Swing Solutions

About 50% of golfers swing a golf club with a bent leading arm!   This appears to be the #1 swing flaw.  The National Golf Foundation  estimates that only 25% of golfers break 90.  A straight leading arm in the back swing and through impact will really help you consistently break 90.

If you watched the Masters, you saw that the pros keep their leading arm straight for more power and consistent connection with the ball. If it was easy you would have done this long ago. 

The key to improving your swing is to first learn the correct swing (video below).  Then you need to continuously repeat this straight arm swing as you practice and as you play (when the pressure is on). 

CLICK HERE for Video: Right Way to Keep Your Left Arm Straight by Golf Info Guide at ThomasGolf.com 

It’s not easy to make the change and that’s why GOLFSTR is such an important brain trainer to help you repeat a successful swing.  It helps you build muscle memory.  So warm up your swing before each round with GOLFSTR and practice with it on the golf course TO KEEP YOUR MIND FOCUSED on the straight arm swing.

The pros make it look easy:   Straight Arm – Straight Shot.

Watching Tiger in the Masters proves that he is back on his game thanks to Steve Stricker and Sean Foley.  What exactly did Steve do for Tiger’s putting and what has Sean done for Tiger’s driving setup?  It’s amazing to see that the following 2 adjustments can make all the difference for Tiger. {Now he needs training to hit approach shots 2 inches to the right of the flag pole.  It would have won him the Masters.}

One thing for sure is that Tiger has a consistent hit with his Straight Leading Arm.

Putting tip from Steve Stricker:  He noticed that Tiger’s putting grip was “strong” and that “his hands were behind the ball”.   Steve said “Just tried to get him set up in a better position where he could feel like he could accelerate down through the line a little bit.”   It appears that he weakened Tiger’s right hand by rotating it slightly toward the front of the putter.  This allows him to putt along his intended line.

Foley gave him Better Balance in his setup: The professionals see that Tiger now puts 60% of his pressure on the balls of his feet and 40% on the heel.  A relaxed balance is so important at setup.  This only makes sense because we lean forward to grip the club.    

So this is what seems to be working for Tiger and may help the recreational golfer but give yourself a shake.  I just got woken up by a 90 year old gentleman in Delray Beach, FL (wise beyond his years) who called about buying GOLFSTR.  He wanted a GOLF SWING TRAINING AID that reminded him to keep his leading left arm straight in the back-swing.  He said “I don’t want paralysis by analysis”. He was so right.

Use the KISS method: Keep it Simple Stupid.  Straight leading arm, hinge the wrists, smooth transition and swing with a lag from the inside, down the target line to a photo finish.

Why didn’t I think of that?

Straight arm and straight shot are your starting points but the goal is distance in the right fairway.  Bent elbow in the back-swing is caused by your desire to swing harder for more distance.  Unfortunately you need to walk before you run.  Get the swing right and the power and distance will come.

GOLFSTR is just a learning device to improve muscle memory for your straight arm swing.  Your swing will never improve unless you commit to change.   You can take lessons at wonderful training centers like GolfTEC  where some of the instructors are training their students with GOLFSTR.  Golf  is really fun when you learn to swing like a pro, so why don’t you commit to change right now.

Golf is a game of basics.  You need to learn the grip, stance and the right way to line a ball up.   The right swing gives you the mechanics to generate speed and distance.  It boils down to these key components:

1/ Relaxed muscles in the shoulders, arms and grip. [if 10 is tight, 4 is where you want to be.]

2/ Leading arm straight in the backs-swing and down through impact.  [GOLFSTR is just the reminder and that’s why we call it the brain trainer.]

3/ Cadence to allow a smooth transition at the top as you press your leading leg to trigger the swing.  [use a moderate arm speed in the back-swing and transition  BEFORE you start to accelerate – – – just think of Ernie Els]

4/ Distance comes from LAG which is delaying the release of the hinged wrists:  This allows a whip action of the club head as you swing from the inside through impact. (like snapping your wrist to skip a stone across water)

5/ Finish in balance and facing your target.  By not rushing the arms at the transition, you have time to rotate your body starting with your hips and then your shoulders through to a balance finish

Now watch the video on this page which shows an amazing slow motion video of  Rory McIlroy’s swing. (CLICK HERE)  

For more tips return to YOUR Swing Support Center  https://golfstr.com/category/blog/

Sure the pros use muscle and technique but I’m talking to you, the mid to high handicapper.  The more frustrated we get with a round of golf, the harder and faster we swing and the worse the result.   Muscle is not the answer.  Your biggest problem is the muscle between your ears.

