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Richard’s Quick Tip:
Beat the Speed Trap
Too many golfers swing too fast, when the whole idea is to swing
as slowly as possible. Bobby Jones once opined that it is
impossible to swing slowly enough. And, it is said, the South
African star of the 1950’s Bobby Locke, worked on slowing his
tempo by doing everything slowly from the moment he woke up on
the day of a tournament. He would get out of bed slowly, brush
his teeth slowly, get dressed slowly, and so on.
You won’t have to go to such lengths, but it is in your best
interests to slow down. And the best way to achieve that is to
pause at the top of your swing: Count “one” on your backswing,
“two” as you pause, and “three” on your downswing.
Swinging fast forces you to start the downswing before you’ve
finished your backswing. The pause ensures that you keep the two
movements separate, improves your tempo, and slows you down
immeasurably.
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Comments from subscribers:
Richard,
I always enjoy reading these--especially now that we are in
winter on the tundra. I need to comment on the weighted clubs. I'll feel better
having stated my meager thought/reaction. I have two weighted clubs.
One is the club with the weighted shaft that I paid plenty for. The
other is the one from Mark's video. Mark's is a fraction of the price,
nearly free, and works much better. You can really feel the head end of
the club when swinging Mark's. It also swings longer, giving me a
much better workout and fuller stretch.
Richard,
man that's a lot to remember !
Would you please go over your instruction article on HOW TO HIT A
DRAW and edit it so that it
understandable????
Re: Draw vs Fade
I believe you meant to say that you can get an extra
17 yds. from a draw, not a fade.
Gary
You are exactly right Gary. Richard
you mean that you gain 17 yards when you hit a draw, don't you?
Not a fade as set out below.
Yes, you are right. Sorry for the error.
Dear Richard,
Maybe you could give a similar reponse on How to Hit a Fade shot.
As I am a natural drawer of the ball, if I try to Fade the ball I
end up pull hooking it.
Kind regards,
Doug
Thank you Doug, I will real soon, and try not to make any
mistakes in my writing.
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Quote of the week
"Obstacles can't stop you. Problems can't stop you. Most of all,
other people can't stop you. Only you can stop you."
Jeffrey Gitomer
Author and Sales Trainer
===============================================
Golf quote of the week:
"Golf is twenty percent mechanics and technique. The other eighty percent
is philosophy, humor, tragedy, romance, melodrama, companionship, camaraderie,
cussedness, and conversation." -Grantland Rice
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===========================================
Quote of the week:
"Good humor is a tonic for mind and body. It is the best antidote
for anxiety and depression. It is a business asset. It attracts
and keeps friends. It lightens human burdens. It is the direct
route to serenity and contentment."
Grenville Kleiser
1868-1953, Author
===============================================
Golf quote of the week:
It is almost impossible to remember how tragic a place the world
is when one is playing golf.
Robert Lynd
=================================================
Questions and Answers by Teaching Pro Mr Joe DeLorenzo
THANK YOU
for taking your time to answer these Joe.
Joe is also available for private lessons. "For private or group
lessons in Chicago's northwest suburbs, contact Joe at
golfwithjoey@yahoo.com
You Make The Call:
Dan Forsman's caddie was only trying to help when he stopped a
ball from rolling into a bunker while Brett Quigley was taking a free drop
due to a plugged lie. The rule says after 2 drops that roll away, you are
allowed to place the ball, so the caddie was just trying to save time. Is
this...
A - a good idea to avoid wasting time, since everyone is
complaining about slow pace of play?
B - a one-stroke penalty for failing to allow the ball to come to
a complete stop?
C - a two-stroke penalty?
D - disqualification?
