EMERGENCY POST: GOLF MAGAZINE SCREWS GOLFERS

I had to post this right away as it was just brought to my attention. Most of the readers here understand that the following article is a bunch of BS to the highest level, but for many golfers who are not in the know or just starting out, the air must be cleared.

From the March 2009 edition of Golf Magazine

The front page of Golf Magazine features: Build a SWING you can TRUST by Masters Champion Trevor Immelman.

HOW TO BUILD TRUST IN YOUR TOP POSITON:

Point the toe down and cup your left wrist.

HOW TO BUILD TRUST IN YOUR IMPACT:

TRUST THIS: My toe-down position at the top means

I have to really go after it at the bottom. This may sound like a compensation move, but it's actually the easiest way to square the face and swing with speed. I like to feel the clubhead passing may hands through impact, not may hands trying to hold the face square.

And here's a pic of what Immelman says to do at impact:




I'm guessing that Trevor is trying to instruct the 'swivel release' motion. Which looks like this (as executed by Ben Doyle):



Not only is Doyle's swivel release different from what Immelman is showing, but here's Doyle at impact and thru impact:




Immelman has a bent left wrist at impact, at no point is Doyle's left wrist bent inward at impact.

Okay, so let's look at others at impact:








So let's see....Hogan, Nicklaus, Woods, Moe Norman and Trevino show without a SHADOW OF A DOUBT that the lead wrist has to be flat at impact, yet Immelman is trying to say differently. So we've got probably the three greatest ballstrikers ever (Hogan, Moe, Trevino) and the two greatest golfers of all time (Nicklaus and Woods) doing the exact opposite of Immelman's instruction.

Immelman actually does not do what he's advocating. However, from what I've heard is that he's been struggling heavily this year and if he's trying to flip at the ball at impact and he's starting to actually flip at the ball, that could be why he's struggling so badly.

There was a reason why I labeled this as an EMERGENCY post. I've been there. You take something you learn from some Golf Magazine and start to apply it and it doesn't really work and only leads to more frustration. Most of the time, the instruction in golf magazines are not really 'wrong', but more 'wrong' for a great percentage of golfers. But, this is DEAD wrong and is violating one of the very, very few absolute imperatives of the golf swing.

But, don't blame Immelman. Golf Magazine and David Leadbetter (Immelman's instructor) should know better. Unfortunately they don't and golfers pay the price for it.




3JACK