Everybody in golf seems to have a slightly different swing. This is fine because everybody should have their own characteristics.
I have seen footage and been around some of the best players and by watching and studying the golf swing, I have found that their backswings and post impact positions may differ, but the top players are the same at impact.
The important move that the top players make to start their downswing is a slight shift forward and then the rotation of their hips. By impact, their hips have rotated and their hands are square at impact. This is why they are so accurate with their irons and very long with their Driver.
It is very hard to create power in your shots if you are only using the power in your arms rather than the full rotation of your body.
When teaching or just listening to golfers talk about their golf swing, it is very common to hear them talk about either having an, “out-to-in” swing or an “in-to-out” swing. This is fine, if that is what you want to do, but what is wrong with simply having the same path on the backswing as you do on the downswing? The game is hard enough, why would you want to add more parts to a difficult game?
The golf swing is a rotary motion. Keeping the clubface square on the way back, impact and post impact is key to a successful and consistent game. If you add features such as the 2 other swing styles, you make it hard to keep the club face square at the most crucial point, impact.
A point that I feel is overlooked, is the grip. If a player has an incorrect grip, no matter what you do with your swing, your grip will dictate what the club face looks like at impact. The most brutal say as to what the golf ball will do, is simply determined by the club face. If the grip is not neutral and your swing path has too many moving parts, well, your consistency will be limited.
If you want to play with hooks and cuts, the other 2 paths will suit what you are after, but if you want to hit the ball straight and have a solid foundation, think about your swing path and your impact position. Believe it or not, the simpler the swing, the less strain the body will endure.
To give you an insight as to how the swing can be simpler, the initial takeaway move is probably one of the key movements to creating a consistent swing. The biggest mistake that amateur golfers make, is taking the club back straight. If you do this, stop and have a look at your club face….it’s shut/closed. It is very hard to redirect your swing to get the club face square at impact from this point.