Let’s start with the definition of Modern “Pertaining to a current or recent time and style; not ancient”

In fact, this is both true and false when it comes to the golf swing, and in this blog I’ll explain why!

The reason why I, and many others call this style of swing – A Modern Swing – is because in many ways it’s the exact opposite of what has been taught for the past few decades.

All that nonsense, such as telling people to “get behind the ball” or “load up into the right thigh” or “swing wide and high”  or “keep the right knee flexed” somehow caught on!

If the only golf pros on TV that are selling products and services promote this ideology – it becomes the truth! A monopoly if you will!

Unfortunately though, this just made it more difficult for millions of people around the world to play the game better.

Why? Because these silly phrases listed above only make it more difficult to perform one of the most essential functions of the golf swing – TO HIT DOWN ON THE BALL..

Now, let’s talk about a Modern Swing. First off – there’s nothing new about this style of swing. It’s been around for a long time. What’s necessary nowadays is this branding procedure behind everything we do. If you want to be taken seriously, you have to build a brand and act like a tiny corporation.

This is primarily why Mike Bennett and Andy Plummer (the guys behind the Stack and Tilt system) have become so popular. They knew how the swing should work and operate from all the research they had done over the years. But instead of just saying to people “this is how we believe it should be done”, I’m sure.. they hired some very smart marketers who advised them accordingly. The books, the DVD’s, the brand, has since become world famous. Most golfers around the world now know about the S&T system.

Now as mentioned, there’s nothing new about this style of pivot in the golf swing. Mike and Andy just put a name (brand) to what they are teaching. Smart, very smart!

There’s no question that what they are teaching is correct. Absolutely and unequivocally.

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Before them, there was Mark Evershed, and Tom Tomasello, and Mac O Grady, and Homer Kelley, and the list goes on. Hogan, Snead. If you want to go deep – you won’t need to go any deeper than “The Golfing Machine” by Homer Kelley.

And it goes back even further. Check out this picture below of Harry Vardon. Clearly, he’d figured out how to pivot (move the body). His right leg has straightened and left leg has bent more during the backswing. This way his right hip is higher than his left so he can turn, extend and tilt his spine to keep his head steady and stay centered.

Harry Vardon, at the top of his swing

Harry Vardon, at the top of his swing

The only reason he bent his left arm was because of the tight bulky jacket he was wearing. It made it very difficult to fully extend the arms.

So the question remains: If the best players had the pivot (body movement) figured out 100 years ago. Why on earth did we ever enter a period where we started telling people to “keep the right knee bent” or any other of the quotes I listed earlier above?

I’ll tell you why – because it made money!

Let’s talk hypothetically….

Now let’s say a well known teacher was coaching a well known player. This well known player is so flexible because he works out every day that the well known teacher says something like..

“you’re over rotating your hips going back”

So the well known teacher tells him to keep his right knee flexed more in the backswing.

Then, the well known teacher and well known player go on a TV show and the teacher explains to the host (and millions of people watching) that they are working on a move that focuses on keeping the right knee flexed more… Can you see how this would get taken out of context?…

Then all the golf teachers around the country start teaching it to their students, etc, etc etc…

Anyhow, I digress!

This is NOT how we want to be moving our body, and although a Modern Swing has been finely portrayed throughout history by many of the top players. It is indeed different to the style of swing so many pros have been teaching for way too long now. Hence the term “Modern”, something that pertains to a more recent time.