Martin Kaymer didn’t just change his golf swing, he rebuilt it. After reaching World No. 1 and winning both the U.S. Open and PGA Championship, he made a major swing change to chase a draw and prepare for Augusta. But the change didn’t go as planned. Kaymer lost his natural patterns, his confidence dropped, and the move took him away from the motion that made him elite.
In this video, I break down exactly what Kaymer tried to change, why he chased a draw, how it affected his ball flight, and what ultimately caused the decline in his performance. More importantly, we use Kaymer’s story as a powerful lesson for every golfer that before you make a huge swing change, you need to understand the cause and effect on your body, your tendencies, and your natural strengths.
Whether you’re working on your path, your release, or your shot shape, this is a real reminder that not every swing change pays off, and sometimes the swing you already have is the one you should trust.
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From the outside, Martin Kimer once looked like the definition of control. A smooth tempo, a reliable fade, a golf swing that thrived under pressure. A PGA championship winner, a world golf championship winner, and in early 2011, a world number one golfer holding the top spot for 8 weeks. Most players reached number one and tried to protect what they have. Kimer did the opposite. At the height of his powers, he made a decision almost nobody understood at the time. He chose to change his swing. And we know why because Kimer himself said it publicly. In an interview, he explained, “How can I be the best player in the world if I can’t play Augusta properly? The course that rewards a right to left draw, especially into certain back left pins.” Kimer was a natural fade player, and he believed the Masters demanded a shot shape he simply didn’t have. To build that draw, Kimer and his longtime swing coach, Gunter Kesler, began working around 2011 on a complete retooling of specific cause and effect components of his motion. He attempted to move his natural left to right fade bias into a more inside to out delivery. He needed the face to close earlier relative to this path, the opposite of what he trained for years. Kimmer’s natural release was high, neutral, and fade friendly. To hit this draw, he tried to adopt a lower, more rounded release with more forearm rotation. He attempted to hold onto leadside tilt longer to support a right to left curvature. Again, contrary to his fade DNA, and he moved the ball back slightly and tried to reshape his visual windows, something elite golfers rarely change without consequences. Now, these changes were not small tweaks. There were fundamental cause and effect rebuilds of emotion that had already made him world number one. This is exactly where the problem started because Kimer wasn’t broken. His fade wasn’t broken. His windows weren’t broken. But the moment you change path, face, and release pattern in a worldclass golf swing, you don’t just change ball flights, you change who the golfer is under pressure. Kimer himself later said that hitting draws and low shots, it wasn’t him. It went against his instincts, his coordination, and the movement patterns he trusted. In other words, he tried to become a different golfer when he was already the best version of himself. If you want a realworld comparison, this would be like LeBron James deciding to rebuild his jump shot from scratch because he wanted a higher arc to be more efficient from three-point range. Even though he’s already one of the greatest players ever with his existing mechanics, it’s the same logic. You don’t take an athlete operating at the absolute peak of their powers and fundamentally change who they are unless it’s for injury prevention. And in Kimer’s case, it wasn’t. Kimer wasn’t injured. He wasn’t struggling. He wasn’t declining. He simply thought being complete meant being able to hit everything. And instead of doubling down on what made him elite, he diluted the very skill set that built his greatness. This is where coaching philosophy and team leadership matter. At that level, a coach’s job is often to protect the athlete from themselves, to redirect that competitive curiosity into controlled areas instead of letting it unravel their identity. But in Kimer’s case, nobody stopped the rebuild. Nobody said, “No, this is a mistake.” And Kimer has openly shouldered the responsibility, calling the entire effort a big mistake. Technically, he did learn to hit a draw. He could shape it both ways. He had the skill. But this is where he moved from verified fact into the part Kimer himself described as a more emotional cost. Kimer said that trying to play draws on low shots just wasn’t him. It didn’t feel like himself in competition. He didn’t blame the swing model. He didn’t blame Kesler. He didn’t say the mechanics were flawed. What he said repeatedly is that he lost the feeling and identity that made him world class. Kimer did not collapse physically. He didn’t suddenly lose talent. He didn’t have a major injury at the time of the swing change. His struggle came from something harder to measure, and he no longer trusted his motion under pressure. After that swing change began, his world ranking dropped. By 2012, he had fallen outside the top 30 in the world. This doesn’t mean the swing change caused his rankings to drop, but the timing is undeniable. He changed his swing in 2011 and by 2012 he wasn’t the same presence on leaderboards. But then something remarkable happened. In 2014, Kimer leaned back into the patterns that suited him. The fade, the control, the identity that made him elite. And the results, well, at the 2014 US Open at Pinehurst, Kimer delivered one of the most dominant major performances of the decade, an eightshot victory. and Golf Digest wrote at the time, “Kimer