Below is an un-edited review I just received via email about my Swing Machine Golf DVD series.  I truly appreciate all of the support I have received over the years.  If you would like your review published please contact me above.

Here it is:

Hi Paul,

For the first time in my life I just had to write to you to thank you for making the game of golf so simple and enjoyable again. I have brought many golf teaching courses, aids in the past so please forgive me for being sceptical about your course as I thought when I purchased it that it may just be another gimmicky system. I could not have been further from the truth.

I received the dvds very quickly, even over this side of the pond!! Sat down and watched them all the way through in one sitting and I could not believe the simplicity of what you were teaching. Having spent many of my hard earned pounds on golf lessons at my local club and coming away baffled with the complexity of the game I still could not believe what I was seeing.

So I tried some of the exercises and must admit I was not prepared to wait to hit some balls, sorry, as I was too excited at finding out what would happen. Almost instantly I was hitting effortless irons and even my driver was consistently going straight and all of a sudden I was hitting the ball as well as some of those that I had stood back and admired on the range.

The best bits about your course are that you make it so simple with only three key elements and you are the first person to tell me that you hit a golf ball with your body rotation not your arms. Now when I am down the range and hear players crashing their clubs into the mat I just want to turn round to them at tell them to stop trying to whack it with their arms!!!!

The other great thing about your course is you make the diagnostics easy to understand and when I do hit a bad shot like a top or a slice I instantly know what I have done wrong and can put it right for the next shot.

I could go on and on with superlatives about your course and the great value for money that it is, and the fact that it is so simple but I would just like to say again thank you, I am so glad I found your site. Golf is all of a sudden relaxing, exciting and interesting again and I can’t wait to see where my new swing will take me.

More people in the UK could really do with your course as I haven’t seen anything else this good over here. If ever you are looking for an agent or affiliate in the uk to bring this to the attentions of my fellow countrymen and women let me know.

Finally, thanks again Paul. Also the short game series is just as good as the full swing course (and I haven’t yet sat down and studied the book). I cant put my clubs down now!!

Kind Regards

Mark.

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Here’s a video tip on how to practice at the driving range. It’s only a few minutes long and can really help your practice sessions because it will help you make the necessary changes to your swing.

Notes:

When you use this method to practice the rules are not set in stone. If you want to hit other clubs you do so in the 3rd grouping of golf balls. The whole idea is to go to the driving range and actually accomplish something instead of just hitting ball after ball.

All the best,

Paul Wilson
Creator – Swing Machine Golf
Director – Paul Wilson Golf School at Bear’s Best Las Vegas

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When I was about 15 – 16 years old, I used to live at the golf course, all day, everyday. I was a couple of years into playing and had made it down to a 14 handicap.  What I particularly remember about this time frame were the guys working in the pro shop and how much better and longer than me they were. They were a few years older so I can understand it but boy, did I want to be able to hit the ball like them!

One of the big things at our club was being able to hit the ball onto the first green. Here’s a video of the hole so you can get a better picture. It’s 311 yards with trouble left in trouble right. It also went down a huge hill, then there was a creek at around 220 yards, then it goes back up to the green.

Elmira Golf Club First Hole

I used to marvel at these assistant pros as they would drive the ball onto this green (keep in mind that you hit from an elevated tee).  Even so, you had to hit the ball a mile to get it there (with old equipment). At the time, I was struggling to get the ball over the creek at about 220 yards out.  In seeing these guys hit the ball on the green, my thought was to swing as hard as I could every time I teed off.  After all, if you swung really hard wouldn’t that ball fly farther?  As I continued to swing out of my shoes, it never seemed to increase my distance plus, it got me into a lot of trouble.  I kept wondering if my dream of hitting like these pros was ever going to come true.

The first turning point for me was when I read Ben Hogan’s book “Power Golf.”   In it, he said you would get 30 more yards if you felt your right big toe when you hit the ball.  Think about it, your right big toe will be touching the ground as you swing through impact because rotating your body will lift the right heel off the ground.  So he said to put the emphasis on this right big toe.

