Johnny Miller: How to analyze a swing sequence

The trick is knowing what to look for.
Here is a frame-by-frame guide

Whose swing should you copy?

As you pore over these great swings, at some point you're going to stop at a certain player and say, "I wish I could swing like that." But before you give yourself the green light to copy every detail of the player's method, ask yourself the following:

Is the player built like me? If your idol is tall and you are short, be careful. Tall players tend to swing on a more upright plane, and if you are of short or average height, trying to adopt that plane can be a nightmare. Altering your swing plane is one of the hardest changes to make, and changing to a plane that is at odds with your height will not make you a better player in the long run.

Is the player stronger and more flexible than I am? If your idol makes a huge shoulder turn and swings the club past parallel, the mechanics of his downswing are predicated on that huge turn. If you physically are unable to swing the club back as far as he or she does, it's futile trying to copy the downswing.

Do you have the same type of grip? I'm not talking about overlapping, interlocking or the 10-finger. What's important is that your grip be similarly weak or strong. If you have a strong grip and try to copy the mechanics of a player with a weak grip, the results can be disastrous. Players with weak grips, for example, tend to rotate their hands aggressively through impact. If you have a strong grip and try to rotate your hands, you'll be looking for your ball in the fairway to the left of the one you're playing.

This article originally appeared in Golf Digest's 1996 Special Edition: Lessons from Golf's Greatest Swings.