Worst Golf Advice You've Gotten

[jambalaya]

When I was first starting to play golf, my dad told me that you mainly swing with the left arm and that above all one needed to keep the left arm straight. He said the right arm only came along for the ride. So here I am trying to keep the arm straight throughout the swing. So I had a heavily left hand and left arm controlled swing for a long time. Another one was that I needed to drag the club straight back and along the ground on the backswing as far as possible. As a result my swing had a lot of lateral movement. Yet, I was able to score as low as a 78 one time. How did I even hit the freeking ball?

[DaGris]

swing as hard as you can............thats doesnt work!

[ManchesterGolfer]

I have a very fast Tempo but play off 7, with a big JD style overswing. I get coupled with somebody I've never played with before and they tell me 'Slow it down' when there off 20 just because I hit a poor 1st tee shot. (It takes me a couple of holes to get going which is my main problem) I tell them Speed it up!!!

[clemsonhacker]

when you setup to the ball, stick your but out like your taking a poo..

[Dannykos]

"just try and hit the ball as far to the right as possible"

this came from a teaching pro – trying to cure my OTT. now i'm stuck with the mega-hooks!!

cheers ta.

[ezra76]

Swing to right field, good way to ensure you never release the club properly.

[Pa Jayhawk]

To be real honest, I don't really remember ever receiving any real poor advice from anyone that I ever listened to while trying to learning or from people that are familiar with my swing and game and who's opinion I value. Just alot from guys on the course or guys on the range that try to show how much they know, and since it went in one ear and out the other once I realized it was poor advice, I don't remember it. Unless I am paying the guy, or I previously respect their opinion, it is usually on deaf ears for me, especially on the course. Even if I respect their opinion, I don't want to hear it on the course. Fine on the 19th hole, or somewhere else.

Originally Posted by ezra76

Swing to right field, good way to ensure you never release the club properly.

This is a very common one I see taught to beginners, and was actually taught by my initial instructor. It can go two ways, where I believe the intent is to promote a inside~out swing and to not Cast the club. Which it did for me, but in the process I believe you are correct because one of my bigger issues that initially led to my fade~slice. Not releasing the club properly. Never really thought of it until you mentioned. I guess it is 50~50 on whether the pro's outweigh the cons.

[indacup]

I flew to LOs Angeles to take two $150 lessons from a guy who was supposedly the genius of the Mike Austin Swing.

He told me to make sure my right knee is ahead of my left elbow at impact.

I did that and promptly tore my rotator cuff.

[Dusty90]

He told me to make sure my right knee is ahead of my left elbow at impact.

How is that even possible! Im pretty flexible but I dont see how I could make my body do that and still make contact with the golf ball semi consistently.

[zaphod]

when you setup to the ball, stick your but out like your taking a poo..

Love to talk to the golfer would routinely poos standing up.

What a unique thought. Is that to generate a golf shot that one compares to the poo??

Keep your head still and down. Made a stiff robot out of me. What a crock.

[Bignose]

I always like threads like these. I gives me an excuse to open one of my favorite golf books The Disorderly Compendium of Golf by Rubenstein and Neuman.

There is a section called "Contrasting Swing Advice" starting on page 152. It takes quotes from various well-recognized teachers of the game and shows just how different two different people's teaching can be.

Pinching the Knee:
Peter Kostis: Forget all you've heard about pinching your knees together. That's nonsense.
Ben Hogan: During the golf swing, the knees work towards each other. Since they do, let's start that way to begin with, each knee pointing in. In my opinion, this is a very valuable shortcut.

The Force that Controls the Swing:
David Leadbetter: Both the direction and the speed of the clubhead are controlled by your torso. Your hands and arms remain passive -- think "active body, passive hands"
Ernest Jones: The body and all its parts should be treated as disastrous leaders but as wholly admirable followers of the action of the hands and fingers. The basic action of the swing is the proper action of the hands and fingers.

There are many more. But the point is that some piece of advice that is perfect for one person is always going to be totally, totally awful for another. I personally haven't run into too many truly awful pieces of advice. I don't care for Hardy's "start the lawnmower" description of the movements of the arms in the swing. But, nothing that has completely ruined my swing -- I can do that all by myself without anyone's help or advice.

[Sandpiper3]

Worst advice I ever got was right before a tournament.

My friend's dad told me "DO NOT THINK, AT ALL" as i was having some swing issues and had NO confidence whatsoever going in.

Well I didnt think AT ALL. Didn't think and all the sudden 89 shots later i'd finished my round.

I HAVE to think on the course.

Other than that, "feel like your throwing the club at the ball". Confusing as hell and led to an extremely steep swing

[jojosasser]

I was golfing with a guy one time that had a really strange looking stance but was a pretty good player. He told me to assume my stance as if I was trying to pin a greased pig between my legs. Although I am from a pretty rural area, I can't say I've ever been presented the situation where I need to stop a runaway pig.

[MCDavis]

From people here: just buy more clubs.....

[JasonMacIsaac]

Keeping the head still is proper, look at everyone's swing on the pga tour, where their head is at address is where the head is at impact.

Adam Scott


Tiger Head does not move back or forth (little dip)


Boo Weekly


Padraig Harrington


Ernie Els


I'm sure there is more