After reading this, I gave it a try.  All I thought of was when I hit the ball digging this toe into the ground and springing off of it as hard as I could.  Wow, did it work!  I got 30+ yards instantly which was great.   The problem was, I was still hitting the ball all over the place. This is because I was not only driving my lower body now but I was also hitting as hard as I could with my arms.

As I made it to the next year, I kept on driving from this right foot.  I also grew bigger and I got a great short game.  Not only was I able to now drive the ball on this first green but I got my handicap down to an 8 then scratch by the next year.  Still, the problem was inconsistency.

The next 10+ years saw me totally lose my swing and work to get it back.  I went to some of the best teachers in the world but still, nothing changed.  I was inconsistent as ever.  This truly was the most frustrating and depressing time of my life.

The next turning point was when I saw Iron Byron and incorporated it’s 3 elements in to my swing.  The basic concept is simple.  Turn your arms off.  Let your legs and hips turn your body which will move the arms down the the ball.  This means there is no hitting at all with your arms.  As soon as I did this, it instantly changed my game.  My stats went from under 30% fairways hit to over 80%.

By turning the arms off, I relied solely on the body to hit the shots.  In looking back at over 10 years of struggling, experimenting and taking lessons, not one person ever told me to not use my arms to try to hit the ball.  Because no one ever told me to not hit with the arms, I not only drove the lower body but I kept trying hit the ball with the arms as well.  So I was using both the body and the arms.  This was better than just hitting solely with the arms but it gave me the same inconsistent result.  If only someone would have told me not to try to hit the ball as hard as I could it wouldn’t have wasted all that time trying to figure it out.

What Do I Mean By Powerless Arms?

What I mean, is that you are not helping your shot in any way with your arms.  To see what I mean, just stand up.  Then, extend your left arm out in front of you.  Now, turn your body to the right and to the left.  As you do, you will see that you arm moved because you turned your body not because you moved your arm.

Now, do the same thing but this time clench your fist.  What you will see, is that your arm moved again even though it was tight.  In this scenario, your arm is still powerless because you did not move it independently from your body.

Now don’t get me wrong, I want your arms turned off instead of being tight.  This is because tightening your arms will tighten your wrists which will slow the club down and cause you to manipulate the clubface through impact.  Think of it this way, the looser something is, the faster it will swing.  In this case, the looser your wrists, the farther you will hit the ball.  Also, the more your arms are turned off, the less you will manipulate the clubface through impact.

So Now You Know What I Am After How Do You Get It?

The first time I ever got it, I did 3 practice swings feeling my arms just go along for the ride.  Then, I stood up to the ball and hit it absolutely dead straight 300+ yards.  Then I did it again, again and got the same result.  To this day I haven’t lost it.

For me, not using my arms was the weirdest feeling I have ever experienced.  It literally felt like my club was slowing down as it hit the ball.  This is because I was always trying to accelerate it.  Eliminate the acceleration and, of course, it would feel like it was slowing down.

So how do you get do this?  Well, the first thing you should do is what I did.  Do some practice swings feeling no effort from your arms whatsoever.  Then, step up to the ball and replicate this very same feeling.

Next, understand that it will feel like you are barely hitting the ball at all.  Sure, this is a different feeling but think logically.  You stopped trying to hit the ball, so of course it will feel like you are not hitting anything.   If you feel you arms radiating after you hit the ball, you used them.  In no way should you be feeling your arms.

Also, you may experience shorter shots at first.  This is okay because you are trying to get the power out of your arms first, then, you’re going to turn your body faster (using your legs and hips).  If you turn your body faster, while keeping your arms powerless and wrists loose, you will increase your distance.  I cannot stress enough that not using your arms is different than anything you have experienced before.  If you get it in 3 shots that’s great!  If not, just keep doing it!  You will get it if you don’t give up on it.

Finally, what I want you to do is take out a 7 iron and hit shots 2/3 of your normal distance with a full swing.  Once you get it with a 7 iron, try other clubs (the driver will be the hardest).  Again, tee up your golf balls if you are having trouble with it.

