How many can you get right?

 QUESTIONS

1.If you want to hit the ball straight should you keep the clubface square to your target as long as possible?

2.. Should your impact alignment be the same as your address alignment.

3. Should your golf swing be a pushing or a pulling motion?

4. Should you lift the ball of the grass or hit  the ball on a downward arc when playing an iron shot?

Answers

General guideline and playing a standard shot.

1. WRONG. Your golf swing is on an inclined plane, eg think of a sloping roof, you stand to the side of the ball and your club moves on an arc . So after you strike the ball the club will travel on a path to the left of your target line. Here is a great example.

 BEN HOGAN      Showing how he has not tried to keep the clubface going down the target line, the club is staying on plane, MOVING INWARDS AND UPWARDS ON AN ARC AFTER IMPACT.

2. ANSWER  NO

Most golfers try to get their impact alignments the same as their set up alignment.

How it should look 

SET UP                        IMPACT   Lower body has moved to target, hands, arms and clubshaft moved forward, shaft is leaning forwards. 

3. ANSWER. A pulling motion, not a pushing motion.

Pulling forces transport the angles created during the backswing, the golf club will align itself and follows the direction of a pulling force.

Pushing forces the club to release the angles created prematurely, this is why most amateurs get back to their set up at impact and lose power and accuracy, they throw they club at the ball.

4. I ask all my beginners this question and around nine out of ten say lift the ball. WRONG Strike the ball on a downward arc for your irons.

So they start their golfing life thinking they must lift the ball into the air, they scoop , they throw the club to try and get the club to lift the ball!

Learn that you need to compress the ball, let the loft of the club get the ball in the air, have a forward leaning shaft at impact, the lowest point of your swing is AFTER the ball with your irons, not before.

So how many did you get right? 

I had heard that Tiger was going to leave Haney, but although the news has a different twist, a reversal of what we thought would happen, the end result is the same.

With all the upheaval in the last several months regarding Tiger, and even though he has not played or practiced that much at all, we all realised that the way Tiger was swinging the club it was not going well.

His last round at the Masters was amazing, he was all over the course, but his recovery powers were truly incredible,  he turned a probable 77 into a 69, his desire kept him up there.

But you cannot keep fighting your swing every round, you might get away with it a few times, but at the level of the PGA tour you will come up short.

He has gone from winning the US OPEN by 15 shots in 2000 and holding all four majors in one year, to fighting his swing and digging deep to finish in the top four.

Let me say that Tiger won several majors with Hank Haney, as he did with Butch Harmon, but sometimes a particular pattern of swing suits you more, and Tiger is so talented he can make almost anything work and be successful!

I believe he has his next swing coach in the wings, his name is Sean Foley, he is Canadian, works with Sean O`Hair, Hunter Mahan, and just recently our own Justin Rose has joined up. Tiger could work with anyone and be really good, we all know that, he must know by now what swing works best for him, he needs to clear his mind and refocus on getting HIS best swing back, not trying to model a way of swinging onto him.

What I see is Tiger fighting the swing, losing more distance, playing a lot of fades, in order to keep his ball in play, that is not the Tiger we saw earlier in his career, he was free flowing, attacking, I believe he is the greatest golfer in the history of the game, even though he is behind Nicklaus in the majors, he has played the most amazing golf shots throughout his career, shots that other players can only dream of, plus he has an incredible will to win, amazing fitness levels, an intimidation factor that was there for all to see, and if you were in the last group with Tiger you were going to lose! That is not the case right now.

I look on with great interest, to see what is going to happen next, I really hope we see Tiger back to his supreme best, there is a lot of work to do, with his divorce, his fitness, his swing, there are a lot of things against him, most of which he brought on himself,   but if anyone can do it he can, and if he does it will be a lot of fun to watch. Tiger we want you back to your best, we want the REAL TIGER back.

How many times have I heard this, a student wants to improve their golf swing but is frightened of making any changes.

Well it is quite normal to dislike change in our lives anyway, but if you are not succeding in what you do in your life, you had better start looking to change some things.

It is the same in golf.

What I would be very careful of is making wholesale changes to your golf swing all at once, in a desire to get things right.

 Even if the student has several areas that need improvement, I make sure I know which areas to work on first, and I do not want my students to be overloaded and weighed down with lots of technique, that will only stall our progress.  

I need to plan what to change , when to change, and feed these changes into their golf swing over a period of time.

Can a student do this on their own?

Are you kidding, NO WAY.

You will need help from an expert, a PGA professional who has been recommended to you, or go online and look in your area and see what golf professionals are out there, check out their website, get a feel for their enthusiasm, what  training have they done, their experience. Give them a call, tell them what you want from them.

They will be happy to help you.

When a student comes to me , I always ask them two things.

1. What are you doing at the moment to improve your golf?

2. What is the most important thing to you about your golf?

This gives me exactly what I need to know, what they are doing now, and what really matters to them in their golf game.  

When working with a new student who wants to really improve I  make sure I really understand their swing, their pattern of movement, how this effects their ball flight, and what corrections need to be implemented.

They need to be made aware that they need time to implement some changes and they may feel a bit awkward, this is perfectly normal.

How can you change something in your swing and have it still feeling the same!

The real key here to improvement is only working on a couple of things at once, sticking with them, being patient, making sure the student REALLY understands that, and that you are a team and working to a  plan.

