Month: December 2004

Especially worthy for beginners, but helpful for review by those that play often, the etiquette of golf is an important topic. The last day of a six week “Golf 1” course I took at my local course a while back involved going on the course for the first time as a class. Before that, however, we all sat down and were shown a short golf etiquette film. Admittedly, a lot of what was shown was common sense, but worthwhile none the less. A great primer of golf etiquette is here. Do yourself and others a favor and take a refresher course.

Golfers who get elaborate in their swings usually aren’t consistent. The true golf swing is a very simple affair when you’re playing well: you swing the club back, you swing the club through, and the ball goes where you’d like.

People often worry about their weight shift. A weight shift gets complex when the head starts moving about – that’s more of a slide than a shift, and it causes consistency problems.

The next time you’re on the range, try to keep your head absolutely still. I like to imagine a giant rod going down the back of my head, through my spine, and into the ground. I turn around this giant rod – my left shoulder working under, my right shoulder working around the top. I have no choice but to maintain both my spine angle and position through impact!

In reality, the best pros move their heads and their spines a little, but far more than the average amateur golfer thinks is necessary. Stick a giant rod through your spine next time and see how your consistency improves.

The Rules of Golf allow you to carry up to fourteen clubs. There’s no law that says the clubs must be comprised of a 1, 3, and 5-wood, 3I-SW, and a putter. First of all, that’s only thirteen clubs. Second of all: choose a set that best fits you!

In choosing a set, you want to consider a few things. First, you need a putter. You’re down to 13 clubs. Are you good? Consider going with four wedges. Just starting out? Consider going with the stock two or three. Not very strong off the tee? Why carry a driver or a 3I?

Consider alternative clubs. If you have trouble hitting a 3I, or want a club with more loft, look into one of the utility clubs now available. With players like Vijay Singh carrying high-lofted “woods” these days, that 9-wood in your bag can’t even take down your macho level!

We could get into much more depth than this (and we may in coming days), but today’s tip is simple: take a look at your set makeup and see where you might make some changes.

Today’s tip will be a short one on grip pressure. Here it is: experiment!

One tour player found that to hit a fade, he merely had to grip the club tighter in the pinkie and ring finger of his left hand. Another found that the looser his right hand held on to the club, the more solidly he struck the ball. Your grip pressure should never be so tight that the pressure or tension goes into your arms and shoulders – but you will want to grip the club firmly enough to counter nearly 100 pounds of force, too.

The pros hit the ball unbelievably low. They “cover” the ball with their chest (and clubface) through impact. They do this by keeping the left arm against the body and moving their chest through impact: the arms “tag along” and the wrists snap at impact, resulting in a “pinch” and a low, boring trajectory with a lot of spin.

We’ve all seen Vijay Singh hitting balls with a glove tucked into his left armpit. He does this to help him keep his arm “attached” to his body. If his left arm moves away from his body, the glove falls out. Chris DiMarco, as part of his pre-shot routine, folds his sleeve into his left armpit to force the same swing thought (his is course legal; Vijay’s is not).

If you’re having trouble keeping that arm attached, try sticking a glove in your left armpit – and keeping it there – throughout the swing.