"The A Swing: The Alternative Approach to Great Golf" by David Leadbetter

[Shane Hendricks]

My problem is he doesn't really explain what he means by "traditional." There are so many different swings on the tour by so many superb golfers. I believe there are (5) keys that every tour player has in common, other than that...not sure what Leadbetter is refering to as "traditional." Sorry if my bias came out on that statement.

[Vinsk]

True. But then there are many, many pros who don't have the "black" style both today and of old. It's like the high jump technique I believe Mike (maybe Erik) referenced. If the best in the world do a very similar technique there must be something to it. Just because some outliers come along with something quite different doesn't mean it's easier. Different, but who says easier?

[CaptHook]

I've read this book and in my opionion, maybe for a golfer just starting out, it might be "easier" to learn w supervision. But i dont see guys that already have a good idea of their model or swing, changing to this one. Off topic but I loved The Impact Zone and The Four Magic Moves if anyones looking for a great read. 2 cents from an avg hacker

[Dstob]

Here's an interesting explanation.

[MrDC]

So it's a Jim Furyk swing with a strong grip and closed stance.

[Thomas A]

Just wanted to share my thoughts 1 month in to the “A swing”. I have been playing golf for close to 40 yrs. I was always told I have a “great looking swing” but have never been able to score on a consistent basis. The frustration of the inconsistency has driven me crazy and caused me to walk away from the game every few years  as it just becomes no fun. I have been a bad 6 handicap in the past. Shoot one low 70’s and then back into the 80s for the next month .  I have reasonable swing speed and the short game needs work but am not really interested in working on my short game if I am swinging like crap .

My handicap has come down by three strokes in the past 30 days.  The most important metric to me is the fact that I have lost three golf balls in the past six rounds. I have never been straighter and I have never been longer.  Have gained at least 1-1.5 clubs in distance but the quality of the contact and the consistency of the contact has made golf a blast. I cant wait to get out to the golf course.

To me the biggest benefit of  the A swing is that it teaches you to shallow out golf club on the downswing. I don’t think I have ever really understood how to accomplish this or how it feels to hit the ball like that.

Arm body synchronization – much easier and more consistant

Finger grip- easier on hands, way more power through the ball. Not wearing out gloves anymore and no blisters on the hands. Don’t need to tape.

Way less tiring. Not exhausted coming of the course or the range like I used to be.

High right fade slice off the tee- GONE. Occasional hook but all my misses are left. I would rather live with that.

Very few swing thoughts and getting fewer and fewer . Easier to fix if things are off.

I have no professional aspirations. I just want to enjoy the game and hit the ball solidly and consistently. Cant imagine ever going back to way I was swinging before.

[Vinsk]

Have you filmed yourself? Curious. I've read the program and tried to execute it on the range. I don't think I've done it correctly. Certainly feels odd to me. My problem is that I was terribly too inside and getting stuck often shanking. I've worked hard to correct this and am hesitant to get back to that path. The whole "lead arm deep in the chest" feels very awkward to me.

[Thomas A]

I am not sure if what i am doing is correct either but there are elements of it that are working.  1)Hands in club out is difficult to groove. I almost have to make a move dragging the handle inside. As i go back I imagine i am drawing a line down my right leg with the butt of the club as my wrist cocks. 2)Hard to not have right biceps come off the chest. For me that is caused by overswinging (as in i am going to kill this drive) or if my hands get above my right shoulder on the backswing .The arm body connect is to me the most important aspect. If my right elbow goes up high all sorts of bad things happen (including shanks) Also right inside upper arm has to sit almost on the side of my body and not in front as i have always done (if that makes any sense). This helps me get behind the ball. If my right arm is in front i tend to be way more "hookey" 3)Am finally grooved into shallowing out the club. (Well maybe this is the most important thing) Took me a while but it feels like a loop .

I definitely dont have shaft leaning forward on the way back and am probably not even quite vertical even though it feels like i am.  Not worrying about it. Also am probably a little strong with my right hand but am not worrying about it either. I dont think at all about my left arm. I dont pull right foot back. One more thing to think about and i am trying to keep it simple.

No video yet. Not sure if i want to . May make me want to change what is working :)

[Thomas A]

"So it's a Jim Furyk swing with a strong grip and closed stance."

Ryan Moore, Jim Furyk, Calvin Peete like swing. To me the difference is the height of the hands and arm body connection. Hands are lower in A swing and elbow doesnt fly which makes it easier to keep synchronization of swing. Definitely huge similarities especially the "loop flattening" of swing plane.

