 | Don Farquhar is Head Golf Professional at Rolling Hills CC, a position he has held since 1988. Don has earned several distinctive awards: 1991 South Central Section Golf Professional of the Year, 1994 South Central Section Merchandiser of the Year, 2003 & 2004 South Central Teacher of the Year and 7 Time Kansas Chapter PGA Teacher of the Year. Don has competed in 5 National Club Professional Championships and qualified for the USGA Public Links Championship. Don is also a member of the Titlist Custom Fitting Staff. Don may be contacted Rolling Hills Country Club Pro Shop, (316) 722-1181, 223 Westlink Drive, Wichita, KS 67209, or by e-mail at dafarquhar@pga.com. |
Golf
2012-08-01 14:20:48
Ask the pro - series
Q- I am looking for a logical and sequential process to initiate and complete my golf swing. Presently, I have a dozen thoughts running through my mind when I am getting ready to take a swing. I need a way to organize them, any ideas?
A- Thus far in this series, with help from several sources, we have talked about the things that one must do to first get in the position to begin the swing. All of the previous articles are featured at www.theqandatimes.com. They have been the grip, the alignment and the stance. The swing is broken down into two parts. The backswing…and the downswing. We have already discussed the backswing…and part of the downswing relative to keeping the head back and making no effort to move the golf club, and how it all should feel; the downswing…and the checkpoints. Last month we talked about one of the biggest problems of amateur golfers…the slice. This month, we will talk about the other way the ball can “bend” badly…the hook.
It's easy to overcome a hook shot problem, once you identify the cause. Hook arises when your ball is wildly thrown to the left. Here are some following tips that can help you figure out the causes of your hook.
1. You should have a firm control over ball spinning, Left curve will be deep if the ball is spinning faster. This shot happens when the ball rotates in counter clock wise direction.
2. Your ball will spin in counter clockwise direction if the club-face is closed. The club face must be square and balanced, and should not be pointing right or left. Closed face directs left for right handed golfers and right for left handed golfers.
3. To overcome your hook problem you should start with a check on your grip. It's an easy way to fix a hook. Hold your driver and have a firm grip neither too tight nor too loose. A neutral grip is achieved if you can only see 2 knuckles on your left hand. Your club needs adjustment if you can see more than 2 knuckles.
Now we will talk about the more delicate part. Allow your gaze travel down the shaft of the club moreover concentrate on your face and check whether it is square. Most probably it would be square. Still you might be wondering that you are square and ready for the shot, but you might not be when you bring the club down in the direction of the impact with ball. Your hands needs to be in a neutral grip when the club moves in the direction of the ball this would mean that the club face has no other option but to close at impact.
If you want to fix that uncontrolled hook, you must begin with a close and sincere assessment of the grip on the club. Most golfers would decline to change their grip or they might not spend sufficient time to get accustom to the new grip, and then sooner or later they would revert back into their previous grip.
4. The next most important thing in fixing a hook is to check your balance. The weight of your body must not be on the heels but it must be on the balls of the feet. If you will do this, then it will permit your hips to twist easily and remain balanced. One major reason why people see their ball flying to left side is that they tend to be off-balance at the time of the impact.
5. For right handed golfers, you need to keep your left arm straight as the club impacts the ball. A good idea is to ask someone to observe your hits and tell you whether your arm is bending or not. You must keep one thing in mind…anything that would make the club face to close will result in a hooked golf ball.
The above mentioned tips are definitely going to help solve your problems. Analyze each of these one by one and practice by hitting numerous balls. Try to make slight adjustments until you start hitting the ball straight. While it require some time and effort, it will yield good results.
