The Miracle of Restoration
The Miracle of Restoration
By Dr. T. J. Tomasi, Keiser University College of Golf Senior Faculty and Director of Research
In order to make solid contact, you must use the “long-arm” method: The arms are long (not stiff) at address, and in the backswing, the back arm folds and the front wrist cocks, decreasing your clubhead’s distance to the ball. Then, just in time for impact, the arms go long again, re-creating the distance you established at address. For purposes of discussion, let’s assume that the golf swing is a circle, even though it is not exactly so. The radius of your swing circle is a combination of your front arm plus the length of the club. With you at the center, the radius is a line extending from the tip of the front shoulder to the bottom of the clubface. This line folds into a 90-degree angle in the backswing, changing the effective distance to the ball, a distance that must be restored at impact.
The restoration supporters described the restoration of King Charles II to the English throne in 1660 as “a divinely ordained miracle,” but a real restoration miracle occurs when a golfer restores the radius, not just once or twice a round, but every time. In other words, the backswing changes the distance your clubhead is from the ball, and the downswing reinstates it — a power-packed process that requires intricate timing. Restore the radius too early, and it’s a weak-flip pull; restore it too late, and you block it wide of the target.
But more than just the front arm is involved in the triumphant return of your clubhead to its rightful place.
The Long Back Arm
In addition to a long front arm at impact, you need a long trail arm, one that is returned to the length it had at address. The ball at address sits on the swing arc, and it is still sitting there just before impact. That is its pre-impact job — just sit there and wait. Your job is to make sure you restore the distance gap created when you cocked your wrist and folded your trail arm during the backswing. Any tentativeness during the downswing not only destroys power but also direction.
My back arm folds and my left wrist cocks, so in effect, the radius of my swing has been halved, a process that creates a lever
I need for power – but restoring the radius requires timing — and that means practice.
My restoration is complete – at least until next time.
If you’d like to study with Dr. Tomasi and other PGA Master Professionals, contact The College of Golf today.
