Jul
28
Butch Harmon explains his theory of Tiger Woods' swing change
For those of you who missed it, Golf Digest excerpted an interesting section of Butch Harmon’s book, “The Pro: Lessons from my Father About Golf and Life.”
Harmon, Tiger Woods‘ old swing coach, said he believes Woods revamped his swing because he was jealous that other players were catching up to, and even surpassing, his prodigious distance off the tee.
Harmon believed it was the equipment because the ones catching up to him were using longer, graphite shafts and bigger club heads.
“But, I think overhauling his golf swing was a mistake when putting a new driver in the bag would have done the trick,” Harmon writes.
Harmon gets technical, but essentially he says it’s the swing plane that’s different. It’s flatter, which gives Woods greater power but magnifies his mistakes.
“Neither of us were right or wrong; we simply approached the same objective from different angles,” Harmon says.
| « Myrtle Beach golf courses re-open with new greens | LPGA Commissioner Carolyn Bivens should resign -- and fast » |
12 comments
Comment from: hc2 [Visitor]
That is totally off base. The reason Woods revamped his swing was so that he could prolong his career. The old swing put too much stress on her left knee.
07/28/06 @ 17:27
Comment from: bill [Visitor]
Want to see a great swing?
Look at Tiger when he was playing in his first professional tournament the LA Open. Want to see a great swing, look back at Michelle Wie when she was 12 (I witnessed it up close and personal at the PGA Junior), it was a baby Els swing on video frame by frame, gorgeous.
I know he dominated at the Pitch and Putt at Liverpool, a postional thing of beauty. When the real world appears and the trees are back, more military golf for the Tiger. Tiger should simply bury the hatchet, go back to Butch and simplicity, and break all of Jack's records...
Why revamp something when it works well?
Look at Tiger when he was playing in his first professional tournament the LA Open. Want to see a great swing, look back at Michelle Wie when she was 12 (I witnessed it up close and personal at the PGA Junior), it was a baby Els swing on video frame by frame, gorgeous.
I know he dominated at the Pitch and Putt at Liverpool, a postional thing of beauty. When the real world appears and the trees are back, more military golf for the Tiger. Tiger should simply bury the hatchet, go back to Butch and simplicity, and break all of Jack's records...
Why revamp something when it works well?
07/28/06 @ 17:41
Comment from: bill [Visitor]
But win no disrect to the true Open Championship in my previous blog, wasn't it great to actually see some eagles being made instead of another attempted putt for par. The USGA should take a page out form the R & A... make the U.S. Open enjoyable to watch...
Who was going to win? I know I watched all 4 rounds of the Open. Anybodys game... But very little of the Winged Foot torture chamber.
Want to know why the game is stagnant? The USGA... Birdies and eagles are fun, and fun to watch... Think not, Cory who????
Who was going to win? I know I watched all 4 rounds of the Open. Anybodys game... But very little of the Winged Foot torture chamber.
Want to know why the game is stagnant? The USGA... Birdies and eagles are fun, and fun to watch... Think not, Cory who????
07/28/06 @ 17:50
Comment from: Frasier [Visitor]
"
I know he dominated at the Pitch and Putt at Liverpool, a postional thing of beauty. When the real world appears and the trees are back, more military golf for the Tiger."
Yeah. The same golf that won him to majors last year. Bad thing really…
"Tiger should simply bury the hatchet, go back to Butch and simplicity, and break all of Jack's records..."
I disagree. He changed his swing so it would not put pressure on his knee after surgery.
I know he dominated at the Pitch and Putt at Liverpool, a postional thing of beauty. When the real world appears and the trees are back, more military golf for the Tiger."
Yeah. The same golf that won him to majors last year. Bad thing really…
"Tiger should simply bury the hatchet, go back to Butch and simplicity, and break all of Jack's records..."
I disagree. He changed his swing so it would not put pressure on his knee after surgery.
07/28/06 @ 18:56
Comment from: bill [Visitor]
First thing a good teacher does is work around injuries... Do you really think Butch has no clue Tiger was once injured?
With his workout ethic, Tiger's knee I am sure is better than your's and mine ever could hope to be put together...
