Funny how learning ABS is sparking memories from my juniors days. At my club (late nineties) there was the usual clique of juniors. We all lived & breathed the game as you’d expect. if we weren’t coming down the 18th in pitch darkness at 10pm in the summer we’d have our heads buried in the latest Golf monthly or leadbetter manual, studying the ‘textbook’ swing. Some of us had great looking swings, and were good players (0-4 hcp). The practice ground was a haven of tips, drills, new magic moves and encouragement. Happy days…
One lad however stood head and shoulders above us all, the pro’s son. Obviously everyone’s thinking he had a massive coaching advantage. But his swing was far from our percieved perfection. I can still see it now, burned into my minds eye as it sweeps back inside early ending up across the line at the top, only to loop back over and cut across the ball. Over the top we all squarked, and discussions were writhe about how could such an unpretty action take us apart time and time again. Our textbooks had no answers. With a wry smile his dad would drop hints to us about watching his hands at transition. The only thing going over the top was this knowledge - right over our ignorant heads.
Picturing the swing now I realise he shallowed the club out behind him. The hands appeared steep & OTT but the club certainly wasn’t. his perfect post impact low & left action further added to the optical illusion we all sniggered at. Guess the joke was on us, +4 handicap and a scholorship to an american college was the reward.
i’m not saying that this lad was an outcast, we were all very good friends, but we had such tunnel vision about the swing its obvious there was a definate element of the green eyed monster around. if only i’d have been enlightened back then, I would have been studying his swing instead of Leadbetters faults & fixes…
Lesson learned… the only judge of how pretty your swing is? The ball.
I havent picked up a textbook since