Wednesday, 08 February 2012 00:18

Written by The Golf Drill Guru

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Learning the proper sequencing of the backswing takes time and plenty of practice. Many players, in attempts to combat a slice, revert to a swing that use very little body, and lots of arms. These types of swings are characterized by a complete lack of weight shift, poor contact, and a suffer dramatic power loss. If you find yourself at the top of your backswing with the club very close to your shoulders - you're likely a victim of this fault.

Sunday, 15 January 2012 20:22

Written by The Golf Drill Guru

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Accuracy is a characteristic we all are looking to have in our games, especially with the shorter irons. Apart from some fundamental keys, like solid balance, there is one particular swing trait all accurate golfers seem to have adopted. On their downswing they get their shaft in line with their lead arm.

If you can emulate this technique in your swing... you will notice how much easier control and keep the ball on-line. Although, some advocates of the two-plane swing may disagree, I like to see my students get into this position as it makes the rest of the downswing incredibly easy and automatic. It allows you to make a more aggressive move into the ball, guarantees you do not need to make any last minute swing manipulations to your swing to ensure you're coming into the ball on path and in-line.

To find this position you need to work on your backswing path and your transition at the top of your backswing. Work on your path first, as it will drastically affect your positioning at the top of the backswing. An on-path or slightly inside swing path, with adequate width should set you properly at the top… initiate the downswing with your hips unwinding and your arms dropping down (this is very important - if your shoulders lead the downswing movement, your arms will start down on a steep/over-the-top path)… and you should be able to find this position on your downswing. You may call this position “finding the slot”, and although you’re right, this position will let you find the center of the slot - every time.

The best way to work on this if you're solo is to take a video camera down the line that is setup so that it is level with your hand weight at address (much like the angle in the picture to the right).  From here you can have a good look at your shafts position as you start your downswing.

Good luck!

Wednesday, 04 January 2012 03:43

Written by The Golf Drill Guru

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It's always been a major battle, distance vs. control... the players that have some degree of both dominate the tour. In most cases however, the long ball hitters lack the control and consistency of the shorter hitters. Lately we have been seeing a different trend, which allows for players to hit the ball a mile, while having a compact and controlled swing.

Using J.B Holmes for example, has been a the top of PGA tour average driving distance list, and has a very short and compact swing, which makes his swing more consistent and repeatable. The truth is, as long as you can make a full shoulder turn and fully cock your wrists, there is no reason why your swing needs to be longer than 10 o’clock (well shy of parallel).

The average player can really benefit from a shortened swing as this helps to increase the total stability of the golf swing. With fewer movements, the swing becomes a lot simpler to perform and harder to screw up. An elongated backswing tends to force some players to lift their front heel off the ground... which means, your it has to be replaced on the downswing often wreaking havoc with contact. Furthermore, a longer backswing tends to force your body weight to creep to the outside of your trailing foot – which decreases the stability of your lower body and increases the chances of an unwanted hip slide.

Simple creates repeatability. When working on shortening your backswing, it helps to have a friend let you know at what point your club is actually stopping. It’s rarely where you think. Practice shortening your swing with a short iron and focus on keeping a consistent tempo... quite often I see my students rush their downswing when they try and shorten things up.

The next time you hit up the range, remember this tip, shorten your swing while keeping a full wrist cock and shoulder turn – and you should see a dramatic increase on your distance and consistency.

Sunday, 06 March 2011 21:51

Written by The Golf Drill Guru

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There are several characteristics that are paramount in contributing to the success and efficiency of a golf swing. After solid fundamentals, a good place to start is the one-piece takeaway.

At address, your arms and shoulders should make a slightly tilted triangle. This tilt is caused by a slight leaning of your spine angle away from the target at address, and the fact that your trailing hand is lower on the grip at address.

This tilt is what helps to determine your ball trajectory.  This fact is important to remember anytime you wish to fiddle with your ball trajectory - this is where it all starts.

