I believe Ben Hogan and Moe Norman did tell us everything we need to know about the golf swing. The problem lies in the (mis)interpretation of what they left behind. The internet is a great place to find both information and (unfortunately) anyone with an opinion. So we ruffle through hundreds, if not thousand of opinions on the subject of golf, all slightly conflicting, all 100% convinced that they have discovered “the secret”.

Truly understanding the meaning of words such as  ”don’t fight it” took me over a year to understand. It is small yet cryptic messages like these that make golf a journey worth taking, and far more beneficial than any “technique” advice from the swing gurus of this world.

After watching various clinics and reading various “bits” here and there, one other piece of advice was clear from Moe:

“I swing into my legs, into the golf course. Not over my legs, over the golf course“.

Moe speaks words like these while mentioning the great Ben Hogan (among other great ball strikers), as if to further justify his position. His general message was clear: “Both Hogan and I did this. Nobody else did. That’s why everyone else struggles.” If pushed, he would repeat the same message “I swing into my legs“, leaving everyone who had just heard the words knowing that they had just been told something of great importance, yet having no idea what exactly it meant.

Understanding came to me when I caught the end of one of Moe’s clinics, where he was giving advice to a fan. Moe showed him where he wanted his hands/arms to be around impact and how he would arrive at that position.

Suddenly the penny dropped! “I swing into my legs“.

From the top of the backswing, the right shoulder needs to drop down. The whole chest/shoulder area needs to feel as though it tilts down the target line, as if you are trying to keep your right shoulder as far away from your head as possible during the downswing. When you do this correctly, you get the feeling of your upper body swinging “into” your legs, “into” the golf course. Do the move incorrectly, and you may end up with back problems Do the move with correct footwork (and elbow-work) , and you have something. Watch Moe and Hogan for the footwork. Study their motion. Their swings were works of art, something beautiful to behold.

PS. This isn’t the secret to golf btw, merely a step in the right direction. For those undertaking this journey, I can tell you there is no one secret. There are various swing keys when put together that create a ball striker. Then there is a mastery of the mental game. Combine both of these (and learn how to putt) and you have your “secret” to golf. Hardly a secret … just a whole lot of work. Yet for those of us so inclined, it is not work at all, but something we undertake with a smile, knowing that feeling of greatness: a perfectly struck golf ball.

I’m using this to recover from training and give my body the fuel it needs to build muscle and ligament strength as quickly and effectively as possible. With over 90% protein and a surprisingly great taste (just like a sweet vanilla milkshake), I’m a very happy customer.

Locally, about $160 for 3 kilos is very good value (compared to the price of buying eggs for the egg whites only to get the equivalent protein I’d need).

I was tossing up between Horleys and “AST SPORTS SCIENCE VP2″ range of protein powders, but Horleys won due to local distributors being available nearby.

• Various stretches.
• Spiderman pushups.
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrUBm0NADds.
• Star jump into pushup.
  4 breathe combination, 1 = star jump, 2 = hands on floor + feet jump back into pushup position, 3 = pushup, 4 = jump back ready for star jump.
• Squat variations.
  Jumping squats, Y squats, prisoner squats, exercise ball squats, lateral squats.
• Jackknife crunches, alternate with bicycle crunches.
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqoD0Bdggto.
• T-bar rows for the back (NOT heavy) + bicep curls.
  Bicep curls: standing 1 foot away from the wall, then lean against the wall so your lower back is glued to the wall. This isolates the biceps and forces them to do the work. Finish with hammer curls to really work the outer bicep.
• Bench press + tricep extensions/presses/kickbacks
  Chest: double tap at the bottom of the rep to really stretch the muscle.

GENERAL RULES:

As a general rule, I try to execute these as fast as I can with perfect form. Always have quality over quantity. You can mix things up by doing extremely slow repetitions. Have fun with it, but never do things too fast.

For all resistance training, do 6-8 reps to a ratio of 3:1 (3 seconds down, 1 second up). Obviously there will be days when you want to mix this ratio up, but generally stick to this for strength building.