heard all the criticism, but produced one of the most dominant displays ever seen in a major.” But here is the harder part of the story. Even after that win, he never regained sustained momentum. No more PJ tour wins. His world ranking continued to drift downwards in the years that followed and currently sits at 996. This part is not explained fully in articles. No one’s source says here’s exactly why Martin Kimer faded after 2014. But we can safely say this based on interviews and patterns. He rebuilt his swing. He rebuilt his shot shapes, but he never fully rebuilt the internal confidence that made him untouchable in 2010 through 2011. The data shows the ranking declines. Timer’s own quotes show regret and his later struggles, wrist issues, and shifting tours paint the picture of a player who couldn’t recapture his old comfort zone. None of this is speculation beyond what he has said. He changed his swing to play Augusta. He regretted it. He lost his feel and his identity. His ranking dropped dramatically afterwards and his post204 career never regained the same velocity. Those pieces are factual. So what’s the lesson for you? Martin Kimer’s story isn’t just about swing change. It’s about what happens when you chase a version of golf that isn’t truly you. Mechanics matter, but confidence, identity, instinct, those matter just as much. Kimera didn’t fall because he lacked talent. He fell because, in his own words, he drifted away from the way he plays golf. And that is a warning every golfer should hear before they rebuild their motion. Let me know in the comments down below what story you want me to do next or a swing you want evaluated. Other than that, I hope you guys have a great day. Very greens. [Music]
40 Comments
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That's funny because Nicklaus won the Masters 6 times and his swing DNA was a high fade. I'm sure he worked on drawing the ball leading up to the Master's but he never embarked on a swing change to my knowledge.
Lack of confidence/self doubt has destroyed many athletes as well as ordinary people. It creeps into your head and you aren’t your best you. Doubting yourself when you have a long shot over water to tight pin is a recipe for disaster.
I just hit the ball and hope it goes in the general direction of the green.
How about Jason day and his injuries
Its weird, doesn't make sense, why not just have a draw shot in your armoury that you can use, maybe not to every target just something that can position you a bit better, AZwolfy commented that Jack was a fader and won 6 times, 🤔🤔 one of the great mysteries of golf, literally insane! I agree with you 100% he lost that feel and the consistency you must have especially at that level.
Andy north
Remember when Jimmy Walker went through the DRIVING yips??
Jack was a natural fader and he won a lot of Masters, soooo…
Jack played a fade and he was great at Augusta. Of course when you are the best ever you can do just about anything when you hit the ball far and make clutch putts. Trevino could not play Augusta at peak levels because of his fade. Tiger faded after 2008 when he changed his swing and swing coaches. Jack never changed his swing. His only weakness was shorter shots which he fixed when his distance faded.
Swing changes are like facial cosmetic surgery…..both can lead us down a rabbit hole that we can never escape!
I liked him game.
Awesome Tony I always wondered about Martin, he was a superstar. A really telling tale much like Ian Baker-Finch trying to hit it further or Ryo Ishikawa one of the most talented juniors ever tweaking his swing and not improving, Even Aaron Baddeley I remember him winning back to back Australian Opens as an amateur and then pro at 19 and 20 years of age then altered his swing and went into the wilderness despite his freakish putting made a comeback but he really was destined for more! I was always curious about Sandy Lyle's fall from elite I remember him saying he couldn't even break 80 socially I'm not sure what happened there as I know Ian played off +5 socially but couldn't compete as a pro at all!
I always wondered what happened to Chip Beck? Went from shooting a 59 and then pretty much fell off the map and I don’t even remember if he tried his luck with the Champions Tour either. Had a pretty solid swing but we all know that’s no guarantee of success.
Great analysis. I didn't know he undergone swing changes and wondered what happened to him. I remember Graham McDowell was great for a few years then he switched manufacturers and went into the toilet. I know this is a swing channel but i wonder if changing brands can have an affect? Pros should be good enough to not worry about that but I remember when I switched irons it took me a good season to get back to normal.
He has come close a couple of times since 2014 and even this year had some good form, but no wins since 2014. Manasero was also touted as the "next" some years ago and last year had his first win in 11 years. He said "golf does not always reward you for the work you put in." that is worth remembering.
Guy could have easiest one of the best ever
It’s like Kaymer became a martyr to show what Not to do.
So tell me I am wrong, but couldn’t he have made the adjustment by just finding the right ball position? If you have a natural fade, moving the ball forward and moving your release target along with it will create a situation where the cub face is more closed and pushing across the ball instead of cutting it. It would take a little practice, but it wouldn’t change your core swing. You would have to aim more right to compensate for the ball strike hitting left, but again that’s just practice without changing the core swing.
The mind plays funny tricks. The number of celebrities who undergo plastic surgery to look 'better' and end up looking like Frankenstein's monster.
