Emulating a pros swing?

**jrode** · July 23, 2008

I've often been told and read that you should try to emulate the swing of your favorite pro or a pro that is similar in body build to you.

Is this a good idea?

***iacas*** · July 23, 2008

Peter Kostis says no. He says you're better off with a simpler swing. Pros have the time needed to perfect lots of little things, amateurs (most) don't.

**GaijinGolfer** · July 23, 2008

I agree. Just use whatever kind of swing works for you. Make it something thats simple, consistent and easily repeatable.

**jrode** · July 24, 2008

Alright, thanks for the input.

I was watching Playing Tips With The Pros or whatever that show is on the Golf Channel where they usually have celebrities getting game advice from pros. Well, anyway, Nick Faldo was telling this guy to try to emulate Ernie Els' swing since the guy liked Ernie's swing and Ernie's rhythm.

**powerfade** · July 24, 2008

If there's anything you should emulate from a pro, it's their tempo. Primarily the fact that they don't get quick during the transition.

**JackLee** · July 24, 2008

You might need to know the pro's controls or keys. You cannot see that by watching.

**Scratch-Hopeful** · July 24, 2008

I wouldn't emulate anybody's swing, but I do look at swings that I want to get main ideas from. I mean, I'm 6'4" and really like a smooth swing so I've tried in the past to just get a feel for certain aspects in Ernie Els' swing. Even though I'm nowhere near that level.

**m11** · July 24, 2008

i think it is very effective to emulate the positions that the pro's with similar body types as yours get into. Check out their setup and compare it to yours. Then watch a slow motion video and notice the major positions. Look at how at the top of the swing, their club butts point down the target line. And on the downswing they come in from the inside, and that the butt points to 1 oclock. Then look at how after impact, they are swinging their club to 1 oclock.

you want to emulate those positions, not necessarily the swings themselves

**kc8kir** · July 24, 2008

I have a book by Peter Kostis sitting on my desk titled "The Inside Path to Better Golf." Some people may consider it dated (1982), but the swing is still just as simple and just as effective. He provides only a few checkpoints, then provides drills to help the student discover the correct feels in hitting from the inside. The small particulars of the form for you to discover those feels are very individual.

Very good book, I am enjoying some of the drills immensely. Funny thing is, the swing looks very similar to many pros swings (of both yesterday and today). I think the pros just have more time to discover all the nuances of their particular motions, and thereby improve their overall consistency.

If you think the golf swing has changed that much since hogan, nelson, snead, nicklaus, etc... guess again. Just modern trends like less hip rotation (enabled by fitness routines to gain flexibility), constant left foot plant (not raised then replanted), and a more stacked finish to avoid back problems.

**JackieTreehorn** · July 24, 2008

That Faldo show was with Kyle McLaughlin (Agent Cooper). He was practically beating Faldo out there.

**CG031** · July 24, 2008

There's this kid, he's really a good player, hes like a 1 or 2 handicap, he used to be like scratch, or maybe even a +1, but every week or two he'd be changing his swing around to emulate a pro's. He'd be like "I'm going to try Luke Donald now...Adam Scott wasn't working out, etc. etc." it was honestly the dumbest thing. just swing natural...i think it's cooler to have your own original swing, thats what makes golf interesting IMO. everyone's swing is different.

**lolzzlolzz** · July 24, 2008

i think it is very effective to emulate the positions that the pro's with similar body types as yours get into. Check out their setup and compare it to yours. Then watch a slow motion video and notice the major positions. Look at how at the top of the swing, their club butts point down the target line. And on the downswing they come in from the inside, and that the butt points to 1 oclock. Then look at how after impact, they are swinging their club to 1 oclock.

I disagree with this idea (and most of the other stuff in this thread).

There is a difference between style and fundamental movements. One should execute the fundamentals and let their natural style show... in fact, if you focus on feeling the fundamentals instead of memorizing positions, you can't help but have a "unique" swing. Golf should be about feeling and motion... as Sam Snead and Ben Hogan would say: good positions don't make good motions, good motions make good positions.

**allin** · July 24, 2008

I wouldn't emulate anybody's swing, but I do look at swings that I want to get main ideas from. I mean, I'm 6'4" and really like a smooth swing so I've tried in the past to just get a feel for certain aspects in Ernie Els' swing. Even though I'm nowhere near that level.

I probably post this to often, but I do feel, especially in person, that watching how better player use their bodies is a great way to pick things up. Picking a golfer in your body type and age range would seem to be a good idea also.

**m11** · July 25, 2008

I disagree with this idea (and most of the other stuff in this thread).

I dont see how you can expect someone to feel the fundamentals if they dont know how those fundamentals feel to begin with. I disagree with the idea that the proper golf swing is a "natural" feeling. If it were, people wouldnt have such an issue with making solid contact everytime, and why it is extraordinarily rare for someone to be able to pick up a 5 iron and make it go 195 yards. We can all swing the club at the ball, but only a couple dozen of us can produce a consistent shot..and that is through a lot of dedication and practice. Its certainly natural to us because we swung the club thousands of times...but for one learning the swing...the quickest way to learn to do it properly is to ingrain the feeling of those positions, and allow your kinesthetics to take care of the motions in between.

joethegolfinpo · July 25, 2008

yeah the best thing to do is to just find something that feels good and to stick with it the pros have all day any day to work on their swing and they are very hard to copy

**Avid Golfer** · July 25, 2008

I've often been told and read that you should try to emulate the swing of your favorite pro or a pro that is similar in body build to you.

Even pros have idiosyncrasies and faults in their swings, so copying everything that one pro does may not be the best road to improvement. My recommendation is to copy the simularities that you see among a large amount of the pros, and not the things you see only occuring in one in thirty of tour pros.

**JackLee** · July 26, 2008

You can watch a bunch of pros in slow motion at:

http://www.pgatour.com/swingplex/

**Garthmo** · July 26, 2008

I have to asgree to a certain extent. I was a level 3 ski instructor and it is always a good idea to give the person a good picture to try to emulate. Which inturn gives them a feeling of what they should be doing. I learn any sport from watching and trying to mimic the look which can steer me in the right direction of a certain feeling in the swing or grip or whatever, and golf has been no different.

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