Playing golf well takes a lot of time and practice. Even the best players in the world continue to hone their skills throughout their careers.
Swing advice can come from anywhere: from a golf course instructional pro, YouTube, Twitter or even that extra guy in your foursome.
Recent Golf Hall of Fame inductee Padraig Harrington is no stranger to improving his game. He’s a driving range guy, loves finding ways to play the game better and enjoys helping other weekend golfers.
But with good advice comes terrible tips.
Instead of offering up his best swing tips ahead of the U.S. Senior Open, he decided to do the opposite.
“There are so many different things in life that are really important at different times, so it’s hard to know which is best,” Harrington says. “It’s easier to choose the worst advice.”
Harrington shared what he believes are the three worst pieces of swing advice he’s ever received.
“Staying still is probably the worst,” he said. “Keep your feet on the ground. Keep your head still. Keep your head down. Swing slowly. All of those things are awful.”
All of the tips given will benefit a player’s swing if implemented correctly.
Keeping your feet still is not as common as it used to be. Now you can use your feet to generate more power and hit the ball farther.
Harrington explained why in a video a few years ago. Without moving your head Not good advice.
Swinging slowly can harm a player when developing power, golfers must learn to swing hard and then master how to make contact with the ball correctly.
Power is a game-changing skill in golf that not everyone has.
Golf is a unique sport. It’s unlike any other sport. No two golfers have the same swing.
“Golf is counterintuitive,” he said.
Harrington explained what his first coach, Howard Bennett, told him about the golf swing.
“If non-golfers take up golf and do the exact opposite of what they think they’re going to do, they’ll do better,” Harrington said.
The three-time major champion has tried a variety of tactics and knows what works and what doesn’t.
Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Follow us for more golf articles. Follow You can follow us on all major social platforms. You can also follow us on Twitter Follow Instagram: @savannah_leigh_sports
