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Know what’s right for you: The dangers of unsolicited swing advice

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Golfers, in their never-ending quest to improve, will listen to almost anything if it means knocking strokes off their score. They should be aware that this practice can be really dangerous for their game, because not all swing advice applies to everyone. Even a good suggestion may not be good for them. 

I come across these scenarios all too often. Let’s say that Golfer A, a well-meaning friend or playing partner, passes along a tip that helped him improve to Golfer B. Golfer B tries it and suddenly can’t get the ball on the clubface. The very thing that was great for Golfer A was the worst thing for Golfer B’s game, and this happens more often than you might think it does.

Let’s look at a few situations. As you will see, good swing advice can often make things worse if the audience is wrong.

Swing Fault No. 1: “Rocking”

Throughout my years as a golfer and instructor, one of the most common swing flaws I see is the “reverse pivot,” or what the great John Jacobs more aptly described as “rocking.” Rocking is when a golfer’s weight shifts to their front foot, or towards the target, during the backswing. The golfer then falls away from the target in the downswing, moving weight to the back foot. This causes a very shallow attack angle into the golf ball and leads to a number of problems.

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Photo by J.D. Cuban: Image from Golf Digest.

Most golfers who cannot take a divot are rockers. When the body backs up to the rear foot, this causes the golf club to ascend, or hit UP on the ball. Golfers can get away with this on a tee shot since the ball is elevated on a tee, but they rarely hit clean shots from the turf.

Here’s where good swing advice from a friend can kill your game. A well-meaning friend points out that you are “rocking” and suggests that you “get more weight on the rear foot in the backswing.” He/she heard Mr. Analyst talking about it on TV or heard it said at the 19th hole.

It sounds good enough, so you shift your weight to the right foot as you take the club away. Great. Now you have placed yourself in a perfectly good position to miss the golf ball entirely. Why? Because you have corrected only one part of the problem.

A rocker’s body is very in tune with falling away on the downswing, because you rocked to your front foot in order to keep your balance. The trouble is that if you fall away from the new position at the top of the backswing you will hit UP more than ever. You went from shallow to MORE shallow, which can be a killer.

The original downswing move was somewhat compatible with a reverse pivot, but now it’s the WORST thing you can do. You will most likely miss the golf ball altogether if you shift your weight toward the back foot. This is a perfect example of good advice falling on the wrong ears and it can destroy a golfer’s progress. There will come a time to work on a better backswing. It’s just not the FIRST thing this golfer should do in this case.

Good teachers understand this dynamic and handle it with care. When to introduce a change and who should make that change is every bit as important as the change itself. Nothing happens in a vacuum in a golf swing; every single part of the swing is closely related to every other part. You cannot isolate a new move and simply try it on its own.

In the example I just discussed, the player would have been much better served to turn through the ball (as much as possible) until the attack angle actually gets steep. THEN he can work on turning AWAY from the ball.

A few more scenarios will help show that good advice in the wrong ears can hinder progress.

Swing Fault No. 2: “Over the top”

The dreaded outside-in swing path, usually accompanied by a steep plane, is a move that about 75 percent of golfers are guilty of to a certain degree. It usually results in a “fade,” which is just a nice word for a slice (the only golfers truly “fading” the ball are playing for a living).

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Again, when you are informed about this age old problem, your buddy tells you to “hit more from the inside.” However, until you’re able to correct the cause of the over-the-top move in the first place — a majorly open face — the dreaded outside-in path will be unaffected by his/her advice. So, the observation that you’re coming over the top is accurate, but you’ll need to learn to square the clubface if there is any chance to correct the path.

Swing Fault No. 3: Early Release

Golfers who release the club too early tend to slide in front of the ball. They MUST or they will hit well behind it. Are you going to:

  1. Learn to stay behind the ball first?
  2. Learn to delay your release first?

Here’s why it matters: You need positive reinforcement as soon as possible.

