A watershed golf swing concept arrived for me last year as I practiced in the driveway of my parents’ home, and Google has already informed me that it is definitely an original thought.  Due to being alone and unemployed at the time, not a soul was around to receive a joyful bear hug, or get an earful of my best Archimedes imitation when I bellowed "EUREKA!" at the top of my lungs.  Although I still needed to exorcise a few lingering golf demons in subsequent months, such as maintaining my spine angle in the backswing, and rediscovering how to “un-rotate” my left arm to start the downswing (something Tom Watson calls the “fundamental key” to his own swing in Getting Back to Basics), the Symmetric Candlestick Loop image quickly became – and still remains – the proverbial pectin in my golf Jello.  Yes, (my hungry hackers), this simple idea is definitely the magical ingredient… the final, nourishing noodle -- satisfying the timeless golf question:  Is it soup, yet?

 

*Belch*

 

The drill is excruciatingly easy to perform, and more importantly it is a complete analogy which represents every physical motion involved in the orthodox golf swing.  You don’t need a special grip, or special shoes, or even a real golf club to do it.  You can start slowly and gracefully, with very little strain on your body and limbs, and build up gradually over a period of days and weeks to the point where you can swing at full speed.  I personally rehearse this movement (for an hour or more) every night in my living room while I watch TV, using a 25-lb dumbbell which I grip like a baseball bat.  (I employ a baseball-type grip – with my right palm overlapping my left thumb -- in my real golf swing, and I do just fine with it.)  They key to the golf swing is balance, and the symmetric candlestick drill helps you to establish the crucial footwork, as well as the hip and knee action, that is required for a proper swing.

 

Feel free to review this JPEG one more time, and let’s begin.  Standing with your feet spaced apart at shoulder width, imagine holding a vertical, burning candlestick lightly in both hands.  You may even use an actual lightweight stick if you prefer, but make sure to grip it lightly in your fingers to allow unrestricted flexing of your wrists.  Hold the imaginary candlestick out at arm’s length, keeping it upright to avoid spilling the hot wax.  Now, move the candlestick to one side, to your right side if you are a right-handed golfer, and extend your left arm horizontally as far as possible, without any excessive straining.  Your right elbow will be naturally folded somewhat, unless you are some kind of circus freak.  The vertical candlestick should create a ninety-degree angle with your outstretched left arm.  Good job!  You are doing great.  This simple position represents very well the top of the backswing in an actual golf swing.

 

Now, (my quarreling choir-boys), onward to the finish position.  At this early stage of the drill, I don’t much care how you get to the mirror position shown in the photo, but an essential consideration that you must keep in mind as you practice is that your HEAD represents the hub of a wheel, or a rotational center for the candlestick, which acts as a giant spoke.  Having said this, try to keep your head as steady as possible while you transport the upright candlestick to the opposite side of your body (the left side for right-handers), and extend or stretch your right arm to a horizontal position, with your left elbow folding in naturally.  You are now in a position totally analogous to the golf swing finish position.  As Nick Faldo (and Adobe Photoshop) expertly demonstrates in the JPEG provided, the start and finish positions in the candlestick drill are inherently symmetric.  This is certainly not a new concept, and virtually every great golf teacher uses this symmetry for visual purposes.

 

So let’s try it once again.  Keeping the candlestick vertically upright the entire way, simply move it from one side of your body to the other, while you keep your head steady and centered.  (It’s perfectly OK if your head moves a bit laterally, but try to minimize it.)  You may find it easier if you flex your knees a little to aid your balance.  In fact, right now is an ideal moment to notice where your weight actually resides during the drill.  When the candlestick is on the right side of your body, your weight should favor your right leg, and when it is on the left side, your weight favors your left leg.  You can (and should!) exaggerate this vastly important weight shift as much as you like, even to the point of lifting the non-weighted foot for emphasis, but remember to keep your head basically centered.

 

May I ask you a question at this point?  HOW are you actually transporting the vertical candlestick from side to side?  You mustn’t spill the burning wax, but did I say you had to keep the flame itself level or at the same horizontal altitude throughout the motion?  Heavens NO I didn’t!  You’ll find it much easier if you swing your hands and arms below your belt-buckle like a giant windshield wiper and sweep the flaming tip underneath your chin through a low, wide arc.  (If the imaginary stick isn’t too long, that is, otherwise it may pass by at eye level or even above.)  The main thing is, both arms should be extended toward the ground as the upright candlestick -- and your hands -- swing through their lowest point.  Rehearse this motion a few times, shifting your weight from one leg to the other, keeping your head steady, and possibly humming a rhythmic tune to yourself as you do it.  (Just make one up, fer gosh sakes… I can’t do everything for you!)

 

You may be wondering why I keep instructing you to keep the candlestick upright or vertical throughout this motion.  (You ARE keeping the hot wax from spilling, aren’t you?  If not, then start over and start paying attention, Noonan!)  It’s quite important, actually, because it allows you to completely avoid the potentially confusing wrist-action which dooms SO many golf students from the word GO.  I myself struggled with the setting and releasing action of the wrists for YEARS before I finally realized that hand-action is best incorporated as the final link in the chain… the all-important second lever in the golf pendulum.  Please make no mistake:  the action of the hands is absolutely essential for un-locking the true magic and power of the golf swing, but if you don’t learn how to move your body correctly first, you will be doomed to a life of frustration, banana-slices, sailor-like profanity, and utter mediocrity for the rest of your golfing days.  And you don’t want that, I’m here to tell ya!  So just keep the wax from dripping, and swing that candlestick from left to right, from right to left, from left to right, etc, etc…