Golf Instruction
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Sunday, May 1, 2005 Drive With Control & PowerSerious advice and drills for big, big hits Each of my students completes a pre-instruction questionnaire,
indicating wants, needs and goals. I’ve used this questionnaire for 20
years, and easily the most oft-noted goal is “more distance with more
control.” Many of these golfers own sound fundamentals, solid iron
swings and good short games, but nonetheless lack the skill to
consistently produce pure and powerful drives. In your own attempts to
improve, does it seem like the harder you try to gain distance, the
worse it gets? Trust me, you’re not alone. I’m confident that learning
from four typical driving faults and comparing those to the moves of
golfers who hit it forever with a seemingly effortless flow of motion
will help you do the same. |
Sunday, May 1, 2005 Five Strategies For Lower ScoresChange your game without changing your swing There’s little doubt that proper swing fundamentals and short-game techniques are important parts of a consistent golf game. Good golf, however, isn’t purely about perfect mechanics; it’s also largely about strategy. Fortunately, there are several key strategies anyone can easily utilize to produce lower scores. Better yet, using your smarts is a lot easier than trying to create a fundamentally perfect backswing or impact position. In this regard, the title of this story holds true—you can score better without changing your swing. |
Monday, February 14, 2005 Red-Letter DaysUse the alphabet to groove a solid, power-rich, accurate swing Good days and not-so-good days on the course are part of golf, creating the personal challenge avid players crave. For most golfers, good rounds are those defined by solid ballstriking with ideal direction, distance and trajectory. It’s these special red-letter days—the days when golf seems effortless—that every golfer wants more often. |
Monday, February 14, 2005 Bermuda Blues If you’re planning a golf vacation this winter, be prepared to face a course element common to most tracks in Hawaii, Arizona and Florida: Bermuda grass. If you’re not accustomed to playing on this type of turf, you may be surprised at how it can affect your game, both on the fairway and the putting surface. |
Monday, February 14, 2005 Three Needs For Speed Like a high-performance engine that stalls when it leaks oil, water or fuel, a golf swing comes to an idling stop when the potential energy created in the backswing is emptied well before impact. Here are three tips to help keep power from leaking out of your game and also add horsepower to your motion. |
Monday, November 1, 2004 Straight Arms After Impact There’s only one time during the swing when both arms are straight, and that’s just after impact. It’s a key checkpoint that you can use to determine the quality of your swing, since fully extended arms following contact signify that your arms and body are in sync. |
Monday, November 1, 2004 Three Speeds For Less Three-Putts Most recreational golfers don’t spend as much time on the practice putting green as they should, and when they do make the effort to roll a few balls for improvement’s sake, it’s usually done without purpose. Practice is most effective when you have a specific focus or goal and it’s the only method to truly improve your putting technique—and to easily drop a few strokes per round. The following Three-Speed Drill is a purposeful method for doing just that by involving four key areas of successful putting: green reading, concentration, speed control and accuracy. |
Monday, November 1, 2004 Greenside Magic25 Best Short-Game Tips Ever! If you think back to your last good round of golf, odds are you’ll envision a number of solid drives and approach shots. We bet you’ll also remember making a few excellent par saves or maybe draining a birdie putt or two you normally would have no business making. And if you recount your last poor round of golf, it’s likely you’ll conjure images of errant drives and sloppy iron shots, combined with recovery attempts that failed to get you on the green and into the hole. For low scores, the short game is key. |
Sunday, August 1, 2004 Swing Extremes: Impact Position All good players have one position in the golf swing that’s similar despite their very different-looking swings. This position is impact. Good players retain their wrist-cock through the hitting area so that their left wrist is bowed and the right wrist is flexed (for right-handed golfers), and both hands are slightly in front of the golf ball at the strike. |
Sunday, August 1, 2004 Pull The TriggerGreat swings begin with great starts Many of my new students ask me about how to correctly initiate the golf swing. They want to know what trigger will allow them to start their motions smoothly and on the correct path. This common question comes from those who suffer from a condition that plagues everyone, from novices to touring professionals. I like to call it “paralysis by analysis.” |
Sunday, August 1, 2004 Right Vs. Right On!Is your swing a slice swing or a solid swing? Here we go again. Yes, another “fix your slice” feature, which says a lot about the banana ball—it’s not going away. For some golfers, that left-to-right ballflight never seems to disappear, and for those new to the game, it represents the first true taste of golf-related frustration. While I’m sure you’ve heard your fair share of anti-slice tips, this story approaches fixing a slice in unique fashion. Position by position, I’ll compare the components of a solid swing to those typically associated with a slice, plus a corresponding fix. |
