By: Charles W. Boatright
Brooks Koepka, more of a fan of America’s Pastime
If you ask Brooks Koepka, the 2017 U.S. Open winner if he would prefer the baseball swing to the golf swing, his answer would surprise most people. But Brooks would answer that he would rather be swinging a baseball bat rather than swinging a golf club.
He has ties to baseball that go back to his great uncle, Richard Morrow “Dick” Groat, a shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He (Groat) played in eight All-Star Games and was the 1960 National League MVP, with a batting average of 0.325. This type of background for a golfer to have in his/her family isn’t surprising. Jordan Spieth had to make a similar decision between baseball and golf also. In Brooks’ case, the reason he gave for picking up golf instead of baseball was that he couldn’t hit home runs. He explained that he might not have been big enough to hit the long ball.
Baseball-Style Golf Swing to take your baseball-style golf swing from the batter’s box to the tee box.
Brooks Koepka proved that a golfer can take their baseball-style golf swing from the batter’s box to the tee box, without creating any inconsistency in the golf swing.
If Brooks Koepka couldn’t hit the long ball in baseball, he proved this weekend that he didn’t have the same issue in hitting the long ball in golf. His average drives are 322-yards, hitting most fairways in regulation.
Taking Advantage of the Baseball-Style Golf Swing
I had a golf swing coach, Hemi Q. Boatright, who used the mechanics and techniques to create a baseball-style golf swing. As a matter of fact, my coach, my grandfather, was actually ahead of his time. He had me hitting baseballs off of a makeshift, waist-high tee, made out of a tee post that was concreted in a 5-gallon bucket with a radiator hose tied on the top of the tee post. I started out hitting baseballs at waist level, before transitioning to a golf ball that I hit with a bat.
His main focus was syncing my right elbow (I’m right handed) and presetting my wrists. When I finally got to hitting a golf ball off a regular golf tee, my mechanics and techniques were a part of my muscle memory, where I didn’t have to think about my golf swing. It was almost like I was standing inside a batter’s box.
A side effect of my golf coaching techniques was that I actually could start driving the ball. I’m not just talking about the golf ball, but the baseball.
Developing the Critical Swing Path
My grandfather had a playing partner, Dr. Choate, who played with him every Saturday morning at the North Hills Country Club. If my grandfather was the tactician, Dr. Choate was the mechanic of kinesiology. With his medical background, he developed what I call the Critical Swing Path. The Critical Swing Path that I’m referring to isn’t referring to the path that the club head or club handle takes in the golf swing.
The Critical Swing Path refers to the three key muscles that a golfer can use to sync their elbow with the shoulders and preset the wrists. This was a technique that Arnold Palmer gave to President Eisenhower before a Pro-Am on the hitting range.
Brooks Koepka might well be contributing his 2017 U.S. Open win to his baseball-style golf swing. I know that I can depend on my baseball-style golf swing to hit 90 percent of my fairways and 75 percent of my greens in regulation. Remember, the golfer’s approach shot is the most critical golf shot into the green.
The 10- Mental Rules for Golf
My Critical Swing Path gives me confidence and, more importantly, the feel to make a consistent golf shot. The other benefit of muscle memory and feel is the connection the golfer has to the subconscious mind. There are 10- Mental Rules for golf that govern how our subconscious mind works on the golf course and how to take advantage of this enormous power factor. Like Bobby Jones, Sr. once stated- Golf is a game that is played on a five-inch course – the distance between your ears.
To learn to take your baseball-style golf swing from the batter’s box to the tee box, purchase your copy of The ESPY Golf Swing Coach from the links below, or visit your local bookstore:
My book can also be purchased at Edwin Watts Golf Store in Jackson, Mississippi. Phone No. 601-956-8784
820 East County Line Road, Ridgeland, MS 39157
My book can also be purchased on-line at:
Amazon.com
Barnes & Noble
This book is a self-coaching forum that provides basic and advanced fundamentals to help you play golf with confidence and start lowering your handicap.
Please take advantage of my SR-925 Diet Program, where I lost 6 inches in my waist in 3- months (FREE of CHARGE) with the CASPER Workout Program, detailed in Section 20 of my book:
Please include an exercise routine in your weekly schedule.
Also, learning The ESPY Golf Swing Coach process is an excellent way to develop Rhythm without experiencing the Blues in your golf game, learn how to take your baseball-style swing from the batter’s box to the tee box.
Please visit “The Locker Room” for an Index of all my golf articles to improve your golf game and life. Discover how you can take your baseball swing from the batter’s box to the tee box.
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