Browsing: Secret

One of the biggest differences between elite players and amateurs happens before impact ever occurs. It’s how they maintain their incline to the ground throughout the swing.

Your incline to the ground is set at address, determined by how much you bend forward from your hips and spine.

“You set your inclination to the ground at address based on your posture — your spine angle and how much you bend forward,” says Josh Troyer, GOLFTEC’s Director of Teaching Quality. “On average, Tour players are about 40 degrees forward with their shoulder bend.”

The best players in the world are able to keep that angle remarkably consistent as they rotate. But it’s something that many recreational players struggle with.

“They maintain that inclination to the ground as they make a backswing,” Troyer says. “You can think of it like trying to pound a nail into a wall — if your body is moving all around while you’re doing it, it’s really hard to hit the same spot.”

So how consistent are great ball strikers at maintaining this angle? At the top of the backswing, their shoulders are tilted about 3 degrees less than they were at address.

“If the Tour average is 40 degrees forward at address, at the top of the backswing the best players tilt their shoulders about 37 degrees to the left,” Troyer explains. “That small difference is what maintains your incline to the ground.”

Amateurs, on the other hand, often tilt too little.

“What bad golfers do is start at 40 degrees forward, but they only tilt their shoulders maybe 20 or 22 degrees,” Troyer says. “That’s a flat shoulder turn — and when that happens, their head raises up and they stand up out of their posture.”

The key, Troyer says, is understanding the relationship between your setup and your shoulder tilt at the top — not just chasing specific numbers.

“If a golfer is 30 degrees forward at address, they should have their shoulders about 27 degrees to the left at the top,” he says. “That’s how you maintain your incline. If they went to 37 degrees instead, they’d actually dip down toward the ball.”

It’s not about memorizing measurements — it’s about maintaining the correct pattern. “

“The numbers are important,” Troyer says, “but understanding how that relationship works is what really matters.”

When your shoulder tilt matches your setup bend, you stay in your posture, rotate efficiently and make solid, repeatable contact — just like the pros do.

If you want to learn how to correctly maintain forward bend in your own swing, book a swing evaluation with GOLFTEC below.

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When you’re chasing speed or distance, it’s easy to get caught up in the obvious: speed training, a bigger turn, or just swinging harder, especially when you’re hungry for a few extra yards. But there’s one key move that rarely gets the attention it deserves — and it might just be the most important element of all.

Timing. More specifically, the timing of your delivery.

For elite players and top instructors, this is a well-understood concept, yet it’s largely overlooked by the average golfer. Why? Probably because it’s not as flashy as speed training or other power-building tools. But once you understand how delivery timing works, you’ll realize it’s the hidden engine behind nearly every powerful golf swing.

It’s something I recently incorporated into my own swing—and the results were almost immediate. After a few minutes, I was seeing major gains. But I didn’t just want to enjoy the extra speed. I wanted to understand why it was happening—so I could build on it.

To dig deeper into this “secret” move, I spoke with Joe Plecker, a GOLF Top 100 Teacher.

Delay your delivery for maximum power

Plecker explained that by holding off the club for a few extra ticks in my downswing, I was able to stay closed to the target for a beat longer. That subtle delay, he says, helped me shallow the club and build up more angular force—or energy that gets unleashed at the bottom of the swing.

“If you turn too early from the top, or your body slides forward while your hips hang back,” Plecker says, “you can have a little bit of an early release of the club.”

And when that happens, you can miss out on the angular force Plecker mentioned—and the power that comes with it.

Why angular force is key

Many golfers mistakenly think the club should follow their body turn—like the arms are just along for the ride, but they couldn’t be more wrong.

“There are wrist angles, trail arm bends, lead arm positions—each of those stores angular force,” Plecker says, “When those angles are lost too early in the downswing, you’re essentially bleeding power before you even reach the ball.”

The real key? Learning to maintain those angles just a little longer—especially during that brief “closed” moment in transition.

“Getting that “throw” of all those angles later in the swing is great added speed,” Plecker says.

Think of the release of your angular force like cracking a whip. If you tried to snap it without creating any angles in your wrist or arm, it would fall flat — lacking the speed needed to create a loud “crack.”

