Opinion & Analysis
3 reasons why you shouldn’t model your golf swing after a Tour player’s swing
Are you attempting to model your swing after a tour player? In my experience, that is not a good idea. There are at least three reasons why.
1. You don’t have the talent
Please do not be offended, but let’s be honest. I accepted this fact myself years ago. We as everyday golfers have very little in common with touring professionals, aside from that we both put our pants on one leg at a time. Tour players are vastly different than we are for several reasons. They have, for the most part, played golf their entire life. The game has become as natural as breathing to them. They are also talented athletes who possess physical qualities that most of us do not possess. Those qualities include physical strength, flexibility, balance, coordination, stamina, dexterity, and rhythm all working in perfect balance. They are mentally, neurologically, and emotionally wired for competition. In the event that you are a scratch player, even then, you are still lightyears away from the Tour Pro level of talent. Be realistic with who you are as a golfer before you try to precisely emulate a golfer of supreme gifts and talents.
2. You don’t play by position
The golf swing is an entire motion in which you pass through a series of positions seamlessly from beginning to end. In the event that a position is incorrect, the proper way to modify it is to change the motion rather than attempting to achieve a position. In the past, the positions through which a golfer passed as they swung the club were not visible to the naked eye. That changed with the advent of the slow-motion video-camera, which gave teachers a tool they could use to help their students bridge the gap between feel and real.
At the very same time, the video-camera also bred the culture of monkey-see monkey-do, where players were encouraged to adopt isolated positions in the golf swing. The camera has since become a “crutch” for less progressive teachers whose approach became comparing a student’s swing to a Tour Professional.
After seeing their swing, a student might ask, “What am I doing wrong?” The teacher might show the student a stop-action picture of Jordan Spieth or any other professional model and then point out the difference between their two positions. “You should look like Jordan right here,” the teacher might say as he points at the screen. And then he sends the student off to work on duplicating that same position.
What does your common sense tell you? Can you think of any other sport where you would focus on achieving a specific position within a given motion? Baseball? Tennis? Hockey? Of course not, and so why would golf be any different? I’m sorry, but that isn’t teaching. The monkey-see-monkey-do approach produces students who are obsessed with achieving a position that they believe is going to lead them to the “promised land. “What they don’t know, until they arrive there, is that that road leads to nothing more than a dead end. Instead, focus on the actual motion of the golf swing and how you can improve impact with the golf ball; this is what actually matters and can help you improve.
3. No two golf swings are alike
The biomechanics of each and every golfer are different. Based on this principle, the attempt to copy another player’s swing makes no sense once it is understood that there are simply too many variables. They include:
- Height
- Build
- Arm Length
- Hand Size
- Torso Length
- Leg Length
- Physical Strength
- Flexibility
- Nervous System
- Athleticism
- Mental Acuity
These are just a few of the many variables that make each player’s swing unique. And while there may be two swings that look alike, for example, Tiger Woods and Adam Scott at one point in time, they are in their own ways very different.
In Summary
- There is nothing wrong with using a professional swing model for purposes of general comparison, provided you do not attempt to duplicate a specific position.
- The best approach when working toward eliminating a fault in your swing is not to focus on a specific position in the model’s swing, but rather to mimic the total swing motion in the area of concern.
- In the end, the best approach is not to try and copy another player’s swing.
Your “natural swing” must fit within the perimeters of your own biomechanics. As Popeye, the Sailor Man once said, “I yam what I yam.” Popeye had it right. You are what you are, and that is all you can be. Your goal then should be to create a better you, not a new you!
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19th Hole
Vincenzi’s 2024 Wells Fargo Championship betting preview: Tommy Fleetwood ready to finally land maiden PGA Tour title
The PGA Tour season ramps back up this week for another “signature event,” as golf fans look forward to the year’s second major championship next week.
After two weaker-field events in the Zurich Classic and the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, most of the best players in the world will head to historic Quail Hollow for one of the best non-major tournaments of the year.
