Too Much Flexibility?

[maskedman]

Vijay Singh

In the recent President's Cup, I recall seeing Vijay Singh on the tee, swinging driver. The television commentator made the observation that he looked almost too flexible, implying that a bit more rigidity in his swing would be beneficial. I was thinking the same thing--he looked rather 'noodle-y' in his swing and a bit sloppy.

I'm a big proponent of fitness and flexibility for golf, but this has me wondering if 'unnatural' flexibility is really helpful? How much is enough?

[newjedi]

I agree. To me when I get too flexible I feel that I have less control over my golf swing. It allows me to get out of my normal groove and when I do it is that much more difficult to get back into the groove.

[ezra76]

Vijay has more of a throwback swing. He starts out in the reverse K position and doesn't do the big coil like most guys do nowadays. I don't think he's even close to being the "most flexible" guy on tour, it's more the swing he uses that makes it look that way.

[rosskoss]

Vijay's long lazy swing is very different from the tight, compact modern swing you see so many young guys on tour have.

 

However, they can both be equally effective. I watched Vijay hit the ball (right in front of me) at the US Open at Oakmont this year. He hits the ball a MILE but barely looks like he's using any effort.

[hoganfan924]

Johnny Miller commented that his swing was "too loose." He implied that's because Vijay swings a weighted bar every day. I don't know any 43 year olds that are too flexible. Vijay's swing is very old school in some ways, like that cross-over 2 plane release where his right hand comes off the club. He also has a very big hip turn in the backswing (which I think is fine) and his arms look like they run off a bit at the end of his backswing. So his long arm swing and release are what's too loose about his swing and make consistency very difficult to achieve IMHO (hence the need for Vijay's notoriously long daily range session).

[right2left]

Since it was Johnny Miller that made the comment, it should be taken with a grain of salt. He tosses comments around like people breathe air. I truly believe that guy is paid by the word.

[atlanta golfer]

Didn't Johnny get the yips really bad and that is what ended his career early? And yet he wants to critique everyone else's methods. I realize he had some great years but I do believe that guy is a legend in his own mind.

[hoganfan924]

Didn't Johnny get the yips really bad and that is what ended his career early? And yet he wants to critique everyone else's methods. I realize he had some great years but I do believe that guy is a legend in his own mind.

 

Yes, but for a few year stretch in the early 70's, Miller was the best ballstriker on tour and won a boatload of tournaments. Plus, he's paid to give "color commentary" on players swings, etc. I think he's earned that right. Sometimes I think he makes some really insightful comments about a player's swing and sometimes I think he's full of it. I was thinking about starting a separate thread about comments he made about Hunter Mahan's swing that IMO, cleary demonstrated that he doesn't understand Hunter's swing at all.

 

Sometimes I find it amusing when Johnny tries to "predict" the ballflight based on some kind of perceived swing flaw that he see's, like right after the player swings he'll blurt out something like "Did he pull that Roger, he really shut the face down?" Then the ball lands 10 feet left of the pin, and he'll say "See, that's what happens when you shut the face down" lol Seems like he was doing a lot of that kind of thing all weekend. I think once he said - "Boy, he really flared that out to the right, Roger" Ball lands directly behind the pin and Roger Maltby says, "Yeh, right over the pin, Johnny!" But I actually like Miller mostly but don't always agree with his swing analysis although, I'll admit, Craig Parry's swing make me puke.

 

Rant over.