For successful bunker play, you want ball position left and finish left

Sunday, December 1, 2013

By Kellie Stenzel, PGA
Special Contributor

The greenside bunker can often be one of the most feared shots in golf. And I understand because in most cases you need to take quite a large swing for a relatively small distance. And we all know, the larger the swing, the greater the chance for error.

With a proper set-up and a commitment to a proper, full finish, however, you can impress yourself and maybe even your friends.

In a greenside bunker, you want to have your sand wedge contact the sand before your golf ball and continue to slide through the sand for quite a long distance.

I like to see a divot path in the sand of 10-12 inches. Your club should never make direct contact with your golf ball. The momentum of throwing the sand out of the bunker will propel your golf ball as well.

In order to ensure contacting the sand before your golf ball, your ball position must be left or forward in your stance.

And try to see if you can get this to make sense so you can remember. If I want to contact the sand first, I would place the golf ball later in my swing, or farther left. I like the see a golf ball position just inside the left heel for most greenside bunker shots.

As I make my relatively full golf swing in a greenside bunker, it is imperative that you swing all the way through to a full finish on your left, so that your weight finishes on your left foot as you allow your right foot to rotate up to the toes as your right heel comes off the ground.

This commitment to a full finish on your left side will allow you to keep the sand wedge gliding through the sand and produce the longer sand divot necessary to propel your sand out of the bunker and your golf ball onto the green.

Start with these two fundamentals:

1. Ball position left
2. Full finish on your left side

These will allow you to learn to properly contact the sand and make your bunker game more successful and maybe even fun.

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Five ways women can generate more club head speed

By Karen Palacios-Jansen
Special to WorldGolf.com

Most golf instruction is written by men from a man's point of view. But women, who are built differently and have different tendencies, have to work on set-up and swing keys that are specific to them. Although only 5 ft. 5 in. and weighing 120 pounds, LPGA Tour Pro Lorena Ochoa's average drive is 271 yards. How is it that a petite woman can boom her drives out there farther than the average male golfer?

It is all in her technique and her ability to create club head speed. Here are five things ladies can work on to improve their technique for more club head speed and knock it out there with the big boys and girls - and maybe even past them.

1. Strengthen your grip

A strong grip helps create a flatter swing path and a more powerful release of the club through impact.

Instead of setting your left thumb on top of the grip, rotate it about 30 degrees clockwise (away from the target) so it is angled down the right side of the grip.

You now should see two, even three, knuckles of the left hand when looking down at address.

This grip will help compensate for having less arm strength than men.

As for the right hand, spread your fingers as wide as possible. There should be a significant gap between the index and middle fingers. This is also a strong position.

2. Take a firm stance

A solid base creates good balance and supports high club head speed. Flex your knees slightly and press them away from each other, not inward as many people think they should. Pressing them inward actually promotes reverse pivoting, a major power loss position. Pressing the knees away from each other enables you to shift your weight correctly.

 

3. Resist with the lower body

As the club starts back, stretch your arms away from your torso while holding your hips and knees in place. Your lower body will turn no matter how much you try to prevent it, but if you resist with your lower body at the start of the swing, you won't overturn - a common problem among women who tend to be very flexible. Overturning destroys the coil that sets up a powerful downswing.

4. Create the right support

At the top of the backswing, the right arm should fold to form a right angle. When this occurs, the right hand should be under the grip, providing support so the club doesn't dip past parallel. This support preserves your natural maximum swing arc and the wider the arc, the more club head speed you can produce.

5. Hands lead the shoulders

Starting down, push the hands away from your shoulders as far as possible. The butt end of the club should point down to the ball and the club head stays pointed to the sky creating angle in the back of the right wrist. This position combined with a stronger grip helps the forearms rotate the clubhead square for a solid strike every time.

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Learn to train your hands

By Chuck Evans
Special Contributor

At our Medicus Golf Institute schools we have a saying, "Learn to control your hands so that you can control the clubface. If you control the clubface you control the ball. Control the ball you control the game."

Sounds easy enough...right?

Actually it is easy if you learn how to properly train your hands. Since the hands are the only part of the body holding the golf club it is imperative that they know precisely what to do. If they are not trained then hitting a shot where you want it is purely an accident.

So, how do you train the hands?

First off, do not use a golf club to train with. Instead use a tennis racquet, ping pong paddle, or anything that is racquet-like. The face of the racquet emulates the clubface, but on a much larger scale, so it is easier to monitor.

