Adam Scott’s perfect golf swing? He built it by copying these three men

Adam Scott is known for having one of the most technically perfect swings in golf – but he admits it’s been built by copying three legends of the game...

Adam Scott is known for having one of the most technically perfect swings in golf – but he admits it’s been built by copying three legends of the game…

Ask pretty much any golfer – from weekend hacker to tour pro – to name the best-looking swing in the game, and chances are you’ll hear one name: Adam Scott.

Technically exemplary. Effortlessly rhythmic. A thing of beauty.

But ask Scott how it got that way? He’ll tell you straight: “I copied other people.”

And not just anyone.

“I grew up trying to copy Greg Norman’s swing,” he explains during a swing clinic in Dubai. “And then when Tiger turned pro in about 1996, I was 15 or 16, and then I tried to copy his swing.”

Not bad choices for inspiration, to be fair. Norman, a man who won The Open twice, accrued 20 top-10 major finishes, and spent 331 weeks at world number one – plus Tiger Woods, who has 15 majors under his belt to date (yes I’m still, optimistically, saying “to date”), 82 PGA Tour wins, and an unmatched 683 weeks at world No.1.

“It was a good idea. I just didn’t get the same results,” laughs Scott.

Scott’s swing might not have produced Tiger’s 15 majors, but it has become one of the most admired motions in the modern game – a benchmark for textbook technique, tempo, sequencing, and clean lines.

But technical perfection? That’s not how Scott sees it.

“Are you always striving for what you would see as perfection – visually?” he’s asked. “No,” he responds, without hesitation.

“I think it’s always been a feel thing for me… I work on rhythm a lot – probably more than anything else.”

When it comes to rhythm, Scott isn’t afraid to take outside influence there too.

“I have different players I like to go to for a rhythm visual,” he says. “I think of Ernie Els a lot when I’m looking for rhythm. I think of a few other players as well.”

If you’re reading, Scotty, you’ll enjoy this:

If you’ve ever found yourself on a YouTube deep dive the night before a round of golf, poring over pro swings and hoping some of it sticks, take comfort in the fact that Adam Scott is no different.

“I used to see it on videotape, but now you can go on YouTube and I can watch a guy’s swing and try to repeat that… repeat what I see,” he admits.

So there you have it. It’s a surprisingly simple recipe. Go on YouTube. Watch the greats. Copy their swing. Feel the rhythm. Oh, and hit thousands upon thousands of practice balls for years on end.

Next time you see Scott stripe one down the middle with that picture-perfect motion, remember: even the smoothest swings are built on inspiration – and a few good YouTube binges.