The Razor’s Edge Golf Swing

Recently Wade and I have been talking a lot about different swings we see on the PGA tour and how relevant they are to the average golfer. To us, it seems like the modern PGA swing has become increasingly built around pinpoint timing and tremendous power. The power generated is certainly awesome to behold but the timing required to maintain consistency can often cause havok when things go just slightly wrong.

This begs the question “do the pros feel like they need to have a razors edge swing in order to win?”  In other words, is the level of play on any given week so high that pros must play right to the limit of control in order to give themselves a chance to win?

Is this what it takes to win on tour?

Part of the reason I have come to this conclusion is because I just don’t believe PGA Pros would ever snap hook a drive if they only needed to hit the ball 270 down the middle of the fairway. Therefore, my assumption is that due to PGA course set up and the high level of competition, pros feel pressure to drive the ball as far as possible and to take extra chances in an effort to maximize birdie opportunities.

If I am in fact correct, what does this mean for player development? Do pros coming up in the ranks practice to shoot their best round day in and day out or to have the ability to go low just a handful of times each year? Are these goals mutually exclusive? Is there a price to be paid in the quest for the razors edge swing? For example, were Tiger’s knee and body issues a cost for developing a swing focused on creating power that could separate him from the field?

With the pool of young talent at an all-time high I suspect so too is the pressure to create the perfect swing. Perhaps this is a good thing for the PGA Tour but I think us regular golfers need to be wary of taking too much swing advice from our golfing heros. While is is fun to dream of hitting it “Bubba Long”, the fact is he is a virtual Gumby who has more natural coordination than nearly any human alive. Moreover, he is likely playing to a set of goals that are entirely different than ours. Why then should we even want to “hit it like Bubba”?  Except of course that chicks dig the long ball.