Tip From Seve

Friday, November 15, 2013

More feel, more control.

Seve Ballesteros has always been a hero of mine, and I can remember watching him give a short-game clinic in which he talked about a feel that he liked to cultivate in his right hand.

Seve said that he imagined the palm of his right hand was the clubface, and he used that visualisation to help him conjure every shot imaginable around the green.

When you next practise, try this for yourself.

Hit a few shots with your right hand only on the club, and feel the way the clubface works through impact.

Share in Seve's magic.

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Learning from your ball flight

Thursday, November 14, 2013

The flight of your ball reveals all you need to know about your swing and what you must do to improve it. Compare your shots to the picture below, which illustrates the nine most common ball flights. When you've identified your swing fault, simply click for tips to fix it!

Identify your desired ball flight, or the fault you wish to correct

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The Straight Shot

Jack Nicklaus famously said "Any straight shot with a long club is a fluke", and indeed the touring professional almost never tries to hit the ball "straight", preferring a controlled fade or a draw to give himself more fairway to aim at. For most handicap golfers, however, keeping it "straight" is the main concern. Here's how.

Please note: all lessons refer to right-handed golfers

For the average golfer hitting the ball straight can be difficult to master, but the key to the straight shot lies in a perfectly parallel set-up position

Firstly, the club face should be aligned at 90 degrees to the target line. The body alignment (feet, knees, hips and shoulders) should then be aligned parallel to the target line. From this set-up position the player will have a greater chance of producing the in-to-square-to-in swing path, needed to hit a straight shot.

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The Fade

Favoured by many of the most accurate golfers in history, such as Harry Vardon, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus and Colin Montgomerie, the fade can help you stay on the fairway off the tee and stop the ball on firm, fast greens.

Please note: all lessons refer to right-handed golfers

Players who set up with the weight distributed in the heels with poor spinal tilt will often struggle with poor rotation of the body this can lead to the club being trapped inside the line as the arms have no room to swing through the ball.

A good posture, with the weight on the balls of the feet, will create room for the hips and torso to rotate in the downswing, leading to the arms swinging on a better path out in front of the body.

This will improve your consistency of strike and direction.

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Curing the Pull

The pull is actually a close relation of the slice, at least as far as body alignment and swing path are concerned, which is why many slicers occasionally hit a pull.

Please note: all lessons refer to right-handed golfers

A pull shot is the result of an 'out to in ' swing path with the face square to the path.

Curing the pull lies in trying to achieve an inside path into the ball. An easy way to gain this feeling is to place an alignment aid on the ground near the ball, this should be pointing right of target. The idea is to track the line of the alignment before and after impact. This feeling should improve the club path and straighten up the ball flight.

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Curing the Hook

A shot that seems to have a mind of its own, and despite its reputation as "the good golfer's fault", even the best players in the world hate a hook. Follow these simple tips and get it back on the straight and narrow.

Please note: all lessons refer to right-handed golfers

For many golfers a hook shot can be a consistent nightmare on the golf course.

This shot is usually caused by the club face being closed throughout the swing due to a poor grip.

A 'strong' hold on the club with more than 3/4 knuckles showing on the left hand and the right hand underneath the shaft will often cause this closed club face position.

Although grip changes can feel awkward at first, the grip needs to be neutral in order to control the flight.

If you are hooking the ball, check that the lines created by the thumb and forefinger on both hands point between the chin and right shoulder.

A hookers grip will point more at the right hip.

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Curing the Pull Hook

Probably the most dreaded shot in golf, the shank can cause panic when it strikes and the result is usually more shanks! Step back, breathe slowly and deeply, and work through these simple tips to eliminate it.

Please note: all lessons refer to right-handed golfers

The pull hook starts left of target and then curves further left.

It is usually the result of a strong grip and the ball too far forward in the stance which opens the shoulders.

This encourages an 'out-to-in' swing path and a closed clubface at impact.

Weaken your grip to a more neutral position (turn hands to the left).

Check your aim and alignment, pick your target and place a club along the line of your feet, place another club parallel to this one and position the ball in the middle of your stance.

Check your aim is where you want the ball to go! The ball being further back in your stance will delay the clubface closing through impact.

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