'STRAIGHT LINE' SWINGING

When we were learning golf, one of the first concepts we were introduced to was the ball-to-target line. Soon after, we probably graduated to the notion of railway lines – ball-target line on the far rail, feet/knees/hips/shoulders parallel to it on the near line. While both have their merits, these ideas have unquestionably encouraged golfers to think in terms of straight lines when they are swinging the club. As we will see, this can lead to a world of pain...

- STEVEN THOMAS

Perhaps one of the best ways to grasp the straight line problem for golfers is to think of two well-known field events: the javelin and the hammer.

In the javelin, the thrower is in line with the object being propelled and the target... and because of this, the delivery works in a straight line.

In contrast, the hammer thrower is of course to the side of the hammer and because of this the delivery must work around the body, in a more circular pattern. Straight lines only work when we are in line with our tool and our target - think of a darts player's hand, or a snooker player's cue. But when we are standing to the side of the object we are propelling - as we do in golf - we must move more like the hammer thrower and think in terms of a rounded, circular motion.