Swing Solutions

After Rory McIlroy’s win at the Scottish Open I anxiously read a blog which highlighted his victory which was based on a fresh new swing thought.  That heading was a real teaser as the article never exposed his wonderful thought.  But it certainly made me realize how your focus on a single swing thought can turn your game around.

I agree that a swing thought is critical if you want to be successful with each type of club, but it may change with every type of club. Each of your clubs have a different weight and swing characteristic so it’s only in your best interest to focus on a thought that will help you achieve excellence for each type of shot.

Driver Thought: This club is designed for distance so any swing thought should be to generate power with a shot that will land in your target fairway.  I personally aim to the right side of the fairway and setup to create a draw by slipping my trailing foot back slightly from my target line and teeing the ball up to ensure that the ball will launch higher.   My swing thought is to bow my wrist at the top (to shallow my down-swing) and rotate my leading hip to swing up the inside slot. (Rory does not use a bowed wrist.)

Iron and Hybrid Thought: These clubs are designed for a unique distance with better direction control.  At the point of impact, your sternum needs to line-up just in front of your ball to ensure that the lowest point in your swing arc is just beyond the point where your ball is resting.  Low handicap golfers shift their chest to line up their sternum during their down-swing.  Higher handicap golfers may find it easier to setup with extra bend in their leading knee to lining-up their sternum forward of the ball at setup (and hold that position through out their swing to impact).

Wedge Thought:  Plan your shot by choosing the right club and setup to allow your ball to land and roll out to the hole. Impacting with the ball before the ground is important but you need to practice the right amount of backswing to generate the distance and rollout that you want.  Focus your thought on the right amount of backswing.

Putter Thought:  After you line up your putt based on the expected break and distance you should practice your feel for the right amount of swing required to pass the hole by about 1 to 2 feet.  Your only thought during your putt should be to impact dead center on your putter face as you swing up your target line: DON’T MOVE YOUR EYES OFF THE POINT DIRECTLY BEHIND YOUR BALL until 2 seconds after impact.]

You may have your own personal thoughts but keep them simple.  Practice with GOLFSTR+ to perfect the correct swing with your arm and wrist for all 6 swing fixes.   Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

NOTE:  Golf  Magazine said that Rory focuses on a wider takeaway so that he can shallow at the top and swing up the slot with rotated (open) hips.

I found 3 surprising opportunities that fired up Brian Harman to win The Open. They are not what you are thinking. He has NOT been winning for many years, but his game has recently been improving in spit of his aging body at 36. He has finally rejuvenated his game after 20 years of trying to find the magic again.

The most important fact that we should pay attention to, is that he never stopped trying to find perfection in his game and we should all do the same. These 3 points were critical for his success.

1/ An Unpleasant Inspiration
On day 3 of The Open, he started his day leading the field. Unfortunately, he made 2 early bogies in his round. Most golfers may see this as the end of their good fortunes and continue to crash and burn. Fortunately, a hostile fan heckled Brian with the comment: “ Harman, you haven’t got the stones to win” . Those vicious words were enough for Brian to turn around his day. It put fire in his belly. It not only inspired him on Saturday but carried him to victory by 6 strokes.

2/ Sticking to His Strategy
Harman had decided that the pot belly bunkers were the evil plague that destroyed the rounds for so many of the pros. He decided to select clubs on every hole to hit short of the bunkers. Most of the greens were surrounded by those bunkers so he also used high shots onto every green to avoid them. Even more important was his skill to hit long iron shots safely to the greens.

3/ Always Searching for Success
In recent years Brian was making a good income from golf but he wanted to find perfection. Knowing that his putting was letting him down, he found an old Golf Training Aid in his collection of golfing paraphernalia. He called it a “silly mirror”. He was “cutting” his putts and used the mirror to help him put a “baby draw” on his putts. [These are very strange words to describe any putting motion when the object is to hit putts STRAIGHT.]

After the US Open, Brian started using his training aid as a reminder to improve his putts. His putting heated up even more at Hoylake, where Harman led the field in strokes gained putting (+11.57 for the week). He sank 58 of 59 putts from inside 10 feet.

