The idea of early rotation of the lower half on the downswing (getting open) is rampant throughout modern golf instruction. And many injuries have been the result of this craze.

Joaquin Niemann has an alarming amount of right-side bend and a very steep shoulder pattern through impact. He is possibly setting himself up for injury as his career progresses.

Just like another great young player — Will Zalatoris — who has been out of action for much of the past 18 months due to a disturbing back injury that needed an operation.

The human body cannot continue to function from this excessive crushing of the spine and vertebrae that Zalatoris and others exhibit. A huge clearing of the hips. Extreme steepening of the shoulders — all in an effort to be open at impact.

Compare the side-by-side of Zalatoris with Jack Nicklaus. It is easy to establish the differences that enabled Nicklaus, Hogan, Player, Palmer, and others to have extraordinary long careers void of swing injury.

I have to believe golfers are being told to stay in posture or keep their spine angle. We can see this in the way they set to the ball. But the massive firing of the hips in an effort to move the club as fast as they can on the downswing and the ball creates an over rotation of the hips which needs steep shoulders to get the club onto the ball. If the shoulders ended up as open as their hips are near impact, then they would all but likely miss the ball altogether.

Greg Norman was arguably the straightest longest driver of the golf ball in modern history. His posture at address is tall and not straight backed. He even has a slump of the shoulders such as Nicklaus and Hogan and others.

Drill 3 post impact teaches the student when the true rotation of the lower half should take place. Do this drill properly and your back will hold up for many years to come.

Several years ago I went home to Australia to play some tournaments. I had basically stopped playing competitive golf for 6 years at the time. I, however, thought it would be a good idea to get into the swing of things to help me stay in the loop with the equipment, the courses and the players.

I was playing the New South Wales Open at Castle Hill GC in the western suburbs of Sydney. It was a good week. My game was sharp, and I managed to hit 64 greens in regulation for the tournament. My putting wasn't on song, unfortunately. But when you hit so many greens in regulation, it isn't hard to shoot good scores when you are putting for birdie on so many holes. I ended the tournament with a respectable 12 under par total to finish tied 7th.

The interesting aspect of that week, however, was that i made 7 or 8 birdies, hitting my 7 iron really close to the hole, basically within tap in range. For some reason my 7 iron was really dialed in.

There even became times I would lay back from the tee shot so I could actually have a 7 iron for my approach shot. And it didn't let me down. Not once.

In the 1993 Australian Masters at Huntingdale GC in Melbourne, I went even one step farther tan that. I wasn't hitting my 3 wood very well and I had no confidence in my 60 degree wedge.

So instead of being tempted to use clubs I wasn't feeling comfortable with, I decided to ditch them. That's right!!! I left the 3 wood and lob wedge out of my bag so I wasn't even tempted to use them. I had a driver for a few tee shots and then my irons were 1 iron through sand wedge and a putter. Count those up and you will see I chose to have only 13 clubs in my bag.

I scarcely used the driver — only 2 or 3 times per round. Long irons were the order of the day on most tee shots to get the ball in play. Position over distance,

Amazingly, I ended up winning the tournament. I may be one of the very few golfers to win a major tournament with only 13 clubs in their bag — by choice!!

The moral of the story? Play to your strengths.

If you are striking a particular club well one week, try use it as often as possible and use it as a weapon. If you are unhappy with a particular club don't be scared to take it out of the equation. You will end up making better shot selections and playing to the zone that is working well for you at that time, rather than bringing danger clubs that you aren't comfortable with into your arsenal.

Many golfers want to film their golf swing so they can see what they may be doing right or wrong. It is obviously difficult to comprehend if we are making moves in the swing that aid us or hurt us, so a camera can often be a nice solution for clarity.

But — without understanding exactly what you are looking for then this task can become dangerous,

In this article I show you the things you really need to pay attention to.

