Backswing - tag

Posts Tagged ‘backswing’

Padraig Harrington Driver Swing Analysis

Monday, July 14th, 2008

Padraig Harrington Driver Swing Analysis

With British Open coming up, players like Padraig Harrington will be at advantage as they get to play the course more often than American players.

Let’s look at Padraig’s swing and see his strengths and weaknesses.

I like how Padraig takes his club away from the ball. He turns everything together nicely.

At the top, Padraig looks real good, starting his lower body as his backswing is finished.

At half-way down, Padraig looks pretty good, maybe a little too much lag than necessary. (That might be why he hit this ball slightly to the right)

Too much lag can cause the golfer to release too late (or release not at all), causing the ball to fly well right of intended target).

At impact, Padraig hangs back a little too much but looks pretty good other than that.

After impact, Padraig loses control of his left foot, this could really be improved to help his stability and balance.

Overall, Padraig has a really good swing except some minor stuff he might want to concentrate on.

Here’s Padraig Harrington’s Driver swing in Slow-motion:

Click Here to View in Full Screen Mode

Tags: backswing, british open, fly, left foot, padraig harrington, s driver, Slow Motion, strengths and weaknesses, swing analysis, target
Posted in padraig harrington | 1 Comment »

Chad Campbell Driver Swing Analysis

Saturday, July 12th, 2008

Chad Campbell Driver Swing Analysis

Chad Campbell is one of those PGA tour players who don’t have a perfect swing. As you can see here, Chad sets up to the ball with a very narrow stance for a driver. A big no-no, but he can still play.

Here’s his backswing. He gets behind the ball real good even with his small stance. I wouldn’t say it’s pretty but it gets the job done.

After impact, Chad does a good job of extending his arms but his left foot comes off the ground, a sign of real instability. Of course, Tiger has/had this problem too but Chad really needs to work on his swing if he’s serious about winning more tournaments.

Either that or he can go work on his short game/putting more.

I don’t bet on Chad winning this week unless he holes every putt he sees.

Here’s Chad Campbell’s Driver swing in action:

Click Here to View in Full Screen Mode

Tags: backswing, Chad Campbell, good job, left foot, pga tour players, s driver, short game, swing analysis, tiger
Posted in Chad Campbell | 2 Comments »

Fred Funk Driver Swing Analysis

Tuesday, July 8th, 2008

For many years, Fred Funk has always been one of the straightest drivers on the PGA Tour and his swing has never changed. (probably because of that)

Let’s look at what makes his swing “tick”.

At setup, Fred looks pretty good. Notice that his sets with his ball outside the ball. Kinda unusual but some pros do this to hit inside-out.

At takeaway, Fred is doing pretty good, maybe slightly inside the plane. (Plane is a little off here because the camera angle is slightly closed)

At half-way, Fred looks pretty good.

At top of Fred’s swing, his in perfect plane except that his clubface is really shut. This isn’t great for hooking the ball but let’s find out how he manages to hit the ball straight with this backswing.

At half-way down, Fred is lookin’ good.

At impact, notice how much his hips have turned (maybe 45 degrees) and his shoulders.

Fred must really drive his hips in order to hit the ball straight but he hits straight alrighty.

After impact, Fred is in good shpae.

Fred’s swing requires a lot of hand-eye coordination and lots of lower body movement to hit it well. Fred might need a hip surgery when he gets older due to the fact he must really drive his hips.

Don’t swing like Fred if you want to play golf for a long time but Fred is still one of the straightest drivers on the tour.

Here’s Fred Funk’s funky swing in action:

Click Here to View in Full Screen Mode

Tags: backswing, camera angle, Fred Funk, hand eye coordination, hip surgery, hips, long time, pga-tour, shoulders, swing analysis, takeaway, tick
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Rod Pampling Driver Swing Vision Swing Analysis

Monday, July 7th, 2008

Let’s look at Rod Pampling’s driver swing here. He has a swing that “over-rotates” during the backswing and the follow-through.

At address, Rod is a little bit too much over the ball but sitting very tall.

At takeaway, Rod’s club is nicely on-plane except notice that even his clubface is on-plane. (Normally, you want the clubface edge pointing up at the sky at this point)

At half-way point, Rod is in perfectly on-plane, nice….

