Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Get your irons in check by observing one of the best ballstrikers in golf


Since his early days playing for England on two Walker Cup teams and making noise as an NCAA star at Northwestern, Luke Donald has had PGA Tour success in his sights. Having already cracked the top-60 in career earnings with more than $12 million to his credit, you’d have to say he’s right on track. In 2008, Donald has continued his consistent play, and as of April 1st, he managed to notch four top-25 finishes, including a second-place finish at the Honda Classic. What’s the key to his success? The simple answer is sound fundamentals, a solid, rhythmic swing and a fantastic putting touch. Here, you’ll notice he’s using a weight on the clubshaft—this helps him further ingrain his smooth rhythm.

Arms Close
Donald’s left arm hangs nearly perpendicular to the ground. This is the product of quiet hips and serves to minimize the amount of hand action required during impact. If the left arm is allowed to push out away from the body, the clubface opens more and needs manipulation to get back to square.

Hips On Hold
The key to Donald’s control is in his hips. While they begin to open before impact like all great ballstrikers, they do so with a subdued and delayed action that serves two specific purposes. First, the lack of early hip rotation allows the arms to remain close to the body. Second, any excessive upper-body tilt created from overly active hips is eliminated.

Right At It
Donald’s great body position keeps his arms close and allows his right arm to point directly at the ball. This is on plane! As a result, his hands will be lower at impact than most Tour players, helping him to better control the trajectory of his iron shots.

Changing Hands
Approaching impact, Donald’s hands are in their proper position, with the left wrist flat and the right wrist bent back. This is different from their alignment at address, with the left wrist bent and the right wrist flat, and is a change all great ballstrikers achieve, further proof that impact and address aren’t the same.

Right Heel Down
That his right heel remains grounded late in the downswing is another benefit of Donald’s quiet hips. It allows his feet, knees and hips to remain directly under his torso, creating a truly “stacked” impact position that maximizes compression and consistency.

Facing The Ball
With the club tracking precisely on plane approaching impact, there’s no need to make adjustments to the clubface. The toe of the club will overtake the heel and need no extra manipulation from the hands to become square. This is a critical element to creating crisp iron shots.


Wednesday, June 16, 2010

How to play the right ball

The best players in the world use the best golf balls for their game. Why is it then that most amateurs do the complete opposite? Tour professionals require their golf balls to do certain things that the rest of us can do without. Do you want more sidespin? Are you hoping to hit your drives lower? How about your wedges shorter? Tour pros sometimes put those kinds of demands on their golf balls, which is contrary to what amateurs generally need.



Instead, amateurs (mid- to high-handicap ones) should consider golf balls built for distance and minimizing spin, two factors that will help hit straighter and longer shots. And by the way, distance balls no longer feel like rocks. Some are extra soft for added feel and performance.


 

Can you hit a draw with an open face

Can you hit a draw with an open face? Yes! Here’s a little secret. Hitting a draw actually can be achieved with a slightly open face at impact, so long as the clubhead is continually closing through the impact zone.



To hit an open-faced draw, first make a few practice swings and work on excessively closing the clubface through the hitting area. In fact, it’s a good idea to go as far as hitting a series of snap hooks off the tee, again with the clubface rolling shut through the hit.












Notice in the photos to the right how the clubface approaches the ball with an open face, then closes after contact with the ball. What that tells you is that the toe of the clubface is moving faster than the heel, meaning the toe will inflict greater force onto the ball. The second photo, where I’m simulating impact, shows the clubface slightly open, but because the toe is moving faster than the heel, the ball is still going to have some draw spin once it leaves the clubface.



The key in making this work is to keep the clubface rotating all the way through (and past) the impact zone. This phenomenon is one reason better players struggle with hooking the ball. Better players sometimes square the face too early or too soon, not realizing that you actually can hit a straight or slightly drawing shot with the clubface slightly open at the moment of impact.




Once you’ve mastered the hook, the trick is to begin dialing back your timing so you continue to rotate and release the club; only you need to learn how to initiate the rotation later in your downswing than before.



To work on timing your release later in your swing, you’ll have to test it a few times and determine where in the swing you can go ahead and get the club rotating. Odds are, after a few practice sessions, you’ll learn that the right spot is a few feet before the ball with a slightly open face at impact.

Fairway woods have indeed come a long way

HIT THE DRIVER, NOT THE 3-WOOD

Sometimes the right choice is the bigger one. Fairway woods have indeed come a long way. I’d actually say that my current fairway is both bigger and longer than my driver was 20 to 30 years ago. And yet, despite the advances in fairway woods, drivers have exploded in size, making them not only bigger, but also enormously longer and more forgiving.



So, why not use one as often as you can? If you’re faced with a choice between driver and fairway wood on a tight hole, consider the bigger, more forgiving alternative. You could do more with it, such as choking down on the grip, teeing the ball lower or even making a three-quarter swing to mimic a fairway wood but still take advantage of the bigger, more forgiving head.



Speaking of which, as you can see, I use a 460cc driver so I can maximize my distance and get as much forgiveness across the clubface as possible.



Are Pros Better Off Hitting THE Driver, Too?

To answer that question, let’s take Robert Garrigus for example. As of the end of August this year, Garrigus was leading the PGA Tour in driving distance with an average bomb of 312 yards. In addition to being long, Garrigus was ranked 7th in greens in regulation (GIR), hitting approximately 70 percent of all greens. Coincidence? We think not. Longer drives generally mean shorter and easier approach shots­—even if they’re hit from the rough. (The USGA also realized this and has put restrictions on grooves to counteract the lessening effects of missing the fairway. We’ll see how that changes things in ’10.)



