A better sense of balance will improve your golf game

Saturday, November 30, 2013

By Karl Fischer
Contributor

 

We call this golf exercise "feet together, hip-hip."

It is a balance exercise that assists us to swing the clubhead smoothly down and through the ball along the target line to the pin. It must be done without a great deal of force. You will not be able to hit very hard as your "stance or swing pedestal" is very narrow, and thus your stability is a little delicate.

Keep your heels 2 to 3 inches apart -- squarish brace foot, pinnish target foot -- so that you do not get a foot block. Remember, if you want to finish fully turned to the target, you need to have an open door or foot in order to get the job done. Stand comfortably with a tall chin, and let long arms swing the clubhead under a tall chin.

 

Strike a dozen balls to a target about half your normal distance away using only half, or hip to hip, swings. This will be very much like your short chipping or pitching game.

Don't try to hit the ball too hard. Think impact and direction not distance. Straight and shorter is better than long and in the bush.

Swing the clubhead down the line to the pin and "feel the steel."



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To improve your golf game play a round in your bedroom

By Karl Fischer
Contributor

This is a hand-eye coordination exercise, and it is fun and naturally builds good habits and feel. Those are great combinations.

Take five golf balls each. Drop them on the carpet about six feet from a chair leg or some target. You can use a sixth ball. Now with one hand, using a putter or even a short iron, stroke a ball by pushing it along the tarqet-line to the target ball or leg.

Make a contest of this if you want. Make sure you just touch the target ball.

 

Alternate hands with the same exercise.

This will give you excellent hand-eye control and develop more feel. It makes us work the ball to the pin. You will find that your index finger on the right hand (for right handers) will take a more active part in this finesse touch.

Hope it helps and is fun.

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When should I take a golf lesson?

 

The benefit of having a golf "teacher" is the avoidance of learning by trial and error and really getting to our goal the hard way -- you know, by repeating the mistakes of others.

Usually this journey is frustrating and misses our desired destination. We never get there and have less fun on the way.

We golfers cannot see ourselves swing the club. We therefore need someone else to evaluate our performance. Make sure you choose the very best professional for this evaluation and guidance

We take lessons at two distinctly different times of the year: at the start and later. A lesson in the spring is called a "kick start" and does exactly that. It helps us get back to last fall's proficiency sooner. We hope to edge out the golfing buddies by a stroke or two right out of the blocks.

However, when would we get the most "improvement" from a golf lesson? The answer: When we are at the very top of our game at mid or end season. To get out of our performance rut, we must accomplish this when we are ready to step up to the next level.

Often the very simplest of hints or procedural changes create the catalyst to move us up a notch. Don't take bad advice. It's out there in abundance.

Sharing quality time with a proven golf teacher is well worth the investment. This time should be inspiring, directly rewarding and enjoyable. It should be entertaining. Generally positive results will be immediate.

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Golf Setup Position: Step-by-Step Guide to a Great Golf Stance

Alignment

At address your body (feet, knees, hips, forearms, shoulders and eyes) should be positioned parallel target line. When viewed from behind, a right-handed golfer will appear aimed slightly left of the target. This optical illusion is created because the ball is on the target line and the body is not.

The easiest way to conceptualize this is the image of a railroad track. The body is on the inside rail and the ball is on the outside rail. For right-handers, at 100 yards your body will appear aligned approximately 3 to 5 yards left, at 150 yards approximately 8 to 10 yards left and at 200 yards 12 to 15 yards left.

 

Foot Position

The feet should be shoulder width (outside of the shoulders to the inside of the heels) for the middle irons. The short iron stance will be two inches narrower and the stance for long irons and woods should be two inches wider. The target-side foot should be flared toward the target from 20 to 40 degrees to allow the body to rotate toward the target on the downswing. The back foot should be square (90 degrees to the target line) to slightly open to create the proper hip turn on the back swing. Your flexibility and body rotation speed determine the proper foot placement.

