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Improve Golf Swing Performance – Don’t Wrestle with the Wrists!

September 22, 2010 By Eagle 1 Comment

To improve golf swing performance golfers must properly understand the function of the wrists and their role in the swing pattern.

Using the wrists to improve golf swing performance is easy – just let them be.

The wrists, left to their own devices without any added influence, will automatically perform their duty – providing their unique purpose to the swing pattern, that is, acting as a link.

Understanding to use the wrists in this capacity is crucial for golfers to improve golf swing performance.

In his book, “On Learning Golf”, author Percy Boomer offers some expert advice regarding the true function of the wrists in a winning golf swing pattern.

Boomer writes;

“The fluency of the swing becomes greater as the swing gathers speed, and when the ball is swept from the tee, the flick of the wrists (hateful expression) has become a violent sweep—violent because of it’s force, a sweep because of its fluency.

We are told and have evidence in the “flickers” that the wrists open as we come into contact with the ball, but this opening is not something that the wrists do, but something which they cannot help happening. And the art lies not in making the wrists open but in postponing their opening as late as possible.

As the club head arrives in the region of the ball, our body (because of its comparatively short degree of action) has already got back into its “opposing” position, with left heel back on the turf, left side straight and firm, and right hip twisted into the left one—the whole giving a sense of secure brace to the whole body. By this time the arms are already half-way down, but the wrists are still pulled back. But now owing to the forward pull of the hips and the gathering momentum of the club head, something must happen—and what happens is that we can no longer keep the club head from flying past the ball.

We have done everything possible to delay the club head and to inhibit wrist movement, but finally the club head gets out of control (this is literally true) and flashes through the ball as if mad with rage!

Now this is as it should be. We purposely set up a state that would leave the club head free and unchecked in this region of the swing, and we must see to it that we do not interfere in any way with its ferocious passage through the ball. There will almost inevitably be some tendency to rigidity due to local necessities in this region (as in the initial take-up), but we must not feel the slightest check or guide attempting to control the club head. Let its furious assault die away into a perfect follow through.

Do not hold or check or guide the club head but keep the left side firm and rigid and play on around it. That is the only way of keeping the fury of the club head on the right path. You have unleashed a storm, and all you can do is to control the center from which came its force and from which it will die away. Feel centered and balanced.

If after reading the foregoing you come to the conclusion that the best thing to do with your wrists is nothing at all, my exposition has been successful.

Since probably no one has told you before that your wrists are only a link, you cannot be blamed for not having realized it!

Too many people try to do something with their hands, thinking this to be wrist action. But when you analyze it, there is no deliberately induced action in the golf swing which corresponds to the mythical “flick of the wrists.” Anyway, the word flick is appropriate when we speak of removing ash from a cigarette—but utterly out of place in a movement which sweeps a golf ball two hundred and fifty yards down the fairway.

If you have built up a good powerful central organization around which you whirl your club, the more you leave your wrists to their own sphere of activity the better will be your stroking. And the proper sphere of activity of your wrists is to act as the link in the flail with which you sweep the ball away”.

To improve golf swing performance, golfers must understand the proper function of the wrists in a successful swing pattern.

Try incorporating Boomer’s advice into your golf swing practice routine.

Check back soon for more posts and tips to improve golf swing performance!

Filed Under: Golf Swing, Golf Tips Tagged With: beginners, chipping hitting it crisp, correct backswing, fix slice, golf instruction, golf success, golf swing tips, golf technique, how to add clubhead speed shoulder, how to learn golf, improve golf swing, par, swing guide

Beginner Golf Swing Instruction – Lining Up the Shot!

September 21, 2010 By Eagle Leave a Comment

An important lesson in any beginner golf swing instruction program is learning to correctly line up the shot.

Lining up the shot can pay huge dividends to the golfer!

Beginner golf swing instruction programs know – during the pressures of play – student golfers will accidently skip over many pre-swing processes which include but are not limited to lining up the shot!

To combat this oversight beginner golf swing instruction programs teach their student golfers to follow a simple procedure – that is – taking the time to position the body and club properly to the ball. This is critical to overall swing performance.

