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Online Lesson: Erik Johnson- Trigger Affecting Right Arm Movement Throughout the Swing

One of the things I find regularly with good players who don’t quite hit the ball as well as they would like is an overactive trigger. Erik is a good example of this and I spend a good bit of this lesson discussing in detail what he is doing to get his swing underway and how that affects everything else. One of the reasons why these online lessons aren’t shorter in length is the degree to which things that happen early in the swing complicate what comes directly after, and as the swing unfolds each complication makes it less likely that a consistently strong impact position can be achieved.

Swing Analysis: Padraig Harrington- Putting Practice Techniques into Tournament Play

By Wayne | Videos: Swing Analysis

When you watch Harrington on the practice tee you would think he was doing drills, combining both stop and go swings to work on his takeaway with step-in swings that affect transition and impact. However, as the footage from the Czech Masters in August proves, he is not just doing drills, he is doing exactly what he is going to play with on the course. Padraig is not the first to incorporate a stop or prolonged pause in his swing (think Sandy Lyle using a full stop at the top), and certainly not the first to do odd things with his left foot, although I’d have to search for a player who lifted the entire foot off the ground before P 3. Doing both in the same swing and using that swing on the course in tournament play is testament to Harrington’s continued search for a better swing, an inclination that many believe derailed his major championship winning formula of 2007 and 2008 and has led to almost 10 years of struggle. He is a thoughtful, deep thinker who has no problem explaining what he is up to (I quote him from a recent interview regarding the stop in the takeaway), and he has excelled at the “Happy Gilmore” running start swing in the past. I just think it’s very cool to see him incorporate these things into his swing and to be successful with them (two top 5’s in the last 2 months on the European Tour). Another interesting tidbit here is the left leg movement after the foot is lifted (he simultaneously internally rotates his upper leg while externally rotating his lower leg), which I compare to an old video of Hogan making a rehearsal swing.

Online Lesson: Jamie Kilmer, PGA Part 3

By Wayne | Videos: Online Students

Jamie, the Head Professional at the Wheatley Hills Golf Club on Long Island, started working with me this January in Florida where he came to see me three times before heading back to his job in March, with the idea of improving his ball striking so he could be competitive in his local section PGA events. (You can watch Jamie’s past lessons on the website). Since then we have done a few online lessons, but as Jamie got into the busy part of his season we didn’t connect for about 5 months. Recently he sent me some swings after having poor tournament results, which is what you see analyzed here.

The First Tee Sunday at the Ryder Cup: How the Best Use Routine to Combat Nerves

By Wayne | Videos: Swing Analysis

The Ryder Cup is one of the only events where we see some of the best players in the world get introduced and go through their full routine on the first tee. Here I look at how the following players take their turns teeing off in what is probably one of the most pressure packed shots in all of golf: Justin Thomas, Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka, Paul Casey, Webb Simpson, Justin Rose, Tiger Woods, Jon Rahm, Tony Finau, Tommy Fleetwood, Phil Mickelson, and Francesco Molinari. I focus on their every movement after they tee up the ball, including practice swings, target focus, number of steps and amount of time to get to the ball and set up, and then time over the ball before they pull the trigger. I think every golfer gets the first tee jitters and watching what these great players do to prepare for their opening tee shots is quite instructive.

Online Lesson: John Lamendola- Looking for More Distance with the Driver

By Wayne | Videos: Online Students

I have done more online lessons with John than I have with any other student. If you watch them in order (you can skip a few) you will see that my teaching philosophy is to analyze the swings I am looking at and give my best advice according to what I believe will be most helpful. John is great at giving me feedback on what he feels is working and what is not, and while some of the lessons seem repetitive it shows that I am pretty stubborn when it comes to my ideas about his swing. We have made great progress over time (John just won the Winged Foot Club Championship), but John knows that he has the ability to gain more speed and distance with the driver, which is what I concentrate on in this lesson. I have always felt that John could utilize his pivot better to load up in the backswing by right loading more than center loading his hips, and by gaining more width at the top by rotating his upper trunk more efficiently.

Basement Tapes: The Release: Two Main Types (Video 5 of 5)

By Wayne | Videos: Basement Tapes

This is the last segment for this particular series of “Basement Tapes” lectures. The release of the club tends to be a controversial subject. In this video I cover the “Drive Hold” release and the “Throw” release. I cover the things you’ll want to achieve for good impact position and things you’ll want to avoid. The information in this video will have the most clarity if you’ve watched the previous four videos in order. Let me know in the forum if you like these “Basement Tapes” and if you’d like to see more of this type of content.

Basement Tapes: The Downswing (Video 4 of 5)

By Wayne | Videos: Basement Tapes

We’re in the basement this week and for this next segment I’m talking about “The Downswing”. Remember that the information in each of these segments builds upon what is presented in the previous video so make certain to watch them in order. Here I’m talking about what happens with the clubface in the downswing including the importance of grip where I go over three different types. I discuss things you want to achieve and also things you’ll want to avoid. Stay tuned for the last segment of this series: “The Release: Two Main Types”.

Wayne’s World Weekly Blog: Tiger Woods: Still a Chance?

By Wayne | blog

Just about everyone who is interested in golf wants to know if Tiger can come back. I happen to think he can, and I have a unique perspective as to what he is going through. I had my first back surgery (a single disc laminectomy, much like Tiger’s first 3 surgeries) in 1983 while I was playing the mini-tour in Florida. I had been a first team All-American at LSU in 1979 (good team that year: Corey Pavin, Fred Couples, Bob Tway, John Cook, Bobby Clampett, Gary Hallberg, Scott Watkins and myself- Mark O’Meara, Payne Stewart, Joey Sindelar and Mark Wiebe were on the 2nd team), and had turned professional a year later.

Basement Tapes: The Transition (Video 3 of 5)

By Wayne | Videos: Basement Tapes

I’m still in the basement and for the third segment of this five-video “Basement Tapes” lecture series I’m talking about “The Transition”. The transition from backswing to downswing is a very important part of the golf swing. For the purposes of this video I’m describing the transition as being from P3 to P5. There are three positions that shaft can have at the top of the swing and I discuss the variations needed to make each work. I also cover some of the things you’ll want to avoid. Of course I have my preferences and I go into detail on why. Sequencing is a big part of this segment. Stay tuned for the next installment of Basement Tapes”: “The Downswing”.

Basement Tapes: Loading in the Backswing (Video 2 of 5)

By Wayne | Videos: Basement Tapes

Today we continue with the second segment of this five-video “Basement Tapes” lecture series: “Loading in the Backswing”. The information in each lecture builds upon what is presented in the previous video so make certain to watch them in order. First, I give a quick description of where your weight should be located for various shots and then I progress into the details of what loading is including how and when to load. !IMPORTANT! One thing I forgot to mention in the loading video was that while I favor right loading and want to see the head move to the right I only want it to move 1-2 inches to the right. Also, it’s important for the hips to stay in the box and not sway to the right from the face on view. Monday’s “Basement Tapes” lecture is: “The Transition”

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