A Swing Fix May NOT Be Right for Everyone

Watching The Open Championship I was drawn to the variety of golf swings by the leading contenders. It really did remind me that there is no such thing as a perfect golf swing. Each of the leaders have adopted a swing that works for themselves. That’s exactly the reason why you should try unique swing features that work for each of the top golf performers.

Luke Kerr-Dineen wrote an article about Marcel Siem (golfer from Germany) who lost his winning ways when he tried to copy Dustin Johnson’s dramatically bowed wrist at the top of his swing. Marcel was looking for more distance but he lost control of his direction. He recently changed back to a slightly cupped wrist to turn his game around and ended up tied 15th at The Open. Siem, who played his best golf with a cupped leading wrist and open clubface at the top of his backswing, similar to Webb Simpson, was trying to adopt something on the other end of the spectrum and it didn’t work. Referring to his attempted change to a bowed wrist at the top of his swing he said: “I was top 50 in the world…and lost my card. That was the worst decision I ever made in my life.”

Here is a list of changes that you may want to try:
1/ Slow Backswing: Hideki Matsuyama had a very slow backswing and has now been speeding it up to a more conventional backswing. The winner of The Open this year, Collin Morikawa, was the only player who starts his swing with a very slow takeaway and then speeds it up as his club travels to the transition. He seems to be searching for the perfect arm and body location before he accelerates to the top.

2/ Bowed Wrist: Dustin Johnson, Collin Morikawa, Viktor Hovland, Jon Rahm and even Jordan Spieth use different levels of a leading bowed wrist at the top of their swing. They all hold this bent wrist through the point of impact. They all use their hip and body rotation to square up the face of their club at the point of impact.

For recreational golfers, Hank Haney suggests using a flat wrist at the top to avoid angles and to improve direction control. Pictured here is Web Simpson with a cupped wrist, Rory McIlroy with a neutral flat wrist and Dustin Johnson with a bowed wrist.

3/ Wide Takeway and Shallowing the Downswing from the Top: Rory McIlroy is not leading the field in wins but he has a beautiful style similar to Adam Scott. I prefer this swing as it stops you from coming over the top and slicing the ball. Jim McLean loves to teach this swing as you start to open your hip and then swing up the inside slot to hit the inside quadrant of your ball.

4/ Putter Grip Styles: Most golfers use a conventional grip with their trailing hand gripping below the leading hand. The trailing hand claw grip is a new version of the standard grip. Bryson DeChambeau leads the field of many players who have adopted an extended putter handle pressed against a straight leading forearm (to avoid a shaking wrist). As an aging golfer I love this grip, even using a standard putter shaft , especially for short putts.

One of the 6 swing fixes that GOLFSTR+ can be used for is to practice your swing with a flat leading wrist backswing. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com