But when you create those angles — and maintain them until the right moment — you store energy that unleashes in a fast, powerful release. More angles mean more speed, delivered with greater efficiency.

Think: space for more speed

If all this talk of angular force feels a little abstract, there’s a simpler way to feel it: space.

“One of the best feelings to key in on is space,” Plecker says, “When players rotate too early from the top, they actually feel the opposite. They get crowded. They drift into the space where the club is supposed to go. That’s when you see compensations like tucking the arms, shortening the swing, or backing out of it.”

But when the delivery is timed well and you delay the turn to let your lower body glide forward, Plecker says, you create room.

“When you have space, the club can sling through. That’s when you feel like you’ve got room and can let it go fast,” he says.

Plecker’s “hockey” drill for a better release

When it comes to training a proper release, timing and sequencing are everything. One of the most effective ways to train both, without falling out of sync, is with Plecker’s split-grip, or “hockey,” drill.

To do it, take a mid-iron and get into your typical stance and set up. Take the club to the top of your swing, then, separate your hands on the club, like you’re a hockey player holding their stick. From here, Plecker says to think about hitting a slap shot in the downswing.

This move trains the ideal sequencing and the slight delay you need to generate real power. Instead of “throwing from the top,” it should feel like your arms are dropping straight down while your hips start to unwind. As your hands approach the bottom of the swing, you should feel your wrists and arms snap into position — cracking the whip — and releasing all the stored energy through the ball.

“It helps train that delayed, powerful release,” Plecker says.

As you practice, focus on keeping your legs stable and feeling the club release out in front of you. If you’re struggling to turn through, Plecker suggests pulling your trail leg back slightly to help clear your body and feel that proper release.

Angel Reese and Suni Lee made history on Wednesday.

The WNBA star and United States gymnastics star walked the stage at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in New York, becoming the first athletes to ever participate in the event.

Reese walked down the stage while Madison Beer, the girlfriend of Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, performed. Lee came out a few moments later.

Reese announced last week that she had been selected to participate in the event.

Reese attended the event last year and knew it was something she wanted to do at some point in her career.

“I literally could not stop smiling!” the two-time All-Star told People‘s Catherine Santino and Hedy Phillips. “It’s such a surreal and full-circle moment — just last year I was in the audience manifesting being on that runway, completely inspired and in awe of all the powerful women walking down the runway, and now I get to return as an Angel. This will be an unforgettable night that I’ll forever be grateful for.”

Reese is obviously most known for her WNBA career, but she’s emerged as a fashion icon as well, showing off her outfits in the tunnel before games.

Both Reese and Lee have made history in their respective sports, and now they’ve made history on the runway as well.

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Chelsea Green already has plenty of back-up with her ‘Secret Hervice,’ but could a new cabinet member be in the wings? On X, WWE NXT Superstar Karmen Petrovic shared her interest in joining the faction of the first-ever Women’s United States Champion.

@ImChelseaGreen we need to talk about adding a lil bit of sharpness to the secret hervice… call me ??

— karmen petrovic ? (@karmen_wwe) October 4, 2025

Fans in the comments loved the idea of Petrovic joining the faction. One fan tagged Green to tell her that Petrovic would be a “perfect addition” to the Secret Hervice. Another said that Karmen was “overly qualified” while a third advised Green to “hire Karmen on the spot!”

The Bosnian-Canadian Petrovic joined WWE in 2022 and debuted on WWE NXT TV in July the following year. Since then, she has been a regular on NXT programming and has also appeared in TNA as well as Bloodsport.

Before wrestling, Petrovic competed in Karate and is a multi-time gold medalist in the spot. With these skills, Petrovic would certain be an intriguing addition to Green’s posse.

The Secret Hervice consists of Alba Fyre and Piper Niven, though Niven has been out of action in recent weeks. There have been concerns that the setback could be career-ending for Niven, who has been aligned with Green for over two years.

As for Petrovic, time will tell whether her plea results in a main roster call-up, or if she will have to wait. But it’s clear that Karmen clearly sees a future for himself in a black suit and by Green’s side.