GOLFSTR+ may be the Training Aid that will kick-start your game with 6 swing fixes. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

Can you learn from Scottie Scheffler’s swing? He recently returned to World Number 1 with 6 wins since February 2022. He achieved this feat in spite of his wild footwork during his swing. Most swing lessons tells us to finish in balance. Scottie does this but his feet are flying throughout his swing. Should you attempt to duplicate his fancy footwork?

Scottie adds a lot of motion to his footwork during his downswing in orderto add more power. Others, like Rory McIlroy, achieve the same distance with a balanced finish using a more conventional golf swing.

I found this interesting review of Scottie’s swing in a recent blog:

[The defining trait of Scottie Scheffler’s golf swing is his footwork. During his downswing, his trail (right) foot slides towards his left. Greg Norman did something similar, and Scottie himself says it’s become a way that helps him feel athletic through the shot. His feet slide in the same direction as the club when it swings through, which helps transfer his weight and prevent a left miss.

It’s a move that may have been coached out of a player in a bygone era. But Scottie and his longtime coach, Golf Digest Top 50 coach Randy Smith, built around it. And therein lies the lesson, said fellow PGA Tour player Michael S. Kim on Twitter: “Find your best swing, don’t copy others.”

Kim’s point is a good one: That rather than caring how something should look, the ultimate goal is to meld a swing to your unique body. Everybody is slightly different, which means they’ll be more prone to swing the golf club in slightly different ways.]

In the long run Scottie may wear out body parts or he may lose his magic touch for direction control as his body tires out during each round of 18 holes (as noticed in a recent tournament).

Scottie’s spectacular record may inspire you to try his technique or your own unique swing features for distance and direction control. If that’s not working, you can always convert back to a traditional swing the way that Rickie Fowler got his game back on track.

Before you try to innovate a new swing, you should learn the basics by practicing with GOLFSTR+ for 6 swing fixes. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

Over 10 years ago, I developed GOLFSTR+, a golf training aid to remind me to keep my leading arm straight during my backswing. I knew that I had a winner when I started playing a round of golf at Indian Wells Golf Resort in Palm Springs, CA while wearing my GOLFSTR+. After hitting a number of greens in regulation, I removed my training aid and soon lost my magic. Practicing and playing with GOLFSTR+ was a great start for my future golfing success.

I had learned that if I kept my leading arm straight, I could generate more distance, but my limited flexibility was limiting my backswing. In every round while playing without GOLFSTR+, I found that I would start bending my leading arm to increase my backswing to gain more distance. That bent leading arm would eventually destroy the consistency of my hits.

If you have been reading my recent blogs, you will be aware of my testing program to roll my leading arm elbow clockwise so that it faces up my target line during my setup.

BINGO: I now realize that this leading arm muscle roll is creating a strain in my arm that locks my leading arm straight DURING MY BACKSWING.

This is the miracle that I have been searching for to create consistency in every shot for distance and direction control. I just have to remember to set up with the elbow roll for every shot. I may add a 2 to 3 foot takeaway waggle for my driver but I definitely have to take my time to add a full backswing and a cocked wrist for lag at the top.

Many of the best pros and most of the female pros make a slow and controlled backswing as it has very little impact on the speed of their downswing.

Practice your lead elbow roll wearing your GOLFSTR+ for every shot and you will quickly see improvement in your drives and fairway shots. You will overcome the feeling of a strain in your leading arm as your swing becomes more consistent. Of course, you still need to transfer your weight as you execute your downswing and complete your follow-though. GOLFSTR+ reminds you to keep your leading arm straight. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

This is the fourth in a Series of simple adjustments that you should explore to improve your game. Your swing thoughts should be embedded in your brain so that you don’t need to hash them out every time you setup for your next shot. Rushing your backswing will destroy your performance.

Avoid an abbreviated Back-Swing: Use a 2 or 3 foot takeaway waggle to feel the right rotation of my shoulders and hips before you start your actual swing. It will give you a new feeling for the start of your swing because you are making this wake-up move with your shoulders and NOT just your arms.

