Check Your Lies

Monday, November 25, 2013

With misfit lie angles, it’s easy to groove a swing error. Lie angles that are too upright (toe up) at impact cause your ball to finish left of target. If they’re too flat (toe down), your ball flies wide right. If you make good swings and the ball consistently flies to the right of the target, it won’t be long before you introduce an over-the-top move to pull the ball back to target. If your ball flies left, you’ll learn to delay your hands to block the ball back to target. Bottom line: Have your lies checked.

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Underswing/Overswing

In  an “underswing,” your arms move too slowly during the downswing and can’t keep up with your body turn. As such, your club becomes trapped (right) and the ball flies to the right. Underswinging is especially prevalent among women. Overswingers (mostly men) swing their arms too quickly, invariably in an attempt to produce added power. The problem with overswinging is that when you try to hit the ball too hard, you hit too soon from the top, which loops the club out toward the target line, resulting in a pull or a pull slice.

The solution is simple: If your shots are starting to the right of target, select one less club than you’d normally hit (a 7- vs. a 6-iron) and speed up your arms. If you’re pulling the ball, choose one more club and slow down your arms.

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Don’t Play Your Hunch

While it feels powerful to reach for the ball at address, it actually costs you power because it decreases coil. When you overreach to the ball, your upper back invariably “hunches,” and for every one degree of hunch, you lose two degrees of coil. In the correct setup, try to touch your shoulder blades at address and make sure to bend from your hips rather than your waist. If you bend from your waist, you’ll hunch your back and that’s a hunch you don’t want to play.

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Cover The Ball

The golf swing is a complicated event, full of many moving parts and varying demands on your body at different points during the motion. A well-oiled swing flawlessly keeps all of these parts in order by synchronizing their movement, from takeaway to finish. Here’s a great drill you can use on the course to synchronize your swing and create more powerful, more accurate golf shots.

Assume your address position with your club soled behind the ball. Then, keeping your clubhead in position, remove your target hand (the left for right-handers) from the handle and place it on the butt end of the club so that you can hold the club in position with that hand only. Now, simulate a golf swing using your right hand, allowing it to move to the top of your swing, then down to the ball until it moves under your front forearm through impact.

I call this drill the “Cover Drill” (Corey Pavin once used it as part of his preshot routine) because it forces the front shoulder to move upward through impact—just as it should—without spinning open. Thus, your shoulder “covers” the ball at impact and returns your arms back in front of you like they were at address.

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Warm-Up For Power

Prepare your round for heavy doses of power with this drill. Stand upright and make non-stop practice swings as though you’re hitting waist-high fastballs. Keep the motion continuous as you gradually incline your spine toward your normal golf swing position until your clubhead clips the grass. Repeat five times and you’re good to go.

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Remember To Rebound

 

As you swing through the golf ball, your club whips past your body at a high rate of speed, a result of your body whirling around your front hip joint. In order to stay balanced while you whirl, your spine must be allowed to tilt slightly away from the target—the correct reaction to the demands of physics known as “staying behind the ball.” Depending on your strength, flexibility and swing pattern, you may have more or less spinal deflection (in the five- to 10-degree range), but all good players have some spinal rebound.

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Pre-Round Tips

Before your round, ensure that you’re nice and loose. I like the “Superman Stretch.” Stand with both arms stretched out in front of you. Reach under your left arm and curl your right wrist behind your left elbow. Keeping this relationship, place your right palm on the right side of your face (see photo). Now, bend from your hip joints into your golf posture. Make a slow-motion backswing. Hold at the top for 30 seconds, then reverse for the other side.

Upon hitting the practice range, work on two things: balance and contact. Tee the ball and choke down on a 7-iron. Make three-quarter swings, and don’t worry about how far the ball travels because your goal is solid contact. In addition, strive to finish in perfect balance no matter where the ball goes. Soon, your brain will get the message—balance and solid contact are the order of the day.

Another key element of your pre-round preparation should be to determine what “game” you have on that day. If your “A” game shows (you’re hitting the ball solidly and accurately), your master plan is to play aggressively. If your “B” game surfaces (your contact and accuracy are just okay), understand that your shots won’t carry as far. Resolve to take one more club and pick your spots to be aggressive. When you have no game at all and almost every shot is a mis-hit, it’s “Short Game Time,” where the plan is to play it safe and get up and down. Hang in there until something good happens. If you get aggressive early in the round, you’re in for a long day on the golf course.

