Retieft Goosen has one of the best rhythms in golf.  Here’s Retief at setup.

At backswing, Retief is right on-plane.  Now, there’s 2 types of planes that 99% of tour pros use.

One plane is the plane formed by the ball to the middle of the shoulder sockets (the top red line) and the other one is the plane formed by the ball to the belly. (the bottom red line)

Retief here uses the 2nd type of plane, which is what David Leadbetter promotes whereas Butch Harmon does the other.

The impotant thing is to keep your plane within the two different types of plane.  Anything higher or lower will make your swing a lot harder to keep up and cause back problems.

Jack Nicklaus probably breaks this swing plane rule but that explains why he needed a ceramic hip replacement.

At the top of the backswing, Retief has a beautiful triangle.  His club is pointing slight to the right of parallel meaning he will probably hit from inside-out and a slight draw.   This can become a problem for Retief if his club starts pointing more right and cause blocks to the right under pressure.

At downswing, Retief is actually a little too “steep”.  This can again cause blocks to the right.  But Retief manages to get back on plane right before impact:

As you can see, Retief is coming in a little too much inside-out.  His shoulders are still inside-out.  He might hit a good 15 yard draw on this drive but again, this type of too much inside-out action will cause blocks to the right.

However, it’s always better to error on the inside-out plane than outside-in plane since you do hit the ball more accurately this way.

After impact, Retieft shows he hit the ball perfectly as his club and right arm are in plane with the ball.

This is the secret.  No matter how bad your backswing is, if you can end up in this position, you will hit the ball very very good like Retief Goosen.

Here’s the video:

Click Here to View in Full Screen Mode

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Click Here to View in Full Screen Mode

Here’s the swing keys for today on video:

1. Really feel the shoulders and large muscles do the work on your backswing. What do I mean? You can only feel this is your grip is very very light. In other words, grip light and try to feel your left shoulder turn on the backswing.

2. On the downswing, really try to feel that your stomach is controlling the arms and the hands.

P.S. I didn’t hit a good shot on the video but that doesn’t mean this isn’t a good swing key. So go ahead and try it next time you are on the range, not on the course.

On the course, you should play to score, never try to fix your swing on the golf course. If you are hitting it left consistently on the course, don’t fix your swing, simply aim more right. This might be the best lesson for today.

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Today, I hit the ball like crazy. I mean, I hit the ball so good, it was like cheese melting in my mouth. I hit the ball so good maybe it was even better than sex.

Anyways, here’s my swing thoughts for the day:

On the backswing, really feel the large muscles of your shoulders turn automatically since your hand pressure is so light.

On the downswing, try to really get your shoulders and belly to turn in sync and swing slightly inside out while trying to hold your body straight.

Confusing?

Try this for beginners:

1. Grip the club very light.

2. Feel your large muscles turning on the backswing.

3. Feel like you are holding a basketball and doing a two handed pass on the downswing.

4. Move your lower body and belly at the same speed as your shoulders.

5. Use your lower body and shoulders to hit the ball, not arms or hands.

P.S. One more thang…rhythm…rhythm…rhythm…

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Check out this trick shot you can play from your knees when your ball is close to the bunker lip and it’s hard for you to balance yourself. I haven’t tried this but it does “seem” like a good sand trick shot.

Your knees and shins give you plenty of ground support, so don’t be afraid to make an aggressive swing (flare both feet out for an even wider base). Keep your rear end and your back straight, and try to hold this position as you swing the club back and through. Don’t pick the club up — get your shoulders moving as well as your arms.

The biggest mistake you can make is bending over too much. That makes it easy to lose your balance. Use your butt as ballast to keep your posture tall and your swing in control.

via golf.com

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This is not an accident that I have an unlit cigarette while hitting a golf ball. It’s actually a training tool. You don’t have use a cigarette, you can also use pens, anything that’s about 3-5 inches.

What I’ve found that the cigarette does for me when I swing with it is that:

1. Keeps me in balance. If I try to swing to hard, I will bite the cigarette with my tooth and I won’t be able to smoke it after my practice.

2. Keeps your shoulders relaxed. If your shoulders are tense, you will hit the cigarette with your shoulders on the backswing.

3. Keeps your head up for balance…. balance …. balance is everything in golf and life…

If you think I am wrong, look in the history of golf and look at Ben Hogan.  If you find a Ben Hogan’s swing without a cigarette, let me know and I will send you five dollars!

(Could be that because Ben Hogan was a chronic smoker, he’s golf swing HAD to be in BALANCE!?!)

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