What are the worst golf swing tips out there?

[Zitlow]

@golfarb1Tour players and almost everyone else swings wide because swinging wide is one of many sacred cows in the teaching industry. Highly talented tour players and top ams have perfected their imperfections and can make it work but even they struggle to hold it together when the wheels fall off. 

 

 

[golfarb1]

This is from Golf Mag 4/29/20

10 biggest swing killers according to state of the art Technology

Athletic Motion Golf

 

[tgreenwood11]

One of the worst tips:  keep the flex in your right knee on the backswing.

[jobin]

The right arm?  That's a new wrinkle for me.  I'll be the first in my neighborhood to try it.

However, hugely difficult to incorporate a new pattern to an established golf swing. But, try i must!

[SwingBlues]

The way this thread is going, EVERYTHING is going to be bad... 😅

[liquorandpoker]

2 hours ago, tgreenwood11 said:

One of the worst tips:  keep the flex in your right knee on the backswing.

 

Upvote this. Terrible.  X-factor = golf game wrecker

 

[mudge]

8 hours ago, Zitlow said:

@mudge Austin said his left arm was the spoke, his shoulders were the hub and the club head was the wheel. He used to say don't break the spoke which is disconnecting the left arm from the body by trying to swing wide. Dropping the left arm is breaking the spoke as well.

 

The arms should work with the pivot not independent of the pivot. The pivot swings the arms and the hands swing the club which is something Austin used to say.

 

The reason Snead's and Austin's swings were so powerful and looked so fluid is their arms and body worked together like a dance team. 

 

I'm familiar with just about everything MA ever publicly taught.

[Zitlow]

12 hours ago, mudge said:

 

I'm familiar with just about everything MA ever publicly taught.

In spite of several setbacks I've been very blessed along the way. One of my biggest blessings was taking lessons and getting to know MA and through him I got to play golf and spend time with Mike Dunaway in Rogers and Fayetteville AR. 

 

 

[DShepley]

On 12/7/2021 at 2:58 PM, Zitlow said:

 

Thanks for posting, He may have felt that. I took lessons from Mike Austin and there were several things he said he did in his swing that he didn't do. 

 

I don't know that I'd call this narrow.

 

or this

 

or this

He took his hand path inside and came over that path a bit on the way down and maybe from down the line that makes it look a bit narrow.  These face on views to me look to have a pretty good amount of width.

 

[Zitlow]

@DShepleyHe used a forward press, when he rebounded everything started back together in one piece without a lot of rotation.

 

As he rotated his left shoulder rotated out towards the ball, when the left shoulder goes out the left arm goes in and the shaft goes in with it. Snead's arms worked with his rotation, not the other way around.

 

 

Bottom line, him and Austin were swinging the club in a circle not a line. In essence they were were whirling the club head in a circle like twirling a ball in a circle on a string. 

 

 

[bladehunter]

On 12/7/2021 at 5:57 PM, tgreenwood11 said:

One of the worst tips:  keep the flex in your right knee on the backswing.

Say it again !   How anyone makes any power doing that I’ll never know.  If  your pelvis turns properly the rear leg has to straighten. If it doesn’t. It’s all arms. 
 

see Snead pic above ^

Edited December 10, 2021 by bladehunter

[wagolfer7]

4 hours ago, bladehunter said:

Say it again !   How anyone makes any power doing that I’ll never know.  If  your pelvis turns properly the rear leg has to straighten. If it doesn’t. It’s all arms. 
 

see Snead pic above ^

With all these tips - there is more than just what's on the surface.  

 

Maintaining all the flex - not good

Completely Straightening - not good

Losing some flex - good

Allowing to straighten some - good

Actively Straightening - Not Good

Allowing Pelvis / Hip Turn to lose some flex in the trail knee - Good

Straightening by P2 - Not Good

 

Vocabulary, Interpretation and Full Explanation are all things that contribute to a tip being good or bad for a particular player in my opinion. 

 

Not picking on your post either @bladehunter - we could do this for any of tips posted in here.  Just seems to me that these are not really "bad tips", but more incomplete or somewhat misunderstood tips.  But there are absolutely "bad tips" in golf.        

[bladehunter]

45 minutes ago, wagolfer7 said:

With all these tips - there is more than just what's on the surface.  

