Online Students: Connor Thompson

Here is another powerful looking swing from a young player, Connor Thomson.

Hey Wayne,
I’m 18 years old and have been playing golf for 7 years now. Being a good athlete I picked up the game pretty quickly and began winning local tournaments within the first couple of years. By 15 I dropped to a 2 handicap and started playing fairly well, but within the last few years I have reached a plateau with my game bouncing around between a +1 to 1 handicap. Ball striking and driving have been the weakest part of my game and it has led to only mediocre performances in provincial and national level tournaments. Wanting to improve, my friend and your current student Adam Auger lead me to your website to help me expand my knowledge of the golf swing and help get me on the right track. With reasonable success I have decided to take the next step and reach out for an online lesson.
Thanks for your time,
Connor Thomson

I like his grip and set-up, but when the swing starts two major things stand out: first, the tempo is decidedly slow in the backswing, the ratio coming out at almost 5:1 instead of 3:1. A metronome and a look at my video on tempo will be a big help. Second, his lower body is slow to unwind, and when that is combined with a tendency to move the hands down vertically from the top the club is definitely in a “stuck” position on the approach, especially with the driver, and with a strong player and a swing that will produce a lot of speed like this one that spells erratic ball flight and directional control. A big help in the pivot movement would be to deepen the left hip in the backswing, which would move the weight from the balls of the feet back toward the heel of the left foot. There is a bit of a twist in the hips going back as well, so it would be a good idea to try to stay more up against the wall on the outside of the left hip rather than cutting the hip toward the target. From there the thought is “sidearm throw”, with the right leg consciously trying to rotate more sharply to the right and then all the way back behind him, while the hands make an effort to head toward the ball instead of downward, which would get the left elbow more in front of the ribcage instead of to the side of the torso. More rotation should be a big help in trying to get the clubhead more out in front on the approach and less coming from the inside and swing out to the left.
 

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