Below are “66 Misconceptions of the Golf Swing” produced by Brian Spark´s of Positive Impact Golf. Most, if not all of them, you will have heard before if you have been playing golf for any length of time.
Some of these misconceptions will make you shake your head in disbelief and some will have you burst out laughing. You will judge them as absurd and ridiculous and fundamentally wrong.
Let me be clear about one thing. These misconceptions may be useful for some of the more elite players (and even then I wonder). But rather, ask yourself, are they right for the average golfer like you, who is over 50 years old and who gets to play once or twice a week.
I invite you, after reading them through, to close your eyes and imagine the possibility that everything we have been told to believe about the golf swing may not be true for the average golfer. And I ask you to consider, for a minute, the legends of the game way back in the 1920s and 30´s like Bobby Jones and Ernest Jones, or Harry Vardon and Bobby Locke.
Did they believe it was necessary to swing the golf club like this and would they teach these in a golf lesson or in a book about. Did they have any conceptions like this when they were swinging their hickory shafts and winning the majors? In other words, did they make the golf swing so complicated and, if not, then how come they managed to play such magnificent golf?
Here are the 66 Misconceptions:
- Head still throughout swing
- Keep head down as long as possible
- Keep left arm straight
- Must keep left heel on ground
- Move as little as possible
- Swing club straight back
- Keep clubface square to target back and through
- Top line of iron head set square to target / top & bottom lines should be parallel
- Both feet should be set at right angles to target line
- Line across toes to point at target
- Eyes must be fixed on a certain part of the ball
- Weight transfer referred to as swaying
- Must create resistance by limiting lower body movement / coil like a spring / weight stays on inside of right foot on backswing / right side resistance on backswing
- More effort = more speed/power = more distance
- Extend arms as much as possible through impact towards target in through swing 16. Keep clubface travelling straight to target
- Finish with high hands
- Slide hips to left i.e. towards target at start of downswing
- Club head travelling fastest before impact / at impact
- Less effort = slower swing
- Weight on back foot to get ball in air
- Hit at ball as hard as possible
- Club head (especially irons) should sit flat on ground at set-up (in reality toe should be slightly up)
- Ball always positioned in middle of stance or off front foot
- Always use PW when chipping
- Hit harder into wind
- Swing goes ‘up & down’ not round & round
- Wrists should cock at end of backswing or after hip height
- Pull club down as if pulling on bell rope
- Wrists should be released at the ball as late as possible
- Slicing is caused by coming across the ball / coming over the top
- Coming over the top is a downswing problem (it is often already created in the backswing)
- V’s should point between right shoulder and chin
- Top hand should show 2 knuckles
- Shaft should be parallel to ground at top of backswing
- Shaft should point at the target at the top of the backswing
- Stay behind ball through hitting area
- No wrist action in chipping
- No wrist action in putting
- Legs shouldn’t move in putting
- Putter stays on straight line in putting
- Keep head down in putting until hear ball drop in hole
- Line more important than length in putting (length is 80/20)
- Open stance and open face on lob & bunker shots
- Shanking caused by standing too close
- Body on target line
- Breathe in on backswing and out through impact
- Holding club hard increases control
- Small movements are safer than big ones
- Less leg action is safer
- Good players need stiff shafts and straight-faced clubs
- Older players can’t make full swings
- Fire your hips from top
- Trying hard and concentrating are positive elements
- Perfect technique is the only way to be good at golf
- Good players don’t hit bad shots or play badly
- You have to draw the ball to be a good player
- You need width to achieve good distance
- Releasing the club leads to hooking
- Clubface should ‘fan open’
- Grip pressure different with each hand
- Right shoulder should be lower than left in set-up
- Right elbow should be tucked in at the address
- Chipping is different to other iron shots
- Left foot must be turned out at address
- Accelerate at start of down swing
I told you that you would be laughing out loud in disbelief!
Well I can only say that from what I have seen and experienced, the results of my own golf and others who have come across Positive Impact Golf are testament to the improvements one can make through simple guidance without technical input.
When these misconceptions are challenged people simply play better golf. Golf that is closer to one´s natural potential. Golf that is played from the subconscious Self 2 without Self 1 interference (refer to previous blog). Golf that is off the scale and in the zone!
Until next time happy golfing…..