Accept the fact that you are not qualifying for the pro tour.   A 250 yard drive in the center of your fairway is so much better than a 300 yard drive which lands in the trees or in the next fairway.  The GOAL is to get your game under control and to break that next milestone of 100, 90, or 80.

As a starting point most men have larger frames and more muscle than most of the LPGA players or a 130 pound junior.  So why is it that these skilled players can hit a drive consistently over 250 yards without any effort?   Of course, they have great technique.

They focus on weight transfer, lag and wrist release: ALL WITH A STRAIGHT LEADING ARM in the back-swing and through impact.  [GOLFSTR can help you here. ]   And swing through the ball to a BALANCED photo finish.

• Hitting the ball farther is affected more by club head speed than brute force
• Gain more speed by improving your wrist release through impact
• Practice by holding a club upside down (you can create your loudest whooshing noise by  releasing your wrists at the bottom of the swing)

Weight needs to be shifted to the leading leg at impact so start the arm transition at the top of the swing with a slight weight shift or hip bump to the left.

Lag is considered the holy grail of the golf swing. Golfing greats such as Ben Hogan and Sergio Garcia have had tremendous amounts of lag that allowed them to hit the ball great distances with relatively little effort.  You can do it too.  [Check out my last blog about Hogan.]

Next Thursday’s Blog is on INCREASING DRIVING DISTANCE

As Nike says:  Just Do It.   So why can’t you just keep that leading arm straight.  About 50% of golfers have this problem.  Change is difficult as it requires practice and commitment.  My message today gives you more incentive to stick to it and make your STRAIGHT ARM  SWING happen.

Over the past year sales for GOLFSTR  have been way beyond our expectation.  Occasionally I receive an immediate response that GOLFSTR does not lock or hold your leading arm straight in the back swing.  Guess what!   GOLFSTR  just a brain trainer.  It’s just the reminder while you learn your new swing.  Using GOLFSTR  you can see the improvement that a straight arm will give you: in your drives, on the fairway and in your short game.

Unfortunately if it was easy to change your swing, you would have done it long ago.  Buying GOLFSTR is just the first step.  I just want you to understand the additional benefit of the straight leading arm (as your incentive to make it happen).

As you keep your leading arm straight:

1/ In the back swing you can just focus on the 90 degree hinge in your wrist and keeping you lagging elbow near your side (for the Sergio Garcia POWER SWING).

2/ In the transition at the top of your swing just focus on starting rotation from the hip and just drop your arms down while holding the arm straight and the club lag (at a 90 degree wrist hinge).

3/ And down to impact you need to keep your leading arm straight for consistent connection with the ball.

Jeff Richmond (Consistent Golf Blog) provided the following shot of Ben Hogan who keeps his leading arm RIGID STIFF in the back-swing and right through to impact.  This image shows Hogan’s 23 degree lag angle on his wrist hinge.  Jeff points out that a 90 degree lag angle is good, a 45 degree gives you even more power but a 23 degree is “crazy good”.

I’m not advocating the 23 degree lag for everyone but it sure highlights the importance of STRAIGHT ARM and LAG.  Go for it.  Tiger does it and you can too!

When Ben Affleck accepted the Best Movie Academy Award for ARGO he said: “When they knock your down, just get back up”.  And that’s what I did.  GOLFSTR  is a new concept in golf training aids. A Brain Trainer that you can wear for 18 holes and see your success.

We launched GOLFSTR  in March 2012 and it has been widely accepted throughout the world.  We are now headed for 2,000 units sold, our social network is now active, GOLFSTR  is a registered trademark (seek attorney’s help resolving trademark claims for trademark infringement )and is patent pending in our target countries which became possible only by establishing a trademark lawyer who ensures that their product’s identity remains among the original makers only.

