A Women on Swing From Behind Photography

Sam Snead setup

Today we're going to have a look at the great "Slammin' Sam Snead." Snead had an fantabulous golf swing that's been modeled later and discussed for many, many years. It's a silky shine swing that Jim Hardy referenced equally basically a model one plane golf game swing.

We're going to examine it to see what's going on in this golf game swing and what we can take away from it. Nosotros've got two swings to look at; an iron view from face on and a forest from the fairway down the line.

The camera angle is slightly off in the face on view, so you can't really go an idea of ball position here. His anxiety look pretty foursquare, only the ball is probably non as far back in his opinion every bit it appears in the photo, so take that into business relationship.

Nosotros'll depict a couple of lines on the outside of his legs and the side of his caput and so nosotros can see how much movement was going on in his swing relative to his setup position, and what we can learn from it.

Centered Through Takeaway

Very little movement from setup positions

As he moves the club dorsum through the takeaway we encounter that his caput stays very, very centered. There's no extraneous mitt movement at this point, no large shift off the ball by any stretch of the imagination. His hips are really but turning. The lines nosotros've fatigued show that his right leg hasn't moved; he'south not moving or shifting off the ball.

Every bit we get close to the top, you tin see in the photograph at correct that his head is staying right on that initial line. He did take a lot of lateral movement of his left genu toward the ball; that's one of the characteristics of his swing. He didn't accept a lot of gyre against that lower trunk similar y'all see in a lot of golfers today. Information technology's more than of a free-flowing, fluid movement.

Finally at the very acme of his golf game swing, nosotros see that his head hasn't moved a bit. It's exactly on the line we drew at setup. When we talk about staying centered and not making a big shift off the ball, this is exactly what we mean.

Height of the swing

His head stays right on that line, and his correct leg hasn't actually shifted either. It stayed right on its line, he just turned around - his body turned effectually his hips. It'due south a cute position at the summit.

Every bit he starts his transition downward, we recall that one of the nifty things almost Snead's swing was that it never looked rushed or hurried. A lot of that gracefulness has been lost in the modern power game. You run across much quicker, more dynamic transitions than what we see hither.

Equally Snead gets to the top, we come across everything actually make it together. There's no big dramatic bulldoze of the hips to the target, to become ahead of the body and create the "10 factor." Everything simply starts back downwards together.

Moving Down in Sync

His hips and the guild all basically start moving downward right almost at the same time, all in sync. It's a beautiful thing to see. In that location's not a dramatic bulldoze or explosion from the top with the hips or annihilation leading like that. It'southward everything moving together in sync.

The "Snead Squat"

As he moves downward, yous start to see the characteristic Snead Squat, shown in the photo at right. He doesn't drive that right knee toward the target, he really just gets centered. His head has moved a tiny bit laterally toward the target here and his hips have moved toward the target too, but overall he stays very, very centered at this point.

What nosotros practise run across in the downswing - and what you'll see in almost all good brawl strikers - is that his head actually does kickoff to shift back abroad from the brawl slightly. Information technology'south non as much as golfers like Tiger Woods, who have a dramatic, pronounced shift of the head back abroad from the target every bit they get into this part of the downswing, merely it'southward still there, ensuring that he stays behind the brawl and allowing him to hit through the ball.

As he keeps going through the downswing we come across a perfect impact position. In that location's really zero to discuss; it's a great ball striking position. His hands are leading the guild, the shaft is tilted toward the target, he'south stayed actually centered. He has moved a fiddling bit laterally to get his weight onto the left side. He's got good axis tilt abroad from the target. Information technology's merely a great impact position.

Hit the Ball Outset, the Footing 2d

The divot starts well later the ball position (shown in yellowish)

You'll as well observe, if we draw the ball back in just afterwards touch, that the divot starts well later on the golf ball. By the time he really even starts to take a divot, that golf game brawl is long gone. It's already well upward in the air before he starts to have a divot.

For golfers who aren't already familiar with this concept, one of the things that is actually important to solid brawl hitting is hit the golf game ball first, and the ground 2d. You've got to make sure that you always accept a divot afterward the brawl.

You never want your divot starting in front end of the brawl, of grade - that's striking it fat - or even in line with the ball. Y'all desire information technology to be out, far in front of the brawl, usually an inch or two depending on the club and other factors. You at least want to take a good inch in front of the brawl.

Equally he comes through, we see a really smooth, graceful release. His hands start to turn over and he gets a fully released paw position. The order is completely toe up, and his head'south still stayed dorsum beautifully. Information technology's an first-class follow through position. He gets his forearms crossed over, his weight fully onto the left side, and just releases into a very soft finish.

