Evolution of a Golf Swing

The evolution of the modern swing - By John Hoskison

Many times over the last year I have been asked to explain the difference between the standard of golf in America and Europe and the standard in Asia. And there is a difference.
Through necessity the most efficient swing technique has been forged by players on the highly competitive American and European PGA tours.
With the Asian PGA tour fast becoming more competitive it is inevitable that one day Asian players will learn the same techniques, but that is still a few years away.
At the moment top class golfers in the West have learned to minimize all unnecessary movement particularly with regards to hand action through the impact zone where the body now dominates. It is this more solid action that distinguishes the modern swing from the hand flicking swings seen in the old days and to a certain extent seen currently in Asia. As I say, with the Asian tour becoming more competitive, attracting higher class fields and more television coverage, it is inevitable the standard in the East will improve. And when it does it will certainly follow a similar pattern witnessed to that in the West where the breakthrough in technique can be traced back to one or two special individuals. So let’s have a brief look at how the breakthrough came in the West starting in America shortly after the second world war.
In the late 1940’s, one of the greatest strikers in the history of golf, Ben Hogan, was depressed and fed up with his huge hooks off the tee. He was married but hardly making any money on the American tour and he had to make a decision – give up or find a new swing. For three days he locked himself away in a hotel room and analyzed the swing as it had never been analyzed before. He emerged tired and drawn but with a swing that was to dominate the world and created a legend.
Basically Hogan found a method of reducing hand action through impact virtually making it impossible for him to hook. Perhaps more that any other period in the history of golf, those three days were responsible for the birth of the modern swing.
After magnificent victories in many major tournaments, Hogan wrote down his swing thoughts in a book called The Modern Fundamentals which became a best seller in America and the bible of all golf enthusiasts.
But Hogan and his technique exuded accuracy and precision and soon the golfing public who went to watch tournaments were hungry for someone more cavalier. It was the perfect time for Arnold Palmer to turn professional.
Soon Palmer’s unorthodox, swashbuckling game became the talking point all over America. It didn’t matter where the ball was, trees, ditches, even lakes, Palmer would find it, smashed it onto the green, and with the customary hitching up of his trousers (a gesture copied by his avid fans called Arnie’s Army) he would hole the put for good measure. All fathers wanted their sons to be like Arnie and for awhile Hogan’s accurate swing was forgotten.
There followed a host of players through the 70’s and 80’s but even the king himself, Jack Nicklaus, was often quoted as “do as I say- not as I do”. It was a period when the accurate swing of Hogan and the power actions of Palmer and Nicklaus became confused.
Golf magazines had debates as to which was the best way to swing, but there were never any accurate conclusions drawn and it was very much left to who you admired most as to which swing you copied.
One young professional from England called Nick Faldo copied his idol Jack Nicklaus and after a succession of marvellous victories on the European tour he became an over night sensation challenging the top Americans in the four major tournaments. But time and time again his game deserted him on the final nine holes when the pressure was at its greatest.
Depressed and confused, like Hogan forty years before, he disappeared into the "wilderness" to think about the future of his game. If Hogan was responsible for the initial breakthrough, it was the year Faldo took away from competitive golf and the solution he found, is responsible for the complete evolution of the modern American swing.
Taking Hogan’s largely forgotten fundamental principals, Faldo and his coach David Leadbetter constructed a swing that would stand up to the most extreme pressure leading to victories in six major tournaments.
Like Hogan he improved his stance and again found a method to reduce hand action through impact. He became idolized by fans who turned up to witness his flawless golf and even his fellow professionals tried to copy his swing. But unlike Hogan, whose tournament victories came before the huge media coverage witnessed nowadays. Every one of Faldo’s tournament victories was avidly watched by millions on television. Nothing improves the standard of a sport more than seeing a super star performing well on television. It galvanises the young to find a method to succeed.
All over America and Europe young men and women practised what Faldo preached. Books and videos were in abundance, teachers were given new direction, and within a few years a whole new breed of young top class golfers were emerging. There was however one flaw in Faldo’s technique.
In an effort to control the ball he had sacrificed power and many of the young men who copied Faldo found they were struggling for length off the tee.
With John Daly suddenly making a mockery of par fives the golfing world again became confused. What was more important – power or accuracy?? In an effort to reverse the trend of a weak swing Leadbetter changed his views but it was too late for many. However one young man, with incredibly astute guidance from his father, took the best of both concepts and now walks proudly down the fairways with the mantle of the perfect golfing machine.
Tiger Woods has the balanced stance of Faldo at his best. He swings the club onto plane as well as anyone has done before. But there is a new ingredient added to the most accurate up to date swing – power. It is the way golf will be played in the future. Already pros in both America and Europe have started rigourous weight training programmes in an effort to make up the difference of their lack of length. And it is a plain fact that fitness will be a major part of the training schedule for all young aspiring pros in the future.
Having watched all the great golfers over the years (except Hogan) personally I feel very priviledged to watch Tiger Woods in action - don’t be fooled by what anyone else says – Tiger is here to stay. With him the evolution of the swing is complete.
So yes, there is a difference between the swings of America and Europe and those in Asia. We see more top class golf in the West, we have access to more videos and books, there are more good teachers and generally the facilities are better. But the gap will become less. Right now there is a young man in Asia with the same insight and determination as Hogan – all we have to do is find him and help him. And with his success the chain reaction will commence. I live with the expectation and potential thrill of watching an Asian player (that I have helped mould) walking down the final fairway of a major tournament with victory in his hand. It may be Tiger’s world now but one day it will be the year of the Dragon.

Article contributed by John Hoskison, a 1992 British CPPGA Champion.
He represented Europe in the PGA Cup against the Americans in 1988 and 1992.
He is a member of the British PGA and currently running a golf academy in Fuzhou in China.
John is available open to offers to work in Singapore and can be contacted at this email address (hoskison50@hotmail.com )"

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