 

Ball Position

The ball placement in your setup position varies with the club you select. From a flat lie:

• Play your short irons (wedges, 9-iron and 8-iron) in the center portion of your stance.These clubs have the most upright lie angles and they must be swung at the steepest angle, and you should take a divot in front of the ball.
• Your middle irons should be played one ball toward the target-side foot from center (a ball left of center for the right-handed golfer). These clubs have a slightly flatter lie angle and you should take a slightly shallower divot than with the short irons.
• The correct ball position for the long irons and fairway woods is two balls toward the target-side foot from center (two balls left for the right-hander). With these clubs, the ball should be struck directly at the bottom of the swing arc with very little divot.
• The driver is played farthest forward (three balls left of center for the right-hander) to strike the ball on the upswing.

Balance

Your weight should be balanced on the balls of the feet, not on the heels or toes. With short irons, your weight should be 60-percent on the target-side foot (left foot for right-handers). For middle iron shots the weight should be 50/50 or equal on each foot. For your longest clubs, place 60-percent of your weight on the backside foot (right foot for right-handers). This will help you swing the club on the correct angle on the back swing.

 

Posture (Side View)

Your knees should be slightly flexed and directly over the balls of your feet for balance. The center of the upper spine (between your shoulder blades), knees and balls of the feet should be stacked when viewed from behind the ball on the target line.

 Also, the back knee should be cocked slightly inward towards the target. This will help you brace yourself on this leg during the back swing, thus preventing lower body sway.

Your body should bend at the hips, not in the waist (your buttocks will protrude slightly when you are in this correct posture). The spine is the axis of rotation for the swing, so it should be bent towards the ball from the hips at approximately a 90-degree angle to the shaft of the club. This right angle relationship between the spine and the shaft will help you swing the club, arms and body as a team on the correct plane.

Your vertebrae should be in a straight line with no bending in the middle of the spine. If your spine is in a "slouch" posture, every degree of bend decreases your shoulder turn by 1.5 degrees. Your ability to turn the shoulders on the back swing equals your power potential, so keep your spine in line for longer drives and more consistent ball striking.

 

Posture - Face View

When viewed from face-on, your spine in the setup position should tilt to the side, slightly away from the target. The target-side hip and shoulder should be slightly higher than the back hip and shoulder. The entire pelvis should be set an inch or two toward the target. This places the hips in the lead and it counter-balances your body as your upper spine leans away from the target.

Your chin should be up, out of your chest to encourage a better shoulder turn. The head should be tipped at the same angle as the spine and your eyes should focus on the inside portion of the back of the ball.

Arms and Hands

At address, your hands should hang just forward of your pants zipper (just off the inside of your target side thigh). The hands-to-body distance varies depending on the club you are hitting. A good rule of thumb is hands "a palm's width" (photo, left) from the body for short and middle irons

(4 to 6 inches) and "a palm's length" (photo, right) - from the bottom of the wrist to the tip of your middle finger - for long irons and woods.

 

The Final Setup Positions

The shaft of the club will appear to lean slightly toward the target with your short irons because the

ball is positioned in the center of your stance. With your middle irons, the shaft of the club will lean only slightly toward the target (or not at all) since the ball is forward of center. With long irons and woods, your hands and the shaft of the club will appear to be in line. Again, as the ball position moves forward, the hands stay in the same place so the lean of the shaft disappears. With a driver, the shaft will lean away from the target.

Your arms and shoulders should form a triangle and the elbows should point to the hips.

And a Final Note about Tension
At address the upper body should be tension free. You may feel tension only down the inside of the back leg.

Remember: "Your swing evolves from your setup." If you focus on this vital pre-swing fundamental, you are more likely to improve your performance. A good setup does not guarantee success; however, it improves your chances immensely.

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Four Keys to Hitting a 460cc Driver

Friday, November 29, 2013

The key to hitting the ball farther with the modern driver and golf ball (which spins much less off of a flat face than balls of the past) is high launch angle combined with a low spin rate. Our goal is to get enough spin to achieve lift, while minimizing (hopefully eliminating) drag.

Assuming that you have a driver with enough loft, here are four things that you can do to increase launch angle and decrease spin rate, thus increasing your distance off the tee:

 

Tee the Ball Higher The old adage has always been that the top of the driver should be about halfway up the ball when it is teed up. However, with a 460cc driver, I like to see you set the ball high enough on a peg such that the top of the driver is no more than one-third of the way up the ball. Of course, this means that the standard 2 1/8-inch tee will not be long enough to accommodate. You will need a tee at least 3 inches in length, but likely a little longer than this.

