I live in Omaha and only started playing golf about two years ago. Which par 3 course were you playing in the shot? Westwood maybe? I’ve played most of the par 3 courses in town trying to learn the game. It’s a small world! Good luck and congratulations on the progress you’ve made so far.

I live in Omaha and only started playing golf about two years ago. Which par 3 course were you playing in the shot? Westwood maybe? I’ve played most of the par 3 courses in town trying to learn the game. It’s a small world! Good luck and congratulations on the progress you’ve made so far.

…… During the final release, when the hands have swung down almost to the ball, the leading shoulder turns up, and it turns from slightly closed to slightly opened (ie. the leading shoulder turns to behind the trailing shoulder) to rotate the leading arm back to square. …….

The human arm is very flexible, so that the leading arm can rotate in three major ways. (1) The leading arm can rotate the forearm from the elbow down only without moving the elbow, and without turning the upper arm nor the shoulder like turning a fairly loose screw with a screwdriver without moving the elbow. (2) The arm can be rotated from the upper arm by moving the elbow and the upper arm, but without moving the shoulder. (3) The arm can be rotated by turning the shoulders. A combination of all three of the above actions can be used to rotate the arm.

The modern backswing tries to minimize the first two ways of rotating the leading arm during the backswing, so as to simplify the downswing. Instead of having to control three types of leading arm rotation during the downswing, the modern swing tries to reduce control to only one type of leading arm rotation during the downswing at the final release by reducing rotation to the shoulder controlled type of leading arm rotation.

Sam Snead in his book “The Drive” said to take the clubhead straight back from the ball for the first foot (or two or more) during the start of the backswing in a one-piece takeaway. Taking the clubhead straight back along the target line at the start of the backswing tends to minimize rotating or rolling the leading arm inwards from the elbow down, and from the shoulder down, while encouraging turning the leading shoulder (and the trailing shoulder with the shoulders closing) to bring the leading arm back (in one-piece without the first two types of lower arm rotations.) Such one-piece takeaway minimizes rotating the leading arm independent of the shoulder turn. It minimizes rolling the forearm, and rolling the upper arm.

After the one-piece take away, an upright backswing will continue to supress the tendency to roll the forearm and to roll the upper arm independent of the shoulder turn during the backswing.

At the top of the backswing, the back of the leading hand faces to the front of the player, as a result of the shoulders turning to well closed. This facing of the back of the leading hand is kept for the first part of the downswing until the final release phase when the leading hand has swung down almost to the ball. This is to ensure the clubhead is kept inside until the final release. The shoulders are still a little closed up to the final release point, which ensures the leading arm has not rotated back yet to keep the clubhead inside, and to keep the clubhead from swinging to the outside prematurely.

During the final release, when the hands have swung down almost to the ball, the leading shoulder turns up and to close (ie. the leading shoulder turns to behind the trailing shoulder) to rotate the leading arm back to square. This leading shoulder action to pull and to rotate the leading arm back to square will pull on the last two to three fingers of the leading hand to “fling” the clubhead back to square, and to add the final 50 percent additional amount of speed to the clubhead during the final release, as if the clubhead is propelled forward towards the target by a sling of the type used by David as mentioned in the Bible.

Pros playing since they were young kids and even since they were babies have a lot of flexibility in their shoulder turns to perform backswings with minimal leading arm rolling back from the elbow, and from the shoulder down. The occasional player will most likely not have the flexibility to make pro style shoulder turns during the backswing. Some arm rolling may be unavoidable, but these can be reduced with a one-piece takeaway, and with a fairly upright backswing, so that any arm rolling will be reduced to the extend that it can be fairly well controlled during the downswing by using compensating techniques.

There are certainly kids out there learning early and practicing hard. But Tianglang Guan is probably not touching that many people just yet. Of course, it’s not so much about appealing to the kids; it’s more about appealing to the parents (and future parents) as they will be the people to push the kids through the years of private training, fly them overseas at every opportunity, and spend a million or so USD each year in the process.

There are certainly plenty of millionaires in a position to do that. But with average city incomes in the $500/month range, it’s hard to say just how many kids are likely to have the chance. But millions I doubt.

I guess all that counts is that with enough driven parents, some will drive their kids all the way to the PGA.