Last season, Wyndham Clark won the event by four shots.
Quail Hollow is a par-71 measuring 7,521 yards that features Bermudagrass greens. The tree-lined, parkland style course can play quite difficult and features one of the most difficult three-hole stretches in golf known as “The Green Mile,” which makes up holes 16-18: two mammoth par 4s and a 221-yard par 3. All three holes have an average score over par, and water is in play in each of the last five holes on the course.
The field is excellent this week with 68 golfers teeing it up without a cut. All of the golfers who’ve qualified are set to tee it up, with the exception of Scottie Scheffler, who is expecting the birth of his first child.
Past Winners at Quail Hollow
- 2023: Wyndham Clark (-19)
- 2022: Max Homa (-8)
- 2021: Rory McIlroy (-10)
- 2019: Max Homa (-15)
- 2018: Jason Day (-12)
- 2017: Justin Thomas (-8) (PGA Championship)
- 2016: James Hahn (-9)
- 2015: Rory McIlroy (-21)
Key Stats For Quail Hollow
Strokes Gained: Approach
Strokes gained: Approach will be extremely important this week as second shots at Quail Hollow can be very difficult.
Total SG: Approach Over Past 24 Rounds
- Akshay Bhatia (+1.16)
- Tom Hoge (+1.12)
- Corey Conners (+1.01)
- Shane Lowry (+0.93)
- Austin Eckroat (+0.82)
Strokes Gained: Off the Tee
Quail Hollow is a long course on which it is important to play from the fairway. Both distance and accuracy are important, as shorter tee shots will result in approach shots from 200 or more yards. With most of the holes heavily tree lined, errant drives will create some real trouble for the players.
Strokes Gained: Off the Tee Past 24 Rounds:
- Ludvig Aberg (+0.73)
- Rory McIlroy (+0.69)
- Xander Schauffele (+0.62)
- Viktor Hovland (+0.58)
- Chris Kirk (+0.52)
Proximity: 175-200
The 175-200 range is key at Quail Hollow. Players who can hit their long irons well will rise to the top of the leaderboard.
Proximity: 175-200+ over past 24 rounds:
- Cameron Young (28’2″)
- Akshay Bhatia (29’6″)
- Ludvig Aberg (+30’6″)
- Sam Burns (+30’6″)
- Collin Morikawa (+30’9″)
SG: Total on Tom Fazio Designs
Players who thrive on Tom Fazio designs get a bump for me at Quail Hollow this week.
SG: Total on Tom Fazio Designs over past 36 rounds:
- Patrick Cantlay (+2.10)
- Rory McIlroy (+1.95)
- Tommy Fleetwood (+1.68)
- Austin Eckroat (+1.60)
- Will Zalatoris (+1.57)
Strokes Gained: Putting (Bermudagrass)
Strokes Gained: Putting has historically graded out as the most important statistic at Quail Hollow. While it isn’t always predictable, I do want to have it in the model to bump up golfers who prefer to putt on Bermudagrass.
Strokes Gained: Putting (Bermudagrass) Over Past 24 Rounds:
- Taylor Moore (+0.82)
- Nick Dunlap (+.76)
- Wyndham Clark (+.69)
- Emiliano Grillo (+.64)
- Cam Davis (+.61)
Course History
This stat will incorporate players that have played well in the past at Quail Hollow.
Course History over past 36 rounds (per round):
- Rory McIlroy (+2.50)
- Justin Thomas (+1.96)
- Jason Day (+1.92)
- Rickie Fowler (+1.83)
- Viktor Hovland (+1.78)
Wells Fargo Championship Model Rankings
Below, I’ve compiled overall model rankings using a combination of the five key statistical categories previously discussed — SG: Approach (27%), SG: Off the Tee (23%), SG: Total on Fazio designs (12%), Proximity: 175-200 (12%), SG: Putting Bermuda grass (12%), and Course History (14%).