There are only three things a clubface can do:

1. Layback
2. Close
3. Hood

Each of these motions produce different trajectories, but a straight ball flight.

Layback produces the highest trajectory while closing produces the lowest. Layback can be "under rolled" - the push slice - and closing can be "over rolled" - the duck hook.

These motions also have names associated with them and they are called Hinge Actions. Horizontal Hinging is closing and works like a door opening and closing, a full roll feel. Vertical Hinging works like a pendulum, a kind of a "reverse" roll feel, and Angled Hinging works like a canoeist paddle, no roll in either direction.

On their respective planes there is always a no-roll in either direction. But when they are placed on an inclined plane, where we play golf on, they take on the characteristics of that plane.

For instance, Horizontal Hinging on it's associated plane does not open or close but when placed on the inclined plane it is turned to the right and rolled to the left. An over roll would result in a smother hook.

So any type of curvature starts with either an over roll or under roll of the selected Hinge Action.

Now let's start training the hands. Grab your racquet and hold it in your left hand straight out in front of you so that the left arm is horizontal to the ground and that the racquet face is at a right angle to the imaginary target line. Now move your left hand to the right across your chest. Did the racquet face turn or roll? Of course not. That's because it is on it's associated plane. Now move it back toward the target. Did it turn or roll? The answer is still no!

Now hold the racquet and assume your address position. Take your left arm back like you did before until it is a mirror image of what you did on the horizontal plane. This time the left hand and racquet face had to "turn" to match up, didn't they? You see, whatever the face angle is on it's associated plane has to match when placed on the inclined plane. So with Horizontal Hinging there is a "feel" of turning to the right and rolling to the left. Your job is to not over roll the clubface.

Once you have gained a mastery of educated hands then the hands do not care what you place in them. It could be a tennis racquet, baseball bat, or golf club. If they are trained they will respond properly.

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Fear not the chip shot

By Chuck Evans
Special Contributor

A lot of players are scared to death of chipping - and for good reason. They have experienced the full gamut of frustration. Sculling the ball over the green, laying the old Hormel on it and watching the little divot go farther than the ball!

The good news is with the proper technique you can become a chipping wizard!

Set up is critical for any shot and at the Medicus Golf Institute we refer to this as "Set up for success." Address and set up are the two areas that anyone can look as good as a PGA Tour pro, so make sure that you get these two correct before you move the golf club.

In chipping you don't want any hand or wrist action, so the first thing you will need to do is place the club in the left hand between the thumb and heel pads. This will eliminate any wrist movement and also keep the left arm and clubshaft in one line. Now add your right hand and use any style of grip that is comfortable; overlapping, interlocking, ten finger, or reverse overlap. A lot of players use the reverse overlap since that is what they use in their putting stroke.

Once the grip is completed you now want to take your address and setup position.

Start by placing the ball location off the back ankle, keep your shoulders square to the target line, narrow your stance, and pull your left foot back to give the visual of an open stance. Keep your head in the middle of the stance! This will place the head in front of the golf ball. Then lean your body and clubshaft toward the target until you have 80 percent of your weight forward.

By leaning the weight forward you sharpen the angle of attack and make it almost impossible to hit the chip fat!

Now it's time to make the stroke by simply moving the club back until the butt end of the club reaches the middle of your right thigh. But do not shift your weight - the weight stays forward. From here rotate your torso and allow it bring the hands and club into Impact with no additional usage of hands - no flipping of the golf club!

After impact keep rotating to follow through and keep the clubhead below the hands.

We had a player that was scared to death of chipping and after working with him doing exactly what I have described above he went out the next day on the golf course and holed four chip shots! He came in all excited and couldn't wait to tell us what had happened. Shortly after he came in, a couple of the players that were out with him came and asked what we had done to change his chipping so dramatically. We showed them a couple of things and they asked how they could attend one of our Short Game Schools, and one of them is a golf professional from another course nearby.

Use this procedure and you will lose all fear of chipping. Who knows you may even make a couple!

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Do what it takes to win

By Chuck Evans
Special Contributor

We've all, at some point in our golf careers, had a match or a tournament that we've either won or really wanted to win. What separates winning from finishing behind the winner? Here are several things that players need to do to put themselves in a position to win. Whether you are a low and or high handicapper, there are commonalities to look for.

