Ask professional golfers on tour what swing mechanics they work on
the most and the majority of players will say ball position and
alignment.
The proper ball position and alignment start when you address the
golf ball. If you are lined up incorrectly, your body feels this and
makes you change your swing path to correct this faulty alignment.
Also, if you have the ball positioned too far forward or too far back
in your stance, it leads to inconsistent and poor golf shots.
Most golf instructors agree if you start your swing with the proper
alignment and ball position, you have an excellent chance of hitting
good shots. So, if you are out of alignment and the ball is positioned
incorrectly, it is almost impossible to consistently hit quality golf
shots.
Here are a few tips that will effectively help adjust your body into the correct position at address:
First, face your target and take a step toward it with your left
foot (for right-handed golfers). Now, from this position, turn your
body to the right until your shoulders and chest are aligned parallel
to your target. You will now be properly aligned to the target, and
your feet will be the proper distance apart at the address position.
Next, hold you arms out in front of your chest shoulder width apart
and clap. Where your hands come together is where they should be at
address position and also where the ball should be played in your
stance.
Now, using your normal grip, take your 5 iron and hold the club
straight out in front of your waist. Next, bend over from the waist
until the bottom of the club rests squarely on the ground. From this
position, slightly bend your knees like you are about to sit on a
chair.
To get a feel of what I mean, practice leaning forward from the
waist so your arms hang straight down in front of you - remember to
keep your back straight, don't hunch over. From this position add some
knee flex. (This is where you grab your 5-iron to judge how much lean
and knee flex you need when addressing the ball.) In your golf swing,
as you swing back and through the ball, it's critical that you try to
maintain this position (spine angle) during the golf swing.
When you hear golf announcers on TV talking about how tour players
retain their spine angle through impact, they are commenting on how
these players are returning the club to the same position they started
with at address. This is why it is so important to start with a good
set-up, proper alignment and proper ball position.
Do you have a current handicap index? Do you really know your game?
How far do you hit each club? What are your tendencies? What distracts
you on the course? To improve your golf game, you must know yourself
and your game to a greater degree. What do you do well, what could you
do better, and what are your strengths?
When I give a lesson for the first time to a new student, I ask
them to rate their game. How do they feel about the different shots? We
can then make a game improvement plan from those answers.
Take a few moments and assess your own game: On a scale of 1-10 (10
being excellent, 1 being poor), rate how you feel about your:
Putting _____
Chipping _____
Pitching _____
Greenside bunkers _____
Fairway bunkers _____
Short irons _____
Longer irons/hybrids _____
Fairway woods _____
Driver _____
Uneven lies _____
Shot shaping* _____
Take a look at the lowest numbers. Improving in these areas will be
the best place to start with lessons/practice/improvement. Maintenance
of the higher rated numbers will be important as well for overall
improvement.
Remember: When rating your shots, it is how you feel about your shotmaking, not the opinion of others about your game!
Buy a small notebook that you can keep in your golf bag. This will
be your personal golf journal with knowledge written down about you and
your game. One of the most common comments I hear from students is "I
forgot." If you write it down and look at it, it will help in storing
it in the memory bank of your brain.
How far do you hit each club?
If you are a relatively new golfer, just start noticing the
approximate distances your clubs go. If you are a lower handicap
player, you'll want to be more precise with this knowledge. You want to
know how far you hit the ball with each club, both in the air and on
the ground. Learn these distances with just three clubs.
Measure your 9 iron, 6 iron, and a fairway wood or hybrid when the
wind is calm. You'll be able to measure the other clubs off the
knowledge of these three. How far your approach clubs land (vs. where
they roll out) is really important in determining what club to select.
For example, if the pin is at 100 yards and is placed 10 yards from the
front of the green, your 85 yard on-the-fly club will not land on the
green but rather 5 yards in front of the green. Is the front of the
green wet? Is it hard in front of the green? Would the ball roll more
or less when it lands in front of the green?
To learn more about your distances, hit 10 balls with the same club
to the same target and see if 8 out of 10 balls went + 5-10 yards of
each other in distance. This knowledge will help tremendously in your
club selection when playing. Write it down. Know your game, know your
abilities. "This is what I can do," should always be in the
forefront of your mind.
According to Time magazine, 20 million Americans practice yoga on a
regular basis, and this ancient tradition continues to be the
fastest-growing form of exercise in the world. This same trend is also
showing up on fairways. Professional and amateur golfers are embracing
yoga as a proven physical and mental regiment that benefits the golfer
- on and off the course.
