Matt Wolff Swing - It Works!

[MPStrat]

This is an interesting subject. I've seen some (what I would consider) horrendous golf swings shoot low scores. I don't believe hand eye coordination has much to do with it, though. If it did, any elite athlete would be able to play competent golf and, as shown by Tom Brady and countless other elite athletes that can't break 90, that clearly isn't always the case. I'm going to guess the guy you played with has at the very least slightly worse hand eye coordination than Tom Brady. I'm sure in hindsight, the Peter Kostis types could do an analysis on why your friend plays well with that swing, but if you lied and told him your friend was a 30 handicap they would do an analysis on why he stinks and has to make big changes. IMO, if you are matched up you can play. The idea of "so and so can manage this because they are an elite athlete" is BS to me. Technique is everything in golf, but it's not always the cookie cutter vanilla swing that is sold as ideal for everyone.

[PowderedToastMan]

If you think there aren’t players on tour watching Koepka on the range and trying to incorporate some elements of his swing then you don’t understand what happens on tour ranges.

[LeftDaddy]

Before I started with GGs program I was intrigued with Wolff’s move. I fooled around with it on the range for several days actually. Kinda like the OP, I started hitting it pretty pure. But, I wasn’t seeing any real distance increase and I was pulling the daylights out of everything. So I didn’t see much advantage to it and went back to “regular”.

Since then, though, I now understand GGs methodology and understand that I only thought I was imitating Wolff’s swing. I was doing the whole “across the line” thing and thought I was pivoting, but I really wasn’t. I wouldn’t be opposed to exploring it again, though my natural tendency is to take it back almost laid off, and so I fear the across the line move would make me have to shallow too much before I got to the ball.

To me there are a lot of misconceptions about what GG preaches. He doesn’t preach getting across the line at the top, but a lot of his players do it. I think it may be because it seems to allow for a better turn, and also makes the need to shallow quickly really apparent.

Anyway, about the only “unconventional” thing I see that he teaches is to stay centered going back and coming through, and to lower the head in transition. It almost looks like a reverse pivot, but GG doesn’t really call out a reverse pivot. It is just an imbalance too far forward of the ball in his mind, or a negative tilt of the upper body. And then he preaches getting really shallow in transition, which not everyone preaches. Finally, he encourages a flying elbow, has a bit of an interesting view of the setup (rounded back), and he preaches a slightly more shut clubface than most instructors. But after you go through the program and take it all in, it all makes a lot of sense and doesn’t seem terribly unconventional.

It has definitely helped my game. I’ve gained significant distance, have removed a two-way miss, and am finally starting to flush my irons again. I still have work to do on pivoting and rotating better, but I finally have a game plan for what I need to do there and now fully understand why it’s important and how to make it happen (I had decried the notion that I needed to be more rotated in the past because (a) I seemed unable to do it, and (b) I could point to “good” players who didn’t do it). I just need to ingrain the move now.

[MK7Golf21]

it is pretty interesting. I'm thinking my friend has had alot more time developing his hand eye golf skill with golf than Tom Brady, Tom is solely focused on football.

[glk]

Scratching my head over this. Pretty much all those guys have their own swing coach - why would they watch another pro and try to include something from their swing? Makes little sense to me. Just go off the ranch and start screwing with their living. I know that some have chased distance and screwed up - luke Donald being a biggee - I remember watching him on the range at the 2013 BMW working with his new coach with bands around his elbows.

[PowderedToastMan]

You can scratch your head, but it’s reality. Ask Monte or Dan if you don’t believe me. Majority of tour pros are tinkerers. Their coaches aren’t the only people who have input on their swings. A big part of a swing coach’s job is hearing the player’s thoughts on things they like in another person’s swing and finding ways to possibly implement it in their own swing. The idea that tour coaches, or at least most of them, are imparting their ideal version of the golf swing on their players just simply isn’t reality. The players are the bosses and decide what they can and can’t do in their swing.

This has been the way of the tour stop driving range for 100+ years. Tour players watching and helping each other. It still exists, even with all the swing coaches.

[glk]

How do you know this?

[golfho50]

Ho Sung Choi golf swing is amusing also. Let me know how he and Matt are doing in 2025 on the tour. Maybe one will end up like Furyk and have a long successful career....;but i doubt it.

[PowderedToastMan]

Along with studying a lot of golf history, I’ve played some high level golf myself. From what I’ve personally seen, many excellent players are still like other regular golfers, willing to tinker to try and get better. You might be surprised how sensitive a lot of ridiculously good players are about their swings, and they really do watch other swings closely.

[hurley999s]

OP, where is the VIDEO? This thread is pointless without it ??

[MK7Golf21]

PTM is right. As an example I’ve heard from Rory say he likes how open DJ gets and has been trying to implement a more closed face to get more open. This coming from Rory who is one the most impressive ball strikers ever.

Ive also talked with coaches on tour and they say many of the players are stubborn with changes and the coaches spend most of their time just listening to the players.

[Precis1on]

Big difference is that Pros will eventually either understand and incorporate, or just quit on it if the change doesn't fit properly. Amateurs who don't understand how to properly match up the change or choose the wrong move to emulate however.... Thanks modern golf for pointing out Rory's double hip stall.

[Hilts1969]

It’s not like Furyks swing at all in fairness but I like matts swing, will he do okay with it? Probably. Will he get to the top with it probably not. I like the gankas stuff but is it low maintenance? No. Some who can afford to practice and spend a lot may do okay with it. Takes a lot of ability and flexibility not to pull and shank a lot with that move.

[uglande]

So I had another go at it today at the range. (Sorry, still no video). I was not able to replicate the same success with 8-iron or 6-iron. Too inconsistent. And generally hit the ball very high. Then I moved back into 2-iron and driver and had the same results as the other day. Absolutely destroying the ball, perfect numbers, very straight. I tested against my standard swing and it was a consistent +10 jump in ball speed. That's a 25-30 yard gain.

I think the key power sources with this swing (versus my standard swing) is that it's a dramatic two-plane swing with my hands high. I have traditionally been more a one-plane guy. And something about the looping motion where you aggressively drop the club into the slot that creates a kind of slingshot effect. The comparison isn't perfect, but Cameron Champ does something similar in the sense that he has high hands at the top of his swing and then dramatically shallows the club in transition, with his left side leading and the club head lagging behind.

I think this exercise has been productive for me because it counters my bad tendencies, which are to go after the ball with the clubhead resulting in flippy hands and no shaft lean. Anyway, the work continues.

 

[tacklingdummy]

It doesn't matter what the backswing looks like. It is all about the position of the club at the top and how it is brought down to and through the ball. If you look at all the pros downswings, they are all swinging the club on a good plane into impact and through the ball.

[JerkChicken]

If a swing wins cash, lots of cash, it works.