First you must play within yourself. This means that you don't attempt any shots that you have not practiced many times beforehand. If you are a fader of the golf ball and the shot calls for a draw then don't try to hit this shot. Play to your strength and not your weakness.

Secondly, play the golf course and not your opponent. This is where many players get caught up in the moment. They try to keep up with their opponent in driving distance, hitting clubs that they cannot get to the green, trying shot shapes that don't fit their stroke pattern and a host of others things.

Thirdly you must prepare for the event. This means charting the course and the greens even if you have played the course many times before. Develop a strategy for how you are going to play the course and pick the holes that you can attack and the ones you will need to be a little more conservative on. If you are an aggressive type of personality then you must attack, attack, attack! But pick your spots to be aggressive.

Winners see things happening in a positive manner. Players that don't win see negative images instead. They think about things like, "Don't hit it to the right, there's water over there." Instead of recognizing that there is a problem down the right side and saying "Ok, let's keep it down the left side."

Players also need to check their equipment. Are your loft and lie angles correct for you? Have your wedges been knocked weak? If you play a lot of golf or practice a lot you need to have these checked on a regular basis. PGA Tour players have theirs checked every week and adjust them based on course conditions or the shot shape and trajectory they will need for that particular course.

Some other things you will need are plenty of golf balls, tees, a marker to mark your golf ball, new golf gloves - if you wear them - clean grooves on your irons, an up-to-date rule book and making sure before you reach the first tee that you have counted your clubs to make sure that you have no more than 14. Ask Ian Woosnam about this one!

Be prepared and get your game face on!

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Putt like the pros

By Chuck Evans
Special Contributor

Look at the world's best putters and they all have at least one thing in common: Once they pick the line, they focus on the pace of the putt. They do not "fall in love" with the line. This only leads to putts that are short.

The best putters use different types of strokes and grips. Some of them use a straight back/straight through type of stroke while others use the arc approach.

Let's examine these types of strokes.

1. With the arc approach the club moves back, up, and in during the backstroke, which means it has to move down, out, and forward in the downstroke. Because the player is using this arc approach, ball location is critical. Too far forward and you will pull the putt and too far back and you will push it.

2. The straight back and through method produces a putter face that essentially looks at the ball during the stroke. Since the putter is now moving on a vertical plane there is no inward motion, which means there is no outward motion. Ball location isn't nearly as critical since the face isn't opening or closing.

Players also have a variety of ways they stand at the ball when putting: Some use the so-called square stance, while others use an open one.

Then there is putter and grip styles.

Ken Green uses a putter about 30 inches long while other Bruce Leitzke uses a long putter anchored at the top of his chest. Grip styles range from overlap to reverse overlap, the claw, the saw, cross handed, you name it!

The bottom line is use whatever you want style you want, as long as you're making putts.

Don't be worried about what your playing partners may think or say, you're the one making the putts, not them.

Bernhard Langer has overcome the yips at several times in his career. Do you think he cares what other players think about his putting style?

Whatever you decide to do, stick to it and work on it. Good putting can make up a lot of strokes and bring that handicap down.

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Get to know your swing plane

By Karen Palacios-Jansen
Special to WorldGolf.com

Professional and low-handicap golfers consider the swing play to be one of the most important concepts in golf. Swing plane directly relates to how straight, high and far you can hit the ball. At the same time, swing plane is one of the most intimating terms for high-handicap women golfers, simply because they're not sure what a swing plane is, let alone what a good one looks like.

To envision a perfect swing plane, imagine a dotted line drawn from the ball, along the clubshaft and up past the grip. This is your swing plane line. As you start your swing, the clubhead goes up the imaginary dotted line and then basically the club turns upside down so that the grip end of club points down to the ground. The club should be parallel to your imaginary dotted line. Your shoulders turn to finish the backswing and then as you start the downswing, the club should drop back on the imaginary dotted line.

High-handicappers, because of poor swing mechanics or misconceptions regarding swing plane, begin their swings by rolling the club away from their bodies on the takeaway, which immediately puts the club under the swing plane or dotted line. From this position, the player can only lift the club to finish the backswing and then come over the top, or above the swing plane on the downswing. From here, all you can do is hit the ball from an outside path, a major cause of slices and pulls.

The key: Stay on plane as much a possible, especially in the beginning of the backswing. If you're on plane at this critical part of the backswing, you're more likely to remain on plane throughout the entire swing.

