Lead knee injury.

I have two bad knees and will be scheduling knee replacement surgery sometime this year. Has anyone else had knee replacement surgery and were you able to play golf using Tom's methods?

That setup feature with the feet and knees flared outward are critical foundational elements, as it is supportive of our centered, stress-free, flowing motion back and through, and a very body-friendly, consistent, powerful swing. Members will find mention of this in the setup sections of both the Golf Swing Simplified and Get Out and Go Play programs. Sadly, it is overlooked by many who tend to jump ahead of these initial lessons and instead default to the considerably different and far more restrictive setup of their old shift & lift swings. As I regularly tell folks, from the ground up there is nothing superfluous in the Stack & Tilt swing - in other words, everything with a purpose, and a purpose for everything.

Lecture over. 😎 I'm glad the YT video drew your attention to this crucial component!!

Tom’s recent video tip about setting up with your knees bowed out vs bowed in, enabled me to ensure my lead knee naturally flares slightly toward the target during the backswing vs inward. This has been helpful for my consistency. And it is much easier on my bum knee. I wholeheartedly thank you Tom!

Hi Tom. Thanks a million for the detailed reply. All makes sense. Videos coming your way asap.

Dave.

@davidpollard358 - I chuckled at but do not necessarily agree with the "swing easy and practice the short game" course of action. The Stack & Tilt swing is a very body-friendly method. For me this is supported by my personal experience as a player and furthered by the fact that the majority of my students are in their 60's, 70's, and 80's – i.e.: a smorgasbord of chronic ailments, physical limitations, back/shoulder/knee/hip pain, and joint replacements – and they are overwhelmingly elated to experience the dramatic pain-free game improvement, seemingly effortless power, and resulting enjoyment that this swing affords them.

No matter which club you are swinging, in the backswing the lead knee always works down in the direction established at address - which should be slightly flared outward towards the target. This keeps the weight forward and the swing center intact. Any inward movement of the lead knee will shift the center and low point backwards. This can lead to inconsistency and may also cause some discomfort to the knee.

As others here have properly conveyed, it is very important to recognize, feel and ingrain your body's natural stopping point in the backswing where the tilting, turning, and extending motions are complete and the lead arm has crossed the chest 45 degrees. This is the point where if we were to try to go any further any or all of the following will occur:

1) the lead arm will bend and/or lift

2) the wrists will break down

3) the lead knee will kick inward towards the trail side

4) the lead shoulder will level out and lose its orientation towards the ball

5) weight will shift into the trail side

I've said this on numerous occasions, but it bears repeating here: Reaching back for more is like conducting a séance for those old swing demons, and they sure come back to haunt us when we do. Remember - the depth we create by getting our hands behind the trail shoulder at the top gives us all the power we need (it's invoking the tremendous force of angular momentum), even if it "looks" like less than a full swing compared to our old Shift & Lift days. Trust me - you've created width and plenty of distance for that club to travel by taking it deep; there's no need to try to get to "parallel" - that false deity of swings past. Execute the motions, understand your body's natural stopping point, and then - the most difficult part - train yourself to stop there!

If you continue to be challenged by this, then it may be a good time for a V1 Swing Video Analysis - an effective and inexpensive service that I highly recommend to everyone in the school. I liken it to bringing your swing into the shop for a tune-up or minor repair. Scheduling one on a quarterly basis for preventive maintenance will do wonders for keeping things humming along nicely, and it's also a great tool for pinpointing and resolving any issues that arise. The process involves downloading the free V1 app and then submitting two videos to me through the app - one down-the-line (captured from your stance line, not the target line) and the other face-on. You'll find more information about the V1 Analysis halfway down this page on the Saguto.Golf site.

Tom

I suppose the message for us seniors is to swing easy and practice the short game.

I have done the same with my knee as well and tweaked tailbone which is really wierd. It happens mainly when i get tired or rush my shot. I overswing with so much tension and my old swing comes back with a vengeance. When I take my time, my new swing works well. just so hard to get the last 30 years of crap outta my system.

Pointing the feet out will definitely take a lot of tension off your left knee on the downswing. Obviously I haven't seen your swing, but my suspicion is that you're overswinging. Anytime we move our body passed its physical limitation, we are asking for injury. Turning your feet out will allow the hips to turn so you don't have to overswing to produce the same result and you will be move balanced on the finish.

Thanks for the input. Really appreciate it. The pain is on the inside of the knee. I looked at some other posts here and I think maybe my problem came from moving the knee inwards while loading weight onto it. I'm in Ireland and can't get an s and t lesson so I'm hoping the school here will get me on the right track. Thanks again!

twice I've gotten a real jolt in my lead knee while practicing with the net. I really have no idea what cause it but, I had to walk it off both times. I'm thinking I may have let the lead knee break to the trail side and I did something weird during the transition. I'm getting ghost pains now thinking about it... The pain was on the outside of the lead knee, at the bottom. I think that's where the ligaments attach.

I'm trying not to reach for the top of the backswing to stop the lead knee from kicking away from the target. A shorter backswing with better contact is going to give you more distance anyway!