|
|
Norrie Wright is a
brilliant golf instructor in Jacksonville, Florida, very
influential in my own training as a teacher. This 2006 Golf
News series of articles will be my humble understanding of
the legacy of this great man.
The Golfing Machine
I met Norrie in 1981; soon after that he introduced me to a
book that is, in his words: The most awful book to get
through, but at the same time the most important book about
the golf swing ever written. The book profoundly affected
Norrie’s understanding, as it takes away a lot of the
guesswork, looking at the golf swing instead from a
scientific point of view. I heard Mr. Wright say many times
that the complicated motion of hitting a ball can be
explained best through physics, geometry, and kinesiology,
(the way the body works).
'Only by understanding the swing fully, in all it’s
complexity, can an instructor teach it simply' to paraphrase
Jim Flick. Norrie’s genius is the ability to present complex
issues such as lag, into easy to understand pictures and
images.
Norrie went on to become one of the most knowledgeable
people alive in presenting this complicated information in a
simple, home-spun way. The essence of the Golfing Machine
is:
• To properly hit a full shot, the ball has to be compressed
by the clubface.
• The secret is to sustain the line of compression on the
proper plane-line.
• In order to sustain the line of compression, the clubhead
must lag behind the hands until the proper time of release.
• If this occurs, at impact the back of your left wrist
(right hand golfer) will be flat.
• A golf club will be on-plane if it either points at the
target line, or is parallel to the target line. It is either
on-plane or it is not, there is no 'almost'.
None of this is earth-shattering information. The genius of
the book is that it takes into account that there are
endless ways to accomplish those perfect impact positions.
Two types of golfers:
In general, the author Homer Kelly felt there are two major
types of golfers: Hitters and Swingers.
*Hitters use the trail arm (rt arm for right handed golfers)
to develop power, like hammering something with a
sledge-hammer. The body slides, but does not turn as much as
the `swinger’ motion. Two examples of hitters are Arnold
Palmer and Moe Norman. At impact, Normans right heel was
flat on the ground.
*Swingers might be exemplified by Fred Couples, or David
Toms. The power is generated from the arms falling from the
top, joined later by the turning of the torso.
The point is not to complicate matters, but on the contrary
to make it simpler. There is not just one way to play, but
there is a best way for you to play.
The next issue will deal with the cornerstone of Norrie’s
teaching, Lag.
A few years ago, I was fortunate to take part in capturing
some of Norrie’s teachings for a wider audience. I went to
Jacksonville with documentary filmmaker James Hoagland (The
Lions Roar), and the result is the essence of Norrie Wright,
a DVD entitled The Wright Swing, a video textbook for
students of the game. This is available through my Halifax
Training Center for $29.95 Cdn.;
More information. |
|
 |
|
|
