Preconcieved Notions

What pre-conceived notions do you have about the golf swing?

Every time I teach a new student that’s one of the first questions I ask. Why? Because what we think and what actually is in the golf swing are two different things. The typical ones are, I need to keep my head down and my left arm straight (or right for left handed players). When was the last time you tried to throw a ball with your head in your chest and your arm straight? How about hitting a tennis ball or any sport for that matter?

Your head moves with your spine and your arms are relaxed, simple right? Then why is golf so difficult!Because those two notions have been going around for many years. When was the last time you watched the weekly pro tournament and heard the winner say, I won this tournament because I kept my head down and my left arm straight. NEVER!!!!!!!!! So why do you do it?

For many of you it’s a comfort zone, you’re afraid to see where the ball will go if you don’t have control over it. Remember where the ball goes is a reaction, not a forced action. That’s one of the main reasons the pros make it look so easy. TRUST!!!!!!!!! Michael Hebron wrote probably one of the best books ever written on the swing, See and Feel the Inside Move the Outside. When you play other sports that’s exactly what you do. You’re making the inside move the outside, so that makes your arms a reaction to your upper body’s action. This can’t happen if your arm is straight and your head is in your chest. So next time you practice, try doing it without forcing the outcome.

Keep your head up not down. This allows the head to move with the body, not fight it, and let your arms hang, not straight. Remember you’re gripping the club with the hands not the arms. By doing these two things you’ll find you’ll add distance and accuracy without even trying

Practice

How can practice be fun?

Sometimes practice can be boring or even seem like drudgery. It doesn’t have to be that way. I see so many golfers at the driving range pulling out their drivers and try to hit it as far as they can. Then they get out on the course and wonder why they can’t hit a knock down shot into the wind or a half wedge into a green. Well they never practiced the shot.

Just like anything we want to be good at we have to practice. Next time you go to the range, pull out your sand wedge and warm up by hitting twenty half shots. Then hit some ¾ shots, and then move up to full wedge shots. Now you are warmed up and you’ve just practiced your wedge game. Next pull out your nine and so on down the line. When you’re done with your driver pull that sand wedge back out and hit some half shots again. You’ll see how well you’ve maintained your tempo throughout your practice session.

After you’ve worked on your swing try playing a few holes on the range. Pull out your driver and pick out two poles at the end of the range. Pretend they are the boundaries of the fairway. Hit your driver and guess how much and what kind of a shot you have left into the hole. Hit that shot, whether it is a punch shot, a low shot under the trees, a hook or a cut. Now when you get out on the course you will have practiced the difficult shot you are about to hit.

Practice becomes fun when you hit the shot on the course that you’ve practiced, especially when you pull it off. Do this same concept with bunker play and putting. Don’t get caught in a rut of just going to the driving range and beating balls. Go to the course with just your putter and putt for a couple of hours. You’ll be amazed the next time you get over three footer for all the money. Be inventive with your practice. It will not only be more fun but also more rewarding. 

Pop Putting

To “pop” or not to “pop”?

To pop or not to pop is a question that can have you missing three footers all day long. How many times do you have a short putt and just get up and ram it in the back of the hole? When it doesn’t mean anything they’re easy right! Well what you’re doing is popping the putt. When you pop a putt you keep the putter lower to the ground with not a lot of follow through which actually allows the putter to release, which causes the ball to roll end over end. What’s the result? Back of the hole!

Now imagine for a moment that you’re in a heated match. You’ve got the back pressed and your down three and one. You’re going to take as much time over each putt, right? How easy is it to miss a short putt when you’re concentrating on mechanics? Answer, EASY! So don’t do it.

Let’s look at some great putters who pop their putts. Do you remember John Daly when he won the PGA Championship? He didn’t give himself time to think about mechanics. He set-up to the ball and went for it. He trusted himself didn’t he? Look at Corey Pavin when he won the US Open. Do you remember that last putt on the 18th hole? It wasn’t very long was it? If he tried to stroke that putt he probably would have been in a playoff. If you get a chance to watch that tape again, watch closely how he jams it in the hole. He didn’t want mechanics to get in the way.

On the other hand there are some great putters who stoke the ball smoothly. Ben Crenshaw. He’s as smooth as silk. But even Ben was a little shaky on the last putt of the Masters when he was playing with Brian Henninger.

Smooth is good, but when you start getting mechanical, do some popping drills. Put ten balls around a hole in a circle at about three feet. Without lining them up, go around the hole and pop them into the hole. You can take the putter back slowly, but come through sharp without a lot of finish. You’ll find your putter stays lower and the ball will roll end over end. When the ball has that kind of roll it will hold its line better. Rolling the ball this way will make you trust your read better, moreover make you a better reader of the greens.

Remember if you have a short putt that counts, pop it and don’t give yourself a chance to miss it!