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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?

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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.

Erik J. Barzeski —  I knock a ball. It goes in a gopher hole. 🏌🏼‍♂️
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I agree. Just use whatever kind of swing works for you. Make it something thats simple, consistent and easily repeatable.

Whats in my :sunmountain: C-130 cart bag?

Woods: :mizuno: JPX 850 9.5*, :mizuno: JPX 850 15*, :mizuno: JPX-850 19*, :mizuno: JPX Fli-Hi #4, :mizuno: JPX 800 Pro 5-PW, :mizuno: MP T-4 50-06, 54-09 58-10, :cleveland: Smart Square Blade and :bridgestone: B330-S


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.

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.

Driver: R7 SuperQuad TP 9.5° Fujikura Rombax 6X07
Hybrid: Rescue TP 19°

Orlimar3wood: Hip-Steel 15° (oldie but goodie)Irons: Ping i10 [4-GW] DG X-100Wedges: Ping Tour-W [54° & 58°] DG X-100Putter: i-Series Piper HBalls: B330-S or e5+


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

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.
My Clubs
Driver: HiBore XL 10.5*
3-Wood: SS-01
Hybrid: 503H 22*
Irons: Deep Red II TourSand Wedge: CG10 56*Lob Wedge: CG10 60*Putter: V Foil GT M6.4KBall: ProV1

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

TMX Carry Bag
Tour Burner 9.5*
Burner 3W 15*
Burner Rescue Hybrid 19*
r7 TP 4i-SW Dynamic Gold S300s 60* CG-14 Circa 62 #2 & Studio Stainless Newport 2 Pro V1x


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.
Favorite Practice Course:
Z Boaz Municipal, Fort Worth <<< Ben Hogan grew up playing here!
--------------------------------------------------

In the bag: 983E 9.5*, Fuji Speeder S RPM LP, 4W, Neutral Bias STAFF Ci6 irons, S (going up for sale soon) Tom Watson PVD 08 Wedges (G.S,L)... and a 4...

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

R7 TP 8.5* Fuji Speeder x-stiff (heavy,low,fade set)
975F 3W 13.5*
FX Tour Grind Nickel 3-PW +1/2", Rifle 6.5
Vokey SW 52*
CG10 LW 60* 3 dot (14* bounce) Tracy putter 35" (hit R but putt L)+ 1 club TBD...Past home courses: Unicorn GC (Stoneham, MA), Forest Creek GC (Round Rock, TX)Ball: Use...


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.

Driver Ping G10 10.5*
Hybrids Ping G5 (3) 19* Bridgestone J36 (4) 22*
Irons Mizuno MP-57 5-PW
Wedges Srixon WG-504 52.08 Bridgestone WC Copper 56.13
Putter 33" Scotty Cameron Studio Select #2


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.

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.

1W Cleveland LauncherComp 10.5, 3W Touredge Exotics 15 deg.,FY Wilson 19.5 degree
4 and 5H, 6I-GW Callaway Razr, SW, LW Cleveland Cg-14, Putter Taylor Made Suzuka, Ball, Srixon XV Yellow


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.

TMX Carry Bag
Tour Burner 9.5*
Burner 3W 15*
Burner Rescue Hybrid 19*
r7 TP 4i-SW Dynamic Gold S300s 60* CG-14 Circa 62 #2 & Studio Stainless Newport 2 Pro V1x


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

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.

In my bag:

Driver: Burner TP 8.5*
Fairway metals/woods: Burner TP 13* Tour Spoon, and Burner TP 17.5*
Irons: RAC MB TP Wedges: RAC TPPutter: Spider Ball: (varies ) (Most of the time): TP Red or HX Tour/56---------------------------------------------------


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.

Driver - SQ SUMO2 9.5 stiff
3 Wood - SQ SUMO2 15* stiff
Hybrid SQ SUMO2 20* stiff
Irons - CCi steel stiff
Wedge - 56*Wedge - Knight 60*Putter - ITraxBall - platinum+Black but soon to be switching to pr0v1 SG 2.5


Note: This thread is 5983 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

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