 

Maintaining all the flex - not good

Completely Straightening - not good

Losing some flex - good

Allowing to straighten some - good

Actively Straightening - Not Good

Allowing Pelvis / Hip Turn to lose some flex in the trail knee - Good

Straightening by P2 - Not Good

 

Vocabulary, Interpretation and Full Explanation are all things that contribute to a tip being good or bad for a particular player in my opinion. 

 

Not picking on your post either @bladehunter - we could do this for any of tips posted in here.  Just seems to me that these are not really "bad tips", but more incomplete or somewhat misunderstood tips.  But there are absolutely "bad tips" in golf.        

I disagree. But that’s ok too.  Maintaining much knee flex is absolutely a speed robbing move.  Not to mention killer on the back if you try to generate speed by turning the upper half with hips restricted by the trail leg flex.     Of course locked rear leg isn’t optimal but that’s one extreme just like being in a sitting position is another extreme.  
 

i think how much is person dependent.   It should probably match your backswing length.  I’m a tall guy who can turn a lot. So my trail leg gets close to straight with driver.  Not so much with a 3/4 wedge.  
 

the short old guy who doesn’t turn much won’t straighten much I’d say.  But I’m not quite there yet.  

Edited December 10, 2021 by bladehunter

[wagolfer7]

22 minutes ago, bladehunter said:

I disagree. But that’s ok too.  Maintaining much knee flex is absolutely a speed robbing move.  Not to mention killer on the back if you try to generate speed by turning the upper half with hips restricted by the trail leg flex.     Of course locked rear leg isn’t optimal but that’s one extreme just like being in a sitting position is another extreme.  
 

i think how much is person dependent.   It should probably match your backswing length.  I’m a tall guy who can turn a lot. So my trail leg gets close to straight with driver.  Not so much with a 3/4 wedge.  
 

the short old guy who doesn’t turn much won’t straighten much I’d say.  But I’m not quite there yet.  

 

That was kind of my point.  When you say trail leg needs to straighten - I interpret that as trail leg should be straight.  But as you pointed out, that's not optimal either.  So if you see a guy, that is locked legged by P2, you could tell that player to maintain some flex in that knee.  Is it a good tip?  Probably not, since you can always trace the reason they are straightening their knee to another issue. 

 

How do you accurately describe the trail leg in the pics below?  It's not straight.  It has some flex.  But lost some flex from starting point.  Golf tips, just like the game itself, is a lot more complex than a one sentence statement.  

 

  

[bladehunter]

3 hours ago, wagolfer7 said:

 

That was kind of my point.  When you say trail leg needs to straighten - I interpret that as trail leg should be straight.  But as you pointed out, that's not optimal either.  So if you see a guy, that is locked legged by P2, you could tell that player to maintain some flex in that knee.  Is it a good tip?  Probably not, since you can always trace the reason they are straightening their knee to another issue. 

 

How do you accurately describe the trail leg in the pics below?  It's not straight.  It has some flex.  But lost some flex from starting point.  Golf tips, just like the game itself, is a lot more complex than a one sentence statement.  

 

  

Yep I get it.  I just have an issue with it because at one point it was a fad to almost look seated at the top of the backswing. Anyone who straightened the trail leg was told to “ retain the flex from address “ 

 

 

id describe Phil as straight , Rahm as straighter than I’d have guessed for him , and Colin as more bend than I’d ever want to try. 
 

I’d bet Phil with driver is straighter than that.  And I haven’t even looked. 

[Krt22]

Hold the lag, drop it in the slot, and swing to right field. Kapow!

[bladehunter]

3 hours ago, wagolfer7 said:

 

That was kind of my point.  When you say trail leg needs to straighten - I interpret that as trail leg should be straight.  But as you pointed out, that's not optimal either.  So if you see a guy, that is locked legged by P2, you could tell that player to maintain some flex in that knee.  Is it a good tip?  Probably not, since you can always trace the reason they are straightening their knee to another issue. 

 

How do you accurately describe the trail leg in the pics below?  It's not straight.  It has some flex.  But lost some flex from starting point.  Golf tips, just like the game itself, is a lot more complex than a one sentence statement.  

 

  

Here’s Phil with a full driver / 2 wood swing.  He’s straight before he’s halfway up.  Now of course. Not locked.  I just don’t see the downside.  I’d describe it as “ turn as far back as you can and straighten the trail leg as much as you can without reverse tilt “. 
 

spieth is similar circa his best play in 2015-16ish.  What it amounts to is a high trail hip at the top.  Then that  hip goes down toward the ball .  I just don’t get the swing with much Bend still there at the top.  But hey. To Each their own. 

