Watching the tournament rounds of today's LPGA players is more
exciting than ever. Annika Sorenstam continues to dominate women's golf
and shows where finesse, strength and athleticism come together to make
way for the future.
Is today's female golfer really that different? You need only look
as far as statistics from previous years in combination with current
levels of play to answer that question.
In 1998 - only seven short years ago - Sorenstam drove the ball 246
yards in average driving distance. Today, her average distance is 272
yards. Since undergoing a full-scale assault on fitness with the help
of a personal trainer, she has gained nearly 30 yards in distance.
But is Sorenstam the lone ranger in women's golf or the wave of the
future? Back in 1998, if a LPGA player drove the ball 250 yards, she
was in the top 17 players in her field. Today, a player who drives the
ball 250 yards won't even make the top 40.
So, what accounts for these new performance standards and how can
female golfers around the country prepare for high level competition?
The most important aspects of the golf swing and the game, in
general, all revolve around the building of a strong and solid
foundation for the body, the mind and the basics of an athletic swing.
Each of the following concepts plays a critical role in your
understanding of what creates a great round of golf as well as
contributes to lifetime enjoyment of the game.
Stamina
This is clearly the most under-estimated portion of the game.
Golfers tend to ignore the cardiovascular component of golf. However,
walkers cover an approximate walking distance of four to five miles
each round. Even cart riders put in their fair share of walking,
depending on local cart rules, weather conditions and following errant
shots.
Poor cardiovascular conditioning can certainly have a negative
impact on your game. In his book entitled "How I Play Golf" Tiger Woods
said "fatigue can affect your focus and cause you to make a bad
decision. I never want to lose a tournament because of a bad decision
precipitated by my being out of shape."
Stability
The most important rule in a golf conditioning program is to work
and develop strength from the core region of the body outward. A strong
trunk allows forces to be transferred effectively from the legs to the
upper body. It also enables the body to withstand those forces without
breakdown.
Stabilization comes in many forms for the golfer including postural
stabilization, trunk stabilization and joint stabilization. A strong
and stable body allows the golfer to maintain the spine angle
throughout the entire swing.
Strength
Strength comes in many forms with regard to the golf swing. Strong
back muscles allow the golfer to endure the explosive movements in the
swing. Strength in the trunk region or "core" area of the body produces
stability and helps to generate power.
Combined muscle strength produces balance and coordination. Strong
ligaments and tendons also prevent the joints from going beyond their
range of motion. Physical strength often promotes mental acuity and
toughness as a result.
Flexibility
Flexibility is the single most important physical characteristic
likely to influence your golf swing. A tight body creates restricted
motion in the swing and produces injuries as a form of compensation.
Keep your body capable of moving through a full range of motion so it
doesn't become a limiting factor in your performance. While women have
a tendency towards ample flexibility, this isn't always the case.
Today's female golfer knows that hard work creates results and
translates to a better position in the playing field. If you are
looking for ways to take yourself to the top of the leader board, then
place the needs of your body at the top of your priority list to make a
definitive difference in your game.
Hate Golf?
While you were comatose...This is what happened to our game. $100+
for golf lessons. $500 for a driver, exorbitant prices for carts and
green fees....if you can get a tee time. Golf course personnel who "do
you a favor" to let you play "their course." All day shot to play 18
holes.
...And...Arrogant golf pros who convince you that a series, or two,
of golf lessons, at hundreds of dollars a series, will make a
difference. Do these lessons have benefit?....Hell Yes, for the golf
pro. The golfer is more confused and frustrated after the "pro" is
finished fleecing him of his kids college education money. Does the
golf pro care? Not if your check clears!
Pick up any golf magazine. What are you looking at? Fashion! Aloof,
nose in the air, gotta have this gotta have that crap. The golf
magazine is as real as Tinker Bell. Are you buying it, are you buying
the equipment, the dress, the hype, the status, the insanity? What do
golf schools that cost thousands of dollars a week (to stay at some
posh, plush hotel) do for your game?
Let your wife shop while the golf school pros throw "tip" after tip
after tip at you. Tons of tips Dude, Hey you want your moneys worth,
don't you? At least your wife will have something to show for her
shopping. She will not have a bag of bad habits at the end of your bad
dream vacation, but you will, I guarantee it.
What has happened to this wonderful game of ours? More high tech,
freeze frame "instruction nonsense, and you 'went for it." Lets see
your swing. Looks like a bunch of junk yard parts to me. No power,
inconsistent, and down right goofy looking.
Can you fix your swing yourself if something goes wrong? You have
thousands of dollars invested, seems like you should have something to
show for your empty pockets. You have read 317,039 tips on how to cure
your slice and you still slice.
You have read 749,208,488 tips on how to get more power and you
can't hit the damn thing out of your shadow. And you know
what?......you think the next tip will finally reveal the secret you've
been missing.
My prediction: You will probably die a Liz Borden clone. But, you
will have nice looking clothes (for Spike Jones), a very costly set of
chimney cleaners, skin cancer, a red balance in you check book, and
cirrhosis trying to keep up with the local golf pro sitting next to you
at the 19th hole.
