Instruction
The A Swing: A simpler way to swing
As a golf instructor, you are always trying to improve your knowledge and understanding of the golf swing in order to help your students improve the efficiency of their swing as well as their ball striking consistency. No matter the player’s talent level, I’ve also come to understand how important it is to keep the approach of improving a player’s action as simple as possible.
During my 20+ year association with David Leadbetter and our elite worldwide Leadbetter teaching staff, we are consistently pushing the limits on how to simplify the complex game of golf. It’s a teaching culture within the Leadbetter organization inspired by David himself, and is fully captured in his new book “The A Swing.”
The A Swing is very much an evolution of David’s teaching philosophy, and emphasizes the synchronization between the three key fundamentals of the swing:
- Setup
- Body turn
- Club swing
What sets the A Swing approach apart is how simple it is for any player to understand, feel, and ultimately execute. Since first discussing and implementing some of the A Swing concepts with David in 2012, we have seen some dramatic improvements at every level with our players. Lydia Ko, the world’s No. 1-ranked female golfer, has been working with David and I since the Fall of 2013 has many A Swing traits that blend perfectly with her effortless swing rhythm.
Traditional Backswing
Photo Credit: The A Swing by David Leadbetter. St Martins Press, 2015
A Swing Backswing
Photo Credit: The A Swing by David Leadbetter. St Martins Press, 2015
The whole essence of the A Swing is based on synchronization. To me, synchronizing the swing’s two main components — torso rotation and the arm/club action — is paramount in good ball striking, regardless of the philosophy one follows.
In most cases in the golf swing, poor body motion is directly related to arms, hands and a club that are out of position. This can be observed if a player makes a simple pivot motion with their arms folded across their chest, where they would wind up going back, transition going forward, and then unwind to a balanced finish. More often than not, it looks technically correct. Yet take the same player and put a club in their hand, and the body motion looks totally different.
Related: Visit the A Swing Website
Watch the video below with Brett Meyer of the Leadbetter Golf Academy to see the incredible results of one student who worked with David on The A Swing.
The goal with the A Swing is to develop a powerful, balanced torso motion using ground force, and compliment it with a simple arm action. What we are suggesting is eliminating wasted motion with the hands and arms in order to create great synchronization going back and coming down. In our biomechanical testing, we have found that on average the butt of the club travels 20 percent less than a conventional, on-plane backswing. This savings is huge as far as synchronization is concerned, and really allows the arms/club and body to arrive at their destination at the top almost in tandem. It also encourages an in-sync downswing, and allows the body to work more effectively.
In all our testing with players of different levels, we have found the transfer of energy throughout the swing to be much more efficient. In many cases, we have seen not only improvement in accuracy (wouldn’t most players settle for that?), but also increased ball speed as a result of more center-face contact.
In addition to conceptualizing the A Swing approach, there are complimentary drills to help speed up the learning process to grasp this alternative backswing, thereby setting up a powerful, on-plane downswing. Depending on the needs of my clients, who typically struggle to find time to practice, I can implant a segment or a full compliment of the A Swing knowing that with minor changes, they will see immediate results.
It’s all about getting better and as an instructor it’s been great to see real improvement among our players of all ages and abilities with the A Swing.
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While there are many golfers who barely know where the practice (I don’t like calling it a “driving”) range is located, there are many who find it a place of adventure, discovery and fun. I’m in the latter group, which could be accented by the fact that I make my living in this industry. But then, I’ve always been a “ball beater,” since I was a kid, but now I approach my practice sessions with more purpose and excitement. There’s no question that practice is the key to improvement in anything, so today’s topic is on making practice as much fun as playing.
As long as I can remember, I’ve loved the range, and always embrace the challenge of learning new ways to make a golf ball do what I would like it to do. So, today I’m sharing my “top 5” tips for making practice fun and productive.
- Have a mission/goal/objective. Whether it is a practice range session or practice time on the course, make sure you have a clearly defined objective…how else will you know how you’re doing? It might be to work on iron trajectory, or finding out why you’ve developed a push with your driver. Could be to learn how to hit a little softer lob shot or a knockdown pitch. But practice with a purpose …always.
- Don’t just “do”…observe. There are two elements of learning something new. The first is to figure out what it is you need to change. Then you work toward that solution. If your practice session is to address that push with the driver, hit a few shots to start out, and rather than try to fix it, make those first few your “lab rats”. Focus on what your swing is doing. Do you feel anything different? Check your alignment carefully, and your ball position. After each shot, step away and process what you think you felt during the swing.
