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

2 Comments

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.

Wednesday, 07 September 2011 23:56

Written by The Golf Drill Guru

3 Comments

The best players in the game employ an out to in swing path for their bunker shots. Much like Furyk's "loopy" swing (but less dramatic) good bunker players swing out to in to attack the pall from an ideal angle. A normal swing path tends to produce an angle of attack that is too steep, and can result in either skulls, chunks and the occasional perfect shot.  A shallower swing path will help produce a more consistent results from the sand... and ultimately this means you have a "go-to" swing to rely upon when on the beach.  A shallower swing will take less sand, which create more backspin and control. Here's how to do it:

Wednesday, 27 July 2011 16:57

Written by The Golf Drill Guru

6 Comments

I hate the yips. It seems that every two years or so, after missing a couple of short putts – my mind goes into “don’t miss it” mode, and I’m faced with another couple weeks of awful, yip-filled rounds of golf. Now I guess I really shouldn’t complain, I’ve heard the horror stories of players quitting the game because their yips got so bad, or even people whose yips have progressed to affect their chipping and full-swing shots. I’m glad I’m not suffering that bad.

With all this said, I’ve spent countless hours on the putting green working on different things to help cure myself of the yips. I’ve tried different putting strokes, different setup routines, different putters and various drills – you name it, I’ve tried it. Oddly enough, I’ve found that some of the simplest changes to my putting stroke have made all the difference. In this post, I’m going to share with you those simple changes – so that you too can benefit – enjoy.