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Generate, Transmit And Deliver

 

Web Tip: Learn How To Generate Power 
Imagine a generating station located on the outskirts of town. Here, the big turbines generate the power that’s transmitted via power lines and dumped to the end user.

In the golf swing, the turbines are the large muscles of your hips, back and legs. Your shoulders, arms and clubshaft are the transmission lines, where levers acting like transformers ratchet up the power until finally the energy is dumped to the end user—the golf ball. Power begins at the source: If you fail to coil, the amount of power available for transfer is reduced.

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Own A Release

A horse and rider arrive at a seven-foot wall at top speed when, suddenly, the horse stops, catapulting the rider over the jump. The image that’s important for your golf swing is the “passing along” of energy because this is how you transmit power to the golf ball.

The wall of your golf swing is your front leg. The rider is your clubhead and his separation from the horse is the release of your clubhead through the hitting zone. The key to all of this is that the release is “passive”—it’s simply the result of your arms and hands abruptly slowing down and passing their energy down the shaft and into the ball. In other words, a good golf swing doesn’t require manipulative hand action. Correctly “passing” energy and creating power should occur without effort. Remember, you don’t “do” a release, you “have” one.

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Switch On The Power

      Here’s a simple thought to help turn on your power switch: Your weight shift and the clubhead should travel in the same direction. During the backswing, both the weight and the clubhead move away from the target; during the downswing, the direction switches—your weight and your clubhead move toward the target.

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Brush it back for better iron play

Most golfers understand, or at least have heard, that they want to create width in their backswing to drive the ball better.

 

What they might not realize, however, is that creating width is equally important when it comes to iron play.

 

If your swing tends to get a bit narrow with the irons, making consistent contact a struggle, top-100 instructor Brian Mogg has a great drill to help you fix that issue.

 

So head to the range, grab a second ball and brush it away. You’ll create more extension in your takeaway and more width at the top of your swing, both of which will lead to more solid strikes.

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Make more clutch pars when you need them like Day

 

After losing eight family members in the devastating typhoon that recently hit the Philippines, Jason Day overcame that personal tragedy to take individual honors and lead Australia to victory in the World Cup this past weekend in his home country at Royal Melbourne.

 

Day and his teammate Adam Scott finished 10 shots better than their American counterparts Matt Kuchar and Kevin Streelman.

 

After many professional events, we end up talking about the victorious player’s great final round, which oftentimes will be filled with numerous birdies en route to a low score.

 

Day managed only three birdies and an eagle to go along with a double bogey and two bogeys for a final round 1-under par 70.

 

It was his ability, however, to make par down the stretch, something runner-up Thomas Bjorn couldn’t do, that led to his victory.

 

Making birdies is great and adds excitement to any round of golf. But if you can have more pars on your scorecard than bogeys or worse, chances are you’re in for a good round.

Here are a few tips to help increase your chances to make more pars:

 

• Know when to go for birdie and when not to. A poor tee shot can change your plans quickly on any given hole. The important thing is that you don’t take extra risk by forcing a great second shot in hopes of making a birdie, which could lead to bogey or worse. Take your medicine and get the ball back in play, and you increase your chance to make par.

 

• Sharpen your short-game skills. Two-putt pars are nice, but most golfers miss more greens in regulation than they hit. Practice your short game from several locations around the practice green with the goal of getting the ball inside your gimme range.

 

• And since there’s technically no such thing as a gimme, work on those short putts. Practice your short putting enough so that 3-5-footers begin to feel automatic. This will take pressure away from your chipping or pitching by eliminating the feeling that you must get the ball to within a foot of the hole every time.

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Take more time to practice swing with all your clubs

If you want to play better from tee to green, make a resolution to spend more time practicing your golf swing, but to do it with all of your clubs.

 

The golf swing is a motor skill, meaning you are training muscles for a specific act. Constant repetition of the same moves will eventually create a habit as long as your swing mechanics are proper.

 

After determining what is right for you, use that motion to swing all of your clubs, not just your favorites.

 

Often I see golfers at the driving range using only the clubs they know they can hit well. That may be fun, but it’s not very productive for the overall game.

