Copyright, Wright Balance® 2021

>May, 2024 Note:

It has come to my attention that multiple certified Wright Balance® Professionals are using the following matching characteristics to determine the Dominant Core Zone of their students. This is absolutely INCORRECT and it compromises the science of Wright Balance®.

As you will learn, the "LEAD KNEE and CENTER OF MASS" at the top of the swing is a result of sequencing of motion and nothing else. If, for example, a player is taught the sequencing of motion for the Lower Core Player even though they may be Middle or Upper Core Dominant, that player will be over their trail side at the top of the swing and their lead knee will be in front of the ball even though they are not a Lower Core Player. Again, the Center of Mass and Lead Knee positions are a result of SEQUENCING OF MOTION and nothing else.

I find it quite frustrating after 30 plus years of research that any professional can "muddy" the teaching of balance. This is a disservice to our students and to the Wright Balance® Certification. It is nothing more than a return to traditional golf instruction in the name of Wright Balance®

Our latest screening can determine a person's Dominant Core Zone in less than 1 minute. Please use that screening as a beginning and you will see how simple your instruction becomes.

The content of this EBook is meant to show how your student will "look" in their set up and swing after learning and practicing their Wright Balance® Core Zone posture, grip and sequencing of motion. It is really quite simple and it will accelerate your student's learning. All Wright Balance® instruction appears in the online Chapters and Zoom sessions. Please use that instruction to guide your teaching, not "seat of the pants" observations. End Note: May, 2024

In this EBook you will "view" PGA and LPGA Tour players and their matching positions at the top of the swing by CORE ZONE: Anterior Zone (Upper Core); Interior Zone (Middle Core) & Posterior Zone (Lower Core).

Many players have told me they want to use their body because they want to hit it further. If you are reading this and your belief is that you want to use your body to hit the ball further, please note Mike Austin, the last image in the Anterior Zone (Upper Core) Players that follow. Mike Austin is an Anterior Zone / Upper Core Player. Mike played in the US Senior Open in 1974 at the age of 64. At 6 feet 2 inches, Mike Austin is credited with the longest drive on record (515 yards) during that PGA Tour event. At that event, Mike used a 43.5" steel shafted persimmon wood driver. During his career, Mike won 40 some long long drive contests.

Please know that a body swinger is not necessarily the longest driver of the ball. The best indicator of a player who drives the ball the furthest is the most efficient use of the ground. Anatomical factors such as wing span to height and leg length to torso ratio, grip, stance width, posture and most importantly, SEQUENCING OF MOTION play a role in the ground reaction forces. These factors and the player's natural strength, core symmetry at address with square hips and shoulders at address are the best indicators of distance potential.

SEQUENCING OF MOTION

The positions (lead knee & center of mass) at the top of the golf swing illustrated in these images are easily produced by anyone. To understand sequencing of motion by Core Zone, read Wright Balance® chapter 4 in the Wright Balance® Zoom series.

Upper Core (Anterior Zone)

Sixty (60) percent of the male population in the US measures as an Anterior Zone / Upper Core player. That percentage was determined from measurements of over 3000 players of all levels in 16 countries. Some country regions have more or less by a few percentage points.

The Upper Core player's hip turn is the greatest of the three Core Regions. A signature of the Upper Core Swing at the top is in the position of the lead knee and Center of Mass (COM). When motion is paused at the top, the lead knee of the Anterior Zone / Upper Core player points at the back edge of or behind the ball. The COM is target side. Note how narrow the stance width is in the Upper Core Player compared to the Middle (Interior Zone) and Lower Core (Posterior Zone) Player.

A characteristic of the Anterior Zone / Upper Core player is a very shallow Carrying or Power angle. The Anterior Zone / Upper Core player's Carrying / Power angle is somewhere in the range of 160 to 164 degrees. Recall that external shoulder rotation, unless there is a shoulder injury restriction, is the same as the carrying or power angle. The Carrying or Power Angle of 160 to 164 sets the trail elbow to seat behind the trail hip in the downswing producing the "on top" delivery. EA Tischler coined the term "on top".

NOTE: Even if there is a shoulder injury, the Carrying / Power angle can be produced the same on both sides using the grip size that matches their playing core Zone when doing the Wright Balance® Express exercise. If the Carrying Power angle is set, there is no need to be concerned about external shoulder rotation. Golfers will have greater internal shoulder rotation. External shoulder rotation plays no part in the delivery to the ball. The angle to be concerned about is the Carrying / Power angle. We can increase or decrease the Carrying Angle in any one of 5 subregion stance widths when doing the Wright Balance® Express exercise.

Please also keep in mind that the Carrying / Power angle shows up in numerous places from address, through the swing to impact. One of those address positions is the thigh angle when measured down the line.