In the book, “How to Master the Irons, an Illustrated Guide to Better Golf”, authors Gene Littler and Don Collett provide some beginner golf swing instruction – walking the golfer through a simple procedure designed to quickly line up the shot.

They write;

“Golf fans are often amazed at the ability of a professional to hit the ball straight and far down the fairway. The accurate drives and pinpoint placements on approach shots are seemingly magical feats which the average golfer believes to be beyond his capabilities.

This, of course, isn’t true. A golfer, if they have some working knowledge of the swing, can learn to hit the ball fairly straight, provided they have aligned themselves properly to the ball. Actually, lining up a shot is a simple little procedure, and it pays great dividends to those who work to perfect it.

Lining up a shot is not a difficult thing to learn. To do it correctly, you must “aim yourself” first, that is, position your body in proper relationship to the ball and then “aim the ball” by aligning the clubface so that it faces directly toward the hole. Here is how it is done.

The Procedure

The pattern of movements involved in lining up a shot begins as soon as you pull a club out of the bag and grip it. A good player works themselves into a rhythm for lining up each shot, whether they are going to hit with a driver, a five-iron, or a wedge. They set up a habit pattern of approaching and addressing the ball, and all of their conscious efforts are directed toward lining up the shot correctly. From there on, they depend chiefly upon their reflex actions and the subconscious feel of the swing to bring forth a straight ball.

To begin, grip the club and position yourself slightly behind and to the left of the ball. From this position, you can size up the hole and get a good perspective view of it while thinking of how you want to hit the particular shot before you. Keep your arms in close to your body. The arms actually hug the chest and the hands are about six inches away from the body and directly in front.

After determining where you are going to aim, as well as the type of shot you want to hit, move your feet in a bit closer to the ball. At the same time, bend forward at the waist so that the clubface will come in contact with the ground directly behind the ball. Then, after ensuring that the clubface is square, or at a right angle to the line of flight, rotate your head toward the target to make sure you have positioned yourself properly up to this point. The left foot is then moved just a few inches directly toward the target, and the right foot moves back and slightly to the right to give you a square stance.

For fairway woods and long iron shots, I employ the closed stance, in which my right foot is moved back about an inch or so. This permits a fuller body and shoulder turn than the square stance”.

Beginner golf swing instruction programs know how important lining up the shot is to a successful golf swing and golf game.

Incorporate Littler and Collett’s advice into your next practice session.

Check back soon for more beginner golf swing instruction articles and posts to help quickly improve your golf swing and game!

Filed Under: Golf Swing, Golf Tips Tagged With: beginners, chipping hitting it crisp, golf instruction, golf success, golf swing tips, golf technique, how to learn golf, how to squat in golf swing, how to stay down thru the shot on golf, improve golf swing, par, squat hits golf, swing guide, the squat in golf swing

Golf Swing Mechanics – The Press and Its Role in a Winning Swing Pattern!

September 18, 2010 By Eagle Leave a Comment

Executing a seamlessly smooth, well coordinated and highly potent swing is the essence and overall goal of golf swing mechanics.

Winning golf swing mechanics require the golfer to correctly execute both the forward and reverse press. Together they maintain balance, generate power and synchronize all the various moving components – blending them all into one fluid, well timed expression of the club.

Unfortunately, many golfers struggle to correctly incorporate these two actions into their golf swing mechanics.

In his book, “Golf Can Be an Easy Game”, author Joe Novak describes in greater detail the roles of the forward and reverse press and their rightful place in winning golf swing mechanics.

Novak writes;

“The swinging of a golf club is a double-handed, ambidextrous motion which completely involves the player from toes to fingers. It is this all encompassing involvement of the player in a properly executed golf swing that gives a golfer that completeness of ease, grace and rhythm.

Being the two-legged creatures we are, it is understandable that to swing the club up and to the right we should balance ourselves on the right foot, and to swing the club down and to the left, we should rebalance ourselves on the left foot. However, at the very outset of the golf swing a quandary is presented.

In assuming the initial position from which to start the swing, the natural position for the hands on the club places the right hand in the lower position on the club handle. This invariably causes the player to relax the right knee slightly and by so doing the player finds their balanced on the left foot. As long as they remain balanced on the left foot, it is unnatural to move the club from the ball.

