A few PGA Tour winners this year include Akshay Bhatia, Cameron Young, Scotty Scheffler, J.J. Spaun, Aaron Rai, Viktor Hovland, Chris Gotterup, Ryan Fox and Jackson Koivun. I think we would all agree these player’s swings look nothing alike – maybe go as far as to even say somewhat unorthodox. What is the same is their clubface position at impact. As John Jacobs once said, “The sole purpose of the golf swing is to apply the golf club correctly to the ball. The method employed is of no significance as long as it is repetitive.” In other words he cared far more about the club’s delivery at impact than whether a player’s backswing looked textbook. In my opinion far too many golfers are chasing so called “perfect “positions and movements rather than caring what the ball does.
I don’t use video in my lessons because I don’t want students seeing their golf swing. Instead I want them to observe what the ball did, and what the club did at impact to make the ball do that. And finally what the student did to make the club do that. The golf ball doesn’t care what your swing looks like – it only responds to the club’s delivery at impact.
The next time you practice don’t judge your swing by how it looks. Judge it by whether you’re striking the ball first, then the turf and starting the ball on you intended line and controlling the trajectory. These are signs of improving impact.