2019 December

I just tried a recommended exercise from the Golf at a Glance MorningRead blog and confirmed that my limited backswing is real. If your spine won’t let you rotate with a full straight arm backswing then stop trying. Yes, don’t be stupid. If you have this problem then you need to swing properly within your limitations.

Check out this spine rotation exercise as you kneel and place one hand on the back of your head. Then rotate your elbow and spine as you would for a backswing. It’s tougher than you think when you are over 50 but it will help you understand your swing limitation.

https://youtu.be/mfpGs-0-gS8

If you can’t access this video Just Click here.

Try holding a golf club with your arms as you address the ball and then turn and lift your club so that it is parallel to the ground and pointing away from your target line. You completed this move by turning your wrists and cocking them slightly to point the toe of your club directly up and away from the ground. Your backswing uses that exact wrist rotation in addition to a 45 degree hip rotation and a 45 degree spine rotation as you lift your arms.

For most golfers over 50 that’s easier said than done. I’m missing some of that hip and spine rotation so I can never create a full back swing with a proper STRAIGHT LEADING ARM. The most important part of your swing is to keep your leading arm straight so I NEVER reach a full backswing where my club is parallel to the ground at the top of the swing. Many aging and recreational golfers have the same problem but don’t despair.

The loss of flexibility and rotation of YOUR AGING SPINE is limiting YOUR full backswing.
-Forget about that over-swing that we see for John Daly and Brooke Henderson.
-Forget about that perfect 90 degree backswing by Rory McIlroy and Adam Scott.
-Recreational golfers over the age of 50 should accept their limited backswing.
-The first part of every downswing is to pull down with your straight leading arm and your wrists cocked. You are just starting this move a little lower in the downswing than full swing golfers.
-A straight leading arm at the point of impact is critical for consistent hits.

Accept your spine limitation and limited backswing. Keeping your leading arm straight as you reach the limit of your backswing & wrist lag. Then slightly loop (or shallow) your club down to swing from the inside (the slot) and up your target line. Practice with your GOLFSTR+ for your straight arm swing. Just let your club do the work as you release your wrist lag at the bottom of your swing. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com.

PS: GOLF LAW #12 Since bad shots come in groups of three, your fourth consecutive bad shot is really the beginning of the next group of three.

CORRECTION NOTE: Rule #6 in this blog has been corrected as your WHS handicap for each hole is par + 2 + your handicap for that hole.

The golf governing bodies (R&A and USGA) have decided to set a World Wide Handicap standard to encourage more people to golf using a common Handicap system in any course throughout the world. This format can be used for recreational competition in any non-professional golf event to allow novice and experienced players to compete against each other so that their net score will equal a fair comparison of the scores (after applying the WHS).

I have quickly read over the volumes of information and decided to boil it down into this brief blog for your immediate understanding. There is no need to get upset about the change to a new system as it really is a modified version of the existing North American Handicap system.

NOTE: The biggest drawback with this new standard is that improving your lie is not allowed.  You have to learn to be an honest golfer.  Most casual players tend to move their ball to avoid mishits or bushes in their backswing. If you are a sandbagger, you should NOT be setting up Your WHS. Unfortunately golfers who are NOT committed to the integrity of the game will never appreciate the benefit of an HONEST Handicap.  That will defeat the benefit of attracting more Weekend Warriors.

1/ All of the basic rules of golf apply so you still can’t use a “foot wedge” to kick a ball away from a tree or improve your lie by pushing sand away from your ball to simplify your shot. [Someday the rules will allow you to move your ball out of a divot but they haven’t gone that far.]

2/ All competitive and recreational rounds must be entered on-line to update your WHS.
3/ You can establish your WHS using your first 54 holes played using 18 or 9 holes rounds.
4/ The system now uses your best 8 rounds (instead of 10) out of your last 20 rounds played.
5/ A weather factor is reported by each course on a daily basis to impact the calculation based on wind, rain and temperature which may elevate your score on that day. Any score submitted will not impact your handicap until that course has submitted their weather factor.
6/ Scores need to be reported for each of the 9 or 18 holes played.  The WHS will automatically limit the total score to NET double bogey (par for each hole + 2 + your handicap for that hole based on the difficulty rating as applied starting with the most difficult hole to the least difficult hole).  [If your WHS handicap is 10 and you are playing a par 3 which is rated as the 5th hardest hole, your maximum allowable score submission for that hole is 3+2+1=6. If your score on that hole is 7, WHS will automatically correct your entry for that hole to 6 – – if you made a hole by hole entry for WHS.]
7/ The maximum handicap for a male or female is limited to 54.

