Golf Swing Styles: Should you match Tiger's golf swing?

The simple answer to should you match Tiger's golf swing is NO! Unless you can move like Tiger, are flexible like Tiger, and are strong like Tiger, you should NOT try to emulate his golf swing.

What should you do? Learn your natural movement patterns and develop a swing that is natural, powerful and repeatable.

There are two swing centers your body rotates around during your golf swing, one is between your shoulders and the other between your hips. Let's first talk about your lower pivot point.

So where does your golf swing pivot around? Some golfers swing around their front hip, some their trail hip and some around their center. To identify your golf swing pivot, start with your feet together and make three consecutive golf swings at 80-90% speed in balance. Next, drop your rear foot three golf balls back and repeat the three golf swings. Note the sound of the whoosh and your balance. Repeat again dropping your lead foot. This influences how you set up your lower body or sacrum/tailbone.

If you are better off your front foot, place your tailbone four inches to the target side of your swing center and keep the top of your sternum in the middle. Remember your trail hand rides lower than you lead hand so you need some tilt in your spine. Feel 60% of your weight on your forward foot at address and into the top of your back swing.

If you're a center post, place your tailbone two inches forward of center and your chin two inches back of center. Feel the weight evenly distributed across your feet.

If you're a rear post, place your tailbone in the middle of your feet, and your chin over your right thigh at address. Feel the weight 60-40% rearward.

Back to Tiger, when he first came out on Tour, he was a rear post player and struggled with distance control. From what I see now from Sean Foley, he's definitely a front post player. That transition takes time to trust and is why I believe he is struggling right now. I'm also not convinced that he is a front post golfer and will continue to struggle with his driver especially playing from a front post.

If you think about it, there are four swings in golf, a power swing for your driver, a distance control swing with your irons, short game pitch and chip shots and putting. More on that in blogs to come.

Feedback always appreciated and if you want to learn your natural swing, call me at 952/401-4653 to schedule your golf lessons.

Here's to more fairways and greens, and fewer putts,

Brad Pluth