Commuter Off the Deck - Downwards the Line View

Driver setup

At present as we go to the down the line view, we're going to run across some different things going on in Snead'due south swing. This is him hit a driver off the deck and he actually didn't hit it very well, but you can even so see the basics of what'due south going on in his swing.

The offset thing we want to expect at is his spine angle. With a driver, information technology's roughly 28 degrees, depending on how you measure information technology. His shoulders are obviously sloped a piffling more than forward, but nosotros'll describe a line representing his spine angle.

He's certainly not inside that 35-45 degree range that Jim Hardy talks about, at to the lowest degree not at address, but he has his feet a little bit shut and his shoulders and hips square. It'south a very classic setup position. Ben Hogan did the aforementioned matter with the feet closed and hips and shoulders square.

Equally he takes the society back, we encounter that he gives a little kicking with his right knee. He kicks that right articulatio genus in a little bit to trigger the swing, so as he moves it back everything moves back along with it.

Shallow Backswing

The order is outside his hips, behind his easily

He takes it back pretty shallow. You tin can run across in the photo that past the time the order is just virtually parallel to the footing, that it's moved out well exterior his hips and well behind his hands. He'due south certainly not keeping the society outside of his hands.

You run across the aforementioned thing in Ben Hogan. Hardy emphasizes keeping the hands in and the gild out, just this is something yous didn't meet in either Snead or Hogan.

Some other similarity betwixt Snead and Hogan, fifty-fifty though their swings look very, very different, is that by the time their artillery get about parallel to the ground the club is very close to beingness on the shaft aeroplane established at address.

It's interesting that their swings expect so very different, but they get into a very similar position at this signal, where the hands are very deep backside the chest rather than existence out in forepart and steeper. This is a much flatter position than what you run into in most golfers today.

Getting back to Snead, equally he gets to the top he gets some lift with his arms and gets well beyond the line. His order is pointing well out to the correct, every bit you can run into in the side by side photo.

Two Planes at the Top

The club is out to the correct

The red line shows Snead'southward left arm airplane and the blueish is his shoulder plane. Looking at those 2 lines, we can see he would certainly not authorize as much of a one planer at the acme.

Of grade, he's made a very long swing here. He's gotten across the line and past parallel.

You lot'll run across this in golfers that Jim Hardy refers to as "hybrids" - i planers with a longer backswing - considering he certainly does have more of a deep, around swing than a classical two planer simply at the height, because of this long movement, he's gotten very steep with that left arm.

He's definitely non on plane with his shoulders past any stretch of the imagination. He does accept the right elbow dorsum behind him, backside his shirt seam and out away from his body, like Jim Hardy talks most.

He's made a massive hip plough, with the left human foot well off the ground. This big hip turn was a major part of his rhythm, although Hardy obviously advocates confronting it.

You can see a couple things contracting in Snead'southward swing a petty scrap, but overall if he unwinds smoothly from here he'due south going to be in a smashing position coming down.

Touch on - proficient hip plough, shoulders square, elbow back

As he starts to come up back down he gets his arms back down pretty well. He makes a pretty large hip turn pretty quickly, with the right arm staying back.

Equally he continues to come up down and deliver the ball into impact you can come across in the photo that he'due south fabricated a smashing hip plow. His shoulders are well-nigh square to the target and the right elbow stays dorsum. This is very like to what you would meet in Ben Hogan, where the right elbow is right on plane with the shaft airplane established at address.

It's hard to run into the society head and shaft, but they're more or less right on the shaft plane he established at address.

Similarities & Differences

Every bit he continues to rotate, he's going to get very open at touch. His chest rotates toward the target, his hips are very open up, only he likewise releases that right arm. He doesn't keep his right arm behind his right hip into impact as long as Hogan did; that's something unlike in Snead'south swing.

The club is parallel to the plane established at address

As he continues to come effectually, the lodge works left. You see him in a classic position with the club; information technology's more or less parallel to the shaft plane established at address, and releases below the left shoulder. He's maintained his spine angle here, and coming up to a full stop.

Overall at that place'south a lot to learn from Snead's swing. Even though the swings await very unlike, there are a lot of similarities between Hogan and Snead that are pretty interesting.

You tin also encounter that, while Hardy references both Snead and Hogan as being the "ultimate i planer," there are some areas that don't totally match upwardly betwixt these 2 models of what Jim Hardy has laid out as a i plane swing.

Overall, Sam Snead had a fantastic golf swing and 1 that won a lot of golf game tournaments.

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