No one has a perfect swing plane, but good ballstrikers manage to keep the club on plane throughout their swings more often than not. Here's a drill to help you learn the correct swing plane once and for all.

With a short-iron, grip down on the shaft so that the butt end of the club almost touches your belly button. As you swing back, maintain the triangle formed by your hands and forearms by keeping the butt end of the club pointing at your belly until the clubhead points just outside your right foot. An early body turn or an early break of the wrists will destroy the triangle and move the club under the swing plane. If you keep the club pointed at your belly and your triangle intact, your clubface will remain square and remain on plane. Turn your shoulders and finish your backswing.

As you start the downswing, drop your arms so the butt end of the club points away from your belly. This is the correct delivery position, where the clubhead is on plane and approaches the ball from an inside path.

If you're ever off plane on the backswing, you'll be forced to throw the cluhead from the top and the butt end of the club will point back to your belly button. This is the exact opposite of what you want to do. From this position, you'll slice, pull or top the ball.

To sum up the perfect plane, keep the butt end of the club pointing toward your belly on the takeaway and away from your belly on the downswing. You don't have to be perfect, but don't do the opposite.

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Some lessons to take away from watching the British Open

By Chuck Evans
Special Contributor

Golfers in the U.S. are spoiled when it comes to course conditions and the type of golf we play here versus in Europe.

The British Open is usually an extreme example of the contrast in golf between the two. While courses in the U.S. normally accept shots fired at the pin, the reverse is true at the British Open.

Watch the British Open and you'll see the type of golf (and preparation) you would need if you are intending to head over to Europe, especially to Britain, for a golf vacation.

The run and punch shot

Most shots on British golf courses are played short of the green and run up to the hole. Shots fired at the pin usually go off the green leaving delicate little chips and pitches. Of course the player also has the option of putting from 30 yards off the green as well.

But that's just one type of shot you would need.

Watch the pros at Carnoustie and see how they hit a lot of punch and knockdown shots to keep the ball below the tree lines and out of the wind. To hit this type of shot position the ball back in your stance from your normal position. Be sure to increase the weight distribution to favor the front leg and foot and then leavbe it there during the stroke. After impact keep the club low to follow through. If you rotate the club face slightly you can hit a low punch draw.

If you hold the club face it will generally produce a straight punch and if you feel a little "reverse" action of the clubface you can hit punch fade. Experiment a little to find your ball location for those windy days.

Surviving those deep bunkers and tricky greens.

British golf courses are notorious for deep pot bunkers, something you don't see much on U.S. golf courses. There will be times when playing the ball backward is the best choice. There have been a lot of players that have tried to advance the ball from one of these caverns and wind up having to hit a second and third shot from bunker.

In the U.S. we very seldom are faced with these types of shots. I would suggest that you don't try to be a hero, take your medicine and move on. You'll have plenty of holes and times to make birdies during the round.

Putting is also very tricky on European greens. In the U.S. we are use to smooth, well manicured greens, not so on British courses. The greens are usually bumpy, lots of undulation and slower then U.S. greens. Take your time, hit the putt a little firmer, and be committed to the line. Speed is always a factor so don't fall in love with the line.

Oh, and the weather is awful

As you'll probably see at the British Open, it can be rainy and cold over there. You'll need headgear, cold weather, rain gear, lots of gloves and a hand warmer. Dress in layers whenever possible but nothing restrictive, you still need to move and make a golf swing.

There's nothing you can do about conditions so just accept the fact that the round isn't going to be pleasant and that everyone else is playing in the same conditions.

We have it so good over here that sometimes we don't realize how poor course conditions can be outside of the U.S. It's a different game in Europe and if you ever get the chance to go over and play don't hesitate!

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It's not about how good your golf swing looks

By Chuck Evans
Special Contributor

Some skillful players know how to get the ball in the hole and score. Others have what appears to be a great golf swing but cannot score, while still others have a combination of both a great-looking swing and the know-how to go low.

Which one are you?

Take a look at the Champions Tour and you'll see countless variations of swings - most are not "pretty" but these players have found a way to get it in the hole. And what is the objective of the game? To get the ball in the hole with the fewest number of strokes.

Ben Hogan was asked who he thought had the best swing he had ever seen and he answered, "A driving range pro over at..."

Some players are cursed with a beautiful swing - on the driving range - but can never take it to the course. Others are blessed with the ability to score with swings that look like an octopus in a telephone booth, like Jim Furyk.

