If you’ve taken enough lessons that haven’t stuck, you might think you’re mostly stuck with the swing you have. And I bet you can close your eyes and picture a golf buddy’s crazy swing that hasn’t changed in all the years you’ve played together.
But I promise you that you really can learn a new movement pattern. You just have to approach it in a way that might surprise you.
Trying to copy a complicated move like a full speed golf swing meaning you never switch from performance mode to learning mode. That’s why I like to do a lot of very slow motion work where there isn’t even a ball involved.
You can see what I mean in the video below. Lisa came to us determined to find the speed she lost. She wasn’t very good at impact, mostly due to a hip slip off the ball on her backswing. This caused her chest to tilt back towards the target and she ended up in the classic reverse chicken wing combination that many weekend players have.
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We slowed things down and did two workouts that really emphasize the new movements—and, just as importantly, the new feel.
In the first exercise, Lisa made a more consistent turn off the ball by wrapping around her right hip, then stretching an exercise band away from her torso while extending her arms. This slow motion and the load provided by the band completely changed her feel for the movement we wanted her to do.
We immediately moved into another drill to really get the feel for that backswing. She crossed her arms over her chest with her hands on her shoulders, pulled her lead leg back and did a few slow back turns. The split stance forced him to pivot at the hip instead of sliding back.
Even if you find a few exercises like this that really help, the impulse may be to do them a few times and consider yourself fixed. But these model changes take time. Over the next three months, we stuck to just these two drills and only the backbend. It is so important to be willing to stay focused on one key thing over time and do it even if you see uneven results in the short term.
Lisa developed a much better backhand, which led to a better return and transition tip. During our most recent lesson, with the help of Morgan Halewe added some exercises and drills which helped change her sequence from the top of her backswing and improve her spin through the ball. From there, she was able to let go and clear her hips and rotate her chest, which produced a much stronger and more consistent kick. Amazing to see the changes and results from these workouts and work. of awesome chicken wings started to disappear, Lisa had more compression and more distance and speed each week.
Beyond the swing work, we created a training plan at the gym so that the time Lisa was already spending there would multiply those results instead of working against them. This is a key part of what we do with every player, from professional tournaments to weekend golf. Integrating this training makes the gains come faster, and also helps players avoid injuries or even underlying pain that prevents you from playing or practicing as much as you want.
