Michelle Wie's Swing - What Happened?

[Corey_sulliv21]

I caught some of the Fields Open coverage today and I couldn't believe my eyes. What in the world happened to Michelle Wie's swing. It is so short and handsy looking. Her transition is a mess and she was hitting it all over the lot.

 

I swear Leadbetter has taken two of the most aesthically pleasing swings in golf history, Els circa 97'-01'and Michelle Wie circa 00'-03', and turned them into the most uncomfortable looking motions. What is with the ridiculously early wrist set with the club fanned open and the painful transition, sprinkled with some ungodly hand action.

 

Just dissapointing. MW, at 16, almost made a PGA tour cut on talent alone. Now she is an absolute mess.

 

I'm curious if anyone els saw her latest motion.

[wwhitehead]

I haven't watched her this week, but...

 

Last year, she was using a three-quarter move, where she took it halfway back, the finished with her hands in front. Even with her driver some of the time, she wasn't actually making a full swing at the ball. Tempo was quick, and shots went everywhere. I wonder if the current move is more of the same...

 

WW

[SheriffBooth]

Very quick transition at the top - I'm kind of surprised we didn't see a shank out of her. But she did yank the crap out of a sand wedge, which she then made a bad pitch and a great putt to save par. My verdict is that she's healthy, but searching for her A game.

[Calamity Todd]

Looks like they are trying to get more float lag in her swing to improve ball striking.....

[beachgrovejunior]

Shes -2 through the 2 rounds so far, and has been in school for 6 months, i dont see anything wrong with her performance

[WorkingOnIt]

Lead poisoning. :black eye:

[Baycal92510]

Shes -2 through the 2 rounds so far, and has been in school for 6 months, i dont see anything wrong with her performance

 

 

that's all that really matters. I am not a wie fan , nor a hater, but I work in the industry and watch golf every day. This last year has been painful to watch. Sure she looked a little quick and not as fluid, but give her some credit for not playin for a while and shooting a score many of us couldn't, all while going to a school pretty much none of us could

[Redhaze737]

Saw Wie and Leadbetter working on her swing on the afternoon of day one. She was getting her body ahead of her arms and then using her hands to close the club face. We all know how consistent that is. Her first drive on the range was a snap hook. He had her getting her arms more in front of her thru the ball. Then she was hitting a single shot with many different clubs going up and down her bag including drivers. Within a short time she was booming her driver off the end of the range and hitting wedges at the pin. I watched her on several holes today when she didn't scramble as well and while she hit some very iffy shots it seemed to be more a case of not playing as much as she would like and not having the feel she needs. She did hit some good drives and some irons while well hit were just a little off. The 7 iron on 8 was a yard left of the line and 3 yards long putting her in a bad lie on the side of the bunker. Then she didn't hit her chip shot as well as she would have like causing her to boogie the hole. Having said that, her putting is much improved. She drained a downhill 30 footer on 5 that was amazing. I think she's coming around and should be competing this year.

[mizuno67]

well she is at college now maybe she is trying out new clubs and balls!!

[DRGJR72]

Lead poisoning. :black eye:

 

I am thinking that Nick Price and Nick Faldo would disagree with you. They are two of the best ball strikers the game has seen, and worked exclusively with Leadbetter. Ernie Els has worked with Leadbetter off and on for most of his career (as per Ernie Els's website). So there are three players that have 12 majors between them. Hardly poisoning IMO. Charles Howell hits it quite well too....he just struggles with the blade.

 

As far Wie is concerned. Her swing did look a little stiffer and unnatural than before. But she is also coming off a major wrist injury and most likely is attempting to gain the confidence back in the wrist, etc. As the she gets more comfortable with her wrist and continues to improve her swing and learns how to control it around the course, she could do some great things. I think this week is huge for her. It is the first time she has shot under par in some time, made the cut, etc.

 

I think that blaming Leadbetter is unfair, he is an excellent golf instructor with the results to support it.

 

Dan

[WorkingOnIt]

I didn't mention Price or Faldo, the thread was about Michelle's swing. I don't like the changes, I think her old swing was better and her ball striking seems to support that. I don't believe he has helped her at all.

[DRGJR72]

I didn't mention Price or Faldo, the thread was about Michelle's swing. I don't like the changes, I think her old swing was better and her ball striking seems to support that. I don't believe he has helped her at all.

 

Your direct quote was "lead poisoning" which is a generalization of him as an instructor being harmful to ones game. I was merely pointing out that a generalization like that is inaccurate especially with the success that he has had as an instructor.

