I have just one question to ask anyone defending the horrific footwork of the so-called “great” and “perfect” swingers at the professional level.
It’s a pretty simple question as well, but I’ll add some context with examples of other swings.
That question is, “In what other motion would these actions be considered mechanically-sound and not awfully unsound?”
Presenting The Actions, and just watch the footwork as well as the finishing positions of most of these swingers:
Would you expect to see someone throw a ball sideways and end up with a hyper-extended leading leg like this?
I’m not speaking of ability or talent in the actual game, all I’m asking is if you would expect to see someone swing a baseball or cricket bat, and axe or fishing rod, virtually any other implement on earth, and finish in the above position?
And would you call it good?
Because I could wager a healthy sum that if you put that same finishing position on an amateur or beginning golfer and said, “this is the finish,” most people would wince and say, “Ouch – that’s not good…”
Not even perfect, or great, forget good – would you call this anything other than awkward, mechanically-unsound and hazardous to one’s physical well-being to repeat an action that results in these finish positions, hundreds of times per day, thousands of reps per week, et cetera?
This is what modern golf instructors are teaching?
Start with a setup, reverse pivot keeping most of the balance weight over the leading foot (or slightly lunging into the trailing leg) and then throw oneself into the down swing, anchoring themselves in place with the trailing foot and snap, twist and jump the leading foot all over creation to finish in a hyper-extended position with most if not all of one’s weight pressing down into that leading knee and ankle?
This is the way to do it? A “great” way? A “perfect” way?
This is why I don’t watch pro golf anymore and haven’t for years – there isn’t enough Pepto Bismol on this planet to allow me to sit through hours of television coverage watching this.
I mean, it’s been over five years since the golf industry itself admitted that the modern golf swing model is harmful to the swinger’s physical well-being, and yet here we are still, showcasing these garbage moves as “great” and “perfect.”
I watched about an hour of total coverage on U.S. Open weekend and actually heard an analyst describing Scottie Scheffler’s footwork as “fabulous.”
Fabulous Footwork
And that was about it for this guy.
I will give the old school a half-pass on their footwork, as in the early days of pro golf, there would have been no analytical equipment other than a camera, no modern sports kinesiology of which to speak, and many of the old guard self-taught.
However, regardless of their footwork, the old school swung heavier clubs, their balls didn’t travel anywhere near as far, and they went after it pretty well – and you didn’t hear of pro after pro (let alone amateur) going down with debilitating back, hip or knee injuries.
That’s because, even with some iffy or down right shoddy footwork among even the best, they swung more or less with mechanical soundness or they would have exited stage right pretty quickly.
I also know that some people haven’t played a lot of sports in their lives before picking up golf, so I’m not blaming the students of the game – I am looking at the best players in the world who have access to the same kinesiology science as the rest of the sporting world, instructors and analysts and asking, “What on earth are you looking what when you call something great?”
Because, I’m not seeing it.
WAX Golf 