Professional golfers such as Brad Faxon, Stewart Cink, Aaron
Baddley, Jonathan Kaye, J.L. Lewis, Ty Tryon, Andrew Magee, Gary
McCord, Gary Player, Julie Inkster, Betsy King and Jill McGill practice
yoga. Tom Lehman said that a lot of golfers on the PGA Tour swear by
yoga.
Why yoga and golf? Flexibility, strength, balance, conditioning in
the core of the body and quieting an overactive mind are all necessary
to be a good golfer. Physical and mental exercises are an integral part
of the yoga sequence of exercises or poses. On the golf course, yoga
will enhance flexibility and strength to improve many components of the
golf swing. Shoulder turn, hip turn, extension, balance and increased
club head speed will be enhanced.
In addition, golfers experience greater power, control, mental
focus, reduced risk of injury and reduced recovery time when practicing
yoga. Golf is often referred to as a one-sided sport, meaning the golf
swing stresses one side of the body over the other. The repetitive
nature of the golf swing creates an imbalance in the muscular skeletal
system, but practicing yoga restores this imbalance.
Tension in the body and the mind is the No. 1 cause of swing flaws.
Any time we experience stress on the golf course -- during the first
shot, tight lye, double bogies or any shot that creates anxiety -- our
breathing becomes erratic. When we are under pressure, the
physiological effect of holding the breath is a "fight or flight
response," resulting in rapid uncontrolled breathing and a loss of
blood flow to the extremities, including the brain. Physically,
breathing sustains the metabolic processes of the body. Mentally,
breathing keeps the mind calm and focused. When the body is relaxed,
the lungs, the diaphragm and the muscles of the rib cage and the chest
move in an unrestricted way.
Breathing awareness is the most important component of the practice
of yoga. An effective tool for decreasing stress while on the golf
course is the practice of slow deep-rhythmic breathing. Your breathing
pattern is a direct reflection of the level of stress on the body and
mind at any given point and is a mirror of your internal physical and
mental condition.
Mastering yoga breathing techniques gives you more "feel" in your
putting and tempo in your swing. Yoga incorporates the mind and body
into a complete comprehensive workout, offering a unique approach to
golf fitness.
The following poses provide you with a basic yoga practice
specifically designed for golf performance. Inhale and exhale through
the nose for 10 to 15 breaths per pose. It is acceptable to feel slight
discomfort as the muscles stretch, but you should never experience
pain.
These basic Yoga for Golfers exercises address flexibility in the
hands and wrists as well as the muscles of the spine. The modified
cobra pose will increase strength in the back. Practice these poses
three days a week in order to increase range of motion in the torso and
to reduce the risk of injury in the golf swing. This warm-up sequence
is also beneficial as a flexibility routine before beginning a round.
Golf benefits of these Yoga for Golfers poses:
Strengthens back muscles, shoulder turn and supports core strength.
Increases your ability to keep the spine straight throughout the golf swing.
Reduces back fatigue.
Increases club head speed, extension and power.
Cat/cow pose
Place your hands directly under your shoulders, spreading your
fingers wide apart and pressing your entire palm into the floor. Press
the tops of your feet into the floor, creating more flexibility in the
feet and supporting more push-off power in your swing. Inhale, drawing
your navel toward the spine, with your spine toward the ceiling and
chin into the chest. Exhale, pressing your spine toward the floor,
rolling your shoulders away from the ears and gently lifting your head.
Do not hyperextend your neck. Slowly repeat 10 times.
Dynamic eagle twist
Lie on your back, with knees bent. Allow your legs to fall to the
right. Inhale and bring your left hand to meet your right hand,
allowing your left shoulder to come off the floor. Exhale and bring
your left arm back, perpendicular to the body. Continue for five to
seven breaths and switch sides.
Modified cobra
Lie on your stomach and place your hands just below the chest,
fingers pointing forward. Be sure your elbows are directly next to the
body (like a cricket). Inner ankles should be touching with your legs
pressed together. Inhale, engage the buttocks, tailbone presses down
and begins to telescope the rib cage forward. Keeping the legs on the
floor, exhale, slightly lifting the chest off the floor. Hold for five
breaths.
Modified down dog
Begin on all fours with your hands on the top of the mat. Spread
your fingers with your entire palm flat. Inhale as your shoulders move
away from your ears. Forearms remain off the mat. Exhale and begin to
move your buttocks toward the back of the mat. Note: Your buttocks
should not touch your heels, and a 90-degree angle should be maintained
at the knee joints.
