Bob Toski on Why You Must Use Your Hands to Swing Well

Today I'm just recommending an instructional article because it will take some time to read but it covers some material I'll be focusing on in the near future. It's a Golf Digest article by Bob Toski about how modern science says our brains learn to swing a golf club.



Toski says modern golf has adopted teaching methods that make it too hard to learn a natural swing, and he has the science to prove it. Then he gives you some ways to practice that will help you swing better by utilizing that science. I want to quote a short section of the article -- and this is a very short section, because this is a very thorough article -- that catches some of the mindset he's teaching:

We believe in simplicity. We have a saying that describes our method in one sentence: "If the club is OK, your swing is OK!" If your hands move and function properly, your swing will be effective because the clubface mirrors the hands. This is a simple concept that's true for any problem that might arise in the swing.

When most golfers practice these days, they have no plan for how they're trying to improve. For example, control in a golf swing does not begin by making full-motion, full-speed driver swings, as we see so many golfers doing on the practice tee. At high speeds, the brain performs only what it already knows, so no change or improvement is taking place. This type of careless practice simply ingrains the problems you're having.

Remember this phrase: An ounce of touch is worth a ton of brawn. Developing control over the club should start with the simple swings on and around the greens. You must crawl before you walk and then possibly run. Beginning with small swings will help you feel the momentum of the club. Learn to associate the swing with an ease of movement and flexibility, a simple flow back and through. Start with a balanced grip, the club in your fingers and your grip pressure light. As an overall thought, control the motion with the lead hand; the brain will direct the trailing hand to support the lead hand implicitly.

Let me point out three important thoughts just from this short section:

• If your hands move and function properly, your swing will be effective because the clubface mirrors the hands. This is why Bubba Watson is so accurate despite weird stances and awkward-looking swings. He knows where the clubface is pointed because he concentrates on getting his hands to face his target.
• For example, control in a golf swing does not begin by making full-motion, full-speed driver swings, as we see so many golfers doing on the practice tee. At high speeds, the brain performs only what it already knows, so no change or improvement is taking place. (The emphasis is mine.) That's self-explanatory, don't you think?
• As an overall thought, control the motion with the lead hand; the brain will direct the trailing hand to support the lead hand implicitly. This whole paragraph is loaded with solid teaching! But what I want to point out is something that is often missed in Toski's teaching.

Most teachers would say that Toski is teaching a classic swing and that the idea of "controlling the motion with the lead hand" is no longer correct. This shows a complete lack of understanding about the differences between a classic and a modern swing:

• If you have a classic swing, it feels as if the TRAILING hand controls the swing, although both hands are working together.
• If you have a modern swing, it feels as if the LEAD hand controls the swing, although both hands are working together.

Why the difference? Because of the shaft flex. The classic swing uses a very soft shaft, so the trailing hand is the pivot hand; the trailing hand relaxes a bit at the top of the swing to control the flex. But the modern swing uses stiffer shafts, so the lead hand is the pivot hand; it keeps tension on the shaft so it will be forced to flex against the trailing hand.

Don't worry if that seems confusing, because you don't need to understand it to use your hands the way Toski is recommending. (Almost all of you are using a modern swing. I speak from experience here. If you were using a classic swing, you'd know it!)

Like I said, I'll be writing more about this in the coming days but Toski is someone whose teaching you should at least consider listening to. He's around 90 years old now, but he used to be a professional golfer. How good was he? Well, remember how Byron Nelson won a record 18 tournaments in 1945? Toski won four of the ones he didn't win that year.

That's a guy who knows what he's talking about. Read the article.