Do You Have a Patchwork Golf Swing?

With as many golf tips as there are out there, in many cases these tips just turn into “patches” that often don’t work together.  It can be very much like a computer software program that gets patches or updates that may not work with other programs…

Take the tip where you “keep your left arm straight”.  Ok, now add a tip on “keeping your weight on the inside of your right foot on the backswing”.  Throw in some “keep your head steady” and “keep your head down” and “hit down on the ball” and “don’t sway”.

Now add “Relax – you’re too tense.  Swing easy!”  This is about the time you’d like to knock somebody into next week!

With all that “instruction” you have patched your golf swing together with so many tips that there are bound to be conflicts.

What to do now?  Throw out the bad patches and tips.  How can you swing easy when you have so many conflicts?

Here starts today’s tip:  if a tip is restrictive, and you restrict yourself with another tip you’re going to lose performance.  Most of the tips from above are very restrictive.  Everyone has their own style of swing and many tips may not work together.

For a swing key start by understanding how to “load” so that you can “unload”.  Staying on the inside of the back foot is not loading.  Get on to the back foot so you can make that “loaded” backswing and you’ll have more power.  Feels like swaying?  Many tour pros are loading regardless of swaying.  For example, Greg Norman peak had some lateral movement in order to “load” his backswing regardless of “sway”. 

Usually it is all the things players are trying to do that cause the conflicts and problems.  Throw some of those old tips away and load up.  Go a little out of control in practice and see what happens…you will always default to a more controlled swing.  And, you’ll start to see some performance!

Then we can start working on your on-course game!!!

- Bob Duncan, PGA Teaching Professional

Riverridge GC, Eugene, OR

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