The maximum hole score for each player will be limited to a Net Double Bogey. This adjustment is more consistent from hole to hole than the Equitable Stroke Control procedure. Net Double Bogey is already used in many other parts of the world and the calculation is simple: Par + 2 + any handicap strokes you receive.

I’m not convinced that this new system will have a major impact on the growth of this sport as it will only be as good as the integrity of those participating.

-All golfers who want to participate must pay an annual fee to fund the WHS. Club members will pay through their fees as they pay for GHIN or CGA today.

-It will take some time for new golfers to justify the value of paying fees and to update their golf record to keep an active World Handicap.

Of course we want to grow this game so that courses throughout the world will flourish. The new World Handicap System is a reasonable start especially for the benefit of golfers who love to travel and complete. The best way to lower your handicap is to practice with your GOLFSTR+ to improve every shot in your game. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

Sandbaggers Beware: According to www.The-Golf-Experience.com/Sandbagger the odds of shooting your handicap are 1 in every 5 rounds played. The odds of shooting your handicap on 2 rounds in a row are 25 to 1. Now we know who’s winning all of the trophies.

We all want more distance with our driver.  A few weeks ago I talked about the only 3 ways to increase distance: club head speed, impact on the center of the club face and launch angle.  THEY ONLY COUNT IF YOU LAND YOUR BALL IN THE FAIRWAY.  If your drives are not landing in the fairway more than 50% of the time, you may be better off giving your driver a “Time-out”.  

Today we are focusing on the best way to increase club head speed for more USEFUL distance.  Wrist lag and release through impact and a square face from an inside-to-out swing path will both improve your distance especially when you land in the fairway.

Distance only Counts when YOU Hit the Fairway

Slow Down: If you don’t control your swing direction to hit your target (in the fairway) you will never benefit from longer drives.  So forget about hitting the longest drive in your life every time you swing.  Drop your swing speed back to 90% or 80% and hit more fairways for more beneficial distance.

Why do you think that the pros are only hitting the fairways about 70% of the time?  The driver has a longer shaft, the head of the club is heavier and the face of the club has many different “gear effect” dynamics to compensate for mishits off the center line of the club face.  DRIVERS ARE MORE DIFFICULT TO CONTROL THAN ANY OTHER CLUB.

If you hit your drives long and into the trees or into the deep rough, it really makes no difference how far your ball flies because you have to “pay the penalty” and hit your next shot back into play to give yourself a chance to hit the green with your approach shot.  A recent winner on the LPGA averaged drives of 250 yards with 90% of her shots hitting the fairway. That’s a great example for all of us.

Cut back on your power and take control of your driver.  Practice with GOLFSTR+ for a controlled straight arm swing.  Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

PS:  GOLF LAW #11   All vows taken on a golf course shall be valid only until sunset.

 

 

When I read GOLF LAW #7, I realized that something was terribly wrong: “All 3-woods are demon-possessed.  Your Mother-in-Law does not come close.”  Fortunately only half of this law applied to me as I had a wonderful Mother-in-Law. The 3-wood was my problem.

I realize that this Golf Law was written in jest, but I also now realize why I don’t carry a 3-wood in my bag.  The same situation must be happening to a pretty high percentage of golfers who are mishitting a lot of shots with their 3-wood.  As it turns out, we may be missing a high percentage of our fairway woods and hybrids because we are trying to just “nip the ball off the ground” with very little room for error.  I saw this tip on a Revolution Golf Blog in Me & My Golf Series called TOTAL GAME.

Because the loft on our woods and hybrids are limited, we tend to hang back in our swing to create more lift the way we do with our driver.  That just makes you top the ball or hit it thin.  For more consistent hits with these clubs you should swing them down through impact, similar to the way you use your irons.  Hit the ball first and then take a thin divot.

Recommended Setup and Swing

-Setup with a narrower stance than you do with your driver.
-Line up your ball back from your leading heel to bottom-out after your ball.
–Don’t tilt your body (the way you setup to hit with your driver) to hit up on the ball.
–Keep 55% of your pressure on your leading foot to get your weight shift forward.
–Swing down through impact with your ball before you take a light divot.
–Let your leading ear pass the line-up with your ball as you impact the ball and finish your swing balanced on your leading foot.

Practice with your woods and hybrids using your GOLFSTR+ to keep you leading arm straight and down through impact before you take any divot.  Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

PS:  GOLF LAW #10
Golf should be given up at least twice per month.