Sam Snead disliked the idea that he was a "natural" and didn't have to work at his swing. To quote Snead "People always said I had a natural swing. They thought I wasn't a hard worker. But when I was young, I'd play and practice all day, then practice more at night by my car's headlights. My hands bled. Nobody worked harder at golf than I did."
I too have seen this quote and agree that he was one of the hardest working golfers the game has seen. However, I think some of the younger golfers mix up being a "natural" at golf vs Snead's own book "Natural Golf" which focused on the following principles: 1. The proper and fundamental foundations of "grip, stance, balance/movement, setup, and mindset" must be second nature in order for good swings to occur. 2. "The swing is the thing!" - Based on timing and rhythm, the swing calls for everything going back in one fluid motion and everything following through the ball likewise. This is counter to the "hit the ball" mentality which also comes from some modern artificial swing methods. 3. Sam Snead said that golf should be made up of natural rhythmic movements that could easily be repeatable. To him, tension, caused by aggression and doubt, was the enemy. Since the ball is in a stationary position (counter to most other sports), the player should focus on developing a "free and easy" swing. This idea also brings up the old adage "Play like you are old, because someday...you will be.". Trying to rip the ball at 40-80+, doesn't work as well as it did when we were in our 20s. I appreciate how master players like Hogan and Snead (among others) new the intricacies of golf well beyond we mere mortals, yet when they teach, they keep things simple to understand. They knew and understood the physics behind the swing, but when asked what they think about when making the swing, the most common answer was to "bring everything back and bring everything through in a smooth motion". As long as the principles of physics are at work, one doesn't have to get bogged down with technical jargon. Just understand that the desired results will naturally occur. Too many thoughts can lead to the forgetting of the fundamentals.
Sam Snead was using what is now described as "today's swing." The small squat at the start of the downswing, the club parallel to the ground half way down, and then a straightening of the left leg (right for lefties), a slightly delofted clubface at impact and then a kind of straight line from the club head to the left shoulder with when the club is about 45 degrees past impact. It helped that he was tall for his era and that created a bigger arc and more club head speed with out swinging hard. Loved watching this man play golf.
I have been trying to emulate his swing for 30 yrs. Even met him once. Your analysis of his swing is one of the best I've seen. I will watch it again before I head out to play👍
I just saw your tweet of Mr Sneads swing. It made me search it on youtube and here is your video. His plane on the back swing is wild. Under the usual plane we see these days. But the move in the backswing at about chest level and to the top getting in perfect position. Unreal. I'm not even sure how he did it and it was probably just super natural and the way it happened. Thanks for the great vid
When I was in high school in Northern Virginia, they built the Mt. Vernon Country Club next to our neighborhood. I had never played golf and we weren't country club people. The club invited Sam Snead to christen the course by playing the club pro. They sent out flyers asking kids to volunteer to hold the ropes. Of course, I did. So I got to watch him play up close and personal. He put on a 1 iron exhibition before the round. I have never forgotten that and it was what got me hooked on golf. Needless to say, I could be found many an evening on a couple of the holes out of sight from the clubhouse playing with an old 3-iron I had found.
I discovered something last week in my swing by accident. I've been struggling with my driver coming in steep. Ive made various changes and tweaks. But to no avail. Couple days ago I put on that arm band device that keeps your arm tight to body on BACKSWING and gave it a try. Combined with some tips from my coach. So I hit 300balls and then took my driver out and stunk the place up again. Then I saw a kid that was 16 next to me on the range hitting balls so pure. I ran out of balls. I had a choice to make. Do I go home and quit? No progress or very little? Or get another large bucket? It's safe to say , I got the bucket. I went through my irons again 5 or 6 balls a peice because I hit them well. Then I took out the dreaded driver again. No armband on this time. But I had remembered the feeling of " ELBOW IN" My left because I'm a lefty. For most right. I took the club back very low and wide but not outside. Got to the top and felt a looping action. And I hit the ball so dam pure I didn't believe it! I said to myself ..." Let me try that again." I did. It worked again. And then 20 more times! I couldn't believe it! I finally found my path. Now I have found my swing again for every club in my bag. Afterwards, I watched a Bobby Jones video about his swing plane and noticed it was the same loop that I had just accidentally discovered. I feel blessed.