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Let’s say your buddy tells you to “stay more behind the ball.” If you do so before you correct the early release, you’ve made the problem much worse. In other words, getting in front of the ball complements an early release. It is not optimal, but it can be functional. By changing only one part of the problem, you are no longer functional at all.

Swing Fault No. 4: Flat backswing

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Matt Kuchar has one of the PGA Tour’s flattest swings, but his position at the top of his backswing matches the rest of his swing. That’s part of the reason why he’s one of the Tour’s most consistent ball strikers. 

Golfers with flatter backswings tend to turn their body into the shot from the top, which is done out of necessity so they don’t get too far underneath the ball. If he/she first learns a more upright takeaway before the “turning into it” move is corrected, most of the shots will be skulled or topped to the left. While the flat backswing MAY have to be corrected at some point, the order of the correction is all important to avoid that dreadful first shot negative feedback.

Good advice with bad timing is bad advice!

There are many scenarios that illustrate the moral of this story, but one thing is certain; the early days of changing your swing can be frustrating, often tempting you to dismiss the whole idea of making improvements. Find a teacher you can trust, however, and he/she will guide you on how to get the entire swing ready for the golf course. If you are a regular reader of my GolfWRX articles or one of my regular students, you know that I warn golfers all the time about the action/reaction dynamic in golf instruction.

No matter what your major swing flaw is, make sure to seek professional teaching advice and not just accept a band-aid fix from a playing partner. Often times, these quick fixes can cause more swing problems than you had in the first place, hindering your scores and enjoyment of the game in the process.

Before making any changes, think about their cause/effect on YOUR swing and whether that change will help or hurt YOUR game. If you don’t know what those causes and effects are, it’s often best to seek the advice of a professional.

As always, feel free to send a swing to my Facebook page. I will do my best to give you my feedback.

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Dennis Clark is a PGA Master Professional. Clark has taught the game of golf for more than 30 years to golfers all across the country, and is recognized as one of the leading teachers in the country by all the major golf publications. He is also is a seven-time PGA award winner who has earned the following distinctions: -- Teacher of the Year, Philadelphia Section PGA -- Teacher of the Year, Golfers Journal -- Top Teacher in Pennsylvania, Golf Magazine -- Top Teacher in Mid Atlantic Region, Golf Digest -- Earned PGA Advanced Specialty certification in Teaching/Coaching Golf -- Achieved Master Professional Status (held by less than 2 percent of PGA members) -- PGA Merchandiser of the Year, Tri State Section PGA -- Golf Professional of the Year, Tri State Section PGA -- Presidents Plaque Award for Promotion and Growth of the Game of Golf -- Junior Golf Leader, Tri State section PGA -- Served on Tri State PGA Board of Directors. Clark is also former Director of Golf and Instruction at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort. Dennis now teaches at Bobby Clampett's Impact Zone Golf Indoor Performance Center in Naples, FL. .

21 Comments

21 Comments

  1. Dennis Clark

    Jul 10, 2014 at 11:31 pm

    AGAIN…this article deals with knowing what advice is right for you. It says nothing about who is dispensing the advice. If you are given a tip and it helps your ball striking regardless of who it’s from, USE IT! The article states that more than superficial advice is needed to correct the ROOT, the CAUSE of the problem. It suggests that the reader be wary of superficial advice that is given on a generic basis. Golf instruction is highly individual and whats good for the goose might terrible for the gander. If that’s not clear, PM me and Ill explain further. THX DC

  2. Pingback: Know what’s right for you: The dangers of unsolicited swing advice | Spacetimeandi.com

  3. Rich

    Jul 9, 2014 at 2:17 am

    Dennis,
    Yourself and Tom Stickney seem to be pretty switched on and enjoy your work as teaching professionals. It’s hard to find that. Do you guys possibly know any teachers in Sydney, Australia that are any good? I’ve tried a few but haven’t really had any luck finding someone that I would like to work with. Cheers.

    • Dennis Clark

      Jul 9, 2014 at 7:34 am

      I personally do not; Australia is a bucket list trip for my wife and me. Hoping to make it down there!