But what about you? Well, like A.J. said, if you’re just as accurate with your driver as you are with your fairway wood, then hit the driver! It’s longer and more forgiving off the tee than any fairway wood.

—Thomas Howell Jr., GOLFTEC

To hit the knockdown flop shot

It may seem counterintuitive to use “knockdown” and “flop shot” in the same sentence, but I’m here to tell you it works. Hitting a good, go-to flop shot is easier than you think! First, make sure you notice the loft of your lob wedge. Most hover in the 58- to 60-degree range, meaning you’ll have no problem lifting the ball into the air. There’s no need to try to lift the ball upwards!



To hit the knockdown flop shot, position the ball front of center in your stance, with your hands just ahead of the golf ball. Because you already have plenty of loft, there’s no need to rotate the face open. Keep it square to the target.




As you initiate your backswing, cock your wrists so the club is already parallel to the ground when the hands reach your thighs. Continue your backswing as you normally would, and keep that angle! As you transition from the top of your swing to impact, here’s the most important bit of info: Keep the hands ahead of the ball and stay low! If you try to flip the ball up, sure, you may occasionally hit a lobber. But good luck controlling it. Instead, stay low both at impact and through the finish, as I’m doing in this sequence. The result will be a nice mid-high lob shot that trickles a few feet forward once it hits the green.

Putt from above the hole

One of the toughest shots around the green is the chip from above the hole. But, who said you have to chip it?

You don’t! Try putting it instead. You’re going to have to practice to get a feel for how the ball reacts out of the rough or fringe, but even from above the hole, using the “ole Texas wedge” is a high-percentage option for most amateurs to consider. The longer rough will slow the ball down, and even though it’s a downhill putt, the ball still will lose momentum (mainly from the friction of the grass). Just make sure you have a decent lie and some green to work with, and play for plenty of break. In a few tries, you’ll soon wonder why you ever messed with hitting chips and lobs from here in the first place.


 

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Don’t let night interrupt your game

For every golfer, playing at golf driving range and hitting the golf ball straight into the hole is the most pleasurable thing in the world. With the latest light arrangements, you can play at night as well.


No, no! This article is not about the Volkswagen Golf Night Driving Campaign. The ‘Night Driving’ advert is made for Volkswagen’s ‘Golf’ range cars. This article has nothing to do with the car. Instead this article will throw some light on the growing popularity of golf night driving. It will also provide you with some insights on how to use golf driving ranges and play golf at night  in order to give you more time in the practice hours.



  • How Golf Night Driving Is Possible?



  1. Golf night driving is very popular nowadays. Golf enthusiasts can use modern light systems. You can play on the course or practice golf drive at night in your backyard as well. With these devices, you need not finish your game abruptly only because it’s getting dark. You can play all night.

  2. Night golf driving is equally popular among the mini golf players and the professional golfers. Golfers can use golf balls that glow in the night. These balls are very popular among professional players. The balls are specially designed for dark and you can play golf without any problem. Whether you like gentle putting or want to hit the golf ball for long distance drives, these golf balls are appropriate for every golfer. With such golf balls, golf courses are open round the clock; these golf balls enable golf clubs to accommodate greater number of golfers. This is one more reason why the night golf driving is such a hit.



  • Why Do You Need It?



  1. Night golf driving is popular for many reasons. Most of the people work at the day time. For them playing golf in sunlight during weekdays is not possible. But with night golf driving, these people can fulfill their desire for playing golf. It’s not only good for amateur golfers, the beginners and the professional golfers, who need to practice a lot, can utilize this opportunity and improve their game as well.

  2. Most of the people have a busy schedule. They find it really hard to get time for golf. The night golf driving is great for such people. Now you have a choice to play at the time convenient for you. Another great aspect of night golf driving is that it saves you from heat and crowds.



  • Myth About Night Golf Balls


Though there are some misconceptions, the night golf balls are professional golf balls specially designed to play at night. The balls are very much like usual golf balls with the specific feature that they glow in the dark. The nigh golf balls come with several new technological advancements that include center-core, two-piece, 90- compression etc.


Thanks to these balls and other dark equipments, in near future night golf tournaments will be a hit. Nowadays people prefer to play golf in the evening and with the advent of the night golf tournaments, night golf driving is bound to be even more popular. Use these instruments and you can comfortably play golf at so as too practice in the evenings. Have fun!

Learn to use golf driving practice net

To master golf, you need to practice the game as much as possible. In order to sharpen your golf skills, you can practice at home with the golf driving net.


You are reading this article; this is the proof enough that you want to learn more about the golf practice driving net. And you can. Nowadays most people don’t have time to visit golf clubs regularly. And now you need not visit your country club for golf driving practice. There are several other means available to practice golf at home.


You can play golf with your family and friends in the comforts of your home. What you need to do is simply buy some golfing materials. The most popular golf driving accessory is the golf practice driving net. Install golf net in your home and play. However, before you install golf nets and start golf driving on your own on the net, you have to know certain things.


This article will provide you with all the information needed to get an appropriate golf net. There are some basic features that you have to consider when you choose your golf net. Whether you are a beginner or a professional, the net must be suitable for your needs. Let us find out those aspects



  • Quality of Your Golf Net


Basically the golf nets are made of nylon. In order to ensure the quality and the suitability, find out how strong net you need for your house. The quality of a golf net is measured by the number of nylon strands. The greater the number of strands your golf net has, longer it will last.


