Shot Shaping Old School Style – Setup Advantages
One of the biggest advantages of using the swing arc as your engine is the ability to perform shot shaping through setup adjustments.
By simply tweaking your clubface, ball position, and stance, you can produce any shot shape—whether it’s a draw, sling hook, fade, slice, or your stock shot—without altering your swing motion.
Standing on the Shoulders of a Golden Bear Giant
Jack Nicklaus used a similar approach, keeping his swing engine consistent while adjusting only his setup to shape shots. There are many ways to control ball flight, but this is my preferred method and the natural outcome of performing the FMM Swing.
He actually took it to even more approachable levels through only using the same ball position for all his shot shapes. Myself, I find it easier to tinker with the ball position too.
Shot Shaping or Stock Shot? Ball and Blade Position Goodness
Let’s be honest: shot shaping is slightly overrated from a scoring perspective BUT it’s a lot of fun and it holds some other advantages too. If you actually train different positions and keep the engine going on “normal mode” you will build a better awareness of your impact area. Training fade and draw shots (or bigger curves) will just make your normal stock shot easier to perform.
I even teach a low stinger hook shot for my students that work wonders in gale force headwind. Being able to create shots like this is just an outcome of using the same engine for all shots and understanding the ball and blade position relationship.
Another cool benefit from shot shaping is that you can start “securing” a never miss right or never miss left shot. This is pretty darn cool from a confidence perspective.
Swing Development for Real
If you’re serious about swing development, the best question you can ask yourself is this:
Which pattern fits you?
Take the quiz below. It only takes two minutes.
START THE JOURney – FIND YOUR OLD SChool PATTERN
Your inspirations and your subconscious view of the golf swing matter more than anything when it comes to making a lasting swing change. The goal is to find the pattern that fits you best. Take the quiz and check out the best choice for you below:
FMM EDUCATIONAL PATTERN PAGES
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Trail Power Hitter Pattern: The Invisible Vertical Power
THE GOLF SWING IS INVISIBLE You can’t see what I really do. I…
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Aggressive Fluid Release Pattern: Cracking the Hogan Enigma
Cracking THE IMPOSSIBLE ENIGMA? First attempt: seven years ago. There I failed with…
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Big Arc Swinger Pattern: From Nicklaus to Woods to Scheffler
What’s a big arc golfer? You see that person with a swing that…
Main Website Pages
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FMM Video Articles — See It. Read It. Understand It.
In early 2025, I started my YouTube channel (find it here), and the format has really grown on me. It allows me to explain, demonstrate, and cover things that text simply can’t. The real…
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All Articles Library – All Creations in One Place
Everything I’ve created over the years. You have different filterings according to the list below. Wish to watch Youtube videos instead? Then click here to open Wish to visit my Skillest Profile (coach app)?…
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FMM Academy – Which Pattern Fits You?
Golf instruction has never suffered from a lack of information. It has suffered from a lack of understanding. The FMM Academy was built to help golfers understand why great swings work, how different players…
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Swing Styles Articles – Explaining Old School Variations
I categorize golf swings into different styles for the sake of clarity and understanding. No golfer fits perfectly into a single swing style, but without a structured framework, you’re essentially shooting in the dark….
Old School General Articles
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Ben Hogan vs Jack Nicklaus Grip: What’s the Real Difference?
All the old-timers cared about one thing first and foremost. Almost as if it were the gatekeeper to their swing worlds. The grip. Why is it so important? Because it directly connects to how…
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How Lee Trevino Built One of Golf’s Most Accurate Swings
Most golfers trying to hack the golf swing just ruin it, and some, like Lee Trevino, win six majors. From an accuracy perspective, I would say that his motion is the most efficient I’ve…
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Why Jack Nicklaus Swing Work – Free of Modern “Rules”
Most people have Ben Hogan as their swing god, and sure, he’s awesome, but my personal favorite will always be Jack Nicklaus Swing. The Golden Bear. It’s the simplicity and effortless feel of it…
More FMM Project Articles
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The Swinging Protocol – In the Core of all Great Golfers?
I have a special interest in the golf world, and that is to understand what actually built the best swings of all time. Not just how they look, but what truly built them. What…
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A Powerful Golf Swing Clips It – Stop Chasing Divots
We are all performing golf swings based on inner images, muscle memory, and athleticism. These different subconscious images will shape how we perform our motion. A powerful golf swing clips it in a shallow,…
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Perform Your Backswing in Front of Yourself – The Vertical Lift
The backswing might be the most difficult part of golf. Do it right, and while there are no guarantees of a perfect result, do it wrong and you’ve almost certainly ruined your chances of…
