2021 September

Wouldn’t it be nice to start your takeaway with a move that will guarantee a perfect swing with all of your irons? Well bless your stars because this is your lucky day. I have been working on using a flat wrist swing with lag that will power every shot directly up my target line. I have actually done this for years but I could not find consistency to do this with all of my clubs. 10% to 20% of my shots have often been miss-hits. I finally stumbled over a simple trick to create consistency using a wrist move at the start of my takeaway.

Many pros have used a forward arm “press” to start their backswing. Even Phil Michelson and Jordan Spieth use it for the start of their putting stroke. I have also noticed that a Pete Styles a PGA instructor on the Golf-Info-Guide training videos adds a forward press with a slight shift of his hands at the start of his backswing. No one has explained how this affects their performance.

Flatten Your Wrist to Start Your Takeaway
I have been trying to incorporate a flat wrist in my backswing before I reach the top of my swing where I also add wrist lag (with a 90 degree angle from my forearm to my shaft). Somehow I have not been able to capture these 2 moves consistently so I decided to copy Dustin Johnson.

Dustin Johnson must be doing something right with his swing. In addition to being the #1 golfer on tour, he just won 5 points for the USA Ryder Cup Team. He starts bowing his wrist (forming a bump on the back of his wrist) and gradually adding lag from the start of his takeaway. I don’t have his power so I decided to just STRAIGHTEN my wrist at the start of my backswing (instead of BOWING my wrist). This is my eureka move that creates consistent hits with better direction control.

I noticed that the leading wrist on every golfer during setup has a slight cup shape when you setup for any of your clubs (especially for your driver where you setup with the ball further forward in your stance). Only Bryson DeChambeau sets up with a flat leading wrist for his driver and all of his driving clubs.

The Shift
Just straighten out your wrist by moving the head of your club back from the ball by about 3 to 10 inches before you start your hip and shoulder rotation for your backswing. By doing this at the start of your backswing you can lock your wrist to a flat position during your complete backswing.

I’m not exactly sure why a Flat Leading Wrist gives you a more consistent swing with a more consistent direction control. Eliminating angles seems to force you to shift your weight forward during the downswing and to impact your ball before you take any divot or skim the turf.

I know that Hank Haney encourages the flat leading wrist so starting your swing with a wrist shift may be ideal for everyone. Practice for the control of your arm and wrist using GOLFSTR+ for 6 swing fixes but NOT for your leading wrist on your iron (as you need wrist mobility to finish your swing). Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

Golf Truism #77: If you are afraid a full shot might reach the green while the foursome ahead of you is still putting out, you have 2 options: you can immediately shank a lay-up or you can wait until the green is clear and top a ball halfway there.

We all want to improve our scores but we struggle to keep our focus as we play every round of golf. By now you must know that the most important shot in golf is your next one (Thank you Ben Hogan.) Unfortunately it takes about 3 great shots to par every holes. Yes, that would be 3 shots in a row on every hole. Unfortunately those miss-hits in the middle of your sequence don’t turn into Mulligans. I have found that your focus on hitting the fairway with your driver and hitting more Greens In Regulation (GIR) are critical for your success on every hole.

Rhythm and Direction Control
You may be able to hit further than others in your foursome but if you can’t hit the fairway or hit the ideal target for your next shot, your playing partners will usually take you down. You will never be successful in this game until you generate the following two (2) consistencies:

1/ Rhythm: Don’t let a burst of adrenaline spoil your rhythm. Consistent rhythm, at about an 85% swing speed, is so critical to allow time to shift your weight to your leading leg at the top of your swing. Think of it as “The PAUSE THAT REFRESHES”. Rushing at the top will kill your weight transfer and create an inconsistent impact. I use the mental words “1 and “ to give more time to add wrist lag and weight transfer at the top of my swing before I begin my down swing at the count of “2”.

Counting in your mind will slow down your backswing and give you time for the perfect position at the top.

2/ Draw or Fade Control: When you swing with the same rhythm, you should end up with a consistent draw or fade depending on the club that you are using. It is critical that you figure out when you will draw or fade with every club by sorting this out while practicing on the range. Of course sometimes our expected draw or fade turns into the dreaded straight shot. So make sure that you line-up properly to avoid trouble with any surprising straight shots.

Suggestion To Track Your Progress
If you want to improve your scores, you should track your successes at the end of every hole. Mark the upper left corner of your score for each hole with a 1 if you land your drive in the fairway (or on the green for a par 3). Mark the upper right corner of your score card for each hole with a 1 if you hit the green in regulation. I also add a coded letter below each score to identify the reason for my missed fairway or missed green in regulation (T-tree, R-Rough, W-water, MH- Miss-Hit, PP-Poor Pitch, OB etc)

If you aren’t adding a lot of 1’s to your score card you will also be missing a lot of pars and birdies. BTW you should mark your pars with a circle and birdies with a triangle (It’s a lot more fun to highlight your successes.) Practice with GOLFSTR+ for 6 fixes to improve you swing with every club. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

Golf Truism #76: When your shot has to carry over a water hazard, you can either use one more club or 2 more balls.