It’s amazing but out of all the people that I have ever asked to try this drill, not one person has ever been able to do it right away. By hitting your shots only 2/3 of their distance, you will be taking the “hit” out of your swing.  Once you do, turn ONLY the legs and hips faster to increase your distance.  If you feel the hitting sensation creep back into your swing, start over.

Conclusion

Hopefully, you now understand a powerless arms a little better.  It really is a different swing than what you have done in the past.  Think about it though, if you are not playing to the best of your ability, you have to make some changes.  Do you really think that the latest golf tip is going to give you a great swing?  It may make you a little better for a while but you will go back to your old swing because that’s what you are used to.

By turning off your arms and using your body, you will be doing something completely different than anything you have done in the past.  It will take you a little time to get used to it, but once you do, you really will play to your potential.

Until next time,

Paul Wilson
Creator – Swing Machine Golf

Read More Tips Here

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How to stop coming over the top is probably the 2nd most popular question I receive. Because of this, I wanted to write a tip that will help you out (if you’re a better player and don’t come over the top, then you may want to keep reading anyway because there’s probably some valuable information here for you as well).

Description

An over the top swing is also known as having an outside in swing path or swinging to the left. Whether they realize it or not, the vast majority of golfers out there have this type of swing path (some golfers may not realize it because they tend to aim their body way out to the right in order to counter-act the shots that start to the left).

You can tell if you’re someone who’s coming over the top by watching your shots. If you pull, pull hook or slice the ball then you have an over the top golf swing.

If you’re still not sure if you come over the top, then simply go to the range and lay a club on the ground PARALLEL left of your target. Then, hit balls from this alignment. If you see your shots starting to the left, you’re coming over the top.

Why Do You Come Over the Top?

This over the top swing path is caused because you’re starting your downswing with your arms. In doing so, it causes your upper body to tilt to the left in the initial stages of the downswing. If your body initially tilts to the left in the downswing, the path of your club will swing left on the way down.

To prove it, the next time you’re at the range try hitting a few shots while feeling your upper body (waist up) tilted to the left on the way down. Then, tilt your upper body to the right and hit a few more. When you tilt your body to the left, your shots will start left. When you tilt your body to the right, you’ll see that your shots will start out at the target, or to the right of your target. Conclusion? Your upper body tilt determines the direction of your shots.

How To Fix an Over the Top Swing

In the past, many people have tried to fix their over the top swing by:

1. Purposely swinging out to first base.

2. Letting their arms fall down first in the downswing.

3. Using a training device like and “Inside Approach” where it is placed just outside the ball.

4. Taking the club back on a severe inside path.

And so on …

The problem with these fixes is they’re band aids. Although they may change your swing path, they DO NOT get to the root of the problem and they’ll most likely cause you to swing severely inside out which is the opposite problem. If you end up swinging severely inside out, or to the right, you’ll be faced with pushes, push fades and duck hooks. Now don’t get me wrong, this inside out swing path would be much better for someone who is hitting the ball way left because of an over the top golf swing, but as I mentioned, hitting the ball way out to the right has its own set of problems.

Understanding the Over the Top Swing

Throughout the years, I’ve been able to fix my students over the top move by simply having them stop hitting so hard with their arms and totally focus on turning their body first in the downswing. As I described earlier, it’s this hitting with the arms that causes the upper body to tilt left in the downswing. If the golfer can just get the lower body moving first, the upper body will not tilt left on the way down and the clubshaft will flatten instead of coming over the top.

Here’s the theory:

In your golf swing, your body is an axis. Your club is the mass. If mass is to move its fastest around an axis, it will do so at exactly 90 degrees to the axis, 100% of the time. The image I like people to think of is twirling a weight on a piece of string. If you pick up a weight and twirl it, it will move to 90 degrees to your hand each and every time if it’s swinging its fastest.

