Archives for January, 2020

Golf Success is Based on Simplicity

Over the past many years I have discovered and shared many gems of golfing knowledge with you. I try to internalize many of these gems in my game. I now realize that learning to be a consistent golfer is like a journey through life. If you don’t get rid of your bad habits, your game will never improve. On the other hand if you don’t simplify your thoughts by absorbing good habits you will drive yourself crazy with this game.

I have recently been exploring the thoughts of very low handicap golfers. They all seem to have a passion for simplifying their swing and minimizing thoughts during the swing.
1/ They focus on a simple thought that they know will improve their power or their consistency or direction control. [Like wide takeaway or flat or bowed wrist.]
2/ Their thought is only on improving or eliminating a weakness in their swing.
3/ They depend on their basic swing and a calm mental attitude to create consistent shots without any focus on the swing that has been ingrained in their minds and bodies
4/ They focus on a position or motion that they know will create their planned draw, fade, high or low shot.
5/ Brooks Keopka said that he knows the shape of his swing required to deliver his ball to a target. He just goes into automatic pilot to deliver the power needed to generate a shot without any specific thought in his mind.  He feels the shot before he makes the shot.

Improve your consistency by swinging on one plane from inside to outside.

Recreational Golfers may never get to this simple state of mine. You only have a few second to complete your swing. That does not give you a lot of time for many thoughts. Take comfort in the fact that you have already chosen the right stance, the right club, a proper grip and a relaxed state of mind before you make your swing. Feel your swing with a complete practice swing and then deliver your swing with a single thought for excellence.

Early in my round I concentrate on a slower backswing by counting 1,2 and then counting 3 in the downswing. My only thought is straight leading arm and flat leading wrist (as I now realize that a bowed or cupped leading wrist is hurting my consistency).  Another low handicap golfer only focuses on a straight back take-away and shallowing his club during his lag and release (looping down to release from the slot). [Sounds like a Jim McLean thought as shown in the image above.]

Simplicity with fewer angles seems to be the best approach for consistency. Practice with your GOLFSTR+ for every swing in your game. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

GOLF LAW #16: Non-chalant putts count the same as chalant putts.  [Make every putt count the way they count in a money game.]

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Driving Range Excellence vs Course Jitters

Why do you think it is so easy to hit perfect practice shots on the practice range? Being relaxed helps but the consistent flat surface makes all the difference. Taking your game from the practice range to the golf course is all about your ability to relax and adjust for the changing slope of the ground that you are standing on.

Flat Contact on a Flat Surface: Flat contact with the toe and heel of your club is critical to ensure that your club face is not opening or closing at impact with your ball and the ground. If your club hits the ground before impact with your ball you may lose control of your club face and the direction of your shot. Setup with your club edge lying flat on the ground.

Club Fitter Adjustments: It’s easy for a club fitter to test for your natural angle of impact on a flat surface. They measure you impact point with tape along the lower edge of your club. If you are impacting with the heel or toe of your club they can change the angle of your club head by a few degrees to help you eliminate your “built in” draw or fade.

It’s easy to practice on a driving range flat surface. How do you take those shots to the course?

Every Tee Box Should be Flat: Your driver is the most difficult club to hit as you are trying to add power and distance from the tee box. Make sure that the surface from your feet to your ball is DEAD FLAT. If the surface is sloped to the left you will tend to pull left and if the surface is sloped right you will tend to push your shot right (for right handed golf clubs). Shift your trailing foot in or out to compensate for the direction of your launch direction.

Your Tee Height and Forward position Affect Your Ball Flight: On a flat tee box, you setup your ball on a tee (higher than the ground height) and you line up the ball directly out from the heel of your leading foot. If you don’t shift your weight properly to your leading foot you will typically pull your shot left.  Let your body shift forward as you swing through the shot.

Fairway Slope Problems: Small adjustments can create a huge impact on every shots. Be very aware that the surface of the ground that you stand on is rarely dead flat. The slope of the ground from your feet to the ball has a major impact on the direction and distance of your shot. Adjust for ground depth with your knees or by choking down on your club. Reduce the loft of your club for an uphill lie and increase you loft for a downhill lie. Attempt to align your body so that the trunk of your body is perpendicular to the ground Feel your swing with a practice swing before you address your ball.

One of the major factors in setting the Slope Rating for a course is the rugged terrain of the fairways. With the right setup and club selection you can improve your changes for excellent shots. Adjust and make a practice swing to FEEL your shot before you move up to your ball. Practice with GOLFSTR+ for every swing in your game. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

GOLF LAW #15: Counting on your opponent to inform you when he breaks a rule is like expecting him to make fun of his own haircut.

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Lag-it and Tag-it !

Creating a swing with wrist lag is the ONLY way to create more power and distance. It looks so easy when we see the pros on TV.  Unfortunately our bodies are not naturally trained to create lag; hold lag at the start of our downswing and then release lag at the bottom of our swing.  It’s the only way to tag a long drive or iron shot.

Gene Parante from Golf Labs studies the swing impact on golf balls with different clubs. He recommends that every golfer should AVOID an outside-to-in (over the top) swing path. He found that the average player with a swing speed of 90 mph can increase their distance hit by 35 yards if you just get rid of your slice swing.

Try swinging your club with both your arms straight. You can’t generate any club head speed and will never hear the whoosh of your club head impacting the ball. You can almost double your club head speed by cocking your wrists at the top of your swing and releasing your wrists at the bottom of your swing.

There are 4 STEPS to learn how to create and execute a golf swing with LAG.
1/ Slow down your backswing by counting 1,2 in the back swing and 3 in the downswing.

Rory (like all pros) holds his lag for the first half of his downswing and releases at the bottom.

