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Does your golf swing fit your game?

Tadashi70

Tadashi70

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As you watch golf on TV or in person you see 1000s of different swings. As we watch the pros we have to assume their swings fit their game. Or they have learned to manage their game with their swings.

Take Jason Dufner, his swing is smooth, fluid and it works, well! Can you see him swinging like Sergio or visa versa? It would be a train wreck. They both have unique moves that fit their games and styles.

This brings me to regular guy or gal, does your swing match your game? Are you a grip it and rip it but should be smooth. Are you too passive but get great results with a more aggressive move? Just like we have options for shafts, grips, clothing. Etc. we also have options for a golf swing. Are you working with the right swing? Have you wondered if your fighting against what is natural? You okay a fade but want to play a draw? Why? Fix the fade and make it work. The same holds true for the right to lefter, if it works why switch. Use it as a base and build on it.

What are your thoughts?
 
I think mine does. I like my golf swing and I play my natural ball flight, the fade. I know what I have to work with and I make it work.
 
I would like to say that mine does but the fact remains that I just dont know. I feel like I should be hitting the ball much further but I settled on a smooth, slow tempo to stop me from fading the ball. I guess I just play a straight ball because it helps me manage the course better. I am going to work during the offseason on getting out of my comfort zone and really attacking the ball more.
 
As short as my season is I work on some things over the winter and the first month or so of the season. Always things that can be improved and really need to be if I am going to get better. After that I need to roll with what I have in order to enjoy the good weather.
 
The swing I've been trying to work on for almost a year seems to work pretty well for me. I'm one that wanted to get rid of his fade and I'm glad that I did. I was a rotten shot for me - short, susceptible to dying in the wind, hit weakly, etc. I don't think anything about the golf swing is natural, so I'm not sure I think I was messing with anything that I shouldn't have been. Bottom line is that I learned to hit the ball wrong from the start and I'm just trying to erase that from my memory.

As for swing styles - I'm laid back in real life and my golf swing sort of follows that. I have to force myself to swing a little more aggressive since the results are usually better that way for me.
 
I used to have a more atheletic swing with no thoughts of swing plane, or style...just results. My SS was about 105 (20 yrs ago!) averaged 270-280 with some 300+ yd drives. I didn't find the fairway more than 40-50% of the time, though. BUT, my recoveries were nice. High % on GIR. Very so-so putting. I got down to a 12.

Then, I decided to take lessons. BIG MISTAKE! The guy with whom I signed up for 10 lessons, tried to change my whole swing in those 10 lessons. It obviously didn't work, and my handicap went up to around 18-20. Age decreased my SS to 95.

I was at the range with a friend of mine, and he told me my left arm (rh golfer) looked like a wet noodle! I decided to try to keep it as straight as possible ala David Love III. Bingo, my drives went straighter with a baby draw! But concentrating on my left arm, my SS has gone down even more. It's now in the high 80s, and my drives average around 230-240. I'll take it!!!

I have been taking a few lessons at GolfTec, now. This guy isn't trying to completely change my swing all at once. We're working on my back swing a little at a time right now. Then, he said we'll start to work on my down swing. I like the way he's going about changing my swing. We're not concerned with SS at all right now. Just good correct form. A little more SS will come later. We're not working on working the ball at all. Way too soon for anything like that.

I'm not satisfided yet, but I'm working on it to make it my swing.
 
I am still a work in progress, but it's getting better for me. I have a very deliberate (bordering on slow) backswing, then an aggressive transition. I want to say it fits me well b/c if I change either the slow backswing or aggressive downswing I get in trouble. Nothing gets me in trouble faster than trying to baby a shot. If between clubs, I'm much better off trying to kill the shorter club than hitting a smooth longer club. Likewise, I can usually map consistency issues back to a quick takeaway.
 
I great question.

I tend to do things fairly fast and my golf swing reflects that, it has quite a bit of pace to it. Not always a good thing but if I work on tempo and keeping my timing the same on the way back as the way through I can work with it. But I do have a tendency to get quick and armsy and really send every ball left. (I'm a righty)

When I work on my swing I really don't ever touch my tempo as it works for me and really work on ball position, grip, posture, face angle and swing path. So as long as I get the rest of it right I can manage my tendencies.
 
I think that a better question is whether your golf swing fits your body and the type of person that you are. I'm a person that is pretty relaxed most of the time, but also tends to talk pretty fast. My swing has a fairly quick tempo, but is also pretty long and flowing, not a lot of tension in there. When I'm looking at swings of pros to try to emulate, I try to pick pros that have a body type like mine and good tempo as well. If I look at a guy like Jason Dufner, I get screwed up because my body type is different from his, and he's a one-plane swinger as well whereas I'm a two-plane guy.
 
