The Simple Golf Swing: Four Key Concepts Explained
Does the simple golf swing actually exist? It’s a reasonable question and my answer is this. There are definitely simplifications of the motion available for you are willing to understand why.
You need some foundational knowledge and I base what I write in old school principles (since I enjoy them more than modern golf). Over the years, I’ve given a lot of mechanical instruction — and often, it seems to do the opposite of simplifying the swing. Here are the key concepts I focus on:
Less Tilts and Bends = a More Simple Golf Swing
Ben Hogan’s swing idol – Wild Bill Melhorn – had this concept as a fundamental in his motion. Less tilts and bends creates a more simple motion since you don’t need to perform some kind of rebalancing act. What I’m talking about here would be the modern terminology of lateral bends and different sidebends. Sure, you will always have it to some degree but I try to keep mine as few and small as possible.
It seems to create a more consistent delivery. With old-school power dynamics, the club naturally becomes shallower, so you don’t need unbalancing tilts. You can enjoy simpler, more stable body positions.
Simplification through Abstract Intentions instead of Mechanics
Mike Malaska uses the term that “The Brain is the Task Master” and I really like that. When you find swing thoughts or abstract intentions that fit with your dominant part of your swing you can actually sidestep the need for deep mechanical swing thoughts.
The mechanics happens as an outcome of your more simple brain tasks. Cool right? Just took me 8 years to uncover that to a teachable level…
Simple Golf Swing = Completing the Journey
Somewhat related to the abstract intentions concept above is the follow through. When you intend your hands in certain centripetal positions you will inspire your entire body to move. In other words, if you make the club the driver of your swing and the hands finish position the sole end journey ambition you can create a reactive body.
What do I mean? Well, you will, without thinking about it, start to harness the pressure in the ground and this will as a byproduct create full body extension which in turn will make your body rotate. Sweet right?
Knowledge to Soothe your Mind
How knowledge and simplification is linked is quite unintuitive but let me try to explain. The more subconscious questions that I can answer, the less noise will be present when you stand over the golf ball.
In the purest state you have zero questions and a crystal clear task.
The complexity of the motion is quite potent but the solutions to accomplish certain mechanics really aren’t hard. The more you know, in my case in old school golf, the easier the solution becomes.
That’s the reason why I force my student to watch 65 videos (1,5 hours of watching) in my Knowledge First material.
Check out the Forgotten Master Moves homepage here.
The FMM Project – the swing style that I teach – has it’s overview page here.