2015 November

Are you aware that a slower backswing and smooth transition & acceleration will deliver a more consistent hit? I’m NOT talking to the power hitters. I’m talking to golfers who want to break 80. Forget about trying to hit 300+ yards if you want to be accurate. The male pros are fun to watch on TV but you need to lower your expectations and learn from the great female golfers. Control your swing to avoid your MISHITS! (Not to be mispronounce as the smelly word that it is. I couldn’t resist.)

Learn from the Winning Pros
Inbee Park has a controlled golf swing that you should watch. On November 15, 2015 she had the lowest average female tournament score for the year. She has a very deliberately slow backswing and a smooth transition (without any jerking action). She is not the longest hitter but she is definitely the most accurate. Accuracy is more important than length when you want to break 80. Perfection around the green allows you to break 70.

Jordon Speith is another example of the importance of landing your drives in the fairway. Nick Faldo (CBS Sports analyst interview with Reuters) is wondering why this 22-year-old is coming off one of the best seasons in recent memory and wants to increase his driving length. Jordan said that he wants 5 or 10 yards longer off the tee by improving his swing and working hard in the gym.

Last season Jordon’s driving distance ranking was 78th at 292 yards. Faldo said that there is no need to keep up with Jason Day, Rory McIlroy or Dustin Johnson. Spieth is placing a greater emphasis on wedge play, putting and tournament preparation. “After a two-major, five-win season that saw Jordon climb to world No. 1, it’s clear that approach works, too.

Solve your Swing Problem BEFORE you Swing
Unfortunately we all watch golf tournaments on TV. Our minds lock into the thought of power and speed when we swing every time we step up to the ball. Here is how you get those dumb thoughts out of your mind:
• Choose one club longer than you need for your shot. Swing easy and enjoy the result.
• When driving, select a target distance in the fairway to land your ball at a shorter distance than you are normally trying to hit. You will be amazed at your distance.
• Have you ever tried to layup short of the golfers waiting on the fairway and blow it by them. This is my point exactly. Plan your layups and enjoy your consistent distance.
• As Don Trahan (Peak Performance blog)  recently pointed out: ONLY think positive thoughts and your results will be positive.

All you need is consistent drives, fairways shots, chips and putts. Eliminate your erratic rushed swings to eliminate your mishits and your scores will drop below 100, below 90 and below 80.

Practice with your GOLFSTR+ as a straight arm reminder while you play 18 holes. Improve your shoulder rotation in the backswing, limit your backswing and enjoy your consistent swing results and lower scores. Buy one today at www.golfstr.com

After you hit a worm burner are you finding that you are falling back from your original stance? PROBLEM: Your arms are out of sync with your body because you are trying to KILL the ball. You may be making a practice swing with a perfectly balanced finish but when you move forward to hit the ball your arms are moving faster than your body rotation and your shoulders are lifting as your eyes come off the ball before impact. Ever heard: “You looked up”. You should be looking down as you take a thin divot after the ball. “Shift your weight to your front foot – – get through the ball!”

Upper Body Rotation and Straight Leading Arm in a Circular Motion
To give yourself a chance to impact the sweat spot on your club face, keep your leading arm straight in BOTH the backswing and the downswing through impact. Of course you need to be practicing with GOLFSTR+ to create muscle memory.

1/ Start your back swing with both arms straight to force the rotation of your shoulders and hips as your club reaches horizontal to the ground.
2/ Complete your backswing with a straight leading arm as your trailing arm pulls your leading arm wrist into a “lagging position” (cocking your wrist to pull your club shaft to a 90 degree angle from your straight arm at the top of your backswing)
3/ MOST IMPORTANT: Start the shift of your weight to your front foot (during the transition) as you pull your club down. A slight hip shift or bump allows you to swing through the ball to a balanced finish.
4/ Keep your leading arm straight as you pull down and through impact to ensure that the bottom of your swing arc has returned to the same depth as your starting point, WITHOUT CHANGING THE TILT OF OF YOUR UPPER BODY.

NOTE: Your trunk is rotating and not bouncing up and down. There should be a smooth motion as you keep your head in approximately the same location and plane. Sean Foley reminds us that your power is coming from your legs as the torque of your body unwinds and your wrists snap through the ball. Hank Haney advised that you load and push from the inside of your trailing foot.

Martin Chuck invented the Tour Striker to force the user to keep the shaft of the club angled forward at impact. Without the hip shift at the top of your swing you can’t get your weight and hands ahead of the ball at impact. The Tour Striker forces you to do two things:
1/ Shift your hips forward so that your swing arc is bottoming out after you connect with the ball.
2/ One of Martin Chuck’s famous instructors, Moe Norman, often said: “it’s better to take bacon strips than pork chops”. Of course he was referring to thickness of the divot that you take after the ball.

Tip for Aging Golfers from Golf-Info-Guide by Thomas Golf: Flare both of your feet but also move your leading foot slightly back from your target line. This shift will help you shift your hips and weight through the ball. Or you can swing and walk forward the way Gary Player got his body through the ball.

