An Instant Golf^® Special Report

Justin Rose & his "Modern" Golf Swing

 

by Robert Cotter (About the Author)
Professional Golf Ball Engineer
Director of Golf Swing Instruction, Instant Golf®

As I write this, Justin Rose has just teed off in the Masters and is looking to add a green jacket to his impressive resume. Rose, the current #1 golfer in the world, also won the Farmers Insurance Open in January. What's more, he became the first golfer to win a Gold Medal in the Olympic Games since 1904. The Englishman's emotional victory was highlighted by the first ever "hole in one" at the games, an ace at the 189 yard, par 3 during Thursday's round. Wow!

Rose, the 2013 U.S. Open champ, has won every year on Tour since 2010 and now he has a gold medal in his trophy case too. None of his peers can say the same.

At 38 years old, Justin now has 10 PGA Tour wins including the major and 2 coveted WGC (World Golf Championships) events. The future is bright for the young Englishman.

Justin's swing is simple yet powerful, and repeats like a fine watch.

His "modern" golf swing can be used to illustrate a commonly misunderstood feature of the swing.

There is a persistent adage in golf that the club shaft should reach a position where it is parallel to the ground at the top of the backswing for a "full or complete backswing". The logic continues that without achieving that position, you will be incapable of hitting the ball for distance or with maximum power.

Let me show you why the quest for that position at the top is not necessary in today's game (and why it is most likely hurting you and your scores).

During golf's early evolution right on up to the 1930's, golf club technology was is its infancy, at least relative to today's advancements.

In those days the only shafts available were made of wood, particularly hickory. Because of the "whippy" natural of the material, a longer swing was necessary in order to load the shaft and give the club head a chance build up enough speed to deliver a solid blow.

Steel shafts were subsequently approved by the R&A and USGA for use in competition in 1929. With the introduction of steel shafts and later the space age club head alloys, suddenly there was a new way to get the job done. Just think of the club shaft as the engine of the club.

The transfer of momentum from club head to ball was now so much more efficient that the past parallel backswing started to be replaced with a parallel condition for most pros This became the "traditional" backswing position most of us know (below right). Ben Hogan popularized it with his precision swing.

Today's golf equipment has progressed yet another degree since Hogan's era. We now have more responsive "tuned" shafts, perimeter weighted irons, low back weighted drivers, and incredibly advanced golf balls.

Here's Justin Rose showing 2 views at the top of his backswing:

His backswing position at the top does not reach parallel!

And yet he routinely crushes it over 300 yards off the tee, and hits the overwhelming majority of his fairways and greens. In fact, he is historically in the Top 10 in Total Driving which is a combination of distance and accuracy. This was very evident at the US Open and The Farmers event on Sunday when he hit fairways and greens down the stretch. More recently he has been ranked 3rd in birdie average and is a heck of a bunker player, leading most of his peers in getting up and down form the sand.

Other winning golfers with the more modern top of the swing position with the driver and irons include:

Steve Stricker, Tony Finau, Jason Day, Webb Simpson, & J.B. Holmes

In fact, Genesis Open winner J.B. Holmes (right) is typcially a Longest Hitter on the PGA Tour every year with a staggering 305+ yard average. He even hit one 409 yards off the tee this year!

Holmes' "short", 3/4 length back swing is also a marvel to watch, not just with the driver but all his clubs.

His swing action and sound at impact is all the proof any golfer should need to convince themselves that a parallel (or beyond) back swing position is not needed for maximum distance.

Today's stars have more compact backswings, yet distance numbers continue to advance!

So how are Justin, J.B., Steve, Tony, Webb, and others doing this?..

These players have combined powerful, compact golf swings with today's golf equipment technology and achieved world class results.

Here is a visual representation of what I am talking about:

        
No

 

Now you may be wondering:

"How can I get more Distance and Power power from a Shorter Backswing?"

First, we are not talking about a short swing, but rather a more compact swing. Look at all the distance that heavy club head still has to travel to get back to the ball in the picture above... it's a long way. There is still plenty of time to generate tons of club head speed from this modern backswing position.

Yet it's critical that a golfer learns how to put the sweet spot of the club face on the back of the ball like all the pros if he or she wants maximum distance and accuracy..

Hence, the down swing is a totally Different Animal.

The forces created are tremendous, even for the senior or slower swing speed player. Different muscles are engaged and dynamic balance must be maintained by calling on specific parts of the body. And it all takes place in 1/2 second!

From the solid backswing position (above), Justin Rose and You can initiate the downswing with what I call The Key To A Repeating Golf Swing and ride the motion right to the finish position. Hence, maximum swing speed and ball speed are achieved, distances increase, and scores drop.

Do you know that in great golf swings, the ultimate goal is more Golf Ball Speed off the clubface?

And the fact is that...

Ball Speed is achieved at Impact via the Downswing!

It's achieved from transferring all of that club head mass powerfully into the back of the ball at impact. Club head speed is only part of the equation for ball speed.

Remember, you can have all the club head speed in the world as a result of a "huge" backswing, but miss the ball and have no ball speed. Or more commonly, hit the ball with a glancing blow (slice, hook, etc..). What a waste of effort, not to mention the strain on your back.

The modern backswing position above is also Great For Seniors
and/or golfers with range of motion difficulties.

You see, the arms are designed to do most of their work below the shoulder level. An unnecessarily long backswing stresses the shoulders and can cause injury. Baseball pitchers commonly suffer rotator cuff injuries, as do golfers.

When the golfer learns to stop over-rotating the shoulders and over extending the arms in the backswing, he or she has taken the first step to a more compact, powerful golf swing.

All great players, past and present, male and female, are performing The Key whether they are consciously aware of it or not.

When The Key is performed correctly, the downswing will be on auto pilot. You will be held captive by your own great swing.

Impact sounds like a gunshot (especially off the driver) and the golf ball is compressed as efficiently as possible. You will use all of your available swing speed with no power leaks, just like Justin and company.

I go into detail in the The Key To A Repeating Golf Swing exactly what these elements are and how to achieve them, and then I show you how to quickly educate your body to reproduce them so the downswing becomes virtually automatic.

And the experience is the same for Men, Women, and Junior golfers, whether they are picking up a club for the first time after 40, or trying to shave off those last few strokes to break 70.

If you are not happy with your game and are looking for a new direction this 2020 season and beyond, I would like the opportunity to help you by showing you The Key To A Repeating Golf Swing and my complete swing technique.

You will benefit from my firsthand experience inside the ropes, working with some of the top players in the game. I am convinced you will benefit tremendously from my swing instruction, short game strategy, and expert golf ball recommendations (learn more below).

In all my years of playing golf, I have concluded that a golfer can not break 80 without a repeating golf swing. It does not have to be perfect, but it must be reproducible. When a repeating swing takes form, a whole new level of satisfaction results as the golfer is now able to play the game the way it was intended.

My trademark move, The Key, delivers the club head right back through the ball with precision power and control. It is the star of the show. I can't play without it.

In fact my discovery of The Key was the very catalyst for my whole career in the golf industry. It was also the sole factor that...

Took my scores from the 110's to the 70's after struggling for years
with inconsistent ball striking and a stagnant handicap.

I'll show you exactly what I've shown over 10,000 golfers from 61 countries, many of whom broke 80 in their very next round after putting The Key into use.

I have also added some great bonuses to my 2022 complete package including Lifetime expert, yet brand unbiased new Golf Ball Reviews.