Capelle On Golf

Swing theories have long opposed each other. Should the wrists set early or late in the swing? Should a player restrict their hip turn, or let them swing freely? Keep the left arm straight, or let it bend a little? And then there is the issue about keeping the head steady.

In his column in the May issue of Golf Digest, Tom Watson says :

“Sam told me later in his life that his secret was to swing around his head. Sam was the best at keeping his head still.”

The three photo sequence in the magazine shows Snead’s steady head at the top of his swing, halfway down, and at impact. A review of his swing on a video clip shows that his head did in fact remain relatively steady throughout his swing. Put a post it note above his head, watch his swing, and see if you agree.

Jack Nicklaus’ Steady Head
I then thought of Jack Nicklaus, who was also known for keeping his head steady. In fact, a steady head is one of the bedrock fundamentals of his game. In My Story, Nicklaus told of Jack Grout’s teachings.

“The first and most important of Jack’s fundamentals concerned your head. You had to keep it in the same place throughout the swing, not rigidly anchored but steady.”

In a sequence of photos in Marvin Davis’ book, Jack Nicklaus: Simply the Best, Nicklaus is standing with the top of his head an inch or two below the bank of a lake in the distance. This provides a point of reference. When I compared his head position throughout his swing to the shoreline, it had barely moved.

Tom Watson’s Head Dip
As for Tom Watson, I’m surprised that he chose Snead as his model considering that he played so much more with Nicklaus during the later years of Nickalus’ prime. I examined Watson’s head position in Superstars of Golf, which was published in the middle of his prime in 1978, and on the pictures at this link. I suggest that you blow up the first two pictures and compare his head with an object in the background. It turns out Watson’s head actually dipped quite a bit from the top of his swing to the point of impact.

Tiger Woods and his Active Head
Tiger Woods’ head moves throughout his swing, but I had no idea how much, so I analyzed a video of his swing. I put post it notes on the screen at the base of his feet and at the top of his cap. Then I measured his height at various positions during his swing. At the top of his backswing, Tiger’s head had sunk one inch (allowing, of course, for the screen’s smaller size). By the time the club was vertical to the ground on the downswing, his head had dropped four inches below his address position. At impact it came up slightly, but was still three inches lower than at address.

The proof is in. The two best golfers in history do different things with their head. So which is the better method? My brief study showed both player’s swing with the driver. Nicklaus was better off the tee. That may not swing the entire argument to his method, but it’s a strong point in favor of a steady head.