Edited December 10, 2021 by bladehunter

[wagolfer7]

1 minute ago, bladehunter said:

Here’s Phil with a full driver / 2 wood swing.  He’s straight before he’s halfway up.  Now of course. Not locked.  I just don’t see the downside.  I’d describe it as “ turn as far back as you can and straighten the trail leg as much as you can without reverse tilt “. 
 

spieth is similar circa his best play in 2015-16ish.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don't disagree with extending the trail leg and losing flex from it's starting point.  I was just saying that a lot of these tips, including this one, can be misinterpreted.  

 

You are saying don't lock your knee.  However a lot of people would say, oh straighten my trail leg, and then lock it.  I see it on many videos here posted on WRX.  

 

As Monte always says about the root cause.  I think that's where a lot of tips can go south for players.  If a player is maintaining flex through the backswing, you'll want to tell him to straighten the leg.  But straightening the leg is probably not the cure.  The way you move your hips, chest, core and shoulders should result in an extended trail leg, that is neither locked or retaining flex from start.  Outside of WRX - that would make someone's head explode.  

 

For the record, I wasn't disagreeing with your straighten the leg.  Just showing how it could be interpreted into a bad tip.  Your absolutely right, that maintaining full flex in the backswing, now that I would consider a truly bad tip.    

[bladehunter]

9 minutes ago, wagolfer7 said:

 

I don't disagree with extending the trail leg and losing flex from it's starting point.  I was just saying that a lot of these tips, including this one, can be misinterpreted.  

 

You are saying don't lock your knee.  However a lot of people would say, oh straighten my trail leg, and then lock it.  I see it on many videos here posted on WRX.  

 

As Monte always says about the root cause.  I think that's where a lot of tips can go south for players.  If a player is maintaining flex through the backswing, you'll want to tell him to straighten the leg.  But straightening the leg is probably not the cure.  The way you move your hips, chest, core and shoulders should result in an extended trail leg, that is neither locked or retaining flex from start.  Outside of WRX - that would make someone's head explode.  

 

For the record, I wasn't disagreeing with your straighten the leg.  Just showing how it could be interpreted into a bad tip.  Your absolutely right, that maintaining full flex in the backswing, now that I would consider a truly bad tip.    

Yep. I’m sorry. I’m not wanting to argue truly.  It’s just a hot button thing for me.  I personally know of a mini tour player who lost his game and mind because of a teacher getting him to add- retain flex-in his trail knee and he hasn’t recovered swing wise yet.  Now to be fair he was never going to earn a living in this game , but that’s beside the point.  He listened to the guy and it ruined him.   He once looked like Freddie couples …started the swing with nearly no knee flex at address .  Then totally straightened the trail and then down to the ball.  Hit it a mile. Now he looks like a dog squatting to poo.  Irritates me to no end.  lol.  
 

Sorry. Didn’t mean to take it out on you.  
 

 

Edited December 10, 2021 by bladehunter

[wagolfer7]

49 minutes ago, bladehunter said:

Yep. I’m sorry. I’m not wanting to argue truly.  It’s just a hot button thing for me.  I personally know of a mini tour player who lost his game and mind because of a teacher getting him to add- retain flex-in his trail knee and he hasn’t recovered swing wise yet.  Now to be fair he was never going to earn a living in this game , but that’s beside the point.  He listened to the guy and it ruined him.   He once looked like Freddie couples …started the swing with nearly no knee flex at address .  Then totally straightened the trail and then down to the ball.  Hit it a mile. Now he looks like a dog squatting to poo.  Irritates me to no end.  lol.  
 

Sorry. Didn’t mean to take it out on you.  
 

 

 

No need to apologize.  I enjoy discussions on here about the swing and the game.  And you said nothing at all that should offend or upset anyone.  I appreciate your responses and thought process behind the issue.  I was hoping you didn't think I was arguing or disagreeing with you either.  In no way do I think maintaining flex is the right thing either.       

 

That is unfortunate about the mini tour player.  Unfortunately bad advice can really ruin someone's game and health. 

 

Always appreciate your posts / thoughts on the board, not just this thread.