Why Should You Keep Your Knees Flexed While in the Golf Swing?
- Balance. Former PGA Tour great Tom Watson notes that the key to remaining balanced during your golf swing is to center your weight on the balls of your feet.
- Backswing. Each knee performs a different function on the backswing. The left knee of a right-handed golfer bends a bit deeper and points back to the golfer’s right, to allow ...
- Preventing the Reverse Pivot. While some golf teachers advise players to reduce their right knee flex a bit on the backswing, it’s important to retain some flex in your rear ...
- Downswing. As you push off your back foot and your hips rotate during the downswing, both your knees will naturally move toward the target.
Why keep the right knee flexed in the golf swing?
Video: Keep the right knee flexed in the golf swing for power Many amateur golfers lack a proper power base and start their swing with weak legs. Annabel Rolley shows you how to use your big muscles and develop a powerful start to your swing. Many amateur golfers lack a proper power base and start their swing with weak legs.
Which knee should you lock at the top of the swing?
Both swing errors, i.e. locking your right knee at the top of the swing, and locking your left knee at impact, should be avoided. Keeping the flex in your knees constant – or the angles at which they are bent – from the moment you address the ball all the way to the moment of impact encourages an inside-square-inside swing path.
What happens if you bend your knees while playing golf?
Most of the times, knees that are allowed to bend too much will result in the weight of the golfer to be positioned towards the back of the feet rather than be squarely in the middle.
Should you drop knee flex during your backswing?
Indeed, granted that you refrain from dropping during your backswing you should be able to return to an effective position at impact and one whose knee flex resembles the one you had at address. Finally, golfers who stand tall at address often do so in order to protect themselves from fat shots.
How much knee flex is needed for a 7 iron?
There is therefore specific amount of knee flex for a 7-iron, especially for a guy who is 6 foot tall because he may have a 29 inch inside leg or a 34 inch inside leg.
What is the end goal of knee flex?
Your end goal where knee flex is concerned is find a position that is comfortable, balances your weight properly and enables the hips to move freely back and through your swing.
What does knee flex mean in golf?
The more knee flex, the more shallow your golf swing.
How many degrees does the right leg lock?
With the research we've been doing with the guys at Gears Golf lately, we're finding the majority of the joint angles on the way back that the right leg is straightening - it doesn't lock - to the tune of somewhere between about 3 and 6 degrees.
Should the left knee flex?
You don't want to have the left knee flexing any more, and you definitely don't want the right knee to flex any more in the downswing as all that is going to do is shallow the swing out massively, and causing big pushes and big hooks due to rotation or timing of the clubface closing through impact.
Which knee is straightened on the way down?
On the way down, we are obviously going to see the reverse happen with the left knee straightening, whereas the right knee doesn't fully lock on the way back, the left knee will straighten and lock on the way through at some point.
Should you straighten your legs before hitting the ball?
So if you're hitting hooks, or if you're hitting the ground before the ball, or thinning the ball because you're coming in too much in-to-out, I'd encourage you to straighten the legs a little bit. This will steepen your golf swing, change your impact and change the attack angle of your golf club.
Why do golfers have squatty knees?
I have noticed that the majority of golfers have too much flex in their knees. This limits the ability to turn your shoulders fully on the backswing and downswing. Too much flex in your knees will cause a “Squatty” appearance with your posture.
What is the downswing in golf?
Good golf is played from the ground up, meaning that your feet, legs, and hips initiate the downswing. If your knees are flexed properly, you can activate the lower body well before your shoulders, arms, and hands get involved. The correct sequence of motion is critical. Like a shortstop in baseball, you can move freely in any direction.
How to feel balanced when you are flexing your knees?
Having just enough flex in your knees will allow you to feel balanced and ready for action. You will have a sense of being light on your feet. Your weight should be distributed evenly from heel to toe. Now, your hips and shoulders are ready to rotate freely with full cooperation from your legs and feet.
How to know if your knees are locked?
Check out your knee flex in a full length mirror or have an experienced player look at the amount of flex in your knees. If your knees appear to be locked with too little flex, you will have to bend too much at your waist to compensate in order to rest the club on the ground. This will cause poor balance and your lower body will not be able to contribute to the swing. You will be forced to perform the entire motion with your upper body.
What is the right knee in golf?