Again, at the top, Rod is doing really well.

At half-way down, Rod is doing great again, pretty much on-plane.

At impact, notice how much Rod’s hips and shoulders have turned. This is because he “over-rotates” his body on the backswing. It’s not an easy swing to repeat.

After impact, Rod is slightly inside the plane, meaning he used his wrists a little to square the club.

Again, this is probably due to his over-rotations.

At finish, Rod looks pretty good.

Rod Pampling could really benefit from swinging with less rotation. Then again, if he has been swinging like this for last 20 years, I wouldn’t change it, just go working on my putting more.

Here’s Rod Pampling’s swing in action:

Click Here to View in Full Screen Mode

Tags: backswing, easy swing, hips, little bit, Rod Pampling, rotations, s driver, shoulders, sky, swing analysis, Swing Vision
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Tiger Woods Swing Plane Secret Revealed Part II

Saturday, July 5th, 2008

Remember I revealed the secret of Tiger Woods swing plane secret little bit ago?

Well, here’s another photoshopped image of Tiger Woods’ backswing plane.

If you can imagine the plane formed by the red-circles I drew, you will quickly notice that Tiger is actually on an “inside-out” plane.

What can you learn from this?

Try swinging the club more inside to out. Backswing is always better suited for slightly inside-out planes than the other way around.

Tags: backswing, circles, little bit, swing plane, tiger, Tiger Woods Swing, Tiger Woods Swing Plane Secret
Posted in Tiger Woods Swing | 1 Comment »

Anthony Kim Driver Swing Analysis

Saturday, July 5th, 2008

Okay, today, we will do a “real” swing analysis of Anthony Kim’s swing. (unlike my older post on Anthony Kim’s swing video only)

Now, this young man gas a great swing and might start taking over PGA Tour with multiple wins.

At takeaway, Anthony is a little too much inside. (This is what the “traditional” golf teachers teach you. But don’t be fooled, the follow-through will prove that Anothony “came back” to the right plane to hit the ball, which almost every pro tour golfer does)

At half-way, Anthony is still way too inside but that’s okay as it will get from here on.

At top os his swing, you can see how well his hands, and clubface are in-plane. (The four diagonal lines represent the true plane of the golf swing)

At downswing, Anthony is slightly inside the plane, which is perfectly acceptable.

At impact, notice how his left arms is straight and right arms slightly bent like at address.

Now what impresses me about Anthony Kim’s swing is not his takeaway or backswing but right after impact.

As you can see, his clubface is almost dead-on or slightly outside the plane. This movement is actually the best move. (Players like Ben Hogan and Tiger Woods do this)

After impact, it gets even better as Anthony’s club stays on-plane.

At finish, check out how controlled his right foot is, it’s barely coming up.

What can you learn from Anthony Kim’s swing?

There are many ways to swing the club. Try to focus on getting that club on-plane at the top of your swing and after impact.

Even most tour pros have completely different opinions on how to swing on-plane but their after impact positions will be the same.

Here’s Anthony Kim’s swing in slow-motion (SWING VISION):

Click Here to View in Full Screen Mode

Tags: Anthony Kim Driver Swing Analysis, backswing, Ben Hogan, diagonal lines, downswing, golf swing, golf teachers, left arms, move players, right foot, Slow Motion, swing analysis, swing club, swing plane, takeaway, tiger, Tiger Woods, top os, traditional golf, wins, young man
Posted in Driver | 1 Comment »

Secret to a Consistent Golf Swing

Thursday, July 3rd, 2008

Well, today I kept thinking about how I have been hitting the golf ball for the last 20 or so years of my life and by examining the top golfers in the world, I have come to a conclusion that I have finally found the secret to a consistent golf swing.

Here’s the secret to a consistent golf swing:

“Keep the swing in motion”

What do I mean by that?

Well, if you have noticed, every top golfer waggles his club before starting his/her swing.

The waggle is simply a preview “feel” of you swing before you swing the club.

For example, unlike other sports, Golf requires you to start at a static position. (similar to a Basketball free throw shot)

Once you start your golf swing, you don’t ever want to disrupt or stop your motion in anyway.