2/ On the count of 2 bend your trailing elbow toward your side as you cock your wrist to form a 90 degree bend between your club and your leading forearm. MAJOR PROBLEM: Cupping your wrist in your backswing will create your slice.  If you flatten your wrist (or bow your wrist), it will help you swing from the inside and up your target line. A straight leading arm with a flat leading wrist are the primary changes that we all have to make for direction control and consistent shots.

3/ Start your downswing by holding your lag as you pull down.

4/ Swing from the inside and up your target line as you whip the head of your club through the ball.

If you can’t hear the whoosh of your club as you hit your ball, you either need hearing aids or you are not getting enough lag and release as you whip you club through the impact zone.

Practice lag and release without hitting a ball to hear that whooshing sound as you skim the grass at the bottom of your swing. Feeling your 90 degree wrist lag position with GOLFSTR+ mounted on your upper arm will give you confidence to release with more power. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

GOLF LAW #14:  It’s surprisingly easy to hole a 50-foot putt when you lie 8.

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Is Your Bent Wrist Killing Your Game?

We are all looking for that mysterious thing that creeps into our swing and causes mishits. I have golfed for many years and run into something that throws my swing off at least 2 to 4 times a round. Fortunately I found the culprit: MY LEADING WRIST. Cupping my leading wrist in my backswing was causing a chopping action with crazy slices. How frustrating was that?

One of the six (6) GOLFSTR+ swing fixes allows you to test your flat wrist backswing. GOLFSTR+ actually prevents you from cupping your wrist at the top of the backswing. I know that this problem can exist but I did not know that it was creeping into MY swing when I want to hit crucial iron shots to hit the green. Knowing the problem is a good start but you have to find a solution to fool your brain into making flat wrist hits.

Solution to Avoid Cupping Your Wrist in the BackSwing

GOLFSTR+ Swing Fix #3 will prevent you from cupping your leading wrist in your backswing.

1/ Identify the problem by testing your swing with GOLFSTR+ to prevent cupping your wrist.

2/ Keeping your wrist flat or bowed in your backswing is easier said than done. You need to use a trick to overcome the problem. You also need to work this out at a driving range where you can waste shots to determine what works.

3/ Create a Bowed Wrist before you start your swing. Address the ball and bend you leading wrist back (to form a bowed shape) before you start your back swing. Make a limited back swing as you attempt to hold your wrist flat or in a bow shape. You will be amazed to see how easy it is to hit straight shots with a flat wrist backswing (but direction control may still be a problem).

4/ You will quickly see that a flat wrist will allow you to hit straighter shots but the pre-set bowed wrist may never let you control the direction of your hits. There are too many variables using a pre-set bowed wrist to allow you to control the direction of every hit.

5/ After you have hit many shots using a pre-set bowed wrist with your driver, woods and irons, you will love the benefit of a flat wrist swing and you will start to feel the change in your swing when you drop the pre-set bowed wrist and force a flat wrist swing from the inside and up your target line.

Knowing you have a swing problem and then finding a fix is a wonderful starting point. Remembering to keep your flat wrist backswing for every shot in your game is the difficult part until you develop a feel for it. That’s why we love this game. GOLFSTR+ helps you overcome 6 swing problems that you may not know that you have. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

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#1 Killer in Golf: FAT CHIPS

Hitting more greens in regulation is the most important task in golf. Unfortunately recreational golfers can not expect to come anywhere close to what the pros achieve. We just don’t have the skill and finesse required to control every approach shot to the green. That’s why we need to perfect our chip and pitch shots.

For approach shots that are 130 to 200 yards we know that our percentage is reasonable but it is very common to be long, short or wide of the green. So the most important shot for recreational golfers is the pitch or chip shot to give yourself a chance for a 1 putt green. So why is it that we hit FAT CHIPS so often?

I recently saw a video on Golf-info-Guide by Thomas Golf that woke me up to our problem with chipping and pitching. You can make a perfect practice swing and skim your club across the grass.
Unfortunately as you move forward to address the ball your thoughts flash back to the last time you hit a fat chip. -Your body and arms tighten up.
-You can’t keep my hips moving and end up chunking your club into the ground short of the ball.  It’s a yip that you need to overcome.

Solution:
1/ Narrow your stance because you need control NOT power.

2/ Grip down on your club for more control and shorter hits.

3/ Keep your eye on the ball.

4/ Lead your swing with the rotation of your leading hip to transfer your weight forward.

5/ If you still have problems, start with an open stance and more weight on your leading foot as you swing your club directly up your target line.

Practice with GOLFSTR+ to limit your wrist lag as you rotated through your ball.  NOTE: Practice with 1 GOLFSTR+ on the wrist that gives you the most difficulty.

Because a chip or pitch is not a power shot we tend to forget to use our full swing. I don’t mean that you need a full backswing but you do need to complete all of the mechanics of the swing. FORWARD HIP ROTATION starts your downswing and allows you to bottom out your club as you impact your ball. Make sure that you make a practice-swing by leading with your hip rotation (don’t lock-up) and then step confidently forward and complete the same motion as you chip or pitch your ball.

Limit the lag in your wrist during your backswing.  Velcro your GOLFSTR+ on your trailing arm to fit the limited lag of your wrist.  You leading wrist should be flat.  If you have problems holding it flat, just strap your GOLFSTR+ on your leading arm exactly the way to practice putting to prevent any wrist break.

You CAN overcome your FAT CHIPPING YIPS. Tiger Woods went through this same problem as he recovered from his marriage and physical problems. Practice with GOLFSTR+ to control the lag in your trailing wrist to make sure that you stay down on the swing path. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

PS: LAW #13: If it isn’t broke, try changing your grip.

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