 

I am also fairly certain that Leadbetter has been her swing coach for some time, almost certainly since or before '05.

 

DG

[mat562]

Discounting the high profile success stories that Leadbetterhas worked with, there are a number of players who have worked with Leadbetter to no avail, or to their detriment.

 

Many more players (at least in the pro game) have walked away from Leadbetter and his methodology than have really floursished and stayed with it for a protracted time.

 

The satirical comment is perhaps generalising a bit, but Wie's swing is certainly worse now (at least to my eye) than it was previously - and in a variety of ways. Yes, she's coming off an injury, and yes she's had a lay-off from the game but there are questions to be asked about where her swing is going under Leadbetter's tuition.

[DRGJR72]

Would you not agree that he had a part in making it as good as it was, since he was her coach since at the latest 05, if not earlier? Also does he get credit for the swing when she was playing her amazing golf in 06?

 

My point is that he was part of helping to develop a great golf swing, yet gets no credit for that. When things go south, he is one of the first people to get blame. I think that if you are going to lambaste him you also should praise him for what he accomplished with her.

 

Dan

[mat562]

I think comparing Wie to Faldo or Price is like comparing Jack Nicklaus to Ty Tryon...

[DRGJR72]

I think comparing Wie to Faldo or Price is like comparing Jack Nicklaus to Ty Tryon...

 

I never comparedred Wie to Faldo or Price, nor would I. I was mentioning the success that Leadbetter has had with those players in the past and did not deserve the moniker of "lead poisoning", because of the success that he has had with many players on tour.

 

My last post was in regard to her golf swing in 06 when it was "good", and he was her swing coach prior to that and during that time. So my point was that he should deserve credit where credit is due, not just the blame when she is having problems.

 

Dan

[mat562]

As I recall, he was afforded much credit when Michelle Wie and her graceful action were touted as the next big thing in the game.

 

I'll be the first to say that much of the debacle in the ensuing couple of years isn't down to Leadbetter and his coaching but other factors, but the fact is her swing isn't as solid as it was, and Leadbetter is still at the helm as far as I'm aware.

 

I'm no coach, but my opinion of Wie's swing, having seen it up close in the British Open a year or two back, was that it wouldn't stand up to pressure and had a lot of faults that would make it difficult to play consistent golf.

 

I'm not anti-Leadbetter, but I certainly don't think he's deserving of his self-awarded God-like status. He's a golf coach who has achieved some high profile sucess with a couple of players and still lives off it today, 20-odd years later, IMO.

[AltusBeliever]

I think that Gary Gilchrist (not sure of spelling) was her lead instructor back when she was good. He got axed in favor of Leadbetter. Look at her now. Her problems are many, including Lead, her father, she has gotten bigger and stronger, going to Stanford. I hope she gets it figured out, but if she doesn't she is still rich, young, and educated. Not too bad if you ask me.

[birdie_man]

Lead poisoning. :D

 

I am thinking that Nick Price and Nick Faldo would disagree with you. They are two of the best ball strikers the game has seen, and worked exclusively with Leadbetter. Ernie Els has worked with Leadbetter off and on for most of his career (as per Ernie Els's website). So there are three players that have 12 majors between them. Hardly poisoning IMO. Charles Howell hits it quite well too....he just struggles with the blade.

 

As far Wie is concerned. Her swing did look a little stiffer and unnatural than before. But she is also coming off a major wrist injury and most likely is attempting to gain the confidence back in the wrist, etc. As the she gets more comfortable with her wrist and continues to improve her swing and learns how to control it around the course, she could do some great things. I think this week is huge for her. It is the first time she has shot under par in some time, made the cut, etc.

 

I think that blaming Leadbetter is unfair, he is an excellent golf instructor with the results to support it.

 

Dan

 

He must know some things..........and as for Faldo and Price, I'm not sure exactly WHAT he did with them mechanically (though if anyone has the skinny I'd be interested to know )........and to me what I see in Charles Howell is plain talent. (let me know if you think I'm wrong)

 

He also has access to some of the best talent in this mixed-up world of golf. People flock to him in droves. Heck if I know why. (well......I guess I have an idea WHY......but I think it has a lot to do with hype and misinformation)

 

Wie has had some injuries and who knows what else is going on. But last I saw he was trying to introduce some "lean to your left" to her swing (top of backswing)......and this was with a driver. Even with all the hooplah around these kind of pivots now-a-daze.............I know what I think of it anyhow.

 

I'm not here to rip the guy too bad but to me it's fairly obvious that he's overrated anyhow.

[VAgolfer]

Anybody have video of her swing this week?