      • Rich

        Jul 10, 2014 at 9:39 am

        No worries. Thanks for the reply anyway. I’ll keep searching. Cheers

    • Pumper

      Jul 17, 2014 at 12:37 am

      Rich, have a look at lorienscott.com.au teaches out at NSW and Pure Performance Golf labs in Alexandria at night, uses trackman there. I have found him very helpful.

  4. tom stickney

    Jul 8, 2014 at 8:01 pm

    Dennis…is the guy in the lead photo in the glasses Bill Carter?

    • Dennis Clark

      Jul 8, 2014 at 9:53 pm

      Not sure Tom, the editors chose that photo for me. I’ll ask do you know him? I was hoping it was a “buddy at the driving range” type pic…

  5. Dave

    Jul 8, 2014 at 6:49 pm

    Dennis,
    I’m confused on one point here, did you really mean to say that an over-the-top move is caused by an open club face? I have always understood that an open face was typically symptomatic of an being over the top but not the cause.

    • Dennis Clark

      Jul 8, 2014 at 6:57 pm

      Yes, the OTT move is caused by an open face. Players with square face or closed face do not come over. The open face cause is something else, possibly grip, plane, cupped wrist, no release etc, but when the face gets open it CAUSES OTT. Thx dave

    • Dennis Clark

      Jul 8, 2014 at 7:02 pm

      Lots of good feedback here. I always enjoy interacting with students or readers to get the feedback in terms of HOW you interpreted the article. Instructors are too often guilty of “golfspeak” that leaves students in the dark.. No question or comment is too inane because I get inside your thoughts and am better able to communicate through clarification. DC

  6. Putting Pro

    Jul 8, 2014 at 3:25 pm

    Harvey Penick would never let his students watch each others lesson. For example: If you showed up early with Harvey you couldn’t wait by watching the current lesson.

    • Dennis Clark

      Jul 8, 2014 at 3:41 pm

      Exactly. Every swing is different. So every lesson should be as well.

  7. Dennis Clark

    Jul 8, 2014 at 3:10 pm

    Actually just so I’m not misunderstood here, free advice MAY very well help you IF you know what advice applies to YOU!

  8. Tom Stickney

    Jul 8, 2014 at 2:00 pm

    Great article! Free tips always seem to alert you to the effects of poor fundamentals; seldom the cause of the problem itself.

  9. David Smith

    Jul 8, 2014 at 1:54 pm

    Now wait a minute here, Dennis Clark is offering dangerous free swing tips in an article titled “The danger of free swing tips”…. why should I trust this?!?!?

    Just kidding of course.

    Good article. I’ve been given a few swing “tips” on the course when I played as a single a few times. The odd thing is, when I was paired up I would warn them that I am working on some specific things in my swing that my instructor has given me to work on yet the unsolicited advice still pours in shortly after my announcement. Thankfully I have been doing this long enough to make sure I respectively smile and thank them but carry on with my own business.

    • Dennis Clark

      Jul 8, 2014 at 3:08 pm

      LOL…Actually i offer these thoughts free of charge. But my up close and personal advice is quite expensive 🙂

      • David Smith

        Jul 8, 2014 at 4:25 pm

        If I were anywhere to close to you I’d be making an appointment!

  10. CJ

    Jul 8, 2014 at 1:06 pm

    I feel bad because you just enumerated every single thing that I’m working on in my swing now: my weight shifting, very steep attack angle, very flat backswing, and occasionally scooping my shots because I release early at times. I just managed to develop these habits as my swing was basically home made because I hadn’t had a pro in 9 years but now I just got a proper coach my swing and scores have gotten better. Great Article there.

  11. Jason Hawk

    Jul 8, 2014 at 12:07 pm

    Great article, wish I could pass this along to more people. A few years ago I started taking lessons from a PGA pro, and will not take information given from anyone else. Best decision I’ve ever made!

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Instruction

Clement: Stop ripping off your swing with this drill!

