July, 2016 | Wayne DeFrancesco

Lesson of the Week: Paul Tibolla

This is a perfect example of how difficult it is to change a swing pattern, especially when the change involves making almost the opposite movements the player is used to. It is commonly said that golfers should use their “natural swing”, and that they will be better off not messing with what they always gravitate towards. Working with “what the player has” as opposed to trying to make changes is a popular sentiment among teaching pros who prefer to offer small tweaks and bits of advice to help the player hit the ball a little better that day or to fix a certain type of shot that has been vexing the student.

TP&C: In Person Lesson with Aaron Baddeley July 2015

By Wayne | Tour Players and Celebrities

I think if you watch the video Scott Hamilton posted on Golf WRX (where, by the way, I have an article coming out this week) you will see the similarities in this video I sent Aaron a year ago. Aaron’s a nice guy. Great to see him get his game back and get back into the winner’s circle.

Swing Analysis: Henrik Stenson at the British Open 2016

By Wayne | Videos: Swing Analysis

Without a doubt, Henrik Stenson’s ball striking and putting will go down as one of the greatest final round performances in major championship history. Stenson’s swing is as solid as it gets, and would be a model to emulate, were it not for the unique and eccentric trigger he utilizes to get his swing started, one which would be pretty much impossible to copy. Stenson starts in an absolutely textbook address position, then makes a radical movement into a completely different position, coming to a complete stop there for a brief moment before starting away.

Improvement: Peter Procops, PGA Part 9

By Wayne | Improvement

Peter is a fellow PGA professional who played the South American tour (Tour De Las Americas) for 5 years and Golden Bear Tour (Mini Tour) 5 years 1997-2001. Peter’s swing is looking better and better, he’s putting in the work and it’s definitely showing. His approach isn’t coming from a stuck position and the face-on view is showing an improved look through the impact area.

Online Students: John Krystynak Part 3

By Wayne | Videos: Online Students

Here we see a great example of just how difficult it is to change a swing pattern from the beginning. John has made nice strides with his lower body movement, and that is a difficult thing to accomplish. His main issue here is still the way his right arm and shoulder works right from the start of the swing.

Lesson of the Week: Conner Johnson Jr.

By Wayne | Videos: Lesson of the Week

Just about all of the elite juniors that I teach now hit the ball quite far, often carrying their drives 280-300 yards. Distance will never really be the big problem for these players; rather, it will be their ability to control distance, direction and trajectory that will determine their ability to raise the level of their play. Connor came to me for the first time from Richmond just over a year ago after having some success as a 15- year old but needing help to make his swing and his ball striking more consistent.

Lesson of the Week: Ethan Chelf

By Wayne | Videos: Lesson of the Week

Every now and then I like to post a video of a young student who has taken lessons over a number of years. Ethan started with me when he was 11, and although he was a good athlete and liked the game he could barely hit the ball. I could see that he had the coordination and sequential movement necessary to develop a good swing, and over the 2 + years he has come for lessons (not that often as he is a stud basketball player) you can see not only substantial physical growth (he must be 10 inches taller now) but a swing technique that has progressed to the point where he is ready to really start hitting the ball well and playing competitively.

Swing Analysis: Brooke Henderson, LPGA

By Wayne | Videos: Swing Analysis

At 18 Brooke Henderson has risen to #2 in the world rankings behind 19 year- old Lydia Ko. The differences in their swings couldn’t be more distinct. Ko is measured and precise (even though her new “A” swing technique has her making an unconventional backswing), and plots her way around the course keeping the ball in play off the tee, hitting greens and putting the eyes out of it. Henderson, on the other hand, has a swing reminiscent of John Daly and Carlos Franco, with a dash of old Hogan thrown in for good measure.

Recent Tournament Results July 2016

By Wayne | blog

I’m always encouraging my students to tee it up in competition I also like them to report how they are doing.

Lesson of the Week: Tyler Wright

By Wayne | Videos: Lesson of the Week

Tyler is a 16- year old high schooler from Dallas, Texas who has recently gone from being a serious baseball player to a serious golfer. His father, Larry, is a website follower and knew that Tyler’s lower body movement was suspect, but couldn’t find a teacher around who emphasized the pivot like he saw me doing in the lessons and swing analysis’ on the site. Thus, he flew all the way to Maryland with Tyler and spent 5 hours with me, and as you will see we got some great results.

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Monthly Archives: July 2016