- Wyndham Clark
- Rory McIlroy
- Xander Schauffele
- Shane Lowry
- Hideki Matsuyama
- Viktor Hovland
- Cameron Young
- Austin Eckroat
- Byeong Hun An
- Justin Thomas
2024 Wells Fargo Championship Picks
Tommy Fleetwood +2500 (DraftKings)
I know many out there have Tommy fatigue when it comes to betting, which is completely understandable given his lack of ability to win on the PGA Tour thus far in his career. However, history has shown us that players with Fleetwood’s talent eventually break though, and I believe for Tommy, it’s just a matter of time.
Fleetwood has been excellent on Tom Fazio designs. Over his past 36 rounds, he ranks 3rd in the field in Strokes Gained: Total on Fazio tracks. He’s also been incredibly reliable off the tee this season. He’s gained strokes in the category in eight of his past nine starts, including at The Masters, the PLAYERS and the three “signature events” of the season. Tommy is a golfer built for tougher courses and can grind it out in difficult conditions.
Last year, Fleetwood was the first-round leader at this event, firing a Thursday 65. He finished the event in a tie for 5th place.
For those worried about Fleetwood’s disappointing start his last time out at Harbour Town, he’s bounced back nicely after plenty of poor outings this season. His T7 at the Valero Texas Open was after a MC and T35 in his prior two starts and his win at the Dubai Invitational came after a T47 at the Sentry.
I expect Tommy to bounce back this week and contend at Quail Hollow.
Justin Thomas +3000 (DraftKings)
It’s been a rough couple of years for Justin Thomas, but I don’t believe things are quite as bad as they seem for JT. He got caught in the bad side of the draw at Augusta for last month’s Masters and has gained strokes on approach in seven of his nine starts in 2024.
Thomas may have found something in his most recent start at the RBC Heritage. He finished T5 at a course that he isn’t the best fit for on paper. He also finally got the putter working and ranked 15th in Strokes Gained: Putting for the week.
The two-time PGA champion captured the first of his two major championships at Quail Hollow back in 2017, and some good vibes from the course may be enough to get JT out of his slump.
Thomas hasn’t won an event in just about two years. However, I still believe that will change soon as he’s been one of the most prolific winners throughout his PGA Tour career. Since 2015, he has 15 PGA Tour wins.
Course history is pretty sticky at Quail Hollow, with players who like the course playing well there on a regular basis. In addition to JT’s PGA Championship win in 2017, he went 4-1 at the 2022 Presidents Cup and finished T14 at the event last year despite being in poor form. Thomas can return as one of the top players on the PGA Tour with a win at a “signature event” this week.
Cameron Young +3500 (DraftKings)
For many golf bettors, it’s been frustrating backing Cam Young this season. His talent is undeniable, and one of the best and most consistent performers on the PGA Tour. He just hasn’t broken through with a victory yet. Quail Hollow has been a great place for elite players to get their first victory. Rory McIlroy, Anthony Kim, Rickie Fowler and Wyndham Clark all notched their first PGA Tour win at Quail.
Throughout Cam Young’s career, he has thrived at tougher courses with strong fields. This season, he finished T16 at Riviera and T9 at Augusta National, demonstrating his preference of a tough test. His ability to hit the ball long and straight off the tee make him an ideal fit for Quail Hollow, despite playing pretty poorly his first time out in 2023 (T59). Young should be comfortable playing in the region as he played his college golf at Wake Forest, which is about an hour’s drive from Quail Hollow.
The 26-year-old has played well at Tom Fazio designs in the past and ranks 8th in the field in Strokes Gained: Total on those courses in his last 36 rounds. Perhaps most importantly, this season, Young is the best player on the PGA Tour in terms of proximity from 175-200 in the fairway, which is where a plurality and many crucial shots will come from this week.
Young is an elite talent and Quail Hollow has been kind to players of his ilk who’ve yet to win on Tour.