Your best golf lesson? No lesson. My gift to you? Brain
surgery....forget everything you think you know about the golf swing.
Because, Bunkie, if you know "a lot" about the golf swing your swing
stinks. Yes, stinks.
Why, because the more you know about the golf swing the more
contrived, artificial, inconsistent, powerless, ridiculous it becomes.
Stop for a moment ...think about it...you read, you study, you spend
money, you suck!
You are walking along on the ice, and the next thing you know you
are flat on your butt. You are driving down a neighborhood street, a
ball bounces out between two cars. How many feet does your car travel
before your foot hits the brake?
The golf swing takes two seconds. From the top of the backswing to
the ball is somewhere between a forth and a fifth of a second. As fast
as it takes you to fall on ice....How much time do you have to think?
Yet, Dr. Einstein, you believe that if you keep doing what you have been doing you will learn to play golf.
Keep buying the mags, forking out your money to the golf pro so he
can show you his shell game, buy the threads, play at the expensive
golf courses, buy the clubs made of Kryptonite. Support this billion
dollar industry. They are laughing at you all the way to the bank!
They're coming to take me away ha ha, They're coming to take me away
Are you tired of slicing yet? I know they say that a high percentage of golfers slice, but my students do not.
I strongly dislike a slice.
How frustrating to have even your best shots robbed of power and distance by having an open club face at impact?
Work on the following three check points to turn your slice into a powerful draw ...
1. Assure the proper golf grip
Your grip controls your club face at impact. If you want to hit
your golf ball relatively straight, you really must have a good grip.
A good grip for a right-handed golfer involves being able to see
the logo on your left-hand glove or, in other words, two to three
knuckles. The more you turn your hands to the right, and yes I mean
both, the less likely you are to slice. I do not mind going to extremes
in order to accomplish the desired ball flight.
It is okay to see the finger nails of your right hand at address,
as your right hand is more under the golf club. The more you turn your
hands to the right at address, the easier it will be to allow the club
face to release, where the toe of the club can pass the heel on the
forward swing.
2. Allow your shoulders to coil on your backswing
When you make your backswing, your left underarm should swing
across your chest in a lightly connected position. This will help you
to keep your club face square to the path and also prompt your
shoulders to turn.
Ideally, we are looking for your shoulders to turn back
approximately 90 degrees. If you need to flair your right foot to
compensate for a lack of flexibility, feel free to do so.
This shoulder rotation will allow the club to approach the golf ball from the proper path, promoting straighter ball flight.
3. Release
Release is a golf term that means you should allow the toe of the
club to pass the heel on your forward swing. This allows the club face
to square and then close.
Your right arm should be allowed to become level with your left arm
and then eventually pass over top of the left, much like that of a
baseball player.
I also do not mind this being over done in an effort to get rid of a slice.
To get rid of your slice, try the above tips and do not be afraid
to over-do the corrections in the beginning. If your golf ball starts
to hook, you can adjust from there.
A strong grip, good shoulder rotation and forearm release will help
you to hit the ball more squarely and farther. And it is so much more
fun to play good golf and hit the ball farther!
Here's the scenario. You are hitting golf balls at the local
driving range. Slowly you start to realize that your attention is drawn
to the deafening sound of a titanium explosion coming from two stalls
down.
You turn to take a look at the gorilla that is consistently
pounding the ball 280 yards straight in to the fence at the end of the
range. To your amazement, the guy is 5'10" and weighs 155 pounds
soaking wet! Standing there completely awestruck, you ask yourself,
"How in the world does he hit it so far?"
When I ask a student "What areas of improvement are most important
to you?" Nearly all of them say, "Consistency, Lower Scores, and
DISTANCE."
Golf drill: Increase hip rotation for more distance
One of the most common faults I see as a golf instructor, is the
degree of hip rotation at the top of the backswing. Most golfers think,
"Bigger Swing = More Distance." At GolfTEC, the data we record on our
motion analysis computer shows us how far the hips rotate in degrees.
Based on our testing of over 150 touring professionals, we know
that the average hip rotation at the top of the backswing is 45
degrees. The majority of golfers I teach for the first time usually
rotate their hips 55 to 60 degrees. The extra 10 to 15 degrees of hip
rotation on the backswing is now an extra 10 to 15 degrees that the
golfer has to rotate to get back to the ball on the downswing. This
creates more room for inconsistency and loss of power.
Power in the golfswing comes from the difference in hip turn versus
shoulder turn - otherwise known as the "X-Factor." Our data shows that
the PGA Tour players average a shoulder turn of 90 degrees at the top
of the backswing.
Subtract the average hip turn of 45 degrees and we get an X-Factor
on 45 degrees. The greater the X-Factor, the greater amount of stretch
or "coil" in the golf swing.
So how do you keep your hips from rotating too far back? There are
a couple of key checkpoints to see if you are over-rotating. Set up to
a ball, take a backswing and hold it at the top. If your right knee
(left knee for lefties) is straight, then your hips and belt buckle are
probably facing the wall behind you and your left knee has probably
caved in toward your right knee. You have over-rotated on your
backswing.
