly stable, just in a really poor position.

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2 minutes ago, zrumble said:

Once you can no longer control the path because the accelerations required to get it there are too great, or you can't time the movements to build that much speed then your control goes away. But the club is still going to be incredibly stable, just in a really poor position.

Poorly positioned clubs are one of the few reasons higher handicap golfers don't improve.  

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Most good baseball swings absolutely start with the hands moving away from the target before moving towards the ball.  It's not nearly as pronounced as the back swing in golf, but baseball players absolutely "load" their hands and their lower bodies backwards prior to making a move towards the ball.  In the concepts of kinetic motion and opposing forces that are referenced in the video I linked above is exactly why big-league hitters waggle there bat and load their body backwards prior to kicking their front leg forwards and swinging into the ball.
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Yes. I understand.
Again. The premise stated in the initial OP sets the standard for the argument. It’s not about whether or not there is movement in baseball swings or golf swings, as we all know they are NOT stationary, but the question posed asks us to assume a stationary, non-moving swing. Arguing the finer points of motion, and whether or not they, in-fact, exist is moot, and is not necessary as stated in the question.


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3 minutes ago, PMookie said:


Yes. I understand.
Again. The premise stated in the initial OP sets the standard for the argument. It’s not about whether or not there is movement in baseball swings or golf swings, as we all know they are NOT stationary, but the question posed asks us to assume a stationary, non-moving swing. Arguing the finer points of motion, and whether or not they, in-fact, exist is moot, and is not necessary as stated in the question.


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Understood.  But his premise that a fundamentally sound baseball swing starts stationary, with the first movement being towards the ball, is simply incorrect.

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The first post in the thread the OP states he doesn't really take a backswing with a baseball swing. I believe what he's trying to get at is could we not just apply a baseballesque swing in golf rather than starting the swing with the club beside the ball.

Understood.  But his premise that a fundamentally sound baseball swing starts stationary, with the first movement being towards the ball, is simply incorrect.


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2 hours ago, edteergolf said:

Not every fitting is to optimize distance.  I can assure you that there is an equipment setup that would allow me to hit it further.  My fitting is optimized for sufficient precision with enough distance.  

You are saying the samething I’m saying. One doesn’t have to give up distance to find better dispersion and one doesn’t have to give up accuracy to find distance. Find the product that gives you both. 

 

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14 hours ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

You are saying the samething I’m saying. One doesn’t have to give up distance to find better dispersion and one doesn’t have to give up accuracy to find distance. Find the product that gives you both. 

 

We are not saying the same thing.  I'm saying there is a setup that I can hit further than I do know but it would be less accurate.  I have absolutely given up distance to be more accurate.  Reaching maximum accuracy and maximum distance is not accomplished in fittings. 

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43 minutes ago, edteergolf said:

We are not saying the same thing.  I'm saying there is a setup that I can hit further than I do know but it would be less accurate.  I have absolutely given up distance to be more accurate.  Reaching maximum accuracy and maximum distance is not accomplished in fittings. 

Actually it is. I have been fit multiple times by well qualified professionals to include the lpga rep for pxg when he was with ping. Carry and total distance were optimized and dispersion was improved. Samething when I was fit by the folks at UST Mamiya. 
 

I have never lost distance in a fitting compared to my gamer, I may have not gained anything but never lost and i have matched or improved dispersion. 
 

If you choose to give it up that’s fine but it’s not necessary imo. 

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Actually it is. I have been fit multiple times by well qualified professionals to include the lpga rep for pxg when he was with ping. Carry and total distance were optimized and dispersion was improved. Samething when I was fit by the folks at UST Mamiya. 

 

I have never lost distance in a fitting compared to my gamer, I may have not gained anything but never lost and i have matched or improved dispersion. 

 

If you choose to give it up that’s fine but it’s not necessary imo. 

I think what Ed was trying to say is that when you go to a fitting you make your swing, people are always advised to use their normal swing, and the fitter looks for equipment that maximizes distance and dispersion for the swing you are making.

 

As a player You can adjust things in your swing to get more or less speed and accuracy such as stance, ball position, and tee height to name a few. Doing these things will shift the needle between max distance and max control. This needle can move based on your need for every shot.

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It can be awkward getting the club into position without a back swing.
But to your point a way to get the job done is to make a back swing and keep a long pause at the top. So now your body is free of motion and ready to make the down swing and accelerate with no sway of off balance moves.

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1 hour ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

Actually it is. I have been fit multiple times by well qualified professionals to include the lpga rep for pxg when he was with ping. Carry and total distance were optimized and dispersion was improved. Samething when I was fit by the folks at UST Mamiya. 
 

I have never lost distance in a fitting compared to my gamer, I may have not gained anything but never lost and i have matched or improved dispersion. 
 

If you choose to give it up that’s fine but it’s not necessary imo. 

I never said I lost distance.  I said that is possible to be fit into a club that would maximize distance but compromise accuracy. The opposite would also be true.  Quality fittings find the best mix of both but not the maximums of either.  

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I think one of the biggest aspects to consider with OPs question is making good contact with a ball while playing golf vs max speed generation. The George Gankas driver example is a good one, but it is also only used for a ball played off a tee on level ground (not sure if he uses that technique for anything other than driver). 

Try to play a ball on a severe sidehill lie but starting from the top of the backswing. I bet your contact is poor without the ability to adjust your address position. 

It could be a good way to diagnose your grip as I could see directional control being bad without setting the club at address. 

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On 5/4/2020 at 11:09 AM, jlukes said:

This video should explain why.  Sasho MacKenzie is probably one of the most respected in the industry.  He is a scientist who just so happens to focus on the golf swing.  It's the same concept as how one swings an ax or a hammer, or why a wind up punch is more powerful than a jab.  Or why one can jump higher/further when squating down and exploding up rather than just starting from the bottom of a squat.

 

thanks for sharing this... now I have something to go try out with the radar later on!

Initially I was thinking the backswing in golf was more about rhythm and feel but this makes a lot of sense.

 

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I feel like a stationary target, naturally promotes a backswing. You take a backswing you when swing an axe. Backswing when you use a hammer. I'm just pretending right now, but if I had a baseball bat and was using a tee, I would take a backswing. 

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