Prior to the 2021 Masters, which saw Hideki Matsuyama become Japan’s first men’s major champion, Mercedes-Benz invited a number of media members to get a virtual golf lesson from their ambassadors, Jon Rahm and Ian Poulter, who were also there to speak about Mercedes inviting a number of healthcare workers to Augusta as a thank you. Rahm was unable to make it after the birth of his son on Saturday, but Poulter happily hopped on to watch the swings of a dozen or so media folks and gently pick them apart.
The swings were, as one would expect, all over the place, as some were picking up a club for the first time in a long time for this exercise while others, like myself, were longtime golfers hoping to get some more nuanced tips. What was rather incredible is how quickly Poulter recognized flaws and could give simple fixes to just about everyone after one look at a fairly grainy cell phone video, while also recognizing even via Zoom who could take a little more ribbing and critique and who would be better served with a little confidence builder and tip to see some improvement. (Here he is, pointing out someone’s mistake.)
When it got around to me, he joked about my low angle trying to go for a cinematic look, when in actuality I just didn’t have anyone to film my swing on a Tuesday afternoon, and the immediately pointed out two things I did wrong and a third tweak I could make if I wanted after one viewing.
First, my feet were aimed right of the target, forcing me to come over the top and creating my patented “pull cut” that to go straight started left and then worked to the right. I have long had that and never really realized what caused it, and it took him one look to call it out. The other was my lack of balance, as I rock back on the backswing and then have a lot of upper body movement pulling through, causing me to fall back as I complete my followthrough, which, likely, is the root of my inconsistency with finding the clubface square every swing. Poulter also said I could strengthen my grip some, as my right hand was very much on top of the club — a longtime fix I’ve used to combat an overly strong grip I once had from my baseball days.
These were my first swings in about seven months, so I was mostly out there knocking off rust, but it also was a great time to make some changes because I needed to create a new rhythm anyways. Later that week, I popped back out to the range, this time with my fiancee in tow to take some video, to see if I could put Poulter’s fixes into play and how they’d work. In a shocking turn of events, the Ryder Cup legend and elite golfer seems to know what he’s talking about.
With a new focus on stability and balance, as well as just getting my feet aligned, I suddenly was able to work the ball either direction. I still lean on a fade, but it’s one that starts where I want and peels gently off to the right rather than a much stronger cut since my feet are no longer closed to the ball. My balance is massively improved, which in a range session and a quick round walking resulted in much more consistency in ball-striking and distance.
All told, Poulter did more for my swing in two minutes via Zoom before going out and posting a T26 at the Masters than I’ve been able to do for it in a few years since I’ve been sort of stuck in this same action. I’m a pretty good golfer, living in the 5-8 handicap range for most of my adult life after having it as low as 2 while playing in high school. I have always worked on my game by myself, partially because I enjoy the solitude of golfing alone and also because for a long time I didn’t have disposable income to take any lessons. However, at some point, getting an outside opinion helps, and there’s a much greater weight to what someone says when they are a top 50 caliber player in the world.
Rather than trial and error and searching for what I needed to do, having just a few, simple things to focus on with foot alignment and balance allows the rest of the swing to sort of fall in line. It’s still not a perfect swing — a bit to vertical, a bit too long — but that’s part of the lifelong journey of golf. It’s a quest that never really has a finish line and leaves you always chasing those moments where you feel it all come together, which Poulter got me a touch closer to this week.