- Make it real. To just rake ball after ball in front of you and pound away is marginally valuable at best. To make practice productive, step away from your hitting station after each shot, rake another ball to the hitting area, then approach the shot as if it was a real one on the course. Pick a target line from behind the ball, meticulously step into your set-up position, take your grip, process your one swing thought and hit it. Then evaluate how you did, based on the shot result and how it felt.
- Challenge yourself. One of my favorite on-course practice games is to spend a few minutes around each green after I’ve played the hole, tossing three balls into various positions in an area off the green. I don’t let myself go to the next tee until I put all three within three feet of the hole. If I don’t, I toss them to another area and do it again. You can do the same thing on the range. Define a challenge and a limited number of shots to achieve it.
- Don’t get in a groove. I was privileged enough to watch Harvey Penick give Tom Kite a golf lesson one day, and was struck by the fact that he would not let Tom hit more than five to six shots in a row with the same club. Tom would hit a few 5-irons, and Mr. Penick would say, “hit the 8”, then “hit the driver.” He changed it up so that Tom would not just find a groove. That paved the way for real learning, Mr. Penick told me.
My “bonus” tip addresses the difference between practicing on the course and keeping a real score. Don’t do both. A practice session is just that. On-course practice is hugely beneficial, and it’s best done by yourself, and at a casual pace. Playing three or four holes in an hour or so, taking time to hit real shots into and around the greens, will do more for your scoring skills than the same amount of range time.
So there you have my five practice tips. I’m sure I could come up with more, but then we always have more time, right?
More from the Wedge Guy
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- Wedge Guy: There’s no logic to iron fitting
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As someone who has observed rank-and-file recreational golfers for most of my life – over 50 years of it, anyway – I have always been baffled by why so many mid- to high-handicap golfers throw away so many strokes in prime scoring range.
For this purpose, let’s define “prime scoring range” as the distance when you have something less than a full-swing wedge shot ahead of you. Depending on your strength profile, that could be as far as 70 to 80 yards or as close as 30 to 40 yards. But regardless of whether you are trying to break par or 100, your ability to get the ball on the green and close enough to the hole for a one-putt at least some of the time will likely be one of the biggest factors in determining your score for the day.
All too often, I observe golfers hit two or even three wedge shots from prime scoring range before they are on the green — and all too often I see short-range pitch shots leave the golfer with little to no chance of making the putt.
This makes no sense, as attaining a level of reasonable proficiency from short range is not a matter of strength profile at all. But it does take a commitment to learning how to make a repeating and reliable half-swing and doing that repeatedly and consistently absolutely requires you to learn the basic fundamentals of how the body has to move the club back and through the impact zone.
So, let’s get down to the basics to see if I can shed some light on these ultra-important scoring shots.
- Your grip has to be correct. For the club to move back and through correctly, your grip on the club simply must be fundamentally sound. The club is held primarily in the last three fingers of the upper hand, and the middle two fingers of the lower hand. Period. The lower hand has to be “passive” to the upper hand, or the mini-swing will become a quick jab at the ball. For any shot, but particularly these short ones, that sound grip is essential for the club to move through impact properly and repeatedly.
- Your posture has to be correct. This means your body is open to the target, feet closer together than even a three-quarter swing, and the ball positioned slightly back of center.
- Your weight should be distributed about 70 percent on your lead foot and stay there through the mini-swing.
- Your hands should be “low” in that your lead arm is hanging naturally from your shoulder, not extended out toward the ball and not too close to the body to allow a smooth turn away and through. Gripping down on the club is helpful, as it gets you “closer to your work.
- This shot is hit with a good rotation of the body, not a “flip” or “jab” with the hands. Controlling these shots with your body core rotation and leading the swing with your body core and lead side will almost ensure proper contact. To hit crisp pitch shots, the hands have to lead the clubhead through impact.
- A great drill for this is to grip your wedge with an alignment rod next to the grip and extending up past your torso. With this in place, you simply have to rotate your body core through the shot, as the rod will hit your lead side and prevent you from flipping the clubhead at the ball. It doesn’t take but a few practice swings with this drill to give you an “ah ha” moment about how wedge shots are played.
- And finally, understand that YOU CANNOT HIT UP ON A GOLF BALL. The ball is sitting on the ground so the clubhead has to be moving down and through impact. I think one of the best ways to think of this is to remember this club is “a wedge.” So, your simple objective is to wedge the club between the ball and the ground. The loft of the wedge WILL make the ball go up, and the bounce of the sole of the wedge will prevent the club from digging.
