I turned 56 last summer and came back to golf after a 25 year hiatus (family/kids and new business venture). I was a 5-6 handicap in my late twenties but quickly found out that I was not the spring chicken I used to be...slow speeds and completely different body (morphology). I had a hard time hitting the ball (definitely not like riding a bike!) So I did exactly what you are doing in this video.... I tried many different swings but I had to find out what swing produced the best feeling most consistent shot trajectory. It took all summer, but I came to the realization that my grip and setup determined my best swings even before starting the backswing! I recommend you do a video about finding the right grip, stance and ball position even before doing your swing drills. Enjoying your channel and remember...misery loves company!
Chad, one of the best videos i've seen on youtube for efortless painfree golf swing.. its definetivly Paul Wilson. Since i have used his teachings, my back pain, elbow, pain has been GONE totally. 100% and only in less than a month. And theres been a lot of great ones like Mike Malaska, tom blanckaert, Todd graves, Rick shields, mr shortgame etc etc etc.. But honestly, no one better than Paul Wilson, his teaching menthod its the best i've ever seen.
Love this I picked up clubs after 25 yrs and over did it my first 18. Put myself right out of commission for a couple of weeks so far and it's been torture. My 59 yr old body isn't my 34 yr old body. This gives me hope for playing the rest of my life as i got the bug bad. Thanks for this
You talk very intuitively Chad, really enjoy your thought process. I turn 50 this week and I am really enjoying my golf using older, heavier clubs from 30 years ago because the extra weight and smaller heads really emphasise me to feel what you’re talking about here today. Perhaps the modern lightweight clubs are getting lost during the swing these days with golfers like us. You’re onto a winner there, looking forward to seeing how your golf develops this year 👍⛳️
Much appreciated Craig, and I often wonder the same about the direction clubs are going. I'm not an expert on club making and fitting, so I have plenty of questions. At this point, all I know to do is try a lot of things, and keep my mind open.
Need to determine what your natural pivot is, and focus on keeping your weight steady over your pivot foot, swing becomes a lot smoother with little effort
I just started watching your channel. I've been half ass golfing for the last 15 years never really improving. This year will be different as I am building a sim to work on my game. I started from the beginning on your videos. Your insight and education are gold, and thank you for providing it! I'm excited to see what 2023 brings to your channel. I wish you had a new video everyday LOL they are that good. Keep up the great content and good luck finding YOUR swing as hopefully I will too. Cheers!
Brandon, I don't know that I could pick out a comment that makes me happier. That's amazing, and thank you very much. I'm a dad to 4, and I've had the conversation multiple times with them, that typical human nature is to learn the hard way. We usually learn by making a ton of mistakes, until we finally figure it out. But, there is a "road less traveled" for sure, wherein you learn from others that have already made all of the mistakes, and in theory, you warp forward in time, saving yourself tons of time. Unfortunately, I'm an idiot, and like most, I THOUGHT I was learning from others, but in reality, I was wrecking my game for years. Looking back, there is one BIG flaw in most of the instruction that has dominated. Most of the instruction is for what I think of as "high performance" golf. In other words, it takes a pretty fair amount of athleticism and coordination, which most normal people don't really possess, at least to a high degree. It also takes constant maintenance and guidance from an instructor, which is expensive and again, most can't afford it. And lastly, it takes a great deal of time every week, which most people don't have, in order to reach and maintain a high skill level. Essentially, most swing models and require much more than most of us have to offer. I don't mean it to sound defeatist or negatively, but the largest majority of the golfing population would benefit greatly from a much less demanding swing model, and not one that would typically be prescribed to tour players, who can literally dedicate everyday of their life to golf.
Hey Chad, I agree with many points you made in this video … with the exception of pretty much everything you said from 8:30 to 10:30 🤣 And it’s one of the reasons why I have sorta locked myself into the JV swing style. I have my own variation but his concept of NOT having to turn the body, in my opinion, makes the absolute most sense of any instruction from any instructor I’ve come across. I’m going into my second full year with the swing, and I’m going to use the first half of the year to focus more on getting comfortable with the swing while staying with my own framework of my own “style,” if that makes sense (which it probably should since you are, in essence, doing the same thing). The part where I have a different opinion on is where you talked about the feeling of keeping your hands in front of your chest as you turn and not over-swinging. Maintaining stillness from the setup eliminates that. When I focus on stillness and when it is my ONLY focus, my shots are good. The problem is consistency, and the thought of keeping my hands in a certain position disrupts that consistency for me. One item of note that I agree, wholeheartedly with you on, is reducing the level of effort. I mentioned a moment ago about how when my focus is on stillness, I have good shots. But when my focus is on stillness AND my intent is on NOT swinging hard, my shots are great. That part all comes down to, what I believe, is knowing your yardages and being comfortable with the “feel” a particular swing is going to give you as it relates to the yardage you desire. So that is another goal of mine: honing in my yardages with each club based on a “low effort swing.” at any rate, another great video, and I wish you the best on your journey. I hope we both can come back this same time next year and see that the things that we set to accomplish this year panned out.
