Tour Players

It might be surprising to some to see me compare the seemingly ungainly swing of 4 time PGA Tour winner Carl Pettersson with Ben Hogan’s.

If you thought Mickelson was talented and could do amazing things with the ball he’s got nothing on Bubba.

The truth as I see it is that Tiger is evolving out of what Hank Haney had him doing for years.

If you have been a member of wdglc.com you have probably noticed that there are certain things in the swing that I believe are important.

You probably know Patrick Cantlay is an amateur, and is only a sophomore at Stanford. That he has accomplished so much in such a short period, mostly with an incredible 2011 in which he compiled a long list of highly impressive performances

And speaking of Tiger, here we see that his swing is really coming around as his hands finally begin to track outward toward the ball starting the downswing instead of moving straight down.

Here we have Tiger’s swing at this year’s Chevron where he birdied the last two holes to finally pull off a win. The most amazing thing to watch is the huge difference from last year to this year.

At first glance it might seem that Jason Day creates tremendous speed by just using his arms, as his body seems to move far less than most Tour pros, at least in the backswing. That, however, is only partially true. What is true is that unlike most of his counterparts Day does not lower at all in the backswing or in transition.

In this case, we see the results of Justin Rose working with a teacher (Sean Foley) who works constantly with video, and that is a measurably different swing. Whether it is better is a matter of preference and opinion, and as you will see in the video there are things I think are improved and others that I would say aren’t. One thing is for sure, Rose is playing at a higher level the last two years.

I heard a story from a reliable source that in one of Gary Woodland’s first PGA Tour events he was to tee off on the 10th hole, a 385 yard par 4. He was 3rd to hit and the hole was playing a bit downwind, and when it came to be his turn to hit he just stood there and waited…

The entire purpose of this video is to record observations of a particular part of the swing as practiced by the top 20 players (according to the “World Rankings”). Too many acceptable variations are castigated by TV announcers who have not done their homework when it comes to knowing what the best players do. Video swing analysis is a powerful tool when it comes to teaching a player how to improve his or her swing.

The video starts with a side by side view of Tiger at last year’s Chevron and just last week at the Australian Open in Sydney. What is quite amazing is the difference in the rehearsal swings he takes before each shot, one practicing dropping the hands straight down and almost behind him from the top, [...]

All right, so everyone is talking (still) about Tiger and his swing. Here I have taken Tiger’s most recent competition (the Frys.com Open) and compiled swings to compare with his swings of years past, especially those of the Harmon era.

Watching Webb Simpson win two events in 3 weeks brings to mind the old adage that you “putt for dough”. Now, I don’t believe that you “drive for show”, as any player wishing to win big tournaments simply has to hit the ball reasonably well, but certainly the winning part of it has a ton to do with making tons of putts, which Webb does consistently with one of the fastest strokes on tour.

Here we have another example of golfing genius, a pure talent with a mean competitive streak that I believe would have put him in the same category as Lee Trevino as a multiple major winner and dominant player had it not been for his unfortunate brush with cancer at the peak of his career.

Man, is this a cool swing to watch. I don’t think I have ever seen a player move so much from their heels forward during the swing and not have all sorts of issues getting to the ball. Once again it is proven that you can almost never say “you can’t do this and be good”.

One of the things that stood out to my eye in the recent PGA Championship at the Atlanta Athletic Club was the wide disparity of swing types among the top contenders. Here I take 7 players who populated the leader board on Saturday and use the video to comment and compare their swings.

Granted, Tiger Woods has a lot on his mind. There is a popular thought that his poor play is totally a result of the fact that he has essentially blown up his life and that all he has left is money, but since we are golfers and not psychiatrists we will focus on what I believe to be the major change he has made beginning in 2008 and which I think is hindering his comeback.

When we look at K.J. Choi’s golf swing the first thing that has to come to mind is the obvious look of the dreaded “over the top” move wherein the hands and arms swing out toward the ball as the swing changes direction from backward to forward.

Here we take a look at what could become the swing of the greatest woman golfer ever. You will note the extremely bent over address position (Brandel Chamblee states that you can’t win majors if you bend over a lot…I guess he doesn’t count women), and then, amazingly, compresses into the ground even more in the backswing.

In Nick Watney we see what I would call the “prototype” of the new Tour player, namely one that is tall, strong, talented, and technique oriented. Watney is as conventional as Bubba Watson is not, and it is evident that he is technique oriented as he has managed to improve his swing over the last 3 years by fixing a faulty takeaway and working into a much less crossed position for the shaft at the top of the swing.

What a great win for Darren Clarke at this year’s British Open. Reading his biography and getting an insight on what he has gone through personally with the death of his wife one can only be in awe of the power of the human spirit in the face of tragedy.

Here we have Wayne’s analysis of what Rory changed in his swing after the Masters and before the U.S. Open.

In this video we look at Cabrera’s swing in all its free flowing, old school glory as he rips into the ball with gleeful abandon.

Back in 2002 I was fortunate enough to have my choice of 6 Tour events to play in as a result of my victory in the previous year’s National Club Pro Championship. I chose as one of my events The Greater Greensboro Open, which was somewhat of a homecoming as I had attended Wake Forest for two years in the 70’s.

So what happened to Rory McIlroy at this year’s Masters? The question is, did McIlroy’s swing change on Sunday for whatever reason? My sense is that it did not, at least not in an appreciably noticeable fashion, and I think the video proves that that is the case.