Do you need to work on your mechanics? Sure, but when the bell rings you've got to find a way to score. When playing golf don't be concerned about "how" it looks, the scorecard doesn't know any better, but rather what you need to do to get this little white ball in the hole in the fewest strokes possible.

Here are a couple of suggestions to help you improve your scoring.

1. Get out on the course and play two balls. Play the worst ball on every shot and you'll find a way to score.

2. Play the forward tees. If this does not give you a different view then nothing will.

3. Play your approach shots from the middle of the fairway on par 4's from the 100 yard marker, par 5's from the two hundred yard marker, and the par 3's from the fringe. This will tell you where your weakest points are. You may think you've got a good short game but playing this way will definitely show you how good it is.

Ultimately players need to control the clubface, their pivot, and their chosen Plane Angle. These three pieces can make the difference between success or failure on the golf course. If these three do not match up the player is doomed for a golf life spent in mediocrity.

For an example of how to match these three up look at Colin Montgomerie's swing. His pivot is a slide and tilt in the backstroke and then another slide and tilt in the downstroke. He matches up his pivot by using what I refer to as a Turning Shoulder Plane for his Plane Angle. Then to match the clubface he uses a "Angled Hinge Action." These three are compatible. However, the Plane Angle and Hinge Action would not be compatible with a more rotational pivot such as the one used by Tiger Woods.

In our new book, coming out later this summer, we go into great detail about how to match up components. We will show you pictures of the different variations then show you how to match up what you're doing to make your golf stroke more effective.

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Control your wrist, and control your slice

By Chuck Evans
Special Contributor

You're standing on the tee with water right and think, boy I don't want to hit it right. What usually happens next? The ball doesn't go into the water because it wants to. It go in the water because it has to!

You did everything absolutely perfect to produce this slice and send your golf ball to a watery grave. So how do you fix this abomination of a shot? First, you will need to know what a slice is and what some of its causes are.

A slice can start anywhere but then curves back to the right - for a right-handed player. The amount of this curvature can be small or great depending on the clubface angle when the ball leaves the clubface.

If you are slicing here's a quick check list to narrow down why.

1. Ball location - having the ball too far back in the stance will not allow the clubface to close properly. A player's hand speed also affects ball location. Fast hands need to play the ball back and slow hands more forward.

2. Hinge action (the control of the clubface transmitted through the left hand) - Faulty hinge action can lead to slices, hooks, pushes, and fades. But properly educated hands can even compensate for off plane motions.

3. Right arm action - Not straightening the right arm through impact allows the clubface to remain open. These three are the basic reasons for slices, but there could be more depending on the player.

 

Some misnomers about slices

 

1. Clubhead path controls initial ball direction.

This is one of the worst pieces of advice ever given. Why? The ball will always leave the clubface, at a right angle to the clubface, regardless of the path the club is swung on unless there is enough time and force to alter what's known as the Venturi Effect.

2. A strong grip eliminates a slice.

Yeah right. We've all heard this and I bet you've even tried it. You probably took a lesson - or two - from the local pro and have spent a few dollars (or even a few hundred) to get rid of that nasty slice.

Heck, you might have even tried to fix that nasty thing yourself! But you quickly realized after hundreds of golf balls...it did not work. You heard me. It didn't work, never has, and never will.

If you want to eliminate a slice, or a hook, you MUST learn how to control the clubface through the proper use of the left wrist. That's all there is to it.

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A golfer's got to know his limitations

By Chuck Evans
Special Contributor

How many times have you taken a lesson and walked away feeling unfulfilled, Knowing that you just didn't get it?

It may not be your fault!

The majority of golf teachers work strictly on the mechanics of the golf stroke. And while that certainly plays an important role, there is something else that absolutely must happen for the mechanical aspects to work.

You see there is a golf handicap and a physical handicap. Your golf handicap may be a 5 but the physical one may be 30! What does this mean? In simple terms your body may not allow you to do certain things.

As an example: You might not have any external rotation of the right forearm that would preclude getting your right elbow in front of the right hip.

Of, if your hips are limited in flexibility and rotational motion then turning them through the ball will be next to impossible. If the left side of your body is weaker then the right then it will not provide enough support through the ball, it will collapse instead.

So without the knowledge of what you can do physically, trying to work on mechanics is an absolute waste of time.

Players virtually never make poor motions because they want to, but rather their bodies dictate what they can and can not do.

