Post by Richie3Jack on Jun 29, 2012 13:00:47 GMT -5
Tim Clark is coming back off of a hiatus from an injury he suffered. The South African was known as a short hitting, accurate ballstriking golfer who putts pretty well with a Long Putter and beat Tiger Woods in the Accenture Match Play a few years ago. In their interview with Charlie Rose back in 2009, golf instructors Mike Bennett and Andy Plummer viewed Clark's swing as one of the best on Tour.
Here's a look at his current metrics:
Clubhead Speed: 103.6 mph (186th)
Launch Angle: 12.13° (25th)
Max Height: 78'11" (166th)
Spin Rate: 2,258 rpm (179th)
Driving Distance: 274.8 (177th)
Advanced Total Driving Rank: 49th
Birdie Zone Rank: 47th
Safe Zone Rank: 52nd
Danger Zone Rank: 58th
I see a lot of similarities between Clark’s swing and what Plummer and Bennett teach their students. From the DTL view, he really straightens out the rear knee quite quickly as by the time he hits p2, it’s just about perfectly straight. He also takes it a good bit inside on the takeaway. At p3, he’s in a fairly textbook position with the shaft just about pointing at the plane line and then as he goes into p4 he starts to get steeper with some of his body angles and the club gets ‘across the line.’
What’s interesting is at p4 he show a little cupping of the left wrist, but then he increases his cupping of the left wrist on the way down. Almost like an opposite move of Ben Hogan. But then the cupping starts to become ‘un-cupped’ into p6.
From the caddy view I see a very strong left hand grip. It is probably more noticeable because his handle is a little further back than a lot of golfers with strong grips who tend to have the handle more forward and thus the left hand is not as noticeable. One thing that is also fairly noticeable is how relatively steady his head is. If you leave your computer screen cursor on his head, in the backswing his head does not move off that cursor. Then in the downswing it does start to move forward, but it comes back to where it was going into impact. I would definitely label this a CF motion with a moderately steep vertical swing plane. I’m guessing P&B would label it ‘CF-inline’, creating a horizontal swing plane that is close to square to the baseline. I’ve never seen Clark play in person, so I don’t know what his ball flight is like.
Obviously, he doesn’t generate much clubhead speed (last on Tour) and tries to make up for it by hitting up on the driver.
3JACK
Here's a look at his current metrics:
Clubhead Speed: 103.6 mph (186th)
Launch Angle: 12.13° (25th)
Max Height: 78'11" (166th)
Spin Rate: 2,258 rpm (179th)
Driving Distance: 274.8 (177th)
Advanced Total Driving Rank: 49th
Birdie Zone Rank: 47th
Safe Zone Rank: 52nd
Danger Zone Rank: 58th
I see a lot of similarities between Clark’s swing and what Plummer and Bennett teach their students. From the DTL view, he really straightens out the rear knee quite quickly as by the time he hits p2, it’s just about perfectly straight. He also takes it a good bit inside on the takeaway. At p3, he’s in a fairly textbook position with the shaft just about pointing at the plane line and then as he goes into p4 he starts to get steeper with some of his body angles and the club gets ‘across the line.’
What’s interesting is at p4 he show a little cupping of the left wrist, but then he increases his cupping of the left wrist on the way down. Almost like an opposite move of Ben Hogan. But then the cupping starts to become ‘un-cupped’ into p6.
From the caddy view I see a very strong left hand grip. It is probably more noticeable because his handle is a little further back than a lot of golfers with strong grips who tend to have the handle more forward and thus the left hand is not as noticeable. One thing that is also fairly noticeable is how relatively steady his head is. If you leave your computer screen cursor on his head, in the backswing his head does not move off that cursor. Then in the downswing it does start to move forward, but it comes back to where it was going into impact. I would definitely label this a CF motion with a moderately steep vertical swing plane. I’m guessing P&B would label it ‘CF-inline’, creating a horizontal swing plane that is close to square to the baseline. I’ve never seen Clark play in person, so I don’t know what his ball flight is like.
Obviously, he doesn’t generate much clubhead speed (last on Tour) and tries to make up for it by hitting up on the driver.
3JACK