You can call this “Why You Can’t Learn Ben Hogan’s Swing Pt II,” because I already dismantled Jim McLean’s attempt to analyze the legend’s mechanics back in 2014.
Note: I have just finished writing this posting and, having outlined everything wrong with this video, I am convinced that this very video is what everyone has been using as their blueprint to to try to swing like Hogan, either personally or teach others, or both. Including Jim McLean.
This is incredible – I would never in my wildest dreams have traced the Tiger Woods Tai Chi squat exercise back to Ben Hogan, but here we are.
I remember Tiger Woods once saying that Moe Norman and Ben Hogan were the only two golfers who owned their swings, which leaves out others like Bobby Jones and of course Jack Nicklaus, among others.
Leaving that aside, Tiger also claimed that Hogan couldn’t have played on today’s Tour because he’d be too short-hitting, which is rich, because guess who Tiger Woods has been trying to emulate since at least his Sean Foley days?
Well, well, well – it’s Sunday morning in this corner of the world, and I used to love reading the comic inserts in the weekend papers (one had them on Saturdays, another paper on Sundays), so why don’t we have a little laugh here today?
I should have stuck to my gut instinct that Sean Foley, who was Tiger Woods’ swing coach between Butch Harmon and Chris Como, was the one responsible for bringing us the “Squat & Dump” move.
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.
Update: Since posting this, I have uncovered evidence that takes the Tiger Squat back to his Sean Foley days, and it has just gotten worse and worse over time. /update
I have been wracking my brain for the past few days, trying to think of where the Squat & Dump move came from.
I have seen the Tiger Woods Tai-Chi routine, of course, but it wasn’t until I went looking for some old Tiger Woods swings that I found it – and yes, you can lay the blame on this horrific move on him and his coach at the time.
You can probably file this away under “Famous Quotes Before Disaster,” because this type of attitude leads to tragic endings.
Scottie Scheffler actually laughed off the incident where he clearly experienced pain in the aftermath of a “what was that?” swing off the 11th tee last Friday.
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.
I hate when this happens – for years, whenever I have singled out individual swingers in a post on unsound mechanics, they uncannily come down with an injury within weeks.
The reason I rail against unsound golf swings and mechanically-incorrect moves is because I’m trying to get people to avoid hurting themselves simply swinging a golf club.
I wasn’t watching yesterday’s Tour event, but a WAX Nation citizen (thanks, Chief!) alerted me to something that happened to Scottie Scheffler during his round.
I have said that of all the sports you can think of, that golf is the only one that has regressed in modern times.
All other disciplines are using science, bio analysis and everything else you can dream up, to improve performance, reduce injury risk and perfect technique.
Golf?
Not even close, my friends, and let me show you what I’ve begun to see more of from Modern Golf.
WAX Golf 