Byeong Hun An +5000 (FanDuel)
Byeong Hun An missed some opportunities last weekend at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. He finished T4 and played some outstanding golf, but a couple of missed short putts prevented him from getting to the winning score of -23. Despite not getting the win, it’s hard to view An’s performance as anything other than an overwhelming success. It was An’s fourth top-ten finish of the season.
Last week, An gained 6.5 strokes ball striking, which was 7th in the field. He also ranked 12th for Strokes Gained: Approach and 13th for Strokes Gained: Off the Tee. The South Korean has been hitting the ball so well from tee to green all season long and he now heads to a golf course that should reward his precision.
An’s driver and long irons are absolute weapons. At Quail Hollow, players will see plenty of approach shots from the 175-200 range as well as some from 200+. In his past 24 rounds, Ben ranks 3rd in the field in proximity from 175-200 and 12th in proximity from 200+. Playing in an event that will not end up being a “birdie” fest should help An, who can separate from the field with his strong tee to green play. The putter may not always cooperate but getting to -15 is much easier than getting to -23 for elite ball strikers who tend to struggle on the greens.
Winning a “signature event” feels like a tall task for An this week with so many elite players in the field. However, he’s finished T16 at the Genesis Invitational, T16 at The Masters and T8 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. The 32-year-old’s game has improved drastically this season and I believe he’s ready to get the biggest win of his career.
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19th Hole
Vincenzi’s LIV Golf Singapore betting preview: Course specialist ready to thrive once again
After another strong showing in Australia, LIV Golf will head to Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore looking to build off of what was undoubtedly their best event to date.
Sentosa Golf Club sits on the southern tip of Singapore and is one of the most beautiful courses in the world. The course is more than just incredible scenically; it was also rated 55th in Golf Digest’s top-100 courses in 2022-2023 and has been consistently regarded as one of the best courses in Asia. Prior to being part of the LIV rotation, the course hosted the Singapore Open every year since 2005.
Sentosa Golf Club is a par 71 measuring 7,406 yards. The course will require precise ball striking and some length off the tee. It’s possible to go low due to the pristine conditions, but there are also plenty of hazards and difficult spots on the course that can bring double bogey into play in a hurry. The Bermudagrass greens are perfectly manicured, and the course has spent millions on the sub-air system to keep the greens rolling fast. I spoke to Asian Tour player, Travis Smyth, who described the greens as “the best [he’s] ever played.”
Davis Love III, who competed in a Singapore Open in 2019, also gushed over the condition of the golf course.
“I love the greens. They are fabulous,” the 21-time PGA Tour winner said.
Love III also spoke about other aspects of the golf course.
“The greens are great; the fairways are perfect. It is a wonderful course, and it’s tricky off the tee.”
“It’s a long golf course, and you get some long iron shots. It takes somebody hitting it great to hit every green even though they are big.”
As Love III said, the course can be difficult off the tee due to the length of the course and the trouble looming around every corner. It will take a terrific ball striking week to win at Sentosa Golf Club.
In his pre-tournament press conference last season, Phil Mickelson echoed many of the same sentiments.
“To play Sentosa effectively, you’re going to have a lot of shots from 160 to 210, a lot of full 6-, 7-, 8-iron shots, and you need to hit those really well and you need to drive the ball well.”
Golfers who excel from tee to green and can dial in their longer irons will have a massive advantage this week.
