Okay, so today I wanted to mess around with something completely different – golf. More specifically, I wanted to see if I could mimic Fred Couples’ smooth swing. I’ve always admired how effortless he makes it look. So, here’s how my little experiment went.
Getting Started
First things first, I watched a bunch of videos of Fred Couples swinging. I mean, a lot of videos. Slow-motion, different angles, you name it. I was trying to soak it all in. I paid attention to his posture, His posture is relaxed and athletic, not stiff or rigid, His grip looks gentle, not like he’s strangling the club, also the takeaway looks super smooth and wide.
The Practice
Next, I headed out to my backyard .
- I started by just trying to mimic his stance. I bent my knees slightly, kept my back straight-ish (but not stiff), and tried to relax my shoulders. It felt weird at first, honestly.
- Then I worked on the grip. I focused on holding the club lightly, like Couples seems to. I’ve always had a death grip on the club, so this was a big change.
- Next, I started to do takeaway. I swing back slowly, trying to keep the clubhead outside my hands for as long as possible.
- The downswing was the hardest part. I tried to imagine I was swinging a rope, not a club. It’s all about letting the club do the work, I kept telling myself.
The Results (So Far)
Okay, I’m not going to lie, I didn’t magically transform into Fred Couples. Not even close. But, I did notice a few things:
- More consistency: Even though my shots weren’t perfect, they were more consistently going in the same general direction. Less slicing, which is usually my big problem.
- Less effort: By focusing on a smoother swing, I felt like I was using less energy. I wasn’t as tired after hitting a bucket of balls.
- It is not easy to get the tempo and rhythm. Fred Couples’ swing has a beautiful, almost lazy tempo. Mine? Not so much. This is going to take a lot more practice.
It’s a work in progress, for sure. But I’m going to keep at it. It’s fun to try something new, and if I can even get a little bit of that Fred Couples magic into my swing, I’ll be happy.
