This past week as the Masters ushered in the official beginning of the major golf season and spring in my part of the world, all eyes were on Tiger Woods. As I’m starting to put the finishing touches on this article it’s 1:20 PM on Sunday April 11th, forty minutes before the final round TV coverage begins. Even though Lee Westwood leads by a shot over Phil Mickelson, who lit up the course on Saturday with two straight eagles and under a foot from a third, the talk and all eyes are on Tiger who’s in a tie for third. Since I finished this article after the conclusion of the tournament, now it’s appropriate to say, all eyes are on Phil Mickelson. Congratulations! You deserve to be this year’s champion.
As a follow-up to my last article “Copy a Pro”, I’ve provided these three one minute swing sequences to highlight what the best player in the game actually does. They feature what I believe is the portion you (and me) as recreational players need to copy. In the first one you’ll probably watch in awe as I did how perfect everything is. I highly suggest you just appreciate the first ¾ of Tiger’s swing and don’t feel discouraged if you can’t copy it. Instead, focus in on the portion of his downswing when his hands reach around waist height (the impact zone) and continue towards the ball into impact. Watch as the wrists begin to unhinge, then see how the hands rotate onto the ball at impact, then continue rotating beyond impact into his follow-through. Pay close attention during the first foot after he makes contact with the ball how his energy moves on a line toward the target. This is the portion of the swing where all the best players look almost identical. It’s the most important split second of the golf swing; the portion of a pro’s swing we need to copy and execute like they do. As we know, prior to the impact zone every player does it differently. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C80TQtE203Y&feature=related
On the second video you won’t clearly see Tiger’s hand movement. As you watch the ball compressing in super slow motion, pay attention to the club’s position and how it squares. Also, see how the toe returns to its original starting position, then turns slightly past square as it continues toward the target. This microscopic view shows the club getting into the ideal hitting position. It reveals where to focus as the top priority in order to hit longer, more accurate shots, more often. Fortunately, thanks to Thumbs Down The Power Move, mastering this is easier than you ever imagined.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3tazW9h7do&feature=related
The third video from behind reveals the next elements to copy in a pro’s swing they all do the same, for increased distance and improved alignment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jp1BvVQbUTQ&feature=related. The first obvious one is how they all accelerate and hit down on the ball. Next, look at his setup position and especially his hands. See how the arms drop straight down on a line with the front of his shoes and how close to his body his hands are and stay during the entire swing. This puts you closer to the ball than most recreational players are used to, which helps in two ways:
1. Increases power, by keeping the arms and upper body connected as one piece
2. Improves alignment, by swinging along your body line
As Tiger takes the club back see how the left shoulder comes straight back to his chin. Pause the video there and draw a line straight down to the ground. Watch during the downswing into impact how the right shoulder returns to that line and continues toward his chin again as he follows through to the target. This is the simple secret for improved alignment and more accurate shots that I learned after watching dozens of these slow motion sequences on TV from behind. At regular speed it looks like the best players bring the club straight back, then straight forward, never leaving the target line. The beauty is that the shoulders and lower body turns as recommended, but everything stays on the line to the target.
One afternoon in 2004 in my backyard I tried this while hitting balls into a practice net. In the process of striking the ball online to my target as perfectly as I can, I created a training aid that I’ve used ever since. What makes it unique from other training aids is that it’s virtual, which means you can practice with it, then bring to the course and use as you play, legally under the rules of golf. It provides a virtual swing guide and it’s included in the back nine section of my book, as part of the Pro edition. I’ll be happy to explain it in detail and teach this to you as part of a virtual lesson that comes with the Pro edition of Thumbs Down, Golf Instruction Made Simple. To order visit www.golfinstructionmadesimple.com/Products/Products.htm
In sharp contrast I’ve included this video swing sequence from an expert, which describes in detail Tiger’s alignment problem http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1OJElUMOrw. It explains how he often looks perplexed when his drives go off into the right rough. Technically, it measures a 267% increase in his front spine angle between address and impact, which opens his clubface, pushing the ball to the right. It shows how this problem can be avoided simply by changing the downswing sequence and maintaining a constant spine angle. Oddly enough as I watched his exit interview with Peter Kostis, Tiger sounded equally angry about all the pulled shots left during his final round at the Masters.
Once again my thanks to the creator of this video for its quality and detailed information. Tips like this only re-enforce my simple messages for recreational golfers like you and me, that a pretty swing don’t mean a thing and that if the club isn’t square, the ball can go anywhere. My direct comment is, “GIVE ME A BREAK”. It’s one thing for us observers to think of Tiger Woods as a machine, but this video literally compares him to a machine, which he’s not. Personally, I believe what we saw during the weekend at the Masters was the rust that developed in Tiger’s game after five months of layoff. Let’s not forget that Augusta National is one of the most difficult golf courses in the world. Although I expect his public image to take another beating because of his newest Nike commercial, there’s no doubt that his golf game is still golden.
After watching the video and watching Tiger struggle at the Masters I wonder if the spine angle recommendation that would fix his pulls is the same that fixes the pushes. Either way, it’s anything but Simplicity at Last. In my opinion this is way too technical and would cause a high percentage of negative results if applied by most recreational golfers. What do you think? I’d welcome your feedback.
Lastly, although I glanced over the importance of hitting down on the ball, it’s a vital part of the golf swing you need to master. The expert on this subject is Clive Scarff and his Hit Down Dammit products, which include DVD's, videos and eBook with simple drills and lessons. All are focused on the importance of hitting down on the golf ball, a fundamental "must do" for better ball striking, practiced by all great players. To learn more and receive a discount if you order visit http://www.string-thing.com/thumbs_down.htm
About Me
- Alan Martin
- My name is Alan Martin, a single digit handicap golfer for over 40 years and the author of Thumbs Down, Golf Instruction Made Simple. My book showcases the simple solution for squaring the golf club I invented, called the Thumbs Down POWER MOVE. Get ready for some outside-the-box thinking for improving your golf game. You probably never thought that Thumbs Down was a positive thing, but this negative expression may just be the best thing that ever happened to your golf game. Thumbs Down is your how to solution for increased power and better ball striking. Plus it's a unique on-course training aid ...that's legal under the rules of golf. It's The Answer to the question what do I do now? just before striking the ball. Discover The Missing Ingredient for better ball striking. Simplicity at last! Lower scores are not a guarantee ...they are the natural results.