However, through the simple process of the forward press, a slightly added forward movement of the right knee, the player can make a complete change of knee positions and balance on their right foot. Thus they can use their entire right side from hip to shoulder to lead their body into the diagonal stretch action, whereby the club can easily and naturally be raised to the top of the swing.

This handling of the knees—the forward press and the reverse press leave the player so balanced, when the top of the swing is reached, that it is possible to reverse the knee positions and thus rebalance the player on their left toe. The entire left side from hip to shoulder can then be used to lead the body into the diagonal stretch action to the left, so that the club can be brought down into and through the ball with a full, free, powerful movement.

There is no shortcut to this one-two action of the forward press and the reverse press and it will set the body up so that it can follow in perfect timing with the movement of the up and down swing.

In addition to balancing the player so that they are ready body-wise to go into the swing, the one-two of the forward press and reverse press accomplishes one other thing. It moves the hands in a slight forward movement and carries the hands back. It thus places them in a perfect position so that the hands can set or cock the club into position, in harmony with the upswing action of the body.

There is no shortcut to this one-two action of the forward press and the reverse press. Not only will the body be set up so it can swing the club up on the inside, but the hands will be put in a position where their action of cocking the club into position can be synchronized.

Incidentally, it is this four movement rhythm which made Bobby Jones a golfing master“.

Winning golf swing mechanics require that the golfer correctly perform both the forward and reverse press.

Use Novak’s expert advice to properly incorporate the forward and reverse press into your swing pattern!

Check back soon for more tips and posts to help improve your golf swing mechanics!

Filed Under: Golf Swing, Golf Tips Tagged With: beginners, chipping hitting it crisp, correct backswing, golf instruction, golf success, golf swing squat, golf swing tips, golf technique, how to add clubhead speed shoulder, how to learn golf, how to squat in golf swing, how to stay down thru the shot on golf, improve golf swing, par, squat hits golf, swing guide, the squat in golf swing

Improve Golf Swing – Building A Better Swing At Your Address!

September 17, 2010 By Eagle Leave a Comment

To truly improve golf swing performance all golfers need to perform a close examination of their address.

The address reveals much about a golfer’s handicap and quality of movement – signaling to the world the level of golf they are capable of playing!

Golfer’s looking to improve golf swing performance need to fully understand that a correct address shapes the perfect swing pattern from beginning to end.

Shaping the perfect swing pattern is essential to improve golf swing performance. It is through this shaping that the golfer learns to feel their swing.

In his book, “On Learning Golf”, author Percy Boomer offers some expert advice to help golfers improve golf swing performance. He explains, in great detail, the address to the reader – helping them put feeling into their form.

Boomer writes;

“The experienced eye can make a very accurate guess at the handicap of a player after seeing them make a few practice swings, and as soon as their address is completed we can be sure of their quality.

Now at first glance it might seem that it would be simple enough for anyone to learn to stand correctly before the ball—to cultivate an impressive address. Yet there is this difference which enables the cognizant to recognize even the subtle variation between the good and the very good golfer before the ball has been struck.

It is an interesting point and one of some practical importance, because it is directly related to the true aim and purpose of the preparatory movements. We can recognize a golfer’s quality in these movements because they express both what they intend to do and how they intend to do it. The difference between the good and the ordinary golfer is that the good one feels their shot through their address.

Whether or not they have learned deliberately to play by feel, the good player feels, through their carriage and balance as they addresses the ball, the coming movement that will bring their club face squarely against the ball. Briefly to analyze the feeling of carriage and balance—they feel they are set inwards and behind the back of the ball and their legs, hips and shoulders are all braced, inside and behind the ball.

Now this is a point where I must ask you to stop and consider and analyze carefully exactly the meaning I want to convey by the word braced because this is most important to a realization of the correct feel of the body.

My dictionary defines a brace as “anything that draws together and holds tightly,” and I think that is clear and that it expresses the feeling we have when we are braced. But you may try it and promptly come back with the question, “But how can I feel braced and yet not become stiff?” A very pertinent question, and I will try and give you the answer.