When we think of Luke Donald the first thing that comes to mind is the syrupy rhythm and the perfectly balanced finish, which make his swing appear graceful and uncommonly effortless, sort of a refined Fred Couples.

I never thought I would see the day when a golf announcer (or “analyst” as the networks like to say) who had played the PGA Tour would make Johnny Miller look like a genius.  But now we have been blessed with Brandel Chamblee, a 15 year Tour veteran (who won one tournament) who, as lead [...]

“You know, I just swing smooth and try to hit the center of the clubface”. Gee, thanks Bubba. That oughta do it.

If you were a decent player and you ran into Tommy “Two Gloves” Gainey at the local muni and he offered to play you and give you a couple a side (this is after you saw his swing from a distance) I have no doubt you would jump on the opportunity.  You would, of course, [...]

A few years back Steve Stricker was at an apparent dead-end in his golfing career. Through hard work and persistence he has come back to become even better than he was before his fall, now seemingly in the hunt almost every week.

Watching Matt Kuchar swing should be enough evidence for anyone paying attention to prove that just about any combination of backswing arm, hand and wrist positions can be utilized to play great golf.

Presented with the opportunity to watch Robert Garrigus’ golf swing in slow motion it occurred to me that it would be interesting to compare his powerful action to that of a baseball player, especially a power hitter.

There is a certain aesthetic pleasure in watching a tightly connected, “flat” looking swing. The movement appears centered and simple. The energy seems to come 100 % from rotation, and there is little or no rangy or loose movement.

Wayne looks at Graeme McDowell’s swing

Tiger’s swing at the Chevron World Championship. The changes are evidence of his work with Sean Foley and show him to be on the right track in his efforts to improve his technique.

Tiger at the Chevron: New Swing, Same Pivot Compression

Steve Elkington Swing Analysis

Sean O’Hair Swing Analysis

Here is a look at Dustin Johnson’s golf swing which shares some interesting characteristics with the swing of Lee Trevino.

I love this swing…THIS is the way you hit a golf ball.

A look at Martin Kaymer’s swing at the 2010 PGA Championship

Vijay is a prime example of a shaft plane approach and release. His desire to extend his right arm toward the target in the follow through causes his right palm to completely lose contact with the left thumb, giving him one of the more bizarre looking releases among great ball strikers.

Mahan stays centered over the ball (little or no movement to the right in the backswing) and works his arms deep across his body. Sound familiar? His best attribute is his brilliant use of his lower body, which more than makes up for his overly bent right arm.

Tiger Woods Unveils Swing Change at 2010 PGA Championship

A great talent from a young age, Ernie’s rhythm and release action have remained pretty much the same as he has made a few changes to his setup and backswing.

2010 British Open Champion Louis Oosthuizen: A swing as conventional as Ricky Fowler’s is not (no knock on Ricky Fowler). An instructor could simply use this as a model to demonstrate proper mechanics and efficient generation of power. As good as it gets in this day and age.

Jeff Overton had a good tournament at the AT&T recently. Despite what Peter Kostis says there are thing I really like about Jeff’s swing.

Lee Westwood Swing Analysis

A look at Rory McIlroy during his victory at Quail Hollow. At first glance it may appear that Mcilroy’s swing is a “model” of perfect form and function, maybe even the “swing of the future”, since he’s only 21 years old. However, as in almost

Here is a look at the set up, routine, stroke, rhythm and tempo of the man who can roll it better than anyone else on the planet.

Tiger Woods arrived at the 2010 Masters with a swing that somewhat resembles his action of several years ago.

An interesting mix of modern and classic. High hands but a laid off shaft, then a left arm “anti-stuck” move. Poulter is making a serious name for himself for other than his clothes.

Hello and welcome the Wayne DeFrancesco Golf Learning Center. This is not an infomercial. There are no quick fixes here. Our goal is to provide information that will help you improve your game over time. Understanding that learning golf requires a long term commitment to the game and all of its facets is the first [...]

This may be the best action going. Plane lines almost identical to Hogan, great quick tempo, superb pivot motion. Great power and stability at the same time.

Great looking guy, great looking swing, why isn’t he more of a force?

Fred Couples has started 2010 on a tear. He has three wins and a 2nd place finish as a rookie on the Champion’s Tour and is playing great heading into the Houston Open this week and the Masters next week.

Say you have a kid who plays golf, and he swings like Jim Furyk. He’s pretty good, but his swing is definitely weird. Do you take him to a teacher to “fix” it, or do you leave it alone and see what happens?

Charl had his best finish yet on tour finishing 2nd to Els at the WGC last week.

Watching Villegas swing is like watching a great archer draw back a bow. Slowly loading, then exploding. Amazing power, but a control of impact that is better than even most tour players.

Enough already with the “Phil’s swing has changed” crap. It hasn’t changed at all, and Mickelson remains the most incredibly talented, completely undisciplined golfer on the planet.

Ricky Fowler Swing Analysis

Ben Crane Swing Analysis

Phil Mickelson Swing Analysis

Stricker likes to describe the feel of his stroke as “straight back and through”, but the video shows something different

Ben Hogan vs. Tiger Woods – Swing Analysis – Part 2

Ben Hogan vs. Tiger Woods – Swing Analysis – Part 1

Tiger Woods, Ben Hogan, Johnny Miller, Brandel Chamblee – Swing Analysis

One of the best swings on the PGA Tour.

The swings of the great players have something in common that I call “compression” during the swing. Here I look at Sergio Garcia and Gary Player side by side to reveal some striking similarities.