Torso/Shoulder Rotation about Vertical Axis |
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The amount of rotation of the shoulder/torso was calculated from an overhead perspective. The torso rotation about this axis was 7.2 degrees and 2.8 degrees for the traditional and experimental putting techniques (See Table 3, Figures 4,5, & 6). The new putting technique stabilized the shoulder girdle and the shoulder joint provided the impetus of propulsion while the traditional putting style used significantly greater (p=.033) trunk rotation to putt the golf ball. The new putter required only 39% of the trunk rotation needed by the traditional putter. |
Total Body Range of Motion
The total body ROM represented the sum of the upper extremities’ ROMs about the z and x axes and the torso rotation. No lower body joint actions were calculated because during a pilot study only about 1 degree of ROM occurred at each joint while putting, thus the lower body contribution was considered negligible. The traditional putting technique utilized 73.1 degrees of combined motion while the experimental putter required 32.5 degrees of motion (See Tables 4 & 5). This new putter needed only 34% of the joint motion required by the traditional putting technique (See Table 6, Figures 6 ∓ 7) and the differences were statistically significant at the .006 level.
Summary Joint ROM Information The new style putter significantly reduced the upper body ROM, shoulder rotation, and total body motion needed to execute a successful putt when compared to the traditional putter. This reduction of putting movement needed to use the experimental putter would indicate that it uses more efficient putting mechanics while reducing the potential for variability / error in the lateral direction of the putt. Therefore, the new putter may be viewed superior in its kinematic efficiency. Following are complete sets of research data in various multimedia formats that can be downloaded from our FTP site. Just click on the particular item of interest to download it. (Note: FTP downloads do not interrupt your browsing activities). Appendix A. Complete Set of Biomechanical Videos (Actual Shots) Appendix B. Complete Set of Animated Digital Images (Stick Figures) Appendix C. Complete Set of Comparison Charts Appendix D. Complete Set of Graphic Outputs |