 

Force yourself to practice with clubs you are less confident with, like the mid-to-long irons and fairway woods.

 

Driving ranges are workshops. Do your experimentation on the range before you take your swing to the course. Golf clubs are nothing more than tools with which you play the game.

Having more tools at your disposal can make the game more satisfying and enjoyable.

Read more: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/apr/23/golf-tip-of-the-week-take-more-time-to-practice/#ixzz2lilIRYUM
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Let kids play first, learn technique second

Golf is simply a game just like any other sports. We have a set of rules. We have a field that we play it on. We have specific equipment. So how come we introduce our kids to this great game so much differently than other sports?

Think about when you were young and you learned how to play basketball or soccer. Did you go to the basketball range? Or did you simply go to the court and start playing.

 

I’m not saying that technical development isn’t important — but it’s overemphasized, especially in beginners.

 

I had the great fortune of learning golf from my father, a regular public golfer who loved the game. At age 9 he put a club in my hand. He showed me a basic grip, we hit about 30 balls on the range to get me a basic motion, than we teed it up at our local par-3 course. I learned the game by playing. I loved the game from that very first day.

 

So you may ask, “What about technique?”

As my love for the game increased, my willingness to be coached on technique and practice my skills followed very naturally. By the time I was in high school, I was a good golfer with a solid set of skills — with very few professional lessons. And now I’ve made it a career.

 

So my suggestion to parents that want to get kids into golf. Let them play! If your child loves it, everything else will follow.

Read more: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/apr/16/golf-tip-of-the-week-let-kids-play-first-learn/#ixzz2likKdYD2
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How to hit out of long greenside bunker

One of the most challenging shots for many players is the long greenside bunker shot.

The first thing to consider is what club to use. Because we’re talking about a shot where more distance is needed, the sand wedge may not always be the correct choice on a long greenside bunker shot.

 

Instead of a sand wedge, many of your top players will use a gap wedge, pitching wedge or even an 8-iron. By choosing one of these clubs, they have the ability to make the ball run a greater distance to the flagstick.

 

The key to this longer shot is to use the same swing with each club and let the loft take the ball the distance you want.

 

This is going to take some practice on your part, but try these different clubs and you will be surprised how much easier long greenside bunker shots will become.

 

Make sure you get out in one shot and get your ball back in play. Don’t let any bunker cost you more than one stroke.

Read more: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/mar/26/golf-tip-of-the-week-how-to-hit-out-of-long/#ixzz2lik3I9ET
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Parenting tips for junior golfers

I spend a lot of my time either running junior golf tournaments and watching my students compete in junior golf tournaments. One thing that I have noticed that makes a tremendous difference in a junior’s performance is in how their parents relate to them.

 

I find that most parents are very supportive of their junior golfer out on the tours, but a good 75 percent of them don’t know the things they do while watching their son or daughter hinder their performance. In a game filled with mistakes, a parent’s reaction, even if it is meant to be helpful, can often do significant damage and make it very hard for a junior to perform. Plus, juniors put more pressure on themselves when their parents are watching.

 

For a kid to flourish in competitive golf, they must always feel like they are supported, no matter how good, average, or bad they are playing. Here are three behaviors you should always be aware of when watching your junior:

 

Watch your body language. Smile a lot. It will help your junior feel less pressure. On any bad shot, never make a physical gesture or create body language that makes your son or daughter feel like you are upset.

 

When your junior hits a bad shot, stay silent. It’s pretty hard to focus on a golf shot when you are worried about how your parent is going to react if you miss.

Do not give instruction after a bad shot, especially during practice sessions. You can’t fix the last shot. Allow your junior space to learn through their own experiences. If you adhere to these tips, you will see a difference in your child’s performance.

 

Dan Martin is Director of Instruction at Rustic Canyon. Contact him at dan@golfacademyvc.com.

Read more: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/mar/19/golf-tip-parenting-tips-for-junior-golfers/#ixzz2lijhcTNF
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Fat pitch shots a result of grip pressure

A common complaint from golfers are fat shots when pitching to the green.

It is my observation as a longtime golf professional that 95 percent of the time the problem is grip pressure. Way too much of it.

 

These delicate shots, usually from 40 yards in to the green, require the hands of a surgeon. In other words, a very light and delicate touch.

