There isn't a universal golf swing
By 
Currently there is a lot of publicity about a "new" golf swing of the future. This swing is being touted as the "fix-all" for every golfer.
Golfers will buy into anything that they think may improve their game no matter how ludicrous it may be. We are all looking to play better golf, hit more consistent shots, make more putts, and the search for this elusive "Holy Grail" will never end. But to think and promote that one golf swing will work with everyone is simply insanity!
For example, do you really think that someone like Craig Stadler can move his body and club like someone as flexible as Camilo Villegas, absolutely NOT! Yet the golfing public so desperately wants to find the "secret" that they will buy into this.
I personally feel sorry for the golfing world. We, at the Medicus Golf Institute, have spent our entire careers helping golfers play better and without trying to stick every player into some type of mold. We take what their tendencies are, show them options, and then let them decide which variation is the easiest for them to replicate.
I can remember growing up as a young player when we all wanted to swing like Ben Hogan. The truth is that to duplicate anyone else, you would need several factors.
1. Be built like the player
2. Have the same flexibility as the player
3. Have the same mindset as the player
Without all of the above characteristics you will never be able to duplicate their swing. Sure, to the untrained eye it may appear to look a alike - or close - but the pure mechanics would not match up.
Several years ago I approached IBM and MIT with an idea. I wanted to develop a "Virtual Reality" that would place sensors on the body. These sensors would not only provide data about the flexibility of the player but would also send stimuli to the body for movement.
In the "helmet" there would be a viewing visor - or screen - that the player would see whomever they were trying to emulate. As the "model" moved the body sensors would activate and move the player along with the model.
IBM and MIT both told me that my idea was way beyond the available technology. Here we are years later and we still do not have the ability to build such a machine.
Humans are not perfect, so to try and build a perfect golf stroke is unattainable. The only way to actually build a perfect model is to use mechanical devices such as Iron Byron. But even with this machine it has limitations. Remember it was based on Byron Nelson's swing and not perfect swing mechanics.
Do yourself a favor and find an instructor that will help you attain your goals while using what you are capable of impact separation, a straight plane line, and can monitor/feel the sweetspot against your forefinger you can do virtually anything else you want to do.
May 4, 2007
Chuck Evans, G.S.E.D., a Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher, is one of only 31 golf instructors worldwide designated to hold a doctorate in golf stroke engineering. He is executive director of instruction for the Medicus Golf Institute and has served as director of schools for the PGA Tour Golf Academy, and as director of instruction for the United States Golf Institute. He is also the author of "How To Build Your Golf Swing."
Golfers need to learn Ball Flight Laws for maximum swing self-correction
To improve your swing, you must know why the ball does what it does in flight. That way you at least know what really caused the errant shot and perhaps can make the correct fix. You must understand the simple Ball Flight Laws.
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Bill wrote on: Feb 21, 2008
I want to add to my last post that I support the view of Chuck Evans in his approach to teaching golf;that there is no "mold" to fit every golfer.
I play in a "senior" weekly league and our format is "team" play, whereby, on any given hole, each team member has a chance to contribute to the team stroke count based on computed averages for each player; each team round is comprised of players that will produce the most balanced stroke average for that week. In that format, a player of any level can contribute without having made a super "low" score, but by scoring at crucial holes in this 5 team round. The scoring is recorded only to maintain the individual/team average and will change week-to-week. I wonder how many golfers have played this format,if not, try setting it up where you play. It could add "rewarding" play for golfers at all levels of ability.
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j.a.tait wrote on: Jun 17, 2007
As the artical stated there is no standard perfect golf swing ! I never shot mutch below 100 , but loved the game -- when on the tee , fairway or green , I thought of nothing else in the world except my next shot. My partners were all about the same type player as myself , and we had a blast every time that we played this wonderful game. Surely get some instructions from a pro ,it will help your game ,but in your best interest always remember that it is a game for honisty ,comradship and to leave the rest of the world behind in the dust,and opening a world of great fun.. luck to all of you!jat.
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Bill wrote on: Feb 21, 2008
I agree somewhat with J.A. Tait.
Recently I enjoyed several rounds of golf while in North Carolina and never even bothered to record strokes because I played repeat shots from wherever I was while there was no one directly behind me. These were "practice rounds". I have played this way anytime I was solo with no one behind me. (not always pratical) If I estimate I carded an 80 or an 89, it wasn't the "number" that provided inner satisfaction, but rather, the singular shot success I often attained:a putt, an approach, a sandy, a manuever around tree, etc. Sometimes on a given day, my drives were atrocious, other days my drives were the best part of the round. I engage in golf for those precious moments of success that only a professional would enjoy on a regular basis. I have been playing for 40 years, have had all levels of success but now my age precludes getting any steady level of "scoring".
One of the merits of the game of golf is that it has many facets of achievement, not necessarily registered by a number entry on a score card. It is truly a lifelong game.
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