The Secret of Golf

Down the years, certain players have influenced the way that we think about the golf swing.

For me, Nick Price is a classic case in point. I can remember Nick being interviewed a week or so before he won the 1992 USPGA Championship at Bellerive - the first of his three majors. He was talking about how he believed he had finally discovered (and understood) the natural 'symmetry' that exists in a solid swing - specifically in the way the through-swing mirrors the backswing.

This is the real key to developing what I like to term a 'naturally correct' swing, and over the following pages I am going to show you a couple of simple exercises that will help you enjoy the same symmetry in your swing.

ESTABLISHING THE ALL-IMPORTANT 'CONTROL AREA'

The golf swing is a combination move: the body turns, the hands and arms react, the motion oiled and synchronized with the natural hingeing or 'cocking' of the wrists that first stores and then releases energy. In order for that chain of events to occur smoothly, it's vital that you create what I refer to as the 'control area' of the upper arms and shoulders at the set-up. By extending your arms and gently turning your elbows inwards, you not only create this long, narrow triangle but you also enable the wrists to work freely in your swing (bunch up your arms and you will appreciate the restriction this puts on the wrists).

3 EASY STEPS...

Stand in front of a mirror and rehearse this easy 3-step exercise that creates the all-important 'control area'. Establishing and maintaining what I describe as this 'long, narrow triangle' is your first step on the way to making and repeating a naturally correct golf swing.

Those of you familiar with Ben Hogan's book The Modern Fundamentals of Golf mightrecognize this idea. Hogan was perhaps the greatest exponent of creating this type of relationship between the arms and the elbows, going so far as to suggest that he imagined his forearms were bound together to remind him of the importance of pointing the elbows in towards the hips and maintaining this relationship through the swing.

HOW TO MAKE THE PERFECT BACKSWING