But anyways, moving onward... your arms and shoulders must behave as a unit. The first few movements away from the ball should be initiated by the turning and shifting of the upper body. Not your arms, not your wrists and not your shoulders.  This is what the one-piece takeaway is all about - the body moves as a unit to initiate the golf swing. This triangle should be maintained until the arms reach the height of your trailing hip pocket. Afterwards, the wrists and arms kick in, the wrists starting cocking the club upwards to finish the backswing.

Extra body movements before this position only disrupt the rhythm and tempo of the backswing. Doing this properly sets up the proper sequencing of your swing.

A poorly initiated backswing occurs when either the hands do all the work, which leads to a loose, handsy swing, or when the shoulders start the swing, which can lead to extra unwanted body movements. The correct sequence of the backswing is initiated by the turning of the body, followed by the arms, shoulders and wrists acting together. Keep this in mind, and try incorporating the one-piece takeaway into your swing.

Saturday, 05 February 2011 21:05

Written by The Golf Drill Guru

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If you’re thinking of getting into golf, or simply wanted to get back into the game after a hiatus, chances are you’re in the hunt for new clubs. You’re starting fresh, so your clubs should be new as well. But before you go down the road of club shopping, fitting and lessons, let me explain a little more about club fitting.

Club fitting is now an essential part of learning the game for anyone wanting to take up golf. But here’s something to remember about club fitting – it fits the swing you have at the time. If you're getting back into the game – your swing is going to go through a bunch of changes until you “find your swing”. Our advice? Use your existing clubs, or get a demo set to practice with and groove your swing first. Next step is lessons.

Once you’ve got your swing working, lessons should be next. Explain to your pro your plans to buy new clubs and get fitted. Your pro will work with you to ensure your posture and address position is in check, and fix any big swing mistakes you’re making. Posture is one of the most important factors that influence how your clubs get fitted to your swing.

Tuesday, 30 November 2010 03:03

Written by The Golf Drill Guru

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Impact is the moment of truth in a golf swing. If your impact position resembles the picture at right for your irons, you’re already a very solid player. This position is the key to power and consistency, and you can see it among all the best players in the world. As unique as every professionals swing is, their impact positions are pretty much identical. There are two key features to an ideal impact position.

1) Your head should be behind the ball.

As you swing into impact your body is transferring all the power created by your larger muscles into the smaller quicker muscles into impact. Anatomically, power is generated first with your core, as your weight begins to transfer over your legs kick in and add to the power. This power is then transferred to your shoulders, down your arms and finally as your wrists release from their cocked position, into the club.

With the rotation and movement your body is experiencing, your body center must remain relatively still to ensure you make contact with the ball. This balanced position is what creates consistency. So what does this mean to you? If your head is ahead of the ball at impact, you’re not creating power properly, and your swing is inconsistent.

Monday, 18 October 2010 04:27

Written by Eric Wilson

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Every golfer's game must have one excellent trait in its arsenal: a fantastic short game. Unless you can hit hole-in-ones on every single shot you ever take (if only!), you’ll need to be able to deliver a good short game just like everyone else has to, from beginners to pros. At the College of Golf in the month of September, students focused on short game fundamentals, learning from three time LPGA Tour and former U.S. Women’s Amateur Champion Donna White.

Here are just some of the short game fundamentals important to every golfer.

Tuesday, 05 October 2010 05:07

Written by The Golf Drill Guru

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When golfers are asked which skill they would love to have, apart from hitting it 350 yards every time - consistency usually ranks the highest.  Why? Because a consistent swing is reliable and repeatable and this creates confidence, dependability and trust. A confident swinging golfer is a menacing opponent on the course.  There are thousands of tips out there that talk about improving your consistency - in my experience however - the real problems have only a few roots.  Once these problem areas are taken care of, and they are ingrained through practice... scores start dropping.

Monday, 19 July 2010 02:57

Written by The Golf Drill Guru

8 Comments

In a study of 1,500 amateur golfers, not one with a handicap of 14.0 or higher could hit the fairway 50 percent of the time with a driver. Chances are if you miss the fairway, you’re losing a stroke to par on the hole. So why bother using your driver all day for that one great shot? The way I see it, if the club can’t help your game, get it out of your bag. Seriously, play a round with only your three wood, not only will you get a chance to play different clubs, I’ll bet you’ll keep the ball in play more effectively.