[krmorgan]

Paralysis by analysis??? I think MW just needs to play and stop worrying about her swing. Gary Gilchrist has however been very critical of the work that Leadbetter is doing with Michelle. He thinks they are trying to make her swing more powerful so she can keep up with the boys.

here's a link to the article where Gilchrist criticizes Lead and BJ Wie

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/golf/lpga/2...helle-wie_N.htm

[mat562]

...they are trying to make her swing more powerful so she can keep up with the boys.

 

And that, I fear, is where most of the problems lie - and not just in the swing department.

[krmorgan]

"Recent criticisms of Leadbetter's work with Wie's swing center on his changing of her long, fluid, great-tempo swing into a shorter, steeper swing designed to generate more power - the quest for enough yards to some day be competitive against the guys."

 

http://www.waggleroom.com/story/2007/7/1/121710/2166

here's the quote i was looking for.

[Eec55]

It's that damn blue gripped swing clicking thing Leadbetter is pimping! I got one and got rid of it as quick as I bought it! It promotes a handsy quick swing!!!!

[pbh]

Lead poisoning. :D

 

I am thinking that Nick Price and Nick Faldo would disagree with you. They are two of the best ball strikers the game has seen, and worked exclusively with Leadbetter. Ernie Els has worked with Leadbetter off and on for most of his career (as per Ernie Els's website). So there are three players that have 12 majors between them. Hardly poisoning IMO. Charles Howell hits it quite well too....he just struggles with the blade.

 

As far Wie is concerned. Her swing did look a little stiffer and unnatural than before. But she is also coming off a major wrist injury and most likely is attempting to gain the confidence back in the wrist, etc. As the she gets more comfortable with her wrist and continues to improve her swing and learns how to control it around the course, she could do some great things. I think this week is huge for her. It is the first time she has shot under par in some time, made the cut, etc.

 

I think that blaming Leadbetter is unfair, he is an excellent golf instructor with the results to support it.

 

Dan

 

Nick Faldo once used the term "Lead free" about a player who had resently stopped working with Leadbetter. I don't remember who it was.

[Shaitan]

It's that damn blue gripped swing clicking thing Leadbetter is pimping! I got one and got rid of it as quick as I bought it! It promotes a handsy quick swing!!!!

 

I actually found it promoted a good release left, you had to be aggressive through impact - but it felt like he wanted to create so much load in the backswing - i can never get it to click going back.

[rok78]

You can tell Lead is trying to get her to generate more power in her transition. He is transfixed with the K-vest and how dynamic X-factor creates power. Her transition now, is all about starting down before her backswing is finished then braking the hips and flipping through to snap the kinetic chain. When she times it out she hits it ok, when she doesn't, hook city.

 

She is very loose in transition and not synched up at all. But positives are her feet are much quieter and her putting is light years better and more natural.

[slicefixer]

I saw VERY slo motion footage of it this past week.......and it's beyond awful........kinda' hard for me to watch as I do have a lot of respect for Leadbetter........his stuff from the mid 80's to mid 90's is fantastic.......but, sure seems like he's gotten a bit "wishy-washy" over the past 10 or so years.......like he can't make up his mind........I can tell you this though, I've met most of the best teachers in the business at one time or another and Leadbetter is the nicest and most giving of the bunch.......

[hoganfan924]

You can tell Lead is trying to get her to generate more power in her transition. He is transfixed with the K-vest and how dynamic X-factor creates power. Her transition now, is all about starting down before her backswing is finished then braking the hips and flipping through to snap the kinetic chain. When she times it out she hits it ok, when she doesn't, hook city.

 

She is very loose in transition and not synched up at all. But positives are her feet are much quieter and her putting is light years better and more natural.

 

Great analysis.

 

BTW, taking a "one planer" and converting them to a "hip stall with crossover release" is the surest way to create a snap hooker IMO. It's very sad to see the deterioration of her mechanics over the last year or two as she would be a great asset to the women's game (in spite of her many P.R. mistakes)

 

IMO, the misunderstanding and misapplication of K-vest data is going to screw up a lot of golfers for years to come. This concept of intentionally stalling the hips to "snap the chain" is bogus IMO. Wie is 20lbs. heavier and much stronger than she was 2 years ago and she's hitting it shorter (and wilder). It would be very straightforward to devise a test plan that would answer these questions (about kinetic chain). It's very disappointing to me that these test have either not been conducted on not been reported on. I worry about the state of golf instruction in the US. If the Korean's or Australian's or someone else figures this stuff out first, American golf is going to be in for a very rude awakening in the next 10 years.

[rankoutsider]

good stuff rok.