Another great video Tony, I'm in England, I remember him bursting on the scene on the European tour, I thought he's the next Langer, indeed like a machine, holed that putt at Medinah to win the Ryder Cup. Had no idea about the swing changes, that caused his decline, shame as he had the potential to be one of the all time greats. But in saying that many a player would have been happy to win two major championships.
I knew he changed it but didnt know reason, Strange decision as Jack mostly hit a fade and was pretty good round Augusta!
Golfers have this logic that if you want to be better you have to be different. If you're already very good, you only need to refine it further.
Ruining his swing to win a tournament your never guaranteed to win. Bananas.
Very interesting, Tony. I have almost forgotten about Martin after he joined LIV. Maybe next would be interesting to analyse Tony Finau (if you haven't yet done a video on him, then my apologies).
athletes do weird and stupid stuff all the time. song as old as time. MK got what he deserved, irrelevance. Tiger sorta did it but his talent was generational and his reasoning was injury related. Kaymer was a good player who had the formula for a while and lost it, it's basically Gollum and the Ring.
Lietzke is another guy who just seemed to accept that he would never win at Augusta rather than alter his natural fade.
This just proves, at least in Kaymer's situation, that "major swing changes will dramatically hurt you if you already have a very good swing, and confidence in your swing is very important. This is why Nelly Korda said she never tries to hit a fade (or draw), don't remember which shape. She says she has no confidence in it going well, so she doesn't try. Cheers.
I’m sure others have done it, but the only one that I know of who did it and found success was Faldo.
I never understood the logic. Why not refine what you got? I think that’s why Scottie is having the success he is. Is his swing “perfect”, many say no. He owns his swing and understands that there is more to golf than golf swing. Like getting the ball in the hole in the least amount of strokes possible. Oh and he hits a fade.
I think something similar could happen to Max Homa. If it ain't broke don't fix it!
My thoughts for myself are: “since I suck anyway, what does making changes hurt?!” lol
He didn't change his swing. He lost interest. Why do I know that? We grew up playing together and turned pro same year, we last had pizza in 2019 in Miami. He didn't care anymore to be in the spotlight. Now ya know bud.
The big draw and slow fade of Kaymer.
Tiger, Faldo….this list is short of those who overhauled and didnt get it back.
Yep, so true. As i wrote on the video about Tom Saguto, when i played with stack&tilt i could hit a draw but often ended up with snap hooks with woods. I dont like the feeling of hitting a draw. I'm a natural fader and im loving it. Well if i play a course with lots of doglegs to the left it can be challenging but usually i end up with hitting a 9 iron instead of a P into the greens so who cares. So its sad to hear the story of Martin again, one of our best players…he was born just 50 km away ❤ i played his home course a couple times. Lots of fade friendly holes and hard greens where a fade is more controllable.
not the only top golfer who did that without physical necessity – do it at your peril. do not mess with muscle memory
I think this example applies to top professionals who have already found their swing (sticking to what works), but not your everyday mid to high handicappers who should be striving to make changes and hit more of the fundamentals in their golf swings.
Thanks for the video, it's a excellent analysis – so i think. On a complete different level i tried it to myself. As a young player I always was half a Iron shorter than the other guys, but I won the championships and, if the putter worked. I already shot under par (by hitting 17!! Greens in regulation). But i did it with a high fade or a absolute straight ball flight, so straight that my coach told me he would haven't seen something similar before. But all these shots were with higher spin!! And that makes them shorter… So i tried by changing the setup getting a impact from inside to square to inside making that the ball gets a draw. Similar to this I did it already at recovery shots where it worked, but not in a normal shot. Doing it this way I lost my complete feeling for the setup, the right direction and the distance. All i did instinctively before was gone. I started producing reverse pivots by dropping down the left shoulder blocking the shots, hitting the big ball first and producing pull hooks. It felt so weird to me!! I lost my complete confidence and never won anything since these days so that i finally quitted playing golf. Changing what your brain, your reflexes and yours feel tells you to do in something you are not familiar with since childhood is a huge problem! You learn from childhood how to walk and so you get a idea and motoric in how to move your body in a golfswing. Keymer was a a brilliant player, he and Justin Rose were the best, were the future in golf. Justin Rose stayed cool and worked hard at what his game was, so he is still in the picture after some hard times. But Keymer through his carrier away…. I hope he gets some good moments back hand so his confidence! I hope he will get still some good years in professional golf! His performance on pinehurst was one of the dominantest ever! Cheers 🍻
He should have had a set of identical clubs buit with more upright angles.
A draw set and a fade set.
Why is this myth that you have to draw to win at Augusta so perpetuated? The golfer with the most Masters titles ever pretty much only hit fades. Scheffler's won it twice in past 4 years. Utter nonsense.