Fantastic, Brian! I understand exactly what you mean. My swing isn't anywhere near what I would call complete yet, so, some things I try at this point aren't written in stone. But, for me, with whatever my natural tendencies are, it's certainly not going to be what someone else might find simpler or better. That's what's great though. We all have a similar end in mind, but different ways to get there. Keep grinding!
I love your new approach. Finding your own swing with the appropriate blend of turn, tilt and hand path while maintaining good balance is the key. I used to subscribe to the theory of turning my shoulders 90 degrees and then rotating hard to the finish. Of course, after the round if I sat down for very long, I could barely get up. And I never felt like I hit it as far as I should with the effort I was applying. Now I turn just over 45-60 degrees, keep my hands in front of me as close to the sternal notch or Sagittal plane as possible. Bottom line is I’m letting my body accommodate my arm swing instead of the other way around resulting in less effort and more club head speed. And, by the way, your swing already looks better!
Many thanks! And I can totally relate. If I'm exhausted or sore or in pain after or during practice or a round.... something is not working correctly. Or, in the very least, my swing model and movements aren't very efficient. So, I think efficiency is a good barometer for whether or not I'm building something for the long haul.
It may not have all the fancy graphics and a camera operator and high energy edits, but I like to think that I'm putting my genuine heart and soul in it, so I really appreciate the comment.
Good luck with your new mission. It will be fun to follow. I just wanna thank you for finding Marcus Edblad for us. After following his advice I’m playing better and hitting longer. Thanks again. 👍👍👍
First 2 lines of my golf notes - momentum not muscle, movement not positions. Check out Dan Martin golf. He's one of the few teachers I can find that is big on momentum. His "pro" training device helped me to learn to feel it. Experiment with directing the momentum several feet back of the ball on the plane, not at the ball. That was an eye-opener for me, slingshots the clubhead thru with no effort.
Another great video! Lately, when not choking the hell out of the club or jerking the club back, I've been trying to feel is the weightlesness of the club at the top of the backswing. I try to wait for that weightless feeling before starting the downswing. It also seems to help provide time for that sort of falling feeling into the left side before the downswing. Just a bunch of rambling I guess but it's me trying to express how I'm finding my tempo.
Oh no, not rambling at all in my opinion. I understand completely, and agree that it's beneficial. It's basically what I think and feel to help me pause a bit at the top.
Very interesting Chad. I asked u about this during your Edblad series and was pleased that u addressed my question in one of your next videos. I`m 57 and have 2 back surgeries under my belt so I can really relate to what you`re saying about the physical limitation aspect of golf. I do a combination of Moe Norman, because it`s simple, and Paul Wilson because he stresses being loose and not swinging hard. I`m really curious to see what u come up with! All the best!!
I'm excited to see what you do and I'm glad to see you finally focus on you and you finding a swing that fits you. I will be watching as usual. Love how big and popular you have gotten since the beginning. God bless Chad.
Nice video Chad thanks so much I enjoy your content. Iv been playing this horrible game😊for over 30 years to a fairly decent level been down to a 5 handicap many years ago but I’m going to be 58 this year and have definitely noticed my length and flexibility waning. I really feel that once you find a good grip for you( vital to play good golf) and a good understanding on what you are trying to do that generally the golf swing takes care of itself. I find the RSS method works for me as I don’t have to contort myself into these crazy positions like the pros do. If I did I would pay my chiropractors rent every week lol. I find width is very important for a effortless group of swing as the bigger the arc the more effective your swing gets. All I concentrate on is obviously my grip and set up keeping my shape in the swing and swinging back making sure the shaft is as far away from my right shoulder as possible without coming out of posture. Once that happens everything becomes automatic ad your body needs to get rid of that stretch on the downswing. It’s like a water skier coming around the corner after the boat has turned creating a lot of centrifugal force. So again width is the key in my book. Thanks again just my observation 😊
Chad, I’m enjoying your journey as I relate to it… always tinkering with my swing! Recently found more consistency with concentrating on swing path - feeling like I’m swinging out to right field with a Jim Venitos style set up. But I need to remember to complete to face the target! I shot a 78 and a 76 in the last few rounds which dropped my h’cap to 11.9. Definitely cool to break 80, doesn’t happen often for me!! Looking forward to seeing the next phase of your journey. Hopefully you can do some more on-course videos as this is where the rubber hits the road. Pete 👏👍😎
Thanks a bunch, Pete, and it's great to hear your successes! I wanted to be on course 2 weeks in a row now, but scheduling and weather have really made it difficult. I'm hoping to do 1 course video per month.
Holy chit ! That was some good material Chad. Hands in front of body definitely a game changer for sure. Trail arm and hand from the top must move in a very particular and sequential manner. Those look like women's slippers. Thanks Chad
Saw your channel while I was looking for Right Side swing stuff! Lol! You and I are way to much alike, in that we have tried EVERY golf instruction out there, yet we keep trying to find that ONE for us! Lol! We need counseling, but that's for another post! Just letting you know I enjoy what I have seen so far! Keep going! It's refreshing to see someone like myself who is always in pursuit of something that can work!
That's fantastic to hear and I'm glad to find yet another psycho like me. I like to think that I'm shifting gears now, to see if the last several years have been a complete waste or not.