Another note was that I had to kick my back foot back quite a bit like Hogan says. It helped me get low and get the club in so I could swing up on the ball. The driver toe is tilted up a bit due to my low hands. I'm confident I can tweak this correct.
Great observation, Christo, about the Snead squat and what you call the squeeze pivot. What you have hit on , realizing it or not, is the conservation of angular momentum and it’s the same reason a figure skater rotated faster and faster as the arms are drawn toward the center of the body during a spin. Rotationsl speed will always increase as the center of mass is increased. It is also why you will generate more clubhead speed if in your swing if your hands are higher at the top of the backswing but then you drop down, shallow out the club, stuff that right elbow into your right side, and generally compress all the moving parts into a more compact and concentrated rotation. Your brother was the subject of one of your old videos where this was exactly what he was doing and I’ve seen your swing evolve to adopt higher hands at the top too. Great job..
Thanks to your analysis I just noticed something I've gotta try, Snead keeps his left arm tight to chest at impact pulling in and up as right arm pushes through and up.
For the time his swing was miles ahead of its time , the tempo the shoulder turn the hip turn and transition powering through at impact absolute stunning swing
wonderful video. I love how you focus on that left leg/knee/hip action, especially in transition, which I think can be so key for proper sequencing and whip. I feel like this is a kind of underrated issue and challenge, in that (in my opinion) this action can feel odd at first, so it doesn't happen "naturally", but in many cases can be the "missing ingredient" for effortless power.
For every 100 lbs you can squat, you have the leg strength to drive the ball 100 yards. Ronnie Coleman could squat 1,000 lbs and had he been given a golf club at age two, he'd be hitting the ball 1,000 yards. Assuming of course he had a swing like Sam Snead.
Gorgeous swing. I love the low and left release and have been using it with much success recently. However, the repeated extension of my right arm has given me a horrible case of golfers elbow :( I may have to reconsider the move.
What do you think of hitting "through the ball" rather than at it? Snead obviously hit through it, as did many of the classic swing proponents. I feel like the lower body can clear easier if someone swings through the ball, and it would seem to be easier to accelerate. Modern proponents hit the ball. What's your opinion?
I have seen so many people talk about how Snead straightened his right knee going back, used to hear it all the time with the Stack and Tilt guys that used Snead’s swing as a model. But actually Snead’s right knee is being pulled back because his hips are turn in the backswing and Snead turned his hips a lot, so when the hips are turning the right hip will pull back the right thigh and the knee will follow but it does not straighten. On the downswing Snead really kept more weight on his right swing late into the downswing, and waited till the club was at P6 or when the club was parallel to the ground to fire his right knee parallel left of target. I think he would of been an even better striker of the ball if he didn’t suck the club too much inside during takeaway.
The right knee actually pushes the right hip back in the backswing and the left knee pushes the left hip back in the downswing. That is is the truth and what actually happens in ANY good golfers swing See Mike Malaska on this, who is the best golf coach ever.
@@regcade6767 exactly, hips don't turn by themselves. their movement is mostly a reaction to the straight line forces of the legs. The way our body is constructed, pushing one leg in, the other out, causes a hip rotation. There is so much misunderstanding (and injured backs) about this.
@@Wanderer1202.... "there is so much misunderstanding" can mean there is a lot of ignorance about the golf swing. Briefly, here's my view. The hands control the club and must be trained to hit a ball which takes time, hard work and intelligent practice - there is no substitute for this. You can't hit a ball with your body because it's a non contact. The body's involved of course, but if the hands are trained the body responds or follows them automatically. For top pro golfers the body tends to drive the hands because their hands are trained and they can trust them, but for the average amateur the hands drive the body.
