What Tiger Woods stated about his swing that are worth copying.

[Luchnia]

There are some things stated about Tiger Woods when it comes to the golf swing and of course being as good as Tiger you will find a lot said about him. However we know a lot of things that are said are not true according to what Tiger actually states in his book, Tiger Woods How I Play Golf. the book was copyrighted in 2001.

Butch Harmon started working with Tiger in 1993 when Tiger was 17 years old. Around 2000 Tiger stated that he was well pleased with his progress because he and Butch was working on the way his body functioned during the swing.

Here are some things Tiger stated to copy from his swing. Most of these points seem to be as solid today as they were in the early 2000s:

• I turn my shoulders as far as possible without letting the range of motion disrupt my spine angle or the position of my right leg.
• I make my shoulders and arms work together throughout the swing. I don't let one get too far ahead of behind the other: That is one of the secrets of good rhythm and tempo.
• I keep the clubface square throughout the swing. That means the clubface is parallel with the left wrist and forearm.
• I strive to get the sequence of motion on the downswing just right. My lower body leads the way, followed by my shoulders, arms, and hands.
• I hit through the ball, not at it. I want to keep the clubhead traveling fairly low to the ground for a brief period after impact. That thought will promote solid contact, accuracy and maximum distance.

 

[JonMA1]

I'm sure there are many things in Tiger's swing that are worth trying to copy - so long as one has the ability not to screw them up.

While there are professional golfers who incorrectly describe what they do going by what they feel they're doing, I think Tiger is less likely do that.

I also think some pros are quick to either discount or overstate certain moves based on their own successes or shortcomings. The better a player is, the more credibility they may have, IMO. But that doesn't mean they are always right. Video will generally support or disprove what they believe they are doing. In the few interviews I've heard from him, Tiger is pretty careful to differentiate between what he's physically doing versus what he feels.

With all that said, I believe it's foolish for me to try and learn to play golf by trying to copy a tour pro's swing. I'll go a bit farther by saying a teaching pro who leans too heavily on what the tour players are doing is not the right instructor for me given the level of golf I want to achieve and my limited capacity to learn/change.

 

[RecGolfer]

Everything he said is right on the money. You don't have to swing like Tiger or anybody else and you can still do all of those things.

 

[AnthonyC]

I love that book, really great stuff

 

[Buckeyegolfnut]

I'm sure there are many things in Tiger's swing that are worth trying to copy - so long as one has the ability not to screw them up.

While there are professional golfers who incorrectly describe what they do going by what they feel they're doing, I think Tiger is less likely do that.

I also think some pros are quick to either discount or overstate certain moves based on their own successes or shortcomings. The better a player is, the more credibility they may have, IMO. But that doesn't mean they are always right. Video will generally support or disprove what they believe they are doing. In the few interviews I've heard from him, Tiger is pretty careful to differentiate between what he's physically doing versus what he feels.

With all that said, I believe it's foolish for me to try and learn to play golf by trying to copy a tour pro's swing. I'll go a bit farther by saying a teaching pro who leans too heavily on what the tour players are doing is not the right instructor for me given the level of golf I want to achieve and my limited capacity to learn/change.

When I was learning this game many, many years ago, my Uncle, who was a "country club" pro before WWII told me to watch the LPGA pros on TV. He felt that the men's swings wwere too idiosyncratic to try to copy them, and felt that the ladies had more "pure" swings. He was also my main instructor about golf. I have no idea if he was a member of the PGA of America before he went off to war, but he definitely knew what he was talking about! Helped me a lot!

 

[blugold]

Don't forget that Tiger moved on from Butch because b*tch couldn't stop him from getting stuck inside and saving shots with his hands.