(answer is below)
Joe,
I just bought a big driver on the weekend and i would love to
know how to get use to it quickly. yours thankfully,
Dean
Hi Dean,
Big drivers may or may not help you. It makes sense that a larger
clubface will result in fewer heel or toe shots, fewer popups and
grounders (because you can tee the ball higher). On the other hand they tend
to be a bit wild unless the club happens to fit the way you swing. Some people
can
get away with changing their swings a little bit just for the driver, but
it would be better if you could use the same basic swing for all clubs
including the driver. Many times you will hit low shots robbing you of
distance, so to get more distance you must strike the ball higher on the clubface,
so the "effective" sweet spot is smaller than it appears. If the
club is
not heel weighted, the large face is harder to square up at impact, so the
tendency is to fade or slice. If the club is too heavily heel weighted,
the tendency is to hit low hooks. To answer your question more specifically,
before you invest in a big driver, test it first to make sure you can hit
reasonably good shots with it. If you can hit all your other clubs fairly
well, you should not have to "learn" how to use a big driver, you
should be
able to swing it just like any other club.
Joe
Joe,
Where did the term "Mulligan" come from?
Mitch
Hi Mitch,
I saw this on sortagolf.com - The "Mulligan" is named in honor of
Canadian Golfer David Mulligan, the presumed inspiration for the term that
bears his name. In the late 1920's David Mulligan played golf with a group
of friends at the St. Lambert Country Club, outside Montreal. Being the
only golfer with a car, Mulligan ended up driving everyone to the course. The
drive took him over many rough roads and a really bumpy bridge found at the
entrance to the course. Due the rough driving conditions, Mulligan's hands
were in pretty bad shape by the time the trip was over. His "buddies"
were nice enough to give him an extra drive off the first tee.
Joe,
Whenever I have a short downhill sidehill putt, I get so nervous
that if I miss it, it will roll way past the hole unless I baby it, so my
stroke gets affected because I am afraid I might baby it too much. Any tips
on how to deal with these Yips?
Dutch
Hi Dutch,
Instead of worrying about missing it, tell yourself that you are
going to execute the putt to the best of your ability, and even if it does
not go in, at least you can say you gave it your best shot with a decent
stroke instead of missing it due to a tentative stroke. That's what The Yips
are
all about, causing you to make a tentative stroke. The only way to defeat
The Yips is to get determined enough to tell yourself that you are not going
to make a tentative stroke, you are going to execute the proper stroke no
matter what. In the meantime I would suggest you go to a couple of different
practice greens and place your ball in similar downhill sidehill positions
and keep practicing them until you get a better feel on how to handle the
breaks, then you can build a feeling of confidence with those types of
putts, or any other tricky types of putts, especially those that you have the
most trouble with.
Joe
Joe,
A guy named Eddie asked you last week for the one single most
important move a golfer can make during a swing. There are so many moves, how
do you know which one is most important?
Emil
Hi Emil,
Of course this is a matter of opinion, and opinions will vary
from one instructor to another. I am only going to give you my opinion
along with the reasons why, but just like Eddie, you will have to wait until
Christmas week. Until then, happy holidays!
Joe
Answer to You Make The Call (above) is C, but both players
neglected to add the penalties to their scores (one player for improperly placing
the ball afterwards and the other player for caddie interference), and
both ended up being disqualified for signing incorrect scorecards.
Jody, my Evil Twin, what do you think of that ruling?
Answer: So if you drop the ball on a slope and it rolls into a
water hazard I guess that means you have to let it go and do this twice,
losing two balls just to avoid a penalty. Say, if you lose the ball while doing
this, does that mean you also get a lost ball penalty because of the
one-ball rule? Boy this just gets dumber and dumber. Who made these rules,
the
Marquis de Sade?
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Golf Potpourri
by
Mac Stevenson
It’s Time to Review Your Golf Journal
Keeping a golf journal/diary has many benefits. Assuming you’ve
followed former advice and kept a journal like the Golf Diary
Personal
Scoring System that during the past golf
season, now is the perfect time to read it and think about swing
thoughts and practice routines that worked for you last summer.
