The "New!!!" X-Factor

When you read a lot about golf (as I do - all the golf magazines, any book I can get my hand on) you certainly get a feeling that there is a lot of recycling of ideas and concepts. After all, golf is really a sport, something that requires physical implementation of ideas, concepts and visions that we have for what a golf swing is suppose to be, and believe it or not a lot of it has to do with physical ability to implement those ideas and less with what ideas are. Idea, as per Plato, is the silhouette of reality (or was it the other way around) so in the world of ideas there can be a perfect swing. The reality is that my body that lacks the required flexibility, speed and coordination can only pull of a mediocre swing at best. But still, I study the swings of the great hitters, looking for that illusive magic move that will turn my inept body into a birdie making machine. And I read the new "old" ideas.

One of those old ideas is featured in this months "Golf Magazine". The old X-factor was the concept, at least to my knowledge, coined by Jim McClean to describe the differential between the hips and the shoulders in the backswing which generates power in swing through the employment of elasticity of the big back muscles that snap the shoulders and arms with great acceleration in the downswing. The "new" X-factor is still the differential between the turn in hips and shoulders but not during the backswing but instead in the transition area and further into impact. Now, what really gets my gear grinding (yes I do watch Family Guy) is that this has been talked about just about forever - the hips leading the arms, two cheeks at impact with shoulders trailling and so on. So please, don't talk about the same old concepts by giving them new names. If there is no magic move then don't try to invent one.

BTW what do we know about the magic moves so far? We know that it is different for everyone. Here is what I recall from my readings:

Ben Hogan

Hogans magic move was the kick of the knee towards the ball during the transition period of the swing. This and his weak grip. By pushing his right knee towards the ball he essentially early triggered his hips with proper roll of this right foot creating a wonderfully stable base against which he was able to unleash his arms in widest possible circle that his body would allow. You can read more about this move in Hogan's Secret on Golf Digest site.

Harvey Pennick

Harvey's magic move from the little red book is the weight transfer during the transition coupled with bringing the right elbow (for right handed golfers) close to the body (not across or ahead) which promotes the inside-to-inside golf swing. Currently all the Leadbetter pupils have this move very visible such as Shawn O'Hair and Michelle Wie. This move is also known as dropping the club into the slot.

Moe Norman

Moe was simply magic!!!

AJ on Golf

Despite the general flakiness of the instructional videos there is one thing that I must admit I did find clearly explained and can possible consider the magic move: the rotation of the forearms and the palms in the impact area and acknowledgement that timing is crucial component of the swing. This also shows up quite a bit in Leadbetter teachings (L to L) where he talks about the swoosh generated through the release of the arms from one L on the downswing to the other L on the through swing.