2014 February

Golf Digest provided a wonderful Spring Training Tip from Jamie Sadlaowski, two-time long-drive champion.  Jamie said that people expect to see a violent swing from him but his 150 mile per hours of clubhead speed comes in part from good fundamentals and smooth sequencing.  [Jamie Sadlowski hit one 418 yards to win the 2008 Re/Max World Long Drive Championship.]

Body coil is the difference between hip turn and shoulder turn on the backswing.   You can see it clearly in this photo.  As we age we lose flexibility but any amount will help you add distance.

For his drive he keeps his head position six inches behind the ball. If you set your head back and keep it there, you can work your right shoulder under your left coming down and launch the ball on the upswing.  He may have more cocking action in his wrists than most but holding the wrist lag and releasing through impact is where he and Bubba Watson get so much power and distance.

If you are going to work on anything during your Spring preparation make sure that it includes rotation flexibility and strength in your forearms and wrists.

> For Flexibility, lay on your back with your arms extended straight out from your sides.  Bend your knees with your feet on the floor and knees together. Slowly rotate your knees from side to side and keep the back of your arms stretched out and on the ground.  Don’t expect to get full rotation to the ground but over time you will gain more flexibility along your spine.   Build up from 3 repetitions left and right side on your first attempt.

> A simple exercise for wrist strength is to tie a weight (container of juice) to a rope and tie the other end to the center of a bar.  While you watch the Golf Channel (instead of lifting a can of beer) sit forward in your chair, hold the bar with both hands and alternate hands to wind up the rope as you lift the weight.  Repeat this many times or increase the weight over time.

> To incorporate a straight leading arm and body rotation, hold the back of your straight leading arm above your elbow (left arm for right handed golfers).  Gently rotated to simulate your body rotation for a backswing.  You may want to try this wearing your GOLFSTR+ to understand how easy it is to keep your arm straight in the backswing.

Do all of these exercises in moderation or you will strain your muscles.  Make sure that you increase the repetitions over time.   If you have never swung with a straight leading arm you may need 100 or a 1,000 of these stretches over time to achieve your new backswing but you need to do this gradually.

Check out the latest tips on www.golfstr.com and invite you friends to sign up for Swing Tips.

Watching golf tips on TV last week in Florida, I was impressed with a simple solution for a consistent golf swing.  The pro pointed out such a simple fact: The distance from your shoulders to the ball needs to be the same at address as it is at impact.  Change the distance and you will hit behind the ball (fat) or you will top the ball (thin).  It’s that simple.

We are talking about fractions of an inch to make the perfect hit every time you swing.

Swaying back and forth; bobbing your head and shoulders; changing the bend of your knees and bending your leading arm ALL AFFECT THE DISTANCE TO YOUR BALL AT ADDRESS AND AT IMPACT.  For consistent hits you just need to keep the heights and lengths the same AT ADDRESS AND IMPACT. Simple!   LIMIT THE MOVEMENT OF YOUR HEAD.

Unfortunately we are not machines.  Adrenalin, attitude and excitement all affect the tension in our muscles and reaction in our limbs.  The image of Ernie Els’ swing with his limited body motion is a wonderful swing thought.

This slow motion video shows that Ernie keeps his head at the same height with only a slight drift back and then forward as he executes his swing and follow through.

So the more consistent you can make YOUR SETUP and SWING the less chance that tension will destroy your result.   Work on a stable body and consistent follow through.  Just imagine what the pros have to go through when every shot really counts.  Relax and don’t try to kill the ball.

All of this hype about faster swing speed MEANS NOTHING if you can’t make the perfect impact with the ball.   Training with GOLFSTR+ for wrist lag will give you the club head speed you need without trying to pulverize the ball.

Practice with your GOLFSTR+ and develop a straight arm and flat wrist for consistent hits.  Yes, this is just one of the key components but it also help you slow down and swing without extra body motion.  Now that I am hitting in the low 80’s I know that GOLFSTR+ has put me on the right track and it will do the same for you.

NOTE: If you missed the Swing Tip from last week, check it out on YOUR Swing Support Center.  I don’t bother with the DOT any more, I just lineup the Brand Name up the inner quadrant of the ball because I can see it better.  For putting I find it a lot easier to sink putts by looking at a spot in line with 1 foot in front of the ball so that I follow through over that spot.  The putts just drop.  I sank 6 putts of 5 to 15 feet yesterday and shot an 80 with 2  double’s on par 5’s.   Got to love this game!

