I wrote a post a few weeks ago about how I’d been looking at Jack Nicklaus’ very vigorous and aggressive leg action and that I think it’s the way one must perform one’s leg and hip action for maximum efficiency.
In the intervening two months, I’ve been looking at the setup and the pivot itself (not the leg action, but the back swing pivot angle with regards to arms and hands going back), and while doing that, I re-affirmed the overwhelming importance of that leg and hip action.
I got a fresh look at Bryson DeChambeau’s driver swing from the weekend when he drove a 384 yard Par 4 green, and it looks pretty good, form-wise, compared to what he’s been doing before when I’d have a look.
I don’t know if there was a stiff following breeze (there is a good breeze and I doubt it was against, but it could have been a cross-wind) or if it was significantly downhill, but 384 in any conditions is a pretty good pop!
Back in 2016, I had a swing that largely resembled John Daly’s with regards to the back swing length and top position, and I’m curious about one thing.
That thing would, could I match the club and ball speed I was generating back then with the new, rebuilt swing upon which I’ve been working the last year?
I found this pretty good short clip from Brandel Chamblee on the Classic Golf Swing pivot – although he can be rather controversial on television and a little contradictory at times (he’s always loved and praised Tiger Woods’ various swing models, all of which are Modern and completely unsound as TW’s injury list can attest to), he is pretty sound on swing mechanics, generally speaking.
I’ll say right now about the title – I don’t believe in “magic moves,” as that implies there is something special about swinging a golf club when it’s simple stance and mechanics – any “magic move” is nothing more than mechanically-sound motion.
Having had a depressing look at the current state of affairs in today’s pro game with driving accuracy, I was actually a little but not very surprised that Rory McIlroy came in 157th on the Tour, because I didn’t know this until I had looked at his driver swing.
When I saw what he was doing, I thought to myself, “he can’t be hitting that many fairways with this move,” and proved myself right when I went looking for the just-completed season’s driving stats.
I’ve already shown with a side by side comparison that my Driver swing back in 2017 was nearly identical to the swing action I used on the Momentus Heavy Driver, shown from a diagonal view.
Here, I have made a gif. of my swing with the Momentus shown down the line, and when you watch it in slow motion, you can really see how the hips and legs are powering the swing using leverage rather than sheer muscle force.
I have three separate iron/wedge shots below, the first being a PW, the second a 7 Iron and the third a 5 Iron.
See if you can spot the difference in how I set up for the shots, and how it changes the result in the ball striking aspect!
I can’t begin to count how many times I’ve written about a particular golf pro’s swing mechanics, expressed concern for a move or position that might be an injury risk… only to have said player come down with an injury not too long afterward.
This week’s winner of the DJ Watts Analysis Curse Sweepstakes seems to be one Rory McIlroy, who is still going to try to play this week despite having incurred a lower back injury earlier in the week.
I will swallow my distaste for any face-on views of my swing back in 2017 (the right hand grip is all wrong) to illustrate just how easy it is to hit one’s irons and wedges with a vertical swing mindset.
I have a Pitching Wedge in this particular swing in real speed and slo-mo, and all I’m doing is making a back pivot to the top and then swinging down and through to the finish with no mind of the ball whatsoever – it just gets in the way.
It amazes me how far away from the proper MCS setup I strayed in the years since producing and releasing the “E = MCS” swing video (which is no longer available because there were certain things about my swing at the time that I detest, so I’ll have to re-shoot it).
I talk about how the swing is vertical and not rotary, which if you wish to swing in this manner requires the proper setup shown down the line, and I actually nearly nailed it when I was making the video.
WAX Golf 