F-O-R-E Minute Friday - The Window of Power: Why We Need "Daylight" in the Backswing

Welcome back to another edition of the Imagen Golf Podcast! I am your host, Daniel Guest, and as always, we are here with one simple mission: to help you play the best golf of your life, simplify this crazy game, and get you having more fun on the fairway.

If you’re driving to the course right now, or maybe you’re stuck in traffic dreaming of the weekend round, turn up the volume. Today we are going to talk about a visual cue that is so simple, yet so misunderstood. It’s a "silent killer" of power for so many amateurs, but when you get it right... oh man, it changes everything.

I’m talking about your knees. Specifically, seeing the light between them.

So, let’s dive right in. I was reviewing some swing analysis videos earlier this week with our students, and I noticed a pattern. It’s the classic "power leak."

We all know we need to rotate, right? We hear it all the time. "Turn your hips," "Load into the right side," "Coil." But what does that actually look like?

Here is the problem: Most golfers, when they try to turn, they actually slide. Or, they do the opposite—they collapse.

Imagine looking at a golfer from face-on (looking right at their belt buckle). When they take the club back, if that lead knee (the left knee for righties) collapses and touches the right knee, what happens? You’ve lost your base. You’ve got no tension. You’ve got no torque. You’re just... soft.

Onthe flip side, if you keep those knees frozen like two pillars of cement, you can’t turn at all!

The Golden Visual: The "Window of Light"

Here is the visual I want you to "Imagen" today.

When you make a proper backswing—a true rotation around your spine—your lead knee moves inward and points toward the golf ball, while your trail leg straightens just a tiny bit (but stays flexed).

If you do this correctly, looking from face-on, there should be a distinct gap of light between your knees.

Why does this matter? Why is that "light" so powerful?

1. It Proves You Are Rotating, Not Swaying

If you sway to the right (sliding your hips), your knees often stay the same distance apart, but the whole structure shifts. You haven't created power; you've just moved your zip code.

But when you rotate, that lead knee works away from the target. It creates a dynamic angle. That "light" between the knees tells me that your hips have turned deep, but your feet are still grounded.

2. It Prevents the "Knee Kiss"

I see this a lot with senior golfers or people trying to get a "long" swing. They let that left knee collapse all the way until it touches the right knee. If your knees are kissing, you are in big trouble. You have zero resistance. You can't fire from there. You have to re-plant the heel, shift the weight, and then turn. It takes too much time.

Keeping that daylight between the knees means you have maintained width in your lower body.

3. It Creates "Torque"

Think of a rubb