In the past I was a grip & rip, swing out of my shoes type of golfer. To me, swinging faster meant the ball would go farther, right?

Over the past year, I have focused on keeping my swing in check. I wouldnt say that I have slowed my swing down, but I have worked on my tempo of my swing and have learned where I need to get a stronger movement after the transition at the top of my swing. When I keep myself balanced and work with my tempo the way I know to do, I see good results. If I try to baby my swing in hopes of accuracy or try to overpower and swing faster resulting in a swing that is all arms, disaster strikes.

I think now, with the setup I am currently playing, mostly made up of light weight shafts, my swing matches my game.
 
Dang, Ary brought up a whole other level of thinking around this question.

I was going to reflect that I believe my swing matches my personality and the way I go about both athletics and life. I try to have a nice Ernie Els-like tempo, as I think this fits me. John Wooden once said "Be quick, but do not hurry," and when I make mistakes with my swing, I'm anxious, amped up or let a self-imposed pressure get to me and my tempo does not stay controlled and my swing is not fluid. (This is generally true of all things in my life, actually.)

I have no idea about the one or two plane swing, I'll have to do some thinking about that.
 
I'm not 100% sure everything matches up with me yet, but I trust the instructor I'm working with and feel like that with continued lessons / practice / patience that when it all comes together I will have a swing this fits me and my game.
 
I think one's sense of balance is key to determining their swing type. Freddy, Ernie, Bubba must have excellent balance to make those long tempo-perfect swings in all of the conditions they play in. I feel that I have wasted much of my golfing life trying to emulate those guys when I should have been working on developing a more stable setup position and swing (ala Lee Trevino, Tom Lehman).
 
From hip to hip my swing matches my game, it's when I try to go with a bigger arc that I get in trouble. Tempo wise I'm pretty slow and very consistant. I'm really working hard on the grip and backswing now so I can have the best swing I can groove.
 
When I first started playing I had a bad case of the beginner's slice. Could not for the life of me figure out why so I just aimed more left which made it even worse.
Once I began to take the game a bit more seriously, I read books and watched learning shows on the Golf Channel and realized I was coming way over the top and not using my legs at all. Eventually turned the slice into fades but still was not happy because I considered that a "beginner's shot" and it robbed me of distance.
Took me about 2 years but have learned to now hit a draw as my normal, consistent shot. Makes me happy to see that ball flight, even though I know its not my "natural" shot. Was worth the time and effort in my opinion.
 
This is a great question, and I'm not sure of the answer. I have fought a slice and worked hard to get it to a fade...all the lessons I take try to flatten my swing and get me to hit a draw.....I am working on it, but it's tough.


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I'm not sure I understand the question. For me, my swing IS my game. Certainly my swing has changed over time, and with it...so has my game.
Does my swing fit my mental image of what my game should/could be? Nope. But it isn't like a club, I can't just drop another one in and see how that works. I can work toward a swing that provides better results, and if I can do that then that swing will be my game at that time.
 
I was just thinking about this same topic after I left therange yesterday. I've only been golfing 4 years. During that time my body and swing have both changed. When I first started golfing I was about 195lbs, muscular (I’m 5'9''), and not flexible. I was a gym rat and lifted 5 days a week. My swing was short, compact, athletic and for some reason I choked down on every club. My grip was very strong. I was very steep with my irons, took huge divots, and had a low ball flight with a baby draw. Tempo was slow backswing with an aggressive downswing. I would say it was a mixture of Anthony Kim and Sergio Garcia. Ball striking was the best part of my game. Driving was inconsistent my miss was a pull hook or block and short game was nonexistent. I shot on average 93-110 per round

Fast forward 4 years... I'm now 175lbs. I still go to the gym but now it’s just to do cardio. I slowly cut back on lifting and focused on flexibility/cardio. I stopped lifting all together about a year ago (terrible idea). My swing has changed dramatically. At some time I decided I wanted to start playing a fade... I don’t know why. Either way my swing is much longer/free flowing. My grip is neutral or borderline weak. I've become more of a sweeper, take a much smaller divot and have a much higher ball flight. Moved to more of a one plane swing. Tempo is faster but more even through the swing.

To be completely honest I'm not a huge fan of the swing that I currently have, despite the fact that my scores have gone down from 90's to low 80's. I attribute that to building a short game and improving putting. My body feels weak. My swing feels weak, too loose and not powerful. So to answer your question I don't believe my swing fits me, but it has been working. My goal this winter is to get back to playing a draw, work on compressing the ball again and slowly get back to lifting.
 
