Bobby Jones shows you how to initiate the downswing.
The first golf match of record was played about the year 1680 when the Duke of York afterward King James II of England defended the Scottish Championship claims against two English noblemen the Duke selected as his partner an Edinburgh Shoemaker a golfer of lasting qualities and it was a bad
Day for good old England one of the noble Nobles is about to putt putt he Stoops to conquer don’t go too far there Noble remember them tights is tight and your other won’t be back until Saturday he misses odds Bodkins gadzukes which in those days were harsh words
Well it’s up to the old shoe maker he and the King go into a huddle the signal is passed they decide to use formation B the old boy being slightly bowlegged he’s on the 5 yd line the crowd is tense and so with those pants he makes it I ho
In a lack a day there goes marry England the Shoemaker put the boots to him the championship stays in Scotland play the last hole for a penny says the noble what hole says the king and the game was on again that form that hat that wig
Them boots every inch a king boom he did knock the stuffing out of that one but the ball was made of feathers which had its ups and downs uh-oh but feathers were cheap because chickens could be picked up for nothing especially by a king but after all it was the Shoemaker
Who put the game in the bag and you may rest assured dear friends that he took care of all the heels at court from that day on this was a ball used until 1847 when the guty made its appearance and the old guty was welcomed with open arms
Many people were on the point of giving up golf because the old feathery was too expensive how did get giv it up too if I had to play with those things I have enough trouble with the equipment we have today did you ever see such an exhibition as I put on this afternoon
Well dick you don’t know how lucky you are you only have a few things to worry about the average golfer has many the most serious single mistake you make dick is in failing to start your weight moving toward your left foot before you begin to turn your hips watch how your
Body moves away from the ball as you hit it good form in GF means efficiency the art or science of expanding upon the ball all of the energy of the Swing without waste in order to accomplish this ideal it is necessary that every movement of the Swing contribute its bit towards
Accelerating the club head the swing can never be entirely efficient unless all parts are working together the function of the back swing is to wind up the mechanism to store up power and to do it in such a way that the transition from upswing to downswing can be accomplished smoothly and without
Interruption it is the business of the downswing to use this stored up energy in the most effective way possible in turning it into a well-directed well-timed blow if the downswing should be started with the hands or arms so that either should Forge ahead of the hip ton the
Extension up the left side would be destroyed and the effect of the unwinding of the body would be lost it would be like pulling with a slack rope the ideal in order to produce a straight flying shot is to strike a true blow directed exactly towards the
Objective but the right hand can and very often does play Havoc with this intention the average golfer has difficulty in subduing this hand sufficiently at the top of the Swing when he turns himself loose to hit hard the natural temp pux is to hit with it from the top of the
Swing but the correct movement keeps the swing well inside the line of flight once it can strike the ball squarely in the back instead of forcing the club to swing over and cut across the ball from the outside the right arm should drop straight down almost as one piece until
The elbow is again close to the side of the body there must be no attempt to throw the club head from the top of the swing with the hands and wrists they must be saved for use later on the first movement of the downswing is a lateral movement of the hips
Forward towards a hole or other objective the wind up of the hips during the back swing has turned the body around until the back is almost Square to the direction of play the shift forward takes place before any turning movement is evident it is only a matter
Of a few inches but it serves to start the flow of weight in the right direction the back would turn away from the ball is started from the left foot but the forward movement originates with a push off the right foot the entire body moves a little bit forward before
The hips begin to unwind these little discs in the horizontal line will help us to examine the transition from upswing to downswing which makes the whole business one continuous motion at this point the wind up of the hips has been completed but the club is still going going back and
The wrists have not attained their full angle of cocking between this position and the next stop three important things will happen the hips will shift forward until a part of the white disc will be covered the club head will drop below the horizontal line and the hands will rise slightly above the
Head the midsection of the body has started back towards the ball before the back swing of the club has been completed a pronounced stretching is felt up the left side from the hip to the hands the Rope has been pulled tght and now the Turning movement of the hips
Can have its effect directly upon the club that the wrists have kept relaxed and have responded to the movement is shown by the more acute angle between the left arm and the shaft of the club this stretch from left hip to left hand is necessary in order to
Communicate the movement of the hips and waist to the club head during the first part of the downswing the shoulders arms and Club move as one piece and the full angle at which the wrists have been cocked is retained the pull exerted from the left hip as the unwinding progresses is quite definitely
Felt the downswing develops a very high speed by the time it reaches a ball but the acceleration should be gradual in order to retain control and preserve balance it helps a lot to realize that there is plenty of time a back swing of ample length and a leisur start downward
Will avoid a peck of trouble the important thing to remember in all this is that the body must move into the stroke and contribute to its power under no circumstances should the weight be moving backward as the club is coming down I see what you mean all
Right Bobby but the next thing is to do it well of course I shouldn’t expect you to go go straight out and do it it will require some practice but you will enjoy practicing when you know you are making progress uh it looks like we started something with this game of golf your
Majesty the we lad there would certainly have made you a better partner MH I’m no bad myself right you are L ah that was a way better look you had well they may have improved the game but they’ve certainly ruined The Scorch before we go any further I want
To be absolutely sure that no golfer who has seen this picture will fail to appreciate the importance of starting the downswing in the manner I’ve described by moving the hips first this order of movement is a part of the method of every first class golfer whose
Swing I have examined and in my own case I can say quite definitely that it is almost a deter factor in my game when I’m playing badly I can usually find the trouble right here next time impact