How can you achieve this?

You need to think outside the box and think of a swing as a one continuous motion just like throwing a baseball or shooting a basketball.

One continuous motion requires that your whole swing flows at one continuous speed.

Ben Hogan used to start his downswing before the completion of his backswing. In reality, the concept backswing, impact, and the finish are only “snapshots” of your one continuous swing.

Do not try to achieve a backswing position, rather try to swing in one-motion. To correct any swing flaws in your swing, you need to do that while keeping in mind that a swing is one continuous motion.

So next time you head out to the range, practice swinging in one continuous motion.

Drills for feeling this?

You can setup about 5 to 10 balls in front of you and try to hit them all, one-by-one, without stopping your swing. This drill is actually very well-known by most teachers and pros but it will definitely teach you the “feel” of one continuous swing and help you swing with “feel” and less “mechanics”.

Well, that’s all for today folks, this might be the best secret, of course for making few bucks off your golf buddies and winning that club championship.

I might analyze a lot of the pro swings, but you have to realize golf is not a game of swing mechanics, but of swing motion.

Tags: backswing, balls, basketball, Ben Hogan, conclusion, continuous motion, downswing, golf buddies, golf-ball, golfers, mechanics, other sports, snapshots, sports golf, static position, throwing a baseball, waggle, years of my life
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Jesper Parnevik Driver Swing Analysis

Monday, June 23rd, 2008

Jesper Parnevik has always been my Swedish golf hero(outside Annika Sorenstam that is). I remember seeing him for the first time on TV about 15 or so years ago and I still remember how he had his cap backwards and advertisers actually started putting their logo inside-out just for Jesper.

Let’s look at his swing:

At takeaway, Jesper is slightly inside the plane but no big deal here, looks great.

At half-way, Jesper is still on-plane, maybe slightly flat but it works.

At the top of his swing, Jesper is pretty much on plane, maybe slightly upright. His clubface is slightly shut, meaning it’s a little closed, meaning it’s pointing a little too much at the sky. This isn’t problem for Jesper as most pro tours do have it slightly shut for a nice draw.

At half-way down, you can see how well Jesper fits his hands and club onto the red plane. Most pro tours are great at this.

At impact, Jesper is great. Maybe his right arm could be extended a little but that’s because his head dipped about 3-4 inches from address. (If you take a look at the location of the bunker at address and here, you will see.)

The dip usually isn’t a big problem for most pro tours as it’s a natural thing. You might want to watch out though if you are dipping more than 4 inches. (My recommendation is to try around 1-2 inches of dip at most. To lessen dipping on your swing, swing effortlessly and also feel like you are standing up tall during your whole swing)

Jesper looks great after impact. Take a look at the triangle formed by his arms, shoulders, and hands. This is a characteristic a lot of the good ball strikers on tour all have. (Sorta like the mirror image position of the backswing.)

At finish, Jesper is in perfect balance, enjoying his perfect tee shot. Take a look at his right foot and how the tip of the foot is straight down. You want this at the finish for a perfect balance in your swing.

What to take from Jesper’s swing?

Well, golf is partly or mostly about balance. If you can be in balance at address, backswing, and the finish, you are 10 times more likely to hit the ball straighter and farther than if you are not in balance.

Next time you go out on the range, see if you can stay in balance during your swing and also hold your finish for 3 seconds. If you can do this on every shot, you must be hitting the ball pretty good, at least solid even if you spray it.

Here’s Jesper Parnevik’s Driving Swing in action:

Click Here to View in Full Screen Mode

Tags: advertisers, Annika Sorenstam, backswing, hero, image position, Jesper Parnevik, mirror image, perfect-balance, right arm, right foot, shoulders, sky, strikers, swing swing, triangle
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Tommy Armour III Iron Swing Analysis

Monday, June 23rd, 2008

Tommy Armour III is actually the grandson of the great Tommy Armour who has won 3 major championships.

