ABSTRACT
This chapter identifies support in the literature as well as counterexamples for a particular proximal-to-distal sequence of segment interactions in the golf swing. Although the movements of the golfer's segments can be measured with great precision, and scientific understanding of their role in the swing has reached great heights, "combining the movements is where the art begins". The proximal-to-distal sequencing of distal segments arises because of the mechanical behaviour of linked systems. In a 1992 article for the Golf Magazine, golf instructor, Jim McLean, observed that long drivers on the PGA TOUR seemed to have a greater difference in shoulder and hip turn compared to the shortest drivers on tour. McLean called this swing feature the "X-Factor" because of how imaginary lines connecting the hip joint centres and shoulder joint centres crossed and resembled an "X" when viewed from above.