 


It’s natural that if you hit your golf practice driving net 100 times a day, it will tear soon. Therefore it’s good to get the best quality golf net that has greater number of nylon strands. Your net must have heavy lead weighted line. Also, ensure that entire grommet is joined to the cage strongly. Grommet is the space where the golf ball enters. Try to get one with uncleated grommets. That will ensure long life of your net.



  • Security First


Your and others’ security is the first and foremost aspect you need to keep in mind when it comes to get a golf practice driving net. In order to avoid any kind of injuries due to the ball, make sure your golf net should be constructed with quality materials and it should be properly installed.


If the quality of your golf net is good, it will keep you and other players safe from being hit by the golf ball. The golf nets should be strong enough to capture the force of the golf ball and reduce its momentum so that it drops safely on the ground. So get a net that is completely safe.



  • Accuracy


Golf is the game of accuracy. So in order to accomplish accuracy, find the golf practice driving net that offers the same. Nowadays there are variety of golf nets available that offers effective ball control and accuracy qualities.


There are several different types of golf nets available in the market. The golf practice driving net differs in quality, measurements, accuracy, and style. Identify the feature that best suits your needs and get the best.

A complete guide on golf


The importance of driving in golf is unquestionable. If you are able to get the golf driving right, you will be able to hit the ball in the right direction. Golfers, particularly the beginners, always search for the tips and tricks of golf for improving golf driving. These tips and tricks help players to lower handicaps (this is the term used for a number of shots a player needs to complete a round of golf successfully).


There are several golf driving tips that you may find useful to sharpen your golf skills. These include:



  • Golf Grip: It’s important that your gripping is perfect. Ensure that your gripping of the golf club is correct. This is one of the primary areas that brings majority of the golfers’ performance down. Holding a golf club too hard or too loosely is not good as it will reduce your control over it.

  • Maintain Balance: Balanced posture is very important for a perfect swing. Don’t swing too far forward or backward as it disturbs your center of gravity that leads to missed shots.

  • Golf Driving Instructions: In order to improve golf driving, many players also seek golf driving instructions that help them to raise their game and iron out problems, if any. Golf driving instructions should be easy to learn and apply. These should be straightforward as well. Now, how to get the best instructions so that you can improve golf driving? It is easy. Simply visit your local driving range and ask about the availability of the instructors.

  • Golf Trainers: The professional instructors at golf drive will train you and explain you the know-hows of golf driving. As a result you will improve golf driving rapidly. The lessons, however, must be practical and suitable for you. In order to get benefited from golf lessons, your trainer should be able to analyze your present level and guide accordingly. Obviously, if you are looking for one to one assistance, be ready to pay more. If you want to get cheaper training, go for group training. However, if you are a beginner, group training may not be as useful. For a more personal attention, you can hire private golf driving instructors, only then you can improve your golf driving more effectively. Generally, the golf instructors ask a number of questions in order to assess your present level of skills. Once they do proper analysis, it enables them to guide you in the best possible way. This way you will get the maximum benefits. In fact, this is the best method to improve your golf driving skills.


Another aspect to improve golf driving is the practical aspect. Once an instructor gives you the necessary instructions, he/she will train you the golf things such as how to stand and maintain perfect posture, how to hold your golf club, how to do the back-swing etc. So concentrate on these factors and improve your golf driving.


Practicing golf driving indoor


Golf enthusiasts find themselves locked up, unable to practice and enjoy their game during the bad weather days. Indoor golf ranges are the answer for the same. Are you very interested in golf? Well, whether you are a novice or a professional golfer, to improve your game, you need to practice it regularly. This is truer in the case of golf driving. Where to practice in cold, rainy and the bad weather days? That’s when you need a good indoor golf driving range. Such golf driving ranges offer you an opportunity to practice regularly. What you can do with indoor driving ranges? Lets check out!



  • Practice Golf in All Weather


With availability of indoor golf driving ranges, you can practice golf every time-even in the inclement weather. You can play and practice golf at these indoor driving ranges in too cold and rainy weekends. The indoor driving ranges offer many exciting features for the golf enthusiasts.



  • Practice Short Game in Golf


Indoor golf driving ranges are different in many ways from the regular golf ranges. The first difference to point out is that these are relatively small in size. So you can play golf in shorter distance. One of the most popular games is ‘Closest to the Pin’. In this game you have to hit for the nearest flag. Usually it’s about 25 yards. Play with the close friends and family and try to get the ball nearest to the pin. You can add up the flags once you get closest to the pin. This is the wonderful golf game you can play, practice, and have fun at indoor golf driving. You can improve your mid range shots at these ranges.



  • Evaluate Your Game


Though indoor golf driving ranges are smaller in size, most of them are well equipped with latest devices. There are indoor golf driving ranges available with electronic scoring gadgets. You can use these devices to know the exact position in the drive.



  • Practice Use of Golf Clubs


You can also practice the utilization of your golf iron clubs at an indoor golf driving range. Since iron clubs are designed for a relatively short distances, simply practice golf with irons and sharpen your short range driving.



