An odd tip or two

Don't know if this would help anyone, but just wanted to share something that has been really helping me lately with ballstriking. I've found that I get much better shots if, while addressing the ball, I attempt to stretch my hands down towards the ground before I set anything else. I think it helps to get my elbows straight (obviously the left should stay that way), keeps my hands from getting too far away from my body, and also fights a tendency I have to shrug up my shoulders at address.

At the same time I am really trying to keep my chest and upper arms very "solid." IIRC Hogan said that he felt that someone would have to use a prybar to get his upper arms away from his chest. It really does feel like a solid triangle between my shoulders and my hands during the takeaway. If you have ever done ballroom dancing it reminds me of a really solid "dance frame" where you want to be strong through your trunk but soft in your hands. Yeah, go ahead make fun of ballroom dancing, but I won my wife over with a spontaneous foxtrot.

Of course, your results may vary.
greg

That is somewhat conflicting with pro tips I've seen that suggest allowing your arms to dangle with gravity (releasing any muscle tenseness) but if you find it works for you and you are more confident (real important) with that stretching technique, I say go for it.

I think many parts of the golf swing are matters or personal preference and are highly variable, but I think the quoted sentence above is a necessary feature of all good golf swings. If the shoulders and arms get out of sync, there's little chance of saving the swing. They need to move as a solid unit as you said.

-Andrew

I have the same tendency. for me its mostly in short chips/pitches and putting.

If you have found a way that works for you, I say go for it.