Stat Leaders at LIV Golf Adelaide:
Fairways Hit
1.) Louis Oosthuizen
2.) Anirban Lahiri
3.) Jon Rahm
4.) Brendan Steele
5.) Cameron Tringale
Greens in Regulation
1.) Brooks Koepka
2.) Brendan Steele
3.) Dean Burmester
4.) Cameron Tringale
5.) Anirban Lahiri
Birdies Made
1.) Brendan Steele
2.) Dean Burmester
3.) Thomas Pieters
4.) Patrick Reed
5.) Carlos Ortiz
LIV Golf Individual Standings:
1.) Joaquin Niemann
2.) Jon Rahm
3.) Dean Burmester
4.) Louis Oosthuizen
5.) Abraham Ancer
LIV Golf Team Standings:
1.) Crushers
2.) Legion XIII
3.) Torque
4.) Stinger GC
5.) Ripper GC
LIV Golf Singapore Picks
Sergio Garcia +3000 (DraftKings)
Sergio Garcia is no stranger to Sentosa Golf Club. The Spaniard won the Singapore Open in 2018 by five strokes and lost in a playoff at LIV Singapore last year to scorching hot Talor Gooch. Looking at the course setup, it’s no surprise that a player like Sergio has played incredible golf here. He’s long off the tee and is one of the better long iron players in the world when he’s in form. Garcia is also statistically a much better putter on Bermudagrass than he is on other putting surfaces. He’s putt extremely well on Sentosa’s incredibly pure green complexes.
This season, Garcia has two runner-up finishes, both of them being playoff losses. Both El Camaleon and Doral are courses he’s had success at in his career. The Spaniard is a player who plays well at his tracks, and Sentosa is one of them. I believe Sergio will get himself in the mix this week. Hopefully the third time is a charm in Singapore.
Paul Casey +3300 (FanDuel)
Paul Casey is in the midst of one of his best seasons in the five years or so. The results recently have been up and down, but he’s shown that when he’s on a golf course that suits his game, he’s amongst the contenders.
This season, Casey has finishes of T5 (LIV Las Vegas), T2 (LIV Hong Kong), and a 6th at the Singapore Classic on the DP World Tour. At his best, the Englishman is one of the best long iron players in the world, which makes him a strong fit for Sentosa. Despite being in poor form last season, he was able to fire a Sunday 63, which shows he can low here at the course.
It’s been three years since Casey has won a tournament (Omega Dubai Desert Classic in 2021), but he’s been one of the top players on LIV this season and I think he can get it done at some point this season.
Mito Pereira +5000 (Bet365)
Since Mito Pereira’s unfortunate demise at the 2022 PGA Championship, he’s been extremely inconsistent. However, over the past few months, the Chilean has played well on the International Series as well as his most recent LIV start. Mito finished 8th at LIV Adelaide, which was his best LIV finish this season.
Last year, Pereira finished 5th at LIV Singapore, shooting fantastic rounds of 67-66-66. It makes sense why Mito would like Sentosa, as preeminent ball strikers tend to rise to the challenge of the golf course. He’s a great long iron player who is long and straight off the tee.
Mito has some experience playing in Asia and is one of the most talented players on LIV who’s yet to get in the winner’s circle. I have questions about whether or not he can come through once in contention, but if he gets there, I’m happy to roll the dice.
Andy Ogletree +15000 (DraftKings)
Andy Ogletree is a player I expected to have a strong 2024 but struggled early in his first full season on LIV. After failing to crack the top-25 in any LIV event this year, the former U.S. Amateur champion finally figured things out, finished in a tie for 3rd at LIV Adelaide.
Ogletree should be incredible comfortable playing in Singapore. He won the International Series Qatar last year and finished T3 at the International Series Singapore. The 26-year-old was arguably the best player on the Asian Tour in 2023 and has been fantastic in the continent over the past 18 months.
If Ogletree has indeed found form, he looks to be an amazing value at triple-digit odds.
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Opinion & Analysis
Ryan: Lessons from the worst golf instructor in America
In Tampa, there is a golf course that boasts carts that do not work, a water range, and a group of players none of which have any chance to break 80. The course is overseen by a staff of crusty men who have succeeded at nothing in life but ending up at the worst-run course in America. However, this place is no failure. With several other local courses going out of business — and boasting outstanding greens — the place is booked full.
While I came for the great greens, I stayed to watch our resident instructor; a poor-tempered, method teacher who caters to the hopeless. At first, it was simply hilarious. However, after months of listening and watching, something clicked. I realized I had a front-row seat to the worst golf instructor in America.
Here are some of my key takeaways.