Katherine Roberts is a nationally recognized writer and presenter
on golf fitness and the founder of Yoga for Golfers.Because Your Body
Doesn't Get A Mulligan! She is a contributor to The Golf Channel.
Katherine's unique mind-body approach to golf fitness is available
through her DVDs, workshops, retreats or videos online at
yogaforgolfers.com. E-mail Katherine with questions or comments at
katherine@yogaforgolfers.com or call (888) 313-YOGA.
GolfInstruction.com readers are invited to receive a 25%
introductory discount on all Yoga Fitness products. Visit
www.yogaforgolfers.com and enter the code PR25 in the mailer code to
receive your automatic discount.
It's important to understand that a good golf swing starts with
good fundamentals at address; the proper grip, posture and alignment
lead to well-hit golf shots.
Good players constantly work on these fundamentals in order to play
at a high skill level. The following information will help all golfers
improve in this area:
Golf swing fundamentals: Grip
Your grip controls the angle of the clubface at impact, which
determines a shot's direction, or curvature. For example, if the ball
tends to slice (curve to the right), the clubface is open upon impact.
This is likely caused because your grip is too weak (your hands are
rotated too far to the left on the grip). If your ball tends to hook
(curve to the left), the clubface is closed upon impact, probably
because your grip is too strong (your hands are rotated too far to the
right on the grip). The proper grip allows you to square the club face
upon impact with the ball.
Generally speaking, if your ball is slicing to the right you should
turn your hands to the right on the grip. Conversely, if your ball is
hooking to the left, you should turn your hands to the left on the
grip. Golfers' should establish a grip that works best for them, one
that minimizes a shot's curvature and maximizes consistent results.
Golf swing fundamentals: Posture
Good posture encompasses the stance, spine angle and distance from the ball at address.
Stance, at the address position: For full shots with woods, long
and middle irons, your feet should be as far apart as the outside of
your shoulders. For short irons, chips and pitches, you should move
your feet closer together. The shorter the shot, the closer together
your feet should be.
Spine Angle: This relates to the forward bend of the upper body
toward the ball. Bend from the hips (as if you were about to sit down
in a chair) sticking out your butt and pushing out your chest. Slightly
flex your knees to place the club head behind the ball. Your weight
should be centered over the ball.
The key to a good golf swing is to maintain this spine angle throughout the swing.
Distance from the ball at address: Most golfers reach out too far
for the ball or are too close to the ball at address. Let the arms hang
down from the shoulders (a good rule of thumb is to have your hands
directly under your chin at the address position). This helps set up
and maintain good posture throughout the swing.
Golf swing fundamentals: Alignment
Alignment begins with setting a target line. Start by setting the
club face behind the ball so the face is square to the target. From
here, place the feet, shoulders and hips parallel to the target,
creating a target line.
An example would be the two rails of a railroad track, the outer
track is the target line and the inside track is the body line. The
lines (tracks) both need to be lined up to the target for consistent
ball striking.
Remember the proper grip, posture and alignment set-up are the foundation of a good golf swing
There are times when you have to play a lob shot to get the ball
near your target, (playing over bunkers, water or when the pin is on a
tier or on the front edge of the green). If you want to improve your
game, you've got to be good at this shot.
To play a lob shot - the kind you see the pros play on TV - practice the following tips and see your game improve:
Improving your stance
Take a wider stance than normal with your feet slightly open. Next,
lower your body by bending from the knees (like you're sitting down).
Then, lower your hands a little from your normal grip position
Setup for lob shots
First, open the clubface so you are aiming to the right of your
target, then adjust your feet, shoulders, hips until they all point in
the same direction, to the left of your target.
The ball should be played forward - opposite your front foot - with
the grip of your golf club pointing toward your belt buckle. This keeps
the hands behind the ball, where they help keep the clubface open upon
impact. .
The swing
The lob requires an outside-in swing, which is why you have to
set-up with an open stance. As you start your backswing, cock your
wrists early and aggressively rotate your hips and your shoulders, but
keep your lower-body action to a minimum.
The key is to make sure your swing is from outside in as you hit
the ball creating a motion where the toe of the clubhead never turns
over the heel. In other words, do not allow the hands to rotate during
the swing.
You want to feel as though your right hand is throwing the ball high in the air, at the target.
Practice these tips and see your scores improve.
Don't miss out, learn more: Bruce Romberg , Ronald Bruce Romberg , Ronald Bruce Romberg
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