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Golf

2013-01-02 14:09:07

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. We have talked about the biggest problem of amateur golfers…the slice, and the other way the ball can bend badly…the hook. We have talked about what are called “fat” or “thin” shots, the in-to-out swing and recently about the most seductive and destructive medium in the game...that of the natural urge to act in the obvious way to achieve the desired result. The destructive side of this lies in the fact that in golf (as in many other things), the obvious way is not always the right way. Last month we talked about pulling the ball, pushing the ball, scooping and the dreaded s---k shot. This month we will continue by talking about getting in and out of golf trouble. On a golf course, as a rule, golf trouble comes at us swiftly and unexpectedly. There are times when we do not quite expect to carry a brook or a cross trap, or when we know we can easily miss a green with a wood or a long iron. Then we are not surprised when we find ourselves in difficulties. But much more often we stand on a tee, with a wide fairway beckoning, swing — and find ourselves in the woods or heavy rough. Generally, there are three kinds of trouble we can reach with a shot off the fairway: woods, rough, or a fairway trap. The first thought in each case should be to get out of golf trouble, whatever it is. Good golf players have often made great shots from seemingly impossible positions. That's fine, for them. But not for most amateurs. Woods In the woods, unless you are extremely deep, there is an opening of some sort. Play out through it, even if you have to play the shot back toward the tee. But get out on the fairway. If, by any chance, you are going to make a great shot, the fairway is the place to do it, not the woods. Any golf club that will get you out safely is the club to use. Rough From the rough, much depends on the distance you can safely try for and still get the golf ball into the fairway. Rough is of almost an infinite variety, from thin, short, scraggly grass, which often gives you a lie no worse than one in the fairway, through short, dense, clinging grass to high grass and weeds. There is probably no rough so thick that a golf ball cannot be extricated from it and delivered a short distance with a sand wedge. The trouble with us is that we try to get real distance from the rough and often wind up with the ball advanced only a few yards and still in the long grass. In making almost any shot from long or heavy grass, the point to remember is that we must hit down on the ball with a golf club lofted enough to be sure we get the ball out, regardless of distance. To get a sharp downward stroke we will make it easy for ourselves if we play the ball back to a point midway between our feet and, if the grass is at all heavy, take a slightly more upright golf swing. It is impossible to give any rules as to what golf club should be used. That depends entirely on the texture and height of the grass, the lie of the ball, and the distance you think you can get while still, with safety, getting clear of the rough. You should remember, though, that if an iron is used the golf ball will come out with less backspin on it— even none at all — and therefore will run farther than you expect. This is because the grass, getting between the ball and the face of the club, reduces the golf club's "grip," the normal friction between ball and club face. A shot from the rough is less likely to hold a green but it will pick up distance on a fairway. It is also worth mentioning that surprising success is quite often possible with a No. 4 wood, if the lie is not bad. The more rounded head of the wooden golf club slips through the grass more easily than the bar - like head of an iron. The latter catches a lot of grass, slowing the speed and cushioning the blow. That is why, with the irons, we strike a more sharply descending blow in the rough, to get as little grass as possible between the golf club face and the ball. Fairway Bunkers Perhaps one of the best golf tips I ever received was on hitting out of fairway bunkers. The entire essence of the tip is as follows…keep your lower body as still as possible when hitting a fairway bunker shot. It was a long time ago. It seems eerie that years later, I still think about it every time I enter a fairway bunker. Because of this, I have always felt comfortable and most often have been able to execute out of a fairway trap. A big thing to remember is that because it is a less aggressive swing, you will need to take extra club. As for the over the top slicer, this softer lower body will result in less spin of your hips. Anytime you spin out and get that right side moving out and over, this will lead to chopping. Whenever you chop, especially in a fairway bunker, you have almost zero chance of executing the shot. Instead, you need to pick the ball as clean as possible. This quiet lower body will help you do this. To further encourage this "picking it clean" action, your right shoulder should feel like it remains stationary to begin the downswing. Here is a checklist for you when you enter the sometimes “dreaded” fairway bunker: • Take one or two extra clubs. • Place the ball a little farther back in stance than normal. • Dig in a little (sand can be slippery if you don't get to the bottom of it) • Swing while keeping your lower body as still as possible. A couple of good images to help achieve this are to “freeze your lower body like a camera tripod,” or pretend like you are “playing on ice.” Use these thoughts on shots from about 80 yards and out. Anything less than this is a separate animal altogether and takes a few adjustments. I will get to these in a future article.