@@GolfTestDummy I believe for us weekend warriors, half the fun is trying stuff that could work. Like you, I am constantly trying to match my swing to my physical attributes, or lack thereof! I think regardless of which way we go, the key is to hit the ball first and with force! Lol! It's a hard game and if we can make it fun AND improve, I'm all about that! Continued success!
Wow. I just watched this & it is great to hear the thoughts of an average Joe (hopefully that doesn’t sound condescending). I love how you simplify for us non professionals. Just subscribed and liked the video. Very impressive and I could relate to sooo much
Thanks a ton Brett, and in my opinion, after years of diving deep, a little bit of truth has started peeking out. There are lots of people out here that know a ton on the golf swing from years of studying and work. They just might not have the piece of paper hanging on their wall that says they know what they're talking about.
My left knee is screwed so the Marcus Edblad swing appealed to me, been using that since you suggested it and have never hit the ball better. If you take a break it makes no difference, I still hit the ball great.
This is good, i am trying only a steady controlled swing/tempo, as soon as i try to hit it further, neck pain kick in diet is critical to reduce inflammation, do your own research ie stop grains and give One meal a Day a go.
Love your videos. As a golfer for over 40 years, I love how you try different things. I am single digit handicap that can struggle with consistency. I have tried the JVA method off and on for the past year but cannot hit the longer clubs doing this. I want it to work because of the simple swing thought of staying still and not all the other "mind clutter" that comes with the conventional golf swing. What was your final thought on the JV swing? Would you recommend it? Thanks
Hope y’all had a great Christmas and New Year Chad, after all your experimenting for our benefit it’s gonna be fun to see you find your swing and play great in some on course vids. JV talks about out driving guys who actually have faster swing speeds than he does because swinging faster doesn’t mean the club is working properly, looking forward to see the balance you find there
Agreed, Don. If you can find a decent amount of fairways, get it close to the green most times, and keep the penalty strokes off the card, then really chipping it close and making putts becomes the big difference maker.
Good luck in your new swing development. No clubs in hands for me for a little while, MRI coming up this week but afraid it’s torn meniscus and unfortunately in my lead leg😢
Well, I clicked the "love" button on this comment, but I don't love hearing about the knee. Sorry, Kevin. I'll tell you this...... Great time to work on the pelican drill if you're down to one leg.
Kirk Junge's set up for impact is probably the easiest swing on the body and the most consistent. Just taking a few pieces of his set up could help in your journey.
i think many of us have tried and sometimes still try to get power on the -75° to -30°.... and the real power comes between -30° to +15 (hope it makes sense)
Loving your journey Chad and feeling your pain, Happy new year to you and yours. When you speak of hand speed and an effortless swing check out Brian Sparks "la dance de golf" and a Scottish coach David Blair. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Thank you for all your work.
Hopefully from SCRATCH ... to SCRATCH ( You can always dream :-) ) Looking forward to see where you go with this and how it all comes together. I certainly agree with the arm chest relationship thoughts and when taken in conjunction with good arm structure and an accurate pivot and foot pressure movement, you pretty much have the foundation of an efficient, repeatable golf swing. Cheers.
@@GolfTestDummy You know I wrote a long first reply to your video and then deleted it but basically it described my belief that the quintessential output of the golf swing for premium striking is the trail arm releasing directly towards and past the ball with the shaft being on, or falling onto plane. This is intricately related to the arm chest relationship that you were describing. I believe that many people via their arm motion in combination with their pivots, get the club into a position from which the trail arm cannot take a direct path to the ball without dumping the angles of spine and/or shaft resulting in loss of power and efficiency. I remember once watching a short instructional video with Gary Player in which he described this motion of the trail arm and talked about how misunderstood this aspect of the golf swing tends to be by average golfers to the great detriment of their swings. Of course, this is impossible to execute if your chest and arms get into the wrong relationship at the top, to your point in the video. Cheers.
You know what's absolutely insane? So many videos, so many instructors, and so many theories and explanations of what to do with hands, arms, lower body, hips, etc., and you really can make a very sound and efficient golf swing, without very much thought toward movement. That's a damn long sentence. Hands in front of your torso, arms working up and then down, combined with turn back and turn through. That can go a very long way to building a foundation.
I think some people swing with their body and some swing with their hands, both work depending on the person. Maybe consistent improvements is figuring which one you are, then completely disregard the other.
That's a really good point. There are countless contradictions in golf from instructor to instructor. So many times I hear "you MUST do this" or "this is the way it works". There are a lot of different ways to skin this cat.
Chad, building your own swing is the way to go. If we amateurs are honest with ourselves, we should never try to emulate anyone from the men's tours. However, If we were to emulate anyone it would be the ladies tours, they are closest to our swing speed, distance, etc. and they play much better than we do. With that said, we all should be building our own swings that work for us and not try to emulate anyone male or female. Like you said, as we get older, we lose strength, flexibility and sight, and we have more aches and pains, stiffness, etc. All of these things affect our playing ability and must be adjusted on an individual basis. These are not excuses, just the reality of getting older. Fact, I'm never going to carry my driver 300 yards, so I don't worry about it. I try to carry 260-265yards, and work hard on improving my iron shots, wedge game, and putting. The best thing that improved my game was using a longer club for distances that I thought required a shorter club. Most of us think we hit our clubs farther than we do, so we are way more short of the green than we are long. Clubbing up has helped me tremendously. I look forward to your journey, good luck, and stay focused.
