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Old 07-06-2005, 01:45 PM
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The Challenge Of The Stationary Head
Originally Posted by bray
I personally do not believe a "people-shaped golfer" can keep there head stationary. In fact Golf Digest did a study on the head movement in 1962 and found that from address to the top of the backswing the head moved about 2" to the right for the right handed golfer, and from address to impact the head moved about 3". This study was done on 31 American Tour Professionals hitting three drives each.

Can anyone clarify what Mr. Homer Kelly meant by a stationary head, and how it fits in with TGM?
The goal -- the ideal -- is indeed a Stationary Head. If it is not humanly possible to achieve it precisely, then as lttle movement as possible is the next best thing. Most players -- even professionals -- move their Head far more than is necessary. There are two primary reasons for this:

1. Faulty Pivot. Instead of the correct Weight Shift and Turn beneath a Stationary Head, they Sway and Bob. One of the biggest misconceptions in the Game is that, to shift the Weight, the upper torso must move to the right. In the correct action, the Weight Shift is accomplished by the Hip Shift. This involves Hula-Hula flexibility -- the ability to separate the movement of the Hips from the movement of the Shoulders. With the Head held Stationary, the Spine (the Axis of the Shoulder Turn) does not Sway laterally. Instead, it Tilts (toward the Target on the Backstroke and away from the Target on the Downstroke). Be aware that the good player's Top of the Backstroke 'look' can obscure what is actually happening. Here Extensor Action stretching out the 'wobble' of the Left Arm and Shoulder Girdle is often mistaken for upper torso lateral movement. For a visual conception, check out the Top positions of history's greatest strikers, e.g., Vardon, Jones, Hogan, Miller and Nelson.

2. Poor Address Head Location. The Head Position should be established during the Address Routine, specifically in Section 2 of the Stroke (Impact Fix). For most, this Impact Head Location is lower and more left than at their current Adjusted Address. Once set correctly, the Head should remain as Stationary as possible at least through the completion of Section 11 (the Follow-Through or Both Arms Straight position).
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