STEP 1:

Try to align the camera in somewhat of a direct line to the hands from a down-the-line view. This tends to give the best possible view of alignments, hand path and the angle of the shaft and clubhead move on. If you have software you can draw lines on , then do them as follows. One line directly from the ball up the shaft (green). The other line from the ball up and through the right shoulder (yellow). These are the guidelines of the space the club can and should move on for much of the swing.

STEP 2:

The first thing we want to pay attention to is the shaft angle at address compared to impact. Does the shaft stay reasonably close at ball strike to where it sat in the address position? This tells us the swing plane has been more around and down rather than up and down. An around and down release shows a far better 430 entry path. If the shaft returns higher into impact that will help show the swing is too vertical and the right arm and body are extending and straightening. 

STEP 3:

The second thing to watch is the path of the hands. Once the hands have reached the exact end of the backswing position, draw a line from the golf ball directly up to the end of the grip. (see pic 2). As the transition and downswing begins we want to see the end of the grip stay on that line for approximately 18 to 24 inches. Brendon Todd does an excellent job of this in that frame. This is very much in tune with my video "Out Is Down", where the hands will actually feel like they move outwards on the initial downswing. The reality is they actually come down in a straight line back towards the ball. This move starts to shallow the shaft out and lay it down behind the hands. Using the right leg in transition is key to helping increase that range of forearm rotation. This is taught directly in the drill 4 and drill 5 lesson series.

STEP 4:

Now we can view how the takeaway and the entry match up. Brendon takes the club away nicely on the green shaft plane. Coming down Brendon is perfectly on the money slot of 430. The hands are slightly above the the takeaway path and the wrists have stayed cocked and the clubhead is held upwards. Both due to maintaining forearm range of motion in a clockwise orientation. The angle for the downward strike is intact and ready to be released. 

STEP 5:

On the post-impact side of things, Brendon's shaft is exiting very close to the same alignment of his shoulders (yellow line) Keeping the shaft on plane and the clubface appears neutral — showing no overuse of the hands to flip the club around. The post impact body motion is more aggressive than the release of the club.

In a perfect world, I would love to see Brendon's shoulders turned a little more level by this stage. This would show an even more aggressive left side pull away from the ball and help eliminate any shots to the left. 

In the final picture, we can see this in Greg Norman where his shoulders and hips are matched in their alignments on exits. Tiger Wood's hips are more open than his shoulders in the same area of the throughswing to help you understand exactly what level turning shoulders looks like.

Understanding weight shift can be one of the more critical things a golfer needs to understand. It allows the player to swing freely and on the correct path and plane. 

Weight shift is also one of the most misinterpreted facts or illusions in golf instruction. Lets discuss.

To understand weight shift, we must firstly understand the difference between "static" weight and "dynamic" weight.

Take the photo of Ben Hogan, for instance. Every single person would look at this photograph and conclude hat Hogan is well and truly into his left leg and lead side. That his weight has shifted forward. And that is true. But here's the difference.

If Hogan was standing still — without motion — and assumed that same spot in his swing he would actually feel like his weight and pressure is over his rear leg and not in fact over his front leg.

Why? Because 85% of his body is actually still behind the ball!! That would be his static weight. He would literally fall down backwards behind the ball because that is where the majority of his body mass is.

Yet his dynamic weight and pressure would be almost entirely in his left leg because that is the side of him that the target is and where he knows he ultimately wants to head towards.

There is a big difference. You have to be behind the ball to move through the ball. And that movement through is already starting in this pic. However, it is a collection of pressure and force that shifts into the lead leg. That is what makes you feel you are actually over to that side when motion is introduced.

The lead side is collecting the pressure because the body doesn't want to fall back behind the ball even though that is where the weight truly is. Because that's where the body mass is.

This misunderstanding has killed many a golfer's swing and game. They are consistently told to get over and onto the front leg because that is what people see from viewing still shots of golfers.But this early leap forwards compromises the entire swing.

