The ball doesn't know what club you're holding, so why would you change your swing? The same swing that works for your irons will work for your driver, your 3 wood, and on down to your hybrids and wedges.
It's understandable why golfers think they need to change their swing. Rotational golf coaches have been saying you need two types of swings for years and years. Well, I'm here to tell you today that it's a big misconception.
The only thing that actually changes is your distance from the ball and the angle of the shafts (because of different shaft lengths). Now, you may have to work a little harder to get your driver and hybrids vertical because they are longer and you're farther away from the ball, but the actual swing should not change.
Good luck and KEEP IT VERTICAL, no matter what club is in your hands!
The Surge
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Comments
Ball position
Thanks for the added clarification. I will try to remember about moving the ball left from center to one ball for long irons & fairway woodss, then two balls for the driver.
3/5 woods
I have found this to be so true about the ball not knowing. Recently my best swings out of the fairway (or reasonable rough) with my 3/5 woods have happened when I reminded myself to just take a normal swing. Same tempo, same speed and same way I might for other clubs and irons. Any time I 'go after it' there is a good chance it will not be struck well and even a better chance it is going well right or left of the intended target. Interestingly some other teachers recognize this. Folely was explaining how (in his opinion) we could have better results with our 3 wood in a recent golf article. He said when practicing hit the 9 iron and then repeat the same swing with the 3 wood. Go back and forth between the two as you maintain the same swing and tempo. What has worked well for me as of late too is feeling I'm Freddy Couples or as my wife likes to call him "cup cakes". Smooth tempo with all clubs, and mimicing a tempo of 'Freddy...Couples". not really a pause but almost. The ball has been hit more solidly and with seemingly less tightness and muscle.
Different club same swing
Good explanation, but you didn't really clarify how to keep the club on plane with the longer clubs. As I said in response to an earlier video, my hands make a different angle for the longer clubs and as a result I find it harder to keep my palms perpendicular through the swing leading to over the top swings especially under stress of a long carry. I try to focus on the position of the hands on the way up and at impact, but it doesn't always work.
Club on plane
Well I can tell you why. Don't know if knowing why will do you any good or not.
If you are getting to this position with all of your clubs you can make the same swing with all of your clubs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ir_FkxzH-eo
If you are more like my bad positions at the end you will make compensations for the long clubs to make it work.
Can it work with those bad positions? Yep. I shot a lot of rounds in the 60s with that bad position.
Is it ideal or the best you can do? Nope. Not even close.
Is it something that's hard to change? Yep. Takes a lot of work. I'm still working on it and I've been working on it since April.
Biggest tip I can give is to not hit at the ball from the top but to consider the swing through the ball as something that only happens after falling to that position.