  • Practice Your Driving Posture


Another practice is to improve your driving posture. Most of the golfers, particularly the beginners, lack the good physical health, more accurately the golf specific health. The poor health leads to the bad shots. If a golfer doesn’t have well toned, strong, and flexible physique, he/she will try to hit the ball with excessive might. That results in the tensed muscles and unbalanced stance, hence poor shot. Lack of practice and not understanding the right technique to hit the ball is another problem that most of the beginners face. If you do good practice at outdoor or indoor golf driving, you will learn the basics of golf. Moreover, it’ll condition your body as well.


Apart from these aspects, you can do many other golf related activities at indoor golf driving ranges. These are the simple but important golf tips and tricks that will ultimately improve your skills. Find a good indoor driving range, take instructions from a professional golfer, and practice as much as you can. Since you have anindoor golf driving range, now it is easy to practice whenever you want-day or night. You must practice well.


The secrets of playing golf driving


For some people playing golf is more than just a game. For them it is a passion. They feel a strong urge to play golf. Such enthusiasts of golf love, live, and play golf for the inner satisfaction. Ask any golfer and they will explain how they feel while playing golf. Many play golf driving with keen desire and passion. They experiment with new strategies and techniques. Their main motive is to develop the game and bring it to the newer heights. However, this article is for both-the beginners and the professionals.


If you are a beginner, this article will provide you with the insights of some of the basic but the most important aspects of golf. These features are also useful for experienced ones who are passionate about the game. So, go through the article to learn the techniques of playing golf driving more enthusiastically and passionately.



  • Understanding the Trajectory of Ball



To start with, let us understand how to set the correct trajectory for the ball. We will also deal with how to follow it systematically. These are the most crucial questions that every golfer wants to be answered with in order to play golf driving perfectly.



  • Hitting Ball with Optimum Force


A common mistake that a golfer makes is the way he/she deals with the ball. Hitting the ball too hard is a common mistake that golfers make, especially early on their careers. Some of them hit as hard as possible, particularly when doing the long distance shots. The principle to play golf driving professionally is completely opposite to such practices. When performing the  long distance shots you need not hit the ball too hard. Why? Since the force of the movement does not determine the success of a hit.



  • Reason for Successful Hit


The matter of the fact is, that the successful hit is the combination of different aspects such as proper body balance, techniques to swing, and its force etc. So, hitting theball with all your might will not make you a potential winner. To win or at least to play golf driving properly, you need to concentrate on these aspects and not only on hitting hard. In fact, hitting too hard has adverse effects. It leads to an unbalanced posture making you more prone to soft tissue injuries.


Tips for Golf Driving -



  • The first aspect is the design of the golf club itself. The golf clubs are designed specially for particular distances. Since every golf club is designed to cover a specific range, it’ll send the ball as far as it is meant to. To play golf driving professionally, you need to learn and practice how to coordinate your body and club in such a way that the club is in the arm extension. Through this you can maximize the distance the golf club was meant for.

  • Another way to play golf driving more efficiently is by developing a natural body swing. If the hit is too strong and inefficient, because of the tense swing, possibility is that you completely blow your success off. The rule is: try to get the perfect coordination between the move of the body and your arms. Such coordination will create the perfect shot.


So, follow these tips and keep your health in the best condition. Having healthy, flexible and strong muscles will support controlled efforts and you can play golf driving more efficiently and professionally.



 

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Robert Duvall

While To Kill a Mockingbird is esteemed for the central performance of a commanding Gregory Peck, one has to remember that the movie essentially hinges on one mostly unseen specter, a mute, possibly deranged character named Boo Radley. To Kill a Mockingbird's major themes include prejudice and mythmaking, and the legend of Boo Radley parallels the film's concept of the evils of judging people before getting to know them. Obviously, when Boo Radley makes his heroic appearance at the end, it would require an actor capable of commanding the audience's attention away from Peck but without destroying the film's tender tone.


Enter Robert Duvall.


After a short stint on television, the legendary character actor made his movie debut here. He portrays Radley as a kind of gentle Frankenstein's monster: imposing yet obviously frightened, he gives his character the necessary weight of humanity.


Ever since then, Duvall has led an incredible, yet humble career, never greedy for the lead role but always ready to key up a perfect performance every time the camera is on him. It's easy to point out the roles he's had in the Godfather series, Apocalypse Now, Network, and The Great Santini. But it doesn't speak to his fine comedic skills, holding his own against the likes of Will Ferrell and Michael Caine, or the fact that he's still making great movies even into his seventies. In the past year, he has knocked it out of the park three times with The Road, Get Low, and Crazy Heart.


Related DVDS:







 








Star Trek Voyager Seasons 1-7 DVD Boxset


Star Trek The Next Generation Season 1-7 DVD Boxset

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

The Right Shaft Flex

If you want to avoid giving your game the shaft, you need to understand the effect that shaft flex has on your game.


"Flex" refers to the ability of a golf shaft to bend as forces are applied to it during the golf swing.


Those forces are generated by the type of swing that you have - fast or slow, smooth or jerky.


There are five generally used ratings for shaft flex: Extra Stiff, Stiff, Regular, Senior and Ladies, usually denoted by the letters X, S, R, A and L ("A" is used for Senior because this flex was originally called "amateur").


Having a flex that doesn't match the needs of your swing will result in the clubface being misaligned at impact, causing your shots to go off-target.


What Flex Impacts


Shaft flex impacts, either directly or indirectly, the accuracy, trajectory and distance of your shot. Three pretty important things, eh?


As the shaft flexes throughout the swing, the position of the clubhead changes. And the face of the club must be square (perfectly straight) at impact to get the most out of the shot. If you have the wrong flex for your swing, there is less chance that you'll make contact with the ball with a square clubface.


