weir's new swing

[rotator]

I watched the grand slam on and off, and the commentators were talking about Weir working out his new swing. He hit it fairly well, I thought. I did not see the first part, so did not know what the new swing was all about. I know he went to a new instructor, and am curious, as to what he's into.

Differences I noticed from his previous, was emphasized by his preshot waggle, it looked like the "whip the club inside" move of the single swing, in Weir's case with the left elbow pulling back behind his body. It seems to me that his old swing had him taking the club back to even with his toeline at hip height and then raising the arms on the second plane. He still has the wonderful swing of the arms around his body to the right.

I noticed his chip shots were done the same (the elbow pulling back). Even his putting technique seems different.. his left arm is more higher and he seems to push that arm through the stroke.

Re the swing change, did anyone pick up on what the commentators said about the change early on?

[Bellyhungry]

What I noticed was that in his waggle, his dip his shoulder towards the target, resembling a reverse divot swing mechanics....

[wayland]

What I noticed was that in his waggle, his dip his shoulder towards the target, resembling a reverse divot swing mechanics....

I had the exact same thoughts myself, "wow, looks like a reverse pivot"

[Bellyhungry]

I had the exact same thoughts myself, "wow, looks like a reverse pivot"

Hmmm...Great minds think alike....Perhaps we have the eyes as golf-instruction guru (but unfortunately for me, I do not have the game to back that up)...:(

[rotator]

I'm still not sure what the official word is on the direction he's gone to in the swing change, i.e. single plane?, and was hoping someone would have picked up what the commentators said early on.

When you see his pronounced waggle this evening, look at his left elbow and how he concentrates on pulling it directly behind him. This is one of the key moves in the single plane. This gets the arms rotating around the body on the shoulder plane. You may notice also that the clubface seems to be extremely closed at the waist high waggle position. Re the dip, you could say that too could be the effect of a single plane shoulder turn. Apparently, you should feel that your chest points skyward as you complete your backswing.

It should be interesting to see well the new swing works out for him. I'm sure there will be much coverage and dissection of it over the coming year, and particularly if it works. He seems to hitting the ball longer, some of his drives and iron selections were up there with the others.

rotator

[hogannut]

Ugly.....can't stand watching him. I hope I'm wrong in my opinions because I like Mikey as a player and a Canadian, but I just don't see how this pre-shot will help him. I don't know,but change for the sake of change isn't always the cure. I know Tiger has gone through 2 swing changes in his 10 year pro career and I must admit I think his current swing is the best, that 3/4 follow through gives him the control he was missing, but Weir looks like a guy at a driving range who is in desperate need of a reverse pivot lesson!!

[rotator]

I thought the coverage was in the evening, but see that it's tape delayed to midnight or something. Is that right? That's good, cuz the hockey and Mitchell's last stand troup are on. So, it's VCR or PVR time.

hogan, re the reverse pivot look, it is a fact of the single plane swing. The basics are little lower body action (i.e. no shift), and turn the arms, shoulders and arms along with the body, on the plane of the shoulders. The drills have you bent over sharply from the hips, and in that sharp plane pulling the arms and shoulders around so they point inside the target line, the chest pointing to the sky.... very reverse pivot looking. But I would believe the key is the weight does not hang over the front leg, as in a reverse pivot. Apparently, there is also little shift of the lower body forward, so less chance of getting stuck.

rotator

[FlipWedge]

HOGANNUT, I have to disagree. I think Tigers' 2000 golf swing was better. Look at Adam Scott to see the 2000 version of Tiger. Now I certainly don't see BIG differences between the two swings but the old one looked more natural. He seemed to produce more "awe" inspiring shots back in 2000 with towering iron shots that seemed to seek the pin locations.
Obviously, Tiger feels the changes are helping his consistancy or he wouldn't be changing and you certainly can't knock his recent track record.

I DO miss the frequent fist pumps and other theatrics that Tiger used to bring to the course.

[Bellyhungry]

Just to add my 2 cents. I recall one of Woods' given reasons to change is to put less stress on his body to ensure longevity - the change is a function of age.

As for the coverage, you could have watched it live on the TSN Alternate channel, but it is not HD. To watch it on TSN HD, you would have had to go the tape delay route.

[hogannut]

Swing changes are something that are hard to discuss as it can take literally years to see if in fact the changes did help or not. As I said I truly do hope what Mikey is doing will help. I don't claim to be an authority for players at Weir's level, I just had a hard time watching it, that's all.

I also agree with what you are saying about Tiger. His swing of 2000 was more flowing and nicer to watch. From a technical point though I think he has better ball control with his new 3/4 follow through swing. Where the 3/4 swing fails is off the tee because driving the ball requires full rotation and power and if you have been swinging 3/4's all day long sometimes it's hard to allow yourself to swing freely, and once that happens to a guy like Tiger with his swing speed you are quickly in the rough. Tigers record indicates his current swing seems to be working. Let's remember Tiger is over 30 now and therefore I think we will be seeing a more mature Tiger from now on. But you are right I too will miss the fist pumps and the going for broke attitude that players in their 20's have.

[rotator]

That's interesting. Tiger is a smart guy, and it doesn't take much smarts to figure out how guys like Nicklaus, Davis Love, Toms, Norman etc have had ongoing physical problems through their careers. Many have had back problems.

Tiger, himself, has had health scares in his twenties, so he realizes he has to make changes. Many used to say he would blow out his body, before he reached the lifetime achievement records of the greats.

He may be the greatest player ever, as far as ball striking and talent goes, but if he does not reach for instance the most majors won, Nicklaus will likely retain the best golfer title. Tiger REALLY wants to have the title.

rotator

[golfhacker]

Yes. Weir has a flatter swing compared to previous years. His pre-swing routine remains unchanged though.