By Wayne | Videos: Swing Analysis
When you watch Charles Howell’s swing at full speed you would never expect to see what you see when you slow it down. Howell’s transition move with his driver and 3 wood is quite bizarre, enough so that I can say with some assurance that it is unique among Tour players, although if it does resemble anyone it would be Phil Mickelson.
Continue readingBy Wayne | Videos: Swing Analysis
These are two of the shorter (in height) players on the PGA Tour, Lingmerth checking in at 5’7” and Summerhays at 5’ 8”, so since they were in contention and playing together at the Quicken Loans at Avenel this past weekend I thought it would be interesting to look and compare their swings as they tee off on the long par 4 6th hole. Despite their similarities in size their swings have some stark differences, especially in the set up.
Continue readingBy Wayne | Videos: Swing Analysis
I finish up the series (I’m sure I will get many suggestions for players I missed) with Johnny Miller, Ryan Moore, Moe Norman, Mac O’Grady, Arnold Palmer, Patrick Reed, Henrik Stenson, Lee Trevino, Jon Rahm, Vijay Singh, and Will Wilcox.
Continue readingBy Wayne | Videos: Swing Analysis
More swings that appear to break the rules: Jim Furyk, Tommy Gainey, Scott Hoch, Miguel Angel Jiminez, Kenny Perry, Matt Kuchar, Gene Littler, Hideki Matsuyama, and Phil Mickelson.
Continue readingBy Wayne | Videos: Swing Analysis
I continue the theme of great players with odd swings with Dana Quigley, John Daly, Eammon Darcy, Bryson DeChambeau, David Duval, Raymond Floyd, and Rickie Fowler.
Continue readingBy Wayne | Videos: Swing Analysis
This is part 1 of a 4 -part series that takes a quick look at the swings of great players who utilize what I would consider to be unconventional (different, quirky, odd, idiosyncratic, weird, strange, etc.) technique. The unconventionality comes in many forms, as you will see. What is so amazing is that every one of these swings has produced excellent results, and each of them belies any attempt to say that “you have to do this or that” to hit a golf ball well. We start here with Robert Allenby, then move along with Annika Sorenstam, Miller Barber, Jimmy Bruen, Bubba Watson, Mark Calcavecchia, Fred Couples, and Dustin Johnson.
Continue readingBy Wayne | Videos: Swing Analysis
As I get older and gain more experience teaching and trying to play I have come to focus more on the right arm and how it functions during the swing. From watching hundreds of Tour caliber swings in slow motion and teaching players with a full range of abilities from hack to tour winner I have developed a preference for what I would call a “flared” upper right arm at left arm parallel (P-3) in the backswing as opposed to a “pinched” position, but in this survey you will see that excellent players utilize every conceivable right arm motion, from Miller Barber, whose upper right arm was parallel to the ground at P-3 (or completely horizontal), to Fred Couples, whose upper arm was still facing straight back at the camera at the same position (or completely vertical).
Continue readingBy Wayne | Videos: Swing Analysis
At 6’5” and 190 pounds and 25 years of age Pieters is one of the new generation of big, rangy guys who hit the ball a mile but has the rest of the game to go with their length. Pieters finished a solid 4th in this year’s Masters (where these swings are taken from) and has a 5th in a WGC event and a 2nd at Riviera to add up to a stellar start to the season. He has 3 wins in Europe and was arguably the star of the European Ryder Cup team, and when you watch his swing, both at regular speed and slowed down, you see excellent mechanics that portend a consistent rise to the top of the game.
Continue readingBy Wayne | Videos: Swing Analysis
Since David Duval has been doing commentary (which I really like, by the way) for the Golf Channel I have gotten quite a bit of interest in going back over his swing and my opinions as to how his game slipped so much. Here I show all the swings my friend Mark Diamond and I took during a practice round for the PGA Championship at Medinah in 1999 when David was ranked 2nd in the world. It was the best golf I have ever seen played: he never missed a shot and was 8 under through 13 holes.
Continue readingBy Wayne | Videos: Swing Analysis
One of the most debated technique questions regarding the golf swing is “what initiates the downswing?” I was always of the opinion that to change direction the thrust had to come from the ground under the right foot (for a right-hander). Another popular explanation is that the left knee and/or left hip is responsible for the change of direction.
Continue reading