I came across an interesting article today on a different way of teaching the golf swing. The perspective is different than what I’ve seen on ISG or elsewhere.

Here is an excerpt:

“In society more often than not it seems style wins hands down. In performance based scenarios, there’s no question substance is the only way to go. In golf, a performance based game; the answer is actually both, which may surprise you at first glance. “There is huge difference between the way Touring pros play golf and golf instructors teach golf.

Everything is a style. TOUR pros play golf based on the ball flight, what the ball is doing and the feeling they create at impact,” said Bobby Clampett. It may be hard to find someone that isn’t more passionate about the game than Clampett, who has set out on a crusade to make a difference with the common golfer. “I don’t like the way golf instruction has been heading for a long time. There is proof to my concern.

The National Golf Foundation did a study and revealed within the top three reasons why people are leaving the game, which has been in a 9-year steady decline, is they take lessons and never get better. It’s a tragedy. It’s killing our game,” he said.
“Over 99% of people that teach golf today, teach style based teaching. A type of swing method that they think is the best way to swing a golf club. And they try to mold every individual into this particular style of swing,” he continued. Consider it the equivalent of the square peg trying to fit in a round hole. “Stack and Tilt, One Plane/Two Plane, Leadbetter, Haney everybody has got a particular style of swing that they try to mold all of their students into. My ‘Aha’ moment or realization as a result of playing the TOUR for 30 years, competing against the world’s best, being in television at CBS for over 20 years, studying the Biz Hub Swing Vision, is the best players in the game have a wide variety of swing styles. In fact, many of those styles, teachers aren’t teaching. But the common denominator of what they all create almost exactly the same is impact.

Impact is the moment of truth. That’s the only thing that really matters in the golf swing is what you create at impact,” Clampett explained.

He’s building a business around it with a goal that could make a pronounced impact on golf instruction. “Our goal is literally to totally eradicate style based teaching and help the game because impact teaching works,” he proclaimed. “ Golf is an enigma to people. They don’t understand cause and effect relationships. They have a good round, a bad round, a good shot, a bad shot. But they don’t know the difference of what they did! They just see the results. So it’s a big mystery and they never get any better. The only way you get better in golf is understanding cause and effect relationships. Otherwise, you’re at a stand still and people level off at their abilities.”

“One of my discoveries was where should the swing bottom be? I’ve never seen anyone mention it in the world, where the swing bottom should be in the golf swing. I’ve discovered that Touring pros have the bottom of their swing, four inches in front of the ball. We did a sample test; dynamic #2 is the swing bottom, of 100 golfers over several months hitting a 5-iron. They hit five shots. We took out the best and worst and used the mean of the three and on average for every inch a golfer’s swing bottom is behind the four inches in front of the ball, where the pros have it, equates to four shots a round on your handicap. That’s FOUR SHOTS per inch on average!” he emphatically stated. “ And no body even KNOWS about it! To me it was the single most important discovery that teaching has ever known. You can improve people quickly if you known where the swing bottom should be. The minute you hit the ground behind the ball all kinds of things happen!”

“This is what drives me crazy. I make a nice living. I made a $1 million from the Champions Tour the last two years. I’ve had a nice career at CBS. I don’t need to do this. This has become a passion for me. I’ve basically invested everything I’ve made in the Champions Tour into this. Because I want to change the face of how golf is taught. I want to help golf. I don’t know if this is going to make money or not. Its more of a ministry to me of helping people play better golf,” he stated.

“I played my first round on the TOUR last year with Fuzzy Zoeller, who is in a hunched over position and puts the club a foot and half on the other side of the ball and then lifts up. There’s not a person in the world teaching that swing style. The other player in our group was Jim Thorpe, whose swing plane conflicts in 12 different places. There isn’t a teacher in the world that’s going to teach that. But yet they are two of the most successful golfers the game has known. Jim Furyk, where do you teach that? Bubba Watson where do you teach that? Rory Sabbatini, Rickie Fowler, Corey Pavin, you just go on and on. You go the greats, Palmer, Nicklaus, Trevino, Johnny Miller, and Gary Player all with swing styles that no body is teaching in golf! But what they create at impact is the same. Its the moment of truth.” It brings Clampett back to his new calling. “ We need to change the way golf is being taught.