Starting March 18, we are starting to run ads on the Golf Channel.  Reaction to this ad at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando was over the top.   We sold out on the first day.

                                                               CLICK TO VIEW THE GOLF CHANNEL AD

GOLFSTR  is catching fire.  This ad will really wake-up over 50% of all golfers who bend their arm in the back-swing.  They just need to get over that baseball swing and start playing golf.

Users learn to swing like a pro.  Yes, straight arm in the back-swing, the transition and through to impact for more consistent hits.  They quickly learn that lagging their club by hinging their leading wrist is so important for more power and distance.

Golf is a lot more fun when you hit it longer and keep it in the fairway.

Help us spread the word and pass this message along to your golfing buddies.  Thanks for all of your support and positive comments.

Inventor, designer and manufacturer Will Curry

So many recreational players feel that they need to bend their leading elbow to get the rotation of the club in their back-swing.  Power in the swing comes from the initial trunk rotation of your body.   Jim McLean at the McLean Golf School in Doral, Florida points out 2 critical moves that you need to remember.

1/ Lifting your leading heel allows you to get more rotation in your back-swing.  Aging backs can really benefit from this extra trunk rotation.  Just use this heel lift without bending your leading elbow in your back-swing.  Of course you may want to try using GOLFSTR as a reminder to keep that leading arm straight to the transition point in your back-swing.

2/ Lifting your leading heel helps rotation but it is wasted if you straighten out the knee of your trailing leg.  Keep your trailing knee flexed in the back-swing for power when you rotate forward through impact.   Tiger and all the pros start their downswing with forward hip rotation and finish by (almost) lunging through the impact point to an extended-lagging-knee-finish.

Note: Keeping your trailing knee flexed prevents over rotation in the back-swing.

GOLFSTR reminds you to avoid elbow bend as you create a full rotation in your back-swing.   Try this to generate more power.

Hey, Snow Bound Northerners >>>>  SPRING IS COMING.  

Oprah Winfrey created the term “Aha! Moment”.  I have now had two Aha! Moments in golf.  My first was with STRAIGHT LEADING ARM and it lead to the creation of GOLFSTR .  So why was I still messing up a few holes in most of my rounds of golf.  CONTROLLED TRANSITION at the top of the back-swing has made ALL THE DIFFERENCE.

Near the end of my recent 2 months wintering in Florida, I had a very special round of golf with one of the most connected presidents of golf clothing and golf club brands in the world.   He was well aware of my development of GOLFSTR .  I showed it to him before we played but I did not have a chance to use it on the range before we played.  Guess I was a little tight.  I played my worst round in over 10 years.

Nearing the end of the round I finally asked my playing partner what he thought I was doing wrong.  I was hoping that this 5 handicap golfer could identify my fault.  He said “You seem to be a little right side heavy.”   Thinking about this later I realized that I was rushing my transition at the top and not finishing the follow through.

Aha! Moment: Slow down the transition and accelerate through the ball.  [The problem is that I have been rushing my transition (and bend my leading arm at the top) when I really try to hit a longer shot.]

FACTS:

-When I start to play really well, I mess-up my next shot by trying to hit the ball harder and further.

-Why do I play better when my arm or back are sore?  I must be slowing down my transition at the top.

-Ernie Els seems to swing so effortlessly because he doesn’t rush the transition.

-Pro golfers are all so balanced when they finish their swing.

-Balance & cadence are so important to a great golf swing.  Brain Training is the key starting point.

-To control my cadence (tempo) I know that I have to think the following words during each swing:    STRAIGHT ARM . . . Sweep-in aaand Finish

I put this into practice on my final 2 rounds in Florida.  I played 9 holes wearing GOLFSTR  and 9 holes without GOLFSTR  during each round.  The results were amazing.  Keeping a straight leading arm in the back swing and starting the down swing by keeping my wrist hinged and arm straight are so critical for success.  [When I rush the transition I bend my leading elbow and cast my wrist.]

SOLUTION: Slow down the transition and accelerate through the ball. 

