Tom Lehman is another player who “dips”, sorta like Kenny Perry. He is another proof on the tour that you do not need a perfect swing to play great golf.

Here’s analysis of why he is consistent with his swing.

At takeaway, Tom is lookin’ good as far as staying on plane except his clubface is way shut. About 5% of tour pros play a “shut-faced” golf, which is not as easy but you can play with it. A shut-face takeaway means than Tom will really have to “dip” and drive his whole body before the club to avoid duck hooking the ball.

At half-way point, Tom is looking good and his clubface is actually not “too-open”. I guess he opens his clubface in between the takeaway and the top of his swing… (Whatever works…)

At the top, Tom is slightly upright, (which is okay), and his clubface is slightly shut, meaning he will have to hold on to his left hand dearly. But Tom’s a very experience at this shut-clubface business so he will hit a nice fade.

At half-way down, Tom is slightly over-the-top, but that’s okay since he IS trying to hit a face, not a draw.

After followthrough, Tom looks very good with a nice extension.

What can you learn from Tom?

Well, if you are a shut-clubface player, (a player who doesn’t rotate his hands enough on the way back) you will need to open up your stance like Tom and rely on a nice fade to be consistent.

If Tom played a draw, his misses would turn into deadly 60 yard duck hooks. The only reason he succeeds with his swing is the fact that he plays a fade or a left-to-right shot. So even if he “misses” his shot, he will only hit it straight or slightly left.

Here’s Tom Lehmans’ swing in action:

Click Here to View in Full Screen Mode

My Tip:

If you have a tendency to hook the ball a lot, try opening your stance and clubface a little at address, of course aim left of your target, and hit a fade on your shots.

Jack Nicklaus did this all his life, Ben Hogan did this during his “prime”, and I do it too.

Aim a 5-20 yards left and try to hit a fade on every shot. This is actually the best percentage shot in golf.

Don’t fix your hook swing, just use it to your advantage.

Ben Hogan, course aim, dips, fi, great golf, kenny perry, left hand, misses, proof, swing, tendency, Tom Lehman Ben Hogan, course aim, dips, fi, great golf, kenny perry, left hand, misses, proof, swing, tendency, Tom Lehman If you like this post, please subscribe to the ProGolferDigest via RSS or via E-Mail to receive updates.

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