[Vinsk]

If I come from the inside....I shank. Period. I believe every human has a natural or innate swing based in their physical characteristics, strength, arm length, flexibility, handedness etc... Unfortunately my natural swing is a shank. I'm so ******* frustrated. Sorry...I've got to vent. I've never wanted to be good at something with this much passion. I was an excellent soccer player, a good football player, pretty damn good fighter. Golf, I'm a joke. I'm so fed up with my swings. I say swings because no Erik, I don't have a consistent swing be it good or bad. I swing from the inside, outside, over the top, stuck inside, chicken wing, weight forward, weight not forward, closed face, wide open, and of course nobody can shank a ball like me. I golf, bat,bowl and throw left handed. I write, throw a frisbee and played tennis right handed. I'm a complete cluster f***. I've watched 5SK 9 times, read LSW 3 times, Mike Breed's Effect to Cause, Hank Haney Blue Print and DL A Swing. I go to the range and stripe my driver 280-300 , hit my wedge to a 146yd target with a beautifully tight oval, hit my 6i at a 194yd target with a tight oval. And this going through 250 balls playing an imaginary course. All day, beautiful. Now 2 sessions in a row in 1 week....I couldn't a shot to sVe my life. No, I don't mean pushes or slight pulls...I mean old school chili dips, skulls and of course my specialty , shanks. I dunno guys... I'm thinking anything short of visiting Erik at his facility is futile for me. Anyway, I apologize for the rant...I'm just really at a loss here. Yeah golf is hard...I know that. Yeah...just have fun..yeah I know...well it isn't. My hands hurt from all the poor shots, it's exhausting to fail. I'm glad you're seeing some success with your A swing. Would you mind telling me how you started to try it, I mean did you start with a wedge? 7i? Cheers.

[iacas]

Now 2 sessions in a row in 1 week....I couldn't a shot to sVe my life. No, I don't mean pushes or slight pulls...I mean old school chili dips, skulls and of course my specialty , shanks. I dunno guys... I'm thinking anything short of visiting Erik at his facility is futile for me.

Happy to have you out here, but also… hasn't been updated in almost a year. :)

[Vinsk]

Happy to have you out here, but also…  [CONTENTEMBED=/t/74716/my-swing-vinsk layout=inline]​[/CONTENTEMBED]  hasn't been updated in almost a year. :)

Yeah I know. A video shows you "that" swing. Tomorrow would be another. I've definitely considered Evolvr but I'm such a hands on learner. I think I need someone of your knowledge to literally observe me and see my ball flight both really good and disasterous. Just like trying the A Swing...just so cumbersome to go back and fourth with video instead of having someone right there saying "no...put the club HERE". Sorry I'm OT...but I'm seriously considering coming to your facility. Do you work with people outside? I would prefer that if it's possible.

[iacas]

Sorry I'm OT...but I'm seriously considering coming to your facility. Do you work with people outside? I would prefer that if it's possible.

Yes, either at Whispering Woods or Chautauqua. On the bright side, lodging (hotels) are relatively inexpensive.

Back on topic…

[Sam Y]

Thomas,  I could not agree more. I developed a similar swing to the A, by mistake when trying to get rid of my hook. Only way was to pick the club straight up rather than inside. My index went from 11 to 7 and routinely in the 70's. I got away from it because it seemed so unorthodox, and pro's  were commenting on my high right forearm and vertical takeaway. as I went back to more conventional swing my index went right back.

Took the A swing to the range yesterday; but this time with the conviction it was an Approved swing, not an Annomoly. Flushed 4-irons and perfect divots go a long way to compensate for an unorthodox takeaway.

Prefer to compare the A swing to Garcia's or Fowler's (old) than Furyk - though hard to argue with the purity of his iron contact.

[golfaddict1]

For me there's pretty much only two things that are different about the A swing from a normal swing and they are the grip and the backswing, which in itself is just an exaggerated form of the 'clubhead outside hands' mantra which most good golfers do anyway. Other than that there's nothing revolutionary about it, but I quite like its ideas. I tried it on the range the other day and for me I felt like if anything I had to do more with the club before in terms of the big path re-route and the top of the backswing than I did in my old normal swing.

[Vinsk]

DL is a bit off with his comparison of short swing vs long swing. He talks about it being better to travel a shorter distance to get where you want to be. He then states his test shows his swing was 6" less grip end moved than with conventional swing. However, it's an entire extra movement and an odd one at that. The real question to DL would be....which is easier: a longer distance but a consistent path or, a shorter path with a complete change of position during it.

[rspollak]

I began using elements of the A-Swing after watching the few videos out there on YouTube. I found immediate improvement with my irons. So I decided to order the book and explore this further. Unfortunately, before getting the book I broke 8 ribs and punctured a lung. As soon as I am able, I plan to return to golf with a new swing...forgetting everything I have ever learned about the traditional golf swing. I have always been intrigued by Moe Norman's swing. However, I could never find myself able to duplicate his movements. I have found the A-Swing easy to learn and very repeatable, therefore I will be returning to golf with the A-Swing.

More to come...

[mmoan2]

I began using elements of the A-Swing after watching the few videos out there on YouTube. I found immediate improvement with my irons. So I decided to order the book and explore this further. Unfortunately, before getting the book I broke 8 ribs and punctured a lung. As soon as I am able, I plan to return to golf with a new swing...forgetting everything I have ever learned about the traditional golf swing. I have always been intrigued by Moe Norman's swing. However, I could never find myself able to duplicate his movements. I have found the A-Swing easy to learn and very repeatable, therefore I will be returning to golf with the A-Swing.

More to come...

Sorry to hear that... Sounds like a hell of an injury.