What’s all the talk of getting your golf swing on video?  Do you think it really helps your golf game?  Video analysis started picking up steam in the early 1990’s and I was also caught with the bug back then.  But I started seeing a disturbing trend after a few years – Although we could view the video in super slow motion, pausing at every point in the swing, comparing your swing to a comparable sized PGA or LPGA Tour Player – we started to see more confused Golfers and worse scores!

I believe you’ll find many more Golfers that got worse after video than Golfers that got better!  I believe that you could easily find a Golfer that got their swing video analyzed and subsequently got 5 or more strokes worse!    Yet, this is not what you’ve been told before, is it?

Why aren’t you hearing the whole story?

You're not hearing the whole story because the Golfer doesn't believe they should've gotten worse after getting video analyzed.  But because video is supposed to be the greatest thing since off-set Drivers - the Golfer doesn't want to tell anyone they got worse out of fear that these other Golfers will think they must be imcompetent - because everybody gets better after video, don't they?  The Golfer is almost ashamed to tell anybody they got worse, so they make up excuses such as - "It was really good.  I learned a lot.  I'm not hitting the ball better, but at least I know what I've got to work on."

And guess what happens when you see this Golfer 3 months later - what do you think this Golfer is still saying?

How is it that Golfers are brainwashed to believe that they need to get on video to get better?  Show me proof that this is necessary!  Show me results that prove that Golfers that get their swing analyzed on video improve faster or at all!

Now, on the other hand, tell me how Barry B. from Lexington, Kentucky went from a well above 95 Golfer (and that includes mulligans and gimme’s) just three years ago to a mid 70’s Golfer that just broke par for the first time by shooting a 71 without the aid of video analysis. 

And the Monkey is now saying – “Well if Barry had had video analysis, he might’ve improved faster.”

How much faster can you get than 30 over par to 1 under par in 3 years!

And I believe that you can’t show me proof that video analysis helps Golfers improve their scores!  Show me your handicap card or lead me to your handicap index on the Internet where you can say – “Marc, as you can see on April 17th I was a 24 handicap when I got my swing analyzed.  Now on September 19th I’m a 17 handicap."

Though, I bet there are more than a few Golfers reading this that could say the opposite – “Marc, I went to get my swing analyzed by this Pro and after watching my swing video and working with my Pro on the things we saw I was doing bad, my scores actually got worse.  Much worse.  I was a 17 and now I’m a 24.”

I have a large sum of cash sitting on my desk for someone who can show me more Golfers that have gone from a 24 to 17 using video than I can show you that have gone from a 17 to a 24!

Many Golfers believe that getting their swing videotaped is a rite of passage.  That getting your video analyzed is like a baptism or bar mitzvah for Golfers.

Yet, we haven’t touched a video camera in over 6 years and we’re seeing Golfers not just improve, but thank us for getting them away from their video addiction.  And when I say improvement, I’m not just saying one or two strokes – we’re talking much more significant than that.  Here’s just one example –

"Marc, I attended your school at St. Augustine in February this year (2006).  Although I felt I got a lot of good info at the school, I was somewhat skeptical whether the three days would really help my golf game.  I was surprised that you didn't videotape swings or try to make major adjustments in my grip.

I played to about a 13 handicap, but was prone to major swings in my scoring.  Since then, I've been playing to an 8 handicap.  I've recorded personal bests on most of the courses I've played this summer and shot as low as a 74.

The items that helped the most are the following:
     
1) Focusing on better balance.  By focusing on this, I was able to get a more consistent swing pace which improved my ball striking and increased distance on my woods.

2)   Adjusting my "length of swing" has given me so many options on the course.
     
3)   Your recommendation on getting a more lofted driver, with a neutral club face.  I have increased my accuracy and length off the tee significantly, effectively shortening a lot of courses.  I'm no longer one of the "shorter hitters" among my peers.

Golf Made Simple gave me an excellent foundation to build from.  I've always practiced year round and have taken video lessons over the years, but I've never had a significant drop in my scores in the past.  Attending your school has got me playing the best golf of my life.  Although your website focuses on getting people to break 90, I can definitely recommend it to players trying to break 80. 

Thanks,

Bruce W – Indianapolis, Indiana – Received September 10th, 2006

Now is this an advertisement I’m writing?  You bet it is! 

It’s to advertise to you that video won’t help you to improve as much as it’s promoted it will.  And I BACK THAT STATEMENT UP WITH RESULTS OF NOT JUST GOLFERS THAT HAVE COME TO SEE US – THIS IS BACKED UP BY THE CONFUSION THAT POSSIBLY YOU OR A GOLFER YOU KNOW HAS TO GO THROUGH ON THE GOLF COURSE AFTER YOU HAD YOUR SWING VIDEO ANALYZED.

I just received an email last night from a Golfer that last week had his swing videotaped and analyzed.  He was told he was coming over the top and he was told what he needed to do to fix the problem.  He went out and practiced it and then eventually went out to play 18 holes with his friends.  The problem though is that he only played 9 holes because the frustration of how bad he was hitting the ball, didn't allow him the play the back 9.

Have you ever been there yourself?

Again – send me results that back up that video analysis will help you to improve your scores by 5 or more strokes.  Don’t send me – “Well I feel I have a better understanding of my swing and it’s just a matter of time before I see improvement.”  That’s not a positive result – meaning you haven’t improved your scores.

This is improvement –

Wat:
 
Thanks for the fantastic instruction.  I am using all the drills and today played with a bunch of golf buddies at Kapolei GC (former site of the LPGA Ladies Hawaiian Open) and shot the round of my life.  I was only 1 over par after nine holes.  We stopped for a Gatorade at the turn after which I started to think too much; took me 4 holes to re-groove, then continued on to finish at 83 which is quite good for me.  My total was 7 pars and 2 birdies, all legit.  I have witnesses!  I have already recommended you to about a dozen people; you may be getting busy.
 
Alan – Hawaii – Received August 25th, 2006

See, that’s results.  On the other hand – The Monkey is hiding behind the – “It might take some time to see results” or the – “You need to get worse before you get better” or the – “Well although my scores aren’t better, I feel better about my swing” or the neo-classic – “I didn’t get my swing analyzed because I wanted better scores, I wanted to have a better swing.”  Well what’s the point of a better swing other than that it could lead you to better scores?  And if your scores haven’t improved, then I guess you're not hitting the golf ball any better and if your scores have gotten worse, then your swing must've gotten worse!

So in essence, your swing must not have improved as much as you thought it did!

Or hoped it would!

The Monkey may say that they felt better about knowing what they’re doing wrong, but that doesn’t mean you’ve corrected it.  And besides – that's the reason that the scorecard only has small boxes on it - it doesn’t allow you to write in that little box how you feel about your swing - "although my score was a 7, I just had my swing video analyzed and I'm not quite there yet, and although I hit some bad shots here on this hole, I did hit some good ones on the driving range before playing."

The scorecard and you playing partners don't care!

All the scorecard wants to know is the number of strokes you took to get the golf ball into the hole!

And I have hundreds of testimonials from Golfers that have figured this out and are now writing better scores on their scorecards, all without using video!

Monkeys are video addicts

Players are PLAN addicts

Go ahead, Be a Player!

Regards,

Marc Solomon – Your Instructor For Life