These thoughts will be fresh in your mind when you start the new
season that’s on the horizon. And--if you haven’t kept a golf
diary in the past--it’s the perfect time to start the sound
practice of keeping a golf journal throughout the golfing year.
Keeping a diary doesn’t mean you have to make an entry every day,
just when you feel you have discovered something that will be
beneficial to remember for future reference.
If you’re a serious golfer--regardless of your handicap--there’s
a simple way to improve your game.
Following the winter layoff, you undoubtedly go out and play from
memory with little thought to small details. As the new season
progresses and the weather warms, you become more serious about
your game. Problems raise their ugly heads. Perhaps you’ve been
pulling a lot of irons or pushing too many tee shots. Or you may
be hitting behind a lot of pitch shots.
When you’re having trouble with one particular shot, it’s good to
go to the driving range and try and figure out what you’re doing
wrong. And that’s when you start “thinking” golf.
Whether it’s the result of lessons from your pro or just working
by yourself, you discover a key swing thought that improves your
game. As an example, if you’re hitting behind your pitch shots,
it might help to move your hands forward at address. Or make sure
you keep most of your weight on your left foot.
Whenever you discover a swing thought that really helps on a shot
you’ve been having trouble with, enter it in a journal when you
get home; make the notation while the new thought is fresh in
your mind. You might discover the key on the driving range or
during an 18-hole round. All that’s required is a $.50 spiral
notebook--nothing fancy.
Just enter the day, month, year and a subject heading. Then write
something like this: “My drives and full- iron shots have been
inconsistent. After thinking about it, I decided to widen my
stance slightly to make it harder to sway. It helped today.”
All of us have periods of poor putting; even the pros go through
putting slumps. And you try all kinds of adjustments--grip
change, stance alteration, just about anything you think might
help until you hit on a key thought that works. Be sure and enter
that new method in your journal because it might help you a year
or so in the future, when you’re going through another putting
slump. And these mind keys are unique to your personality;
they’re not something you’re going to find in a book.
Make entries when something’s going real bad, not just when you
find a solution to a problem. That way you’ll recognize the
problem if it recurs in the future. When you discover what you’re
doing wrong, enter that too.
After you’ve made numerous entries concerning personal thoughts
about your game, it’s fun and beneficial to read through your
journal periodically. If you’ve been keeping a journal,
now--while the winter wind is howling outside--is the perfect
time to review your journal. You’ll be amazed at how often a tip
is recalled that you entered in your journal and had forgotten.
If you don’t keep a journal, the good and bad thoughts will
vanish from your memory and a valuable reference will be lost.
And best of all, it takes very little time and effort. You can
enter the most complex of thoughts that have occurred on the golf
course in just a few minutes.
You’ll be amazed at how quickly your personal swing thoughts add
up in your journal. It’s great fun to review your written
thoughts from time to time, and it will help you play better
golf.Practice Proper Balance Indoors or Outside
by
Mac Stevenson
If you don’t have proper balance, everything else you strive for
in your golf swing will be Mission Impossible.
One of the most important and least emphasized fundamentals of
the golf swing is good balance. Keeping a steady balance
throughout the swing is much easier to talk about than it is to
achieve.
The proper stance and set up before you start your backswing is
vital; you should have your knees flexed slightly and bend at the
waist. And make sure your weight is evenly distributed on both
feet and keep your behind in a position like you’re starting to
sit down. If your weight is too far forward--on your toes--when
you begin your backswing, you’ll never recover the balance that’s
necessary to hit solid shots.
During warm up before you practice or play, swing the club slowly
and concentrate on maintaining even balance. Then, as you
gradually increase the tempo, focus on keeping your balance as
steady as possible. This can be done inside during the winter
using a short, weighted practice club.
By keeping your balance as steady as possible during the full
swing, you will improve the tempo of your swing without thinking
about it. The full swing has to be smooth in order to maintain an
even weight distribution. In other words, it will enhance your
swing tempo when you’re thinking only of balance.
On all full shots, keep both feet solidly planted on the ground.