Thus we created impact based teaching, which is essentially impact is the starting point and ending point of all teaching. Anything we work with a student is the sole purpose of helping them create more efficient impact based on our five dynamic system. It’s simple, easy to explain, easy to understand. Students leave with a whole new appreciation and understanding of cause and effect in golf and they are empowered to be their own coach. Their scores drop, they hit more consistent shots and they know what they’re doing. It’s been a home run.”

Click here for original story

What are your thoughts on this subject and what experiences have you had with golf lessons?

I’ve been teaching impact-based learning for years… The problem is the intent to teach a fool-proof swing from a model has failed the player. Golf pros have failed at doing this—in terms of driving people from the game, though some perhaps not because they’re making a living. It’s the difference between teaching a swing and teaching how to play the game. The majority of the industry has defaulted into the former. Clampett’s program is pretty good, but I think he still misses the mark.

Clampett was once the TGM poster boy.

He still preaches much the same, flat left wrist at impact, loading the club on the backswing, lagging the club on the downswing, straight plane line through impact. (fundamentals everybody would teach)

The 4 inch in front swing bottom/aiming point concept is his “discovery” (read marketing point)

Imo this big discovery is just the effect of the fundamentals above with a pivot included.

Sure Brad talks about impact is what matters. Would be good to have him here now and hear his thoughts.

The reason golf has been in decline for last 9 years, as quoted in the article, has little to do with golf teaching or even the sport in my opinion. Its just that human beings have become invasive. I played yesterday with a guy I’d never met and by the 8th hole he was offering to send me an app to “fix my swing”. I actually think I have a good swing, I just play like shit because I don’t practice and have a mental block for between 13 and 15 holes every round.

And this happens every time I tee it up. Maybe I just have a target on my head but I strongly doubt the guy yesterday (who was only trying to help) is the only person in the world who offers unsolicited advice on a tee block.

I have his book: The Impact Zone Mastering golf’s moment of truth

His point about the swing bottom is there, and the overall tone of the book is pretty much the same as the blurb above.

If not improving after lessons is “within the top 3” reasons for leaving the game, you can be sure it is not the #1 or the #2 reason. That means that the game is declining for 2 more important reasons.

As I sit here posting this, I can see my bookshelf of golf books. On it are nearly 30 books and, without checking, I would venture that pretty much every one starts by claiming that they have the secret and that the rest of the golf teaching world are teaching the wrong things.

His book starts with FLW and putting. On my TV is the latest European tour coverage from Dubai. Self evidently, you don’t need to putt with a FLW. BC claims he is teaching substance, but he starts with style (putting with a FLW). Clearly the substance of putting is something other than the style of a FLW.

TGM starts with substance: all the principles of impact and leverage. And it goes further than any other book at showing the variety of styles that can be employed. BC very well knows TGM, yet he claims to have made a discovery of substance over style.

If he wanted to help the game, he would do more to publicise and support TGM and produce TGM based teaching material with full acknowledgement to HK, using TGM language.

IMO if the game needs help with teaching, someone needs to buy out the rights to TGM from the people who own it and are ploughing a lone furrow trying to deploy it with minimal resources. Then they need to give TGM to the world of golf and deploy it in easier to understand formats.

Then the world of golf would be working with substance, not style, IMO.

Please don’t take this the wrong way…I don’t suggest that any of these are bad: Whether it’s TGM, Stack n Tilt, Ballard’s ‘connection’, or Clampett’s 5 dynamics (insert your favorite here), each is a swing technique. Each will produce certain results, but none addresses the issue of ‘how to play golf’. Each will predictably succeed under certain circumstances, and each will predictably fail under certain circumstances. We should not attribute how to play the game solely to a swing technique.

Please don’t take this the wrong way…I don’t suggest that any of these are bad: Whether it’s TGM, Stack n Tilt, Ballard’s ‘connection’, or Clampett’s 5 dynamics (insert your favorite here), each is a swing technique. Each will produce certain results, but none addresses the issue of ‘how to play golf’. Each will predictably succeed under certain circumstances, and each will predictably fail under certain circumstances. We should not attribute how to play the game solely to a swing technique.