Lots of good info in that comment, and I agree very much. There is a "spore" in the biggest majority of us that is obsessed with comparing ourselves to tour pros in our heads. Most of the time, without us even being aware that we're doing it. Of course, if we were standing on the tee box with those pros, most of us would seriously downplay our distance to them publicly, with a ton of self-deprecating comments, so that we wouldn't be judged in relation to pros in the least, because we know that we have zero shot at being as long or skilled.
Good luck.. speaking of effortless.. anyone else see Rahm hit his 3 wood 350 yesterday.. he looked like he barely touched it PS if you find something that's a little easier on the knees let us know...thanks lol
Hmmm. I know I put gravity and momentum together, but don't think I put speed with momentum, even though I could've. I think my point was to drop my effort levels significantly, but use gravity and momentum to help me. Speed is relative.
The world has gotten pretty small 😆. I'm not sure if I'm even allowed to give paid lessons when I'm not certified and official by some governing body. I saw Robin Matthews Williams catch some grief over doing that. That said, what I'm doing with the channel is not really "giving a golf lesson," so much as it is sharing my experiences and pouring my findings out onto video. It's funny you brought this up though, because there is a video I've been wanting to put out for over a year now, but I just haven't because I know the amount of hate that will come flooding in would be massive. That said, I don't currently give lessons, except to people I know, but I'm not ruling it out in the future.
Keeping the center point of the chest in line with grip and as you showed with the arms and and club head in tack to move together as we generate the golf swing is so helpful to finish in a balanced and complete swing as long as we stay on shaft plain Oh the hands 👍…so true Release to early or to late can create the shot of what we were hoping for or maybe not …something we all must focus on in our practice times The correct tempo plus rhythm makes us all a happy swinger ….you nailed it Your journey to find you has great points as you spoke of and don’t forget…swing inside Always a good and positive video Looking forward to seeing more
Haha, it's funny that you say that, because the coach I mentioned, Ron Sisson, speaks often about hand eye coordination, but also has mentioned that the old phrase "keep your eye on the ball" is a terrible ideal. And his retort is "ok. Explain blind golfers." I think he and I share in the view that "hand eye coordination" is not really so much about the eyes, but that it's more about just being able to imagine what you want mentally and make it manifest physically. It's a misleading term I guess.
@@GolfTestDummy yep. You cant see the middle of the ball. 👍🏻 And blind golfers just mentally visualise and feel their intention on what they need to do with the club BEFORE they swing. All words of wisdom from my coach Colin i keep banging on about 😂🤟🏼
I have watched a lot of his IG posts, but they are so short. His TH-cam stuff isn't really coaching. It's course vlogs or challenges. I'd definitely watch more of his stuff if he had some videos on the Tubes.
I turned 56 last summer and came back to golf after a 25 year hiatus (family/kids and new business venture). I was a 5-6 handicap in my late twenties but quickly found out that I was not the spring chicken I used to be...slow speeds and completely different body (morphology). I had a hard time hitting the ball (definitely not like riding a bike!) So I did exactly what you are doing in this video.... I tried many different swings but I had to find out what swing produced the best feeling most consistent shot trajectory. It took all summer, but I came to the realization that my grip and setup determined my best swings even before starting the backswing! I recommend you do a video about finding the right grip, stance and ball position even before doing your swing drills. Enjoying your channel and remember...misery loves company!
Haha, thanks Frank, and welcome back!
Chad, one of the best videos i've seen on youtube for efortless painfree golf swing.. its definetivly Paul Wilson. Since i have used his teachings, my back pain, elbow, pain has been GONE totally. 100% and only in less than a month. And theres been a lot of great ones like Mike Malaska, tom blanckaert, Todd graves, Rick shields, mr shortgame etc etc etc.. But honestly, no one better than Paul Wilson, his teaching menthod its the best i've ever seen.
I've watched a bunch of Paul's videos, and definitely Mike Malaska. I've watched the others as well.
Love this
I picked up clubs after 25 yrs and over did it my first 18. Put myself right out of commission for a couple of weeks so far and it's been torture. My 59 yr old body isn't my 34 yr old body. This gives me hope for playing the rest of my life as i got the bug bad. Thanks for this
You talk very intuitively Chad, really enjoy your thought process. I turn 50 this week and I am really enjoying my golf using older, heavier clubs from 30 years ago because the extra weight and smaller heads really emphasise me to feel what you’re talking about here today. Perhaps the modern lightweight clubs are getting lost during the swing these days with golfers like us. You’re onto a winner there, looking forward to seeing how your golf develops this year 👍⛳️
Much appreciated Craig, and I often wonder the same about the direction clubs are going. I'm not an expert on club making and fitting, so I have plenty of questions. At this point, all I know to do is try a lot of things, and keep my mind open.