@@regcade6767 while grip is most important, during the downswing and particularly right before impact the hands can control little actively. The centrifugal forces are much too high for the hands to change things in a controlled way with the precision required. Anyone who is hitting with higher speed will train his hands to passively be in the right position at impact. there is no action in the hands during impact, not in a good way at least. Shoulder, arm, hands, shaft are in one plane, the centrifugal force of the club head enforces it. Much harm is done and speed is lost to many swings by people trying to *do* something with their hands around impact.
@@Wanderer1202 Briefly again! IF, and only if, the hands are trained, can you let (allow or trust) the centrifugal forces involved and speed of the swinging of the clubhead do their job, namely, swing through and hit the ball. But it takes time, hitting a lot of balls and intelligent practice, to train the hands. The hands can't and don't do anything at impact as the power has already been built up during the swinging of the clubhead prior to impact. TRUST is the most important word as it only takes one second to swing and hit a ball and if the hands, and to some degree the arms, are not trained, you have no basis for trust. I can do what I like with my body but still get my hands to find and hit the ball hook, slice, pull, push whatever you like., though not always exactly the same! Just for the record, and not that it matters or means anything but I am and have been a fully qualified AA British P.G.A Golf Professional and Coach for 58 years, trained and mentored by two past Ryder Cup players - and I'm learning all the time!
Snead had the greatest swing ever. Just look at his record when he was in his 50s and 60s, still placing top 10 in many majors and PGA tournaments. At age 61 he finished 3rd in PGA Championship behind Trevino and Nicklaus. He dominated the Senior tour so much that he got bored and started playing regular PGA again at age 55. I have a Golf Weekly magazine from 1960s describing his slaughtering of the field at a senior PGA tournament where he won by 17 strokes over 2nd place finisher. He also won 11-12 "All Star Golf" events in a row over much younger PGA players, including defending US Open and PGA Championship winners when he was early 50s. He was an absolute beast on the fairways.
Christo, The first thing I notice about Sam vs. Hogan is that Snead does not have that long lateral movement that Hogan used. He uses more of a squat there. Do you think that one reason Hogan employed more lateral shift was to generate more power since he was a smaller man? It is almost like Snead has the natural swing and Hogan has the manufactured swing?
I agree. I think Hogan manufactured a lateral move (head still behind the ball of course), along with a bent left knee at impact, to help (in part at least) to negate his hook. In turn, he was able to, as you rightly say, generate more power, by hitting as hard as he could without fear of the "rattle snake in his pocket".
I had a really good day golfing when at the top of the swing I had a feeling of right arm dropping inside while the body settles into balance. Then the hips fire easily through.
Great piece Christo! I've been hitting most of my shots too high, in particular my irons. I've been told by many people that my swing is too steep. I think practicing the low and left release may help in correcting this ailment. I know the apex of your shots have lowered during your swing evolution, I've been meaning to ask how you went about lowering your ball flight? Thanks!
I remember talking to Sam sneade and Mickey Wright in the early 60s about the so called squat move and they both were in agreement that its a by product of turning and simultaneously rotating the rear leg in its socket toward the target this opens the pelvis and gives the appearance of a squat
7 лет назад
I read someplace that Snead absolutely hated playing with Hogan. He said his swing was miserably effected by Hogans' quick swing tempo.
Greatest golfer ever. You watch his swing it is the most basic, natural swing ever. He drove 300 plus with much, much inferior equipment. In his day a 250 yd drive was exceptional and hitting 9 irons on 2nd shots were not commonplace. Sam showed the world that a golf swing is not this scientific, NASA challenging, brain surgeon, think about 10 different things activity. He raises his left heel, takes the club back over his lower back vs his shoulders, all the things you are taught NOT to do. He makes the swing natural and simple and more teachers should teach this swing than what I get today.
No, in fact they were great ball strikers with clubs that had a tiny sweet spot compared to today’s clubs. They might not of had their great swings if they played today’s equipment back then.
