Ask Barney Anything...

[Barney the Pro]

How has the golf swing changed over the last 35 years? Faldo V1 , Faldo V2, Daly, Tiger, Stack and tilt, x factor, George Gankas, Bryson. How have your teaching principles changed from then to now?

I think technology firstly in slow motion camera then Trackman , have taken a great deal of the guesswork out of coaching. Clearly there are several styles however the substance of impact hasn't changed so looking at even Bobby Jones or Sam Snead will give a golfer a great insight as to what is needed. I think the surprise for me is that had you asked me 20 years ago, I would of assumed that the swing especially at an Elite level would of looked far more orthodox say in the Justin Rose style. However better teaching equipment means that the best coaches almost work from impact backwards, so a smart coach like George Gankas looked at Matt Woolf as a teenager and thought wow , this kid has got some strike whereas possibly a few years earlier a less informed coach would of looked at the quirky movement and thought gosh there's some work here to sort this out. I am sure some coaches would of wanted Dustin Johnson to get rid of his bowed left wrist , as that clearly was not in the textbook . For me there are still some principles I learnt from my old Boss Ian Connelly , that I use today . Certainly the change for me is more focus on good impact factors , and from a playing point of view doing more short game with students as improves their scoring and ironically improves our impact !

 

[Barney the Pro]

Why?

Play the Trump way and take a mulligan.

Good idea and I've never met a mulligan I didn't like I read Commander in Cheat by the excellent Rick Reilly , which is an eye watering read and never was a truer word spoken when said that you can learn a lot about a person on a golf course ......

 

[Barney the Pro]

Intense practice of 75, 50 and 25 yard shots and putting.

Absolutely ! The World number one has taken that advice and run with it

 

[Barney the Pro]

At what point should a player start considering moving away from "game improvement" irons towards muscle back forged irons?

Whats your favourite post round tipple?

Good question . So I think as a players skill level increases the desire of a more compact head does come into the golf pysche. Years ago it clearly was a choice of a shovel or a scalpel , whereas now most companies have some terrific half way house clubs that have help but look more playable and of course workable. Often changing to this type of club say like the Titleist AP2 or Ping I models will actually mean a loss in distance but hopefully the increased shot making skills will outweigh that. It's tricky to give a handicap level on this as each player has different skills, so a visit firstly to a facility where you can try 5/6 models then a conversation with a good clubfitter who can give you the numbers as to what they are producing , then take it from there.

 

[Barney the Pro]

At what point should a player start considering moving away from "game improvement" irons towards muscle back forged irons?

Whats your favourite post round tipple?

Sorry meant to add, favourite post round tipple would be Erdinger Alcohol free lager . Its refreshing ,isotonic and packed with vitamin B and tastes like the real thing !

 

[Barney the Pro]

What's the best way to bring the club face back square to the ball with acceleration in the hitting area so that the ball goes the required distance to the landing area?

Sorry just checking were you talking about pitch shots here , as you' mentioned landing area ?

 

[Pathetic Shark]

Barney, did Mark warn you how stupid some of the questions would be? ?

Barney, why did you switch from singing children's TV songs and being purple, to becoming a golf pro?

 

[Barney the Pro]

If you only have time for one thing before teeing off should you :- practise putting or have a few swings ? ( or have a bacon roll and sit down)

How do you block out your mum talking on your shots

For juniors who play for fun, should you encourage them to swing it fast to hit it long whilst young or shorter & accurate ?

What current pro would you like a lesson from and why ?

As it sounds like you are a youngster in all probability your putting is good so I would recommend some swings, preferably half to three quarter to get a feel of swing path then just extend once on the course.

Is Mum on the course with you ? as if so suggest she goes in and has a nice coffee. If it's on the range get some of those small ear phones as you can hardly see them and play your favourite music whilst she is in full flow

Swing positively and hard , and my tip for Juniors is keep getting your fundamentals checked as everyone is focusing on you getting taller, but meanwhile your hands are getting bigger and if your grip gets out of position that leads to all manner of issues. Also as you are getting taller you need to keep an eye on your posture as easy to start slouching over the ball which again has an adverse effect on the swing.

