The Powerline Definition

Video Transcript

I think without a doubt that most significant thing I have done for the advanced golfer in research is called the Powerline. I did a cover piece on the Powerline for Golf Digest and recently did a DVD project. This took about 35 years of research I have done mostly with Carl Welty out in California, one of my greatest friends. What we have discovered is that all great players have one thing in common, great ball strikers, they deliver the club from this position at half way back to this position at half way through. What that means is things line up or get into a Powerline. The club can be in a little closer to me here like a Jim Furyk or a Ben Hogan, Sam Snead had the club in to them a little closer, but when it came out the other side it lines up almost right in a perfect line. If the club is delivered a little more out, say like a Marc O'Meara, when he delivers the club to the other side it is a little further away. Retief Goosen does this as well. There is one other thing with the Powerline, it is how you release your wrists on the downswing. But for right now I want you to understand that you can practice this half way down to half way through position and start to understand why the ball goes straight, why these great players hit the center of the club all the time. They deliver that golf club on a perfect plane, the club lines up, it is not behind them and it is not too far out in front of them. Most amateurs tend to get the club too far out here and then they deliver the club across the ball to the left, that is going to cause a pull or a cut. Some other players will get the club trapped a little bit behind them or way behind them and deliver the club out to the right. That is going to be a push or a hook. Then there are all kinds of variations with the clubhead, but the Powerline is something that has been very important to me as far as my teaching goes. It is something that I feel is tremendously important in the golf swing. You can also think of it this way. The club is going to be delivered a certain amount from the inside to the ball, it should go the same amount back to the left after impact. There is symmetry in a great golf swing.

Jim  McLean
Jim McLean Golf School
Doral Golf Resort and Spa
4400 NW 87th Avenue
Miami, FL 33178
Tel: 800-72-DORAL

Jim McLean runs the Jim McLean Golf Schools, considered by some the world's finest. He is listed as one of Golf Magazine's Top 100 Teachers and Golf Digest's #3 instructor in the world.

• Instructor Overview
• Videos
• Biography
• Philosophy
• School Info
• Powerline
• Biodynamics
• Juniors
• Staff
• Employment
• Extended Staff
• Teaching
• 12 Reasons