Method Teacher
It is widely accepted that there are three types of golf instructors: system teachers, non-system teachers, and method teachers. Method teachers prescribe the same antidote for each student based on a preamble which teachers can learn in a couple day certification.
Method teaching allows anyone to be certified. This process caters to the lowest caliber instructor, creating the illusion of competency. This empowers these underqualified instructors with the moniker of “certified” to prey on the innocent and uninformed.
The Cult of Stack and Jilt
The Stack and Tilt website proudly boasts, “A golfer swings his hands inward in the backswing as opposed to straight back to 1) create power, similar to a field goal kicker moving his leg in an arc and 2) to promote a swing that is in-to-out, which produces a draw (and eliminates a slice).”
Now, let me tell you something, there is this law of the universe which says “energy can either be created or destroyed,” so either these guys are defying physics or they have no idea what they are taking about. Further, the idea that the first move of the backswing determines impact is conjecture with a splash of utter fantasy.
These are the pontifications of a method — a set of prescriptions applied to everyone with the hope of some success through the placebo effect. It is one thing for a naive student to believe, for a golf instructor to drink and then dispel this Kool-Aid is malpractice.
Fooled by Randomness
In flipping a coin, or even a March Madness bet, there is a 50-50 chance of success. In golf, especially for new players, results are asymmetric. Simply put: Anything can happen. The problem is that when bad instructors work with high handicappers, each and every shot gets its own diagnosis and prescription. Soon the student is overwhelmed.
Now here’s the sinister thing: The overwhelming information is by design. In this case, the coach is not trying to make you better, they are trying to make you reliant on them for information. A quasi Stockholm syndrome of codependency.
Practice
One of the most important scientists of the 20th century was Ivan Pavlov. As you might recall, he found that animals, including humans, could be conditioned into biological responses. In golf, the idea of practice has made millions of hackers salivate that they are one lesson or practice session from “the secret.”
Sunk Cost
The idea for the worst golf instructor is to create control and dependency so that clients ignore the sunk cost of not getting better. Instead, they are held hostage by the idea that they are one lesson or tip away from unlocking their potential.
Cliches
Cliches have the effect of terminating thoughts. However, they are the weapon of choice for this instructor. Add some hyperbole and students actually get no information. As a result, these players couldn’t play golf. When they did, they had no real scheme. With no idea what they are doing, they would descend into a spiral of no idea what to do, bad results, lower confidence, and running back to the lesson tee from more cliches.
The fact is that poor instruction is about conditioning players to become reliant members of your cult. To take away autonomy. To use practice as a form of control. To sell more golf lessons not by making people better but through the guise that without the teacher, the student can never reach their full potential. All under the umbrella of being “certified” (in a 2-day course!) and a melee of cliches.
This of course is not just happening at my muni but is a systemic problem around the country and around the world, the consequences of which are giving people a great reason to stop playing golf. But hey, at least it’s selling a lot of golf balls…
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Pingback: 3 reasons why you shouldn’t model your golf swing after a Tour player’s swing - ClickitGolf
lance
Sep 7, 2018 at 1:50 pm
I went for lessons from a Top 100 Golf Instructor who also helped a top tour pro with his golf swing. I got parts of that top pro’s swing into my swing and I am so happy with my semi-pro golf swing.
shawn
Sep 8, 2018 at 1:50 pm
So tell us… are you half-lance and half-tiger ….????
NTL2
Sep 6, 2018 at 5:39 pm
Golf is all about hand eye coordination. Athleticism can help no doubt but if you have mediocre hand eye coordination you will not have a great swing.
shawn
Sep 6, 2018 at 6:03 pm
Only eyes and hands? You forgot feet, legs, hips, torso and arms… where all the problems occur… 😮
Bob Jones
Sep 6, 2018 at 11:40 am
Good advice.
shawn
Sep 6, 2018 at 6:04 pm
…. and everybody reading the article will bookmark it under “Advice”… 😛
John
Sep 6, 2018 at 8:58 am
Hahaha…. hilarious
Tour pros have physical strength, flexibility, stamina….
