Tag: swing

Categories
Golf Tips

Own Your Own Swing

By Scott Messner

Tiger Woods made an interesting comment at last December’s Hero World Challenge. He said he told his son Charlie “Don’t copy my swing. Copy Rory’s. I don’t move like that anymore, but Rory does. Have you ever seen Rory off balance on a shot? No.”

Sure. Charlie Wood’s and Rory McIlroy’s swings are similar, but Charlie Wood’s swing is Charlie Wood’s swing.

I watch a lot of streaming of the PGA Tour. I watch for things that almost every professional player does that may help me in my game. Many times, that boils down to positions of the club or hands at various points in the swing.

The most important clubface position is at impact with the ball. There are a multitude of different ways that professions golfers get the clubface in the correct position. While many professional golfers will have similar swings, many others will have different swings, vastly different swings.

Jim Furyk has one of the most unorthodox looking swings, with an extremely upright backswing, but Mr. Furyk’s swing is very repeatable for him. It allows him to consistently get the clubface in a great position at impact. Jim Furyk’s swing has produced the only 58 round in the history of the PGA Tour and over $70 million in career tournament earnings.

Watch any tournament today and you’ll see very different swings. Victor Hovland has a more vertical backswing and stands farther away from the ball than most other players. Jon Rahm has a short backswing and stands close to the ball. Tony Finau also has a short backswing. Matt Fitzpatrick has a longer backswing. They all repeatably put the clubface in a great position at impact. They all also, as of this writing, are ranked in the top 15 players in the world according to the Official World Golf Rankings. 

We all have different bodies. Our bodies are different ages and sizes, with different strengths, weaknesses, and capabilities. It’s not practical to watch another golfer’s swing and copy it 100% as your own.

Find ways to get your body in certain positions you see the pros in, especially properly positioning the clubface at impact on a consistent basis. This starts with having self-awareness of your own swing, knowing what causes your mishits, and being able to work on correcting them on your own. This process is made so much easier with the help of a golf teaching professional.

Own you own swing. While we can incorporate successful parts from others’ swings into our own, our unique bodies make our golf swings uniquely ours.

Isaiah 64:8 states that God molds each of us as a potter does a clay jar. Just as each clay vessel made by the potter is unique, God molds us into unique individuals according to His plan.

Isaiah 64:8
8
 But now, Yahweh, you are our Father. We are the clay and you our potter. We all are the work of your hand.

Are you moldable?

Categories
Golf Practice

When and Where to Find Help for your Golf Game

By Shooting 90

Many of us have been fortunate to have had some type of formal golf instruction at some point in our lives. For me it was two years on my high school golf team. I had golfed before that but it wasn’t until high school when I was able to create a solid foundation for my swing and my enjoyment of the game increased. I have no doubt my enjoyment of the game increased at this time because I was able to build that solid foundation with the help of my coaches.

Some amount of formal golf instruction is highly beneficial to getting maximum enjoyment from playing golf. Many of us can maintain and improve our swings. However, I feel this is only after we have a solid foundation. Creating a solid swing from which to build on is much easier with the help of formal instruction. But how much instruction does one need? Of course that depends on the individual. Some golfers can come out of a thirty minute lesson with a fundamentally correct swing. Others take more time.

So when should we seek formal instruction? You can already guess one of the times is if you are a beginner and not had instruction before. I believe at least some type of formal instruction is important to succeed in golf if for nothing more than creating a good foundation to built upon.

There are other times when formal instruction is the best thing for your game.

You compensate for a regular slice (or hook). I’m surprised at how many golfers I see compensate for their consistent slice off the tee. This cuts down on the number of holes you can use your driver on. Some holes will simply not have enough room for you to start your ball that far off the fairway. Even on the holes that do provide enough room, your chance of hitting the fairway is reduced by hitting a slice. Find help to straighten out your drives.

You have compensated for a recent injury and cannot get your pre-injury swing back. A solid golf swing involves almost every muscle group in your body. So it’s no surprise that there are many injuries that could affect your swing. Get help if you’re having trouble with your swing after recovering from an injury.

You have over-analyzed, over-tinkered with, and basically lost your swing. This has happened to me at times. Fortunately we can get our swing back ourselves most if not all of the time. But what if you can’t get your swing back? Find some help if you’ve made a mess of your swing and can’t get it back.

You want to quickly take your game to the next level. Once you have a fundamentally sound swing, you can make progress on your own. Taking advantage of instruction will accelerate this process. Why do you think the pros have coaches? Hire a golf coach if you want to accelerate the improvement in your game.

There are several places to find golf instruction.

Private lessons from your local golf course professional

Almost every course has a resident golf professional. The average rate for private lessons from local pros in my area is $60 per hour. You can also go in with your spouse or friend. Many pros offer group lessons at lower rates.

A clinic at your local golf course

Many courses offer golf clinics throughout the season. These are cheaper alternatives to private lessons. Many courses also offer junior clinics which are a great way to introduce children to the game of golf.

A golf school

There are several golf schools around the country that offer 2 to 5 day sessions. These are quite expensive, starting at around $1000, but offer a level of golf instruction not available anywhere else.