Some General Guidelines


The degree of flex in your club shafts is something you control. You can choose to buy stiffer shafts, or softer shafts, depending on your needs.


But how can you tell what you need? Here are some general guidelines:


• Take a look at the distance you hit your driver. This is a good, but very general, indicator. If you carry you driver 250 yards or more, go with Stiff; 230-250 yards, Regular; 200-230 yards, Senior; less than 200 yards, Ladies. Only the biggest of the big hitters is going to need Extra Stiff. For most of us, Extra Stiff isn't even in the picture.


• If you have a very smooth swing, you might benefit from a softer flex even if you swing fast. A swing that gets jerky at the top - when transitioning into the downswing - will probably need a stiffer shaft.


• If your drives go left, you might benefit from a stiffer flex; if your drives go right, you might benefit from a softer flex.


If Your Flex Is Too Stiff

What effect does a too-stiff shaft have on your golf game?


1. The ball will probably fly lower and shorter for any given loft, compared to a properly fit shaft.


2. The ball may tend to go to the right, or fade side, for right-handed golfers because with a too-stiff shaft the clubface is harder to square (the clubface is more likely to be open at impact, in other words).


3. The shot may feel less solid, more like a mis-hit even if you make contact on the center of the clubface.


If Your Flex Isn't Stiff Enough

And what will happen if your flex isn't stiff enough?


1. The ball might fly higher for any given loft, compared to a properly fit shaft.


2. The ball may tend to go left, or to the draw side, for a right-handed golfer (because with a too-flexible shaft, the clubhead may tend to come into the ball closed).


3. Shots may tend to feel more solid, even when they aren't.


Macho, Macho Men


Men like to hit Stiff shafts. It's a guy thing. Unfortunately, it's not always the smart thing.


No macho man wants to be seen hitting a wimpy little Regular flex club, or, Tiger Woods forbid, a Senior or Ladies flex.


But overswinging is a common problem among male high-handicappers. Choosing a softer flex often has the effect of forcing macho men to slow down their swings. And slowing down the swing often makes those macho men into better players.


And the fact is, the harm in hitting a shaft that is too flexible is much less than the harm in hitting a shaft that is too stiff. As equipment guru Tom Wishon has said, when unsure about flex, always err on the side of more flex (meaning, a softer shaft). If you can't decide between Regular and Stiff, go with Regular.


The Foolproof Way to Choose Flex


A clubfitting with a golf professional is the recommended way to choose the proper flex.


The pro will take a lot of measurements, watch your swing, measure your swing speed, watch your ball flight and be able to recommend the flex that is right for you.


Clubfittings are available at many pro shops and almost all golf schools and from teaching professionals.


If a club-fitting isn't in your future, the next best thing is a demo day. At demo days, you'll be able to hit many different types of clubs with different types of shafts.


The key, short of a club fitting, is hitting lots of different clubs and watching the effect that changing shaft flex has on your shots.


 

Correct Golf Posture1

It isn't just beginners that struggle with adopting the correct body position in golf.


The idea of being comfortable and doing things easily seems to be a hard one for many golfers to grasp. We hear so much about physique being so different with different people that players are apt to assume that theirs is one of the remarkable physiques without flexibility, and we hear them apologize for their lack of freedom by blaming it upon nature.


This is silly. Everyone is built pretty much alike as far as the frame goes, and there is about so much play to each hinge joint and each ball and socket joint in the body. The point where people differ most, as regards golf, is in their mental make up. One man grasps a principle easily that another man has to "saw wood" to master.


They say with a mysterious confidence: "it is mental," much 'as they would say : "it is a secret, let it go no further." They nurse a pet

idea with such persistency that they become infatuated with it. I have seen players stand for minutes, motionless in an effort to address the ball as though the address solved the making of the stroke.


Correct<br />Posture in Golf


I have often wondered what can be in such players' minds. To stand in front of the ball with every muscle set and not a trace of movement, even of an eyelid, is inviting almost sure disaster. It is not the way you keep your eye on the ball when you are "set" in the address which enables you to hit it accurately, but the way you keep it on the ball when you are in action that counts.


Doing things comfortably is the keynote of the whole swing. It is what gives the results, be-cause the strength is being properly applied. The instant you have to brace your muscles you should be warned that you are drifting away from the correct method of playing. If you will let comfort be the check upon any scheme of play you adopt, you will not go far wrong.


As I previously stated, only youngsters will ever be able to learn imitatively. If you get better results by your own method, that is the one to follow. Don't try to look like somebody else. Fix in your mind what you are really trying to accomplish, and let your common sense be your guide in solving the problem. Do not ask if you are rolling your wrists correctly, but ask what the object is, and get the player to show you what he has in mind in swinging in such and such a fashion.


If you can learn his reason or purpose, you can apply the knowledge. If you merely try to imitate his swing, you are not getting any permanent benefit from his teaching. You can only learn golf little by little, and the steps come one at a time. It is so with everyone.

The three steps in the order of their importance, which you must constantly bear in mind when working out the various details, are:


(1) keep the head still

(2) keep your club head traveling in a straight line while in contact with the ball

(3) do not "set" the muscles.


If you find you are going off your game these are the things you must run over in your mind and in the order of their importance. Do not change your stance and swing. Apply these three items in this order and you will get "back" again.