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Not the dreaded headcover under the armpit drill! As if your body is defective and can’t function by itself! Have you seen how incredible the human machine is with all the incredible feats of agility all kinds of athletes are accomplishing? You think your body is so defective (the good Lord is laughing his head off at you) that it needs a headcover tucked under the armpit so you can swing like T-Rex?

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How a towel can fix your golf swing

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This is a classic drill that has been used for decades. However, the world of marketed training aids has grown so much during that time that this simple practice has been virtually forgotten. Because why teach people how to play golf using everyday items when you can create and sell a product that reinforces the same thing? Nevertheless, I am here to give you helpful advice without running to the nearest Edwin Watts or adding something to your Amazon cart.

For the “scoring clubs,” having a solid connection between the arms and body during the swing, especially through impact, is paramount to creating long-lasting consistency. And keeping that connection throughout the swing helps rotate the shoulders more to generate more power to help you hit it farther. So, how does this drill work, and what will your game benefit from it? Well, let’s get into it.

Setup

You can use this for basic chip shots up to complete swings. I use this with every club in my bag, up to a 9 or 8-iron. It’s natural to create incrementally more separation between the arms and body as you progress up the set. So doing this with a high iron or a wood is not recommended.

While you set up to hit a ball, simply tuck the towel underneath both armpits. The length of the towel will determine how tight it will be across your chest but don’t make it so loose that it gets in the way of your vision. After both sides are tucked, make some focused swings, keeping both arms firmly connected to the body during the backswing and follow through. (Note: It’s normal to lose connection on your lead arm during your finishing pose.) When you’re ready, put a ball in the way of those swings and get to work.

Get a Better Shoulder Turn

Many of us struggle to have proper shoulder rotation in our golf swing, especially during long layoffs. Making a swing that is all arms and no shoulders is a surefire way to have less control with wedges and less distance with full swings. Notice how I can get in a similar-looking position in both 60° wedge photos. However, one is weak and uncontrollable, while the other is strong and connected. One allows me to use my larger muscles to create my swing, and one doesn’t. The follow-through is another critical point where having a good connection, as well as solid shoulder rotation, is a must. This drill is great for those who tend to have a “chicken wing” form in their lead arm, which happens when it becomes separated from the body through impact.

In full swings, getting your shoulders to rotate in your golf swing is a great way to reinforce proper weight distribution. If your swing is all arms, it’s much harder to get your weight to naturally shift to the inside part of your trail foot in the backswing. Sure, you could make the mistake of “sliding” to get weight on your back foot, but that doesn’t fix the issue. You must turn into your trial leg to generate power. Additionally, look at the difference in separation between my hands and my head in the 8-iron examples. The green picture has more separation and has my hands lower. This will help me lessen my angle of attack and make it easier to hit the inside part of the golf ball, rather than the over-the-top move that the other picture produces.

Stay Better Connected in the Backswing

When you don’t keep everything in your upper body working as one, getting to a good spot at the top of your swing is very hard to do. It would take impeccable timing along with great hand-eye coordination to hit quality shots with any sort of regularity if the arms are working separately from the body.

Notice in the red pictures of both my 60-degree wedge and 8-iron how high my hands are and the fact you can clearly see my shoulder through the gap in my arms. That has happened because the right arm, just above my elbow, has become totally disconnected from my body. That separation causes me to lift my hands as well as lose some of the extension in my left arm. This has been corrected in the green pictures by using this drill to reinforce that connection. It will also make you focus on keeping the lead arm close to your body as well. Because the moment either one loses that relationship, the towel falls.

Conclusion

I have been diligent this year in finding a few drills that target some of the issues that plague my golf game; either by simply forgetting fundamental things or by coming to terms with the faults that have bitten me my whole career. I have found that having a few drills to fall back on to reinforce certain feelings helps me find my game a little easier, and the “towel drill” is most definitely one of them.

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Clement: Why your practice swing never sucks

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You hear that one all the time; I wish I could put my practice swing on the ball! We explain the huge importance of what to focus on to allow the ball to be perfectly in the way of your practice swing. Enjoy!

 

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