Golf exercise will improve hands and swing

Saturday, November 30, 2013

By Karl Fischer
Contributor

We've talked about the "hands being in control of the golf-head and swing," and with that in mind, I would like to add another thought for you to consider and possibly even feel and adopt.

When you make your great smooth and flowing swing through the ball to the pin, the hips slightly lead the forward swing (they are slower moving than the hands and start first). But the fast-moving hands catch the hips right at impact or back at square (the address start point). At this instant, the dominant hands pass the hip and clearly lead to the relaxed high finish.

If you can imagine with me that your hands are passing throuqh water, their speed and power will make a wake or void behind them. Now, once the ball has been struck and has gone away, let your whole body flow in behind the hands and fill the wake. Remember to relax and breathe out.

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Doing the 'four ball' exercise can improve your balance, golf swing

By Karl Fischer
Contributor

We call this exercise "doing the four ball," which is bullet-proof because you cannot do it wrongly. Think "swing in balance."

Place four balls (three is okay) about three inches apart in a straight line with your sternum (center of your chest). Set up in address ready position.

Now with a "tick tock" back and forth swinging motion, strike the closest ball first down the line to the pin, and, without stopping, hit the next three balls, one at a time, stepping forward slightly with each shot. Be rhythmic and let this exercise flow with a little hit at the bottom of the swing arc, through the ball to the pin.

 

Breathe in on the backswing and out during your hit. Relax during this exercise. Only squeeze the muscles when you make the hit, toward the bottom of each swing, just during actual impact.

Swing the clubhead through the ball to the pin.

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Use a garden rake to improve your wedge play around the greens

 

By Karl Fischer,
Contributor

One golfer from the Chilliwack area of British Columbia, Canada, had a great golf tip of his own. Bob Stewart said he has used it for years, and it works.

We at the academy have tested its application. We think it has merit, and, so, here it is:

It's for the short game -- from the long-cut fringe to the pin: the pitch and run.

 

This is where we so often see the thin hits (skulling), the fat hits and even the dreaded "chili dip." Hit it too soft, too hard. You know the routine!

Take a garden rake and rake some thick grass. Remember the feel! The hands are slightly forward pressed from sternum (center chest) and the left hand (target hand) leads the rake through the grass. There is very little wrist action in either hand. Your weight is more on the front or target foot (left side) than on the brace side.

Using your 8-iron, make this specific swinging motion through the ball along the target line to the pin. Do it gently over a short distance. Don't force it, swing the clubhead.

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A better sense of balance will improve your golf game

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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