When working with an golf instructor be sure to ask them if they offer a physical evaluation to go with their teaching. Whether they are qualified to do this or they farm it out makes no difference. But what does make a difference is the interpretation of the data.

Remember it's not your fault if you are having swing issues. You want to do something different but your body just won't allow it.

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When it comes to drivers, bigger isn't always better

By Chuck Evans
Special Contributor

In the past few years we have seen driver head sizes increasing dramatically. The "theory" is that if the clubhead is bigger then the club will be easier to hit. Great theory - alas, there's only one problem with it. Anytime you increase the size of something, in this case a clubhead, whenever you miss the sweetspot then there is twisting - and any twisting cuts down on distance and control of the golf ball.

If you have a clubhead size that is four inches on either side of the middle, then you will have up to four inches of twisting. But if you have two inches on either side of the sweet spot, then there can only be up to two inches of twisting! This reduces the amount of twisting and tightens up the shot dispersion - and that means more distance and ball control.

Golf club manufacturers are finally realizing this and most are offering smaller heads now.

I personally believe that in the next couple of years we will see driver heads under the 400 cc size. In fact, Katsuhiro Miura, designer and owner of Muira Golf, has done extensive testing and has found that any head size larger than 400 cc actually produces shorter distances.

Miura, long known for his craftsmenship and quality, makes clubs for several PGA Tour players under the brand name of their equipment sponsor and rumor has it that there is a top-10 player in the world rankings that is one of those.

Before you jump out and buy the next "greatest" and biggest driver available on the market today, step back and take a look at what else is being offered. Do yourself a favor and get a smaller head for better control

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Five things you can do to play better in the wind

By Chuck Evans
Special Contributor

For the past few days I have been watching golfers play in extremely windy conditions. Now these players are not PGA Tour caliber but they do have something in common: they must learn how to control their golf ball in the wind.

Here are a few things you'll need to know about playing in the wind.

1. Take more club - Your normal "150" club probably isn't going to go that far when hitting into the wind. But down wind you could take a smaller club and get the same distance.

 

2. Swing easier - The harder you try and hit the golf ball the more spin you put on it. The more spin the more the wind affects the shot.

3. Take a wider stance - The wind can move you around and affect your balance. To counteract that, widen your stance. This lowers your center of gravity and helps to maintain a solid base into the ground.

4. Shorten your stroke - The longer your backstroke the more chance you have of over swinging and having balance problems. By keeping the backstroke shorter you'll have more control.

5. Let the golf ball "ride the wind" - This one is a source of controversy. Some players like to try and "work" the ball into the wind, which straightens out the flight. But almost all great wind players let the ball ride the wind. If it's blowing right to left then they will hit a shot that goes in the direction of the wind.

You'll also notice that the European players use a much wider stance for putting then do their US counterparts. This wider stance does help make the players foundation much more solid and since the Europeans usually play in these conditions we should take a page out of their notebook.

The next time you're playing in windy conditions use these tips and have a more solid ball striking round.

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Practice like you play

By Chuck Evans
Special Contributor

A lot of players seem to have trouble taking their "driving range" game to the course. We hit it so pure on the range but yet when the bell rings and we go to the golf course there is a complete change of personality.

A perfectly logical, smooth swinger transforms into the "Hulk" and everything that they have been working on to get their games in shape suddenly disappears.

Most players have a range game and an on-course game, but can't seem to fit them together. The key is to practice like you play.

If you are quick and aggressive on the course then you need to practice the same way. There is no use practicing something that you're not going to use and put into play, so stop beating yourself up and get in the game!

Golf practice time is just for that - practice.

If you are extremely quick on the course then practice that way and if you are a slow smooth swinger of the club then practice that. Whatever your "style" and tempo, are spend time rehearsing them and quit wasting time trying to do something that is different then normal.

I have seen players over and over again spend time working on their swings and it looks great on the practice tee. But when it's time to tee it up their games change completely. It's really not the players fault - they don't know any better but what if you practiced like you play. You will see definite changes in scoring and ball striking, you'll hit more fairways and greens and make fewer putts.

Players that hit it far, but not straight, should continue to work on becoming straighter but that doesn't mean they should gear down to do so. It just means that they need to have a different set of components to match what they are doing.

An example would be a player that is extremely long but try as they may they cannot play by swinging at a smoother tempo. And even if they do the very time someone hits it by them they will arch their backs, give a quick snort, rare back and blast it! This usually results in missed fairways and two-way misses or they try to make up every stroke they have lost when the par-5's come up. Both of these cases are score breakers.