I can hardly wait to get back on the course this Spring.   GOLFSTR is so important as a brain trainer to change my swing.

Controlled Transition is my new Aha! Moment.

NOTE: GOLFSTR  gives you an unfair advantage (so you can’t wear it in a competition).  Just think how it will lower your score.

Please share these blogs with your friends.     [But not your golfing buddies, ha ha ha!]

What works for John Daly will not work for the recreational golfer.  If you are trying to break 100, 90 or 80 —- you need to focus on a GREAT GRIP and a CONTROLLED RIP.  Training with GOLFSTR  for a straight leading arm in the back swing and through impact is the right starting point but your GRIP and HINGE gives you the POWER.

Blog readers have heard me say this before: THIS IS NOT BASEBALL.  Recreational players often grab their club like it is a baseball bat.  This causes you to lose about 15 degrees of club angle in your back-swing and mobility at the point of impact — where club head speed is so important.

I am not going to give you a lesson on the GRIP as I am not the pro but I want to point out the key component that Sergio Garcia (and all other pros) use in their grip to get maximum power:

A baseball bat is gripped through the center of your hands next to the fat muscle at the base of your thumb.  A golf club needs a gentle but firm grip along the base of your fingers.  The difference in this grip gives you 15 degrees more angle from your leading arm to your club and allows you to hinge your club head 15 degrees further in your back swing.  [BENDING YOUR ARM IN THE BACK SWING IS THE WRONG SOLUTION.]

The wrist hinge (not a bent elbow) in the back swing is where your power comes from.  Holding the 90 degree angle (from your straight arm to the club) through the down-swing is called LAG.  Instead of “casting” the club out at the start of the down swing you need to hold the 90 degree hinge or lag angle.  Only release your wrists (like cracking a whip or skipping a stone) at the bottom of the downswing.   CLICK FOR VIDEO:  Rory McIlroy displays an amazing example of this swing in slow motion.

GOLFSTR  just reminds you to keep your leading arm straight throughout the swing until impact.  Practice the grip and full swing in slow motion at the driving range or in your practice swing.  Get the feel for holding the hinge and lag until you release your wrists through impact.

Straight leading arm at the point of impact is critical but if your swing is off-line, so is your ball.  So why not choose a swing that you know will give you a consistent long hit.  A slight draw with some top spin is the goal for your longest hits.

NOTE: The drive is the only shot where you are trying to hit UP on the ball to impart topspin (the same way you want your putter to roll the ball over).  Limited topspin will allow your ball to cut through the air and roll for extra distance.

1/ A straight leading arm is required to contact the ball on the sweat spot, near the top dead center of the club face.  This just makes sense.  You need to bring your club head back to the point of  impact which is exactly the same point when you addressed the ball.  This is the point when your wrists are unloading and the head of your driver is firing through the ball.

2/ Bending your arm in the back-swing causes you to “swinging over the top” and to attack the ball at too high of an angle.  Hitting down on the ball and from the outside will cause a slice.  GOLFSTR is the brain trainer which reminds you to keep your leading arm straight.  By keeping your lagging elbow near your side and hinging your wrists in the back-swing you can attack the ball with a lower plane and swing up on the ball.  That’s why you setup for a drive by teeing the ball up so that the top of the driver is in line with the equator of the ball.  You also place the tee in line with the heel of your leading foot allows the radius of your swing to travel up on the ball at the point of impact.  Voila . . . . TOPSPIN . . . . for distance.

3/ The final component of the impact is side-spin.  For distance and control you want to draw the ball.  You want to be swinging from the inside to outside at the point of impact.   Previous blogs in GOLFSTR: YOUR Swing Support Center have presented Sergio Garcia’s “Power Swing Plane”, wrist lag and impact from the inside of the ball.  To learn the feel for this motion, move your back leg an inch or 2 back from the swing line.  This stance will force you to swing from the inside.

Use these 3 areas of focus and make adjustments as you learn this new motion.  What a joy it is to see that sweet shot floating for extra distance.

GOLFSTR is a wonderful Brain Trainer that helps you learn the straight leading arm swing in the takeaway, at the top and through impact.  Enjoy.