I see a left leg leading everything that is happening in the back swing and it initiates all forward movement to the ball and that allows for the clearing of the hips. The rest is momentum baby. The trick is having a leg can do it all. Samy was the best at striving for simplification in a world others try to over analyze. We all love the theory but know it's Just take it back nice and easy and smooth it down the line (at 130MPH).
Head stays put because he doesn't swing, he TURNS. The key to Snead is his left leg and the Snead Squat. Just looked at an old Abe Mitchell vid and he did it as well. Hips TURN in a horizontal plane following the left knee and a slight squat in the downswing.
Christo, I'm sure you noticed it, but you never mentioned it in the video. Sam seems to have a little squeeze to the left when he's at address just before he begins taking the club back.. what's up with that?
at 4:20 Sam Sneed looks like he is about to mount a horse for a split second before the hips turn. Hogan seem to have the "A" Sam has the big U! Very Stable and so fluid with early hip turn.
Pause at 4:42 and slow down the frame. I think the most important thing to work on as well as a good grip is keeping the wrists locked. Watch his draw back and follow through. His wrists don’t even move a millimetre!
Sam holds records not likely to be broken for the rest of time. He'd hold more records if not for WWII. The man never came off his rhythm; something I have to focus on constantly.
Knees snap back together? Not too sure about that. Do you still think that? The knees part in the squat....right. But knees snap back together? It is odd that you would say that, when you can see, even in your ballet dancer, that even he keeps his knees apart during the spin. Knees out...keep your knees out. Keep your elbows in and your knees out. EIKO - elbows in knees out Good bless you Christo!
I really respect Sam Snead a ton. I don't know what the story is with Hogan and Arnie but you may not be aware that Arnie led a double life that the media let him get away with. Hogan always called them like he saw them.
@@MiracleSwingExperience Well, I'm going to call something like I see it. You didn't know Hogan, or Palmer. You have no frame of reference here, other than literature and second hand information, most of which is coloured by people who idolise and romanticise Hogan. There were plenty of people who disliked Ben as well, for many different reasons, but his disciples normally chose to discard or ignore the testimony of anyone that had negative experiences with him. So to say Hogan called em like he saw them is a waste of text, as you don't know what he did or didn't do, because you never knew the man from a bar of soap, and the same goes for Palmer.
@@MiracleSwingExperience I know John Daly just as well as you know Arnold Palmer, so why would I? You're missing the point here. What a man does in his personal life, and marriage, is no business of anyone else. We don't know the circumstances of Palmer's relationship with his wife any better than Hogan did. You treat people as they treat you, and if you can't do that you should be man enough to tell someone to stay out of your way, and why that is the case. If we are crucifying people because they enjoy having sex, or they're in an unhappy/unfulfilled relationship, we'd better start stockpiling timber by the metric tonne. In the end we don't really know if this was the reason, as we didn't know the men. But I can say one thing, John Daly should learn to keep his mouth shut, and so should you.
his hands swing really low so it almost going back to the same place at address. Most people hands are too high comparing to where they were at address.
Does anyone think it's possible to overdo the squat? I was toying with this and was starting to get a more solid strike. When I looked in the mirror though my knees were mega wide apart like Michelle Wie does. It just looked unnatural and more pronounced than Snead (as if my swing would ever compare 😅)
That's a lot of words in the video to describe this action. It's all rhythm, look at that rock back and through. He's turning but because he is letting his hips release back, plants that lead foot, uncorks and drives the right leg like he is going to walk right through. The gents from back in the day had to make power using more whip which leads me to believe that's why they had to swing with such distribution of weight throughout their swings. I must say.... No left exit talk! People will do scary things, hands are where they are as a result of everything before impact, mainly, rhythm! They all get the club in the same place as Moe Norman would resulting in shots almost like knuckleballs, difference is they used their bodies and natural strength in their rhythm to manipulate the ball as the courses required. True ball strikers. Try this, have people take a backswing and get on their toe like snead. Next do the same but have them walk through to their target when following through. please lol
He actually won over 100 tournaments, but some were not counted? My dad told me this over 30 years ago, and he knows because he knew sam Sneed since the 50s
M P Downes I played that way for 2 decades. The quest requires a good teacher. I could hand you a violin and you could try as hard as you like but will likely never be able to figure it out. That’s golf. But, don’t get down on yourself. Keep your chin up and you can get good at the game. I sure did once I figured it out!