So, why does the weight swing at 90 degrees to your hand? It swings at 90 degrees because your hand that is twirling it is always one step ahead of the weight. In other words, the weight does not move first, your hand moves first.

If you relate this twirling of the weight on a string back to your own golf swing, you should now understand that you DO NOT move your club first to start the downswing. You move your body first. If you do, the shaft plane will start flattening on the way down and your body will tilt slightly to the right through impact.

Here’s The Problem

In a golf swing you have approx. 1/4 of a second from the top of the backswing to impact. In life, your body moves slower than your arms. So, at the very moment you are to start down, you have very little time to move your body before your arms.

To understand what should be happening with your lower body rotation just think of a pros swing. As a pro takes the club to the top of the backswing, they’ve rotated their hips approx. 45 degrees. At impact, their hips are open a minimum of 45 degrees. This means that in the approx. 1/4 of a second that it takes for the club to come down, they’ve turned their hips 90 degrees.

So ask yourself this … if you’re just thinking about whacking at that ball with your arms, how do you plan on having your hips rotated a minimum of 90 degrees by the time you get to impact like the pros do?

The Cure

There are quite a few things here so please, take your time and understand each one, then apply the drills I’ve listed to your swing. Also, you must be patient. Some people may get this in a few swings and others may take 300 balls. Just keep doing it, until your have it mastered.

Here we go:

1. Understand that your over the top swing is caused because you’re using your arms to start the downswing instead of your body.

2. Quit trying to hit the ball 300 yards. The harder you hit, the more over the top you will swing.

3. Relate the weight swinging of the weight on a piece of string to your body and your club.

4. Using your body to hit the ball will feel totally different that hitting your arms (this will take time to get use to).

5. Lay a club on the ground PARALLEL to your target line when practicing so you have perfect alignment. This way you can see the exact path you are starting your shots out on.

6. Quit trying band aids and quit using training aids.

Drill 1

For this drill, I want you to start by taking the club to the top of the backswing. Once you’re at the top … STOP. At this very moment, I want you to totally relax your arms. Then, I want you to think about how much you’ve turned your hips (with a 90 degree shoulder rotation you should have turned your hips 45 degrees).

Now I want you to understand what you’re going to be doing to start the downswing. You’re going to thinking about turning your belt buckle back to the ball immediately to start down. Then, you’ll keep turning the hips all the way through to the follow through. Remember, you have approx. 1/4 of a second to get them turned 90 degrees. If you’re not thinking about moving them, you will not fix the problem.

Now that you understand that your focus is going to change from your hitting with your arms to turning your hips and your belt buckle back to the ball, try it a few times in practice swings.

Again …

Take it to the top and stop. Relax your arms and think about what you are going to be doing. I don’t want you to come all the way down and through to impact at first. I just want you to come down to about waist high. In doing so, try feeling how your belt buckle is going to immediately point back to the ball to start the downswing.

After you get this new feeling, try it with an easy practice swing (half speed). The slower you swing, the more relaxed your arms will be. This is good because it will allow you to change the focus from hitting the ball with your arms to turning your belt buckle to start the downswing.

After you get the feeling in practice swings, hit some easy shots with the same feeling. Remember, the idea here is that turning your lower body first in the downswing will cause your swing plane to flatten. So, watch your shots. If you’re doing it right, they’ll fly straight or slightly to the right of the target, NOT to the left.

After you hit a few easy shots with this new thought in mind, gradually increase ONLY the rotation speed of your hips turning to make the ball fly father. DO NOT go back to hitting with you arms. Gradually, turn your lower body faster and faster. If you do, you’ll quickly see that your shots will start flying farther and farther plus they’ll be on line. And it’ll feel like you barely hit the ball at all.

Drill 2 – (my favorite drill)

Simply do your set up then lift the club off the ground to approx. knee high. Then, with the club elevated off the ground do practice swings. The reason I like this drill so much is that once you lift the club in the air there is no ball to hit. If there is no ball to hit, you’ll be able to feel your body making the club swing. The more you keep using your body to make the club swing, the less you use your arms.

