When attending John Jacobs golf school I watched an instructor warming up in the morning. He was hitting fades with a fairway wood.
After watching 3 or 4 in a row land in nearly the same spot, I asked, "Can you hit a draw that lands the same distance to the left?" He demonstrated several nice draws which landed about 5 paces to the left of the target line. I thought, "He must be hitting a 5-metal ... no one can be that accurate with a driver."
So I went to look at his club while he took a break. It was a 7.5 degree driver! WOW! I was impressed!
Did you ever try to hit a low lofted driver? Less than 10 degrees or less than 9.5 degrees?
The pro explained that all he did was change his grip from slightly weak to slightly strong. The swing stayed the same other wise. The amount of change as in all things in golf is very slight. About a quarter inch is about all it takes. Try it sometime.
By the way, there was no change in the position of his feet -- just his
grip.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Find YOUR Sweet Spot!
Where is the sweet spot on your club? Is it the same for each club? Is it under the little mark on the top of the club face? When did you look for it last?
If you do not hit your golf ball with the sweet spot of the golf clubface you do not know where your ball is going and you certainly do not know how far it is going!
Most clubs have some sort of mark on the top edge of the club face but, I find, that it is not a good indicator of exactly where the sweet spot is actually located.
To find the sweet spot, pick up the club by the grip and hold it lightly. Let it hang down from two fingers so that it can swing freely. Take a golf ball and tap the face of the club with it - gently - and feel for vibrations coming into the fingers which are holding the club.
Tap near the toe of the club. Tap near the heel of the club. Feel the strong vibrations as the club attempts to turn and twist. Then slowly move the tapping in toward the center of the club-face and notice when you feel the vibrations disappear.
THAT spot is where the sweet-spot of the club is.
Hits on the sweet-spot will feel almost effortless and you will be amazed at how far the ball flies. I test the sweet spot on my clubs at least once during the round to remind me of just where that spot is. I will sometimes mark the top edge of the club face with another mark - different from the original mark on the face placed there by the manufacturer.
Below are some wonderful resources where you can learn more about the golf swing - - your golf swing -- how to simplify it and make it "do the talking" for you! Click Here! and Here!
Here is another tip - the sweet spot on your putter is enormously important - do not ignore it!
If you do not hit your golf ball with the sweet spot of the golf clubface you do not know where your ball is going and you certainly do not know how far it is going!
Most clubs have some sort of mark on the top edge of the club face but, I find, that it is not a good indicator of exactly where the sweet spot is actually located.
To find the sweet spot, pick up the club by the grip and hold it lightly. Let it hang down from two fingers so that it can swing freely. Take a golf ball and tap the face of the club with it - gently - and feel for vibrations coming into the fingers which are holding the club.
Tap near the toe of the club. Tap near the heel of the club. Feel the strong vibrations as the club attempts to turn and twist. Then slowly move the tapping in toward the center of the club-face and notice when you feel the vibrations disappear.
THAT spot is where the sweet-spot of the club is.
Hits on the sweet-spot will feel almost effortless and you will be amazed at how far the ball flies. I test the sweet spot on my clubs at least once during the round to remind me of just where that spot is. I will sometimes mark the top edge of the club face with another mark - different from the original mark on the face placed there by the manufacturer.
Below are some wonderful resources where you can learn more about the golf swing - - your golf swing -- how to simplify it and make it "do the talking" for you! Click Here! and Here!
Here is another tip - the sweet spot on your putter is enormously important - do not ignore it!
Monday, February 25, 2008
Golf Ball Flight Never Lies!
A golfer needs lessons.
There is nothing natural about the golf swing. You are not born knowing how to swing a club. You have to learn how to swing the club for maximum efficiency (proper distance and accuracy). A beginning golfer needs to take lessons, watch instructional videos, read books and practice.
I attended several weekend sessions of the John Jacobs Golf School and learned the principles of ball flight. We learned that the ball NEVER lies to us. It ALWAYS does exactly what it is told to do by the face of the club. Our hands control the club face.
Why does your ball always curve to the right? Because the face of the golf club contacts the ball on an out-to-in swing path with the face of the club open with respect to the direction of the swing path. Therefore, in this situation, the ball starts to the left and then curves more or less drastically to the right. A "pull-slice".
To correct this problem align your body parallel to the desired ball flight path. Next, make sure your grip on the club is in a slightly "strong" position. Make a full backward shoulder turn then start down with the body and let the arms and hands follow keeping the trailing elbow tucked into the side of the chest and hip. On the downswing make a full turn toward the target and finish with your belt buckle looking at the taget. Do it slowly hitting only a half or three-quarter shot until you get the feel of the proper timing and rhythm.
If you don't catch on after the first bucket of balls then you might want to see a golf instructor or check out David Ledbetter's video or CDs which you may be able to buy at Dicks Sporting Goods or 3Balls.com. Clubs fitted to you work so much better than ones which are not fitted to your particular characteristics - see GigaGolf!
There is nothing natural about the golf swing. You are not born knowing how to swing a club. You have to learn how to swing the club for maximum efficiency (proper distance and accuracy). A beginning golfer needs to take lessons, watch instructional videos, read books and practice.
I attended several weekend sessions of the John Jacobs Golf School and learned the principles of ball flight. We learned that the ball NEVER lies to us. It ALWAYS does exactly what it is told to do by the face of the club. Our hands control the club face.
Why does your ball always curve to the right? Because the face of the golf club contacts the ball on an out-to-in swing path with the face of the club open with respect to the direction of the swing path. Therefore, in this situation, the ball starts to the left and then curves more or less drastically to the right. A "pull-slice".
To correct this problem align your body parallel to the desired ball flight path. Next, make sure your grip on the club is in a slightly "strong" position. Make a full backward shoulder turn then start down with the body and let the arms and hands follow keeping the trailing elbow tucked into the side of the chest and hip. On the downswing make a full turn toward the target and finish with your belt buckle looking at the taget. Do it slowly hitting only a half or three-quarter shot until you get the feel of the proper timing and rhythm.
If you don't catch on after the first bucket of balls then you might want to see a golf instructor or check out David Ledbetter's video or CDs which you may be able to buy at Dicks Sporting Goods or 3Balls.com. Clubs fitted to you work so much better than ones which are not fitted to your particular characteristics - see GigaGolf!
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