 

[Barney the Pro]

If you only have time for one thing before teeing off should you :- practise putting or have a few swings ? ( or have a bacon roll and sit down)

How do you block out your mum talking on your shots

For juniors who play for fun, should you encourage them to swing it fast to hit it long whilst young or shorter & accurate ?

What current pro would you like a lesson from and why ?

The Pro I would like to take a lesson from would be Justin Rose, as love his swing shape and effortless striking of the ball. He also seems a really nice chap and think he would be gentle with me and not tell me how bad my swing was !

 

[Barney the Pro]

I have been fighting the unmentionables for years...but only in the last release from lockdown was it pointed out that my address had me pointing my club handle too central to my body - I was encouraged to have it pointing more towards my left hip (as a right hander) and that seems to work.

Does that apply for all clubs (other than putter) and can I overdo it. It seems to have stopped the unmentionables...but I am aware how easy it is to jump on 'the answer' when it isn't really - and all that happens is I end up exaggerating 'the fix' and causing another problem.

Gosh golf's Macbeth is indeed a pain , and glad the change of address has helped eradicate it. Certainly this is good on the irons although on the straighter faced woods and hybrids perhaps just have a slight incline as you could end up delofting the face too much. Keep checking your set up as I agree we are all prone to find something that works and then overdo it , which in this case will lead to probable disconnection in loading the club properly. Some regular mirror work to keep on top of it, as I find we can then marry the image with the feel and take that on the course with us.

 

[Voyager EMH]

Dear Barney,
How can I make my scoring far more erratic so that my handicap goes up and I’ll have more chance of winning a club comp? Being consistently good is so boring. I’ve been playing the same way for 50 years and I am ready for a change.

 

[Barney the Pro]

Is there any logical reason I can have my technique and strike down to a tee (pardon the pun) when I hit a few balls into the net in the morning, yet two hours later, applying the same technique (in my head) hit it like I’ve only just started playing?

At what point should I stop having to worry about fat/thin/shank!?

Yes very irritating when we are mastering the strike in practice then when on the course .... I think here it is the inevitable heightened sense of ' this is it' when in play and we swing a little quicker to make it happen, whereas in the net we are focusing on the technique . In this instance I would encourage you to play well within yourself when on the course to recreate the net feeling , take more club and swing at say 50 % power to allow a solid strike to happen. Once you get a few of these shots away in actual play , your confidence increases , and gradually you will step up to 75% keeping the solidity of strike .

 

[Barney the Pro]

Barney, why did you switch from singing children's TV songs and being purple, to becoming a golf pro?

Well eventually the kids tired of my let's face it iffy singing skills , and realised I needed to get a proper job. Sadly my one dimensional skill set meant I was only qualified to become a golf pro ! When no one is looking I still roll out a few bars of ' I love you'

 

[Barney the Pro]

What is the best drill to increase shoulder turn for a senior golfer lacking In flexibility. Following on because of lack of shoulder turn, distance is reduced along with ‘coming over the top’.

What is the solution please?

Certainly a challenge we face as we get older is a lack of flexibility , and outside of golf drills I have found doing Yoga of tremendous help in improving my flexibility. I would start with making sure my set up is in alignment as easy to become too hunched at address with too much knee bend too which arrests the turn. Do a few simple turns with a club or tour stick across the shoulders and see how far the shoulders will comfortably go and that will give you a starting point. Then turning the club upside down or using the Tour stick do some swishes with either hand, then some with two as this is a great way of feeling fluidity of movement. Take that freedom into the swing and that improved coiling movement should reduce the over the top move on the forward swing. Oh and don't forget the Cod Liver oil !

 

[Barney the Pro]

Don't 4 putt. Thank me later

Wise words!

 

[Barney the Pro]

I haven't - 5 is a different matter ?

Yes sadly 5 putting is telling us to consider taking up Bowls

 

[howbow88]

Always Haddock for me, as usually they have to cook it fresh !

Me too. I think cod is a bit bland.

 

[richart]

Yes sadly 5 putting is telling us to consider taking up Bowls

Very wise words. ?

 

[SaintHacker]

Barney, is there anything obvious you would work on/change with this (other than sport!)

https://youtube.com/shorts/SDWUL9h_sQc

https://youtube.com/shorts/cezjiEiiy8g

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Yes sadly 5 putting is telling us to consider taking up Bowls

We have been telling @chrisd that for ages