Your Body, Your Swing

Each week I will be sharing some tips, ideas, drills and lessons that I have learned and taught to my students over the last 20 years. If any of these articles help you with your game, please feel free to email or call me and share your story or any questions you may have.

I have been fortunate enough in my career to be influenced by many great teachers and players. Although this game is quite complicated and filled with never-ending advice, methods and techniques, there is one thing that I can say for certain: there is no “one method or technique” that works for everyone. The swing that is best for you is Your Swing.

No two people are exactly alike physically or mentally. Everyone has a different level of flexibility, strength, balance, hand-eye coordination, ability to focus and so forth. Therefore, when working on or practicing your golf game, realize that you are yourself and no one else. Decide what your strengths and weaknesses are and build on that foundation.

I see many golf schools and instructors who teach everyone the same method or try to teach what they are working on in their own games. If you are fortunate enough to get some guidance with a PGA Professional, make sure that person is going to help you find Your Swing rather than the flavor of the month. All of the factors I listed above and more should be identified and utilized in your lesson.

If you are practicing on your own, find a good player that has a similar body size and type and use that as your model. Also, open your mind to the value of strength, flexibility and balance as it relates to your golf game.

I started practicing yoga more than 15 years ago and have been a yoga instructor for more than a year. The practice has kept me relatively injury free and has allowed my game to stay at a high level without the long hours of practice that I put in when I was younger. Finding any type of exercise routine, especially one that involves flexibility improvement can and will help your golf game improve and help you find Your Swing.

Matt Stottern is Director of Instruction at Peninsula State Park Golf Course. He coached college golf for six seasons and has also coached Nike Junior Camps for six years. He has 12 years of experience as a Head Golf Professional.