Alright, so I spent some time looking into this golfer, Wesley Bryan. You might know him, the guy with the trick shots and that kind of unique swing. Doesn’t look like your typical tour pro sometimes, which got me thinking.
I saw a few videos of him, just his regular tournament play, not even the crazy trick stuff. And I noticed how… well, kinda different his whole approach seemed. Less robotic than many others. My own golf game is, let’s be honest, pretty stiff and terrible. So, I got this idea: maybe I could try and channel a bit of that Wesley Bryan style? Loosen things up a bit, you know?
Getting Started
First thing I did was pull out my dusty clubs from the garage. Then I spent a good hour or so just watching clips of him swinging. Not just the highlights, but full swings during rounds. Trying to see what he was actually doing. The setup, the takeaway, the finish. It looked smoother, less forced than what I usually try to do.
Heading to the Range
Okay, armed with absolutely zero professional analysis and just a vague idea, I went down to the local driving range. Figured I’d give it a shot. My plan was simple: try to feel more relaxed, maybe copy that little leg action he sometimes does.
The Actual Practice (or attempt)
- First Swings: Man, it was a disaster. I tried to be all loosey-goosey like I thought he looked. Balls went everywhere but straight. Topped a few, shanked one right. It felt completely unnatural because, well, it wasn’t my natural.
- Focusing on Feel: I realized pretty quick just trying to look like him wasn’t going to work. So I changed tactics. I stopped caring where the ball went. Instead, I just tried to make the swing feel smooth. Focused on rhythm rather than power.
- Small Adjustments: Watched a few more phone clips between buckets of balls. Noticed small things about his tempo. Tried to incorporate just one thing at a time. Like keeping my arms more connected to my body, which seemed like something he did well despite the unique look.
What I Found Out
It’s incredibly difficult to just copy someone’s feel or style, especially someone unconventional. What looks relaxed or easy on video is usually built on thousands of hours of practice and specific techniques that work for them. My attempt to swing like Wesley Bryan mostly just highlighted how bad my own fundamentals are.
Trying to be ‘relaxed’ without the underlying technique just led to sloppy mechanics for me. My timing was off, my balance was worse than usual. It was a humbling experience, for sure. Spent maybe two hours out there, hit a lot of bad shots.
The Takeaway
So, did I end up swinging like Wesley Bryan? Absolutely not. Not even close. But it was an interesting practice session. It made me think about how we learn physical skills. You can’t just mimic the surface look; you need to understand the mechanics underneath. And maybe the real lesson from watching someone like Bryan isn’t to copy him, but to appreciate that there’s more than one way to get the job done. He found what works for him. Now I just need to figure out what works for me, even if it’s the standard, boring swing. The experiment was fun, though. Got me out of my usual rigid mindset for an afternoon, even if the results were comical.