I don't care how good your short game is you need to put the ball in play. Short game experts will tell you that the short game is the most critical part of the game. But if you cannot hit a fairway what good is making that 35 footer for bogey!

I do agree that short game is where you will lower the most shots, but the driver, wedge, and putter make up approximately 78 percent of all of the shots! Note that driver sets up the approach shot and it's always better to hit approachs from the short grass then the long stuff.

If you're having trouble keeping the ball in play from the tee go find the tightest driving hole you can, stay there all day and hit drivers until you find a way to keep it between the trees.

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Add power, accuracy to your golf game in a few short steps

By Chuck Evans
Special Contributor

The two major priorities of most golfers are more power and accuracy.

For optimal learning, these priorities must be addressed both academically and physically. Knowledge should be conveyed to the student through lecture, scientific demonstration, swing-training aids and video analysis. When done properly, players will come to fully understand their swings.

Power

There are four separate sources of power in the golf swing, definable and distinguishable:

1. Proper uncocking of the left wrist.
2. Blasting of the left arm off the chest with the body pivot.
3. Synchronized roll of the left wrist through impact.
4. The driving power of the right forearm.

When the player learns the proper utilization, application and synchronization of these power sources, he or she will solve the mysteries of power!

 

Accuracy

Two factors that determine the accuracy of all golf shots:
1. Control of the flat left wrist through impact, for clubface alignment.
2. Consistent orbit of the clubhead on the proper plane.

The player must learn to swing the clubhead, shaft and hands up and back then down and out on the same inclined plane time after time. He or she must also learn to control the clubface with the flat left wrist, thereby adding to the precision of all shots.

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The primacy of the perfect pivot

By Chuck Evans
Special Contributor

This week I'm in Pennsylvania working with a couple of our players on the Hooters Tour. While this certainly isn't as glamorous as the PGA Tour, these players are nonetheless playing for money, living their dream and pursuing the PGA Tour.

While there is certainly a world filled with these tours and players, they all have the same goals in mind: to be the best they can be.

They all work diligently on their short game, ball striking, mental game, and getting their set make-up just right as well as keeping their bodies in shape for what is a long season. Strength and flexibility can mean the difference in making the "big show" (Read: PGA Tour) or staying in the "minor leagues." With this in mind these players all have something that is inherent to all golfers: the search for perfection!

While having perfect mechanics isn't a guarantee that one will make it on Tour, perfect mechanics do produce perfect shots.

One thing that I see a lot are players that really don't understand how the body, arms, and hands really work in a golf swing. If the body out races the arms then a push shot is likely and if the arms and hands out race the body then shots that are pulled will be the norm. The hands can make up for a faulty pivot motion to a certain extent but why make that adjustment if you don't have to. There is a proper sequence that is based upon physics that you can rely on.

The golf stroke is a series of events that take place which produces a "lagging" of components. Let me explain. Think of the golf stroke as a gear train that starts from the ground up. In the start down, the hips rotate back toward the target while the hands and arms remain at the top of the backstroke. This applies pressure from the upper left arm to the chest - sort of gluing it to the chest. The trunk now follows with the right shoulder moving down plane and the arms going along for the ride.

So now you have the gear train effect, hips pull the trunk, trunk pulls the arms, arms pull the hands and club. This continues until the ball is struck and the player gets to what we refer to as follow through - the place in the swing that both arms are straight. From there all of the components are basically released and have come into alignment with each other.

At our Medicus Golf Institute Golf schools we train players on the physics of rotation and the geometry of the circle. Now that may sound complicated but it really isn't once we put into lay terms and actions.

To really store up power try using this procedure above and you will see an increase not only in power but in accuracy!

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There isn't a universal golf swing

By Chuck Evans
Special Contributor

Currently there is a lot of publicity about a "new" golf swing of the future. This swing is being touted as the "fix-all" for every golfer.

Golfers will buy into anything that they think may improve their game no matter how ludicrous it may be. We are all looking to play better golf, hit more consistent shots, make more putts, and the search for this elusive "Holy Grail" will never end. But to think and promote that one golf swing will work with everyone is simply insanity!

For example, do you really think that someone like Craig Stadler can move his body and club like someone as flexible as Camilo Villegas, absolutely NOT! Yet the golfing public so desperately wants to find the "secret" that they will buy into this.