Bob Duncan, PGA Life Member
Master Clubfitter DP.60

Click here for my new ebook on Amazon

best post i have ever read
knowing how to play the game is the secret
not the swing

Tom Watsons book, the timeless swing, has a section on the impact zone that is similar. He said that every tour pros divot starts in front of the ball and most amateurs behind it.
I always had thought that the ball had to be struck from behind and lifted. I have since found out it should be compressed and squeezed up the club face.
I think pros need to realise they have years of knowledge and are teaching infants to golf. Yes they may be mature enough to understand but not experienced enough to.
I think most beginners to the game want to play. Anyone I go out with for the first time I say very little.
1. Keep your hands together. How ever you want to. Even if right over left just together.
2. The target is a 90 degree angle to the face.
3. Imagine a ten cent piece in front of the ball and hit it. The ball will get in the way.

The last one I’ve actually done. It seems to be a great visual. I often try things on my kids 2 to 17 as their attention span is short and they just want to play.

My next advice is anything else you should find a pro as I’m not a teacher but I’m happy to try and help you enjoy the game.

I also try and do this as a introduction , for people of all ages to enjoy the game and to hopefully not do too much damage before a golf instructor can help.
I think it would be awesome for golf pros to get together and formulate a basic step instruction, like above, to maybe hand out to clubs to help people trying the sport and themselves. As with any sport most people play before they join or pay for instruction.

Clampett is just baby TGM. A real disservice and he should be ashamed to steal Homer’s work and relabel it.

Golf is simple hitting a ball to a target. The trouble is can’t can’t hit the ball. They hit it fat and thin, left and right. They can play golf like that but not satisfactorily.

I know, I did it for 40 years. I won 15 tournaments shot 62, 7 times but not satisfactory.

I can play tennis, snooker, cricket and soccer with satisfaction but it took 40 years to hit the golf ball to my satisfaction.

“The swing is the thing”, Sam Snead.

I have coached other sports to kids and teenagers – basketball and cricket

The best batsmen I have seen in cricket had a poor technique if we truly analysed it

His name was Viv Richards….

he didnt move his feet much – he was once asked about his lack of foot work…...where did the ball go mon in deep west indian tone

“I cant put my foot in the grandstand”...was what he said

he would sleep yes leep before going out to bat….he didnt want to know what the ball was doing or how well the team was going – his 2 openers were Greenidge and Haynes would be flaying them to all parts…..when one of them got out – he would be awoken by team mate…VIV wake up mon..youre in…..!!

LOL…...he went out to bat with clear head

ok to golf

I have had a few lessons in my time and got a to respectable cap I was happy with

I have always said its a target game, learn to get the ball near he green in 2 shots (par 4) and start from there…..how you do it can vary and vary heaps but if you can do that then youre half way to playing at a good level..and I see guys in thier 70’s off 5 caps so distance isnt the issue on club tracks

I have seen pros talk to students and they use language that the kid is never going to get nor is he going to be able to deliver what the pro is asking

the slot I call that last part of the golf swing – club hitting ball

I hear crap and sorry its crap about swingers and hitters

its the same – you swing the club face hits – one causes the other to happen…

I tradtionally have played a wide stance with driver…with good results but misses were big…2 weeks ago after a lesson I tried a much narrower stance with more turn focus..wow

the ball flight is lower, its to be honest a bit ugly but hell its dead straight and I can draw or fade it on demand with this stance….its also longer with low spin….but smidegn lower

style would decree I go bak to my wider stance with a nice fluent take away and swing…..NO results give decree the narrower ugly swing give me results..what to do

I have watched sport for years…everything you name it golf is the most technique obbssessed sport bar none…..every magaizine

If I was goig to get a lesson from a pro I would choose Two gloves Gainey over Adam scott anyday

Gainey will give me something I can work with and repeat….

our pro is great…he watched my swing for about 7 balls…..

he said it repeats….GREAT…..none were perfect textbook but it repeats

no use having a nice swing that cant repeat under presure as opposed to one that’s ugly but can’t repeat over and over

thats not say a really goo swing cant repeat – it can….no doubt about that

The OP reads like Clampett has discovered James Douglas Edgar’s “Gate to Golf”. What he is saying is pretty much what Edgar penned in 1920. Edgar mentored a young Bobby Jones and taught Alexa Sterling, the best golfers on the planet in their prime.