Folding your right knee (for a right-handed player) as you address the ball, then maintaining your knee in a flexed position for most of your swing, is a key element in sound golf swing technique, according to PGA professional Carl Rabito. When students come to him with common complaints, such as slicing, frequent mishits or general inconsistency, ...
Why is it important to keep your right knee flexed during the backswing?
Maintaining the flex in the right knee during the backswing, he says, creates resistance in your legs and hips, which prevents the backswing from becoming “too long and uncontrolled.” Keeping the right knee flexed until at least the midpoint in the downswing helps keep your right heel on the ground for a longer time, which in turn gives you a wider downswing arc. This wider arc is particularly important when you’re swinging with a sweeping motion -- as opposed to hitting down on the ball -- such as when you’re teeing off or hitting a fairway wood.
Why do golfers need flexible knees?
Flexible knees help golfers perform a proper body turn during the swing.
How to gain power on your shots?
Gain more power on your shots, particularly off the tee , by folding your knee during the downswing, says golf instructor Jim McLean.
Who is Ron Kaspriske?
Ron Kaspriske and the Editors of Golf Diges. M.L. Rose has worked as a print and online journalist for more than 20 years. He has contributed to a variety of national and local publications, specializing in sports writing. Rose holds a B.A. in communications.
How to see how the rear knee affects your backswing motion?
I would suggest using a mirror to audit these motions, and you will begin to see and feel how the rear knee affects your backswing motion. Experiment to see what is best for you and remember that there is NO wrong answer for your game once you understand what really happens when you control the rear knee to the top.
How much bounce is needed for a wedge?
You can find the bounce listed on the wedge itself. It will range between 4-14, with the mid-range bounce being around 10 degrees.
What is Greg saying about milled grind 3?
Basically, what Greg is saying is that without improvements in design, we would never be able to spin the ball like we would normally when it’s dry and the lie is perfect. So, with this new design in a wedge like the Milled Grind 3 (and others!), how can we make sure we have the optimal opportunity to hit these faster-stopping pitch shots?
What happens if you hold your flex in your rear knee?
Therefore, you should understand that if you hold the flex in your rear knee to the top, it will likely shorten your swing and tighten your hip turn. In general, the more flex you have, the greater you’ll restrict your turn. This is great for players who over-rotate or lose control of their weight during the transition.
What happens when your rear knee flexes?
1) When the rear knee holds it flex to the top, you will find that it will cause the hips to have a more restricted motion on the backswing.
Why is it harder to flop a golf shot?
Why? Because there are so many variables to account for — in addition to what you can and cannot do with a wedge. In fact, up until very recently in the world of wedge design, we were limited to only increasing the landing angle to stop the ball, because relying on spin from this lie and this close to the green was next to impossible.
What is spinloft in a game?
Without going into too much extra detail, spinloft is the difference between your angle of attack and your dynamic loft. And this difference is one of the main areas where you can maximize your spin output.
Why do golfers stand tall?
Finally, golfers who stand tall at address often do so in order to protect themselves from fat shots. Adopting such a position puts them as far from the ball as their knee position alone will allow. On the flip side, these golfers are at a heightened risk of thinning shots.
Why is it important to use a position in golf?
The benefit of using such a position is that it is quite stable, enabling you to remain in perfect balance as you perform your golf swing. It is also easy to replicate over and over again, a crucial component in your quest for swing consistency.
Do golfers bend their knees?
At one end of the spectrum you will find golfers who bend their knees too much. Rather than allowing a small but definitive knee bend, these golfers will drop much lower to the ground than they need to. In doing so, they will bring their knees close to their hands, which they will need to extend out in order for the two to avoid being on ...
Can knee flex cause standing up at impact?
So a golfer with a lot of knee flex can suffer from the standing up at impact swing error.
Do golfers stand up in front of the ball?
Rather than adopting more of an athletic position that a golf swing requires these golfers will seem to almost be standing up in front of the ball. One of the issues that arise with this setup is that it tends to move the weight towards the toes, instead of towards the middle of the feet.
Where should your hands be hanging loose down your arms?
Your hands will be hanging loose down your arms which will be perpendicular to the ground, all the while providing plenty of room between your knees and your hands.
Is there variance in the flex?
The main benefit to this approach is that there is very little variance that is permitted in the flex, which will help you stay level as you perform your swing. Indeed, granted that you refrain from dropping during your backswing you should be able to return to an effective position at impact and one whose knee flex resembles the one you had at address.