So, why is mastering the simple pitch shot so important? Because my bet is that if you count up the strokes in your last round of golf, you’ll likely see that you left several shots out there by…
- Either hitting another wedge shot or chip after having one of these mid-range pitch shots, or
- You did not get the mid-range shot close enough to even have a chance at a makeable putt.
If you will spend even an hour on the range or course with that alignment rod and follow these tips, your scoring average will improve a ton, and getting better with these pitch shots will improve your overall ball striking as well.
More from the Wedge Guy
- Wedge Guy: There’s no logic to iron fitting
- The Wedge Guy: Understanding iron designs, Part 1
- The Wedge Guy: Understanding iron designs, Part 2
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It is just crazy how golfers are literally beside themselves when they are placed in a properly aligned set up! They feel they can’t swing or function! We take a dive into why this is and it has to do with how the eyes are set up in the human skull!
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Bob J
Mar 10, 2017 at 1:28 am
Fascinating to read all the “gurus” here who know better than some of golf’s most accomplished teachers. LOL.
Ben B
May 5, 2016 at 12:48 am
I have never been a good golfer, and have never really believed in Leadbetter’s teaching. At 70 years old, I saw several videos on the A Swing, and without much practice, went to the driving range at a local course and hit about 10 balls with what I imagined the A Swing to be, and got called to first tee with my guys. Shot the best I had in years, and I am not good, mid 90’s, over the top. With his swing, I was less prone to come over the top due to the limited backswing alone.
Steve Wozeniak PGA
Sep 25, 2015 at 12:44 pm
I would have loved to be a fly on the wall when Lydia told these clowns to take this A swing and shove it………she tried it for a bit missed cuts and hit it like a dog, anyone that knows the golf swing laughs and this stuff…….Lydia is back swinging like Hogan, Ben that is!!!!!!
Anyone that has “written” 40 books about the golf swing is confused……
Tommy P
Jul 5, 2015 at 2:39 pm
I’m 82 and used to be a 10. Did not play for awhile and had trouble getting my swing back. Even before buying the book, just looking at the Utubes I was able to right away hit real good shots. You guys who are talking the swing down do not have the ability to follow directions.
Mike
Jun 22, 2015 at 9:49 am
Have not bought the book, just watched various videos to get the concept. Took what I perceived as the proper move to the range. Have to tell you there is something there ( for me at least) I am an 8 handicapper, always working on a new “move”. Don’t kid yourself, it takes some work to get it (at least for me it did). Probably have hit 1000 balls using the A swing. I am a believer. At least for me, I think there is something there. On the course by drives are longer, I am playing with guys a lot younger (I am 67) and I am up with them and past on occasions. I won the super seniors long drive contest last year at our State Match play with a 286 yard drive so I was not short to begin with. But my drives are more penetrating and I have a little draw I never had. So at least for me I will continue working on this technique.
Mike T
May 30, 2015 at 10:57 pm
A fully cupped wrist at the top? I’ve done that and it sucks big time. It’s all just to sell a new book? Bogus. They don’t even explain what the A in the A Swing is… I can think of one thing.
Susinto
May 29, 2015 at 5:34 am
Bought it 2 weeks ago, i didnt change all my swings to A swing, but it did enhance the “feel” part of my golf game. I was/am a very mechanical swinger., able to make me enhance the feel part of my swing, i give this book 10/10, also considering only 10% fee of local pro for 1 hour. Would recomend it to all my near kin, those wo want to pick up golf at full speed.
Video on youtube and limits of budget and also pros in my country – indonesia, doesnt help my game much. After reading this book on kindle, i now can hit my shot higher with more spin, higher flush shot percentange on my 6&5 iron, hybrid and 5 wood, with a few adjustment made.
According to me, the current world no.1 (yes Rory) has the same swing as the A swing. Look at the 1st part of upswing till the shaft is parallel to the ground. Its definitely A swing. More apparent on titleist Rory (less bulky Rory), than the nike Rory (muscleman Rory)
Cheers
gvogel
May 25, 2015 at 8:42 am
Two words: Jimmy Bruen.
Five words: Phil Rogers helicopter wedge swing.
Heli
May 25, 2015 at 10:57 am
Bernhard Langer helicopter too?
Tim
Jul 13, 2015 at 4:05 pm
I don’t see much video or read much about Phil Rodgers anymore, but he schooled Jack Nicklaus on the wedge game. Jack was never very good in that area (didn’t need to be compared to the rest of the field) but when he needed help he went to Phil. I still use his figure 8 flop shot a lot around the green-side rough.