After he retired Jones became a prolific writer on the fundamentals of the golf swing. His writings were undoubtedly influenced by his weekly games with Edgar who Jones said was the best player he ever saw when he was “on” and a genius on playing the game.

I used a golf Modeling system for 3 years in my indoor centre and recorded every impact position with a model overlay. Out of approximately 500 students, nearly all were out during impact, regardless of the swing type. The position of their hands were behind the models with the only exceptions being the low handicappers.

Because of this, I began to teach beginner golfers impact first and work backwards using a very short swing. Invariable they would take the club back too far and cast it destroying the good impact position we created. It was a challenge to build the swing in this manner but it does work.

I personally disagree with Clampetts disregard for golf instruction, It takes a level of commitment to improve and those golfers who invest normally do improve. Its the golfers that are looking for a quick fix that normally stay about the same.

GolfSavvy is right regarding playing the game, golf coaches have grossly missed the mark by not spending time on the course with students. We must become more innovative in what we offer our students, the series of 5 lessons which has become an industry standard for 30 years must be put out in the rubbish where it belongs.

Headpro,
This is very true, even with what we do, I found even though we improved golfers, there was a good proportion whose handicaps didn’t go down. This eluded me until I went for a game with them to discover they didn’t know how to play the game. I realised I had to out source to things like aimpoint, GPS with Bob and encourage clients to get playing lessons.

Further more they didn’t know how to practice properly, they were stuck in maintenance mode always working on swing, instead of doing block practice where you spend 1/4 time on maintenance and the other 3/4’s of their time working on different shots and short game etc.

You are 100% right it’s a really problematic issues in the golfing world.
Question is how do we change this?

Headpro,
This is very true, even with what we do, I found even though we improved golfers, there was a good proportion whose handicaps didn’t go down. This eluded me until I went for a game with them to discover they didn’t know how to play the game. I realised I had to out source to things like aimpoint, GPS with Bob and encourage clients to get playing lessons.

Further more they didn’t know how to practice properly, they were stuck in maintenance mode always working on swing, instead of doing block practice where you spend 1/4 time on maintenance and the other 3/4’s of their time working on different shots and short game etc.

You are 100% right it’s a really problematic issues in the golfing world.
Question is how do we change this?

scott@zenolink.com">scott@zenolink.com

http://www.facebook.com/zen…

Core Health first 3D gym in the world. 1 Golf Links Road, Frankston South

It can’t be changed quickly, but it is slowly changing. I am finding a bit of a ‘backlash’ to technology among teaching pros in the US. It’s good for what it’s good for, but it’s not the be-all end-all that some make it out to be. You can see data, compare it to movements, make corrections, work on a pre-shot routine and concentrate, but in many ways teaching aids and techniques are missing a link to what actually happens on the course.

You can have perfect technique as a batsman but still fail due to the skill of the bowler (did I get the terms right?).

Golfsavvy,
I agree although coaches need to take accountability for their own failures. All they are doing is blaming technology for their own failures.
TM as an example is a great tool to help people understand their ball flight laws to shape the ball. Instead some coaches starts trying to change their path etc, what on earth for. They just miss used the purpose of the technology. It’s a great guide to help people understand what they need to do to moved the ball suited to their swing style. Nothing more. This is a failure on the coaches behalf.

Even with our technology we have had to diversify to generating on range PST programs. So the coaches could do this on the range and help the golfer translate their patterns into their swing.

In the past some weren’t doing their job, they would give their clients the PST and failed to help them integrate this into their swings. The golfer would do the drills wrong etc they didn’t know how to intergrate into their swing either.
Here they are out on the golf course trying to think mechanical about the movement and wonder why they couldn’t play or didn’t get better. They were in mechanical mode not in playing the game mode.
Their coach also failed them is teaching them not to think out there and how to adapt to the new patterns on the course and play with them. You train this doing block practice.
They also failed to teach them how to play with these new patterns they have developed on the course.

