Introduction
Welcome to The Swing Essentials (TSE). On this website, you will learn how to improve your golf swing the fastest way possible, with lasting results. I am a physiotherapist profoundly trained in human kinesiology and a hc. 12 golfer.
As you might know, the swings of the global Top 100 players differ quite much among each other. However, after having thoroughly analyzed them plus the scientific golf literature, I found out that there are five things that they all do the same.
I call those things the swing essentials. The other variables I call the swing preferentials. Focusing on the essentials makes swing training much easier and much more effective.
The training structure
My training method is a significant improvement of another principle as well: the training structure: in which order should matters be trained? The structure for a beginner or high-handicapper should consist of these four phases:
- Learn the correct basic movement pattern (limited to the essentials), with club but without ball.
- Learn to get good ball contact.
- Learn to control the shape of the ball flight (straight, draw and fade, as well as height).
- Learn to hit farther, in so far the rotational flexibility of primarily the learner's spine, the X-factor, will allow for that. (That's largely congenital. I've always had and still have a rather stiff spine, that's why my handicap is only 12.)
Obviously, in the introduction lesson the teaching pro should allow the learner to hit balls, because that gives them an impression of what golf is and what is required. But in more extensive training, progressing to the next phase while the previous is not sufficiently mastered is of little use.
(While playing a round, that entails a mindset, in that a learner that's at level 2 should be satisfied if they get good ball contact at the vast majority of shots. Regardless of whether they hit them straight or not.)
If you want to start training effectively, subscribe to this site. It will cost you only € 10 per year. For that price, you will get all the information about the essentials and the preferentials, and access to the most effective exercises on video, grouped per phase and focussed on the essentials.