Have you ever heard how the golf swing is essentially a double pendulum? Somehow the concept is used to suggest that this is the correct way to swing a golf club. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The double pendulum is something pedaled equally enthusiastically by golf manufacturers and golf pros alike. Trouble is it has little basis in fact.
Pendulum – Definition Noun 1. a body so suspended from a fixed point as to move to and fro by the action of gravity and acquired momentum.
2. Horology. a swinging lever, weighted at the lower end, for regulating the speed of a clock mechanism.
While I am all for staying very (very) relaxed throughout the swing I don’t think you would do too well relying on gravity alone.
In reality they are really talking about the additive effects of the angular rotation of the body and shoulders combining with the action of the arms and ultimately the wrists to accelerate the club through impact.
As with most baggage the double pendulum has basis in fact. And in general it is a useful tool to describe the golf swing. Just don’t get too tied to it as a way of describing your swing.
Here’s a youtube video of a genuine double pendulum. The pendulum is released as a freely pivoted double pendulum about 20s into the video. Note that it rapidly moves into Chaotic, unpredictable motion.
Umm, that bit at around 45s may be closer to my golf swing that I care to think.