[psheehan]

One of my personal goals at the coming Titleist Performance Institue meeting will be to explore this whole idea of Swinging versus Hitting. This would include such quantitative data as Clubhead Speed at Release and Impact, the relative effects of Impact Deceleration on Post-Impact Clubhead Speed (and, ultimately, Ball Speed) and any differences in the Downstroke 'firing' sequence.

I am also interested in any differences in Right Shoulder Rotation (both degree and speed); 'feel versus real', i.e., the Swinger's strong sense of Lag Pressure (as produced and sustained by Body Momentum Transfer) versus the Hitter's Lag Pressure (initially Loaded by the Pivot but sustained by an actively driving Right Arm); and, the effect (on distance) of the Hitter's Clubface Layback during Impact. Ideally, we would be able to measure the relative mechanical advantages of Body Momentum Transfer (Swinger) and the Right Triceps (Hitter).

Finally, given the data, we may be able to come to some conclusions as to the respective physical abilities required and perhaps even the effect of personality type on psychological preference.

Yoda,
This really intrigues me. Where will you get the 'test subjects'? To do this well, you might actually have to use one person on swinging and compare to another person hitting...which then raises issues. I'm not sure one individual can do both equally well since the differences in the two motions are both subtle and not so subtle.

Ted switched me to hitting a year and a half ago....now I'm not a great player but I have a 1.8 index (down from roughly 3 when I first came to Ted..go Ted!) What I've found is a) on the course I swit probably 50% of the time... it is hard to eliminate cf and it doesn't take much to overpower the right triceps b)I 'think' I can generate slightly more clubhead speed swinging....but again I don't hit or swing optimally all the time (ever? might be more correct when referring to optimal) and I can't pivot well enough swinging to keep the ball in the same zipcode. In my very limited experience I find it hard to believe that there is someone who can, on command, switch and optimally execute both stroke patterns.... and I believe opimal is necessary because some of the differences are subtle. Although, I await anxiously ANY feedback that comes from the TPI experience, as I'm running out of time (just speaking for my 59 yr. old self) and still need tons of help.