Golf Tips

Fellow Duffers,

If there is one thing I’ve learned from golf it’s that a man
should not offer unsolicited advice. People don’t appreciate
it, so, please, don’t say, “Boy, you really dip your shoulder”
or “I like the way your right arm folds in your backswing” or
“You’re pronating your left wrist too much.”

That kind of thing can make a person unduly conscious of what
should be subconscious actions.

The goal in golf is the same as in any sport and I think
Crash Davis in the movie Bull Durham said it best:

“Don’t think, Meat. Just pitch.”

Sam
mailto:sam@gophercentral.com

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Playing out of the rough
By Annika Sorenstam
September 2008 Golf Digest

1. The trick to hitting from the rough is predicting how much
grass you’ll trap between the clubface and the ball at impact.
If you catch only a little grass, you’ll hit a flyer — which
comes out hot and runs. If you catch a lot of grass, you’ll
lose swing speed and distance. Adjust your club selection
accordingly.

2. From an average rough lie, take one extra club, and choke
up an inch for stability at impact. Play the ball in the middle
of your stance for irons; an inch forward for hybrids, which
are great choices from grassy lies.

3. Make a three-quarter backswing, keeping more weight on your
front foot. Your goal is to catch the ball as cleanly as you
can. Try a steeper, more V-shape swing for deeper lies. But
don’t get greedy when your ball is really buried: Pitch back to
the fairway, and play for the green on your next shot.

The Power Issue: Learn to swing in to out
My tips for beating the over-the-top downswing and putting
more pop in your tee shots   By Rick Smith

Ever watch a PGA Tour telecast and wonder how those guys hit
8-irons 180 yards? The biggest reason is their swing path.
The testing described on the preceding pages proves that if
your downswing doesn’t come from inside the target line –
like a tour pro’s does — you’re giving up chunks of yardage.
I’ll show you how to fix the faults that throw your swing to
the outside.

Before we get started on swing faults, make sure your setup
includes these things: (1) The creases between your thumbs and
forefingers are parallel and pointing to the right side of your
face; (2) Your shoulders are parallel to your target line;
(3) Your ball position is just in front of center for irons
and under your shirt logo for woods. Setup errors can cause
an out-to-in path, so check there first.

You’re too far inside

When I talk about the inside path, I’m talking about the
downswing. You might think if you swing the club to the inside
going back, you’ll be in position to swing down that way. But
getting too far inside too soon encourages you to re-route the
club to the outside — known as coming over the top — the very
thing you’re trying to avoid.

Solution: check the shoulders and wrists. It’s the job of your
shoulders to move the club around your body. Simultaneously,
it’s the job of your wrists to move the club vertically. This
combination move creates the perfect backswing. Make sure you’re
hinging your wrists up, not just turning your shoulders, which
pulls the club inside.

You’re swaying

You’re so intent on keeping your head still that your right hip
slides away from the target, instead of turning behind you. This
is a reverse-pivot, and it sets up a steep downswing that makes it
almost impossible to swing down from the inside.

Solution: don’t bump the chair. Put a chair next to your right hip
at address, leaving an inch or two of space. When you take the
club back, your goal is to avoid bumping into the chair. You can
brush the chair, but when you do, turn your hips, don’t let them
slide. This turn puts your body in a powerful position for the
downswing.

You’re not turning enough

There are two likely reasons you don’t turn your body enough on
the backswing : (1) You’re uncomfortable moving the top of your
spine behind the ball, because you think you’ll mis-hit the shot;
(2) you’re not flexible enough. But if you want to swing from
inside the target line and generate more power, you should focus
on making a turn at least 90 degrees behind the ball.

Solution: match the shafts. Lay a club on the ground, inside your
right foot and perpendicular to your target line. Take another
club and hold it across your chest, parallel to the ground. Your
goal is to turn your upper body so the shaft you’re holding is
parallel to the one on the ground. When you hit shots,
remember this feeling of being fully turned into your right side.

You’re not creating space

Your position at the top can set up a weak downswing. As you swing
to the top, maintain space between your right hand and right ear,
or you won’t have enough room to swing down from the inside. This
will also correctly move the top of your spine away from the ball.

Solution: reach for it. Hold an iron with your right hand only,
and swing to the top. Look to ensure that you have good width
between your hand and your head. If you do, grip the club with your
other hand. This is a good top-of-swing position.

You’re hanging back

If your shots end up right of the target, your intuition tells
you to swing more to the left. The most common way to do that is
to hang back on your right foot and scoop the clubhead at the ball
with your hands. But guess what? You just made your weak slice
worse. To swing down from the inside, which will help straighten
your slice, you have to shift your weight forward.

Solution: separate from the shaft. Stick a shaft or similar object
in the ground, and address a ball so the shaft is touching your
right side (make sure the shaft doesn’t obstruct your swing).
Practice making down-swings where your lower body separates from
the shaft. Feel your weight moving fully to your left foot while
your torso rotates toward the target. You’ll create room for your
arms to swing, instead of scooping.

You’re casting

In an attempt to lift the ball in the air, you unhinge your wrists
prematurely as you swing down. It’s known as “casting,” like a
person slinging a fishing line, and this unhinging of the wrists
promotes an over-the-top swing and weak, scoopy impact.

Solution: hold it back. Take the club back with both hands, and
then hook the shaft with your right index finger. As you swing
down, keep the hinge in your left wrist by resisting the swing
with your right index finger. When it’s time to hit shots,
remember this feeling of resistance in the transition.

You’re not trapping it

You know that great sound you hear when a tour pro hits an iron?
If you’re swinging over the top, your impact is more like a
swipe. That’s because you’re not rotating your forearms toward
the target, a key to creating speed and hitting the ball crisply.
With your out-to-in path, your best chance of decent contact is
cupping your wrists, but that’s a weak hit.

Solution: keep the palm down. As you hit shots, hold your right
palm facing down through impact. To do this without swinging the
club straight into the ground, you have to rotate your body
forward. It will feel as if you’re trapping the ball against the
turf and closing the clubface. That’s powerful contact.

You’re not releasing properly

Many of you are so afraid of hitting it right that you swing way
to the left. You’re trying to steer the ball, instead of swinging
through it. This creates a handcuffed release, which seriously
limits power.

Solution: don’t hit the bag. Set your golf bag a few feet in
front of you so you can still reach it with the clubhead. Make
slow swings where you rotate your body and forearms through the
shot, missing the bag. If you try to swing to the left through
the impact area, you’ll hit the bag.

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END OF GOLF TIPS
Copyright 2008 by NextEra Media. All Rights Reserved.