What all great golfers have in common
Although, in the modern era of golf, you will see many more swings that look alike, all the great players have idiosyncrasies that make their swings unique. There are myriad reasons for that. Most players have different coaches and therefore different “swing models”. Their genetics; i.e. tall or short, thin or heavy-set, long arms, short arms etc. also influence the visual motion of their swings. So, if every player has a different swing, what can we learn from them?
Here are some commonalities of all great players.
- They all have a pre-shot routine which never varies. They do the same things when addressing the ball, every time. That ‘habit’ allows them to focus entirely on the matter at hand-this shot.
- They all finish their swings on their left (for right-handed players) side.
- At impact, they have created a triangle with their arms and shoulders; and the clubhead has not passed (the hands are still in front of) their hands.
- They all have great short games. Even the players you see who use belly or long putters (and they have gravitated to those because they have lost confidence in their stroke with a short putter) are very good putters. You will hear pros whining after a poor round that they “didn’t make anything”-meaning that they didn’t make any putts but if you total their statistics for the year, even a very average putter, statistically, on the PGA Tour is a very good putter.
- Even the most aggressive players, play to their strengths.