NOTE: Most people I give this drill to stop doing it after about 3 repetitions. If you want to learn to use your body in your golf swing this is the drill you have to do FOREVER!

Conclusion

Hopefully, you now understand what it’s going to take to stop the over the top downswing. The next time you’re playing, and you start hitting the ball to the left, or you’re slicing the ball remember this, “your body rotation affects the direction of your shots.” All you have to do is get your body moving first (before your arms) on the way down and you will not come over the top. Just give it a try and you’ll see exactly what I mean.

Until next time,

Paul Wilson
Creator – Swing Machine Golf

Golf Lessons and Schools Las Vegas

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If you’ve read Swing Machine Golf, or watched the video series, you will know that I don’t like people to go to the range and just beating golf balls. Why? Because this is a total waste of time!

Every ball you hit, with no clear understanding of what you are supposed to be working on, is putting you one step further away from developing a great golf swing. In other words, you are ingraining your swing flaws even deeper. This makes it even more difficult to make the necessary changes to your swing.

To prove it, just think about your last few seasons of golf. Then, ask yourself, have you been improving each year? If you haven’t been improving then think about the routine you’ve been following. I bet you’ve just been beating balls. I bet you don’t do any practicing at home. I bet you try all sorts of different tips and listen to anyone willing to give you advice. You probably rush to the golf course most times and you’ve probably bought quite a few drivers looking for the magical answer.

Now, if you have improved, think about how you went about it. I bet this was totally different than what I just described. First, you had a plan or a method and you stuck with it. You had a clear focus on what you were working on. You probably set up a practice station at home to work on your swing when you didn’t have time to make it to the range, you took lessons regularly and you probably got your equipment checked out by a professional club fitter to make sure you had the exact equipment for your game.

If you haven’t been improving what do you do?

Well, I touched on many topics above that I will go into in future tips. For now, there’s one thing you can do the next time you to the practice range. That thing is simply telling yourself “you are doing it wrong” (this applies to both those who have improved and especially those who haven’t).

So, what do I mean you should tell yourself you did it wrong? Well, think about the last time you went to practice. Let’s say you were all warmed up and you were going to hit some 7 irons. So you get set up and the first ball you hit is a little thin and it starts 20 yards right of your target with a fade. What did you do next? You hit another ball. This time you pulled it left. So … what did you do next? What else … you hit another ball. And so on …

So now your probably saying, “what’s wrong with that?” or “I always practice like that.” Well, I’ll tell you. After each of these poor shots, you didn’t tell yourself you did it wrong. Guess what happens when you don’t tell yourself you did it wrong? You keep repeating the same poor swings that you just made. After all, why would you do anything different. In your mind, those swings must have been okay because you didn’t tell yourself you did it wrong!

What you should be doing is hitting a shot and watching it. In doing so, you analyze the result. Then, you determine how you are going to correct it before you hit your next shot. Finally, you do a few practice swings working on what you either know to be working on, or what you determined is wrong by watching your ball flight. For example: let’s say you felt a little quick on a particular shot. Well, before your next shot you do a few slower paced practice swing to get the feel for swinging slower. Let’s say you slice a shot out to the right. Well, the face has to be open so maybe you loosen your wrists a little or roll your wrists over a few times before your next shot. I think you see what I mean. You understand the problem then apply the fix before you hit another ball.

In making the decision to apply a fix, and by doing a few practice swings before your next shot, you have just told yourself that the swing you previously made was wrong and you have set out to fix it. This means that if you set out to do the fix, you are not going to do the same poor swing 2 times in a row. If you are not repeating your mistakes, you are not ingraining them. If you are not ingraining your flaws then it will be much easier to make changes.

I realize that this may not seem that important but think about the pros. How many times do you see the best players in the world hit a poor shot and right after it, they do a few practice swings? If you haven’t noticed it yet, just look for it the next time you watch golf on TV. I have always said, that if the best players are doing something, you should probably be copying what they are doing. This is a perfect example.

Until next time,

Paul Wilson
Creator – Swing Machine Golf

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