DO I HAVE TO GET WORSE BEFORE I GET BETTER?
In truth the answer to this is a little more nuanced than a simple yes or no. Training is simply an accelerant; it speeds up the learning process. If you’re training effectively, you’re going to see improvement quickly. Unfortunately ineffective practice will do just the opposite; your brain is like a super computer. If you run a bad program, or you don’t run a program at all by never practicing then you’re going to get bad results.
Training brings more comfort, better performance and less conscious thought over time which is the ultimate goal! I can usually get my students through steps 1-4 of the learning process in a 60 minute session! Step 5 usually takes a few days to a week after the lesson, depending on how much the student practices, and getting to step 6 can take a month or longer depending on how significant the changes are. Remember making impactful changes in the shortest time possible does NOT require re-building a swing or starting all over again. But, it does require doing things that feel uncomfortable at first. The challenge is that making changes takes time to ‘feel’ comfortable. It doesn’t matter if it’s a grip change, or a change in alignment or ball position or a swing change. It’s going to feel uncomfortable for a while. It’s going to feel different, but it’s important to understand that as a student you’re investing in ‘different’. It very often won’t feel right but again, you have to do what is right, and NOT what feels right. You will have to progress through the 6 steps over time in order to get better!
CAUSE & EFFECT DIAGNOSIS
Technology has been a game changer when it comes to diagnosing the foundational cause of poorly executed golf shots. A good golf Instructor understands that teaching requires a combination of both art and science; it’s a delicate balance between creative trial and error as well as using technology to retrieve data that paints a clearer picture and speeds up the diagnosis! Some teachers lose sight of their purpose and fall in love with the data while other teachers lean too much on trial and error which takes too much time. Andrew believes that data helps him get to the cause faster; it’s a way of backing up what used to be a hunch! Launch monitors and force plates such as swing catalyst have been helpful, especially when used in conjunction with each other!
GRIP
We know that the grip influences the club face in the swing. It’s foundational! Yet you can play great golf with a strong grip, a neutral grip or a weak grip. The key is understanding that each grip has to be paired with the correct “release pattern” in order to be effective! Despite what people think great players with strong grips predominantly fade the ball while great players with neutral and weaker grips tend to favor a draw! This is because a stronger grip e.g. Dustin Johnson requires more …………………………………….(spin) or rotation and less forearm rotation in order to maintain a stable club-face. While a weaker grip e.g. Webb Simpson requires less lower body rotation and more forearm rotation in order to square the face in time.
If you combined D.J’s grip with Webb Simpson’s body dynamics you would have a player that misses left 75% of the time! Webb Simpson’s weak grip with D.J’s body dynamics would give you a player that misses right 75% of the time! They’re both incredible players that do what works for them! The same can’t be said for most amateurs because they haven’t learned to marry the correct release to their grip type! Does you release pattern match your grip?
POSTURE
We also know that your posture is influenced by your body type; but despite looking different, every great player adheres to a common theme – great balance! The way you stand to a golf ball has a profound effect on the shape of your golf swing. It’s been said that the posture is the cast through which the swing is poured. But the truth is you can play well with a steep swing, a neutral swing or a flat swing. The key is that your set up needs to match your swing pattern in order to be effective. In short, you have to find a posture that works for you! Not every great player sets up the same way, but their starting position works well for them and that’s all that matters.
DIRECTION - AIM & ALIGNMENT
Another foundational CAUSE of so many problems in golf is poor aim and alignment; to be more specific great players aim their golf club and alignment their bodies precisely based on the shot they are trying to execute. Whether the preferred ball flight is right to left, left to right, high or low? Great players set up with their preferred shot shape and trajectory in mind. It’s a harmonious relationship. In fact, in my experience working with tour players - aim and alignment is an obsession because they understand ball flight laws and how face and path influence the curve on a golf shot be it good or bad! You won’t find a tour player on the range practicing without alignment sticks, for amateurs, the opposite applies!
I’m always impressed with how dialed in great players are with their ‘start line’. They are super focused with where the ball is going to start in relation to the target, whether it’s a putt, chip, iron or driver! Amateurs on the other hand are consistently obsessed with where they want the ball to finish with no real conscious thought as to where they want the ball to start.
The hardest shot in golf will always be a straight shot. So why is it that most amateurs aim down the center of the fairway and attempt just that?! Curve on a golf ball is not a bad thing; you only have to watch a tour event on TV to see how far the tour pros curve golf balls. The difference is that the pros understand how to curve their ball towards the target. While amateurs do not! Side axis spin is determined by ball flight laws, without a sound understanding of these laws you will never take ownership of your side axis spin.
Do you understand what causes your ball to curve?
Do you have a specific start line when you play?
CADENCE
We also know that you can play well with a long swing or a short swing but the correct cadence has to be paired with each individual’s natural length of swing. A long swing with a fast tempo or a short swing with a slower tempo is NOT a match! If you gave Ernie Els’ tempo to Jon Rahm and gave Jon Rahms tempo to Ernie Els you would have two guys you’ve never heard of! They have tempos that are ideally and uniquely matched to the natural length of their swings.
How’s your cadence?
CONTACT
Flat spot and arc height…….There are numerous things that effect where exactly the club hits the ground. Ultimately Path, ball position, pivot, and balance are just a few. The quality of your contact when the ball is on the ground is always going to be determined by your ability to consistently capture the ball first as the club descends through the golf ball. Always start with contact in mind!
SPEED
Pivot is huge! Poor hip rotation rather than no shoulder turn.
In Andrew’s experience creating speed is one of the biggest misconceptions in golf today. Much of the confusion ironically comes with good intention from the teaching community itself. Technology is awesome, but when data isn’t translated using simple verbiage there’s a tendency to impress the student rather than improve them. Believe me, the dazed and paralyzed golfer is an all too common occurrence these days. I’ve had students show up at lessons with pages of data and complex swing thoughts that they’ve tried to apply. It’s not surprising that they are struggling to play well and most importantly have fun!
To create speed in a golf swing requires a harmony of reactions throughout the body that produces optimal speed for a split second where it counts (at impact). We know that forces in the swing are lateral, rotational and vertical (in that order), technology like swing catalyst and BodiTrak have been invaluable as far as gathering data to validate what used to be theoretical analysis! But what this data has also brought to light is that even great players create speed in ways that aren’t all the same. As I mentioned earlier talking about grips, no ‘one swing’ fits everyone; you have to find one that fits you!
There is NOT one recipe that gets every golfer transferring energy and speed effectively. The fact is that even tour players use forces in the swing, in particular ground forces differently! Examples of spinners on tour who rotate way more than average are Matt Kuchar and Dustin Johnson, examples of gliders who move more laterally than average are Webb Simpson and Keegan Bradley, while an example of two launchers who demonstrate more vertical forces than most are Justin Thomas and Bubba Watson. The key to their success is that they all do what works best for them.
Whether you’re a world class tour player or a recreational golfer, you have to build a swing around your particular predominant source of power, if you do that you can increase your speed dramatically! Working on the wrong thing with the right intention will unfortunately do the exact opposite, and as far as us instructors are concerned, that’s where the rubber hits the road!