Happy Tuesday - this time of year, it can be easy to nit-pick at your swing fundamentals. With warmer weather and extended daylight hours, chances are, you’ve had a few more opportunities to hit the links recently. And whether you’ve been playing well or playing poorly, when you have time to focus on it, you’ll always find something to fix. Today, 5-time PGA Tour winner Harris English gives his take on whether you need a “perfect” swing to be successful in this game.
Let’s jump in!
MENTAL GAME
Do You Need a “Perfect” Pro-Level Swing?
We are ALL our own worst critics
It’s so easy to pick apart your game when you have time to focus on it. Even Adam Scott (with perhaps the best swing in the game) can at times find positions and angles he’s not happy with. But spoiler alert, YOU DO NOT NEED A PERFECT SWING to play incredible golf. Just ask Jim Furyk or Lee Trevino.
Straight from Harris English, here’s what you should focus on if you are in fact critiquing your swing:
MUST BE REPEATABLE: If you can do the same thing every day, hitting your positions and squaring up the club face at impact, that’s really priority #1. To make your swing consistent, establish a routine and go through your pre-shot process on each and every shot, even if you’re just banging balls off the mats.
MUST HOLD UP UNDER PRESSURE: Flushing it on the range or in a casual practice round is one thing, but you must be able to bring your game to the course when money or status are on the line.
MUST BE ABLE TO HIT ALL THE SHOTS: Unlike bowling or archery or even basketball, golf is a game where no two shots are ever the same. Instill variety into your practice to make sure you can adapt to any situation on the course.
If you can do the 3 things above, you’re likely ahead of 99% of amateurs. That said, there some things you should always keep in mind:
RE-CHECK YOUR FUNDAMENTALS: If you’re feeling lost or just feel slightly off, start from the bottom up. Work on your grip, double-check your aim/alignment, practice super-slow motion swings. Even the swings of Tour Pros morph over time, so they typically use Mondays before an event to get back to basics. Why shouldn’t you?
BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF: It’s easy to find swing flaws in a 10+ Handicap, but if your handicap already sits in the < 10 HCP range and you can only dedicate 1 hour per week to practice, it’s going to be VERY difficult to get better. And if you do want to go through a major swing change, it might take years to see results, often taking a major step backwards in the process. Perhaps it might be better to just be content with what you have.
NEVER COMPARE YOURSELF TO OTHERS: Comparison is the thief of joy. It’s also a sure-fire way to screw yourself up mentally (and possibly physically). We are all unique individuals on our own journeys. Embrace your uniqueness and don’t compare someone else’s end to your beginning.
TODAY’S TRIVIA
Answer to Win an Odyssey Ai-One Square 2 Square Jailbird Putter
(1 winner chosen on 8/31/25 across all August trivia entries, 1,000 correct respondents minimum)
The FedEx St. Jude Classic kicks off the PGA Tour playoffs this week with a prize of $3.6 million to the winner. What was the winning prize in 1995 (30 years ago)?
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