Our body is very clever. It wants to remain in balance. By using the right leg in the downswing rather than jumping or leaning early into the left leg, we get a happy compromise. We stay behind the ball yet still feel like we are moving into and ultimately through the shot.

It's really why fads like stack and tilt and being centered don't work exceptionally well except for with the shorter irons, where you can be more on top of the ball to get the downward blow. This is built from a narrower stance however in those shorter irons.

George Knudson's name was always mentioned in the higher circle of great ballstrikers. This is an excellent article by Knudson himself explaining the transition and downswing and how it relates to lateral motion and release.

Lateral motion is the LOWER half ONLY. It is plain as day to see George using the right leg to load and push downwards into to allow his movement at the back of the ball and from the inside. This is a concept I discuss heavily with the drill 4 and drill 5 learning drills, so the student can learn to bump forwards and not jump forwards. I teach them to bump laterally forward with the hips rather than intently drive their legs forward or open.

A lot of instruction today calls for a large spinning rotary application of the hips in the downswing. This may look cool and feel powerful, but it is NOT what the great ballstrikers did and will generally cause way more harm than good.

Why? Because jumping laterally forwards or spinning open with the hips takes the upper body with it and the swing path and ability to keep the trunk and legwork moving through impact and beyond becomes encumbered.

Ben Hogan — the master — also exhibited a lateral shift in the hips and legs similar to Knudson. Hogan appears to fall forwards in the lower half and the end of the backswing. It is one way to do it but you better do it correctly.

The great ballstrikers ALL saved torso rotation for later in the swing. They unwound the arms from a heavily rotated forearm scenario to hit the ball. (drill 1) Then they overtook this release of the club with the torso and rotation beyond impact. That way nothing stalled. The footwork ad ability to use ground pressure — particularly in the right foot - allowed them to do this.

Hogan and Knudson both delayed the work of the body by using the right leg to promote a lateral hip action as opposed to a spinning hip action. This lateral move keeps the upper body closed for longer in the downswing, creating an optimal swing path and giving the body the opportunity to keep moving even after the release of the club.

It's one of the reasons they are both regarded as great ballstrikers and not just great golfers.

Spine tilt is really just body closure and that cannot be guaranteed if the hips and/or body are spnning and opening and over accelerating the shaft and club on the downswing. This leaves nothing in reserve for the final assault on the ball and the follow-through to a fully pressurized accelerating ending.

I teach what the great ballstrikers consistently utilised in their actions. The things that truly helped establish their place in ballstriking history. Therein lies the difference to what you will learn compared to other instruction.

It is fascinating that once a student becomes aware of the 430 entry path it also begins to seep into other areas of the swing.

This student tended to just lift her arms upwards to create a backswing. There was minimal shoulder turn whatsoever.

Her alignment was left and combined with the picked-up backswing there was really no chance for the downswing to be from the inside and on the correct swing plane and arc of the club in regard to the target.

By working solely on Drill one — the 430 path drill, she immediately solved her alignment issue and created substantially more turn of the upper body around better legwork and balance.

These things combined, shifted into a much improved inside approach with more consistent strikes. Less sidespin on the ball and greater length and much straighter shots. Every club in her bag began to travel 1–2 clubs farther.

Two weeks later she won her Club Championship.

The 430 entry path opens up better options for better striking and plays a huge role in solving other areas of the swing even without having to address those issues at all.

This gives the golfer a freer mind to focus on one main thing and not get tied up in knots trying to resolve all necessary alterations with many different thoughts.

Why is keeping the head still one of the worst pieces of golfing advice you can receive or try to abide by?

Because it just isn't true.

All great golfers move their head throughout the swing. They have to!! The head is attached to the top of their body. If the body is moving away from the ball on the backswing and the shoulders are turning to complete the backswing, then the head has to move also.

