The Titleist Peformance Institute HQ
Everything changed when we went to the Titleist Performance Institute in February of 2004. When we visit the TPI, we bill the trip as a "Life Changing Experience." When we visited the first time, we learned about "the secret" and my life changed forever.
Greg Rose and Dave Phillips explained the concept of Swing Efficiency, the secret that all great ball strikers share, but may not even know. The secret is something Ben Hogan never would have imagined. It's not a magic move, or swing thought. You either have it, or you don't. You can't see it in video or pictures. You can achieve it, but it takes specific work in the gym and on the course. However, you can see the secret in 3D.
Swing Efficiency is based on the bio-mechanical concept of kinematic sequence. Efficiency is measured in three dimensions by sensors placed on the body. The sensors measure movement and rotation and calculate the transfer of energy through the body.
The kinematic sequence has two parts specifically found in the downswing: acceleration/deceleration, and correct order. Each are equally important. Consider the downswing a race, the easiest race to predict the winner. During the race, the body segments will quickly accelerate, then quickly decelerate (as seen in the chart lines going up and then going down). The pelvis goes first, followed by the trunk, then the arms, then the club. The sensors produce a chart so you can see how the acceleration increases, then decreases, and the peak order (the little dots) for each body segment.
The race to the golf ball from the top (T) of the swing.
The fascinating phenomenon is that you can overlay this chart with Ernie Els, Davis Love III, even Jim Furyk, and the curves and peaks look identical. You have no way of knowing which player goes to which chart. When players see this concept for the first time at TPI, the room goes silent, people start looking around, and players sit there in amazement. We call it the "a-ha" experience.
There really is a quantifiable difference between tour pros and lesser skilled players. The charts do not look the same. Sometimes the peaks are out of order. Sometimes the acceleration lines are flat. Check out this lesser skilled player below:
The lesser skilled player's race is unpredictable.
You can see that the dots are late (on the I "impact" part of the chart), lines are flatter...it's a mess compared to the tour player.
Now that we have the kinematic sequence data, consider it the fingerprint of the golfer's swing. We have an exact point when things go wrong (or right) for the lesser skilled player. In this particular example, the arms have the best looking lines and peak dot. The trunk and pelvis however are peaking late and the lines are flat. The data tells us that there's something inefficient with the player's core including the pelvis and trunk. If we attack these particular areas in the gym with specific exercises, focus on specific swing drills, we can improve this player's strategic weakest link. The goal is to make the swing more efficient.
When I learned that pretty swings are not the goal, my whole concept of teaching and playing golf changed. I had an inefficient swing in 2004. My lines looked great but they peaked out of order. After time in the gym and a much shorter swing, my efficiency arrived. In 2006, I came close to qualifying for the US Open but since then I got married, became a step-dad, and priorities changed.
Now I am teaching TPI full time, I love every minute with my players. Recreating the "a-ha" experience never gets old. This website is an off-shoot of my teaching providing a unique perspective to golf performance. I hope you enjoy.
Ryan Crysler
(TPI3D Charts courtesy TPI.)