I personally feel sorry for the golfing world. We, at the Medicus Golf Institute, have spent our entire careers helping golfers play better and without trying to stick every player into some type of mold. We take what their tendencies are, show them options, and then let them decide which variation is the easiest for them to replicate.

I can remember growing up as a young player when we all wanted to swing like Ben Hogan. The truth is that to duplicate anyone else, you would need several factors.

1. Be built like the player
2. Have the same flexibility as the player
3. Have the same mindset as the player

Without all of the above characteristics you will never be able to duplicate their swing. Sure, to the untrained eye it may appear to look a alike - or close - but the pure mechanics would not match up.

Several years ago I approached IBM and MIT with an idea. I wanted to develop a "Virtual Reality" that would place sensors on the body. These sensors would not only provide data about the flexibility of the player but would also send stimuli to the body for movement.

In the "helmet" there would be a viewing visor - or screen - that the player would see whomever they were trying to emulate. As the "model" moved the body sensors would activate and move the player along with the model.

IBM and MIT both told me that my idea was way beyond the available technology. Here we are years later and we still do not have the ability to build such a machine.

Humans are not perfect, so to try and build a perfect golf stroke is unattainable. The only way to actually build a perfect model is to use mechanical devices such as Iron Byron. But even with this machine it has limitations. Remember it was based on Byron Nelson's swing and not perfect swing mechanics.

Do yourself a favor and find an instructor that will help you attain your goals while using what you are capable of impact separation, a straight plane line, and can monitor/feel the sweetspot against your forefinger you can do virtually anything else you want to do.

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Ball alignment is just as important as set-up!

 

By Chuck Evans
Special Contributor

In a recent article I shared with you something that Jack Nicklaus had said about setting up properly.

Set-up is only part of the equation however. Most players think that set-up is how to position yourself to the ball - and it is - but we must also realize the importance of ball placement, weight and balance, and the right forearm alignment to the clubshaft.

Set-up alignments are really the most critical part since they determine what is going to happen during the stroke and ball positioning can effect those alignments.

 

I'll give you an example. A player is having trouble and is hitting the ball fat. So we need to look at some of the more common elements that can cause this "laying the sod over it" shot.

1. Ball position too far forward
2. Weight leaning backward at impact
3. Head over the right foot at impact
4. The right arm straightening too soon.
5. The swing plane is too far from the inside.

Numbers 2-5 all effect ball position. By leaning too far back you have effectively moved the ball position forward, same with keeping the head over the right foot and swinging too much from the inside. The straightening of the right arm is a conscious/sub-conscious effort to take the clubface to the ball and it changes the clubshaft/forearm alignment.

Anytime you lean back you move the low point of the golf stroke back which, in effect, moves the ball position forward.

Ultimately, however, fat or thin shots are a changing of the radius that was established at address. Fat shots mean the radius is getting longer and thin shots...it's getting shorter.

It takes no athletic ability at all to look as good as any PGA Tour player at address. It's what happens next that tells the tale!

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A conversation with Camilo Villegas yields lessons

By Chuck Evans
Special Contributor

It's been a busy week but fun and informative. First I had the opportunity to spend some time with Camilo Villegas - the "Cobra" - and while it was a lot of work we had time to talk about some of the things that he does in preparation for a tournament.

Camilo is a very mature 24-year-old and has a great outlook on life and golf. When he was asked about Harbour Town and the tough conditions, he replied that, "Yeah it was tough but it was also a lot of fun."

If we had asked a lot of other players the general response would have been much more negative.

The lesson to be learned here is that you can't do anyting about playing conditions: you take what Mother Nature is dealing out and make the best of it. There's no use in getting down and complaining because everyone else is playing in the same conditions!

We also spoke about No. 10 at Augusta, where you need to draw it around the corner to take advantage of the down slope, and he told me that in a practice round the guy he was playing with doesn't like to draw it. This other player hit five tee shots trying to draw the ball and none of them drew! In fact, they all wound up in the tree line on the right side!

And this lesson simply means that as a player you have to play to your strengths. Don't try to hit shots that you are not comfortable with nor shots that you have not practiced.

As players we all can get consumed with swing mechanics, weather conditions, and trying to hit the perfect shot. Ben Hogan once said that he only hit four-to-five shots a round exactly how he wanted! If the best players in the world don't hit every shot perfect then why does the average player expect to?

The goal is to minimize the error percentage, not hit it perfect every time.

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