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Ryder Cup defeats are hard to stomach. The event has gotten so big and means so much that a loss often leads to a two-year fact-finding mission to right wrongs and ensure the ship is sailing in the right direction.

For the Americans, think the task force after the 2014 debacle at Gleneagles, or tabbing Keegan Bradley to be captain for the 2025 Ryder Cup after he was left off the losing American team in 2023. For the Europeans, a historic loss in 2021 at Whistling Straits was supposed to be the start of a dominant run by a United States team that appeared to be set for the foreseeable future. Instead, the Europeans responded with a resounding victory in 2023 that wasn’t as close as the 16.5-11.5 tally indicated and, on Sunday, a historic 15-13 road win at Bethpage Black. Europe has won 11 of the last 15 Ryder Cups and four times on American soil since the last time the U.S. won in Europe.

This latest defeat will undoubtedly send the Americans searching for answers. There are a number of reasons why the U.S. flopped at Bethpage. They set up the course incorrectly, which Bradley took ownership of on Sunday after the defeat. Where Europe set up courses in Paris and Rome to accentuate the strengths of its roster and put the U.S. at a disadvantage, the Americans neutered a famously difficult Bethpage Black track.

The Americans also failed the data test at Bethpage. While Europe sent out the mathematically optimal foursomes pairings and papered over their weak links in four-ball with their stars, the Americans trotted out the least optimal foursomes pairing of Collin Morikawa and Harris English twice; Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood steamrolled them both days. On Friday, the U.S. had Russell Henley tee off on the odd holes and Scottie Scheffler on the evens, despite the data pointing to the opposite being optimal. It took Scheffler and Henley’s caddies suggesting the change for it to become the plan for Saturday.

The communication and attention to detail from everyone involved with Team Europe also clearly play a massive role in getting the most out of everyone on the team. Captain Luke Donald, his vice captains, the DP World Tour and the support staff leave no stone unturned — including the quality of the players’ hotel bedding — in preparing Europe for the Ryder Cup, which allows the best players in the world to play freely with total buy-in and belief in the process.

All of this is part of Europe’s Ryder Cup success. And yet, one quote from Sunday’s Bethpage celebration might tell a more succinct story.

After going 2-1-0 at Bethpage while finishing third in strokes gained: total and second in putting for the week, Justin Rose was asked how he explains his dominant performance on the greens in Rome in 2023 and this week in New York. Rose, who is 45, offered something that underscores the connection the European team has built between each other and across the generations.

“I wish I knew. I wish I could be a bit more selfish and know that 25 weeks of the year,” Rose said. “But do you know what I mean? I feel like the power of this, the power of the group, who knows what it is, that ability to lock in, the ability to just want it that little bit more.

“The answer to your question is I don’t know, other than the badge and the boys, honestly. That’s all that matters, honestly, the badge and the boys.”

The badge and the boys.

After the win, McIlroy noted that the entire European operation started focusing on how they would win at Bethpage the day after their victory in Rome. That’s around 700 days spent concocting a plan for three days — a plan for the course, a plan for the prep, a plan for motivation and inspiration and a plan for recovery. Europe had a plan for everything.

Part of the plan focused on the European teams that have won on the road before. Each practice day’s scripting was a call back to one of those victories, culminating with the purple the Europeans wore in 2012 in their victory at Medinah. The European social team released a video touting the 37 players who have won an away Ryder Cup. Even Sunday’s uniforms had historical significance as the four stripes symbolized the four teams that had won on American soil.

A deep desire to become the fifth team to do so flowed through every member of Team Europe.

He was robbed of a Ryder Cup moment he may never have again

By:

Alan Bastable

The Europeans brought back 11 of the 12 players from that team in Rome, all of whom spent two years pushing to make the team and make history at Bethpage. For the Europeans, beating the Americans seems to hold an importance that isn’t equally matched on the other side because of the blue-and-gold’s focus on its past and the desire of its current players to write the next chapter.

On Sunday, as the Champagne was preparing to flow, Donald once again hit on the importance of history and becoming a part of something bigger than yourself.

“That’s a big part of my captaincy is to create an environment where these guys are having the best weeks of their lives, honestly,” Donald said. “We’ll always remember this. We’ll always go down in history. We talk about all the people that came before us that paved the way for us. Now, future generations will talk about this team tonight and what they did and how they were able to overcome one of the toughest environments in all of sport.”

