Kaymer Swing Change

[lia41985]

The takeaway looks less outside. Iron before:
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/GlXgMtdFzqU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Iron After:
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/zS8o2MLxSk0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Driver Before:
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/W_vLH-cpL4g" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Driver After:
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/etKgaxgIKpk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
It seemed to me, reading Hank Haney's Twitter page (http://twitter.com/HankDHaney) that he's noticing a change too:

I am sure Kaymer is working on things in his swing and will only get better, by his practice swings I can tell he understands what to do

Kaymer took a practice swing laying the club off

Now that he's taking it back less outside there's a chance he could end up more across the line than before and maybe that's why he's working on the feeling of laying it off. Just a thought that's in accordance with Lindsey Newman's post here:

Inward takeaways tend to get players in an across the line position ie John Daly and straight back and outside takeaways like Colin Montegomery tend to end up laid off.

What do you guys think?

 

[mgranato]

I hope he doesn't start chasing the draw, I really like his action. Except for the talent, fat wallet, great swing, being European, being #1 in the world, and being young and thin... we share a lot in common.

 

[lia41985]

I hope he doesn't start chasing the draw...

The face is working very differently through impact in the afters than in the befores. The face in the afters seems to have rotated more and paired with the more inside takeaway, maybe he is chasing the draw...

 

[Lifter]

Y'all are definitely on to something. In the interview below on February 15th on Morning Drive, Kaymer said he was having trouble learning how to hit draws for Augusta:

Audio: Morning Drive 2/15/11 - Martin Kaymer Interview - Golf Video | Golf Channel

Seems very risky. It'll be interesting to see if this screws up his release post-Masters when he has to hit into narrower fairways.

 

[Lifter]

Ya know, upon further review, I think Kaymer's iron still looks stable while the driver looks more rotational post-impact. This might make sense. A little draw with the driver might promote more distance. What does D-plane tell us?

 

[Richie3Jack]

Part of me worries because it was really a cosmetic change more than anything. I like his new takeaway much better, but his old takeaway really didn't bother him. So I think it was more of a 'the rules of the golf swing say you shouldn't take it outside, so let's take it more inside.' Instead I prefer a 'your outside takeaway tends to cause you these problems, so let's fix that takeaway.'

Again, I'm just guessing on this...but I never saw him have problems with the outside takeaway so personally, I don't see the need to change. And if he's changing for more cosmetic/method purposes, that could be a problem in the future when he makes other changes that are not necessary.





3JACK

 

[lia41985]

I think Kaymer's iron still looks stable while the driver looks more rotational post-impact.

Take a look at the iron before and after videos at about the :10 mark in the before and the :09 mark in the after (at these points the club face is visible coming out of the side of the body with the club exiting below the left shoulder), you can see that the face is in a more rotated over position in the after than in the before.

 

[mjstrong]

Again, I'm just guessing on this...but I never saw him have problems with the outside takeaway so personally, I don't see the need to change. And if he's changing for more cosmetic/method purposes, that could be a problem in the future when he makes other changes that are not necessary.

3JACK

He might be thinking that his only "problem" was in hitting the draw off the tee for Augusta. I think his downswing is designed for a fade, and don't know how much he'd want to mess with it...

I also hope that he's not chasing the draw. Nicklaus won there a couple of times (6!), and I'm sure he still played his fade most of the way around (I know, different golf course these days).

 

[johnnymarlboro]

He might be thinking that his only "problem" was in hitting the draw off the tee for Augusta. I think his downswing is designed for a fade, and don't know how much he'd want to mess with it...

I also hope that he's not chasing the draw. Nicklaus won there a couple of times (6!), and I'm sure he still played his fade most of the way around (I know, different golf course these days).

I thought I read somewhere that Nicklaus said he'd practice for a few weeks before the Masters to hit a draw specifically for the tournament. I don't have anything to back that up, but I swear I read a quote from him about it. Trevino said he never won a Masters because he didn't draw the ball. I think for some of these guys the Masters is a legendary enough tournament that it's worth it to learn to hit a draw just for the chance to contend. Seems kinda like the MLB homerun contest though, changing your swing dynamics you've built for years just for one tournament. I think that says alot about what the Masters means to these guys.

 

[lia41985]

This story about Nicklaus working on a draw for the Masters--Brian's got a good explanation regarding that in the Soft Draw video.

 

[natep]

Nicklaus says in "Golf my Way" that he always played a draw at the Masters. Said it took him a couple of weeks of preparation to get used to moving it right to left.

 

[birly-shirly]

Kind of gives the lie to the idea that working the ball is nothing more than changing your alignments at address, doesn't it?

 

[mjstrong]

Well, Nicklaus also just said that he still expects Tiger to break his record...which makes me think that Jack is actually quite comfortable that Tiger won't get more than 18 majors. Jack has a very competitive personality, and often gives out back-handed compliments to others.

I remember reading that he always played a draw at the Masters, but gotta wonder why he wouldn't have done it more often. If he won there more than any other major venue, wouldn't he start to like the draw?

 

[natep]

He says in his book that he went through a phase of a year or two (I think) while playing primarily a draw. I believe he said he did ok, and won some tournaments. But he had always played a fade before that and he eventually went back to the fade. He said he played his best golf fading the ball.

EDIT: I just went back and looked at the book. He says he first started playing a draw when his hip was giving him trouble (bursitis). He had to slow down his hip action, and this caused his hands to turn over quicker. He won a tournament like this, and then went to the Masters a few weeks later and won there. After that he started playing the draw at Augusta each year since the course really favors it.

 

[birdie_man]

Kind of gives the lie to the idea that working the ball is nothing more than changing your alignments at address, doesn't it?

Absolutely true. lots of ways to affect the path and clubface..

As someone said, I hope MK doesn't start chasing pop golf cosmetics.

Move your body to move the path and clubface. Everything else is showwwwwwbizzzzzzzzz!!.......