Tell you friends that they can WIN A FREE GOLFSTR+ by signing up for swing tips.  Recommend it to 3 extra names and get 20 chances to win 1 of 2 GOLFSTR+ swing trainers given away each month. 

Focus on a dot on a dimple on your golf ball and change your game forever.   Such a simple concept and it really works for drives or putting.  Tiger goes into a trance when he sets up to hit and this tip will help you get there.

About 40 golf instructors bought a GOLFSTR+ at the PGA Orlando Golf Show as they were looking for a training aid to build muscle memory to overcome swing problems for their students. We love to hear their enthusiasm.  One pro at Augusta Golf Instruction (near Augusta National), brought my attention to this great tip.

1/ Focus When You Hit with Your Driver
I am the type of golfer who hits 3 or 4 great drives and then my mind seems to take over my body.  I feel like I’m invincible.  I can’t miss.  I’m going to knock the socks off this little ball.  My next killer swing is exactly that.  Over the top I go and there goes a super slice.  What was I thinking?  NOTHING!!!

Staying in focus on every hit is so important to my game.  [The drive and the putt are the only shots where you can position the ball so this tip only applies for these hits.]  In Drives or Fairway shots a straight leading arm is important but you still need to swing on a path from the inside (instead of over the top and crossing from the outside).  Mark 2 dots on dimples on opposite sides of your ball.  Set your golf ball on your tee with a dot visible on the inside quarter of the ball (inside the target line as shown in the picture).  Focus on swinging to impact at that point.  Your brain and straight leading arm swing will do the rest.

2/ Focus on Direction when you Putt
Recently I noticed that I have been watching my putter during the takeaway (to see if it is in line with my target line).  I seem to be making adjustments during the backswing.  What a dumb idea.

I realized it when I read the blog from Augusta Golf Instruction about first practicing by only looking at the hole as I swing.  Then practice by focusing on a target point just in front of the ball (as shown in the picture).  Then practice by lining your ball up with the dot on a dimple along the target line and place it so that you can see it on the back edge of the ball (just above your point of impact)

Setup your putt by choosing the right line and complete a few practice swings for distance.   Your final focus in putting should only be the point of impact (the dot) along the line where you want to hit it.

FOOTNOTE:  Video on US Golf TV
GOLFSTR+  was selected for a review at the PGA Merchandise Trade Show in Orlando, Florida in January.  They shared the video which will be aired on a program called: US Golf TV.   Pass this along to your friends who may want to see more about GOLFSTR+ or click on www.golfstr.com 

The Golf Link Blog by Chuck Cook  this week provided a great drill to fix the early release of your wrist at the top of your swing.  This is the most critical component of your swing to get more distance so you don’t want to miss this one.

You may have heard me say that this is not baseball so don’t bend or collapse your leading arm in the backswing.  Well this is not fishing either, so don’t cast your wrist at the top of the swing and expect any power when you connect with the ball.

Releasing the head of the club too early wastes all of the speed before you get to the ball.  This swing is like throwing your wrist to skip a flat stone along the surface of the water.  You need to snap your wrist just before you release the stone.  The same is true in the golf swing.

If you can maintain the angle in your wrist very deep into the downswing then release your wrist through impact you will hit the ball much farther than if you release at the top of the swing.

A good drill to help you learn how to do this is the Pound Drill.  Make your backswing with a straight leading arm and a 90 degree wrist cock.   Then complete half a downswing with your straight arm and cocked wrists. When you come down you want to feel like you are pounding down with the butt end of the shaft of your club. Try to pound down from the inside so that you don’t start to rotate your hips too early.  Hold your wrist to club angle deep into the downswing.

Practice this motion without hitting a ball.  Then complete the release of your wrist at the bottom of your swing to feel the whipping action as your club whooooshes through the bottom of your swing.   The delayed release of your wrists gives you more clubhead speed and longer shots.

Share this Swing Tip with your friends and check out GOLFSTR+ to help you train for lag in your backswing.  That’s just one of the 6 swing fixes that you can learn with GOLFSTR+.   It helps you feel when your 90 degree wrist cock is ready for release.  Check it out on www.golfstr.com

WIN A GOLFSTR+  Contest rules are on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/golfstr1  Just enter your name to receive our weekly Swing Tips and enter the names of up to 3 more friends to get up to 20 chances to win for our monthly draw.  Contest ends February 28.