I posted about Nataliya Guseva a month ago, with the admonition that “perfect” swings don’t ruin one’s body.
The clip was only 2-3 weeks old, but just a month after my initial post, I saw a clip of her swing posted just a day ago, which makes it little more than around 6 or 7 weeks apart – and it’s not looking good.
This swing clip that I saw online and of which I’ve made a gif. is the sweetest swing I’ve ever seen from Ben Hogan, in terms of visual quality and that really brings forth the magic of his pivot action.
For those who think Hogan looked a little thick around the waist and upper legs, you are likely unaware of his physical struggles.
One may have been wondering, why did I say that Jack Nicklaus was the closest to optimal when it comes to the golf swing, but I’m constantly talking about Ben Hogan?
That’s because of the nature of swinging – Nicklaus was far more powerful in his swing, but Hogan was much more accurate and consistent because of the pivot action in his swing.
All of this Ben Hogan talk has reminded me of something amusing that happened to me a few years back.
The funny thing is – I have never pretended or tried to swing like Ben Hogan except for in the video “The Ben Hogan Project” in 2014 in which I did wear a driving cap like Hogan for the mood.
In that video, if I recall, I didn’t even really try to swing exactly like Hogan, I just pointed out his pivot action, later known as the “Perfect Pivot” in my subsequent videos, and to debunk all of the nonsense about his swing that so irritated me after I’d taken a hard look at his mechanics.
There is so much wrong with this article that I ran across whilst idly scrolling the news on my phone after I’d woken up this morning.
At first, I thought I must be still asleep, so I bookmarked it until I’d had the benefit of a cup of coffee and another hour with my eyes open, but sadly, I had read what I read correctly.
I’m not talking about average drives here, but Jack Nicklaus has made a solid case that he’d likely have been able to drive the ball close to 400 yards with today’s equipment.
It’s not just the clubs that would make the difference, but the balls they use in the Modern Golf era.
I began to play golf in the mid-90’s, so I remember when ball technology really took off.
Before I get into this, a couple of points.
I am finding Modern Golf ever more laughable and, to keep my sanity, I have noticed that I am becoming a little, shall we say, “light-hearted” in my writing style.
It helps me cope with the trauma of what I see day in day out, so bear with me, if you will.
I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it yet once more – the pros in the game of golf are using equipment meant to help hackers and amateurs play golf better, and they shouldn’t be permitted to do so.
It’s the equipment makers who actually rule golf today, not the associations – every time there is talk of bifurcation to equipment (different clubs and balls than what is offered to lower-skilled players of golf), they scream and threaten to sue.
While I would never blame or mock amateur golfers who have something like a heel spin in their mechanical action, it is a wonder to me that there are professional golfers out there who still do it.
I have been thinking about how to illustrate that the heel spin is from improper mechanics and not some physical impediment as many people with flaws in their swings claim to have, and this could be the one.
Let’s rinse the sour taste of the past few posts from our collective palates, shall we?
I’ve talked at length about how Jack Nicklaus’ swing model in 1963 was nearly optimal, but Ben Hogan has always been poetry in motion for me.
It is incredible to me that the videos on YouTube of the great Classic Golf Swing era don’t have so many more views, because these gents knew how to swing.
WAX Golf 