Justin Parsons on "The Haromon Code" (Video)

Justin Parsons, who is the Director of Instruction at the Butch Harmon School of Golf, did this short video about the three things that Butch tends to focus on when he works with players.



Those three keys are:

• Lower body stability: You don't want to move off the ball during your swing.
• A short and wide arm swing: It's easier to get a wide arc to your swing if you keep the swing short.
• Staying square through impact: You don't want to flip the clubface when you hit the ball.

He also includes drills for each of these. I found the drill for lower body stability to be an interesting twist on the one-legged swing drill.

It's interesting that Justin emphasizes Butch's belief that not all swings should be the same. In my opinion, the short backswing is a relatively recent invention that -- for most players, anyway -- results in swinging too hard and sometimes creating back problems. I think that you should make the longest backswing you can make comfortably. The key word is comfortably. But if you aren't flexible enough to make a long backswing, then you shouldn't because you can hurt your back that way as well.

And those of you who are longtime readers know that one of my primary swing basics is that your swing should NOT hurt!

At any rate, this is the first video I've seen that clearly explains Butch's most basic beliefs about the swing. And since those beliefs have made him the successful teacher they have, they are worth knowing!