impact, the difference being the amount
of power and force Wolff generates.
Wolff uses Gankas’ famous legwork in
the downswing, which involves getting
the lead side of the pelvis lower and drop-
ping into a squat with both legs externally
rotating creating more width in the knees.
This move serves to shallow the club with
less reliance on the arms and hands, it
creates torque, and puts more pressure
into the ground for more power.
Whereas Wolff is across the line at the
top, other young PGA Tour stars like Jon
Rahm and Daniel Berger are the opposite
with flatter positions. Players with this
type of move will need their own unique
compensators, or match-up. If they tried
to use the Gankas legwork, they might
have a more difficult time.
Another famous player who is a sharp
contrast to Wolff would be Dustin John-
son, who starts with a strong grip and a
shut clubface. With this type of motion,
he can’t have normal a release; he instead
has more of a hold off position with extra
downswing rotation, a deep right elbow
position, and a delofted club. Imagine
if a coach had told Johnson he needed a
square clubface to play the game.
Johnson’s match-up would not work
for a junior golfer or slower swing players
“
Understanding
that people do
things different
is OK, as long
as they’re
matched up.”
who can’t generate the speed to get the
ball in the air with a delofted club.
Brooks Koepka is yet another player
with a swing that requires compensators
and is difficult to teach, as he has very little
rotation or depth in his backswing. He then
rotates hard in his downswing making him
swing across the ball with a closed clubface
to play his consistent cut, while his body
extends up to make his swing less steep.
All of these players fit the modern mold
of unique but powerful swings. A major
aspect of power is ground force, and gen-
erating force into the ground through the
feet is often not aesthetically pleasing to
more conventional instructors.
Using the Wolff example, he lifts his
lead heel off the ground in the backswing
and digs hard into the ground on the
downswing, tearing up the turf under his
feet on every swing.
Other tour stars like Justin Thomas
generate incredible power by exploding off
the ground onto both toes at the moment
of impact, while Harold Varner slides his
trail foot across the ground through impact
to help open rotation and get more power.
EMBRACING SWING UNIQUENESS
My personal philosophy on golf instruc-
tion is to take what a player does natu-
rally and maximize their capabilities. No
two people have the exact same natural
motions, body type, physical capabili-
ties or limitations, so no two people can
have the exact same swing. I place more
value in ball flight than swing appearance.
This approach will help golfers see real
improvement and they will not get worse
before they get better, like was often the
case with the old model.
I do not try to build the same swing on
repeat, but there are characteristics of
the swing that I value and work on with
all students, such as the sequence of the
downswing, the timing of the release, or
staying within 3:1 tempo. Maximizing
each player’s unique characteristics with-
in my philosophy makes the job exciting
for me because every lesson is different.
Teaching the same mold to each person
would be a dull experience and I wouldn’t
get my students to improve.
Getting to teach power and force pro-
duction is also enjoyable, as I come to each
lesson equipped with resistance bands and
medicine balls. I spend a large percentage
of time working on the body and increasing
power potential with students of all ages
and abilities. Increasing power is part
technique and part body transformation.
I will often show swings that combine
uniqueness and power to my students,
such as Wolff ’s loop, Johnson’s closed
face, or Thomas’ jump at impact. I want
them to know that being different is per-
fectly OK as long as it is efficient, just like
Gankas says in his videos.
My favorite example of being different
came from another tour rookie in 2019,
Viktor Hovland. In his very first PGA Tour
event, he paused during his backswing
with a driver in his hands, and then con-
tinued and launched the ball perfectly.
When asked about the unusual swing
Hovland answered, “I found that when I
stopped, I positioned my swing to where I
can feel a draw. My drives were going way
straighter and farther, and so thought I
might as well just try it in the tournament.”
Talk about embracing being different.
I don’t think there is a better quote to
summarize what golf instruction should
be about in 2020.
PGA Associate Josh Apple is a senior staff
instructor at Raspberry Golf Academy in
Leesburg and is an assistant golf coach at
his alma mater, George Mason University.
vsga.org
J A N UA RY / F E B R UA RY 2 0 2 0 | V I R G I N I A G O L F E R
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