The photo of Rory McIlroy gives us a great visual that yeas the head can and in fact does move. Look at the trees and the building in the backdrop to see just how much such a great player's head shifts throughout the swing.

The change in direction i transition is very dependent on loading downwards into the legs and creating knee flex. The lower half then bumps forwards whilst the head stays back creating another tilt or drop in the upper body. The head goes along with that.

If you were intent on being fixated with keeping the head still, none of these proper sequences would occur.

What Rory exhibits is all the correct movement patterns. Don't avoid that.

As George Knudson once said," the head has to go where the body carries it — the head has nothing to do with the swing — it has no real purpose."

Brave words. But very true.

There is often a sense that great players CAN play golf and that players that CANNOT teach golf. This is a huge misconception and a real blight on a great golfer's ability to comprehend the swing. And it can be a missed opportunity for many golfers to learn from someone at the top of their profession.

Great players know what they did to make them great. Their ability to express these feelings or thoughts may not however come across perfectly at times. These golfers are paid to perform on the course. They don't need to teach to make a living. They just don't have the experience to get their thoughts across in different terms.

I was very much like this when I first started teaching. I tried to tell people what I felt or thought or what some instructors over the years had tried to tell me or my friends to work on. I was regurgitating stuff. 

I stopped teaching for over 6 months and deep dived into my swing and great swings and great players with not textbook swings. The result was amazing, and I came out the other end as an instructor with a player's mindset. I realized there were some key things to make a swing work and that a lot of other things were just personal preferences.

I tested and experimented and armed myself with hundreds of different ways to say the same thing. What I couldn't get Peter to understand one way I could get Paul to understand. 

When a great golfer passes on a tip or swing thought, and it doesn't click for an individual, many are quick to say, "Well, that's just a feel, that's not what he really did and feel isn't real anyway!!" Trust me, everything a good player feels is real. Feels just create differing looks due to the forces and pressures that are at play when the swing is in motion.

So don't be quick to dismiss information from great golfers. Some of the greatest instruction books ever were written by Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus and Tommy Armour. All were champion golfers and multiple Major Championship winners.

If you have these books, read them again and really pay attention to the message. Sometimes a thought shouldn't be taken literally. Look behind the verse to see the ultimate message.

I learned my golf swing from walking around as often as I could with Greg Norman during practice rounds when I was just a kid. I spent an hour in a bunker with Gary Player once and bunker play is a strength of my game. I even spent many hours with champion tennis player Pete Sampras and learned how he thought and worked and prepared for his tennis matches. Even greats in fields besides golf will help you become better. 

I always believe if my computer was to break down I would prefer to have it fixed by Bill Gates than by operator 42 at the end of a phone line.

Make it a passion to learn from the best. Someone that has been there in the heat of tournament play. Avoid flashy videos on the internet that have too much data trying to prove a point.

That's why I have such a great following of golfers learning my ideas. I did it. I make it make sense and allow the complex to become simple. Oh and I learned from the best.

It wouldn't be out of the realms of possibility to suggest that 95% of new golfers or high handicap golfers slice the ball.
Why the large number? And why does it seem that even after years of practice and play, the slicer cannot alter their swing to produce any other spin on the ball than the left to right curve?
It is all about viewpoint and perspective.
The golfer’s intention and mindset is to attempt to strike the back of the ball. However, the golfer’s positioning relative to the ball when in the address position immediately sets them up for failure. Not because it is wrong but because the eyes are positioned well inside and well above the ball.
They view the back of the ball as a straight line. In their good efforts to strike the back of the ball, they immediately start aiming for that area from the top of the swing. They cast the club out and away from themselves, aiming for the back of the golf ball. But as the arms and hands continue to control this action, the body also starts to move in different directions to assist or rebel against this move.
The back of the ball is now missed and, instead of striking the back of the ball, they end up pulling the club face across the ball, imparting the slice spin.
A clearer vision of what occurs is if we begin by naming the back of the ball 3 o’clock. From the golfer’s view, if we imagined the ball as a clock, the back of that ball would be where the arms of the clock would aim at 3 o'clock.
The golfers moves the club out towards 3 o’clock, too early in the swing and by the time they get to the strike point, the clubface is striking the ball at closer to 1:30.
There’s the slice. It’s why I teach golfers to see and understand the visuals of the 4:30 entry path early on. That way, they begin to see arcs and circles instead of straight lines.

