A player must understand the mechanics of their own golf swing. Simplicity, and efficiency are key. No unnecessary movements. A player must understand, and believe in the mechanics that they are trying to achieve, this is imperative. A swing must be built around a players physical structure and capabilities, or they must commit to changing physically. There’s a number of ways to swing a club, proven by the many different but wonderful swings on tour, but what remains consistent throughout all great golfers, is the way the club travels in the 10 inches through the ball (neutral impact factors).
The swing is controlled by the body, with the arms acting as leavers. We want everything working ‘in-sync’. First off, its the the major positions / movements in the swing. These being the set up, swing plane, pivots and tilts, wrist angles, weight distribution, maintaining posture. If all of these are on point, then the impact factors should also be very neutral. If not, then swing work and practice plans are needed until they’re as good as can be. A clear plan for the swing work is needed, for both coach and pupil to understand, follow, believe in, and be held accountable for.
Once the major positions / movements are in place and producing consistent and neutral impact factors, then it’s into the finer tuning stages. These could be maintenance, scoring work, more advanced swing work for a specific shot, or to gain added power whilst maintaining consistency etc. This depending on the time of year and tournament schedules. A player must feel comfortable with their swing when on the course for maximum performance, so managing a player correctly through the season is imperative.
Short, medium and long term goals must be set with accountability held for both player and coach at every stage.