Need to determine what your natural pivot is, and focus on keeping your weight steady over your pivot foot, swing becomes a lot smoother with little effort
Agreed. I've gone back and forth over the years being left sided, right sided, and central.
I just started watching your channel. I've been half ass golfing for the last 15 years never really improving. This year will be different as I am building a sim to work on my game. I started from the beginning on your videos. Your insight and education are gold, and thank you for providing it! I'm excited to see what 2023 brings to your channel. I wish you had a new video everyday LOL they are that good. Keep up the great content and good luck finding YOUR swing as hopefully I will too. Cheers!
Brandon, I don't know that I could pick out a comment that makes me happier. That's amazing, and thank you very much. I'm a dad to 4, and I've had the conversation multiple times with them, that typical human nature is to learn the hard way. We usually learn by making a ton of mistakes, until we finally figure it out. But, there is a "road less traveled" for sure, wherein you learn from others that have already made all of the mistakes, and in theory, you warp forward in time, saving yourself tons of time. Unfortunately, I'm an idiot, and like most, I THOUGHT I was learning from others, but in reality, I was wrecking my game for years. Looking back, there is one BIG flaw in most of the instruction that has dominated. Most of the instruction is for what I think of as "high performance" golf. In other words, it takes a pretty fair amount of athleticism and coordination, which most normal people don't really possess, at least to a high degree. It also takes constant maintenance and guidance from an instructor, which is expensive and again, most can't afford it. And lastly, it takes a great deal of time every week, which most people don't have, in order to reach and maintain a high skill level. Essentially, most swing models and require much more than most of us have to offer. I don't mean it to sound defeatist or negatively, but the largest majority of the golfing population would benefit greatly from a much less demanding swing model, and not one that would typically be prescribed to tour players, who can literally dedicate everyday of their life to golf.
Hey Chad, I agree with many points you made in this video … with the exception of pretty much everything you said from 8:30 to 10:30 🤣 And it’s one of the reasons why I have sorta locked myself into the JV swing style. I have my own variation but his concept of NOT having to turn the body, in my opinion, makes the absolute most sense of any instruction from any instructor I’ve come across.
I’m going into my second full year with the swing, and I’m going to use the first half of the year to focus more on getting comfortable with the swing while staying with my own framework of my own “style,” if that makes sense (which it probably should since you are, in essence, doing the same thing).
The part where I have a different opinion on is where you talked about the feeling of keeping your hands in front of your chest as you turn and not over-swinging. Maintaining stillness from the setup eliminates that. When I focus on stillness and when it is my ONLY focus, my shots are good. The problem is consistency, and the thought of keeping my hands in a certain position disrupts that consistency for me.
One item of note that I agree, wholeheartedly with you on, is reducing the level of effort. I mentioned a moment ago about how when my focus is on stillness, I have good shots. But when my focus is on stillness AND my intent is on NOT swinging hard, my shots are great. That part all comes down to, what I believe, is knowing your yardages and being comfortable with the “feel” a particular swing is going to give you as it relates to the yardage you desire. So that is another goal of mine: honing in my yardages with each club based on a “low effort swing.”
at any rate, another great video, and I wish you the best on your journey. I hope we both can come back this same time next year and see that the things that we set to accomplish this year panned out.
Fantastic, Brian! I understand exactly what you mean. My swing isn't anywhere near what I would call complete yet, so, some things I try at this point aren't written in stone. But, for me, with whatever my natural tendencies are, it's certainly not going to be what someone else might find simpler or better. That's what's great though. We all have a similar end in mind, but different ways to get there. Keep grinding!
Porzak Golf talks a lot about keeping the hands "In Front" I really like his teaching as well. Worth a look when it comes to this piece for you.
I've watched some of his stuff PJ! Good advice.
I love your new approach. Finding your own swing with the appropriate blend of turn, tilt and hand path while maintaining good balance is the key. I used to subscribe to the theory of turning my shoulders 90 degrees and then rotating hard to the finish. Of course, after the round if I sat down for very long, I could barely get up. And I never felt like I hit it as far as I should with the effort I was applying. Now I turn just over 45-60 degrees, keep my hands in front of me as close to the sternal notch or Sagittal plane as possible. Bottom line is I’m letting my body accommodate my arm swing instead of the other way around resulting in less effort and more club head speed. And, by the way, your swing already looks better!
Many thanks! And I can totally relate. If I'm exhausted or sore or in pain after or during practice or a round.... something is not working correctly. Or, in the very least, my swing model and movements aren't very efficient. So, I think efficiency is a good barometer for whether or not I'm building something for the long haul.
@@GolfTestDummy Also, thanks for effort and commitment to producing this channel. I know it takes a lot of time and energy for such a good product. 👍
It may not have all the fancy graphics and a camera operator and high energy edits, but I like to think that I'm putting my genuine heart and soul in it, so I really appreciate the comment.
Good luck with your new mission. It will be fun to follow. I just wanna thank you for finding Marcus Edblad for us. After following his advice I’m playing better and hitting longer. Thanks again. 👍👍👍
That's awesome, and thanks so much.
