Doc,
I could play...for a short hitting, ground hugging type of guy. I sniffed around in the scratch range for a whole bunch of years. Don't play much anymore; less than 10-12 times a year. But I still practice a lot. Played a couple of weeks ago, first time since Labor Day (Truth in advertising: I did hit one or two buckets of balls around Christmas). We played 15 holes one afternoon on a great course, jetting around to find open holes. Stood on the 9th tee (our 15th hole) even par, before I whacked a drive into the dunes.
An ugly, double bogie finish, for sure.
"Getting tall" in golf refers to not bending too much at the waist, as you take your stance. Slight flex in the knees, and hips, very slight lean in the back. You stay tall by not "bending" into the ball. Tiger and Snead (and others) "squatted" into the ball, and then exploded up when their hips fired. Generally, power hitter finish tall, too. Think Nicklaus.
Basically this is a set of core athletic positions for almost any sport.
In sporting moves that ask you to pivot around a core, like the golf swing and the batting swing do, it allows you to explode the hips. In a fixed and upright position, you can't do it effectively. In an overy crouched position you can't do it unless your swing has a huge upper-cut to it (you can stand there and demonstrate this), and even then you don't do it well. In golf, almost all power hitters stand tall. Guys with a "lean," or who reach for the ball, generally "slide" the hips through the zone, which means you have a long square clubhead path.....but not great speed. Think Lee Trevino. Think Ichiro at his historical best. This can obviously be a winning move, but it isn't a mashing move. Some "crouchers" can powder the ball, but they do it with their hands, and not their big muscles.
Catricala? He's quiet, he's quiet, he's quiet, he's relaxed (check the bat, tension-less on his shoulder), he's quiet some more......then he explodes/pounces. Well.....like a Cat.
Andres Galaragga retired in Oct. of '04, so "The Big Cat" is available........and appropriate.
moe
Add new comment
1