FLAT FACTS
There are very few flat swings out
there and even fewer that are too
flat. Look at the accompanying
picture of Sergio Garcia on this
page. Think he’s too flat? Was Ben
Hogan too flat? Sam Snead? How
about Matt Kuchar, Hunter
Mahan and Paula Creamer? All of
these pros swing flatter than normal. But too flat? I’ll take those
swings every day of the week.
MULTI-SPORT SOLUTION
If you think your swing is too flat or that any part of your swing is too flat, grab a
baseball bat, swing it normally a few times, then slowly bend over into the golf setup
position and continue swinging. That’s the feel you want in the golf swing, naturally
swinging with the body. You might also try swinging a tennis racquet, if that’s your
game, but it has to be a flat forehand; don’t swing up at the end.
One final reminder: check your grip. None of these solutions will prove effective
if you don’t have a good, strong grip.
Co-author Mike LaBauve is the PGA director of instruction for LaBauve Golf at the
Westin Kierland Resort & Spa in Scottsdale, Ariz. Co-author James A. Frank is a writer
from New York, N.Y., and a regular contributor to Virginia Golfer. He is the former
editor of Golf and Golf Connoisseur magazines, and co-wrote the short game and
putting “Bibles” with Dave Pelz.
ANGUS MURRAY
LEARN FROM SERGIO
The better the player, the more his or her club will be in a low
position like Sergio’s, and then low again on the through-swing.
Looking at a good player from this same angle, the shaft will
line up between the elbow and the shoulder; the closer to the
elbow the better. These players release the club naturally. When
the shaft is more vertical, toward or even above the shoulder, the
swing is too upright and the golfer has to help the swing release.
Some people see Sergio on television and think he’s making
too many compensations in his motion. Actually, he—along
with the likes of Lee Trevino, Jim Furyk, and Fred Couples,
among others—are more upright in the backswing and then
re-route onto a flatter downswing. Many baseball and tennis
players do the same thing—it’s natural.
Most amateurs re-route the club the opposite way. They make
a flat backswing— therefore believing their entire swing is flat—
and then re-route coming down into a too-upright position. A
lot of amateurs have a grip that is too weak. Thus, this combination is going to produce a weak slice. You can tell Sergio’s grip is
strong by the position of the clubface in the photo.
Sergio Garcia sets himself up for a powerful
release of the club because the shaft is in a
correct position on the downswing.
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J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 4 | V I R G I N I A G O L F E R
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