Practice with GOLFSTR+ and get your body THROUGH THE BALL. Buy one today on our website at www.golfstr.com

When you setup to make a golf swing, are you hoping to hit a straight shot? Are you wondering if your ball will curve left or right? The pros don’t think that way and neither should you. Hank Haney is so right when he says, “Golf is what your ball does”. It is up to you to control the direction and spin.

Bubba Watson never took a lesson or hired a swing coach to improve his game. He just figured out what made the ball go straight, left or right and then applied that to every shot in his game.

Remember that famous shot where he won the Masters with an amazing 155 yard, 90 degree hook shot. He figured this out and you can too. The next time you are on the driving range why not try to hit pulls, hooks, draws, fades, slices and pushes. Once you understand what causes your ball to curve you will understand why it is so difficult to consistently hit a dead straight ball.

The slightest change in your grip, in the position of your hands ahead or behind the ball, in the line-up of your feet, the open or closed face of your club head and the position of the ball in your stance can result in a dead straight shot or a flipping duck hook.

What Causes the Direction of Your Ball?
There are 2 parts to the impact of your club face on your ball. Your swing path gives you the direction of your lift off from impact and the open or closed face of your club adds to the draw or fade rotation of the ball. Many trainers including Michael Breed (Golf Channel PGA Instructor) talk about the point of impact and the action when your swing path and the square of your club are perfectly aligned.

Recommendation:
1/ There are many videos and golf lesson on the internet to tell you how to create a draw or fade. Check them out and understand where your big mistakes are coming from.

2/ Send in your swing video to www.swingbot.com for an instant FREE TRIAL analysis based on knowledge provided by Martin Chuck, PGA pro at the Raven Golf Club, Phoenix AZ and Guest Presenter on the Revolution Golf blog. Just download the app and use your iPhone to shoot the video. SwingBot sends back your analysis within hours or as fast as 15 minutes.

3/ Determine if you naturally draw or fade your ball. Understand what is causing it and then make sure that you consistently setup to create that draw or fade so that you can aim slightly right for a draw or slightly left for a fade to land more balls in the fairway or on the green.

Control your swing for a draw or fade for a more consistency in your game. If you take a lesson with Swingbot, they will also give you a $5.00 discount on the next purchase of your GOLFSTR+. Buy one today at www.golfstr.com

Last week I talked about the basics of golf and left you with the missing thought: How do I maintain a Calm and Relaxed mind to execute the perfect shot every time?  It all has to do with your mind. Negative thoughts about your past failed shots will kill your game. Great golfers only focus on the perfect result that they expect. They have CONFIDENCE. Negative thoughts and doubts are banned from their minds as they prepare and take every shot.

Learn from the Best
Jack Nicklaus is one of the most successful golfers in history of this game. Tiger was about to surpass Jack’s success when his focus got disrupted. Success in golf has to be caused by your mental focus. Tiger seems to be carrying too much baggage in his mind. Jack found a way to struggle through the demons in his mind by always “visualizing the flight of the ball” before he hit it. Bubba Watson has the same skill to visualize how his swing will create the shot that he wants. YOUR MIND IS YOUR CONTROLLING FACTOR.

The swing of Ernie Els with a controlled transition and cadence is one of my favorite swing thoughts. Your mind remembers your last bad shot and your subconscious mind remembers hundreds of other missed shots. How do you eliminate your bad thoughts and only let the positive thoughts fill your mind?

1/ I have seen a lot of recent blogs which suggest that you think about NOTHING when you swing. Others talk about letting your unconscious mind take over your body.  I have tried it and it has to be a load of hogwash.

2/ If your mind is focused on the shot that you visualize, you will use the knowledge of you previous successes. Your practice with GOLFSTR+ and your practice to find the right rhythm will pay-off when you duplicate the same feeling as your past successful swings.

3/ After your setup, use a successful swing thought like: “swing from the inside” or “limit my backswing” or “shift to take a divot after impact”.  Do this with the goal to achieve a balanced finish as you watch your ball fly or roll exactly as you planned it. Do anything to prevent rushing your transition. Sing “Back and Forth” if it helps you calm down.

You may make a poor estimation for club selection, wind speed, wind direction or the slope of the green but you will hit the shot that your practice swing has prepared you to deliver.

How Can YOU Repeat YOUR Perfect Shots All the Time?
It all starts with your setup. Decide on your shot, select the right club, choose your target line, visualize the flight or the roll of your ball, make the perfect practice swing and set your club face to draw or fade or to putt up your line.

Your practice swing was perfect. Now it is time for your mind to take control. Visualize your ball flight, focus on your ball, say simple words as you swing to prevent your mind from thinking any other thought. Try using the words “Calm ‘n Relaxed” or “Sweep in and Finish” or “One Two”. Many golfers, like Ricky Fowler, are completing a limited takeaway instead of a waggle to relax their mind. Mike Weir started this and I think it gives you a great reminder for the straight arm takeaway.  Try some of these ideas as they may work for you as they work for so many successful golfers.

Whatever works for your game, don’t forget to stay focused on visualizing consistent shots to keep building confidence. Practice with GOLFSTR+ to get your practice right so that your mind controls your game. Buy one today at www.golfstr.com