HCL Concord Golf

Our experience field testing Simple Swing

When we are custom fitting at the driving range we frequently find the player has so many swing flaws that you first have to work on them before you can zero in on a proper fitting. The most common problems are slicing with the long clubs; and difficulty taking a proper divot with the irons. Many have taken lessons, improved for a while, and then lost the swing again over time.

They don't hit many fairways, they don't hit many greens in regulation. And most want more distance. When we put face markers on the clubheads we find that their contact with the ball is all over the place and seldom in the middle.

 
Typical ball contact pattern

The spray pattern on the woods is even worse, since they are longer clubs, harder to square up at impact. The ball mark on the tape is often smudged, showing an open face at contact. What is not generally realized is that this lack of square contact not only promotes inaccuracy but it drains power. That is, the effective mass delivered to the ball is greatly reduced.

The reasons behind these bad swings are many. Here are a few that we repeatedly see:-

     - The takeaway is to the outside of the target line, often done with a lift of the club and a break in the wrists that  make it two planes instead of one.
     - The turn is poor and the club either gets wrapped around the back or the arms get disconnected from the body and are out of sync.
     - The head bobs up and down during the whole of the swing leading to fat or thin shots.
     - Reverse pivots at the top are commonplace. The player can only get back to the ball with an open clubhead.
     - There is a sway off the ball during the backswing and a forward lunge in the downswing.
     - Players shove on the handle of the club, using a lot of muscle, instead of accelerating the club head. The shaft stores no energy and prematurely releases.

And so on. The conventional swing has lots of complex motions, many different ellipses at the several body parts as can be seen below, that all have to be carefully synchronized for it to work.

Pro Golfer's swing

Most players don't have the time, or the coordination, to do this with consistency. It requires an inordinate amount of practice. Very few people can bring the clubhead to the ball with square center of face contact. This should explain why there are so few players with less than a 10 handicap.

When we heard about Simple Swing last Autumn we decided to try it out on ourselves first, including our local teaching pro's. The power thumb grip, the left arm position and the wide stance with the head back, all seemed strange at first. In about a half hour we had the setup down pat and started hitting balls. It was effortless to hit long and straight, much to our surprise.

After a week we felt confident enough to try it on amateurs at the range. We soon learned the place to start is with short irons, where the player doesn't feel compelled to try to kill the ball. Then we went to the long clubs using the same tension free smooth rhythm of the short irons. The only thing not exactly set in the instructions is ball position. Overall the ball is placed back, more towards the middle of the stance, than normal. The distance away from the body was easily determined. We had the players vary it until the ball went straight down the target line. In general, players had 3 ball positions:- one for the driver; a second for the longer clubs; and a third for the short clubs. It took about a bucket of balls to get it right. They then had the same results as we did - longer and straighter with less effort.

Initially we followed the Simple Golf instructions to the letter, but soon learned that in time it is easy to modify a bit to suit different anatomies. The face tape told the story - square hits essentially in the middle with a very narrow spray pattern. With no increase in swing speed everyone had an increase in distance due to the better transfer of energy to the ball. The gain was between 9 and 14 yards at an average. It took time - more or less a week - but eventually everybody learned how to swing faster than before with a smooth, in balance, stroke. When that happened players began to pick up another 6 to 12 yards.

More importantly, the shot accuracy was quite impressive at all stages. Once setup was mastered - grip, stance and ball position - the ball went down the target line with very little spray. This is the sort of thing the Simple Swing people have been claiming and is what drew them to our attention. It is the key to better scoring, as we see it.

Spaced out over a few days to a  week, it took between 3 and 10 buckets of balls for most every body to do it right and take the swing to the course. While the player can readily teach himself, learning is easier and faster if you can have a friend hold the instruction book in his hand and watch you as you swing .

There are several reasons that this swing works so well.

  - The power thumb grip with the left arm and elbow pointing down the target line at address. The clubhead stays square to the target line at all times during the swing. The grip is really quite soft and prevents excessive hand and forearm tension which ruin accuracy and distance.

  - The wide stance with the head back, over the rear leg at address. This puts you into a powerful preset hitting position right from the start and reduces movement and swaying during the swing.

  - A shoulder takeaway that is on a single plane and allows an easy release. You reach a very compact position on top. The hands are fairly low and you don't pull yourself off the ball.

  - A shoulder initiated downswing that travels down the the same path as the backswing. It lets the hands whip through the hitting area.

  - Being a single axis swing means the motions are few and not complicated to master.

Since the grip and stance are unusual some players were initially reluctant to try Simple Swing. It is understandable. We found over 30 players who were willing to give it a chance. They now say they can go straight to the first tee and hit a good drive without any warm up. This indicates that the swing will stay with the player for a very long time without much practice or tuneup.

 - To enter the Simple Golf site, just click on the image below. If you choose to order from them, be sure to click onto the "Enter Coupon" of their order page and type in, 10 concord, to receive your discount.

H.C. Lundberg
HCL Concord Golf

back to top