Martin Kaymer swing changes about to come into effect!

[deasy55]

He just finished 4th at the French Open and appears to be coming close back to from after swing changes.

"Soon everything will come together. I think I am right up there again" he said.

He decided to take on a big swing change in order to hit a draw (which was wrong IMO) but he appears to have sorted it now. Watch out for the rest of the season. Amazing young player.

[The Goose]

He is a superb player as you say Deasy, and I do wonder if this swing change was a result of how he played at Augusta and his general record there. A lot of the experts (or so called experts) said he couldn't succeed at Augusta as his shot shape was totally wrong for it. It'd be sad if one course on the tour forced such a big change.

I think he's going to be the player McIlroy has to beat if he wants to be the best, incidentally. That's how highly I rate Kaymer.

[deasy55]

I completely agree with all you said. It's a shame his game isn't suited to the 1 course that a major is guaranteed to be held on every year but he was wrong to change his swing because of that IMO

Originally Posted by The Goose

He is a superb player as you say Deasy, and I do wonder if this swing change was a result of how he played at Augusta and his general record there. A lot of the experts (or so called experts) said he couldn't succeed at Augusta as his shot shape was totally wrong for it. It'd be sad if one course on the tour forced such a big change.

I think he's going to be the player McIlroy has to beat if he wants to be the best, incidentally. That's how highly I rate Kaymer.

[Stretch]

Originally Posted by deasy55

"Soon everything will come together. I think I am right up there again," he said.

Isn't that what Tiger has been saying for a while too?

I hope he does get his mojo back quickly, but we'll see. Swing changes at that level of performance are a tricky thing.

[jamo]

It'll be good to see Kaymer come back with a vengeance, but I wonder, even with the swing changes, if he's somehow destined (probably not the right word) to always play poorly at the Masters. 4 missed cuts is not something that people just get over. His record in the PGA is great though (T6 and a win), so I'd look for him to be at the top of the leaderboard come August.

[MrElculver2424]

I think he's a good player and will have success in his career, but I don't see him as a guy who'll stay in the top 5 of the World Rankings for long.

[deasy55]

Really? Who do you see top 5 instead of him? He's 26 and has had 17 professional wins (including a major) and has been (deservedly) #1 in the world.

Originally Posted by MrElculver2424

I think he's a good player and will have success in his career, but I don't see him as a guy who'll stay in the top 5 of the World Rankings for long.

[Long Ball Larry]

I like Kaymer a lot, and IMO, the swing change was necessary. His comments in the press made it sound like he had very little confidence in his ability to draw the ball. Hopefully, the changes will improve his performance at the Masters. I think he will remain a top-5 player for a long, long time. Outside of McIlroy (and, for me, it's a toss-up between the two), I can't think of another under-30 player I'd put my money on.

[michaeljames92]

I was gonna say the same thing. The guy basically dominated every European tour event he entered. He won 5 tournaments from Jan 2010 to Jan 2011, that's no ordinary feat.

Originally Posted by deasy55

Really? Who do you see top 5 instead of him? He's 26 and has had 17 professional wins (including a major) and has been (deservedly) #1 in the world.

[RichF]

Being a big supporter of Kaymer, I was aware that he had problems drawing the ball form interviews leading up to The Masters and that he was trying to adapt to that course as such.

Of course, wanting to know and learn how to correctly draw a gold ball isn't neccessarily 'tinkering' with a good golf-swing...otherwise, you're going to go through your whole career missing that particular shot.

We all want to get better, right?

I saw him interviewed about it a few weeks back and he said he was aware of some 'criticism' of what he was doing but didn't seem unduly worried about it or the time it was taking - I think this speak volumes about his patience and demeanour.

I don't think he will contend in next week's Open but I'd say a couple more titles before the year is out would be about right.

[iacas]

Originally Posted by RichF

I saw him interviewed about it a few weeks back and he said he was aware of some 'criticism' of what he was doing but didn't seem unduly worried about it or the time it was taking - I think this speak volumes about his patience and demeanour.

I've seen Padraig Harrington give similar interviews... It's dangerous to mess with a swing that's won a major (or three).

[MSchott]

It's amazing to me the number of players who have modified their swings to suit Augusta National. I think it shows how important that championship is to them. Regarding Kaymer (vs Harrington) he's considerably younger and maybe this helps in adapting to a new swing. Kaymer is obviously very talented and can easily be a top 10 player for the next decade IMO.

[RichF]

Quote:

I've seen Padraig Harrington give similar interviews... It's dangerous to mess with a swing that's won a major (or three).

Can't remember exactly what the reason(s) were for Harrington changing - any ideas?

Robert Karlsson did the same thing in 2009 after winning 4 titles in Europe, Order of Merit, Top-10 Major finishes etc...

[bunkerputt]

"Decided to take on a swing change to hit a draw" ....?  That sounds like the disastrous beginning to the end of what was going to be a stellar career.  Why don't these guys develop swings that hit the ball straight and then just open or close the club face a touch?  What am I missing here?

[RichF]

Quote:

"Decided to take on a swing change to hit a draw" ....?  That sounds like the disastrous beginning to the end of what was going to be a stellar career.  Why don't these guys develop swings that hit the ball straight and then just open or close the club face a touch?  What am I missing here?

Well, I'm always conflicted in this thinking, and it's usually along the lines of: What's Wrong With Hitting A Straight Ball Anyway?

Of course, there are certain positions on a golf-course where you can't do this, but to all intents and purposes, is the ability to draw/fade a ball at will an absolute neccessity when playing golf?

[deasy55]

Jack Nicklaus famously said "Any straight shot with a long club is a fluke", and indeed a professional almost never tries to hit the ball "straight", preferring a controlled fade or a draw to give himself more fairway to aim at.

Originally Posted by bunkerputt

"Decided to take on a swing change to hit a draw" ....?  That sounds like the disastrous beginning to the end of what was going to be a stellar career.  Why don't these guys develop swings that hit the ball straight and then just open or close the club face a touch?  What am I missing here?

[motteler621]

Originally Posted by iacas

I've seen Padraig Harrington give similar interviews... It's dangerous to mess with a swing that's won a major (or three).

I agree with that. I wouldnt be touching that swing for awhile if I was him.

[RC]

Understanding Augusta... for years everyone thought you needed a draw to play Augusta best.  My opinion is you need a draw off the tee, but a high soft cut into the greens.  That is optimal because Augusta is a beast but the greens are the real defense.  Not many players can play the highest quality shots with both shapes, and no doubt on a streak a little draw or controlled fade play could win with great putting.  However, day in and day out, a little draw off the tee and a soft one or two yard cut into the green would be a real advantage.