Add enough time in your backswing: Your speed and cadence will depend on how easy it is to keep a straight leading arm, to rotate your shoulders and hips as you add wrist lag before your transition. You will be amazed as I am that when you take more time for your backswing you can create a lot more power and distance.

Shallow Your club at the top: Haney, Leadbetter and Ballard are all teaching golfers to loop their club down at the top of their swing to shallow the club and avoid slicing from over the tip swings. Bowing your wrist down at the top will help you shallow your swing.

Avoid Early Extension: Swing through your ball with the transfer of weight to your leading foot so that your iron sweeps the grass after impact and your driver launches upward after it passed the bottom of your swing. We all want to extend our knees after impact but you can’t afford to get excited and extend them too early. Use your knees to push forward instead of rushing to spring up.

Your successful golf swing is all about timing. When you get it right you will experience a wonderful feeling of euphoria and your ball will launch like butter. Practice with GOLFSTR+ to get that feeling with a straight leading arm. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

This is the third in a Series of simple adjustments that you should explore to improve your game. Your swing thoughts need to be embedded deep in your brain so that you don’t hash them out every time you setup for your next shot. Own your unique setup for each of your clubs to create a consistent swing and consistent results.

Your setup and takeaway timing is extremely critical for the success of your swing. After you stand behind your ball and choose your target line, pick a point in the grass within 3 feet from your ball. From that point forward you can isolate yourself within your own CUBE like Wyndham Clark at the 2023 US Open . Learn to believe in the success of the shot that you are about to make. If you complete the perfect setup and proper swing with the right club you can only expect excellence.

Easier said than done. Clark did it, almost to perfection but it was good enough to beat the best in the golf world. You have made perfect shots to the perfect location so why can’t you do this every time? It just takes a little focus on what works best for your strength, flexibility and mental attitude.

The perfect setup stance: An athletic stance with a bend at your hips, a straight back & neck and a limited bend of your knees with the right spread of your feet (unique for each club). Right-handed golfers should add a clockwise rotation for your leading and trailing elbows to simplify shallowing your club in your backswing. It’s up to you to choose the pro who you want to emulate for the power that you want to generate.

The right grip for each club is a light grip which is nesting across the base of your fingers. This allows your driver and iron swings to release fully through impact. Your putter grip should be a preference for each golfer, but you can’t afford to be guiding your putt with your wrists and fingers. Swing your putter by using your spine to rotate your shoulders.

Don’t stretch out to reach your ball: In your athletic stance you are bending at your hips. Let you hand hang directly down to the grip on your club. If you stretch your arms out during your setup you will typically slice more shots off the end of your club face. Bryson DeChambeau sets up reaching his arms out for his ball to swing like a robot but he seems to be losing control of his shot direction .[Not a great example to follow.] Adjust your hip bend based on the length of your club and use your practice swing to build mental confidence that you will impact your ball correctly.

You have no excuse to mess-up your setup. Emulate the setup by Ernie Els and Adam Scott. Do it slowly and deliberately to find your comfort position before you make your practice swing and then move forward to your ball. Practice with GOLFSTR+ to get the feeling right for every swing with each of your clubs. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

This is the second in a Series of simple adjustments that you should explore to improve your game. Your swing thoughts need to be embedded deep in your brain so that you don’t need to hash them out every time you setup for your next shot. Rolling your elbows in your setup will add power and direction control for every shot.

I was surprised to see that Martin Chuck and Danny Maude released blogs a few weeks ago recommending that you should setup by rolling an elbows clockwise (for right handed golfers).
–Martin Chuck recommended: “How to Aim Your Elbow to Maximize Your Consistency and Accuracy.” His blog referred to a setup by rolling your LEADING arm elbow.
-Danny Maude recommended: “Aways Start with Your Right Arm in this Position for Consistency, Accuracy, and Distance.” His blog referred to a setup by rolling your TRAILING arm elbow.
It really was surprising to see both of these trainers recommending unique elbow setups (one for your leading arm and the other for your trailing arm). Of course, I had to test these setups before releasing this blog. I really did find surprising results.