Jayw
May 25, 2015 at 8:32 am
There is a huge improvement in the transition from the top of the back swing to down swing in the video on the right. In the left video the initial move that the golfer makes in the transition of the downswing is with his shoulders, hand, and arms, and immediately he starts the typical over the top casting. The club starts an outside-in club path and the ball flight is from left to right. In the video on the right, the golfer starts the downswing from the ground up. His transition starts with a drop of his hands and arms. At impact the club path is much more down the line to inside out. No casting whatsoever. This is absolutely a night and day difference.
joe
May 25, 2015 at 3:26 am
Is this not Jim Fury’s swing?
Flop
May 25, 2015 at 12:57 am
This is a total FLOP.
The guy in the video is simply getting a couple of basic, standard swing tips, just to straighten him out a little bit, because his usual, upright, steep swing is a bit over the top (pun intended) and can be easily fixed without all this A-swing bull sheet. And the new swing really isn’t that much of an improvement, as can be witnessed in the video, which is a terrible example of a video to show, by the way. If the student all of a sudden started hitting perfect little baby draws and his swing looked totally different to his original swing, I would have been impressed, but alas, as it stands now, it’s really just barely an improvement. F
Jayw
May 24, 2015 at 9:38 am
According to the book by Daniel Coyle, The Talent Code, Greatness isn’t born. It’s grown. There is no talent without hard work. Also, the most successful tour players think and talk positive. Everything that’s related to the game of golf is expensive. That’s the way it’s always been and most likely always will be. The A Swing by David Leadbetter is less than 20 bucks on Amazon. And ships free with prime. 1/2 dozen (6) top quality brand name golf balls cost about that much.
Joe
May 24, 2015 at 6:24 am
I’m an 8.5 hdcp. I like to tinker. I realize this “tinkering” may limit serious progress. That said, this A Swing has been enjoyable. The book (Kindle version) is a relatively quick read and there are plenty of videos on line to help with visuals. After just one range session, I would say it seems repeatable. To me, being one that doesn’t practice, that “repeatability” is important. I will definately continue with it….I hope I don’t get caught between swings and that my glutes fire.
JSteinmann
May 23, 2015 at 9:08 pm
Everyone has a gimmick to sell books and videos. Golf instruction is all about making money and selling hopes and dreams presented as secrets and shortcuts to replace what is simply talent and hard work.
MHendon
May 23, 2015 at 10:24 pm
Well said
Bob J
Mar 10, 2017 at 1:17 am
Hogwash
Jayw
May 23, 2015 at 7:54 am
I like what I see so far about the A Swing. It looks like a simple swing, and easy to maintain. I’m going to read the book to see if it’s for me or not. It’ll be a good read. I like learning about the golf swing. If I like it I’ll pursue it further, if not that’s ok, at the very least I will have additional knowledge. I was watching a Bobby Jones series on the golf channel one time an he said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. In the A Swing video David was saying that the A swing is an Alternate method that may help some people that have difficulty with other swing types, etc. He made it clear that the A swing wasn’t for everyone or that it was not a cure all exact method. A lot of people have been using the conventional method for years and struggle with it and don’t improve. I don’t believe that the natural golf swing, or, single plane swing is the same as the A swing. Just to name a few of the differences that I see, in the single plane swing you spread your stance very wide, and place the ball more forward and out away from you so that you reach for the ball. Also, you rotate your hands and the clubhead on the backswing. I don’t see any of that in the A swing. The single plane is different and some like it. I always like to take a positive approach and take as much good out of something and someone as possible. I see only good things from A Swing that will help a lot of people that struggle with other swing types. Nothing ventured nothing gained.
Dudley Rogers
May 22, 2015 at 7:24 pm
It’s “…has been working with David and me…” not “with David and I”
other paul
May 22, 2015 at 7:21 pm
I am not sure what is with all the people on here calling it a shank. I think to many (not enough…?) people are reading Kelvin Miyahira’s stuff.
Jonny B
May 22, 2015 at 3:38 pm
Looks a lot like Ryan Moore’s swing.
MartyMoose
May 22, 2015 at 9:47 am
I’ll stick with the traditional backswing. The “A Swing” backswing has pull hook written all over it.
Guru
May 22, 2015 at 8:14 am
I hate that they tout this as revolutionary and try to add Lydia’s name to it.
The concept is simple. For those that are ‘hitters’ and not ‘swingers,’ you often put your lead arm on your chest at the top of the backswing, which gets your arms behind your chest in terms of sync and are too shallow coming into the ball, so trying to get the shaft parallel up top gets you out of whack. Come across the line to sync up. That is the A swing. Just saved you a ton of money.