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I don't think I really get this. I just grab my club and swing. It's a very natural motion for me and I don't much think about it and I love how I hit the ball I really enjoy my ball flight and watching it with all clubs. If I start going a little right or left I make an adjustment. Maybe it's because I'm a feel golfer. Screw it, yes it does.
 
My default golf swing is not at all whats best for me It plays into my personality but i definately play better otherwise. when i can relax and just let the club do the work i hit a beautiful simplistic ball that stays online and does the job. As some can attest to, when i press i over swing hit the ball all over and cant find the green. I am a long hitter so i dont really need to try to squeeze out any extra yardage.
 
Scrap Iron said:
I don't think I really get this. I just grab my club and swing. It's a very natural motion for me and I don't much think about it and I love how I hit the ball I really enjoy my ball flight and watching it with all clubs. If I start going a little right or left I make an adjustment. Maybe it's because I'm a feel golfer. Screw it, yes it does.
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It's about swinging with in yourself. I see so many trying to crush it and spend shots like water. If your swing feels natural and works for you, then you get it.
 
Tadashi70 said:
...If your swing feels natural and works for you, then you get it.
Click to expand...

And there is that word. FEEL. That ethereal ghost that comes and goes as it pleases leaving one clueless as to what was different about the 7 iron just chunked into the creek short right versus the one just hit 170 yards over water to 8 feet. In my opinion feel is what takes a golfer to the next level. No matter how good their fundamentals are or their mental game is it's feel that consistently gets the ball on the green and in the hole. Everything else just gets you close. How does one develop feel? Can it even really be done? I beginning to doubt it. :(
 
Great thread...I have no idea what my swing is or what I should do as I have been trying to decide on somehtig for two years now...I have been going back and forth between two swings (Fade vs S&T) which are completely different (alignment, swing thoughts, etc...)...I will even go back and forth during a round trying to find one that works that day. The following r some facts about the two:

1) Fade Swing = Would have to be what I would call my natural swing...shot my two lowest rounds ever (74) with this swing...problem is if my timing (I think) is off I spray the ball over the planet...one good swing...two bad ones, etc...my miss with this is either a dead pull left (right handed golfer) or a weak slice.

2) S&T = A version of the Stack & Tilt...feels mechanical...when doing this well, I hit the ball very straight but usually distance is a club less than my fade swing...lowest round = 78...miss with this is a way left (hook)

I keep trying to convince myself that the "Fade" swing is the one for me as I have shot my two lowest rounds with it and that I just need to stop changing and put some serious time into making it more consistent...however, like yesterday I shot an 86 and had 5 penality strokes because of ugly swings...I actually used the S&T for a couple of swings (which I hit dead straight) during the round but most of the round was with the "fade" swing.

One more thing is that my swing coach (which I have not worked with in quite a while but he is the GM at my club so we talk often) says I could do either one...he thinks if I put in the time the S&T swing might be more consistent but feels that udner pressure my fade swing might hold up better for me as it feels more natural..we keep talking about a playing lesson so he can see what goes on during a round...

Golf is HARD!!! but fun...
 
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I'd say my swing fits me. You all know I'm not a big guy, so I've really had to work on making my swing stronger. This can sometimes get me into trouble, but usually I'm a head smart golfer and won't play a big risk shot unless I have no other choice. I've worked really hard to make my swing as repeatable as I can, and working with my brother (Callawaygolfpro) has helped this a ton. It's hard to imagine, but when I shot some of my best scores of my LIFE, it was before I made my swing changes. I can remember thinking that I was a pretty good golfer, but looking at my "old swing" and comparing it to my new swing, makes me laugh. My old swing was good, but it was good mostly because I practiced ALL THE TIME, so my misses were minimal. Now, with a more solid, repeatable swing, I'm confident if I could just practice more, my swing would come back twice as fast. So, you all know what I'm going to be doing this winter and spring...practicing more.
My natural swing is pretty straight, and as long as I'm not trying to over swing, then I know my misses most often aren't by much. It's hard to take someone and force them into a cookie cutter swing, but with my swing being pretty compact, it sort of is. This works well for me, and my numbers and stats show this. Personally, I need to focus on working more on my short game. Again, it comes to practice for me, and if I can just get some more time on the range and practice green, I know I can be dangerous again.
 
I wish I knew. Body type, flexibility, athleticism, learnings are some of the things that make up an individual's swing.
In my head, my swing looks like the pros. Then I watch a video of myself and go...ehhhhhh...maybe not :)
 
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