Three trips to Texas.

Three completely different experiences.

And three lessons that have changed how I look at the golf swing.

Over the past year, I've had the opportunity to work with Dr. Young-Hoo Kwon, a biomechanics researcher whose approach to the golf swing has completely changed how I think about movement, exercise, and golf performance.

And I'll tell you something.

Every time I come home from Texas, I look at golf movement a little differently.

Not just how I approach my own golf swing, but how I think about muscular function, developing strength, and creating the physical capabilities that may help golfers move more effectively.

The interesting part?

Each visit exposed something about my own movement that I didn't fully recognize.

From being overly arm-dominant to struggling with pelvic movement and coordinating my body with the golf club, these experiences have been incredibly humbling.

But they've also been valuable.

Because understanding how the golf swing works and understanding what your body is physically capable of doing are two different things.

​And that's where biomechanics, motor control, and muscular function start coming together.

WHO IS DR. YOUNG-HOO KWON?

Dr. Young-Hoo Kwon isn't your traditional golf instructor.

He's a professor of kinesiology and biomechanics researcher at Texas Woman's University in Denton, Texas.

His approach uses physics, engineering principles, ground reaction forces, and detailed movement analysis to understand how the golf swing actually works.

Rather than simply looking at individual swing positions, Dr. Kwon studies how the body and golf club work together as a coordinated mechanical system.

How the pelvis moves.
How the body interacts with the ground.
How the arms and hands travel.

And how those movements influence the golf club.

That's what makes his work so fascinating to me.

I've completed his Level 1 and Level 2 biomechanics education, spending two intensive weeks learning his philosophy and the mechanical principles behind the swing.

I've also traveled to Texas three times to work with him personally.

Two Different Golf Swing Experiences

1. Swing Reprogramming
A movement-training experience focused on improving coordination, rhythm, ground interaction, and how the golfer organizes the swing.

2. Swing Kwonalysis
A detailed 3D biomechanics analysis using motion-capture technology to examine how the golfer moves and interacts with the ground.

I've gone through Swing Reprogramming twice and Swing Kwonalysis once.

And every experience taught me something different.

But all three reinforced one important lesson.

​What you think your body is doing and what it's actually doing aren't always the same.

TODAY'S GOLFER'S MYTH — FEEL VERSUS REAL

MYTH: Your golf instructor knows exactly what your body is doing, and motor training can fix everything.

Really?

Here's something I've learned working with Dr. Kwon.

Feel versus real.

What you think you're doing, what your golf instructor sees, and what your body is actually doing aren't necessarily the same thing.

Golf instruction and motor learning are incredibly important.

But teaching someone a new movement doesn't automatically mean they possess every physical capability needed to perform it effectively.

Sometimes it's a motor-learning problem.

Sometimes physical limitations may be contributing.

And sometimes it's a combination of both.

You can't assume every swing problem is simply a motor-control problem.

And trust me.

I found that out firsthand.

VISIT ONE — STOP USING YOUR ARMS!

Swing Reprogramming 1.0

Let's go back to my first trip to Texas.

With my background in strength training, Muscle Activation Techniques, and biomechanics, you'd think I'd be pretty damn good at controlling my own body.

I certainly thought so!

But that first visit was humbling.

Because the number one thing Dr. Kwon kept telling me was:

"Stop using your arms!"

"You're using your arms!"

"Stop pulling!"

And he'd give me a hard time because I'm a strength guy.

Basically telling me that all I wanted to do was muscle my way through the golf swing.

And you know what?

He wasn't wrong.

I was yanking and pulling the club with my arms.

My pelvis and upper body weren't working together.

I was over-rotating my pelvis while trying to control the swing with my arms.

Everything was disconnected.

And the frustrating part?

I didn't feel like I was doing any of it!

Dr. Kwon wanted me to use my body and my interaction with the ground to create a more coordinated movement.

Let my arms move.

Allow my forearms to naturally pronate and supinate.

Stop gripping the club so tightly.
Stop trying to control every little piece of the swing.

Sounds simple, right?

Well, it sure as hell wasn't simple for me.

The Feel Versus Real Moment

One of the great things about Dr. Kwon's sessions is that he records everything.

When I got home, I started watching the videos.

And man…

It was rough!

I could finally see what he'd been telling me.

My arms were dominating the movement.
I was pulling the club.
Holding onto the handle.

And interfering with the natural release.

During the session, I didn't recognize what I was doing.

But watching myself afterward?

It was obvious.

And that's when the whole feel-versus-real concept really hit home.

Sometimes you don't know what you're doing wrong until you actually see yourself doing it.

​That first visit taught me to stop trying to muscle my way through the golf swing and start understanding how the body and club work together.

VISIT TWO — THE 3D ANALYSIS EXPOSED EVERYTHING

Swing Kwonalysis

My second trip was completely different.

This time, I went through Dr. Kwon's detailed 3D biomechanics analysis.

And if you're a golf nerd like me, this stuff is incredible.

Picture this.

I'm standing in a biomechanics laboratory wearing compression shorts, covered in reflective markers.

There are probably 12 to 15 students, golf professionals, and other people watching.

And I'm told to warm up and hit drivers.

Talk about nerve-racking!

But once the data was collected and processed, the information was fascinating.

Three Problems I Didn't Fully Recognize

1. I thought I was rotating into my trail hip.
But instead of effectively rotating, I was locking and extending that hip.

What I felt and what I was actually doing were completely different.

2. My trail heel was lifting too early.
Instead of producing the shift we were working toward, I was moving upward and rotating out of the movement.

That was disrupting how I interacted with the ground.

