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Message to Wayne:
I’m a father, teacher, and golf coach at a high school in NJ. I have played golf since I was a frosh in HS and got cut from the team the first two years I tried out. I made Varsity my Junior/Senior year. I had a hole-in-one at 16 years old and another at 19 which I was extremely blessed ended up being for a car during a golf outing. I was playing with 3 of my HS teammates and that was a very special day! My biggest playing achievement was qualifying for the NJ State Public Links with a 78. My lowest 18-hole score is a 74. I caddied a private club for 15 years and caddied for some great amateurs and pro’s in multiple state/regional events.
I have always aspired to send Wayne a video of my swing! While my fundamentals have improved over the years to bring my handicap down to a 5.5 at the lowest (before the kids came)…I’m amazed at a few things that I find very difficult to change:
#1 is my initial move…I used to sway off the ball, now I sometimes stay too stationary and don’t shift my weight enough. I have always struggled with what the proper backswing should “feel” like. My first teacher called it a “coil” which I get more now but I have a hard time loading into my right instep as you promote with the pivot compression concept.
#2 struggle would be takeaway too far inside and backswing position being flat or laid off instead of more upright.
#3 would be my right foot flying off the ground and knee sliding outward and away during my downswing.
My most common miss is a block right or a start straight and fade to the right. Less common is a start right/fade right or an over-the-top pull directly to the left but they show their ugly heads every once in a while.
My kids have helped me in that I don’t play very much so I appreciate it more when I am out there rather than take it for granted and get frustrated if I’m not hitting it great. My goal is to compete in state tournaments and break par someday. I would love to be in a tournament with a feeling of confidence rather than the nervousness that I used to feel because my fundamentals weren’t strong enough to rely on them when the pressure was the greatest.Also, to be honest, I just love trying to chase the “Perfect” move more than anything. The “Hogan at Merion 1-Iron kind-of move. The more I learn the more I can share with my players, family, friends etc. and that is another big goal of mine. “
Watching Ryan’s swing I see some familiar issues: an overactive trigger, a takeaway in which the clubhead swings back too low to the ground, and too much right leg drive toward the ball in the downswing. Before trying to quiet the trigger, I suggest to Ryan a few set up changes, starting with centering his upper body and leaning less out toward his toes, moving his balance a bit toward the center of his feet but still slightly forward. Ryan’s takeaway is influenced greatly by his trigger, where he tightens his arms and pushes his right shoulder forward as he flexes his knees towards the ball and slides his upper body to the right. That’s all happening just as the club begins to swing back, and I think it would be a great idea to simplify that as much as possible by choosing a different trigger, one that involves way less movement but still helps to keep the start from feeling too static. If the set up and takeaway change I’d like him to shoot for a higher hand position at the top, and then to train the right leg to drive more inward by using the stick drill between the legs.
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