IMPROVE MY GAME
Articles
Ground Reaction Forces in the Full Swing vs. the Short Game
In the video above, Dr. Greg Rose and TPI biomechanist Corey Koller compared vertical ground reaction force patterns from PGA TOUR players hitting driver, distance wedges, and chips.
The data highlights something instructors probably understand intuitively, but rarely quantify. The way players use the ground is fundamentally different depending on the task.
The Driver: Load, Then Launch
With a driver, the force pattern tells a familiar story. In transition, players “squat before they jump,” resulting in an unweighting in transition.
If you’ve followed us for any time, you’re likely familiar with this move. Pushing aggressively against the ground to maximize speed potential is a concept that is fairly ubiquitous in our advanced Power and Golf curriculum. The knees and hips increase flexion in transition, musculature loads eccentrically, and then the player drives vertically against the ground. That vertical push contributes to rotational velocity of body segments and is one of the kinetic variables most closely associated with clubhead speed.
It is a stretch shortening cycle expressed through the lower body. Similar to a countermovement jump, the temporary dip in force represents preparation for force production. When speed is the objective, vertical force becomes a major contributor.
The Chip: Stability Over Elasticity
The short game looks very different on a force plate. With chipping, the unweighting phase is dramatically reduced and in many cases essentially absent. The force curve is flatter, quieter, and far less dynamic.
That makes sense when you consider the goal. A chip is not a speed task. It is a precision task. The player is managing low point, trajectory, and distance. Squatting in transition would introduce variability.
In fact, many of the best short-game players in the world are actually standing up slightly as they deliver the club when chipping. This is not a vertical push in the driver sense. It’s to create space to release the club.
As Dr. Rose says, “great chippers go up, back and forward… Down is death in chipping.”
(Full video on Titleist's YouTube channel)
Different Intent, Different Ground Interaction
Force production reflects intent. When the task demands maximum speed, golfers rely on elastic loading and vertical drive. When the task demands precision, golfers dampen variability and limit unnecessary motion.
This is where objective data becomes powerful and why force plate analysis is such an integral part of advanced Golf and Power course curriculum.
We don’t see golfers who are actively trying to squat and jump when chipping, but when a player is struggling with their short-game, “down” often dominates the pattern. It’s a problem with their foundation, not their fundamentals.
If a player adds excessive squat or vertical motion into their short game, that pattern likely belongs to their full swing. Conversely, if a player never demonstrates meaningful vertical force in the driver, they may be leaving speed untapped.
The takeaway is that ground reaction forces are organized around what the shot requires. While this sounds obvious, understanding specific distinctions help coaches to guide players more precisely to match training, instruction, and physical preparation to the demands of the task.
Assess, Don’t Guess.