It is the confusion between pushing and lifting, of which the player is perfectly conscious through his sense of touch or feeling, which makes the "timing" of the maximum effort so difficult to accomplish. Very few players have thought out these two distinct efforts, and it is the struggle of the two sets of muscles for mastery which is responsible for so much lost power, those which are used in lifting being opposed to those which are used in pushing.


If you were to grasp with both hands a pole about an inch in diameter, firmly fastened to the ground and to the ceiling, and attempt to push it downward you would find that it would use one set of muscles and to lift or push it upward would use an entirely different set. When you pushed downward it would take most of the weight from your legs. When you tried to lift or push up-ward it would leave all your weight upon your legs, and in addition the amount of extra weight corresponding to the amount of energy you were exerting.


A golf swing is one of the most complicated things to study, because the motion is made in a circle, but the maximum power is exerted in either one way or the other, lifting or pushing down, according to the peculiar physique of the player and the style he has adopted. The dub tries to use beth at once. The average player compromises and tries first a little of' the down-ward push and then a little of the lift, and to do this he has to shift his head and body to allow for whichever set of muscles he is compelled to use. This moving or shifting results in disturbing the view of the ball, preventing him from seeing it clearly, and naturally makes it extremely difficult to hit it accurately.


Players must make up their minds that either one system or the other must be sacrificed. If you are to use a lift, you can accomplish nothing by attempting to lift before your club head reaches the ball. If you are going to push, you must hold back your maximum effort until the club head reaches the ball, or you will have nothing in reserve to keep the club head against the ball long enough to accumulate power and the follow through is of no use.


Mere motion, when not backed up by weight, will not transfer much energy to the ball. In other words, it would be just as easy to drive a ball a great distance with the club head attached to a string if it were not for the fact that there is not much more than one chance in a million of connecting at the exact point of the natural balance of the club.


The great difficulty in hitting the ball with the club at the exact balancing point makes necessary a firm grip to overcome the in-equalities in the blow. This inequality is distributed partly in the player's frame, partly in the club shaft, and partly in the ball.


The more accurately the club strikes at its exact point of balance the smaller are these losses, and it is here that the attention of beginners should be focused -not on a scheme of developing greater power.


The losses will multiply in a much greater ratio than the power can be increased.


Taking the fact that the weight is the only thing which can be used in an effort exerted downward, on the principle that a man can get upon a platform and lift much more weight than he can pull down on a rope, where the limit he can pull is his own weight, the point is to apply this weight practically. The player cannot be accurate under any conditions where the pull downward toward the ball is exerted violently or with a heave. The way to hit is to exert the pull steadily and accumulate power in the club head, which is coming down partly of its own weight and partly with the "leaning upon the club," which the player exerts and which I have proved should be but little.


You can lean or shift the weight only very slowly, and the idea in the player's mind when striking downward should be to have the club head whirled around by the arms and hands before you attempt to lean on the ball, as it were. If you are to shift your weight so as to lean on the club, you must wait until the club reaches the ball or you will not have enough distance to clear the ground and avoid hitting back of the ball. It is as though you were to lean the weight of the shoulders against the ball at the instant the club head reaches it.


Players start to lean upon the ball too soon and shorten the distance between the shoulders and the ball too much, and to take up the slack, so to speak, are forced to draw in their arms.


When the ball is badly cupped it is common sense that you cannot lift it out, as it will be impossible to get down to the ball in order to have the lift count. To get down to a cupped ball you must lean on the club.


A rule in golf which I have thought out care-fully is to bring the feet nearer and nearer together as you find that you are either hitting too soon, looking up too soon, or hitting too hard. For instance, if you will take your driver in your hands and instead of taking your stance place both heels together you will find that it will absolutely control your effort to hit too hard.


You cannot hit too hard and stay on your feet and you will unconsciously ease up. Many things have drawn my attention to this fact and it has been so impressed upon my mind that I have decided to offer it as a rule.


I have noticed that those players who spread their feet far apart on a shot are invariably "over" when they hit the ball true. I have noticed that those players who play the finest " sunning up " approaches and keep the 4 finest line stand with the feet close together. I have noticed that those players who sclaff and top the most invariably stand with what is called a "wide open stance." I find in my own case that this rule invariably has put me back on my drive at once when I get a little off.


I have also found that it is absolutely efficacious in a high wind. The harder the wind blows the more you should bring the feet together. This may not seem reasonable, but I have tried it out thoroughly and know it will accomplish the desired result.


It would seem as though the wind would blow you off your balance when you do not brace yourself against it, but that very bracing of the muscles makes accuracy still more difficult. The average player thinks that he should hit harder when driving into a wind, but it is not the way to get off a good ball. Be more careful to hit perfectly true and you will be astonished to see the distance you get.


I have tried the idea out with beginners and they invariably respond with an improvement. On short shots it has been absolutely reliable. It makes for an easy, graceful swing; it helps wonderfully in keeping the head still and it over-comes the tendency to stiffen up so common with beginners. It will teach you to use the body and shoulders more and correct most of the faults in "timing" the stroke. It overcomes the natural tendency to throw the balance off, or from one foot to the other, which will always disturb the position of the head and change the relative positions of the entire scheme upon which you take your gage.


Taken in connection with the first and most important rule of golf-that is, to keep the head absolutely still throughout the swing, it is probably one item which will accomplish more good than paying attention to fifty other things.


A suggestion in connection with these two rules is to allow the "follow through" to pull you around. This will stop your "hitting so blamed hard."


