Westwood’s Putting Test

May 21st, 2008 | Lee Westwood, Putting Biomechanics

Lee Westwood has been working with Dr Paul Hurrion this week as he prepares for the BMW PGA Championship which starts at Wentworth tomorrow.Following a session with the putting guru last week, the 35-year-old Worksop professional burst into contention for the Irish Open at Adare Manor with a third round 64 when his putter was red hot.However, he couldn’t keep it going and eventually finished joint third so the pair have spent more time together again this week.

“I usually see Paul when I’m struggling,” said Westwood. “which is probably the wrong thing to do. I should see him more often…

“I’ve been working with him since just after the US Open last year. He’s the same guy that Padraig (Harrington) sees in Birmingham.“I usually see Paul once every two months. I saw him on the Tuesday before the Irish Open, so I’ve seen him a bit recently. He’ll be at the next few English tournaments.“He’s given me a few things to work on. A couple of things I knew I needed to work on but he gave me better advice.”

Westwood changed his putting grip in Ireland.

He said: “I suggested that I wanted to go left below right. I felt comfortable like that because it takes your shoulders more level.

“I did it before in Spain last year for the second, third and fourth rounds, left below right.”

Westwood hasn’t been happy with his putting this season and went to see Hurrion a couple of weeks after the US Masters in Augusta. He said: “My putting’s not really been up to standard this year. Last week, I did quite a bit of work on my putting and short game and hit a few more balls.

“Normally, it takes me a tournament to get going again and the putting is starting to feel better, so I’m quite positive. “I’m pleased how it is going. I really feel like I’m starting to start it on the line that I want, and it’s smooth and I’m starting to make more of the 15-footers that I ought to be making.”

Westwood still relies on his dad, John, to keep an expert eye on his long game but believes the subtleties of the short game needs some something extra.

He said: “The putting is a game within the game really, and we just need that specialist approach. “It’s not like swinging the golf club as such. The golf club works in different ways and if you know somebody that knows the ins and outs of putting, then it would be silly not to use them.”

EAMONN GAVIGAN

http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/

Finch wins Irish Open

May 20th, 2008 | Full Swing Biomechanics, PGA European Tour Golfers, Putting Biomechanics

Congratulations to Richard Finch for his victory in The 2008 Irish Open, providing one of the championship’s most memorable moments by falling into the River Maigue after hitting his third shot on the Adare Manor Hotel and Golf Resort’s 18th hole.

Three shots clear of his closest challenger Felipe Aguilar coming down the par five finishing hole, Finch drove his ball into the right hand rough before over-hitting his lay-up second onto the edge of the riverbank. The ball was lying well enough to go for the green with his third shot, only to find his momentum knocked him off balance and dumped him into the water, much to the amusement of the packed gallery.

After being fished out of the water by his caddie, Finch crossed the river to secure the title and the €416,660 first prize. Finch’s ten under par 278 aggregate saw him finish two clear of Aguilar and three ahead of leading Irishman Gary Murphy, as well as Robert Karlsson, Maarten Lafeber, Lee Westwood and Bradley Dredge.

“This is massive,” he smiled. “Things may change in my outlook in the coming months and what have you. But obviously I had not looked into that in any way, shape or form. I didn’t want to sort of tempt fate and start thinking, well, if this happens, then that happens or anything else.

Lee Westwood broke the course record on Saturday with a unbelievable third round at the Adare Manor Hotel and Golf Resort 64 stokes, finishing 6 under for the last five holes…

Congratulations once again Richard from all at Quintic.

The most balanced argument yet for the optimum swing…

May 1st, 2008 | Biomechanics Consultancy, Quintic Video Software

Good balance is essential to powerful and consistent golf shots, putts, chips, and full swings. The human body makes compensations both at address and during the swing to give us the impression we are in balance. Our biomechanical research has found that as golfers, we don’t always know where our weight is truly positioned! We may think that are weight is distributed evenly and ready to hit the golf ball, however, it isn’t until we use biomechanical analyse, in particular force platforms that the true answer is revealed. Even some of the ’s best golfers think they are doing one thing, but actually are doing something else.

One of the most naturally gifted golfers I ever coached owed his considerable ability to a childhood spent playing table tennis. To most, there would be no link here, but because I was encountering him in a biomechanical context I understood just how much he owed to his table-tennis playing and how much it informed his golf.

And it was all down to balance…

If an athlete can achieve equilibrium he or she has an inordinate advantage over every competitor that does not. And the likelihood is around 90% of children don’t have it. But they can learn, and quickly too.

For goalkeepers or cricketers in the slips and wicketkeepers static balance is key. Dynamic balance comes into play during the bowling action, for instance, where the bowler needs to have all forces on the same plane and moving in the same direction.

David Beckham’s missed penalty in the World Cup (along with John Terry in the Champions League final) was due purely to lack of balance… To kick accurately, you have to have a stable left foot as the right foot impacts the ball. Beckham’s foot clearly slipped as he made ball contact and it missed by a mile. Immediately afterwards, you could see him looking down at the ground to see what had gone awry.

But you’d never see Jonny Wilkinson making the same error. Part of his pre-kicking drill was to check where his left foot would be planted when he kicked, and if there was uneven ground or another type of irregularity he’d address it first, because he understands how being off-balance would affect the kick.

I give all my Tour golfers extensive balance testing more than anything else because it is really the beginning and end of good putting. If a golfer’s balance is off his putting will suffer. Conversely, once he learns balance, so much else about the mechanics of putting just falls into place.

Similarly for the full swing off the tee. When you watch pro golfers on the TV, they hold their finish for what seems like an age, even until after the ball has landed. It’s a conscious finish to ensure they are balanced. If they couldn’t hold the posture it would be due to lack of balance, and they need to be aware of it to correct it for the next drive – or even the next stroke.

Now translate this to the more frequently encountered athletic disciplines in most schools. Gymnastics, basketball, football, cricket, rugby… they all have balance at their core.

Video capture and analysis of body movement can rapidly identify if this is a problem and make it quick to rectify.

Olympic javelin silver medalist Steve Backley made huge progress through addressing his balance: where his back foot landed for the throw, how his forces worked in unison through correct alignment, his own centre of gravity. Through drills and conditioning, Steve superbly exemplified what we say to encapsulate this crucial aspect of biomechanical performance – effortless power over powerless effort.

Here’s an outstanding exercise I use with elite golfers, all athletes will benefit hugely from this too…

Try and stand on one leg for three minutes. It’s about the stability, strength and muscular awareness. It’s hard. Your ankles know all about it very quickly. Specifically, though, this rapidly develops an awareness of balance through pro-perception, the ability to react to subtle changes in the position of the bodies center of gravity

I use pressure platforms and Quintic video analysis to show equilibrium and balance transfer during the golf stroke, but what works very well to show this aspect as well as make people more aware of their balance (or lack of it) during a physical movement, is to have them stand on balance cushions… The immediate action is to make movement feel awkward, but balance and stability follow on very quickly.

If you never use biomechanics software for anything other than to improve balance in athletes, it’s arguable you’ve recouped the investment. That’s how crucial it is.

Thinking of improving your Golf swing? Think ProStance! www.pro-stance.com





Register To Hear The Latest News


Name: 


Email: 




Feed



BlogRoll

Categories


Archives


search


© Dr Paul Hurrion - Official Site of Putting Coach. All rights reserved.