When I first started teaching in the Nicklaus/Flick Golf Schools, I was the only female instructor. Jim Flick, the head of the schools, lead instructor and my mentor, would get a kick out of calling me up in front of the group to explain what women needed to do with their boobs when they set up to the golf ball. At the time, my presentation experience was limited so I was incredibly intimidated in front of Jim, the rest of the staff and the students. He predictably corrected or interrupted the instructors when they presented and this made me even more self-conscious as a new member to the team.
Well, when it came to talking about breasts, Jim never chimed in, not once. He just sat back and giggled (loved that man). It was oddest thing and became a little joke with the instructors because there never were any significant number of women in the school. There may have been 40 men and two women and he would still call me up to talk about the struggles of the female anatomy as it relates to the golf swing. It certainly would have been easier for me to pull the handful of ladies to the side and have a personal chat but that just never happened. On top of that, of the few women in the group perhaps only one would have large breasts…… ye
t all had to hear it. Awkwardly, when Jim called me up everyone (men, women, instructors, staff, grounds crew, and range attendants) would start checking out the size of all the women in the group.
You couldn’t help yourself – it was so awkward but so funny. The smaller chested women would laugh, “they aren’t a problem for me!” Then the large breasted women would just stand there and everyone would stare at their boobs….and nod. Of course, when I gave my presentation, everyone was looking at mine too!
My take away on this experience was that most male teaching pros either do not want to talk about what their female students need to do with their breasts or they really do not have any idea what they should do. Perhaps it is a combination of the two. The reality is: how could they know, men simply don’t have breasts to deal with in their golf swings.
So this is my simple Golf School spiel that I tell my female students. Not all of us have an issue in this department BUT if your breast are large or you feel that they are in the way, you have three options. You can REST, SQUEEZE or go HIGH-LOW.
REST:
This is just what it sounds like. You can rest your upper arms on top of your breasts. I do not like this option because ideally you want your arms hanging as straight down from your shoulders as possible. Most women round their shoulders as they pinch their upper arms closer together so that they can rest them on top of their breasts. This puts your arms and shoulders in an unnatural starting positions. Not to mention, it can hurt your breasts.
SQUEEZE:
Yup, you can put your arms on either side of your breasts but the problem is that your arms likely won’t be straight so you have to SQUEEZE your boobs to straighten your arms at address.
Not a horrible option but the problem is on your take away you are a bit trapped. Your first move from the ball would be to lift your arms up and over your boobs. Not a repeatable or favorable action.
HIGH-LOW:
This is the best option in my opinion. Assuming you are right-handed, take the inside of your left upper arm and place it on top of the outside third of your left breast (HIGH). You are looking for your left arm to have some clearance. Don’t strain but if you need to manually smush your left breast do it. Also consider wearing a sports bra for the compression. You simply want enough of the arm on top of your breast so that you don’t have to lift the arm up and over on your take away. Now allow your right arm to hang on the side of your right breast (LOW). This arm has no interference on the back swing so keep it relaxed on the side of your right breast.
I guess it is understandable now why Jim preferred that I speak to the women (and men whether they wanted to hear it or not) on this subject. If you have large breast or they feel in the way, take another look at your set-up and make some adjustments. The less extra movements you have in your take away the better.
AND at the very least, I hope this article is a reminder for you to go get your annual mammogram, if needed!
Be Healthy and Have Fun!
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