Although Tommy Armour III has not been as successful as his grandfather, I highly suggest you to read his grandfather’s book, A Round of Golf with Tommy Armour. The book teaches you countless great course strategy and let’s you score the game instead of focusing on swing mechanics. (It’s one of the best golf course strategy books out there that no one knows about, if not the best)

Now let’s look at Tommy Armous III’s simple and compact swing. Tommy does swing pretty quickly but don’t let that fool you, he’s actually “accelerating” through the ball better than most other tour pros.

At takeaway, Tommy likes to go with the traditional red plane. We will see that he returns to the red plane near the backswing though.

At top of his swing, Tommy is pretty much on-plane with the red plane. Also notice that his clubface is “parallel” to the red plane. (You have to imagine the red plane extends forever to the front and back of a golfer pleeez)

What I like about Tommy’s action is that he keeps his backswing pretty short but accelerates through the ball very nicely.

On the way down, Tommy get slightly inside to hit the ball inside-out.

Oh boy, with Tommy’s super fast downswing, he’s still in perfect position at impact. Look at how straight his arms, hands, and club are, almost matching the red plane.

Tommy may not have won as many tournaments as his grandfather, but expect him to win a major real soon.

Here’s Tommy Armour III’s iron shot in action:

Click Here to View in Full Screen Mode

Tags: backswing, best golf, compact swing, Course Strategy, fool, game, golf course, kym, strategy books, swing analysis, swing mechanics, takeaway, tommy armour, Tommy Armour III, Tommy Armour III Iron Swing Analysis
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Stewart Cink Driver Swing Analysis

Saturday, June 21st, 2008

Stewart Cink Driver Swing Analysis

Let’s take a look at Stewart Cink’s swing and see why he is so consistent.

At address, you can see I have two plane lines. The tour pros usually follow the red one or the yellow one depending on what school of “plane” they believe.

Stewart, in this case, resorts to the yellow plane line, which is perfectly okay, but the red plane line is the “new” and deadly “secret” that the tour pros won’t tell you about.

At takeaway, you can see Stewart right-on-plane with the yellow plane. It’s actually inside the red plane, meaning Stewart will have to re-route slightly to hit the ball.

At 1/2 way on the backswing, you can see Stewart follow the yellow plane perfectly. This is the old-method taught by teachers like David Leadbetter and some others. (It’s not a TRUE plane as I will explain further in the latter pics.)

At the top of Stewart’s swing, you can see he’s veered off the yellow plane completely and he’s now on the red plane. Why the yellow plane worked is because he actually “manipulated” his arms to go upright. This isn’t natural but then over 50% of pro tours swing like this. (except Tiger and couple other players)

At 1/2 way down, you can see the Stewart is actually on-plane with the true red plane. The yellow plane, as shown here, does not constitute as the real-plane as it has no meaning.

Why is it like this?

Because the yellow plane only shows the plane of the club shaft at “address”, not “impact”.

At impact, your wrists and arms straighten out due to the centrifugal force applied by the body, that’s called the red plane, true plane to follow for hitting the ball flawlessly. A lot of teachers do not even know about this simple because they are too stubborn and stuck in the 90s.

At moment of truth, check out how Stewart’s shoulders, arms, and hands are on plane with the red line than the yellow line. (This is why yellow plane has no meaning except that teachers try to teach you an invisible concept)

Even after impact, look at how well Stewart stays on-plane.

Now, you have learned the two ways of planes in golf.

The first plane is the plane formed by the clubshaft at address. (the yellow line)

The second plane is the plane formed by the line between your clubhead and the middle of your right shoulder sockets. (the red line)

Tiger Woods and couple other top players in the world are using the red plane. Everyone else is using the yellow plane.

Which one is correct?

The red line plane is more correct because it’s based on your impact position, not address.

The reason why the yellow plane works is because Stewart manipulated his arms after takeaway to fit the red plane. (So in fact, all his previous work to get the club on-line with the yellow plane becomes worthless)

Take a look at my swing analysis of Tiger’s swing and you will know what I mean here.

Here’s Stewart Cink’s driver swing in slow motion:

Click Here to View in Full Screen Mode

Tags: backswing, centrifugal force, club shaft, david leadbetter, moment of truth, plane line, red line, shoulders, Stewart Cink, takeaway, tiger, yellow plane
Posted in Stewart Cink | No Comments »