Last I saw…tour pros were just golfers…not elite CrossFit people.
Bob Denby
Sep 6, 2018 at 10:46 am
The DYNAMICS of the ‘energy transfer’ (between the club and the ball) at impact are all that matter, however achieved. There are too many glaring differences between the pros to justify anything more than attempting to copy any of them in any but the most general way (how often is Craig Stadler used as a model?). How we get to ‘impact’ is all that counts.
stevet
Sep 6, 2018 at 3:41 pm
How we get to ‘impact’ is the Kinetic Chain dynamics that occurs between the ground and feet all the way to the wrists and hands. Impact is a minor 50/10,000th consequence of the golf swing.
greg
Sep 6, 2018 at 1:20 pm
Fully clothed tour pros don’t fully reveal their physical attributes … except for Phil…
RQ
Sep 6, 2018 at 6:17 pm
Yes… Phil’s tour body has matured perfectly over the years ….
Daniel
Sep 6, 2018 at 7:28 pm
So you dont think tour players have increased strength flexibility and stamina.. especially compared to the average amateur golfer.. ill bet greg norman still blows all of us out of the water in those aspects, and he doesnt even play anymore… stupid comment
Coop
Sep 6, 2018 at 8:08 am
Great article Rod. General stuff is ok, but getting into specific positions within the motion and you’re on shaky ground. One thing leads to another, leads to another.. and so much of what we see is simple cause and effect. You can’t shoehorn tour player moves (e.g. shallowing the shaft, using the ground, holding lag…) into a < 1.5 second motions. So much of what we see in pros' swings is pure natural athletic sense and actions and reactions – the "correct" positions then show up.
shawn
Sep 6, 2018 at 6:08 pm
… and then there is the tried and true approach of trial and error and error and error method …. 😀
Jack
Sep 6, 2018 at 4:09 am
LOL true and not true, but mostly true. Most people would give up golf before they could get their swing to look like a pro’s, much less be a poor man’s version of one. I’ve gone down that road, and although my swing still looks nothing like a pro’s, it’s better in some ways but still so far from it and my game suffered hugely for a long while. It’s probably useless for weekend warriors to expect to achieve that kind of change and still enjoy golf. To be a handicapped golfer you can have imperfect swings. If we had great swings we’d be pro’s, and well like the author said we will never be.
Cod
Sep 6, 2018 at 3:18 am
What a load of codswallop
shawn
Sep 6, 2018 at 6:09 pm
… nonsense… !!!!!
Daniel Forbes
Sep 6, 2018 at 7:29 pm
Why???
XOXO
Sep 6, 2018 at 3:02 am
Didn’t almost all of the current PGA tour players live in an age in which they had cameras and teaching pros who used cameras/videos to teach and shape theirs swings?
I was an ex-minor league baseball player, and through my playing career (HS, college, pro) cameras, videos and photos were used to illustrate proper positions when you are doing things right in the swing.
I think emulating someone’s swing is wrong because of the parameters listed, but learning from it to achieve a better swing is certainly not
greg
Sep 6, 2018 at 1:29 pm
“proper positions” = snapshot stills = statue positions
All athletics is dynamic, not static. The mind only feels motion.
XOXO
Sep 6, 2018 at 10:44 pm
“statue positions” to know where you are during the swing, and to “feel” that position in an effort to achieve a better dynamic swing. Like baseball. Or a basketball player looking at still shots of their shooting elbow.
Sometimes trying or even forcing these positions and sometimes exaggerating them through practice leads to better dynamic motion and performance.