I have noticed that those players who use the "wide-open stance" invariably are hard hitters and very wild in direction. Just consider that if you spread your feet apart and brace yourself very firmly your natural instinct is to swing hard. The reason is probably the fact that the muscles have been trained by years of experience to respond with a great effort when such a position is assumed, and the desire to "kill the ball" which is so strong in everyone, and against which I have been warning players, is perfectly natural with a "wide-open stance."


If you had to balance yourself on one foot your effort would be very mild, no matter what your desire was. The instinct to keep your feet would be too strong to be resisted.


In the practice swings of the majority of players you will notice that they do not spread their feet apart; they merely try out the arms, and that is why they get such a smooth, easy swing. The moment they attempt to hit the ball the very firmness of the stance predisposes them toward a more violent effort, and that is where they "fall down"

on the shot.


The more difficult the shot the greater freedom you require for the play of the muscles to bring it off, and this same rule will apply to it. A little experimenting with this idea in mind will do much to help players who find they are "off their game."


I do not want to be understood as advocating a stance for a drive with the heels together, but I do say that when you find yourself hitting too soon, looking up too soon, or hitting too hard, you should bring the feet closer and closer together until you have overcome the tendency. This rule applies also to the playing of short shots and should be followed without the slightest hesitancy. The shorter the shot the nearer the feet should be brought together.


A fact which requires careful consideration is that if' you stand a little nearer to the ball than you are accustomed to, you are naturally more over it, or at least it brings the head more over it, which amounts to the same thing. Naturally you cannot make a very great effort without digging into the ground behind the ball, because the centrifugal force generated in the downward swing will carry the club beyond or below the ball.


This may appear to be wrong, but it is not. The reason it is not is that it makes you hold back your maximum effort until your arms have room to go out to the limit of your reach which enables you to apply the greatest power at the right time; that is, after you have connected with the ball. In other words, you first connect with the ball when your arms and shoulders have not been ex-tended to their limit.


You have some leeway still to follow up the blow by letting the arms and shoulders go out after the ball and keeping the club head against it. If you try to keep your club head against the ball steadily, when the arms and shoulders have reached out to their limit, you must yield somewhere in order to do so, because when the arms and shoulders have reached their limit the club must start upon its upward journey, and as the ball moves out in a straight line while the club is moving upward on a curved line the only way that the club head can stay against the ball is for you to yield somewhere.


The moment you yield with the body your head moves and your muscles must stop work or you will fall over forward.


This is exactly what the average player does. He has no leeway to follow up the blow of the first impact of the club, and that is all the power that is exerted upon the ball. In other words, the ball is slapped away instead of having a steady, accumulating pressure against it. You are compelled to look up because you cannot continue your effort. Your eye, as well as your sense of touch, tells you that you are going beyond your ball, and you involuntarily let up on the power because you know you will not connect with the ball if you keep up the effort, and as I have shown in a previous chapter, you will always let up when your principal purpose is accomplished. You cannot help doing it.


If you have held something in reserve in order to maintain the pressure against the ball for some distance after you first connect with it you will keep adding to its speed, and if it were possible for you to swing fast enough to increase the speed of the club as rapidly as the ball is moving after you connect with it so that your club head would still be against it for a couple of feet farther out, it would give you a tremendous distance. Now the harder you hit the ball when you first meet it with the club head the quicker it will bounce away and the shorter the time you can keep the club head against it. This not only reduces the distance obtained but it also emphasizes any slight error in hitting it.


In suggesting that players stand over their ball more in addressing it, the fact that this brings the center of gravity nearer to the place where it belongs should be at once apparent. The consequent increase in ability to maintain the balance should convince the player that it is a decided ad-vantage. Instead of having to brace the muscles all over the body to maintain the equilibrium constant you can stand comfortably and reach your ball easily. According to the standard dictionary, "equilibrium signifies the state of a body which, submitted to action of any number of forces, is still in the same condition as if those forces did not act."


So far as propelling the ball is concerned, the only muscles which add anything to the force of gravity which pulls upon the club head on its downward sweep, increasing the speed at which it is traveling, are those muscles which would twist the body around. The muscles which are used in lifting are useless. They are the most powerful, as they get the most exercise, and the most powerful of all are in the legs. The effort to use them causes you to change the relative distance between the pivotal center of the stroke and the ball.


As they are the strongest muscles in the body, and any effort to use them is neutralizing whatever effort you are making to increase the downward and forward sweep of the club, it should be evident that you must avoid any such effort. If you do use them they will only keep your head swaying around and destroying any chance you may have to hold it still and see your ball clearly.


If you wish to keep your head still, and that is really the only thing to master in golf, regardless of all the things I have written, you will find that when you absolutely stop every tendency to use the lifting muscles, you can use all the strength you have in the other muscles without disturbing the position of the head. If you brace yourself by standing with the feet far apart you cannot help using the lifting muscles. It is bound to happen, because the action is involuntary.


If you are not so braced you cannot use them, be-cause your body is not in the right position to do so. If you cannot use them by reason of standing with the feet fairly close together, you cannot move your head much, even if you want to.


The only thing which you can possibly accomplish by using the lifting muscles and bracing yourself with the feet well apart is to lift the club up quickly, and every rule I have ever heard given is to go back slowly. If you are not braced, your muscles cannot raise the club quickly. This is accomplishing much.