Lydia is a swinger, and she does nothing close to the A swing. A hitters swing will always limit your distance vs a swingers swing, but is easier to learn IMO. Choose wisely and please don’t waste your money on these hacks
Bob J
Mar 10, 2017 at 1:23 am
Says the hack
ML
May 21, 2015 at 10:48 pm
Nearly impossible to make those changes In a couple “hours” by a 16 handicap
Couple years maybe
The guys a shill…. Now way
snowman
May 21, 2015 at 9:41 pm
This is very well may be a good way to teach/swing….But be on alert for the upcoming Ledbetter Infomercial/DVDs etc, etc that will hype this thing as “revolutionary” and all for three easy payments of 49.99. I love capitalism, and Ledbetter has stamped his name on lots of ‘golf stuff’ over the years.
Todd
May 21, 2015 at 7:12 pm
How do you determine when the body rotation and arm swing are “synchronized”? Can it be measured with a 3D motion measurement system? Is there a visual confirmation that can be gained from video? Seems awfully subjective to determine if there are no absolute tests for being “in sync”.
Desmond
May 21, 2015 at 4:26 pm
After watching the video, I do not see this “A Swing” as revolutionary only because I’ve seen much of it over the last 2 years. The backswing, with the left arm more against the chest, is what my instructor is teaching. It’s more forearms against the ribcage and lead arm more against chest, no need to separate, please quiet the hands and wrists (as most golfers move arms and wrists too much).I need to study this downswing more as more info is needed, but perhaps Leds took recent biomechanical studies, worked on it as other instructors I’ve read and visited, and voila! we have a “packaged” Alternative swing to which he can attract students. It’s a good gig, and better than “swing in the barrel Leds” of the ’90’s, which screwed up a lot of golfers with the spin move who took the barrell image literally.
What I’d like to see is the student on the left who was taught and videoed with Led’s traditional system, and then the same student on the right with the “A Swing.”
lance sedevie
May 21, 2015 at 3:39 pm
This pattern is the same as Brian Manzella’s soft draw pattern which works great and has been out for years. Nothing revolutionary to be seen here.
Anthony
May 21, 2015 at 3:27 pm
ok, so cross the line at the top? What about for us that do not slice the ball? in your traditional vs A swing picture, the traditional is right on plane at the top (traditionally speaking) and the A swing is crossing the line. Everything else being neutral, crossing the line at the top will get give the ball more draw/hook spin and reduce the slice. Crossing the line at the top taught to people who slice the ball, especially when they slice the ball because they are too laid off at the top. And the goal when teaching people to cross the line is that they move from their laid off move, to BEING ON PLANE, even though they feel they are crossing the line ( that is what is getting them on plane).
In the video you posted, before the lesson the guy is severely laid off at the top with an opened face (he is not on plane with a face square to the plane like in your traditional picture). After the lesson he looks like the traditional picture at the top of his swing(as he is on plane traditionally speaking), he is not crossing the line?
So is the A swing just telling you to get on plane at the top or cross the line? If it says to cross the line, he is not crossing the line at the top of his swing in this video. If A swing tells you to cross the line at the top, is that encouraged for someone who already hits draws?
Jake
May 21, 2015 at 11:58 am
This article seems like an advertisement for the book? Here’s some valueless fluff, now go buy my book. Poor.
Greg V
May 21, 2015 at 10:37 am
There are A swing videos by David Leadbetter on the current iPad Golf Digest edition.
My take is that the A swing is a shortened version of the type of outside/inside swing such as Jim Furyk makes. For many amateurs who fight a slice, over the top move, the A swing looks like it could provide positive benefits.
However, when you take a wonderfully natural swing which has worked at the highest level of women’s golf – Lydia Ko – and attempt to fit her action into the A swing paradigm, I believe that you are making a big mistake. My fear is that Lydia will start playing “golf swing”, instead of playing golf. That mistake has already been made by Michelle Wie and Suzanne Pettersen.
I hope that the effort to fit Lydia’s move into a “swing paradigm” is not the cause of Lydia’s recent substandard play, but I fear that it might be.
Jeff
May 21, 2015 at 9:49 am
Is this new swing motion basically a single plane swing with the club across the line or am I missing something. I’m curious because the photo of the A swing in the article looks exactly like my swing but as one plane swing and slightly across the line as I start down my hands track perfectly to the ball and the shaft flattens. All sounds good so far but the two problems are if the shaft flattens to long I can leave the face open with an inside path and if I try to square early I can get a little steep with an early release. It seems to me that this A Swing adds a bigger element of timing than if the shaft were on plane. Any suggestions Mr.Hogan.