Lucas Wald Golf Quiz

The Wald Golf Quiz: Question 1

Should the elbow of your left (lead) arm face the target at impact?

Yes No

At impact, the great players have their left (lead) arm internally rotated with their left (lead) elbow pointed at the target. It’s commonly believed that the forearms should “roll over” through impact such that the left (lead) elbow points more at the lead hip, but it’s not what the great players do.

Is Jordan Spieth's left arm straight at impact?

Yes No

Jordan Spieth’s left arm is slightly flexed at impact. It is a common misunderstanding to think that the left arm has to be straight at impact. In fact, we see many great players with bent left arms at impact.

Name this legendary player.

Nelson Guldahl Hogan Miller

Ralph Guldahl was a long-hitting PGA Tour player who won three majors (2 US Opens and a Masters) in the 1930s. He had many of the moves we see in the other legends of the game.

Which of these players has their lead foot on the ground at impact with a driver?

Bubba Watson Tiger Woods Steve Elkington Dustin Johnson Justin Thomas Sam Snead Johnny Miller

Many great players “float” their left foot (left foot off the ground completely) as they deliver the club at impact, particularly with a driver. This is a power move and is a sign of great rotation.

Worrying about some elements of the swing – like whether or not the club crosses the line or is laid off at the top – is a waste of time.

True False

Golf instruction tends to focus on superficial aspects of the swing (e.g., position at the top, keeping head still), almost all of which are irrelevant. What’s unique about the greatest players of all time (and what’s important to focus on when you’re trying to improve) is the core engine that they all have in common.

According to golf statistician Mark Broadie, if the average PGA Tour player gained 20 yards of carry with his driver, he would gain ___ strokes per round on the field.

.50 .75 1 None

People might say, “Drive for show and putt for dough,” but it’s not true. Power is very important. The dominant players throughout the history of the game tend to be longer (in some cases, much longer) than their peers.

Impact position should look like address (when viewed from down the line).

True False

The great players all have tremendous hip and torso rotation at impact. They don’t look at all at impact like they do at address.

Achieving great rotation in your swing is difficult if you also move laterally toward the target.

True False

All great players have exceptional rotation. Some move a little bit laterally (like Hogan and Tiger), but no great players have significant lateral movement. Think of trying to close a door but the hinge is moving away – makes closing the door much tougher.

Restricting hip turn on the backswing is a powerful move because it creates a tension (like a rubber band) between the shoulders and the hips.

True False

If this were a powerful move wouldn’t you expect long drive competitors to do it (none of them do)?

Keeping a shorter backswing means more control and more accuracy because it keeps the swing simple with fewer moving parts.

True False

The evidence doesn’t bear this out. In fact, there’s more evidence that a longer backswing is better and more accurate. There are plenty of great players with long backswings, but here’s Ben Hogan, considered by many to be the best ball striker of all time, taking the club way past parallel on this driver backswing.

Good work!

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