I dont think the guy who comes over the top will ever hit a golf ball any better performance-wise doing what he does dynamically. So how does he learn? Watch a split second movement in motion from a teacher or live tv? I don’t think he will even capture what is being done accomplished
reggie
Sep 6, 2018 at 1:48 am
I model my golf swing after the Tour player’s swing… but I start with the clubs, shafts, balls, shoes, clothes… and that’s about as far as I get… 🙁
greg
Sep 6, 2018 at 1:15 pm
LOL
Caroline
Sep 6, 2018 at 12:12 am
Hitting the ball clean going toward where you want it to go and distance you want it to go is the right swing for you…finding a way to hit the ball the same every swing is the answer…Moe Norman knew that his right hand came back to the same position 99.9% of the time in effect tossing the ball toward his target every time…
greg
Sep 6, 2018 at 1:23 pm
Moe Norman altered his swing for his portly old age body. He had to add his right hand into the downswing because he couldn’t hit the ball over 200 yards. It didn’t work.
jack
Sep 6, 2018 at 6:19 pm
How can you say that about Moe “Pipeline” Norman… the Greatest Ball Striker of All Time … according to him.
JM
Sep 5, 2018 at 10:24 pm
Physical qualities are not talent. This article is ridiculous in certain parts. What’s wrong with emulating parts of their swings if its achievable. Being realistic doesn’t mean you have to accept less than your best or can’t set reach/stretch goals. How about a more positive attitude towards improvement instead of this condescending article. Plenty of good things to copy in tour pros swings for the average golfer, tempo, clubhead path, sequence of motion, etc. Who do propose they attempt to emulate as an alternative?
SImmm
Sep 6, 2018 at 12:05 am
There are a million golf instructors out there that love your reply…..
freowho
Sep 6, 2018 at 3:32 am
Physical qualities are talent! Do you think a 2 foot midget with incredible skill could hit the ball as far as Dustin Johnson?
PineStreetGolf
Sep 6, 2018 at 8:38 am
Yes, that midgets nam is Justin Thomas
Julie
Sep 5, 2018 at 7:13 pm
Btsgolf.com for information
chris
Sep 5, 2018 at 6:56 pm
Test for adults who want to take up golf. Stand naked in front of a full length mirror and ask yourself the question: “Is that an athletic golf body, or what?”
J
Sep 5, 2018 at 7:43 pm
Exactly my point. If a fat or old person who doesn’t exercise tried to copy a NBA or NFL “juke” move, he would break his own ankles.
“natural swing” = practice short game and putting if you cant see your belt at address.
greg
Sep 6, 2018 at 1:26 pm
Fat and old adults who attempt golf live in a fantasy world where the entry fee is a set of golf clubs and green fees… they litter the golf courses flailing!
orville
Sep 5, 2018 at 6:54 pm
The guy at the golf store sold me a set of clubs that he said were powerful and straight and that’s why I bought them. They are no good and I want to get my money back. Golf is tough.
Ab
Sep 6, 2018 at 12:15 am
Oh shuddup you Nancy
RQ
Sep 6, 2018 at 5:59 pm
Ab = Nancy2… sooo obvious
J
Sep 5, 2018 at 6:42 pm
If you have a fat belly where you can’t see your belt buckle or over 45 years old and do not exercise, this article applies.
K
Sep 6, 2018 at 6:15 pm
check.. check… and check…. now where do I get my Tour player’s swing?? 😎
Carson Henry
Sep 5, 2018 at 4:59 pm
Fantastic article
Scott
Sep 5, 2018 at 4:21 pm
Yes, yes, and yes.
BJ
Sep 5, 2018 at 4:19 pm
I would also add that, especially for iron and wedge play, effective launch conditions are related to ball speed. And for that reason, attempting to achieve “tour pro” like impact if you don’t have tour pro speed is fraught with danger.
Mike the OK Golfer
Sep 6, 2018 at 2:46 pm
Yes, but what of Calvin Peete or Paul Goydos? Not a lot of “tour pro speed” there. And yet, obviously tremendous impact, Peete was world #1 for a time, I believe.
Bryson DeShamwow
Sep 5, 2018 at 3:44 pm
Nothing you write will tell me that my perfect replica of Furyk’s swing with custom single length Miura’s isn’t what is best for me. Who cares if I take 6 hours a round and shoot 130’s, you’re a joke Rod.