When we take lessons in deportment we are told to walk with our hips pulled in, in other words to brace our hips. Yet we know that this does not make our carriage stiff; it makes it not stiff but firm and decisive.

So also, when I tell you as you address the ball to keep your elbows close together, you will immediately feel a sensation of drawing in your elbows the one towards the other. As a consequence your arms will not feel like two separate and independent arms but like a linked united pair of arms; yet they will not feel stiff. The “holding together” of your shoulder blades holds the top of your structure together and links up with the power from your hips. You will find your biceps being pulled into your thorax, your shoulders and arms being drawn together, and, if then the stomach is drawn inward, one definite (inward) direction of brace is set up.

The second direction in which we brace our bodies at the approach is upwards, yes upwards, towards the sky! The natural tendency as we stand to our ball is to droop from our hips and curve our backs. But if we are good golfers we resist this tendency by an upward brace—slightly bent over but pulled up to our full height and neither drooped nor curved.

Set like this we will feel our left side as straight as a poker, though not as stiff as one, and our left foot pushing down into the ground. Of course as the weight is equally divided between the feet, this pushing down is a feeling in the right foot also. The result is a highly desirable one; as a reaction to our upward brace, we feel ourselves standing firm as we address the ball—a thing we are frequently told to do but rarely told how to do!

So with our hips, shoulders, and arms braced and the body stretched upwards and braced, we no longer feel a loose, flabby, drooping figure but an upright and yet compact one. But we have one more direction of brace to add—this comes from the hips and I can best describe it as a twist forward which completes the bracing up of the whole body at the address.

As we stand to the ball our feet must not be too wide apart; the right foot should be at right angles to the line of flight, the left one pointed slightly out; a line across the toes of both feet should (like the line between the shoulders) be parallel to the line of flight. From this position, we twist our hips round (horizontally) to the left, not as far as they will go but as far as they can go in comfort, i.e., without pulling our hips out of shape. How far this is depends on how supple we are. Probably the degree of movement will be only slight, but the effect of this forward leftward twist is to tauten up the whole body without stiffening it.

Because we are anchored, first by our feet to the ground and secondly by our square-set shoulders held up against the forward pull of the hips, the right knee does not resist so we find our left side straight and our right side bowed inwards. And these, left side straight and right side bowed in, are very definite feels which come from (and can be used to check) correct bracing.

These three directions of brace should now make us feel a complete unit, which we can think of as “the set.” I think they are what makes the good golfer feel compact. They give the feeling that we can carry the club head back away from the ball by the body twist inwards and behind the back of the ball. In other words, if you are properly braced there will be no sensation of wanting to lift the club head up. This is important; we should never feel that we lift the club head, but that we carry it back around with the body and along the ground.

This feeling that the club head keeps down is equally necessary in the follow through, after we have sent the ball on its way. We must feel that we have dispatched the ball out and along but not up“.

Improve golf swing performance by examining where it all begins – at the address!

Try incorporating Boomer’s advice into your golf swing practice routine.

Check back soon for more posts and tips to improve golf swing performance!

Filed Under: Golf Swing, Golf Tips Tagged With: beginners, chipping hitting it crisp, correct backswing, distance control with a wedge, golf instruction, golf success, golf swing squat, golf swing tips, golf technique, hands lean forward in golf setup, how to learn golf, how to squat in golf swing, how to stay down thru the shot on golf, improve golf swing, lean hands forward in golf setup, par, squat hits golf, swing guide, the squat in golf swing

The Proper Golf Swing – 8 O’ Clock – The Best Time To Begin The Downswing!

September 15, 2010 By Eagle Leave a Comment

The true definition of what constitutes a proper golf swing is open to debate.

It is universally accepted however, that to create a proper golf swing pattern, different movements of the body and club must rhythmically come together.

Fusing both the body and club together into one well coordinated and timed mechanism is critical to consistently executing a proper golf swing.

In the book, “The Master Key to Success at Golf” author Leslie King uses the hands as an example to illustrate the important role correct coordination and timing play in executing a proper golf swing.

King writes;

“The club head is released into the delivery when the hands have descended to a point almost level with the ball, at which point the club head is still lagging, POINTING TO EIGHT O’CLOCK, maybe even higher but certainly not lower.

