WHAT A GOOD SWING LOOKS LIKE!

"I'm not alone. Am I?"

I can't help it, but when I see a good swing, I just stand by and watch, and watch and watch.

When some of the best strikers of the golf ball are around hitting balls, I make it a point to watch and try to make those pictures last in my subconscious. I try to not be a player who "thinks" throughout the swing, just let it happen. I am a believer that you can "overthink" your swing, all you have to do is see Tiger Woods now, or Ian Baker Finch and the late Seve Ballesteros, once they started tinkering with their swing too much, it became rather difficult to get back to what got them successful to begin with.

The best way I can describe a swing is as the continuous movement of the body around the spine. Sounds simple enough, though I know it isn't. Once you get that feel, you can start working on checking your angles at two key points: the top of the backswing, and impact or just prior to impact. The former allows you to create power, the latter allows you to control your power and direction of your swing.

Balance is the key to a good powerful, effective swing. Turn right, turn left and stay in balance. Simple, uh?

Perfect Balance

Key Ppints

A few days ago, I was coming off #9 when I spotted Cory at his favorite place on the north side of the practice tee. I love watching him hit ball after ball in the center of the club's face. It produces a sound like no other.

You know the power by just listening to that sound. I stopped by the tree just south of the teeing area of #1 and shot a few pictures, as I did not want him to be aware I was watching.

When you are next to him, if you don't know what you are looking for, you will not learn much, but, if you watch closely, you will learn a lot.... "PGA": Posture, Grip and Alignment. All are perfect in his swing setup. His posture is relaxed, natural but powerful and in balance; his grip is neutral but solid, and his alignment is pretty square to slightly open. But what I want you to look at is at the results that his solid fundamentals produce, by adding some lines to the pictures as I want to do my Johnny Miller thing now.........

Stored Power

Key Points

Top of backswing: 1) Shoulders fully turned (there is a lot of torque, yet he looks relaxed), 2) Sternum fully turned away from his intended target - with his back to the target 3a & 3b) Hips are turned less than the shoulders, producing powerful torque 4) Feet are in control of the whole swing, and here, in control of the backswing: he is in balance, centered, resisting the turn with the inside of the right foot, left foot barely rolled right; 5) club is resting perfectly on top of the swing on a relaxed right hand, with the left hand strongly in control of the club on the top of the swing, with thumb under the club..., and 6) see the wear on the club's face!!... RIGHT IN THE CENTER OF THE FACE, IN THE SWEET SPOT!

Second set of pictures, just prior to impact: 1) Feet in control of the forward movement, right foot pushing, left foot resisting, still centered, though with pressure on the inside of his left foot, 2) Hands holding stored power, not rushing the release (hands on top of the ball, club still catching up); 3) Right elbow soft and tucked in, 4) hips open already, turned much more than the shoulders, while 5) the shoulders square to the target.

Now, how do you get to these positions? You do not practice either of these things, they are the result of knowledge, coordination, strength and the application of sound fundamentals... AND LOTS, LOTS OF PRACTICE! Thanks Cory!