TECHIEST OLD-SCHOOL TEACHER
Golf innovation doesn't have to involve apps or 3-D mapping. Technology can simply advance a branch of knowledge–in this case, swing theory. High-tech and old-school converge in the work of Gary Battersby, partner of iconic golf instructor Bob Toski at the Toski/Battersby Golf Driving Range and Learning Center, in Coconut Creek, Fla. Battersby, 57, uses the latest findings in neuroscience (he's big on "plasticity" and "proprioception") to support age-old approaches to the swing–the same principles that made Jones, Snead and Hogan great golfers. His conclusion? By focusing on overly technical teachings, legions of golfers have lost freedom of movement, confidence and peace of mind, and this has led to inconsistent contact. To play good golf, you need to incorporate appropriate technique, he says, not simply more technique. Above all, Battersby adds, it's the fine muscles of the hands–not the big muscles of the torso–that the brain is best able to control. "The great golfers played with their hands, because if you can't control your hands, you can't control your swing," he says. "If you have learned fundamentally sound hand action, the rest of your body responds beautifully, and suddenly the swing becomes wonderfully elegant and simple." learn-golf.com