Here is an Anterior Zone / Upper Core Swing Sequence of Patrick Reed from address to club release. These are characteristics of all Anterior Zone / Upper Core players. Note the club release in the bottom right photo of Patrick Reed before his hips clear. This release position pulls the player through impact as his hips clear well past impact. EA Tischler refers to this position as a "covering release".

Below are several more Interior Zone / Upper Core Players shown at the top of their swing. Note the position of their lead knee and their Center of Mass (COM) on their target side at the top of their swing.

Boo Weekly

Phil Mickelson

Arnold Palmer

Colin Montgomerie

Shane Lowry

Branden Grace

Brandt Snedeker

Jack Nicklaus

Payne Stewart

****Mike Austin

Below, Mike Austin, the PGA Player refered to in the introduction who hit a 515 yard drive in a Senior PGA Tour event, put on a skeleton costume to describe his swing during a television program in 1964. Note COM and lead knee position at the top of his swing.

This is the instruction video used to capture the top of Mike Austin's swing. Note: Mike Austin describes his stance width, how he sets his posture and starts his backswing, all Anterior Zone / Upper Core set up and swing characteristics.

Below is an image of the Carrying Angle being measured in Dr. Frank Jobe's biomechanics lab at Centinela Hospital in the late 1990s. This is an image of former University of California Berkley player JR Ruda, one of the subjects in the biomechanics lab study

The following is an image of former PGA Tour and PGA Champions Tour Anterior Zone player Bob E Smith demonstrating his Carrying Aangle.

The desired Carrying Angle for the Anterior Zone / Upper Core player is 162 or greater, a very shallow angle when observed.

I would encourage you to use handle size (Red) for the Wright Balance® Express exercises to produce a Carrying or Power Angle of 162 to 164. Why? The Wright Balance® Express Exercise produces a Carrying or Power Angle consistent with the handle size that is set by each of the 5 Core subregions. We are able to bioengineer this angle when doing the Wright Balance® Express. This angle determines the trail arm delivery. Please also keep in mind that the player's thigh angle 90 degrees to the ground measured down the line is also equal to the carrying / power angle.

Even if the player has no external shoulder rotation due to an injury or other structural issue, their thigh angle will still be the same as the Carrying / Power angle. Keep in mind that vertical use of the ground is a source of power for the Upper Core Player. A 162 to 164 carrying / power angle will provide them greater vertical ground force than 159 or 160.

This bioengineering of the carrying / power angle should be a consideration of every Core Zone when doing the Wright Balance® Express in the 5 subregion Stance Widths of the player's playing Core Region.

Interior Zone / Middle Core Characteristics

Approximately thirty (30) percent of the male Population in the US measures as an Interior Zone / Middle Core player. That percentage was determined from measurements of over 3000 US players of all levels.

The Interior Zone / Middle Core player's hip turn is moderate. A signature of the Interior Zone Swing at the top is in the position of the lead knee and Center of Mass (COM). When motion is paused at the top, the lead knee of the Interior Zone player points at the front edge or middle of the ball. The Center of Mass is centered over the pelvis. There is little to no body movement to the trail side.

Note the stance width of the Interior Zone / Middle Core Player compared to the Anterior Zone / Upper Core and Posterior Zone / Lower Core Player. The Interior Zone Player has a wider Stance Width than the Anterior Zone Player. The Posterior Zone Player has the widest Stance Width.

The Interior Zone swing is the swing most students wish to emulate without understanding which Core Zone swing naturally fits their body or if the trail arm delivery matches that of the Interior Zone player (154 - 158 degree Carrying / Power Angle)

A characteristic of the Interior Zone / Middle Core player is a carrying or power angle of 154 to 157. That equals a Carrying / Power angle which allows the trail elbow to seat on the trail hip in the downswing producing the "side on" (also coined by EA Tischler) delivery of the Interior Zone / Middle Core player.

One of the most famous Interior Zone / Middle Core Players is Sam Snead. Sam has won more PGA events that any other player, even, as of this writing, Tiger Woods. The only major he didn't win was the US Open.

If you go to minute 6:50 of this video, Sam describes how he starts his swing with a forward press of the body and then "everything goes together".

Sam's description in this video of "everything goes together" is the sequencing of motion taught to all Interior Zone / Middle Core players.These images of Sam at the top of his swing show his lead knee pointed at the ball as is also his center of mass. This sequencing of motion is what creates the lead knee and center of mass position.

If you look carefully in this brief video of Sam Snead you will notice the bump of his trail knee toward the target as he starts his swing.

What does that bump of the trail knee do? It sets Sam's body in a position to start the club back with his upper and lower core or, as he describes it, "everything goes together". Also, if you set up with an open hip line, bump that trail knee and stop, stand tall and check your hip line you will notice that your hips just squared. The subtleties of how great players squared their hips are numerous. That information is covered in other Chapters from our monthly Zoom sessions.

