 | 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
2012-08-02 09:13:50
Ask the pro - series
Q- 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 golfer…the slice. Last month we talked about the other way the ball can bend badly…the hook. This month, we will talk about hitting what are called “fat” or “thin” shots.
This problem stems from hitting behind the ball or too high on the ball. This is often caused by swaying during the swing. Any side-to-side or up and down head movement should be avoided. To get the right feel, hit some practice shots with feet together. During your weight shift, concentrate on keeping the weight on your right foot on the inside of your foot. Check your progress by taking practice swings with sun behind you and watching your shadow. Don’t let the clubface get ahead of your hands at impact.
To avoid hitting chips and pitches fat: Don’t sole the club at address. Use an open, narrow stance. Keep arms connected to chest and rotate body rather than sliding hips laterally and jabbing at the ball with your hands. Focus your eyes on front of ball, with weight on front foot and wrists ahead of ball at address and through impact. Be sure to make a complete follow-through.
There are a number of possible reasons for hitting behind the ball. If you are not shifting your weight properly on the downswing, from the back leg to the front leg, your swing will bottom out before the club gets to the ball. Another reason would be if you do not keep your head steady, you do not know where your swing will bottom out. Lastly, if you do not keep your leading arm reasonably straight, the arc of your swing will vary, so you can improve your consistency by focusing on these 3 areas.
Hitting the ground before the ball, or "fat shots" is a very common problem that can lead to injury. This is caused by mostly by improper weight shift. Proper weight shift is important and keeping your right shoulder back on the downswing (opposite for left handers) is crucial. There is a tendency to throw the right shoulder ahead as you come down creating an outside-in steep club path. Focus on swinging more around your body to remedy this. A good drill is to strap your upper arms to your body
and hit balls. This makes it impossible to throw the shoulder forward. Don't forget to accelerate through the ball. When you slow down at the bottom of your swing, you will hit it fat every time.
