Golf Pro Tips
Coach Dave’s Corner: Take a tip from The Island's Head Golf Professional, Dave Baron, PGA.
Hands Hold, Arms Swing, Body Provides the Distance Control
Make your golf swing as simple as tossing the ball to the target. Each of you could subconsciously toss a ball to a target or a person.
Harvey Penick said to imagine swinging a bucket of water. If the arms outrace the body, water spills prematurely. If the body swings the arms, no water spills until we throw it to the target. Many pros use a medicine ball or heavy club to make practice swing feeling the upper body do most of the work on the backswing and the lower body do most of the work on the forward swing.
Did you know that there are only 9 flight patterns a golf ball can take?
How the golf ball flies or rolls initially is a direct reflection of the path that the club swung. How the shot curves is a direct reflection on the angle of the clubface. You can identify errors and try to correct them by analyzing the flight pattern of the shot. For example if a right-handed golfer’s ball flies straight to the right and curves to the right, the path was inside to out or right, and the clubface was open or right.
Use the flight of the ball as your video camera.
Ball Flight Law #1 - How all shots start is according to the swing path.
The path the club swings on is square (slightly inside, square at impact, and slightly inside again), inside to out (right), or outside to in (left).
The arms are always going to swing parallel to the club head. Feel like your arms could swing freely and in a straight line a foot or so behind the ball on the backswing and a foot or so in front of the ball on the follow through.
God gave you rotator cuffs that turn your shoulders and hips that turn your legs. I don’t think you have to consciously turn anything to hit a straight shot. The great Harvey Penick said, “The turn is like saying howdy to someone on your right, and the finish is like saying howdy to someone on your left.”
When path problems arise (pushing right or pulling left) check the distance you are standing from the ball first. Standing too far from the ball can easily cause the club to swing inside on the back swing and outside on the forward swing. Allow your arms to hang no further than a hand’s width from your body. Gravity will pull everything to the ground.
Secondly, check your posture. I like to see people stand tall and make base ball swings with the club swinging parallel to the ground. Then tilt forward to the ball and make swings where the club head brushes the grass. The idea with athletic posture is to feel the weight on the arches or middle of your feet, not on the heels or the toes. This feeling aids in swinging the club on a straighter path.
Ball Flight Law #2 - How the ball then curves is according to the angle of the club face.
The clubface is square (straight), open (right), or closed (left) for right handed golfers. Since we strike the ball with the club face, it is the only part of the club that puts spin on the ball.
When clubface problems arise (ball curving left or right) you need to initially check your grip. Make sure that your throwing hand is facing the target and the club face is facing the target. Make sure your left hand is holding the club in the fingers enough to compliment the grip of the right.
Also if your balls are curving right your grip is probably too tight. If they are curving to the left, your left hand is weak and the grip pressure is probably too loose.
So to control the direction of your golf shots make sure you aim your body to where you want the swing path to be, where you want the shot to start (swing path). Then hold the club and aim the club face where you want the ball to finish. Also hold the club in a manner where you can swing freely. My experience has shown that if I hold the club light to medium, the club face stays square and I don’t feel like I have to turn my hands. Result is the ball doesn’t curve.
Ball Flight Law #3 – Centeredness of Contact
This is the exactness of contact. Shots are hit on the toe, heel, or center. What I have learned over the years is that this law is dependent highly on swing path. If the club head is moving too much from in to out the heel will reach impact prior to the sweet spot or center reaching the impact position. Contact will tend to be on the heel. If the club head is moving from out to in the toe will reach the impact position before the center (sweet spot). Contact will tend to be on the toe.
I have found that if you address the ball on the sweet spot (center) and the club swings on a perfectly straight path from 1 foot or so behind the ball to 1 foot in front of the ball, you will strike the ball in the center of the club head.
Ball Flight Law #4 - Angle of Approach
This law is defined as the angle formed by the descending or ascending arc of the club head on the forward swing and the slope of the ground. To achieve the optimum launch angle position the center of your body, (your nose and the buttons on your golf shirt) at the bottom of this swing arc. For a chip shot or a downhill shot, the bottom of the swing arc will be in front of the ball. So make sure your center is a few inches in front of the ball. For a mid iron shot or a hybrid shot position your center directly over the back of the ball. This will allow you to either pick the ball clean off the turf or have a small divot. On the driver, remember that the ball is teed. Position your center behind the ball a few inches (same as the height of the tee). This will allow you to contact the ball at the perfect launch angle.