Haney is pure keep it on the old swing plane. Fine for a swinger of the club. Tiger was swinging the irons well at Liverpool. Watch him with the driver try to place it here and there.... Then he becomes a hitter of the ball with the driver...know the old ego? Needed to go to another Teacher because he was being outdriven? Game is get it into the hole, not how long do you drive it...
Bottom line, Butch teaches a repeatable swing, plane teachers can't teach power hitters because the club is traveling way to fast...
By the way, I teach golf for a living, have done it for 20+ years...
Tiger needs Butch if he wants Jack...
With his workout ethic, Tiger's knee I am sure is better than your's and mine ever could hope to be put together...
Haney is pure keep it on the old swing plane. Fine for a swinger of the club. Tiger was swinging the irons well at Liverpool. Watch him with the driver try to place it here and there.... Then he becomes a hitter of the ball with the driver...know the old ego? Needed to go to another Teacher because he was being outdriven? Game is get it into the hole, not how long do you drive it...
Bottom line, Butch teaches a repeatable swing, plane teachers can't teach power hitters because the club is traveling way to fast...
By the way, I teach golf for a living, have done it for 20+ years...
Tiger needs Butch if he wants Jack...
07/28/06 @ 21:10
Comment from: Kimo [Visitor]
I agree with others. The old swing was killing Tiger's knees and Tiger's back. The new swing might yet hurt Tiger's lower back.
07/29/06 @ 00:38
Comment from: Military_Golfer [Visitor]
Those Butch fans, Tiger is winning without him, and is ahead of Jacks pace. Deal with it. Butc can teach all he wants, but the swing is ultimately the golfers!
07/29/06 @ 17:18
Comment from: bill [Visitor]
Exactly, why Tiger is seeking Haney and not doing it by himself...He can't. But why buck a solid thing with a proven record.... Butch, besides egos...
Look seriously back a few years to the most dominant figure ever in the game.... When he goes back to Butch, he ought to dump the nanny and find Jagoda...!!! She was part of the winning equation too...
Look seriously back a few years to the most dominant figure ever in the game.... When he goes back to Butch, he ought to dump the nanny and find Jagoda...!!! She was part of the winning equation too...
07/29/06 @ 18:46
Comment from: reggie [Visitor]
Pleeeeaase Butch, find another Tiger. He will never return to you. Adam needs you and weave your magic to him.
07/30/06 @ 14:16
Comment from: Frasier [Visitor]
"
First thing a good teacher does is work around injuries... Do you really think Butch has no clue Tiger was once injured?
With his workout ethic, Tiger's knee I am sure is better than your's and mine ever could hope to be put together..."
It doesn't matter how much you work out. If your knee has a problem, your knee has a problem.
"Tiger needs Butch if he wants Jack..."
He does? Really? I doubt it, to be honest. He has the ability to win many majors with Haney.
If he went back to Harmon, neither would be happy. It would be a disaster.
First thing a good teacher does is work around injuries... Do you really think Butch has no clue Tiger was once injured?
With his workout ethic, Tiger's knee I am sure is better than your's and mine ever could hope to be put together..."
It doesn't matter how much you work out. If your knee has a problem, your knee has a problem.
"Tiger needs Butch if he wants Jack..."
He does? Really? I doubt it, to be honest. He has the ability to win many majors with Haney.
If he went back to Harmon, neither would be happy. It would be a disaster.
07/31/06 @ 08:28
Comment from: David [Visitor]
Why do so many people think Tiger needs Butch back?
For a start, the two have a very chilly relationship nowadays, so such a partnership could not and would not work to great effect anyway.
Secondly, his swing today is better than it has ever been. Well, I believe so anyway, but what do I know about the golf swing..
For a start, the two have a very chilly relationship nowadays, so such a partnership could not and would not work to great effect anyway.
Secondly, his swing today is better than it has ever been. Well, I believe so anyway, but what do I know about the golf swing..
07/31/06 @ 16:27
Comment from: Monkey Fish [Visitor]
Tiger could win 19 majors and he'd still be no Jack Nicklaus.
08/01/06 @ 14:08
Comment feed for this postComments are closed for this post.
Jason Scott Deegan:
The Accidental Golfer:
Kiel Christianson:
View from Europe:
Recent comments