To correct this, think of keeping your knees in place and your hips
facing the ball when you make your backswing. Make sure your right foot
is square to the target line and the knees are flexed at address. When
you look down at your right knee, it should appear to be slightly
inside of your right foot. Try taking the club away and keeping both of
your knees in place.
At the top of your swing, you should feel that your hips have
hardly turned and you will feel a stretch in your left side. Your left
shoulder should be over the right knee with 80-85% of your weight on
your right side.
Practice this in front of a mirror. You will see that your knees
haven't moved, they're still flexed, your hips are no longer facing the
wall behind you, and your left shoulder is over your right knee. One
word of caution with this drill.
Do not get in the habit of swaying back to the right in order to
keep the hips facing the ball. If you do, you will notice two things.
Your right knee will be outside of your right foot and your right foot
will most likely be rolled over on it's outside edge.
By practicing this drill, and eliminating any excess hip rotation,
you will create more coil in your backswing. This will result in
greater clubhead speed and more distance. Stop by a GolfTEC location to
get your hip rotation numbers checked.
The short game or the feel shots around the green and putting tend
to be the most difficult to regain sharpness after a long winter or
layoff from golf.
I feel that this is the first area to attack when you start to practice.
The advantages of building your game back up from the hole and
working backwards is countless. The obvious high percentages of shots,
some 60 percent that are taken within 100 yards during a round of golf
are not the only reason. The short game or the less that full shots can
help the not only the mechanics but the rhythm and tempo of your full
swing.
When I am teaching short game, the most prevalent errors often come
in the decision-making process instead of the execution of the shot
itself. The decision process is comprised of what type of shot to hit
(high or low), what club to use, and how to set up to achieve this.
This installment is what I feel is important in the short game as you
start to get ready for the golfing season.
Short game tip: Making sound decisions
Visualize: Can you see the proper shot for the current situation?
Jack Nicklaus called this technique "going to the movies". He never
hit a shot that he didn't see in his mind first. This is very important
in starting phase 2.
Recognize: Club selection for the shot at hand. A higher shot such
as a lob or pitch would need a more lofted club than a chip and run,
which would need less loft.
Execute: How set-up and ball position in your stance have to match the shot your trying to play.
Low shot: Position your sternum in front of the ball (weight shifts
to the front of stance, about 80 percent). Ball is placed even with
your rear foot.
High shot: Position sternum even or slightly behind the ball (weight only 60 percent to front of stance).
When making your decisions on what shot to play, always play the
lowest shot possible with the highest percentage of success. Never play
a shot that you haven't practiced just because you saw a tour player do
it on TV. Putt, Chip, Pitch, and then Lob in that order to higher rates
of success.
Short game tip: The mechanics
Solid Contact on the middle of the clubface is paramount to being
great with your wedges and around the greens. Without a solid impact
condition, direction and distance control is not achievable.
Understanding impact is knowing that the handle of the golf club stays
in front of the clubface as you strike the ball, never behind. This is
the most common mistake players, a lead wrist that is bent and a shaft
that leans away from the target.
After you have achieved a proper impact condition and solid
contact, swing length controls the distance of the shot. I like to see
the short shots be symmetrical in length. This means the backswing
length matches the forward swing.
Think of a clock face. If your arms swing to nine o'clock in the
backswing, stop at 3 o'clock on the forward swing. This is on a basic
chip or pitch, specialty shots are the exception. Always keep it
simple, nothing fancy.
Short game practice drills
Hide the tee: Stick a tee in the top of your grip. Make practice
swings and try to hide the tee behind your lead forearm. If you break
down with your lead wrist, the handle will line up with your rear arm
and the tee will be visible between your arms. Hit chips and pitches
and check your finish to achieve a flat lead wrist and a bent rear
wrist.
Stork drill: Hit chips, pitches and sand shots with your rear foot
off the ground and up on your toe for balance. This places most of your
weight on your front leg to give you a descending angle of attack,
essential for solid contact. This is the best short game drill because
most players hang back in an attempt to lift the ball in the air.
I would like to see golfers work on achieving a solid impact
condition first then practicing different shots around the greens to
develop your distance and trajectory control. Don't put the cart before
the horse, work on impact first and the rest of it will be much easier.
Remember, nearly 60 percent of the shots in a round are played within
100 yards so it this area the proper practice time. Plan your shots
carefully and you will have great success. Good luck in shooting lower
scores.
For most shots out of the sand, use your 60-degree wedge unless the
flag is across the green, then you might go to your 54-degree or
pitching wedge. Start by addressing the ball with an open club face.
Play the ball off your left heel and set about 60 percent of your
weight on your left foot.
Next, pick a spot approximately an inch behind the ball, as this is
where you want the clubhead to enter the sand. From there make an
outside in swing, making sure to use a full wrist hinge on the
backswing.
As you swing the club head through the impact zone let the club
head release to create the proper speed through the sand. Most golfers
don't swing hard enough in bunkers to let the sand propel the ball out
of the trap. Feel like you are pounding the sand and accelerating the
club head through the shot to improve your bunker play.
Don't miss out, learn more: Bruce Romberg , Ronald Bruce Romberg , Ronald Bruce Romberg
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