Okay, so today I’m gonna share my experience messing around with, well, trying to understand and maybe even copy a bit of Tom Kim’s golf swing. You know, that young dude is killing it, and I figured, why not see if I can steal a few secrets?
First things first, I watched a TON of videos. I mean, hours. Slow-motion breakdowns, swing analyses, you name it. I really wanted to see what makes his swing so consistent and powerful. I noticed a few things right off the bat: his tempo is crazy smooth, and he keeps his width really well throughout the swing.
So, the next step was to grab my clubs and head to the driving range. I started with some easy wedge shots, just trying to get a feel for that smooth tempo. I focused on a nice, relaxed takeaway, like he does. It felt weird at first, honestly. I’m usually a bit quicker and more jerky in my swing. I kept telling myself, “Smooth, easy, like butter.”
After the wedges, I moved on to my irons. This is where I really started focusing on maintaining that width in my backswing. I tried to keep my arms extended for as long as possible. I could feel myself getting a little bit longer and wider in my swing, which was good. But, I also started hitting some pulls and hooks. Turns out, keeping the width also means you gotta rotate your body properly. Oops.
Okay, so back to the drawing board, or rather, back to YouTube. I re-watched some of those swing videos, paying closer attention to his body rotation. I noticed he really gets his hips cleared out of the way on the downswing. So, the next time I was at the range, I worked on my hip rotation. I felt like I was almost exaggerating the movement at first, but it helped me get a better feel for it.
And you know what? The pulls and hooks started to disappear. I was hitting the ball straighter and further than I had in a while. Still not as good as Tom Kim, obviously, but definitely an improvement. It was a good feeling!
Then I tried my driver. Woo boy, that was a challenge. All the same principles apply, of course – smooth tempo, wide takeaway, hip rotation – but with the driver, everything’s amplified. My mistakes were amplified too! I was hitting some major slices. So I spent more time focusing on my grip and making sure my clubface was square at impact. It’s a never-ending process, I swear.
Overall, I’d say it was a successful experiment. I learned a lot about my own swing and I definitely picked up a few things from Tom Kim. I think the biggest takeaway for me was the importance of tempo and width. It’s something I’m going to continue to work on. I’m not gonna turn into a pro golfer overnight, but hopefully, I can shave a few strokes off my score next time I’m out on the course.
Here’s a quick summary of my steps:
- Watched a bunch of Tom Kim swing videos.
- Focused on smooth tempo and wide takeaway.
- Worked on hip rotation on the downswing.
- Adjusted grip and clubface alignment with the driver.
- Practiced, practiced, practiced!
Give it a try yourself and let me know how it goes!