However I am talking about a minority, the majority of coaches who did follow procedures have a really great success using our technology.

In my experience the coaches who are very successful cover all bases, they make sure what ever they are doing with their students they ensure they can translate it onto the golf course. They go out onto the golf course and teach them how to play with what ever it is they are learning and also train them how to play the game

But the whole industry is to blame and need to take accountability the whole industry has lost sight of the fact the ONLY reason people come to them is people want to play better golf. What does that mean they want to shoot lower scores.

I just want to add support for HeadPro and Zen on the question of lessons and handicaps.

I considered myself to be the worst ball striker of any single figure handicap player I had ever met. I was always meeting players who were far better ball strikers, yet higher handicap. Or, I was beating much “better” players in matches.

Playing handicap golf is all about getting it round with what you have got in terms of technique and being smart and composed.

As I work on my ball striking, I am doing it for interest and for improved satisfaction in actually hitting the thing. Significant improvements in ball striking don’t yield large handicap improvements for many reasons, IMO, including the following.

If you hit it further, you can now hit it further into trouble as well.

If you have a new method, the old one is still lurking and waiting to pounce. Some of the worst shots will come from a new method with a bit of the old one thrown in.

So, with lessons and ball striking improvements might come the occasional double or worse.

The more greens you hit, the more pressure you put on your long putting, and so 3 putts come in to partially offset more GIR’s.

The more you work on your long game, the more you neglect your short game and putting. This factor alone might mean your handicap actually goes up.

The more you improve your ball striking, the higher your expectations become, so poor shots are more frustrating and this upsets your composure. Or, you attempt shots that you really should not.

Long game swing changes tend to creep in to short game and putting methods, and not always for the better.

There are so many of these feedback loops, I am surprised that it is not more widely accepted that working on ball striking will mean your handicap will go up. Only when you have got through the ball striking lessons, really consolidated them, and then got back to all the other stuff might your handicap start coming down to a new level.

5 lessons to improve handicap? Seriously?

Headpro,
This is very true, even with what we do, I found even though we improved golfers, there was a good proportion whose handicaps didn’t go down. This eluded me until I went for a game with them to discover they didn’t know how to play the game. I realised I had to out source to things like aimpoint, GPS with Bob and encourage clients to get playing lessons.

Further more they didn’t know how to practice properly, they were stuck in maintenance mode always working on swing, instead of doing block practice where you spend 1/4 time on maintenance and the other 3/4’s of their time working on different shots and short game etc.

You are 100% right it’s a really problematic issues in the golfing world.
Question is how do we change this?

scott@zenolink.com">scott@zenolink.com

http://www.facebook.com/zen…

Core Health first 3D gym in the world. 1 Golf Links Road, Frankston South

I can vouch for what you guys saying

I’m a counsleor…eseentially my goal is to get people to point where they change things to better themsleves

5 counseling sessions wont do that – it will help but the work begins when the client go’s away

golf is similar you get the lesson – you get the drills then the work begins when the pupil commits to those changes and works on it

I just want to add support for HeadPro and Zen on the question of lessons and handicaps.

I considered myself to be the worst ball striker of any single figure handicap player I had ever met. I was always meeting players who were far better ball strikers, yet higher handicap. Or, I was beating much “better” players in matches.

Playing handicap golf is all about getting it round with what you have got in terms of technique and being smart and composed.

As I work on my ball striking, I am doing it for interest and for improved satisfaction in actually hitting the thing. Significant improvements in ball striking don’t yield large handicap improvements for many reasons, IMO, including the following.

If you hit it further, you can now hit it further into trouble as well.

If you have a new method, the old one is still lurking and waiting to pounce. Some of the worst shots will come from a new method with a bit of the old one thrown in.

So, with lessons and ball striking improvements might come the occasional double or worse.

The more greens you hit, the more pressure you put on your long putting, and so 3 putts come in to partially offset more GIR’s.

The more you work on your long game, the more you neglect your short game and putting. This factor alone might mean your handicap actually goes up.