Understanding Elbow Rotation
You can try this with or without a golf club in your hands. Extend your arms and hold your hands together as if you are gripping a golf club. Without rotating your hands (for right hand golfers) you will find that you can rotate your left elbow clockwise so that it will line up to point in the direction of your target (up the fairway). You can also rotate your right elbow clockwise so that the crease at your elbow faces upward (as it normally does with a strong grip).

Observations Watching the US OPEN and on the golf course
Pros in the US Open and lower handicap golfers automatically line up their leading arm elbow in the clockwise rotated direction (with their elbow pointing up the fairway). Weaker golfers typically setup with the crease on both elbows pointing inward.

I tried drives with all 3 combinations: (leading elbow rotated, trailing elbow rotated and both elbows rotated clockwise). After I got over the tension in my arms (caused by the forced rotation), I was able to make very consistent drives as long as I released with an inside to outside swing to create a nice draw. [You may find a different result but I am recommending that you test this out on your game.] Leading elbow rotation helps my swing to shallow the club in my backswing and trailing elbow rotation delivers a much stronger release up the inside slot.

Both of these clockwise elbow rotations (for right-handed golfers and the opposite for left handed golfers) will improve your consistency for direction control and more distance. I love these recommendations but realize that I need to ingrain my elbow rotation into my setup routine. Practice with GOLFSTR+ as I know that the leading elbow rotation really helps me swing with a straight leading arm. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

This is the first in a Series of simple adjustments that you may want to try to improve your game. Your swing thoughts need to be embedded deep in your brain so that you don’t need to hash them out every time you setup for your next shot. Setting up to shape your shot is the easiest way to hit more fairways and greens.

It really is frustrating when your ball does not head where you thought you were aiming your shot. Minor changes in your setup and swing make all the difference. Your line up, your posture and bad thoughts from your last shot will all affect your next shot. You can’t afford to stand over your ball thinking about your last miss-hit. You need a positive plan to make your next CONFIDENT swing or putt exactly where you plan.

Learn to Shape your Shot
Don’t expect to hit every drive or fairway shot exactly straight at you target. Very few of your shots every fly in a straight line. To add more control to every one of your shots over 100 yards you should be setting up for a slight draw or fade depending on your normal swing. Your launch direction is based on the face of your club at the point of impact and your ball flight will create its curving path based on the side and/or top and undercut rotation of your ball.

A higher percentage of pros tend to add draw for their shots to gain distance and you should too. Practice creating a draw for most of your shots. Setup with a very slightly closed club face and execute your swing with a shallow inside to outside swing across your target line. If this is not creating a draw, then test your swing with a slightly closed stance (moving your trailing foot back an inch from your target line) and/or a slightly stronger grip by rotating your trailing hand back (pointing the V from your thumb to your first finger to the right of you trailing arm pit).

Every golfer has different strengths in their physical body rotation so you should use a trial and error approach at the driving range to figure out if you need to add a closed stance or stronger grip change to add draw to most of your swings.

Golf is a game of physical science. Every human body has a different makeup of strength depending on your physical activity and injuries which you have sustained throughout your life. Make slight adjustments to determine what works best for your body and game. Practice with GOLFSTR+ to control every swing in your game. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

Don’t you wonder why you are more likely to top a ball when you are trying to hit your longest distance with any of your clubs. It’s that ticking time bomb in your head. It’s caused by your state of mind that triggers a chain reaction in your mind and body to overpower your transition at the top of your swing. You need a remedy to break that STUPID habit.

Pros Have the Same Problems
What happened to Rory McIlroy in the 2023 Masters? He missed the cut and it must have been caused by the pressure and emotion to win! The opposite must have happened to Jason Day’s victory in the Byron Nelson after 5 years without a win. It’s not the phase of the moon or just wearing lucky copper infused socks. Calm, controlled emotion must have a lot to do with your success on any given day when you are playing golf.