First 2 lines of my golf notes - momentum not muscle, movement not positions. Check out Dan Martin golf. He's one of the few teachers I can find that is big on momentum. His "pro" training device helped me to learn to feel it. Experiment with directing the momentum several feet back of the ball on the plane, not at the ball. That was an eye-opener for me, slingshots the clubhead thru with no effort.
Love it! Ive heard of him and I've probably seen some of his stuff, but I need to revisit. Thanks for the tip.
Another great video!
Lately, when not choking the hell out of the club or jerking the club back, I've been trying to feel is the weightlesness of the club at the top of the backswing. I try to wait for that weightless feeling before starting the downswing. It also seems to help provide time for that sort of falling feeling into the left side before the downswing.
Just a bunch of rambling I guess but it's me trying to express how I'm finding my tempo.
Oh no, not rambling at all in my opinion. I understand completely, and agree that it's beneficial. It's basically what I think and feel to help me pause a bit at the top.
Very interesting Chad. I asked u about this during your Edblad series and was pleased that u addressed my question in one of your next videos. I`m 57 and have 2 back surgeries under my belt so I can really relate to what you`re saying about the physical limitation aspect of golf. I do a combination of Moe Norman, because it`s simple, and Paul Wilson because he stresses being loose and not swinging hard. I`m really curious to see what u come up with! All the best!!
Thanks a bunch! Yep, you can bet, if I hurt during the swing, it ain't right yet, haha.
I'm excited to see what you do and I'm glad to see you finally focus on you and you finding a swing that fits you. I will be watching as usual. Love how big and popular you have gotten since the beginning. God bless Chad.
Many thanks, Samuel! Hopefully the channel continues to grow and I find some very worthwhile things to share with all of you.
Nice video Chad thanks so much I enjoy your content. Iv been playing this horrible game😊for over 30 years to a fairly decent level been down to a 5 handicap many years ago but I’m going to be 58 this year and have definitely noticed my length and flexibility waning. I really feel that once you find a good grip for you( vital to play good golf) and a good understanding on what you are trying to do that generally the golf swing takes care of itself. I find the RSS method works for me as I don’t have to contort myself into these crazy positions like the pros do. If I did I would pay my chiropractors rent every week lol. I find width is very important for a effortless group of swing as the bigger the arc the more effective your swing gets. All I concentrate on is obviously my grip and set up keeping my shape in the swing and swinging back making sure the shaft is as far away from my right shoulder as possible without coming out of posture. Once that happens everything becomes automatic ad your body needs to get rid of that stretch on the downswing. It’s like a water skier coming around the corner after the boat has turned creating a lot of centrifugal force. So again width is the key in my book. Thanks again just my observation 😊
Thanks so much, Leon! I can relate and agree with so much of that. It really is so much simpler than we make it.
Chad, I’m enjoying your journey as I relate to it… always tinkering with my swing!
Recently found more consistency with concentrating on swing path - feeling like I’m swinging out to right field with a Jim Venitos style set up. But I need to remember to complete to face the target!
I shot a 78 and a 76 in the last few rounds which dropped my h’cap to 11.9. Definitely cool to break 80, doesn’t happen often for me!!
Looking forward to seeing the next phase of your journey.
Hopefully you can do some more on-course videos as this is where the rubber hits the road.
Pete 👏👍😎
Thanks a bunch, Pete, and it's great to hear your successes! I wanted to be on course 2 weeks in a row now, but scheduling and weather have really made it difficult. I'm hoping to do 1 course video per month.
Holy chit ! That was some good material Chad. Hands in front of body definitely a game changer for sure. Trail arm and hand from the top must move in a very particular and sequential manner. Those look like women's slippers.
Thanks Chad
Thanks Mike! Plenty of work left to do, but I'm experimenting with a few things and it's coming along. Those are children's water shoes.
You do a lot of what Tom Saguto teaches, rotate chest with arms in a inside path. I’m liking it
It's a pretty good way to keep your sequencing simple.
Saw your channel while I was looking for Right Side swing stuff! Lol! You and I are way to much alike, in that we have tried EVERY golf instruction out there, yet we keep trying to find that ONE for us! Lol! We need counseling, but that's for another post! Just letting you know I enjoy what I have seen so far! Keep going! It's refreshing to see someone like myself who is always in pursuit of something that can work!
That's fantastic to hear and I'm glad to find yet another psycho like me. I like to think that I'm shifting gears now, to see if the last several years have been a complete waste or not.
@@GolfTestDummy I believe for us weekend warriors, half the fun is trying stuff that could work. Like you, I am constantly trying to match my swing to my physical attributes, or lack thereof! I think regardless of which way we go, the key is to hit the ball first and with force! Lol! It's a hard game and if we can make it fun AND improve, I'm all about that! Continued success!
Looking forward to seeing how this develops. Good stuff!
Here's to hoping for some great progress.
Wow. I just watched this & it is great to hear the thoughts of an average Joe (hopefully that doesn’t sound condescending). I love how you simplify for us non professionals. Just subscribed and liked the video. Very impressive and I could relate to sooo much
Thanks a ton Brett, and in my opinion, after years of diving deep, a little bit of truth has started peeking out. There are lots of people out here that know a ton on the golf swing from years of studying and work. They just might not have the piece of paper hanging on their wall that says they know what they're talking about.
