Bubba Watson vs. Paul Casey
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Congrats to Bubba Watson for battling off Paul Casey at this past weekends Travelers Championship in a pressure-packed playoff. We all know how fun it can be to bomb your driver on the golf course. However, isn't it more fun to hit the ball really far and really straight all at the same time. In this video, I'll show you how to get a proper blend of both speed and control in the swing, all while maintaining safety for your body. You don't have to give up speed to gain control in the swing.
- Find a balance of speed and control
- Use the lower body for power, stability and consistency
Isn't it so fun to bomb your driver 30+ yards beyond all of your playing partners? I know I get a kick out of it!
Isn't golf even more enjoyable when you are not only pounding the ball further than you ever have, but also you are hitting 70-90% of the fairways at the same time? Of course it is!
Golfers are all looking for a balance of both speed and control. Often times, we see golfers get fixated on getting speed long before they get control and that is a recipe for a messy on course situation. I call this "putting the cart before the horse".
When you watch golf on T.V., you will see an extremely wide variety of swings. From the longer, more moving parts golf swing of Bubba watson, to a shorter much more compact swing like Paul Casey.
Bubba spends a lot of time bedazzling the crowd with his sensational length and crazy shot shaping, but he also spends more time in the rough. When you are not hitting as many fairways, even if you have explosive distance, you run the risk of missing more greens in regulation.
Now, look at a player like Paul Casey, who is 5 inches shorter than Bubba, but still packs a mean punch on the golf course and averages 295+ yards off the tee. Only 14 yards less than what Bubba Watson is currently averaging.
The difference in % of greens in regulation is astronomical, currently Paul Casey is 6th and Bubba Watson is 101st. Even though Casey is sacrificing 14 yards off the tee, he is hitting more fairways, which is leading to more greens in regulation and meaning more birdie attempts at the end of the day.
When you look at both Bubba's and Paul's swing, you can see a big difference in the total amount of rotation and width in their backswings. Both players have very similar takeaway positions but that is pretty much where it ends.
When you allow your trail leg to lose it's flex in the backswing, you are allowing the hips to become unstable and also allowing them to have more mobility for rotation. This can allow the spine to over rotate and cause the golf swing to get much longer and more out of control. See a great video called "Load the right leg in golf for stability and safety".
The point is, we can still maintain speed and control by using the big muscles in the golf swing and not just the hands, arms and shoulders. That is the mistake a lot of students tend to make because it is what feels the most powerful and most coordinated.
If you work on prioritizing your backswing around load and rotation along with stability, you are going to shorten/tighten up your move, which is great for consistency and you are going to use your big muscles to build up power and turn it into speed. There you have it, both speed and control.
Check out some other videos to further help you build a powerful and consistent golf swing...
Christian
Craig (Certified RST Instructor)