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Golf

2012-10-02 14:02:11

Ask the pro - series

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 golfer…the slice, and the other way the ball can bend badly…the hook. Last month we talked about hitting what are called “fat” or “thin” shots. Last month we talked 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. I would like to thank all of you who commented on this article. Last month we also began to talk about the in-to-out swing. This month we will continue talking about related topics. Looking up…this comes about because you are anxious to see where your shot is going, so you begin to look up during the downswing and before the clubface makes contact with the ball. This moves the body, which misaligns the swing path and produces terrible shots…or even a complete whiff. Many feel that this is the number one mistake that golfers make. To minimize this problem, rotate your hips properly through impact, keeping your arms fully extended through impact and concentrate on a low follow-through. Wait until you see the ball “disappear” before taking your eyes away from it. To waggle or not to waggle…the essence of rhythmic swinging is to be smooth, for only the smooth swing can be rhythmic. But if you get undue club head agitation into your preparatory movement (which is what the waggle is) you will get all the feel in your hands, arms, and shoulders and not in your legs, hips, and back, which is where you should feel that you swing from. Quite often, in many amateur golfers’ waggles, the club head is pulling the body, so the tail is wagging the dog. It should be the other way round. You need to be subdued and waiting for the action of the body to set up club head movement. That is why the preparatory movement of the good golfer is smooth and tiny and controlled. The hands should not waggle the club. You see, the hands are not direct agents in producing the power of a golf shot; they are a connection between the lower part of the body (where the power comes from) and the club head, and they must remain nothing more than a connection. If you use your hands, consciously or not, you break the connection. You might ask, “Must a good swing be 'connected?’” Indeed it must. The great player is great because his swing is connected and therefore reliable. He makes an indifferent shot only when he does lose connection. The reason why he uses only a three-quarter swing is because that is as far back as he can go without the risk of breaking the connection. What breaks the connection? Here is a gross example. If I intentionally “open” my hands at the top of the swing, I lose connection and have to put in compensatory movements on the way down, to try to correct the results of the error which they cannot fully do. The result is unreliable and at its best unsatisfactory. More next month…