Is the grip a true fundamental?
Absolutely — because the hands are a golfer's only contact point with the club. So, a somewhat meaningful hold on the grip is paramount to controlling the speed of which the club can move, and the control of where the clubface is pointing when the ball is struck.
Again, however, ALL golfers are different. Their shape and size is unique to them. The strength of their fingers and forearms are unique to them. The way their arms hang down from their shoulders is also unique to them.
Therefore, while the grip is a fundamental to playing good golf it is NOT a fundamental to be strictly adhered to by every single person in the same manner.
The grip is a very important aspect of my Drill One training. I teach the student how to deliver the club from the 4:30 path into impact. We also use an impact bag to do this so the golfer gains strength, support, speed and the visual of the correct path and descent of the club into a sound, solid strike.
But very rarely have I ever changed a student's grip to gain improvement. The drill does this for them.
As they continue to strike the impact bag with Drill One, their grip tends to mold and form in the correct manner for them. This is particularly true when they do the drill single handed. A comfort must be formed from doing something.
To try and change a student's grip during a lesson is a waste of the coaches and the students next hour. They will feel horribly uncomfortable with this new hand-to-club connection and will normally resort back to their old grip very swiftly — either at address or by re-gripping the club differently once the swing gets started.
The best grip for each golfer bases itself on the way their arms hang. If the golfer can just let their arms naturally hang down and then put their hands on the club without twisting their forearms into a different orientation, then that grip will have a great chance of returning the golf club on a better path and a better alignment.
The drill one really takes care of the grip for them. A good golf swing will create a good grip. A good grip will rarely produce a good swing.

Cameras and phones have far exceeded anything someone of my age group ever imagined. Unfortunately, I have minimal footage of my golf swing as a youngster and very few snap shots of my swing from instant cameras.
It should come as no surprise that many of the best golfers ever didn’t have access to seeing their golf swings. They only had feels to live by & more importantly, the flight of the ball and the look of their divot. Peter Thomson, five-times Open Champion and armed with a golf swing as beautiful as anyone recalled almost throwing up when he saw his swing on screen!! Not because it was bad, but because he didn’t feel his swing to be anything how it appeared. Now we have phones and apps that can record the swing instantly.
My advice to golfers is to avoid looking at your swing too much. Use video as a guide every so often. Continually watching your swing will make you slowly go insane!!!
Position of the camera can often lead to seeing aspects of the swing we don’t care for and are often just a result of that. The camera being in the wrong alignment.
If you aren’t an expert of the golf swing, then what are you actually looking for when viewing your swing? Some things matter and some things don’t. If you are constantly picking over your swing with a fine-tooth comb, then you will have little basis to work from during tournament play when a camera is not within grasp.
And most importantly — every golf swing is and should be slightly different based on many facets: wind direction — wind strength — trajectory of the shot — the shape of shot — the lie of the ball — the lay of the land.
Every golfer is better off learning the feel associated with a good swing. The pressure shifts and dynamics of a good swing. How to determine the swing based off where the ball started, how much it curved and in which direction it started. You can check your divot to see it’s direction and depth and relationship to where the ball was in your stance.
There are many resources online to find out ball flight rules and divot patterns. Look them up and understand them. Even hit some shots and check the results with a golf simulator occasionally. The patterns will become obvious.
Now you will be better equipped on the course itself to self-diagnose and solve a bad shot faster than searching for your phone or camera and trying to pinpoint a specific through the lens evaluation.