The U.S. will continue to look for ways to “emulate” what Europe does that makes it successful. Perhaps they can find a captain like Donald who presses all the right buttons. But with five words, Rose might have shown why it will be hard for the U.S. to do so. Why the U.S. will be better served charting its own course instead of trying to copy a formula for which they lack the ingredients. Everything for Europe is about the collective and the history of “the badge.” From Seve to Nick Faldo to Sergio Garcia and McIlroy, Europe’s bond with each other and their past is something that can’t be recreated or mimicked. It’s a galvanizing force that can’t be quantified.

One that just delivered a historic win — for the badge and the boys.

Nia Jax didnâ€t ride the family coattails into WWE—she buried the headline.

During an interview with Going Ringside, the former Womenâ€s Champion opened up about her journey into wrestling and dropped a bombshell: she intentionally kept her famous lineage under wraps while trying out for WWE. Thatâ€s right—despite being part of the Anoaâ€i dynasty and The Rockâ€s cousin, she wanted to earn her spot on her own terms.

Jax explained how her love for athletics and family history played a role in her decision to pursue wrestling, but she wasnâ€t about to name-drop to get ahead.

“Iâ€ve always been into athletics and so there was the Performance Center opened up here in Orlando and he said, ‘Why donâ€t we have you try out and see if like, you know, you really like it? Like letâ€s get you into the nitty-gritty of it. Like get your bumps going, like you know, take the hits.†And so I tried out and um thankfully tried to keep my name or whoever I was related to like under wraps and I made it.â€

Rather than leveraging The Rockâ€s influence, she went through the trenches like everyone else. In fact, she holds the distinction of being the first person to ever try out at WWEâ€s NXT Performance Center when it opened in Orlando.

“So thatâ€s how and then the rest is history. Iâ€ve been here ever since it opened when I—so I was the first try out inside the NXT facility.â€

That move set the tone for her entire career, and sheâ€s proud of the evolution sheâ€s seen since those early days.

“It was just like the one building and now itâ€s spread out to like I think three or four buildings now. Itâ€s really—itâ€s cool because sometimes Iâ€m like I feel like I was just here. I feel like I was just learning the ropes and like figuring things out.â€

Nia Jax may be part of wrestling royalty, but make no mistake—she fought her own way into WWE, without leaning on family fame. That choice says more about her character than any storyline ever could.

Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.

Would you have done the same in her shoes, or used the family name to your advantage? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.

September 25, 2025 9:53 am

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Wayne Rooneyâ€s glittering spell at Manchester United produced five Premier League titles, a Champions League crown and a haul of unforgettable goals.

But according to the clubâ€s record scorer, the secret ingredient behind Sir Alex Fergusonâ€s dominant side wasnâ€t tactics or training – it was playing on the PlayStation.

Speaking on his BBC podcast The Wayne Rooney Show, the 38-year-old revealed that much of the teamâ€s bond was forged not on the pitch, but on the road. The players regularly played SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs on the PlayStation Portable, turning long journeys into fierce five-versus-five battles.

“I really believe a big part of our success was playing on the PSP,” Rooney said. “It got us communicating more.

“We used to play it on the plane, on the team bus,” he explained. “It would be me, Rio [Ferdinand], Michael Carrick, John Oâ€Shea, Wes Brown. You have to talk, you have to tactically be right, go and revive people when they get killed, and it was a massive part of our success. Ask any of those players – it was brilliant.”

Rooney added that his teammates†styles in the game often mirrored their personalities on the pitch.

“Michael Carrick was a little sneaky, calm one. Youâ€d be lying down hiding and suddenly hear a grenade bounce nearby – heâ€d thrown it,” he said. “I was just all in, frontline of the trenches, straight in there.”

So while Fergusonâ€s legendary leadership and the squadâ€s quality remain undisputed, Rooney insists that SOCOM and the PlayStation may just have played an underrated role in creating one of footballâ€s most dominant dynasties.

Who’d have thought?

Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick helped United win tonnes. / Michael Regan/GettyImages

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