The pursuit of the perfect golf swing has existed since the very first golf ball was struck back in 15th century Scotland. But even hundreds of years later only a select few can say they’ve even come close. Why is that? Simply put, there is no “perfect swing” there is only “your perfect swing.” The faster you realize this, the faster you will see the improvement you want.
As a swing coach myself, I am very familiar with the classic story of “I played lights out two weeks ago. I felt better about my swing than ever. Then I watched a swing tip from my favourite YouTuber, and now I can’t hit the broadside of a barn.” This has become such a trend and it’s frightening. No discredit to the Youtubers out there, I’m sure they are very talented, but taking lessons from a coach that can’t see you just doesn’t work. Your swing coach needs to be able to adapt to what works for you.
When I take on a new student, the first thing I do is to get familiar with them. I seek to understand what injuries they have to deal with, what mental blocks they face, what time they have to practice, and use all of that knowledge to figure out what they need to work on. I take my time to learn what they’re doing that’s working best for them. No two swings are the same, yet they all work just as well for their owners. In other words, I’m not here to teach you how to swing like Spieth, or Woods, or Watson, but to teach you to swing like YOU. If you’re consistent and you know where your ball is going to land every time you swing, your score is going to drop. It’s really that simple.
Arnold Palmer said it best with “Swing your swing. Not some idea of a swing. Not a swing you saw on TV. Not that swing you wish you had. Capable of greatness. Prized only by you. Perfect in its imperfection. Swing your swing. I know I did.” This is the mantra that should be adopted by golfers around the world. And, it should be the focus on golf training. Today’s training aids just don’t adapt to the player. They’ve got an “ideal” swing, hidden to the player, that is compared against the player’s swing. Forcing the golfer into a particular swing with no knowledge of what works and what doesn’t How can it possibly help them?
Now the newest wave of technology to hit the golf market is focused on creating a hyper-personalized experience. A handful of pioneer companies; Whoop, CTRL, and coaches alike all strive to help the player play their personal best. CTRL is the company that I am helping to build. At CTRL, we believe that everyone deserves to practice their perfect. We have built a sleeve that tracks your lead arm through the golf swing and then gives you feedback on how to hit your best shot every single time. You simply slide on the sleeve, connect the sensors to our app, and start taking swings. You tell the app good or bad and after 10 good shots the app tells you how to hit your best shot. Simply put, the CTRL Golf System adapts to your swing and gives you one line solution-based feedback on how to take your best swing, every single time.
Jacob Duenckel is a PGA Associate and Entrepreneur. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Marketing and PGA Professional Golf Management from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. Jacob has seen the golf industry from all sides¾he was a competitive player for 4 years in high school, was a golf club professional teaching lessons and running day-to-day operations and has experience in directing facility operations at multiple different clubs across the country. In 2020, he joined CTRL as the Chief Marketing Officer to pursue his dream of helping golfers across the globe practice their perfect swings.