My left knee is screwed so the Marcus Edblad swing appealed to me, been using that since you suggested it and have never hit the ball better. If you take a break it makes no difference, I still hit the ball great.
That would suggest that you have something sound and simple, and more importantly, that you understand it. Pretty hard to beat that!
This is good, i am trying only a steady controlled swing/tempo, as soon as i try to hit it further, neck pain kick in diet is critical to reduce inflammation, do your own research ie stop grains and give One meal a Day a go.
That's good thinking. I don't really eat many grain-heavy foods. I typically eat 2 meals a day, rather than 3.
Love your videos.
As a golfer for over 40 years, I love how you try different things.
I am single digit handicap that can struggle with consistency.
I have tried the JVA method off and on for the past year but cannot hit the longer clubs doing this.
I want it to work because of the simple swing thought of staying still and not all the other "mind clutter" that comes with the conventional golf swing.
What was your final thought on the JV swing?
Would you recommend it?
Thanks
Thanks! I made a video a while back. It's on my channel and basically talks about my thoughts on it.
Hope y’all had a great Christmas and New Year Chad, after all your experimenting for our benefit it’s gonna be fun to see you find your swing and play great in some on course vids. JV talks about out driving guys who actually have faster swing speeds than he does because swinging faster doesn’t mean the club is working properly, looking forward to see the balance you find there
Balance is going to be key Jim. You can't have it all, unless your name is Kardashian. So I'll be trying to find my own balance.
Good golf is about scoring, its how many, not how, find what works, keep a good short game and reduce the errors and your scores will improve
Agreed, Don. If you can find a decent amount of fairways, get it close to the green most times, and keep the penalty strokes off the card, then really chipping it close and making putts becomes the big difference maker.
Great content. I was watching some of your older videos with Jim, what made you get away from that setup ? Thanks
Much appreciated, TJ! I still use inspiration from that model, but the channel was always about testing a variety of methods. Until now, haha.
Good luck in your new swing development. No clubs in hands for me for a little while, MRI coming up this week but afraid it’s torn meniscus and unfortunately in my lead leg😢
Well, I clicked the "love" button on this comment, but I don't love hearing about the knee. Sorry, Kevin. I'll tell you this...... Great time to work on the pelican drill if you're down to one leg.
@@GolfTestDummy diggin the panthers shirt just wish they had a better year
Same. I'm hoping Wilks stays on as coach. He's a Carolina guy and has earned his shot.
Happy NewYear to you and the family Chad always checking in with you to see whats new.
Thanks Randy, and same to you and yours!
Kirk Junge's set up for impact is probably the easiest swing on the body and the most consistent. Just taking a few pieces of his set up could help in your journey.
Thanks Jamarll. I've watched a lot of him when I did my Single Plane review.
i think many of us have tried and sometimes still try to get power on the -75° to -30°.... and the real power comes between -30° to +15 (hope it makes sense)
Speed closer to the impact zone, rather than before it, right?
Seriously considering going back down the Single Plane rabbit hole. I’m afraid I left that too soon for fear of the way it looks.
Loving your journey Chad and feeling your pain, Happy new year to you and yours. When you speak of hand speed and an effortless swing check out Brian Sparks "la dance de golf" and a Scottish coach David Blair. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Thank you for all your work.
Thanks Tony. I've definitely watched a lot of Brian Sparks, may he rest in peace, but I'm not as familiar with David Blair. I'll check into that.
Hopefully from SCRATCH ... to SCRATCH ( You can always dream :-) ) Looking forward to see where you go with this and how it all comes together. I certainly agree with the arm chest relationship thoughts and when taken in conjunction with good arm structure and an accurate pivot and foot pressure movement, you pretty much have the foundation of an efficient, repeatable golf swing. Cheers.
Definitely a work in progress, but yeah, the footwork can really match up with the arms and rotation, in what I've experimented with so far.
@@GolfTestDummy You know I wrote a long first reply to your video and then deleted it but basically it described my belief that the quintessential output of the golf swing for premium striking is the trail arm releasing directly towards and past the ball with the shaft being on, or falling onto plane. This is intricately related to the arm chest relationship that you were describing. I believe that many people via their arm motion in combination with their pivots, get the club into a position from which the trail arm cannot take a direct path to the ball without dumping the angles of spine and/or shaft resulting in loss of power and efficiency.
I remember once watching a short instructional video with Gary Player in which he described this motion of the trail arm and talked about how misunderstood this aspect of the golf swing tends to be by average golfers to the great detriment of their swings. Of course, this is impossible to execute if your chest and arms get into the wrong relationship at the top, to your point in the video. Cheers.
You know what's absolutely insane? So many videos, so many instructors, and so many theories and explanations of what to do with hands, arms, lower body, hips, etc., and you really can make a very sound and efficient golf swing, without very much thought toward movement. That's a damn long sentence. Hands in front of your torso, arms working up and then down, combined with turn back and turn through. That can go a very long way to building a foundation.
@@GolfTestDummy Agreed! Cheers.
