Minimalist Golf Swing

Suzann Pettersen - Solheim Cup Star - uses The Minimalist Golf Swing (eventually)

 As Suzann Pettersen plays a practice round in preparation for the 2013 Solheim Cup, it is obvious from her swing that it is not co-incidence that she is the highest ranked European player - her swing is a completely Minimalist Golf Swing (MGS)move - two frames down from the top! From the top of her backswing, her first move down is a drop of her right side. Ha! The MGS would have had her there at the top itself, thus avoiding a lot of excess action (hence Minimalist) and re-routing that she does for two video frames from the top.                                 Basically, the top of the Minimalist Golf Swing (MGS) is a position in which all the body’s joints are positioned so they can start the downswing WITHOUT A CHANGE OF DIRECTION! That is what makes the MGS less timing-dependent. With her current top-of-backswing position she has to start her downswing by dropping her right side to a position lower than the left, and while it may look simple, it involves a lot of inconsistency as the spine - vertebra by vertebra - must re-position itself correctly every time (even when the golfer is under ‘pressure’ and might rush or slow-down the downswing!). And at the end of two frames down from the top of her backswing? She is in perfect position to let gravity drop her arms down, as her lower body unwinds before her upper body. Ironically, the very same position a talented Legends’ Tour player, 25 years her senior is getting into at her actual top of backswing - why do the extra stuff!

Halfway down, forget about swing-plane and all that junk. It’s about the position of the right shoulder (which is attached to the right elbow) being well behind the left one. That’s the only important sign that the club will arrive at the ball from inside enough. When the right shoulder is not sufficiently behind the left (see picture on extreme right), the right elbow (the final opportunity to make good impact) must un-bend in a plane (frontal) that it is not designed to, resulting in less-than-efficient ball-striking and eventually injury too.

 

Look at the un-intentional and intentional MGS swingers. GREAT half-way down positions. The only difference? Suzann has a lot of wrist lag - intentional as the world of golf insists it matters. How much power can an abducted wrist (cocked) give when it straightens by a couple of inches? Not much. Why then lag excessively, only to risk a too-early or too-late release as the right elbow straightens out? Why risk injury too? With the MGSS, as there is no intentional backswing lag, the wrists lag as the right elbow ‘drops into its slot’ giving perfectly timed release - which should really refer only to right arm pronation - for power-delivery plus less scope for injury. Congratulations, MGS user, your swing is brilliant - anatomically efficient and thus powerful!