The more you improve your ball striking, the higher your expectations become, so poor shots are more frustrating and this upsets your composure. Or, you attempt shots that you really should not.

Long game swing changes tend to creep in to short game and putting methods, and not always for the better.

There are so many of these feedback loops, I am surprised that it is not more widely accepted that working on ball striking will mean your handicap will go up. Only when you have got through the ball striking lessons, really consolidated them, and then got back to all the other stuff might your handicap start coming down to a new level.

5 lessons to improve handicap? Seriously?

Fan of:
Stan Utley putting and short game
TGM hitting, as explained by Peter Croker / Paul Hart, Lynn Blake.
New ball flight rules
Zen golf
Rory McIlroy, I.K.Kim swings
Fast play, Stableford scoring, windy conditions

I often feel the same aabot me

I’m one of the worst ball striking single handicap players ever also…I find a way to get the ball in the hole

I see guys with what I think is a nice decent swing and they say I’m playing off 15!!

golf isnt a game of perfect (geez wo said that BOB!!) – limit the mistakes and course managment is the key to playing decent golf if youre not a pure ball striker

hmm 60 foot putt or 60 foot chip for an up and down…..I would rather have the chip

well because even though youre 60 foot away you kind of think you will 2 putt…whwereas 60 foot chip you tend to take the pressure off yourself

I hacked it around all my life and made a living at it for 10 years. I longed for the day I could hit it nicely.

Trevino said, “there are two things that don’t last long – dogs that chase cars and Pros that chip for pars”.

There are thousands of players who can hit it nicely but very few who can teach it and few who are willing to learn. There are heaps who will fall for dodgy shot cuts.

Sure you have to scramble some days, but every day???

Every one knows it is just one or two things that are wrong because they hit so many shots that are so close – but they don’t know what they are. And the missing bits are so simple.

Golfsavvy,
I agree although coaches need to take accountability for their own failures. All they are doing is blaming technology for their own failures.
TM as an example is a great tool to help people understand their ball flight laws to shape the ball. Instead some coaches starts trying to change their path etc, what on earth for. They just miss used the purpose of the technology. It’s a great guide to help people understand what they need to do to moved the ball suited to their swing style. Nothing more. This is a failure on the coaches behalf.

Even with our technology we have had to diversify to generating on range PST programs. So the coaches could do this on the range and help the golfer translate their patterns into their swing.

In the past some weren’t doing their job, they would give their clients the PST and failed to help them integrate this into their swings. The golfer would do the drills wrong etc they didn’t know how to intergrate into their swing either.
Here they are out on the golf course trying to think mechanical about the movement and wonder why they couldn’t play or didn’t get better. They were in mechanical mode not in playing the game mode.
Their coach also failed them is teaching them not to think out there and how to adapt to the new patterns on the course and play with them. You train this doing block practice.
They also failed to teach them how to play with these new patterns they have developed on the course.

However I am talking about a minority, the majority of coaches who did follow procedures have a really great success using our technology.

In my experience the coaches who are very successful cover all bases, they make sure what ever they are doing with their students they ensure they can translate it onto the golf course. They go out onto the golf course and teach them how to play with what ever it is they are learning and also train them how to play the game

But the whole industry is to blame and need to take accountability the whole industry has lost sight of the fact the ONLY reason people come to them is people want to play better golf. What does that mean they want to shoot lower scores.

scott@zenolink.com">scott@zenolink.com

http://www.facebook.com/zen…

Core Health first 3D gym in the world. 1 Golf Links Road, Frankston South

Great points Zen. Many teachers work solely on the golf swing. They build it, correct it, and re-correct it, often never seeing the player under true playing conditions. The implicit message from the industry is that every shot must be straight and struck solidly, and technology is geared toward that premise—which, as I said before, is about swinging a club but isn’t a method of playing golf.

It’s interesting that some pros think most players are not ready to learn to curve the ball, the primary reason often that they don’t know how to hit it straight to begin with. Of course, the corollary is that they already know how to curve it in at least one direction… I’ve thought for some time that if you didn’t know how to curve it in both directions then how would you know what to fix to hit it straight?