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Jack Nicklaus on the Perfect Swing b y To m F i t z p a t r i c k
O ne fall afternoon in Orlando, a few friends and I were gathered around Jack Nicklaus. He was asked if he thought the perfect golf swing existed. His reply: “No, I don’t think the perfect golf swing does exist”. He then paused for a moment before correcting himself by saying, “Actually the perfect swing is when you understand your own swing.” He went on, “And when you believe in it and what you are doing, you can become unstoppable”. Wow, powerful words from golf ’s greatest player! His experiences were his best teacher and allowed him to speak with such conviction. I wrote Jack’s words down then and still reflect upon them today. I hope they help you too. Shift Your Weight Correctly Nicklaus was known for an impressive weight shift. How do you move your body weight yet still appear balanced? Golf legend Sam Snead showed a balanced look to his swing mainly because his weight shifted so beautifully. Many golfers struggle to identify where their weight goes—it’s not something that we are very conscious of. A simple way to shift your weight is to think ‘Right heel’ on the backswing, then ‘Left heel’ on the downswing. Say it out loud. It’s crucial to get into the right heel on the backswing and into the left heel at impact. Otherwise you’ll end up with a weak reverse pivot. Now try it with a club behind your back and held in place thru your arms. Turn your right shoulder blade behind your right heel. Then turn your left shoulder blade behind your left heel. Feel the stretch it creates? If you do have trouble staying balanced at the finish and find yourself falling over clumsily, try Gary Player’s trademark step forward after impact with the right foot. It’s a rather unusual look but one that gathers forward momentum. One benefit is that the club starts down from a more inside path. The same is true in tennis. Look at how Rafa Nadal (shown to the right) uses his aggressive leg action to shift his weight to produce power. He loads into his back foot then moves into his front foot. I was invited to watch his practice session courtside recently and took these photos up close. More on that next time!
Rafael “Rafa” Nadal, currently ranked world No. 2 in men’s singles tennis, illustrating proper technique for Tom Fitzpatrick.
Photos by Tom Fitzpatrick
Tom Fitzpatrick is a David Leadbetter certified instructor and an active realtor with Scenic Sotheby’s Intl Realty. Contact him at (850) 225- 4674 or tom@scenicsir.com
Tom Fitzpatrick
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