Great video.
I think some people swing with their body and some swing with their hands, both work depending on the person. Maybe consistent improvements is figuring which one you are, then completely disregard the other.
That's a really good point. There are countless contradictions in golf from instructor to instructor. So many times I hear "you MUST do this" or "this is the way it works". There are a lot of different ways to skin this cat.
Chad, building your own swing is the way to go. If we amateurs are honest with ourselves, we should never try to emulate anyone from the men's tours. However, If we were to emulate anyone it would be the ladies tours, they are closest to our swing speed, distance, etc. and they play much better than we do. With that said, we all should be building our own swings that work for us and not try to emulate anyone male or female. Like you said, as we get older, we lose strength, flexibility and sight, and we have more aches and pains, stiffness, etc. All of these things affect our playing ability and must be adjusted on an individual basis. These are not excuses, just the reality of getting older. Fact, I'm never going to carry my driver 300 yards, so I don't worry about it. I try to carry 260-265yards, and work hard on improving my iron shots, wedge game, and putting. The best thing that improved my game was using a longer club for distances that I thought required a shorter club. Most of us think we hit our clubs farther than we do, so we are way more short of the green than we are long. Clubbing up has helped me tremendously. I look forward to your journey, good luck, and stay focused.
Lots of good info in that comment, and I agree very much. There is a "spore" in the biggest majority of us that is obsessed with comparing ourselves to tour pros in our heads. Most of the time, without us even being aware that we're doing it. Of course, if we were standing on the tee box with those pros, most of us would seriously downplay our distance to them publicly, with a ton of self-deprecating comments, so that we wouldn't be judged in relation to pros in the least, because we know that we have zero shot at being as long or skilled.
Check out Gary Occhino..footwhip drill...he talks giving the arms a shot of novacane.
Good luck.. speaking of effortless.. anyone else see Rahm hit his 3 wood 350 yesterday.. he looked like he barely touched it
PS if you find something that's a little easier on the knees let us know...thanks lol
Haha. Thanks Ryan. And I watched the highlights. What a round! The pros are getting ridiculously long nowadays.
How do you grip the club
I switched to a 10 finger back when I did my single plane swing review and never looked back.
Definitely have a look at Dan Martin's channel.
Will do!
Golf starts from the hips chest then arms. Not from arms or torso.
Try to watch Moe Norman he was the most amazing striker of the golf ball play and hit golf balls until he passed away.
Thanks Jerry. I did a whole series on Moe and SPS. It's in its own playlist on my channel.
Effortless and speed/momentum seems contradictory?
Hmmm. I know I put gravity and momentum together, but don't think I put speed with momentum, even though I could've. I think my point was to drop my effort levels significantly, but use gravity and momentum to help me. Speed is relative.
Hey I’m from Goldsboro North Carolina and was wondering were you close to me ? I would like to maybe pay you for some lessons!! If not I understand..
The world has gotten pretty small 😆. I'm not sure if I'm even allowed to give paid lessons when I'm not certified and official by some governing body. I saw Robin Matthews Williams catch some grief over doing that. That said, what I'm doing with the channel is not really "giving a golf lesson," so much as it is sharing my experiences and pouring my findings out onto video. It's funny you brought this up though, because there is a video I've been wanting to put out for over a year now, but I just haven't because I know the amount of hate that will come flooding in would be massive. That said, I don't currently give lessons, except to people I know, but I'm not ruling it out in the future.
That shot that didn’t register had the sound of 400 yds. 387 was a bit short
Absolute moon rocket, right? I'm telling you it was 12 miles if it was a foot.
@@GolfTestDummy hahaha. Gotta love it
Keeping the center point of the chest in line with grip and as you showed with the arms and and club head in tack to move together as we generate the golf swing is so helpful to finish in a balanced and complete swing as long as we stay on shaft plain
Oh the hands 👍…so true
Release to early or to late can create the shot of what we were hoping for or maybe not …something we all must focus on in our practice times
The correct tempo plus rhythm makes us all a happy swinger ….you nailed it
Your journey to find you has great points as you spoke of and don’t forget…swing inside
Always a good and positive video
Looking forward to seeing more
Thanks Steve! I'll keep working on it.
I'm going back to Venetos
Not a bad place to go.
1
Hand eye coordination? How come blind people can play golf??
Haha, it's funny that you say that, because the coach I mentioned, Ron Sisson, speaks often about hand eye coordination, but also has mentioned that the old phrase "keep your eye on the ball" is a terrible ideal. And his retort is "ok. Explain blind golfers." I think he and I share in the view that "hand eye coordination" is not really so much about the eyes, but that it's more about just being able to imagine what you want mentally and make it manifest physically. It's a misleading term I guess.
@@GolfTestDummy yep. You cant see the middle of the ball. 👍🏻
And blind golfers just mentally visualise and feel their intention on what they need to do with the club BEFORE they swing.
All words of wisdom from my coach Colin i keep banging on about 😂🤟🏼
I have watched a lot of his IG posts, but they are so short. His TH-cam stuff isn't really coaching. It's course vlogs or challenges. I'd definitely watch more of his stuff if he had some videos on the Tubes.