Sorry Christo, but he did work on his swing a great deal. Yes, he was a natural athlete, but in interviews later after his playing days he was actually upset that people thought he didn't practice and perfect his craft as much as he did. Snead was one of the few 'craftsman' who could change shot shape, distance, and action on the ball. Fuzzy Zoeller has a fantastic story about Snead on how he changed his tactics on various holes they played on...www.golfdigest.com/story/myshot_gd0608. I'm not criticising here, just pointing out that Sam Snead had a lot more going on than people realize.
@@MiracleSwingExperience One of my favorite old school swingers is Tom Weiskopf. Not a lot of video of him in his prime, but he's worth checking out. Big arc, great flow and rhythm, and CHS to burn.
Nice video, and some really great slow-mo of Sam Snead -- slow-mo clips I have never seen before, and enjoyed watching. AND HEY CHRISTO -- why not research Nancy Lopez? She was unbeatable in her first couple of years on the LPGA tour. She talked about her swing in an interview by CBS sports or some other major sports/golf channel. Someone had that interview on a RU-vid video, but the sound on it is so terrible it is inaudible (about 30 seconds into the video). About 47 seconds into the video she starts talking about her swing move -- can't really hear it. Check it out here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-6VeRj7WaJCg.html Again, nice Snead video.
Snead had extremely long arms and was very supple. Jimmy Demeret said Snead was a link closer to an ape than anyone else. Snead had a running bet at Augusta that he could kick the top of a door casing that he collected on well into his 70s.
Mike S. While I don't disagree with your specific comments, swings can be "similar" in other ways than positions and "mechanics." In fact, if "mechanics" as you describe them were the only criteria, then there are very, very few swings you could compare. Snead's and Couples' swings do share a couple important similarities that definitely qualify as "similar," esp to the casual observer: first, their overall tempo and rhythm is long and languid, with a buttery change of direction followed by an explosive through-swing. Both players are firmly in the "swinger" camp, as opposed to "hitter" or the more modern design to restrict hip turn against shoulder turn - although Snead certainly turns his hips more going back ("turn and burn"). And both swings are those of natural athletes. Both demonstrate astonishing flexibility, massive clearing of the lower body and a left hip "snap" (more pronounced with Snead) that creates massive lag and ultra-delayed release. Significant distinction between hip clearing and squared shoulders at impact is obvious in both swings, and is a testament to their elite flexibility. I've read that Snead could do splits, and we've all heard how rubbery Boom-Boom is. Like you say, their positions are very different, and few players have been successful with a right elbow to the sky like Couples, but I don't think it's inaccurate to say their swings are "similar."
Great swing,they don,t swing like that today,look how his hips pivot in back and through swing,today they tell you to restrict in back swing,little hip turn and and the same time make a full shoulder turn,painful if you ask me,i bet Mr Snead never suffered any injuries playing golf.S/J. I,m out.
It took me 15 months to understand and execute Sam Snead's biomechanical hip move. The actual move itself is completely counter-intuitive to almost every physical move we make in everyday life, even in other sports. Now that I understand it and managed to execute it properly on video, I'll never forget it, and certainly never go back to what I used to do. This one move essentially eliminated my early hip extension issues and help me drive the ball about 260 yards on good drives. For those that want to know how I learned it and actually see me do it in slow motion - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-0ijZNmTF3FE.html
If he had stuck with the instinctive swing he and his Dad and FIVE LESSONS produced, he would not have medical or psychological issues. Golf instruction lost it's way about 30 years ago and Tiger is just another victim. Do you think it is coincidence that chiropractors and mental game "coaches" showed up on tour at about the same time?
