Micah Morris: Analyzing the Body-Swing Connection of the YouTube Star

If the PGA TOUR’s Creator Classic was any indication, golf’s YouTube era has officially arrived.  According to the Sports Business Journal, Golf YouTube is responsible for BILLIONS of views on the platform every year.   One of the most popular players on the platform who didn’t tee it up this week is Micah Morris. 

With over 500,000 subscribers and approaching 100 million views on his channel, Micah is not only one of the most talented creators in golf, he's one of the most talented players as well. 

Micah recently came to TPI for a full assessment which revealed one of the most commons Body-Swing Connections we see in golf.

Micah’s Body-Swing Connection

Micah was fighting the dreaded two-way miss with his driver, complaining of “difficulty getting to his lead side.”  When we screened him and evaluated his swing mechanics, we identified a very clear Body-Swing Connection.

Micah is a terrific athlete and performed extremely well on our screen.  However, when we tested his ability to internally rotate with our Lower Quarter Rotation test, we found a significant limitation.  He did not like to turn into his lead side.  Instead of rotating into his lead leg, he preferred to thrust towards the target line.  The dreaded early extension.

Below is a screen capture of the Pelvis Position graphs from Micah's 3D data.  The green line represents thrust, or the pelvis moving towards and away from the target line. 

When the green line goes positive, the pelvis is moving towards the target line.  At impact, Micah has moved forward over 2.5 inches, representing early extension.

As with any golfer we meet, our first goal is to determine whether a swing characteristic is the product of technique, or if it could be influenced by their physical capabilities. 

In Micah's case, there's a high likelihood that his early extension and inability to move to the lead side were related to his limited internal rotation on his left side.  Greg and Dave explain:

 

Potential Swing Fix

Whenever we identify a potential Body-Swing Connection, we give a golfer two choices: 1) adopt a routine to address their physical limitations in the gym, and/or 2) explore technical changes that will make it easier for them to work around their physical limitations. 

As Greg and Dave demonstrate in the video below, simple set up changes are some of the least invasive and most effective strategies for working around limited internal rotation.

Micah said it in the video: "I look at my swing a lot, I’ve just never looked at my body."

He’s young, he’s fit and he’s mega-athletic but that doesn’t mean there aren’t potential physical issues that are inhibiting his swing.  By identifying those physical issues, we not only help explain why he struggles to get to his lead side, we outline a path to improvement through work in the gym and on the range.

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