Golf is a wonderful game. ONLY YOU have the personal control over every aspect of every round you play. It’s up to you to consider your environment, your stance and your club selection. It’s even more important to manage your mental state of mind to create your success or failure for every swing that you make. That’s why we love and play this game.

Look for weaknesses in your game to improve your CONSISTENCY and your ACCURACY. Miss-hits and poor direction control with the wrong club are all downfalls for our games. Every swing that you make can be a learning experience. It’s up to you to mentally take note of the problems with your game and to take corrective action. So why not categorize the weaknesses and strengths of your game to improve your next round of golf.

Strategic Planning
1/ Accept Your Physical Strength and Limitations: It’s up to you to add exercise and stretching to your daily routine to improve your body for every round of golf. Your diet, shape and strength can all improve your game but as Weekend Worriers you will never achieve golf pro status, so limit your expectations based on your existing physical condition. Set your own personal goals for yearly improvement as it will not happen overnight.

2/ Test your Golf Skills at the Range and Putting Green: Before you play every round of golf you really should hit some balls and putts to confirm the cadence that you need for your driver, irons and putter. Apply the setup and swing that you know will eliminate miss-hits and improve your accuracy.

3/ Know the Limitations of your Clubs, Balls and Skills: Golf is a game that you play against your past successes. Don’t try to out muscle your playing partners. Know your limitations and play the game within your skill level so that you can hit the distance and direction you KNOW THAT YOU CAN ACHIEVE.

4/ Weather and Terrain Limitations: Scale back your personal expectations on a windy or rainy day. When hitting from a side hill, downhill or deep rough: change your club selection to the right iron to get out of trouble for your next shot. Limit your expectations when you land your ball in a poor location.

5/ Plan for Par on Every Hole: You know that you have been able to par many holes in the past with 3, 4 or 5 controlled shots on those par holes. You can achieve the same success on every hole as long as you choose a lower lofted club, lower your swing speed to 85%, and finish your swing in perfect balance. Control will help you land in the fairway and hit more Greens in Regulation.

Enjoy your golf by practicing with GOLFSTR+ for 6 swing fixes in one training aid. It reminds you to keep you leading arm straight, your wrist flat and to add lag with your trailing arm. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

Golf Truism #75: Never try to keep more than 300 separate thought in your head during your swing.

Have you ever considered that Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) is holding you back from lower golf scores? If you faced an accident, click over here now, or if you are suffering from injuries, read more. If you want legal help, you can contact Hale Law, P.A. serving Florida lawyers. You can also contact experienced attorneys for car accident injuries to get legal counseling and help. I first discovered this problem when I tried to develop a golf training aid to remind me to keep my leading arm straight in my backswing. All of the pros swing with straight leading arms. Our club pro pointed out my bent leading elbow during a golf lesson which was causing me to “swing over the top”. I quickly learned that it was difficult for me to change to a straight leading arm swing because I was hurting my arm with a Repetitive Strain Injury. It can also happen due to a highway truck accident or a slip an d fall accident. IT DOES RECOVER OVER TIME.

My Personal Swing Problem
I am naturally a left handed person. I write with my left hand and play baseball and hockey with a left handed grip. When I first started to play golf with friends in our local park I had no choice but to grab the only available clubs: right handed clubs. I somehow adjusted and just learned to swing with a bent leading arm.

PROBLEM
The longer you swing a golf club incorrectly the more difficult it is to correct your swing. Repetitive Stain Injury is very common for anyone trying to change to a straight leading arm golf swing. If you want to become a good golfer with a consistent swing, you have no choice but to retrain your body and your mind.

SOLUTION
I developed a golf training aid call GOLFSTR+ to remind me to keep my leading arm straight. At first I developed a minor Repetitive Strain Injury and I had to keep recovering and returning to my training program with GOLFSTR+. Physical changes in our bodies take time. I have gradually learned to swing with a straight leading arm by limiting my backswing and learning to rotate my hips and shoulders during my backswing.

BONUS SUCCESS
With my straight leading arm swing my swing consistency improved but I struggled to generate a lot more distance. I now realize that I was limiting my wrist release because I was bowing my wrist during my backswing. Another swing fixes with GOLFSTR+ is to train for a flat wrist swing. Again I briefly suffered with RSI during my transition but the change is paying off in spades.

I’m in my 70’s and for the first time I am hitting 250 yard drives with my flat wrist and a straight leading arm. I trained for my new swing with GOLFSTR+ and I’m glad that I finally adjusted to correct my swing. My goal is now to hit more Greens in Regulation and minimize my putts to shoot rounds in the 70’s. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

Golf Truism #74: Don’t buy a putter until you’ve had a chance to throw it.