My experience is that pupils generally find this eight o’clock position of the club head one of the most difficult features of the swing to achieve. But how worthwhile it is to strive for. The hallmark of the outstanding player is one who lets the club head go into the same hitting area and maintains the club-line through the ball consistently with each shot. It makes for constant accuracy with the various clubs.

Let me put it this way. Take a fairish golfer with a good-looking shape to their swing but with an unsure delivery. Inferior timing and hand-control cause them to vary the position of the club head as it comes in for release into the hitting area.

There they are with three balls lined up to be struck from the same spot with, say, their seven iron to the green. With their inconsistent delivery the landing area for these three balls is liable to be extensive. They are likely to pitch one on the back of the green, one on the front, and the third probably short. This takes no account of any deviation from the line which may occur.

Work and train yourself to give the hands time and room to bring the club into the eight o’clock position from which you will be poised to make that carpet-beater action at and through the ball.

Now do you see why the shaped swing must be harnessed to a shaped delivery? Let me repeat that the way to train your hands to give you this eight o’clock position is to give them time. Wait for it before you let the power pour into the back of the ball”.

A proper golf swing is the result of successfully fusing together the body and club into a well coordinated and timed mechanism.

Use King’s expert advice to help get the most from your swing pattern!

Check back soon for more articles and posts to help you achieve a proper golf swing!

Filed Under: Golf Swing, Golf Tips Tagged With: beginners, chipping hitting it crisp, distance control with a wedge, golf instruction, golf success, golf swing squat, golf swing tips, golf technique, how to add clubhead speed shoulder, how to learn golf, how to squat in golf swing, how to stay down thru the shot on golf, improve golf swing, par, pitch shot instruction golf, squat hits golf, swing guide, the squat in golf swing

Golf Swing Mechanics – Elbow Your Way To A Winning Swing!

September 13, 2010 By Eagle Leave a Comment

Many golfers intensely examine any and all of the golf swing mechanics relating to the hands, hips and feet.

Some golfers however, fail to properly consider the right elbow and its important contribution to sound golf swing mechanics.

Correct placement and function of the right elbow is crucial to maintaining balance, hand position and power. All these are the goal of solid golf swing mechanics.

In his book, “Golf Can Be an Easy Game”, author Joe Novak describes in greater detail the role of the right elbow and its place in winning golf swing mechanics.

Novak writes;

“…if the right elbow is locked tight against the right side on the backswing, a whirling, twisting body turn must result. Of course, from such a back-swing there is bound to be that all too early hit with the right hand, which will throw the club to the outside of the line of flight and only an outside-in hit can be executed.

A majority opinion in golf is that the right elbow should be tucked in close to the right side as the backswing is made. In many cases pupils have been asked to place a handkerchief on their right side and told to hold it there by pressing their right elbow against it. The players are then asked to prevent the handkerchief from falling out during the swing.

Such practice tightens and tenses the player body-wise, and forces them into an excessive body turn.

In all golf swings done correctly the left knee kicks straight forward and as this is done the right elbow kicks straight back, all of which provides a very balanced position. As the right elbow kicks back it naturally bends and the elbow goes free of the body—in fact, it is this bending of the elbow and the contraction of the right arm that actually raises the club to the top of the swing so naturally.

This act of letting the right elbow go free on the back-swing is of great value in ultimately developing the proper hitting position of the hands at the time of impact with the ball.

With the right elbow going free and away from the body on the backswing, it becomes possible for the right elbow to drop straight down as the downswing starts. This permits the right hand to remain on an inside position on the downswing, and from this inside position, the right hand creates a strong base against which the left hand and left arm can pull the club into the ball. This combination of the right hand being on the inside as the hands come into the hitting area helps to naturally produce a powerful one-two action of the hands as the ball is contacted. As a result, the natural hit from the inside ability that has been so strongly and properly urged throughout the years occurs quite readily. This is, of course, the hand action that all big hitters in golf acquire; in fact, it is the only way for the hands to work“.

Correct use of the elbow is essential to performing sound golf swing mechanics

Use Novak’s expert advice to properly position the right elbow and get the most out of your swing pattern!

