Whenever I meet a student for the first time, I put them through a swing assessment test. This test includes a handful of swings made with a 9-iron, 7-iron and 5 iron/hybrid. This allows me to get a better understanding of how the player swings the club throughout the bag. Some players have the same numbers with each club, other have some differences. No one way is right or wrong, but some tendencies do make the golf swing easier to repeat than others. Once the swing assessment is complete, I move into the coaching phase. It does not matter if the player is a scratch or high handicap golfer, I am always going to address three main foundations of the golf swing. These foundations are Grip, Set-Up and Rotation. Now, depending on the level of player, I may dive deep into each area and make small adjustments that have big implications if it is a better player: or I may make what is considered a big adjustment for a high handicap or beginner player. Each of these foundations has a layer that may need to be addressed.
An example would be in the grip. If the player has never used the overlap or interlocking grip before, my first layer would be to get the player comfortable holding the club in one of those two ways however they feel comfortable. The grip is an unnatural position, by allowing them to get comfortable with it their way first, it makes the next change a little smoother. This next change would be adjusting the hands to be in the best position for them to square the club face at impact. Most common adjustments are moving into a neutral or strong grip. Rarely do I ever move the grip into a weaker position. Not saying it doesn’t happen, but it is rare.
Having these strong foundations can help a players game immensely, no matter what the skill level. Once these areas are developed and habitualized in a players swing, then we can take a look at some smaller details that will fine tune the players swing into their own!