Golf is maddening this way. It truly is a labor of love. For all the times you are frustrated to the point of throwing your clubs in the lake, there are those days, those rounds, those moments where it is pure, unadulterated bliss:
A perfectly struck 7-iron that nestles within gimme range.
A tee shot that rockets off the club and takes the perfect shape you had envisioned before landing in the short grass.
A putt that holds its line all the way to the cup before falling over the edge.
These are all reasons guys like me spend countless hours either on the course beating it around, talking about it with our friends or just thinking about it.
What does all of this mean? In my case, my current "never enough" is my golf swing.
People tell me I have a good golf swing. I disagree. As a 7 handicap, I guess I am fortunate to be better than most weekend hackers like myself. However, that doesn't take away from the fact that my golf swing is actually a wreck.
I have never received a formal lesson so, to some extent, I'm proud of the fact that I have made myself a decent golfer. But unless you watch and analyze golf like I do, you can't appreciate all the flaws that I struggle with. It makes me want to puke when I step back and look at my swing frame-by-frame against a swing that is fundamentally sound. Therefore, let me walk you through all the ways in which my swing is wrong.
I have matched my swing up against one of the best swings in the game...that of Hunter Mahan.
The takeback...
In case you were wondering, that's me on the left. You can see the proper position that Hunter demonstrates. The club is taken straight back with the clubhead in line with the hands. On the other hand, you have me. My club is taken back way inside. The clubhead is behind my hands. As well, notice the flex in Hunter's right knee. Mine on the other hand is stiff as a board. We're not off to a good start.
The top of the swing...
Hunter shows the perfect position at the top of the swing. You can pretty much draw a straight line from the head of his club all the way down his shaft and arm and down to the ball. My club is wrapped around my head. "Across the line" as they say in the business. Major correction is needed from this point for me to get back into the proper position as I make my downswing. Hunter's hips are square. My hips are opened up. This is a recipe for inconsistancies and errant shots as there are too many moving parts necessary to get back proper form.
The downswing...
If there is any part of the swing that is comparable it would be here. However, you can see that the transition from the top of the swing to this point was very easy for Mahan. My transition from the top required a big correction that, as noted above, tends to be inconsistant and tough to repeat over the course of 18 holes...or an entire summer. Mahan's hands are set behind his right shoulder. My hands are in front of my right shoulder thus making for a steeper approach to the ball - this is a precursor to the way in which our shots will take shape after impact.
Contact...
Our leg action is similar with our right knee firing toward the target. Mahan's heal is off the ground where mine is flat and simply rolling toward the target - six in one half dozen in the other. The biggest difference here is the hips. Mahan has done a better job (go figure) of rotating his hips toward the target. You can see both of his butt cheeks. I am late on the transition to open up toward the target. This will lead to shots that head right. My arms are a little more extended but I am hitting a 3-wood in this pic while Mahan is hitting a mid iron. Both of our heads are down and right behind the ball - almost like twins I guess you could say.
The follow-through...
The first thing you notice is the different angle at which are clubs come through the hitting zone. Mahan's club is pointing at 10:00 while mine is more upright, say 11:45. His right hand is rolled over on top of his left - a sign he has appropriately fired through the hitting zone toward his target. My right hand is on top but is not rolled over on top of the left hand - a sign I have held off through the zone and depended more on swing speed than proper mechanics to generate distance. The end result will be a right to left ball flight (draw) for Mahan while mine will be the opposite - left to right (fade).
I guess I could have matched my swing against Jim Furyk and felt a little better about myself but that's not the point. I need this kind of feedback. I have to be honest with myself if ever I'm going to be a 1 - 3 handicapper. I am making strides in correcting these flaws now that I have done this demonstation and seen the areas where I'm amiss. I'm obsessed with having a beautiful swing like Mahan. I will get it right someday. Now, if only I could putt.