Check back soon for more tips and posts to help improve your golf swing mechanics!

Filed Under: Golf Swing, Golf Tips Tagged With: beginners, chipping hitting it crisp, correct backswing, golf instruction, golf success, golf swing tips, golf technique, how to learn golf, how to stay down thru the shot on golf, improve golf swing, par, squat hits golf, swing guide, the squat in golf swing

Beginner Golf Swing Instruction – Properly Addressing the Address!

September 11, 2010 By Eagle Leave a Comment

Beginner golf swing instruction programs teach their student golfers the importance of correctly addressing the ball.

Beginner golf swing instruction programs know the basic principle of swing mechanics – initiating a swing from an improper address position results in a faulty golf swing pattern.

Some student golfers struggle to learn the various stances of address and how/when to apply them properly.

Beginner golf swing instruction programs make a sincere effort to simplify this potentially confusing topic for their students.

In the book, “How to Master the Irons, an Illustrated Guide to Better Golf”, authors Gene Littler and Don Collett provide some beginner golf swing instruction on the address and its various stances.

They write;

“The more skilled a player becomes, the more they realize the importance of aligning themselves properly with the ball. This technique involves more than just stepping up to the ball and hitting it down the fairway or toward a distant green. It involves knowing how to address the ball and where to address it in relationship to the stance and the direction in which they are aiming. In the fundamental sense of the word, we refer to the basic body position over the ball as the address. Within the framework of the address come the basic stances, or foot positions, we use for hitting various shots.

The Address

Squaring up to the ball is an important feature of a good golfer’s swing, and it simply means your feet, hips, and shoulders should be square, or parallel to the line of flight. It is a basic tenet of golf that if you are out of position at the address you will be out of position during the swing. It is important, therefore, to practice setting up to the ball properly so that it becomes an automatic procedure. You will then be able to concentrate fully on hitting the shot without having to worry about where it is going.

The Stances

THE SQUARE STANCE. Although there are 14 different positions for the feet, or as many as there are clubs in the bag, there are only three basic stances: the square, open, and closed. In the square stance the feet are positioned on a line which should parallel the intended line of flight. The ball is between the feet and on a line slightly left of center. The weight is equally distributed. The hands are positioned ahead of the ball so that the shaft of the club and the inside line of the left arm form a straight line from the shoulder to the clubface.

The square position permits a free, full shoulder turn and is recommended for hitting the medium irons, the four, five, and six. The only modification I make in each iron is in the position of my right foot. For a five-iron, my feet are about the width of my shoulders. I widen my right foot for a four-iron about an inch, and narrow it an inch for the six-iron in relation to my five-iron stance.

Whatever stance you take, always remember to be comfortable, yet firmly set up over the ball.

THE CLOSED STANCE. This is the power stance used for hitting the long irons and wood shots. In this stance, the right foot is withdrawn from the line of flight, permitting a fuller body turn than the other stances. The ball is positioned about two inches inside the left heel, and the hands are directly over the ball. Weight is evenly distributed between the feet.

THE OPEN STANCE. In the open stance your left foot is withdrawn slightly from the line of flight. This tends to “open” the entire left side toward the hole, particularly the hips, which initiate the downswing. The weight is about 60 per cent on the left side and 40 per cent on the right side. This allows the weight to become more centered on the back-swing rather than on the right side as in fuller shots. Less physical effort is thus required in shifting the weight to the left side on the downswing. In setting up on the ball, position the hands so they are ahead of the ball, which is centered midway between the feet. This stance is recommended for the short irons and all pitch shots and chip shots“.

Beginner golf swing instruction programs know the important role a proper address plays in a winning swing pattern.

Try incorporating Littler and Collett’s expert advice on address positions and their various stances into your next practice session.

Check back soon for more beginner golf swing instruction articles and posts to help quickly improve your golf swing and game!

Filed Under: Golf Swing, Golf Tips Tagged With: beginners, chipping hitting it crisp, correct backswing, golf instruction, golf success, golf swing tips, golf technique, hands lean forward in golf setup, how to learn golf, how to squat in golf swing, how to stay down thru the shot on golf, improve golf swing, par, pitch shot instruction golf, swing guide, the squat in golf swing
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