Friday, April 26, 2013

Answers: 5 Questions Players Have About The Address Position


Just about all novice golfers could help their golf swings by simply reinforcing their address position. The address position is a fancy term for where you start the golf swing. Take a stroll up and down the range this weekend and see how many players look like they are getting ready to make an athletic move. I am going to imagine less than ten percent.

Here are the normal questions about the address position and what you need to do in order to make improvements to your address position:

How long apart do you place your feet?
Likened to some thoughts and opinions, the golf swing is an athletic move. Thus you should start in an athletic position. With this being said, a number of you can collect from experiences playing sports as a child. If you did not play any sports when you were younger, do not be concerned. It is uncomplicated. Your feet should be about shoulder width apart or how wide they would be if you were going to try to jump into the air. It seems pretty easy, huh?

How should you go down to the ball?
Sounds like it should really be pretty easy. However, quite a few players struggle with doing this very well. The fact is, numerous golfers will stoop down to get to the golf ball. This makes the top of their back round out and makes stroking a golf ball regularly much more difficult. The image that works for many is simply to put your pants pockets in the rear of your heels. Yes, this means you need to stick your lower back out a bit. Remember, like you are going to jump.

Where should your weight generally be?
This is possibly the most overlooked basic by high handicappers as well as lower handicappers. This question definitely relates to balance. You will hear instructors briefly say that balance is key in the golf swing. However, it is usually brushed over and not outlined. Balance comes in two different forms, side-to-side as well as front-to-back. You can monitor your balance by simply flowing your weight around from your heels to your toes or side-to-side. You would rather have your balance to end up underneath the middle of your shoe or underneath your shoe strings.

How far away from the golf ball do you take your address position?
Unquestionably this will differ depending on the golf club that you have in your hand as they are different sizes. However, what should not fix is that you arms should dangle down in the address position. Men, you can simulate that you have a neck tie on and let it droop to the end of the club. Gals, you can visualize that you have your favorite necklace on that will fall and hit the end of the golf club. With this together with finding your balance, you should be in a sound address position.

Where should the ball go in your stance?
If you learned to play golf back in the day you were advised that the ball must go into a varied position for each club. Modern made that a great deal easier for you. To place the ball precisely in your set up position, simply place the midpoint of the club head in the middle of your feet. If it is a driver or hybrid, find the center of the club head and it will go in the midpoint of you stance and the ball will be placed just right in front of the club head.

Use this guidance from the commonly asked questions about the address position to improve your game and shoot lower scores.

Friday, March 29, 2013

Online Golf Lesson - How To Create Lag In Your Golf Swing

We get asked a lot for a full swing golf drill to help players create lag in the golf swing. Not many people asking this question even know what lag is or what they are asking us. So, what in the world is lag in the golf swing? Lag in the golf swing is the act of pulling the golf club as opposed to pushing the golf club during the full swing. Why is this important and why would I want to do this? It is important so that you can full swing the golf club in the most efficient manner to gain the most distance while also retaining accuracy.

The best picture that I can give you pertaining to lag is to imagine that you are trying to swing a bucket of water. To keep the water in the bucket, you will start turning your bigger muscles to make it happen. This will allow you to keep the water in the bucket. If you try to use your hands and arms to make this happen the water will start to come out of the bucket and get you wet!

An easy full swing drill that can help you create lag in the golf swing is what I call the gun grip full swing drill. Pick a target and address the golf ball as you normally would. Now for a right handed golfer, take your thumb and index finger of your right hand off of the golf club. Making your thumb and index finger to look like a gun or a pistol will return the best results. Do not get lazy and let these two fingers start to curl back around the grip of the golf club. This will defeat the purpose.

This will feel out of control at first but it has helped many of my students. Pay attention to the golf club at the top of the swing. It should feel like it is dropping and not moving forward. With this you will create lag in your full swing.


Monday, March 11, 2013

Does A One Handed Putting Drill Actually Work?

I am taking putting lessons from my local pro. I asked him for some putting drills to improve my stroke and he has me putting only with my right hand on the putter. Have you ever heard of this and do you make your students do this putting drill?

Yes I have and I do use this drill with my students!

Two reasons that I highly encourage my students to practice this one handed putting drill is that it gives them the exact feel of a proper putting motion and it develops a feel for the proper impact position for the putting stroke. This is a very simple thing to implement into your putting practice. Take your grip stance and posture and proceed to setup to stroke a putt from just two to three feet away from the hole.

Take your usual putting grip for a putting stroke. Assuming you are putting right handed, take your left hand off the putter leaving only your right hand on the putter in the hands usual position. Now you should have your putter in its regular position and the ball position placed in your usual position as well. The palm of your right hand should be equal to the direction of your putter face.

One reason for doing this golf putting drill from such a short distance as two or three feet is the backswing will not need very much movement. This should allow you to "feel" the putter head as it moves through the motion no matter how strong you are. The right wrist should keep the same angle throughout the stroke as at address and will not break AT ALL during this stroke from this distance.

With the correct grip pressure, you will be able to feel your putter load against the index finger of your right hand (again, for a right handed golfer). This load that is properly stored will be delivered to the golf ball during the forward stroke and will be lost just after impact. If you use a stripped range ball while doing this putting drill, place the stripe so it is parallel to the green surface and make your stroke under the stripe on the range ball. Your right hand should be ahead of the ball at impact. To finish the putting drill, hold your finish to a slow count of three. The putter head should be under your hands and not way out in front of your hands. Remember, your right wrist angle should not change.