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Knees

First of all, if there are other posts or videos about this already, please refer me and then feel free to delete this.

After @Gerry_Lager was kind enough to provide some feedback on the videos I posted yesterday, I really started thinking about what my knees should be doing in my backswing. Currently, as I start the backswing, my left knee turns away from the target and my right knee sort of pivots and moves back.. if that makes sense? But after reading @GolfLivesMatter 's post about feeling your inside trail foot push off, I tried that, and now my front knee stays straight and bends towards the ball now and I can almost feel my shoulders and everything else moving towards the ball.. Funny enough, the right knee still sort of extends back a little..

Whew, that was a lot of explaining, haha. Let me know if that makes sense, and if I'm on the right track?

Again, if there are specific videos for this let me know, @Tom Saguto usually wears pants in his videos so it's hard to see exactly what's going on with his knees.. haha.

Thanks so much everyone! You guys have already been so helpful in the few days I've been on here, and hopefully I can start helping too(not just asking for advice all the time)

7 comments

7 Comments

Tom Saguto

Apr 04, 2022

@Julian - Sounds like you're heading in the right direction. Have a look at this KFC Club lesson on the knees. Also, watch how Charlie Wi's knees work here. That's what we're after.

@GolfLivesMatter - Yes, proper extension absolutely creates the space you seek. It might be worth a refresher viewing of this lesson.

GolfLivesMatter

Apr 04, 2022

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Replying to

I have this video memorized but I did watch again. This is exactly what I was referring to in my post. That extension movement will definitely feel strange for those who have lived by "keep your head down" because the extension feels like the head is moving upwards, but it's not. The feeling comes from the extension of the spine but the mind thinks the whole body is moving upwards. The "keep you head down" idea causes the huddling over the ball as you pointed out.

The thing for me is when I do totally extend on the backswing I have to watch that I let the club shallow on the transition to the downswing. It is "easier" for me to start the downswing from a steeper position because the club feels like it's higher up, and it is higher up over my shoulders (wider swing) and as such my brain gets panicky and thinks there's a lot more distance to get back to the ball, thus my trail shoulder will try to initiate the downswing with an outward movement...steep. I have to practice this a lot. Takeaway, extend, shallow, hit.

Plus, there are days after a round where my entire core area is fatigued because it's not used to being involved to that extent in my golf swing! LOL. I think this is why pro golfers do a lot of core work.

Tom Saguto

Apr 04, 2022

Replying to

@GolfLivesMatter I think we get more fatigued from fighting our bodies rather than letting the spine execute the easy motions that it is designed to do: flex (at address), extend fully, tilt, turn, flex, tilt, turn, extend fully. There's your golf swing if we can simply allow that to happen.

Sure - core work helps and the results can look good, but there are also plenty of guys on Tour who only think in terms of "Doritos" or "Fish & Chips" when they hear the word "crunch".

GolfLivesMatter

Apr 03, 2022

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Julian, when working with the mirror, check the height of your hands at the top with and without extension. I just tried it and my hands moved higher by about 3 inches vs a non-extension backswing. Higher meaning 3 inches higher away from my trail shoulder. It feels like a giant wind-up.

Julian

Apr 03, 2022

Thanks so much @GolfLivesMatter. I spent most of yesterday in front of a mirror working on different combinations of hand paths and shoulder turn/tilt to see how it affected what my lead knee does. What seemed to work for me was a feeling of "push off" from the inside of my right foot(which you already mentioned specifically) and a counteracting force from the ball of my left foot. At first I could almost feel myself starting to fall forward, but it became normal pretty quick.

I also noticed that when I do keep my lead knee from buckling in, I feel WAY more "wind up" in my lower back, which I assume increase power.

Can't wait to take this to the range and see what happens. Thanks again.

GolfLivesMatter

Apr 03, 2022

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Replying to

No problem. And I think what you might be referring to is "extension" on the backswing, or when the trail knee nearly straightens and you feel tilted to the left. I wanted to ask Tom if backswing extension creates more room to stop from throwing the club out and shanking the ball. Maybe Tom is still checking out the stacked and tilted picture I posted...LOL. But I do think backswing extension is more critical than I first realized, and also for more power as you mentioned. It takes some work because our bodies are not used to that type of extension on the backswing...so make sure you stretch! LOL.

As some of you know, I went through the shanks last summer and got to the range and did nothing but extend on the backswing and I started hitting great shots. However, I'm not 100% sure that was the entire fix, but it sure seemed to create more room on the downswing.

GolfLivesMatter

Apr 02, 2022

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Great post...but let's finish off this movement. If you initiate the backswing with even a SMELL of the left shoulder drifting more to the right...then up, your lead knee will follow your shoulder drift and move inward.

If you start your backswing with the lead shoulder moving down, but you take the club too far inside, the lead knee will still want to move towards the trail knee.

The trick for me is, and I just posted this under swing cues, is not only does the lead shoulder move down, but the hands need to trace a straight line on the takeaway. They go together and it's like a counterbalance movement.

You can easily test this for yourself in front of a mirror without a club. Start at address, then move your lead shoulder to the right, not down...and look at your lead knee. Then rotate your lead shoulder down and move your hands on a straight line on the takeaway...lead knee goes forward or maybe even slightly towards the target. Try exaggerating the movement. Or don't turn your lead shoulder down at all, and take your hands inside too far, then turn up to the top. Watch your lead knee move inward, almost collapse.

I caught this about a month ago while working in front of a mirror. The left shoulder must work down, but in concert with the hands tracing a straight line back on the takeaway. When you do that you WILL FEEL REALLY TILTED!!! LOL.