3. I kept falling backward.
When I tried to shift toward my lead side, I struggled to complete the movement.

And the analysis revealed differences between how much effort I thought I was producing and what the measurements showed about my swing.

I thought I was swinging harder.

But the numbers were telling me something different.

The Correction — Stop Forcing the Turn

After the analysis, Dr. Kwon simplified everything.

Stop trying to create a massive hip turn.
Learn how to shift.
Move into the trail side.
Move toward the lead side.

And allow some of the rotation to develop naturally.

That was it.

And honestly, it felt strange.

Because I was so used to thinking about turning my hips.

But he was teaching me how to organize the shift and rotation instead of forcing the movement.

Sometimes the movement you're trying so hard to create is the exact movement you're disrupting.

That was my biggest lesson from visit number two.

VISIT THREE — STOP DISRUPTING THE MOVEMENT

Swing Reprogramming 2.0

My third trip brought me back to Swing Reprogramming.

And this time, I was feeling pretty good.

I'd played some of the best golf of my life during the season.

My movement had improved.

But that didn't mean everything was perfect.

Dr. Kwon quickly identified something that still needed work.

Fluidity.

I was still pulling with my arms.

Still gripping too tightly.

And still trying to control individual pieces of the golf swing.

A More Body-Centric Golf Swing

One of the most fascinating parts of Dr. Kwon's approach is how he looks at the entire golf swing as a coordinated system.

The pelvis moves.
The arms and hands travel.
The clubhead follows its arc.

And all those movements need to work together.

Instead of constantly forcing the club with my arms, I was learning to use my interaction with the ground to help create movement through my legs and pelvis.

Those movements then needed to coordinate with my upper body, arms, hands, and golf club.

It's not about forcing one body part and then another. It's about coordinating the entire movement.

But I kept interrupting that process.

And that's when we had an interesting exchange.

Dr. Kwon essentially told me to listen to his instructions and perform the movement.

My response?

"I understand what you're saying. But I can't feel what you're asking me to do."

I'm a kinesthetic learner.

I need to feel the movement.

Once he broke everything down into smaller pieces, I started connecting the dots.

And this time, something was different.

I could actually feel movements that had been difficult during my previous visits.
I could feel my pelvis moving.
I could feel the shift.

And I was beginning to coordinate that movement with the position of the clubhead.

The biggest lesson wasn't learning how to force a better swing. It was learning how to stop disrupting the movement I was trying to create.

MOTOR CONTROL VERSUS MUSCULAR CAPABILITY

This is where Dr. Kwon's work connects to what I do at Golf MATchanics.

We approach golf movement from two different professional perspectives.

Dr. Kwon studies biomechanics.

Physics.
Force.
Momentum.
Movement coordination.

He's helping golfers understand and develop more effective movement patterns.

And I think that's phenomenal.

But when somebody struggles to perform a movement, my brain immediately starts asking a different question.

WHY?

Can they actively move into that position?
Can they control it?
Can they produce force there?
Or is something physically limiting their ability to perform the movement?

Because motor learning is the process of developing a skill.

But if you struggle to physically produce or control a movement, learning that skill can become significantly more challenging.

Every time I've returned from Texas, I've come home with new information about my swing.

Then I start investigating my own body.

My CANs and my CAN'Ts.

My approach combines physical assessments, Muscle Activation Techniques, neuromuscular training, strength development, and motor learning.

And each visit has given me something different to investigate.

After Visit One — My Shoulders, Forearms, and Hands

I struggled to release the club and coordinate my upper body.

I began investigating those movements and developing better control.

Over time, I started feeling more freedom through my arms and hands.

After Visit Two — My Pelvis

I was locking my trail hip, struggling to shift, and falling backward.

When I assessed my movement, I discovered I had difficulty actively hiking the left side of my pelvis.

As I worked on improving pelvic movement and control, shifting through my lead side started feeling easier.

After Visit Three — Putting Everything Together

My physical movement was noticeably better.

Now, the bigger challenge was coordinating my ground interaction, pelvis movement, and clubhead position.

That became more of a motor-learning focus.

And that's the connection I find fascinating.

Dr. Kwon teaches the movement.
I investigate the muscular capabilities that may influence the movement.

When you bring those perspectives together, I believe you have a more complete way of approaching golf performance.

​That's Muscle Function First.

WHAT DR. KWON HAS CHANGED ABOUT MY THINKING

Every trip to Texas has given me a new perspective on golf movement.

But the biggest benefit isn't simply improving my own golf swing.

It's understanding the mechanics of the movement we're trying to create and then asking better questions about the physical capabilities that may support it.

Because when we understand how movement is organized, we can become more intentional about the exercises, strength development, and motor-learning strategies we choose.

And man…

That's what makes this stuff so fascinating to me!

THREE QUICK TAKEAWAYS

1. Feel Isn't Always Real
What you think you're doing in your golf swing and what your body is actually doing aren't always the same.

2. Motor Control and Muscular Capability Go Hand in Hand
Learning a movement is important. Understanding your physical capabilities may help explain why certain movements are difficult.

3. Stop Forcing the Movement
​A more effective golf swing isn't always about trying harder. Sometimes it's about improving how your body coordinates movement and allowing the pieces to work together.

WHAT'S NEXT — MORE DR. KWON CONTENT COMING

I'll be heading back to Texas in March, and I'm hoping to work with Dr. Kwon two, maybe even three times next year.

I'm also planning to create more YouTube content exploring his biomechanics philosophy and how we can apply those principles to exercise, strength training, and golf performance.

Because the more I learn about the mechanics of the golf swing, the more opportunities I see to improve how we approach physical training.

And there's a lot more coming!

With the off-season here…

​It's time to get after it!