What is Your Primary Mishit?
The slope of the ground where you are standing has a lot to do with your mishits but first your need to understand what causes your mishits on the flat surface of the tee or fairway. It’s rare that TV cameras will show us the mishits for the pros but they do happen. We should be more concerned with the typical mishit for Weekend Warriors. I have played with hundreds of different golfers so I suspect that you will agree that fat and thin shots are the most prevalent mistakes for mid-handicappers. But thin hits or topped balls are by far the most common mishits for most golfers.

Problems Causing your Topped Ball Mishits
We all have to agree that emotion and personal pressure to hit longer or better shots are the primary causes for our mishits. These are the causes:
1/ Swaying back in the backswing and then rushing your arms during the downswing are the primary cause for bottoming out our swing arc before the ball and then topping the ball as your club arcs upward.
2/ Tensing our shoulder and arm muscles reduces the length of our swing arc. You may be lifting your shoulders or bending your leading arm to shorten your swing arc (as compared to the distance when you setup for your hit.)
3/ “Early Extension” refers to the way you stand up taller just before your impact with the ball. During impact, you need to keep your shoulders down on the same plane as when you setup.
4/ Transition Yip: You can’t afford to rush the transition because it will make your arms get out of sync with your body as you start to shift your weight to your leading foot. The harder you try to swing the worse this problem get. Just relax the transition.

Solution: We all need to create a comfortable rhythm to add wrist lag at the top and to hold that lag as we transition into our downswing. I now think the words “bow annnd go” to add cadence to my backswing. Saying “bow” reminds me to bow my leading wrist (for drives) or fatten my leading wrist (for fairway woods and irons), saying “annnd” as I cock my wrists for lag at the top and “go” as I bump my hip forward to start my down swing.

Create your rhythm at the top to help you relax your swing. Practice with GOLFSTR+ for all of your swings. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com
 

The 2023 PGA Championship was a real exciting nail bitter. If you were watching, you may have picked up some insights which will impact the success or failure in your game too. Of course, perfection for every swing in YOUR game is every golfer’s wish. So that’s why you practice and play this game instead of turning into a couch potato. These tips may hopefully help you turn on a few light bulbs for your future rounds of golf.

PGA Pro Ties for 15th Place (and a big payday)
Michael Block was one of the 20 PGA Golf Course Pros who was selected to play at the PGA Championship. It is rare that these Club Pros every get into the top 20 for this tournament so the network cameras focused a lot of time on Michael Block during his Cinderella success. He had only honed his skills for years by hitting about ONE bucket of balls every week as he demonstrated shots to his trainees on a California golf course.

Why was he so successful? Surprisingly, he used old technology clubs that worked for his game. He has played with the same 7 iron since 2013 and his Odyssey White Hot 2-ball putter for the past 20 years. Luck also came into play when he sank a hole-in-one on the final day. You only need to know the right club and the right swing to hit your target. We should all work on perfecting our swing but you will need some divine guidance or a great caddie to find success.

BTW he was offered $50K for the 7 iron used for his hole-in-one shot. He should have taken the offer as he had the highest scores on his next tournament and he missed the cut.

68% of the LIV Golfers Made the Cut
Brooks Koepka won the tournament at 9 under par. Including Brooks, 5 of the top 20 spots were from the LIV team. [Three LIV players finished in the top six at The Masters.]. It really is critical for PGA and LIV to work together to provide world class golf. It will be a great loss if the golf entertainment world don’t provide a unified solution in the near future.

One Shot Can Ruin Your GAME
Don’t fall into this trap! On day 3 of the PGA Championship a Canadian pro, Cory Connors, was leading and playing with golf perfection until he buried his ball in the lip of a sand trap on the 16th hole. With that shot he ended up taking a double bogie and dropping out of first place. He followed up the next day with 7 bogies. He totally lost his belief that he was a great golfer and could win that tournament. Unfortunately, it takes 4 days of excellent golf to win any of the 4 majors.

Your mental attitude and belief in your ability to play great golf has everything to do with your success when you play every round of golf. Practice with GOLFSTR+ to improve your perfection with every shot in your game. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com