Ernie Els

Note Ernie Els' Center of Mass is over his pelvis and his lead knee points at the ball at the top of his swing. Again, that lead knee is a representation of the depth of the hip turn and how the golf swing begins (sequencing of motion)

Note Ernie El's trail hand (right) at impact. The palm of his trail hand is parallel to and points down the target line. This is a classic "side on" delivery of every Interior Zone / Middle Core Player.

Note the similarities of hip turn, lead knee pointed at the ball and Center of Mass over the pelvis in the following photos of Middle Core Players at the top of their swing.

Jon Rahm

Xander Schauffele

Byron Nelson

Russell Henley

Collin Morikawa

Harris English

Trevor Immelman

Patrick Cantlay

Nancy Lopez

Rose Zhang

Webb Simpson

Tom Kim

Scottie Scheffler

Cameron Champ

Viktor Hovland

Adam Scott

Cameron Smith

Jessica Korda

Nelly Korda

Charl Schwartzel

Jason Day

Scottie Sheffler

Rory Mcilroy

Tiger Woods

Tony Finau

Justin Thomas

Will Zalatoris

Justin Rose

Cameron Young

Si Woo Kim

Matt Fitzpatrick

Rose Zhang

The following images are ideal characteristics of the Interior Zone / Middle Core (Interior Zone) Player

The ideal range for the Interior Zone / Middle Core Player is 154 to 156.

The images below are Interior Zone / Middle Core LPGA and Legends Tours players Anne Marie Palli...

...and Laurie Rinker.

Anne Marie and Laurie have the same Carrying Angle(157 degrees)

Posterior Zone / Lower CORE Characteristics

The Posterior Zone / Lower Core player's hip turn appears minimal due to their wide stance width, always wider than the Interior or Anterior Zone players. A signature of the Posterior Zone / Lower Core Swing at the top is the position of the lead knee and Center of Mass. When motion is paused at the top, the lead knee of the Posterior Zone / Lower Core player points straight ahead in front of the ball. The Center of Mass is over the player's trail side. These positions are easily created by how the player starts their golf swing (sequencing of motion) as described in writing and on video in Chapter 5.

Again, Posterior Zone / Lower Core Players have the widest Stance Widths of all of the Core Regions.

Posterior Zone / Lower Core Players are mostly found in women. Approximately 10 to 15 percent of men show their strength in the Lower Core. This statement is supported by the research done by Wright Balance® Professional, Dr. Robert Giombetti. Dr. Giombetti's reseach on ground reaction force by Core Zone showed that 60 plus percent of over 200 players were Upper Core, 12 percent were lower core and the remaining 20 to 25 percent were Middle Core.

However, it should be emphasized that this sampling was mostly males in the United States. I have trained Wright Balance® professionals in countries in Asia and Europe where the sampling of Core Zone dominance was much different. Please keep that in mind and don't conclude that most males are Upper Core or females Middle and Lower Core.

A characteristic of the Posterior Zone / Lower Core player is a very wide Carrying or Power Angle. The Posterior Zone / Lower Core player's Carrying / Power Angle is the greatest (when the Lower Core Grip size is used to do the Wright Balance Express, it will create a bilateral Carrying / Power Angle of 144 to 148 degrees). That Carrying Power Angle allows the trail elbow to seat inside the trail hip in the downswing producing the under delivery (also a term coined by EA Tischler) of the Posterior Zone / Lower Core player.

This illustration of Dustin Johnson is followed by his swing sequence showing the various swing positions from address to the top of his swing and his under delivery and release down the line.

Dustin Johnson

Dustin Johnson Posterior Zone / Lower Core Swing Sequence

The following are other Posterior Zone / Lower Core Players at the top of their swing illustrating the depth of their hip turn, their Center of Mass and the position of their lead knee.

Brooke Henderson

Nicolai Højgaard

Paula Creamer

Hideki Matsumoto

Wyndham Clark

Billy Horschel

Tommy Fleetwood

Jordan Spieth

The Carrying Angle range for the Posterior Zone / Lower Core player is 148 degrees or wider.

This illustration is of LPGA Legend, US Womens Open Winner, Hall of Fame inductee and Posterior Zone / Lower Core player, Sandra Palmer.

My Dominant Core Zone is Poster / Lower Core. I worked hard for years clearing my hips. My Carrying Angle clearly shows I needed at least 4 more degrees to be able to have the under delivery and hip clearance for a Posterior Zone / Lower Core player.

This image shows the precise way to measure the Carrying Angle.

Wright Balance® is now able to "move" the Carrying Angle so that players have the best delivery to the ball and desirable hip clearance for their Dominant Core Zone with the Wright Balance® Express and changing handle size for that exercise.