Can a golfer really have two golf swings?
Like, a swing for when they hit their irons and one for when they hit their driver? Or a different swing when they get under pressure and really need to hit a straight shot? Or, can the keep reverting back and forth between a “new” and “old” golf swing?
There’s been a bit of chat on my email the last few weeks and the general gist of things is going like this:
“Cameron, my swing is getting better and I am definitely hitting better shots but I am still using my old swing for certain shots so I still have some work to do. But happy with the results so far”.
Let’s not stuff about here…
… I think this sort of thing is the biggest pile of rubbish.
If you believe that you can chop and change your golf swing then you’ll always struggle.
Now, I am not talking about hitting different shots (high, low, fade, draw, pitch etc).
I am referring to the belief that you have the ability to step up to any shot and conjure up a different type of swing for that moment.
The human learning system doesn’t work that way. It’s just way too complicated.
Plus, the downswing happens so fast it’s beyond almost all of us to have this kind of conscious manipulation.
What usually happens (apart from the odd fluke), is a complete malfunction.
And once this bad stuff starts to happen, the golfer can be stuck…
Lots of terrible shots.
Followed by more bad stuff.
Followed by more thinking/analysis/theories
Then golfer can lose the plot and will not know whether they are coming or going.
I believe two different golf swings are a myth. It’s just not possible. At least, it’s impossible if you want to play consistently.
Onward.
Now, at the risk of contradicting myself, I do believe that we all have two types of golf swings inside us.
They are;
1. Cluttered swing
2. Uncluttered swing
The cluttered kind is just like I’ve discussed above.
The uncluttered kind is what you should always be aiming for. Less thinking and way more flow.
The more you can let the motion flow (I also like to say “dance”) the better you’ll do.
And all sorts of amazing things can happen when you stop trying so hard to find that all too elusive “perfect” golf swing.
You’ll unlock more power
The swing will appear easier
There will be less stress and strain (both mentally and physically)
And you might even be able to naturally fix some of those perceived faults you have.
And perhaps most importantly of all, you’ll maximise your chances of hitting better golf shots when you get to the golf course.
Note: The cluttered approach will almost certainly cause your system to shut down under pressure.
The choice is yours.
You can keep going around in circles and try too hard attempting all sorts of different swings…
Or, you can swing freely. Have some fun, shoot better scores and let your learning system function in a way it is designed.
A few years ago I worked with my very best Automatic Golf client and we went deeper with all this golf swing training ideas. If you want to watch to see what we discovered, you can check them out here.