Swing Analysis: Mickey Wright

[@bobbyhunt100]

Her inside takeaway reminds me very much of the great George Knudsen as well as Sam Snead, Bobby Jones etc. All regarded as beautiful swingers!

[@john40paul42]

Love this golf swing. Waynes analysis with box and lines is excellent.

[@horsepoetry]

Yeah, really looks like early Nicklaus, I agree! I love that angular Hogan-esque look after transition with the straight left arm, lots of scapular protraction, rigid left arm and increased lag. I'm confused over your description of getting this look by initiating right arm (elbow) extension via right triceps. I get it through left tricep, left pectoralis and left anterior serratus co-contraction to get scapular protraction plus left elbow extension and a firm connection of the upper left arm to chest. Is right arm extensor action a TGM idea? The way I teach it creates a good resistance to the increasing latissimus tension. The right extensor action seems counter intuitive, since if you are Hogan or Mickey Wright you trying to allow more lag at transition, hold right elbow flexion through impact and keep the upper left humeral connection to the chest to "cut it level left" post impact. Right extensor action is counterproductive to all of this, while doing it through left tricep/pec/serratus encourages all of those intentions AND achieves that same "reaching out" look at transition. Anyone have an argument for using right extensor action at transition?

[@fradaja]

Thats right wayne lets keep it simple LOL

[@johntalbot3412]

Isn’t the caddie drag move she does in the first few inches starting in her arms which causes the delay of wrist break early when her arm is parallel to ground going back which will allow for the loading in translation to react the way she show That’s what’s setting or loading the right hand an bending or load the shaft. The drag move helps the loading of her pivot action.

[@deanw0rmer]

My teacher is old school. Likes the lifting of the left heel. Mickey is one of his favorites

[@kitkatcats3360]

Good analysis. The squatting action at start of downswing is key.

[@Christine-ry1qq]

Never ever seen a swing like hers Just amazing The thing I love most it’s just how natural and free flowing it was No So called PGA teaching which has just made sooo many youngsters ROBOTS these days RIP Mickey xxxxx loved everything you did for women in golf and women in general GREAT GREAT lady xx

[@williamtaylor5193]

You make an interesting point about how brushing the tee away and "low and slow" leads to inside and deep. I have Mickey's instruction book and I tried to cure my inside takeaway with this drill--bad move.

[@JohnnyChanzzz]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with a minor inside takeaway, you just have to match it up. Several pro players have a slight inside takeway (hands in club out) they still come down on plane. I built my swing from watching Mike Austin and the old time greats and they all did that. It all comes down to the proper compound movement using the feet/ankles or knees to start the swing. Imho the old school way feels way more consistent compared to the modern outside takeaway and up then shallow swing. The kinesiology and science behind it is quite interesting, theres only 2 swings; a double pendulum and a conical pendulum swing. Both can work, you just have to figure out what swing type yours belongs to.

[@williamtaylor5193]

@@JohnnyChanzzz I was referring to hands out clubhead in, which has always been a problem for me. The cause is early body turn, along with a tendency to let the upper right arm slide behind me. The most dramatic example of a great player who whipped the clubhead behind himself early was Ray Floyd, but what saved Floyd is that his upper right arm stayed in place, so he got tremendous biomechanical lift as the backswing progressed---his hands were high at the top. There are few players in the modern game that let the clubhead get behind their hands at waist high (9 o'clock, when looking from down the line).

[@lawr66]

I really like your analyses. That last swing of Mickey's, to my mind, shows her chasing through a little bit, like Moe said he did, and like I think Trevino did. What you call the catch is what I call the stretch. It's what only took me about 20 years to figure out, but it's what allows me to remember what to do. I even do that little reverse wrist flip at the start of the backswing that Mickey does. I agree with Hogan that Mickey's swing is basically perfect. I don't think the modern swings are better at all.

[@stevepising]

Love the transition, with the left knee leading and the right knee holding back somewhat to produce a squatting position. Very powerful, dynamic action for a woman's swing. Unusual to see a lady golfer with so much lag coming down, she must have had reasonably strong wrists to get to that position. Most ladies hit earlier. Was she long for her day? Her swing overall reminds me of young Jack Nicklaus c1962

[@mws3d]

In her book, Mickey says she hit one drive (albeit downwind and on a hard fairway) 10 yards over a 385 yard hole.

[@kort1344]

Yea, thanks for the absolute incredible insight Wayne. Next time, maybe you can show us how to boil and egg

[@slewofdamascus]

RIP Mickey Wright - God bless her family.

[@mmjhcb]

She was the greatest of all time. Period.

[@steplumpkin5432]

LOVED, THIS!!!!!!

[@funnystuff9954]

Great thanks alot... super super swing...

[@mmjhcb]

To my recollection, she won 13 tournaments in one year. Think that'll ever be equaled? Not me.

[@mws3d]

In 1945, Byron Nelson won 18 tournaments, 11 of which he won in a row. 😀

[@mmjhcb]

​@@mws3d Was Byron Nelson a woman? Early transgender maybe? Geesh!

[@JimmyVespe]

I think Hogan was hitting the bottle when he said that was the best swing he ever saw.

[@pebblebeach4868]

Manzella and his scientific research team disagrees with your notion of creating wrist angle and sustaining it into impact him beyond.

[@pebblebeach4868]

+Wayne Defrancesco my point is it doesn't add anything to their force. Yes they're doing it but the best scientific minds are saying it matters not. The same amount of impact force can be generated from a sweep release flat wrist. ( Jack & Tom Watson) ... Dr. Steve Nesbit who studies kinematic 3 dimensional hand path can and will confirm this if you'd like to contact him or challenge him. This should be good news to you not a rebuke. Isn't arriving at an easier swing model for your students the goal or do you just want to be right?

[@waynedefrancesco9342]

+Pebble Beach It's not about force. it's about clubface stability. A sweep release is way closer to a flip or throw release. Also, it's a stretch to say Nicklaus had a sweep release when you watch the divots he takes.

[@jeffpalmer3562]

have you tried to use a hammer or swing a bat with no hinge???? Just worked with BM and he said no such thing. I think you have misunderstood

[@fradaja]

low and slow means deep and behind you???????? wayne d, you do talk some shite! mikey sweeps the ball..........and this is how she initiates the swing low and slow is a simple swingthought, deep and behind you is a flat swing ,mikey is upright like nicklaus.........just wondering how many people have come to you and, have sold their clubs as a result?

[@mudddge]

+fradaja Totally right....low and slow means high hands at the top, not deep and behind you. That's a fact basic thing.

[@jeffpalmer3562]

deep and behind is not necessarily a flat swing. In Nicklaus' rebuild in '84 he tried to get his hands deeper behind his head....... perhaps you should venture out of your thoughts and learn to back them up