I'm happy with my swing, and so is my friend, Byron Nelson
I'm thinking about three things when I swing: First, I want to complete the backswing. The second is making a little bump with my hips toward the target to start the downswing. The third is firing my hips.
I've worked with a lot of instructors over the years. And I've discussed the golf swing with the game's most knowledgable players, such as Byron Nelson, who I've gotten to know from playing his tournament. What I'm doing is borrowing their minds for a little while. I take what's good for me, and I discard the rest.
Getting the hip movement right was the biggest breakthrough in my swing. It happened about four years ago. I learned how to really fire my hips for a true, full release. When your hips slow down, you have to flip your hands over to compensate, and that's when the ball goes left. When I clear my hips fast, I can swing as hard as I want, and the ball never goes left.
I'm thinking about three things when I swing.
First, I want to complete the backswing. The second is making a little bump with my hips toward the target to start the downswing. The third is firing my hips. I might work on a few other things here and there, but these three things are my fundamentals.
I have a lot of respect for Mr. Nelson, and I'm honored that he provided the critique of my 3-wood swing in this article.
Why Vijay's so great
I don't know anybody
who's worked any harder
My first thought about Vijay's swing is his rhythm. He never seems to rush, he just goes back and through. He goes fast, of course, but Vijay's rhythm doesn't seem to change from his arms to his body, and his swing is coordinated, from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet.
The first picture in this sequence tells me something about his whole game. People talk about the "V" in golf--the shoulders down to the hands on the club--and his is absolutely perfect. Also notice that his knees are flexed a bit. His weight is pretty evenly distributed but leaning to the left side because his hands are inside of his left leg and not near his right leg. That's a perfect position. His right shoulder is down slightly, which means he's looking at the ball with his left eye. You don't want to have your head looking down the fairway; you don't want your head in front of the ball. Vijay's whole thought at this point is "back of the ball."
When Vijay takes the club away from the ball, his motion starting back is one that I've always wanted: He doesn't let the clubhead get ahead of his hands. His shoulders and arms are carrying the club, but his wrists are not even bent yet. His club simply goes up--not around--over his shoulder as he completes his turn.
From the top of his swing, all he has to do is return the clubhead from that position to the back of the ball. He doesn't have to compensate for any moves he has made. That's why he's so consistent. That's why he's so great.
The other thing I will say strongly about Vijay is his head position. There isn't one time during the entire swing that his head is not
behind the golf ball.
Swing sequence: Face-on
Swing sequence: Down-the-line
