A major swing change is far from easy—but it doesn’t have to be insanely difficult either. I’m not talking about a minor tweak, like adjusting your grip slightly, but rather a complete rebuild of your motion into something entirely different.

I’ve spent over a decade experimenting with different swing systems, successfully executing five major swing changes and struggling through two unsuccessful ones. Odds are, some of the key lessons I’ve learned will be valuable to you as well.

This is the first article in a three-part series on swing changes.

Must Haves for Major Swing Change

The Project Plan

The first and most important step is having a very clear plan—and I mean a proper plan. Going ad hoc will only lead to frustration. Swing changes aren’t for the faint of heart, and the road ahead can get turbulent. Without a clear plan and segmented goals, you’ll likely fail. To succeed, you need to map out:

• Where you are right now (why you move the way you do).
• Where you want to go (why you want to make the change).
• How to get there with milestone goals (what and how to change).

A Clear Leader = You

You need to lead your own development. Coaches, including myself, are just tools to help you reach your goal. Too many golfers hand over control to others, but real change comes from within. It has to come from you.

Fundamental Theoretical Understanding

Many teachings operate under the principle of KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid), but in my experience, a successful swing change demands the opposite. You need to understand the complexity before you can simplify it. This is how most learning works—through deep understanding.

Use this entire website as a resource to figure out the above three project plan points. No, you don’t need to know every minute detail, but you should understand the fundamentals of how power is produced, accelerated, and controlled.

Respect for Equipment

I really don’t care about your handicap. “Game improvement equipment” is often just a band-aid for faulty swing behavior, and it can even lock you into bad habits. If you’re serious about a swing change, I recommend using somewhat heavier clubs with little offset and harder-to-hit heads. These clubs provide valuable feedback on your striking, which is crucial for the change process.

A helpful mindset is to buy clubs that fit where you want to go, not where you are right now. For example, Bryson DeChambeau got an unplayable driver shaft to help reach a swing level that he could eventually master.

For my system, I recommend using heavy shafts and flat lie angles. Don’t underestimate your body’s ability to respond to a more difficult task. You’re more athletic than you think.

Respect for Repetitions & Key Drivers

To learn something new, you need roughly 3,000 to 5,000 repetitions for each movement. It makes sense, then, to focus on the pieces of your movement that drive other movements. For example, when practicing my FMM Swing system, if I focus on connecting with my shaft, my body will move in response. This means I don’t need to spend another 5,000 repetitions on some isolated body drill.

I know this is a hard concept to grasp, but every system has a key drill or exercise that drives the rest of the movements. Focus on that.

Respect for Initial Change Sensitivity

It’s human nature to struggle with performing something new and different in front of a crowd. No matter how relaxed you are, the early stages of change are best done off the grid. Steve Stricker, one of the most confident golfers out there, locked himself in a barn for two months to make a swing change. You probably need a similar environment.

Give yourself a few days to fundamentally understand what you’re doing, and for the love of golf, DON’T take your major swing change to the course right away.

My FMM Swing program, which focuses on rebuilding your own golf swing power, takes about 2 weeks for a basic build, another 2 weeks to ingrain the feelings, and another 2 weeks to transfer it to the course. I’ve designed it to be as efficient as possible, but it still takes about 6 weeks before you’ll see any results you can be proud of. Thinking you can bypass this timeline is, with all due respect, unrealistic.

Pitfalls of Major Swing Change

Taking Someone Else’s Medicine 

We are incredibly fortunate today, as there is an abundance of golf information available. However, this wealth of content comes with its own set of challenges. In fact, the sheer volume of information can be overwhelming, and the risk of picking and choosing tips that don’t fit together is very real. Many content creators rely on platforms like YouTube for ad revenue, which often leads to a high volume of clips—many of which may lack context and sometimes contradict each other.

When you pick up tips here and there, you’re likely doing more harm than good to your development. For example, shallowing your shaft plane in transition might be effective in one system but could completely destroy the core movements of another. Similarly, opening your body might be essential for a baseball-style swing but could ruin a more traditional swinging technique.

Educate yourself. In the third article in this series, I will provide a matrix of golf systems (as I see them), which will help you navigate what may work best for you.

Going Outside of Capabilities

I understand the allure of skill development—it’s fun and a great challenge. But there’s a potential danger lurking here. I’ve failed at two swing change attempts because I tried to adopt a movement that didn’t align with how I naturally function as a golfer. Some swing styles demand immense physical strength, while others require a level of tranquility and body control that’s more akin to yoga. Before you dive into a swing system, ask yourself: Does this style fit with who I am as a golfer? If the answer is no, you may end up creating more frustration than progress.

Recognizing your own limits and being honest with yourself about what you can and cannot do is crucial for success. Don’t just chase the next new idea—make sure it aligns with your unique abilities and goals.

The next article in the series is Understanding Your Golf Swing DNA – Where You Are Now.

The Major Swing Change Article Series

Golf Development Consulting

I offer some services for you that are into golf technique and want some assistance.

Some General Swing Tech Posts (with Videos)

The FMM Swing Articles