This is golf season, yeah summer. I gotta admit, I was never into golf but after trying it out and finding it challenging, I decided I am going to learn it. I have gone to the range and tried out a few swings. Hitting that ball is hard but harder than that can be the multiple injuries you can get from doing this sport without the right technique. The first time, my hands and wrists were aching. I tried it again, and now it is my lower back. I also found out a few more limitations. After watching a few videos I have to agree with this guy's method of swinging the club.
Watch it. I agree that most of your movement and power should come from rotating your pelvis and shifting your weight from hip to hip by bending the knees and your heels should come off the ground. This will protect your knees, lower back and shoulder. But then I looked at Tiger woods, and some other Pro’s:
After looking at these and knowing that each of these are famous players, I can conclude that there is not one specific method of swinging. However, given my expertise in orthopedic injuries on repetitive movement in ways that the joints are not meant to move, I still have to agree with the very first link. However, here is what I can tell you about the professional players:
Knee pivoting: the knee isn't supposed to move this way. However, when looking at the slow motion part of the videos, some of the Pros have a small jump when they hit the ball and land when the torsion of the body has ended. If this is applied in every hit, their knees will be protected. Also, if upon hitting the ball this is performed, it is more likely that all of the momentum is transferred into the ball.
Ankle rolling: Although it may seem intuitive to do this to protect the knee because the ankle moves more, this can still cause a sprain that will impair the integrity of the ankle.
Shoulder: although I do not see a major problem here with repetition, keeping good flexibility of the posterior shoulder, at the same time good strength of the same muscle, is imperative. If this doesn't move far enough and gets weak, something in the shoulder girdle will give up.
Spine: keep it strong and flexible. This is the major source of power and mobility. Tiger Woods is a great example of this. The more you turn this part of your body and have good control, the more momentum will be transferred into the ball.
I will continue to learn and address my own body impairments, impairing my ability to have a better swing. I will keep you tuned.
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