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46 thoughts on “Tom Watson’s Secret to the Golf Swing”

  1. Key video! For me. Maybe not for you. But for me the key is the throwing
    of the club downward in an ax like motion during the forward swing. This
    assumes you have all the other parts of your swing functional. If this is
    not done, my ball will go to the right. The lower body motion smooths this
    (ax motion) out so it just looks like a normal golf swing. Since I’ve
    conformed to this Ben-Hogan-style swing my ball striking has been much more
    consistant.

  2. according to the 5 principles of golf by hogan the lateral shift of the
    hips to begin the downswing MUST cause the swingplane to lift and tilt
    slightly to the right.
    it makes sense because the hips anchor one end of the spine so if you shift
    your hips laterally to begin the downswing,WHILE KEEPING YOUR HEAD IN THE
    SAME POSITION,
    then wouldn’t it be an absolute that the the swingplane must tilt.

  6. This is a great piece of advice from a great player if your angles change
    in your swing your brain will be forced to make compensations in your swing
    which never results in a good shot,so keep your angles no compensations
    required better shots will be the result.

  7. It doesn’t take a genius to realise the importance of maintaining left arm
    radius and spine angle for a consistent golf swing….it’s doing it that’s
    hard.

  8. Hey! Have you thought about the Callabertha Golf Training Wizard, (I went
    to google and it looks quite interesting) I heard some super things about
    the results other golfers have had with it, my brother in law got cool
    improvement with it. Yeah cut 3 strokes in just a month 

  9. this is one way to hit the ball well… but dont think you can use a
    rotary-type arm swing, dependant on forearm rotation and match it to this
    method. Your swing will not resemble the modern, rotary style motion. Think
    something like Craig Stadler or Fred Couples at the top. Scott Hoch, Mark
    Calcavecchia. This is a swing that works but isnt taught or imo, widely
    understoood any longer.

  10. This video has had a profound effect on my swing. Simple turning my
    shoulders while maintaining my spine angle has improved my consistency
    immensely. At first, I didn’t understand his reference to “you can shoot
    your arms out anywhere”, but I think he meant that if you just let your
    arms follow your shoulders they will return where they are supposed to.
    When I stay loose from the waist up and do what he says, I play much
    better. Thanks Esther for posting this!

  12. In reality, the secret is to understand that striking a golf ball is a
    stationary ball, hand-eye coordination skill. This requires you to focus on
    swinging the CLUBHEAD and guiding the CLUBHEAD’S path through the ball.
    Body oriented swing thoughts – keep HEAD down, keep your SPINE angle –
    actually CAUSE YOUR MISHIT SHOTS! Most golf instruction ignores the only
    thing that has any effect on the ball – the CLUBHEAD – and distracts you
    with confusing body-focused swing thoughts. See my videos.

  16. To those suggesting this is poor advice… He clearly states this was a
    correction for his problem with hitting it thin and to the right. This is a
    common swing thought among pros. Check out Graeme McDowell’s practice
    swings.

  18. Just to let everyone know that Tom Watson does not advocate starting the
    downswing with the shoulders ……. this is just a small clip ….. on his
    dvd he explains ….. separation…. how there is a separation between the
    left hip and the left shoulder ….. which allow for the arms to lead from
    the inside … the 2 dvd set is worth the investment

  19. I’ve discovered exactly what he was talking about a few months ago. My only
    problem is that it’s hard for me visualize swinging like that over the
    ball. I’ve spent 15 years playing golf turning my shoulders on a flat swing
    plane. Now learning the “proper” way to turn my shoulders is a tough task.
    But when I do it, the results are beautiful.

  22. @HomeWindTurbines7… how can you pass judgement on any golfer’s morals?
    you’ve got no clue what tom or anybody else, apart from tiger, does or
    doesn’t do in their personal life. and neither should you. cause it’s not
    yours nor anyone else’s business.

  23. @slicermcg0lf It’s not S&T at all, since he’s shifting his weight properly
    through his swing. He also lifts his left heel on the backswing, which is a
    classic move that saves his lower back. Both of those are reasons why he
    can still swing fluidly into his 60’s with enough distance to compete, even
    with the younger players.

  24. Tom should be ashamed to play at Angeles National Golf Club! About 10
    employees are suing for sex and anti-Jewish discrimination! They are an
    embarrassment to the PGA!

  27. i watched tom watson recently at the senior open at sahalee in 2010, for
    anyone whose ever watched tom in person; his swing is absolutely
    mesmerizing, i have never seen such an effortless swing. this guy is a champ

  28. @cockywatchman1976 Sorry, but just one more to prove your point,: If you
    look at other vids of Watson or other top players, you’ll find that
    virtually all the best ballstrikers not only show that separation of arms
    and hands from the shoulder socket on the downswing (visible best on a DTL
    view), but also have the shoulders still closed to the target line nearly
    until impact or even slightly beyond impact, at times…

  29. Even the great ones get the yips. The pressure of hitting that putt and the
    history it would have made was too much. He simply deccelerated at impact
    thus the poor putt. Clearly a result of nerves. I wish he would have made
    it.

  34. This is so funny ,I just figured the same thing out today and then I see
    this video talking about the day he figured it out.For real he is 100%
    accurate ,this is the most important part of the swing,I was killing the
    ball today long and straight.This is the best tip you will ever get.

  38. Dont forget that at the top of your swing you are going to feel really
    steep. Once you figure out that the downswing starts from the ground up,
    and you make the first move down with your hips this will be gold. The hips
    turning left with pulll your shoulders with it. Stay in your posture and
    feel the torque. What a way to hit balls……

  42. Such a shame, a true gentleman of the sport. It’s been a long time since he
    has been in such a position, and considering his putting woes throught he
    end of his career, he held himself together much better than any of us
    could have.

  43. @nuckster94 Two questions: Do you mean 26 degrees “spine angle” tilt as
    opposed to “shoulder” tilt? You said shoulder tilt and shoulder turn.
    Second, If a golfer sculls it (hits it in the equator of the ball with the
    bottom edge of the club), the bottom of the swing arc would be swinging
    3/4ths of an inch above the ground. How many degrees upwards would the
    spine angle change if a golfers sculls it? If the spine angle changed by
    one degree, would that not cause the clubhead… (continued)

  44. @nuckster94 I understand rotating the shoulders at right angles, as Tom
    demonstrates very effectively by standing upright and rotating the
    shoulders – represented by the club shaft – horizontally. What I am not
    understanding is your statement about a “26 degree shoulder tilt.” By that,
    do you mean that the spine is tilted forward 26 degrees from straight up
    and down vertical, going from an erect standing posture to a “tipped
    forward from the hip joints” golf posture?

  45. …the other night, in fact, and on that tape Leadbetter (whom I respect
    greatly, don’t get me wrong) says not only the lower body but the upper
    needs to be open at impact, and then uses Nick Price as a model–but when
    you go look at the actual vids of Price, he’s slightly _closed_ at the last
    point in the downswing when it could be perceptible to him, and square at
    the moment of impact….

  46. TOM…kudos for your tips/inspirations!! ARNIE has also inspired his many
    SENIORS with PROSTATE awareness; perhaps you could inspire your many Senior
    friends in Vision awareness…AMD(macular degeneration). AMD has now
    surpassed Prostate cancer in statistics(Novartis.com). A silent anomaly,
    AMD needs your HELP in awareness Tom!!! AMD ALLIANCE INTERNATIONAL(com)
    YOURSCOREYOURWAY(com) Google…BLUE LIGHT and ANTIOXIDANTS/A.FLETCHER/UK
    good golfing in 2011 TOM

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