On the backswing, don’t raise your left heel like pros used to
teach; you’ll get all the weight shift you need without raising
your left heel. Your right heel will come off the ground on the
follow through, but you don’t have to worry about that if your
balance is correct.
If your natural swing speed becomes too fast on any shot, you’ll
lose your balance and mishit the shot. Everyone has a natural
tempo; you have to learn how to maintain your balance and stay
within your inherent swing speed.
It’s important to keep your balance from the waist down on tee
shots with the driver. If you sway (let your weight get to the
outside of your back leg), you’ll lose balance and power on your
drives.
On full iron shots, swaying is a periodic problem for golfers of
all skill levels. It’s imperative to keep a solid, balanced lower
body on full iron shots; if you lose your balance, you will
either hit behind the ball or hit it thin. A steady and smooth
and slight weight shift will enable you to hit your full iron
shots solid and that’s where power and accuracy come from.
A firm base and controlled balance is just as important-- or more
so--on short shots as it is on full shots. And you can work on
this during the winter while practicing indoors at home. All you
need is an astro-turf type mat, a mounted net, and a dozen
plastic practice balls. You can buy all of these accessories at a
golf shop or through your pro shop.
Everyone thinks it’s simple to keep a steady stance on chip- and
pitch shots. Not so. On short pitches and chips, you should sense
a slight rocking motion in your legs and feet, but solid balance
of your lower body throughout the shot. If you sway at all, your
head will move and you’ll hit the shot thin or fat.
These same fundamentals apply to putting. Contrary to popular
belief, it’s easy to get stroke-destroying body movement on your
putts. And that’s fatal. Watch the pros on TV when they putt;
their lower bodies are absolutely anchored during the putting
stroke. Nothing should move from the waist down while you’re
putting. If you have body movement, your balance will be off and
it will be impossible to have a smooth putting stroke.
Practice finishing your full swing with your weight perfectly
balanced on your left foot and leg at the completion of the shot.
You can also work on this fundamental indoors; using the
aforementioned short, weighted practice club, you can work on
achieving perfect balance while swinging indoors. You’ll need to
wear tennis shoes while you swing inside.
When you’re having trouble with your game, check your balance on
all shots. It’s quite easy to allow unwanted movement that causes
poor balance during full- or short shots, and often you aren’t
aware that you’re doing it.
Working on a coordinated swing balance will improve your game on
all shots. Good balance leads to good shots.
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Richard’s Thoughts
Common Mistake of Shanking
I read an article the other day on shanking and it makes a lot of
sense. Shanking is hitting the ball toward the back of the club
face (at the hozel) usually begins with too much of the body’s
weight on the toes. This causes the club head to move from the
outside to the inside in the swing. Such cutting across the
ball, or worse, can send it off erratically. Shanking also comes
from shoving the right hand forward to form trying to dig a divot
by hitting behind the ball with the 1,2, or 3 iron. Shanking
occurs mostly with the long irons, which seem to give golfers the
most trouble.
Starting with the mental picture of standing on one railroad
track and setting up to swing at a ball placed on the other, the
ideal anti-shank golf swing would swing would have the club head
move toward the ball from a slightly inside position and strike
the ball at the very moment the club face is in line with the
target. In this example, the club head curves back, away from
the track the ball is on.
If you are teeing up for a long iron shot and are having shanking
problems, tee the ball up as high as you can. However, the only
long term solution for shanking is to develop a coordinated,
well-grooved swing.
I read once that Arnold Palmer recommends as an anti-shanking
drill that you toss golf balls forward with an underhand,
softball pitching motion. He wants you to feel the naturalness
of the arm swing and then apply it to your golf swing. Remember
to keep the right arm relaxed. Think positively and you will
defeat the shanking.
Until next week…good golfing!
Dr Richard Myers
www.thinkandreachpar.com
www.superbabysitting.com
864.675.0038
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Greenville, SC 29615
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