Making Progress - Swing Tips 4

In this fourth part in the series, you'll see the full swing from a rear view, with a slow-motion sequence for analysis. If I could repeat this swing at the proper tempo ( 21/7 or 24/8 from the book Tour Tempo), I'd be all set. As you'll see, though, from the other swings, this ideal swing happens only now and then. Grooving it will take some time, and who knows how long that will be? And then I end the segment with two ideas for increasing distance: sequencing and tempo.

The key to all this progress in creating a good swing is constantly videotaping myself. I take my camcorder with me outside, when I practice in the backyard, and to the range. Regularly, while I'm practicing, I tape myself and then take a look. What I see then determines the aspect of the swing that I work on next. The plane, for example, is attainable only through videotaping.

What I've learned about learning a golf swing is that while you're practicing, you think you're doing one thing, but, in reality, you're doing another. The only way to reveal that is to look at yourself. You don't need to go to a pro to see yourself on camera. Do it yourself. Then, on your computer, you can play your swing in one browser window and compare it to Ernie Els (or any other pro you can find on YouTube) in another browser window, side-by-side, and the work you have to do will be completely obvious. As you can see, after all this videotaping, I'm very close to a solid swing. I have to relax more and get rid of the tension in my swing, but already you can see the swing plane, the balance, and the follow-through. Once I groove those, I'll start to work on sequencing and tempo. That's the plan for next year.

The next post in this series will be at the range, where we can all see how the practice swing, with plastic golf balls, translates into hitting real balls for real distances. That prospect changes everything. From experience, I know that the practice swing does not travel well to the range, let along the course. At this point, it is important to juxtapose practice, the range, and the course. The results will give me a real-time sense of where I am in the long arc of developing a good golf swing.