 

Move the Ball Forward in Your Stance (Towards your left foot for a right-handed golfer)
The notion of playing the ball off of your left heel is no longer valid. We want to hit the ball on the upswing, thus increasing launch angle and decreasing the ball's spin rate. In order to do this, we must move the ball forward in our stance. For some golfers, it will be enough to play the ball off of your big toe, while for others it may be necessary to move the ball all the way up so that it is positioned outside of your left foot. Experiment with different ball positions – but, whatever you do, move the ball forward in your stance!

 

Set Up to Hit the Ball on the Center of the Face Most golfers set their driver on the ground at address. This results in a high percentage of driver shots being hit on the heel-side of the face, especially when we tee the ball higher. Test yourself this way: The next time you are at the range and set up to hit your driver, once in the address position stretch your arms out and move the club up to the ball's height. Notice where the ball is going to contact the face of your driver? On the heel side – or possibly the hosel – of your driver.

This is a very common problem for golfers – and it's an awkward adjustment. The solution is very simple, however. Instead of setting your driver behind the ball such that the center of the face is aligned with the ball, move backwards a couple of inches (towards your back) such that the toe of your driver is aligned with the ball. Now do the test again. Stretch out your arms and pick the club up to the ball's height. Is the ball aligned with the center of the driver face? If so, put the club back down and fire! If not, keep moving back until it is.

Don't worry that once you set the driver down it doesn't align with the ball. The ball isn't on the ground - it's three inches above the ground!

 

Hit the Ball on the Upswing The driver is now a specialty club, much like a putter. Our set-up, ball position – everything is different from any other club in the bag. You shouldn't be hitting the ball at the bottom – or apex – of the golf swing like a fairway wood. The ball should be struck past this point, on the upswing. This will lead to a higher launch angle and lower spin rate – which is how we are going to hit the ball farther than we ever have before.

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Fitness Friday: Fix your swing in the gym

By Ron Kaspriske

If you keep hitting the same bad shot over and over, there's a good chance your body is preventing you from fixing the problem. Golf Digest fitness advisor Ben Shear (@Ben_Shear), who trains Luke Donald and Jason Day on the PGA Tour, says slicers often lack the hip mobility to initiate the downswing with the lower body. Hookers typically lack stability in their shoulder girdle, so they struggle to control their arms when swinging. And players who routinely top shots usually lack lower-body strength and/or upper-body flexibility.

Read More http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-instruction/blogs/theinstructionblog#ixzz2m6uKDawy 

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Fitness Friday: A healthier way to hit good golf shots

By Ron Kaspriske

I get a lot of grief from my friends, co-workers and the occasional teaching professional for the sometimes radical approaches I take to playing golf. For instance, I don't look at the ball when I hit a putt. I look at the hole. My latest fascination is with a short-game shot on tour that is one of the best-kept secrets in golf. It's called the straight-arm pitch and the shot is so simple and effective, I took it a step further and tried using it for a variety of shots: short irons, long irons. I even tried it with my driver. And you know what? I was amazed how well I could hit the ball as long as I stuck to the basic principles of the straight-arm pitch. My theory is that it improves synchronicity and control of your swing giving you a better chance of hitting the ball with the center of the clubface.

Don't worry, I'm including a link to the article at the bottom of this post. But before you click on it, let me explain why I'm writing about it on Fitness Friday. I really believe the straight-arm pitch can reduce the chance of pain and injury in three common hot spots for golfers. The key to the shot is letting trunk rotation provide the power. This pivot action back and through shallows the club's path into the ball. This reduces stress on the elbows, because you're not crashing the clubhead into the turf so violently. The pacing of the swing is smoother and easier to control, so your shoulder girdle isn't asked to work as hard to stop the club. Finally, the rotary action in the swing improves function in the mid-back region, which lessens stress on the bottom of the spine.
 

Read More http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-instruction/blogs/theinstructionblog#ixzz2m6r5RZg3

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