I don’t know how many of you played golf before the advent of the Modern Golf Swing nonsense probably around the ’80s or so.

I myself remember beginning to take an interest in golf in the summer of ’95 (I didn’t have my first lesson until April of ’97 when TW won the Masters and the very next day, I bought a range membership that came with five half-hour lessons).

I also remember that many golf instructors in the mid-nineties still taught the Classic Golf Swing, but by the end of the nineties, probably due to the influence of Tiger Woods swinging in the Modern style, the Classic method quickly went away, as well as the vast store of Golf Channel material teaching the golf swing in the Classic method.

The reason for the change, or at least the prevailing reason given, was that keeping the leading foot firmly planted on the ground during the back swing meant “fewer moving parts,” and I have drily asked many times, “this is fewer moving parts?!?”

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So, according to the powers that be, a leading heel lift on the back swing means “too many moving parts” but the head, leading foot and other body parts flying around through the most crucial part of the swing – impact – are perfectly fine?

I keep thinking the Modern teaching has reached bottom and can therefore begin to reverse itself, but no.

Now, moving parts be damned, this is what is being taught to people:

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Yes, I did use this clip a couple of postings back, because I couldn’t believe that an actual swing flaw was being promoted as correct mechanics.

But I’ll ask you to watch the clip again keeping in mind the claim that the Modern Golf Swing means “fewer moving parts thus more stability,” and you tell me how ridiculous both the claim and the new reality of teaching are.

I don’t know about you, friends, but I stopped watching golf tour events on television when I got fed up of hearing and watching analysts praise swing flaws and inventing preposterous things that made those flaws good things to have.

And of course, having to watch these horrifically unsound moves…

It may not be the only reason, but I’m sure that very inaccurate and downright dangerous swing analysis from the pundits must have had some impact on the reason that golf viewership is absolutely dying.

That and new generations with the attention spans of goldfish, likely.

Also the breathless hyping of drives with 290 yards of carry and 150 yards of downhill run-out.

You’ll remember that I debunked the whole “vertical lift” and “using the ground” aspect of the Flying Foot Syndrome, showing that some of the worst Flying Footers had very little to almost no positive Attack Angle.

Now, I’ll ask you to watch that video and answer the question – how on earth does all of this jumping and twisting around at impact improve the quality of one’s ball-striking?

Edit: I can’t believe I missed it before, probably because I was picking my jaw up off the floor, but at the end of the clip, the narrator fully acknowledges that “this move may cause some inconsistent ball-striking…”

Gee… you think?

And exactly what would be the worst thing to happen to a player for whom every stroke counts?

Would it be…

Inconsistent ball-striking?

I’m done here.