For any golfer who wants to play great golf
Fundamentals
Get to know your tendencies
May 10th
While I’ve been playing pretty consistent golf, I have not been practicing my long game as much. I think one of the things that happens when you play a lot of golf without going to the driving range is that you can start to get into some bad habits. For me, it was with my setup. I noticed it yesterday in my first driving range session in a while.
The first thing I noticed was that my setup didn’t feel right. After a bit more careful thought I determined that it was my shoulder alignment. My shoulders were a bit open. I had to consciously set myself up properly and once I did that my shots straightened out bit and the ball would start either right on line, or slightly right of target and draw back in.
I think it’s important to know what our tendencies are and to try to develop better habits. My shoulders opening up at address is a tendency that I have and it creeps back in if I don’t watch my setup. It can also creep into my putting and send putts off line.
However knowing that it is a tendency allows me to be on the lookout for it and the place to make those changes is on the practice tee. If you build good habits on the practice tee you can take them to the course.
30 Day Challenge – Day 5
Feb 16th
Practice in the tundra
Well not a tundra, but the driving range was covered in about 6 inches of snow, and more snow was coming down as I was hitting balls. I turns out I was the last customer before they closed for the day. To top it off , the heat was not working.
So what did I do?
I hit balls. I hit one large bucket of balls and kept focusing on my hands and shot shape. The past 4 days I was practicing with only a lob wedge, 8 iron and driver. Today I got a little bit more variety. I hit some 5 irons as well as a fairway wood (4w to be exact).
I find it truly amazing that what I do with my hands has so much of an effect. I tried a very interesting little drill. With the driver in hand, I alternated between hitting high cuts and high draws. So I would hit one high draw, then one high cut and rinse and repeat. It was pretty cool. I had never had this amount of control with the driver. Occasionally my high draw, would go straight and not really draw back, and occasionally the high fade would stay a bit left. Still I was not disappointed by that. I was thrilled that I could get as much consistency as I did.
Managing Expectations on the Golf Course
Feb 10th
Have you ever been so excited to go to the golf course because your practice sessions have been going great? You tee it up, and wham, OB. Uh oh, this could be a long day.
Expectations can lead to frustration on the course. Managing them properly is the best way to play your best golf.
Golf is played one shot at a time. Anything that takes you out of that is asking for trouble. Coming to the course with expectations that you are going to play great because you were striping it at the range can lead to disappointment. If you don’t manage your emotions properly, that disappointment can quickly escalate and throw your entire round off.
Pulling with the left side to eliminate the weak slice
Feb 6th
In the same way that someone is right handed or left handed, a golf swing can be dominated by either side. Most amateur swings are right side/arm dominated. You can see this in the over the top moves and the flipping action of the club face. This is typically considered pushing and results in a weak slice.
Conversely a golf swing can be more left side/arm dominated. This is typically called pulling and results in more consistent ball striking, and improved golf ball launch conditions.
Both ways can be effective provided the player plays to their tendencies or has practiced enough to know what the swing is going to do. However, I think left side/arm dominated can be more consistent based on the work I have done with my swing, and from what I see from the average golfer.
I’ll refer to left side dominated swings as pulling, and right side dominated swings as pushing.
Video showing Taly – eliminating the flip
Feb 2nd
I came across this video on YouTube and I wanted to share this. For those of you who read the review of the Taly Mind Set, I wanted to provide a real world scenario of how it used to help golfers improve their swings. In this video Lynn Blake, the famed TGM teacher (The Golfing Machine), has a clinic and each student has a Taly Mind Set. Take a look at how he teaches and what he teaches. It is simple but effective. Similar to the drill I talk about in the article on achieving left wrist supination.
Enjoy and of course let me know if you have any questions about this.
Achieving left wrist supination in the golf swing (Drill)
Feb 1st
Ben Hogan was right that the best swings in the game have this supination action at impact. It allows the club to come into the ball square.
But many players do not fully understand how to achieve this supination. Here is how you can begin to get this feeling in your swing.
One of the most important things I have discovered about this supination is that it is NOT achieved by the wrists or the small muscles in the hands. The wrists are too weak to force this position and too weak to overcome the huge forces that the swing is generating. The way to achieve this supination is to use the large muscles of the body properly in the golf swing.
That sounds a bit strange, doesn’t it? Here is an image of the left wrist supinating, but you can’t force it to happen. You allow it to happen by doing the right things in the swing.
What you can learn from the groove change
Jan 23rd
As we know the USGA has adopted a new groove rule that went into effect this month for the PGA Tour. These new “v” grooves are not as sharp and have 40% less volume than box grooves. While this change does not affect the vast majority of amateur golfers we can all learn by how PGA Tour players are adapting to the change.
Amateur players should watch how the pros approach shots from the rough especially close to the green. Because these new grooves don’t have the same kind of bite, tour players have adapted by playing the shots differently.
How this helps amateurs
Amateur golfer typically do not have the swing speed or technique to generate the kind of spin the pros do. The example the pros have set the past few years typically does not translate well to amateurs. Although those shots (high spinning, stop on a dime shots) are beautiful to look at, most amateurs just aren’t going to pull them off very often. But now we have an opportunity to watch shot making return to the game.
Club Head Lag: Explained by David Feherty
Jan 20th
This is an excellent explanation of club head lag by David Feherty. Enjoy!
Stop Casting the Club: Keep the upper body together
Jan 18th
One of the common swing faults is casting the club. When that happens a golfer loses all of the leverage they they have developed, and the throw away their power.
The left arm begins to separate from the chest and then the club gets on a steep and out to in path causing the golf ball to slice. What is a golfer to do?
Many training aids encourage a stronger connection between the arms and the upper core. What does that mean exactly?
Build a stronger connection between arms and chest
How to have a more consistent golf swing: Stay Synchronized
Jan 12th
Keeping the arms and core in sync
One of the most important factors in executing a successful golf swing is ensuring that the arms and the core remain synchronized. What does that mean?
It means that the top of the backswing happens when the shoulders stop turning and the arms stop moving at the fraction later. Watch Steve Stricker, the number threee golfer in the world and you’ll see his arms stop moving when his shoulder turn stops.