 

What we see a lot of times are tight, tense fingers squeezing the life out of the club.

When golfers realize this shot requires finesse, they usually tense up. Tight fingers leads to tension in the wrists, forearms, elbows, shoulders and neck.

 

As tension increases, the smooth, soft pitching swing is nearly impossible to pull off. On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being real tight), hold the club in both hands with a grip pressure of around 4.

 

Then you can “swing” with the finesse required and you will probably see much better results.

Read more: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/mar/12/golf-tip-of-week-fat-pitch-shots-a-result-of/#ixzz2lijK6Kdv
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'Eyes on the ball' isn't a fundamental

 

I’d like to bust a myth for you: Keeping your eye on the ball in golf is not a fundamental.

In fact, if you introduce your junior to golf in this manner, you may unintentionally do more harm to their swing development than actual good.

Here’s why:

Humans learn physical skill almost exclusively through their senses. From the ages of 4-8, the sweet spot for athletic motor-skill development, kids are very connected to their senses and acquire movement patterns very quickly. Intentions, whether from a parent or coach, can point the junior’s senses in a specific direction.

If you over emphasize “eyes on the ball,” you are guiding your child into hitting “at” the ball, or a chopping motion that lacks efficiency and power. If you want to help your junior, develop a solid, efficient and powerful swing, direct their intention to what the golf swing is really a response to — the target.

 

If you always emphasize looking at the target before hitting every shot, a new movement pattern will develop. The hips and torso will turn toward the target on the forward swing and will lead the swing of the arms and the club!

 

To help, try the following exercise:

Before every shot, have him or her make practice swings with their eyes on the target, not the ground. You will see more body rotation and good swing sequence immediately. Then step up to the ball, take a few more looks at the target and swing. I even have my students hit it with eyes on the target for the whole swing. Give it a try!

Read more: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/mar/05/golf-tip-of-the-week-eyes-on-the-ball-isnt-a/#ixzz2liidayIl
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Get club in right position at top of backswing

The position of the club shaft at the top of the backswing should be pointed at your target if you were to take the club to a parallel position.

 

It is not mandatory, however, to have the club shaft parallel to the ground to have a good golf swing. In fact, many of your longer hitters are short of parallel.

 

How do you get your club in the correct position at the top of your backswing?

Make sure you keep the club shaft between your arms throughout your swing. You can do this by using these simple checkpoints.

 

At the address position check to make sure the club shaft is between your arms.

At waist high on the backswing the shaft should still be between your arms.

Look in a mirror at the top of your backswing to make sure the shaft is between your arms and pointing at your target.

 

Check this shaft position at impact, waist high on the follow-through and also in your finish position.

 

By repeating these drills you will train your golf muscles to make a correct, efficient and repeating swing.

Read more: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/feb/19/golf-tip-of-the-week-get-club-in-right-position/#ixzz2lihuOr00
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Finding the swing plane that fits your body type

The more consistent your swing plane is the more consistent your ball flight will be. The more consistent your ball flight is the lower your scores will be. But just what is swing plane?

A swing plane is the path that the clubhead takes around your body. A perfect swing plane would be if the clubhead was on the same exact path on the downswing as it was on the backswing. Sam Snead probably came as close to achieving that as any golfer in history.

 

No two swing planes are the same because no two bodies are the same. You can find your swing plane by holding the club straight out in front of you and rotating your hands and arms around your body keeping the rotation perfectly level.

 

Tilt this plane until your clubhead touches the ground and do the same rotation around your body.

 

By maintaining your posture or spine angle throughout the motion you will achieve a consistent swing plane.

 

If your swing plane fits your body type and posture, you will be very consistent in your ball striking. If you are on-plane throughout your swing and you have the proper grip, you can develop a powerful swing.

 

By being on-plane, the back of your left hand (or right hand for lefties) will be facing the target for a millisecond at impact, and you can use your other hand for maximum power. There always has been the belief by many that golf is a one-handed game, and that too much right hand will hook the ball. This is true — if you do not stay on-plane.

 

The top hand controls the swing path and keeps you on-plane, but the bottom hand gives you the added power you are looking for.

Read more: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/jan/08/golf-tip-of-the-week/#ixzz2lihcaK1N
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