Obama has a golf swing I can believe in
If he spends time on his game, could Barack Obama become a better golfer than avid-playing presidents George W. Bush or Bill Clinton?
Yes he can!
One of the nice things about golf is that people reveal their personalities during a round. There’s no place to hide your true self on the course, so when I saw this footage of Obama’s golf swing taken during his Hawaiian vacation, I couldn’t resist the urge to play armchair analyst.
Take a look at Obama's swing in the video player below. (Footage from KGMB-9 TV in Hawaii; his swing starts around the one-minute mark.)
First, check out his setup. It looks like a well-trained address position. Obama is square to the target, with good posture and alignment. This is a well-prepared setup, the kind you’d expect from a Harvard Law School graduate. He looks ready to hit a good shot.
His backswing move is very compact and cautious. Obama’s backswing is the opposite of wild: it’s controlled and focused on avoiding mistakes. You can see this trait in his meticulously planned campaign as well.
Coming down he’s pretty good. He’s got his weight moving in the right direction and makes good contact. The funny thing is that even though he aims down the middle, his shots fly to the left. Hmmmmm.
Obama needs to be a little more aggressive through impact and really go for the jugular. That would get rid of his miss left. Should he get more aggressive on the campaign trail? I can’t really say, but if Obama does win, he’ll be our fifth-consecutive president who plays golf. Right now, Obama has the swing of an athletic guy who plays just a few times a year. His swing actually looks like a good right-handed player swinging left-handed. Everything is in the right place, but the result is not all the way there. Lots of potential though.
Obama’s swing reminds me of President Clinton, another left-handed player. Interestingly, of our last five presidents, only George W. Bush is right-handed. Not that Obama has an advantage there. John McCain’s a southpaw, too.
Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher Brady Riggs teaches at Woodley Lakes Golf Club in Van Nuys, Calif.
Posted by: Eric Bond | Aug 15, 2008 10:56:56 AM
Love the comment about how Obama aims down the middle but everything goes left. I'm sure McCain would golf if he wasn't held and tortured in a prison camp for five and a half years, which caused him to lose most of the range of motion in his shoulders.
Posted by: You | Aug 15, 2008 1:33:15 PM
Barack's swing isn't bad, really (I didn't know he was a southpaw). Although Brady called it right in saying he should get a little more aggressive through impact. Anyone know Bill's index?
Posted by: J | Aug 15, 2008 2:15:40 PM
I love it that he knows how to swing a club but he needs to work instead of playing golf. We already got a president who spend more time cutting craps on the ranch than work. That seems to work out pretty well.
Posted by: DJ | Aug 16, 2008 11:32:44 PM
Nevermind his hacky swing. PGA TOUR: get ready for a HUGE tax hike the likes of which you have never seen. You guys are gonna take it in the shorts...HARD! Start moving your cash offshore.
Posted by: lol | Aug 17, 2008 7:23:52 AM
solid as a rock barrack!!!!
Posted by: Exxon | Aug 18, 2008 1:19:44 PM
OBAMA 08
Posted by: B J | Aug 18, 2008 8:30:17 PM
Hopefully McCain will beat Obama so Obama can then have a lot of spare time to work on his swing.
Posted by: Ken | Aug 18, 2008 9:23:18 PM
Golf? So, Obama is an elitist... ha ha..
Posted by: Mike | Dec 26, 2008 9:33:58 AM
From the picture of his position at the top of the back swing, he lays the club off too much which causes the shots to the left as he swings through. also he has a chicken wing follow through which decreases power and distance..all easy to correct, but he won't have the time after Jan 20, I hope...
Posted by: Clayton Garland, PGA, C.G.F.I. | Jan 3, 2009 9:59:35 PM
Great analysis of the president elect's golf swing. A man with a polished golf game is a man in control of his life. I wonder if he takes lessons? I need to get him my business card and a copy of my book, Golf Fitness FOR MEN. That should take him to the next level.
Clayton Garland, PGA, C.G.F.I.
http://blog.pgaclay.com
Posted by: Clayton Garland, PGA, C.G.F.I. | Jan 3, 2009 10:00:18 PM
Great analysis of the president elect's golf swing. A man with a polished golf game is a man in control of his life. I wonder if he takes lessons? I need to get him my business card and a copy of my book, Golf Fitness FOR MEN. That should take him to the next level.
Clayton Garland, PGA, C.G.F.I.
http://blog.pgaclay.com
Posted by: Clayton Garland, PGA, C.G.F.I. | Jan 3, 2009 10:00:24 PM
Great analysis of the president elect's golf swing. A man with a polished golf game is a man in control of his life. I wonder if he takes lessons? I need to get him my business card and a copy of my book, Golf Fitness FOR MEN. That should take him to the next level.
Clayton Garland, PGA, C.G.F.I.
http://blog.pgaclay.com
Posted by: Clayton Garland, PGA, C.G.F.I. | Jan 3, 2009 10:00:28 PM
Great analysis of the president elect's golf swing. A man with a polished golf game is a man in control of his life. I wonder if he takes lessons? I need to get him my business card and a copy of my book, Golf Fitness FOR MEN. That should take him to the next level.
Clayton Garland, PGA, C.G.F.I.
http://blog.pgaclay.com
Posted by: Clayton Garland, PGA, C.G.F.I. | Jan 3, 2009 10:00:32 PM
Great analysis of the president elect's golf swing. A man with a polished golf game is a man in control of his life. I wonder if he takes lessons? I need to get him my business card and a copy of my book, Golf Fitness FOR MEN. That should take him to the next level.
Clayton Garland, PGA, C.G.F.I.
http://blog.pgaclay.com
Posted by: Golfswing Analyze | Jan 25, 2009 9:37:20 PM
This is what happen when a man get famous.
With so many thing happening around the US, I hope that he can enjoy his golf session soon.
Golfswing Analyze
http://golfswing-analyze.com/
Posted by: Dean Loughmiller | Apr 26, 2009 11:09:06 PM
He needs to change the way he addresses the ball. It would appear to me that he addresses the ball the same way he addresses political issues. That being from the left side. If he would change by addressing the ball from the right side, then I believe he would find real success. As a matter of fact, I believe he could find even greater political success by shifting to the right side of political issues as well. In conclusion, the fix is quite simple. All he nedds to do is buy a set of new right=handed clubs and start addressing the ball from the right side. I am persuaded the immediate success in his game will cause him to reflect upon how he addresses the great economic and political issues of our time.
Posted by: Dean Loughmiller | Apr 26, 2009 11:15:47 PM
The fix is quite simple. All he needs to do is change how he addresses the ball. He needs to address the ball from the right side. This will require him to buy a new set of right-handed clubs. Hopefully, the immediate success will cause him to rethink how he addresses the great issues of our time and make the same change to the right side.