Donald’s Swing

Why doesn't Luke Donald have more than 2 wins on the PGA Tour? Why isn't he tearing fields to shreds on a weekly basis?

I wanted to take a quick look at Luke Donald's swing today because of a little conversation Court and I had via some of the comments in the weekend posts. It had to do with a remark Brandel Chamblee made about Donald's swing, which basically came down to "his swing is so good that anything can go wrong with it." It sounds silly on the surface, but it makes sense once you understand what Brandel meant.

You have to understand that "textbook" swings are designed to be the perfect balance of power and accuracy. Somebody (don't ask me who) decided that swinging on a certain swing plane gives a player the most versatility in his or her swing. Donald has what is called a "single-plane" swing -- that is, his club goes back and comes down on essentially the same plane -- and many consider this to be the most accurate way to swing. So why does it seem to give Donald problems?

I've talked before about how extremes in a swing can make it more predictable. Matt Kuchar, for example, has a single-plane swing but it is very flat. Because of this, his right elbow stays very close to his side during the swing and, if he makes a mistake, it's most likely to be an "inside-out" swing, which means he'll push the ball to the right. So Matt knows his ball is most likely going straight or right... and virtually never left. He can allow for that.
Likewise, a mess-up during an upright swing is most likely to create an "outside-in" path, which means the ball will start out to the left. If you know the ball is going straight or left, you can allow for that.

 An outside-in swing is NOT the same as an over-the-top swing, although they both go to the left for a right-handed golfer. The main difference between the two is that an over-the-top swing goes UP and forward at the top of the swing of mizuno golf mp 62, while an outside-in swing goes DOWN and forward at the top of the swing. An outside-in swing is very playable, but an over-the-top swing is not.

Luke Donald’s Bag?

§  Driver: TaylorMade R11 Driver (9.5°) with a ACCRA XC65 shaft

§  Fairway Wood: TaylorMade R9 (13°) with an ACCRA XC75 shaft

§  Hybrid: Mizuno Hi Fli CLK (17°) with an Aldila NV Hybrid 85 X shaft

§  Irons: Mizuno MP-62 Irons(3-PW) with True Temper Dynamic Gold S300 shafts

§  Wedges: Mizuno MP T-10 (54°, 60°) with True Temper Dynamic Gold S300 shafts

§  Putter: Odyssey White Hot XG #7