If you are in a comfortable position, such as you are accustomed to stand in naturally, you will easily see that you cannot reach for the ball very much without spreading the feet apart. As reaching for the ball gives you no leeway, this is another point where standing easily and comfortably is curing a fault.


To look at a good player with the intention of noticing the difference in his method and that of a poor player, this easy, comfortable position is at once apparent in the better player's stance. He does everything easily. He has learned to cut out the things which spoil a poor player's efforts. He has learned to relax his lifting muscles and can take slight liberties in the matter of stance.


For the average player a stance with the feet closer together is bound to be a great help. What the beginner and the average player need is not power, as I have said so many times, but accuracy. That gives the distance and there is then time enough to refine and perfect the accuracy to gain more power. It is the harmony of perfect action in the good player's swing which gives the results.


All the energy in excess of that which passes into the ball is wasted. Players swing so hard as a rule that they cannot get the feel of a correctly hit ball and consequently their muscles are not educated to the "feel" of correct balance, etc. Neither are their eyes trained, which would, to an extent, govern the involuntary action of the muscles.


Certainly a man who is not swinging correctly may be supposed to be moving his head also, so that he cannot see the ball clearly when the club head meets it.


Players can tell the moment they are going to play a good game because they have the "feel" of the shot, which is only another way of saying that the muscles and sense of touch have been awakened to the correct gage and balance, and the player knows he can hit the ball. A couple of times a year is about as often as the average player gets right on his game and plays his best, because about that often he has worked and slaved and finally got the "feel" of it.


The secret of it is to study this matter of lifting and pushing down. I have demonstrated that each effort requires an absolutely different set of muscles, and have called attention to examples of what I call exercise by the resistance method. You get exercise but not speed.


Get the right idea clearly in mind and you will be astonished at the distance you begin to get and the peculiar "feel" of the shot. You will get a smoothness which you never had before and you will connect very easily with your ball.


Naturally you get the increased distance and the longer ball you require. Bear in mind that the slightest tendency to lift in any way is cutting down your power, because for ,every bit of "lift" you add, just so much "leaning upon the ball" is neutralized; or just so much weight is taken away from the blow. A little practice along these lines will soon train your muscles correctly and you will get the "feel" of the shot and after that the confidence will come quickly.

Golf Lessons Primer

Anatomy of Golf Lessons


Each instructor has his own format for a lesson. While there may be some variation from coach to coach, I use the following steps - taking approximately the first 10 minutes of the session - with new students.



  • Introduction. Students are often intimidated by PGA pros, so I try setting the student at ease and developing a rapport prior to the session. This leads to more effective communication between me and my student.

     



  • Background information. This information includes: Previous golf and sports history; previous injury history; simple movement screens to detect physical limitations; occupation; previous instruction history; goals for golf.

     



  • Specific golf information. This includes: examination of the golfer's equipment; ball flight characteristics; determining how far the golfer hits each club; strengths and weaknesses in the various aspects of golf; practice habits; motivation for playing golf (i.e., competition vs. hobby vs. spouse activity, etc.); motivation for taking golf lessons.

     



  • Set an objective for the session. At this point, I help the student formulate a stated goal by asking them to answer the following question: "Over the next hour, what specifically would you like to accomplish?"


At this stage of a golf lesson I know who I am dealing with and I help the student set a realistic solution to their specific problem.


I next analyze the student's technique. I watch the student hit shots with various clubs so that I can see them perform the swing or stroke. I will typically video the student so that I can more clearly see movements and detect swing flaws.


Explanation, error correction and wrap-up make up the last portion of the session. In this phase, I explain what the student needs to change to accomplish their desired correction. I have the student make practice swings to feel the change, then we transition into actual ball striking. At the end of the session, I summarize the information, re-film the student and send them home with notes and a take-home CD video analysis of the session.


More advanced, experienced golfers generally want error correction and this can usually be accomplished in one to three lessons over several weeks. For those who desire a complete game makeover, I suggest several series of five golf lessons with a custom curriculum over the course of a few months. I develop a practice plan and communicate with the student on a regular basis to monitor progress.


 


Golf Lessons Series for Beginners


For beginning golfers I always start with the same pre-lesson interview. I then explain the game and the equipment and the learning process. I suggest the following 5-lesson format:



  • Lesson 1: I begin the lesson with a tour of a hole and give an overview of the rules. I then help them understand the equipment and how each club is used to control distance and trajectory. We then cover putting basics. Through putting, I introduce the basic posture and alignment skills that will be used for all shots. I always assign practice drills for clubface control, stroke path and tempo.

     



  • Lesson 2: I review putting and then cover the basics of chipping. The most important concepts here are the importance of the grip for face control and compression (hitting down on the ball to make it go up). Once the student understands compression, they will be able to get the ball in the air. I assign them a simple chipping and putting game for a practice exercise.

     



  • Lesson 3: I review chipping and then cover pitching. The pitch stroke involves added power from wrist hinge and requires body rotation toward the target on the forward swing and a grip that produces a square face at impact. These are key elements that will help in the full swing. Usually the practice assignment here involves toe-up to toe-up swings and the L-drill.

     



  • Lesson 4: We cover full-swing fundamentals for irons, hybrids, fairway metals and driving. Ball position, posture and alignment are paramount to ball striking, so I introduce the use of a practice station that indicates ball position and alignment.

     



  • Lesson 5: We go on the course and play one or two holes. During this session I cover pre-shot routine, uneven lies, strategy and shot selection. I also go over basic rules and etiquette.