For example.

It could be posture, maybe the student cannot turn because their posture will not allow it, or maybe they have a misconception about how to move in their swing, which is creating the problem.

So I look at the core issue that is making this golfer inconsistent and work from there.

This approach of being a team and working to a plan will create the right learning environment for the student and the coach.

It breeds confidence because the student knows exactly what to do, and why it effects the flight of the ball.

When your student has clear precise targets to aim at it really helps their focus, they are not distracted by their golfing buddies offering tips on every swing, they know their swing, they know how to improve it.

The results will be rewarding. 

Sticking at changing a old habit to a new one  is very hard, you need huge discipline , it involves several thousand correct repetitions of the one specific move you are working on, and that takes several weeks of intense effort, it is the same as getting fit by going to the gym, you must do it regularly to reap the rewards.

Here is an example, if you can do one hundred correct repetitions every day for one week= 700

Repeat for four weeks = 2,800 reps you will start to really own that movement, not having to think it through. It can take between 3-5 thousand repetitions to OWN the new move 

So you can see that when you go to the range and hit 100 balls with the intention  of improving your swing  the results will be poor, because you are not creating the new pathway in your swing, you might be “thinking the new move” but you cannot make a swing change and hit balls swinging at full speed and do it correctly. 

You cannot change a motor skill that quickly, you have to learn new pathways and build up a new pattern, which takes time, dedication and focus.

I give my students a blueprint of what they need to do technically and give them the required amount of repetitions so they can achieve their goal. Do the new movement at a very slow pace, feel and see that it is correct every time.

Success  Regime

1. Slow motion moves only.
2. Every practice session do at least 100 reps.
3. Continue this routine every day for 4 weeks. 

You have the information, why not start right now  and really IMPROVE?

Make 2010 your year !

I thought it would be really helpful to write down my top ten suggestions for improving your golf.

If you are not doing anything to improve your golf at the moment, these suggestions are a must!

If you are wondering why your golf is not improving ask yourself how many of these are you doing!

TOP TEN SUGGESTIONS

1.  Ask yourself what do you want to achieve with your golf?

2.  Consult a PGA golf professional.

3.  Form a plan of action with your chosen PGA professional and set some goals. 

4. Have your swing filmed by your PGA professional at the beginning to provide a reference point, so you know where you are right now. No guesswork involved, as feel can be very misleading.

5  Stick to the plan that your professional and you have implemented, and be patient.

6  Spend  some time practicing in front of a mirror, to develop your feel and rehearse your swing in slow motion.

7 Work on your putting and short game.

8 Make sure you understand how important  the mind game is to your improvement, and start working on it.

9 Start working on your mobility and fitness

10 Enjoy the journey you are about to begin.

If you implement these top ten suggestions you will really start developing your game to a higher level.

David Bown PGA AA Golf Professional

Authorised Golfing Machine Instructor

contact david@bowngolf.com

07973746872

To view my website. www.bowngolf.com

Youtube channel Bowngolf

I say to my clients, you are successful at what you do, what if you were at work and you had a strategy for your business and it kept failing, would you keep repeating it over and over hoping that one day things will improve ?  Of course not, you would be sacked, fired or go bankrupt !    YOU WOULD MAKE CHANGES.

So why do golfers keep making the same mistakes over and over and over?  Please let me know!

Your SWING MAP improvement guide will help you get focused on what you really need to do.

Which is to learn what is important to your golf swing, what makes it really work, not what looks pretty, or is the latest fad or trend in the golf industry, do not waste your precious time and energies on something that will not get you the results you want. 

Let me say that there is no one method that will suit every golfer on this planet, trust me if there was I would be telling you!

We are all unique individuals, some are tall, short, thin, fat, stiff, flexible, balanced, unbalanced, coordinated, uncoordinated, some have great body awareness and control, some do not.

So here are crucial key points you need to get right. You can all do this, which means you can all change and improve.

1. Good Posture.
   What is good posture? You need balance, good angles and good alignments. straight back, not curved, chest out, arms hanging relaxed. Very few people I see come to me with good posture.                             
2. Correct Pivot.
   How your body moves back and through and in the correct sequence.You must understand that how you start your swing, and how the downswing starts and in what sequence.  It is the key move, the most important thing in your swing. Hardly anyone gets this right, hence the struggle begins.
3. The Hands.
   They must be trained to behave and work correctly, most golfers overuse them to make up for pivot deficiencies.
   Simply put, they hinge up and down, they turn and roll, keeping the left wrist flat and right wrist bent.
   Again most golfers have no idea of what they should do with their hands during the swing.
4. Be On Plane
   Understand what it is and how to find your swing plane. Most golfers have heard of this but do not stick to the basic rules.

Most golfers do not improve because of lack of knowledge, once they grasp the key components they make swift progress, they get more confident, they play better, they enjoy the game.

This sounds really worrying, golfers do want to improve don’t they?

My aim is to help you sort out these issues and get you all playing better golf and having more FUN !

What I do in my coaching is first of all give my students , if they are beginners, is a blueprint of the key things they need to do, keep it simple, not too much information, it is so easy to overload with information, it can become  paralysis through analysis if the coach gives out too much info, especially if the coach is not as experienced and is trying too hard.

Less is more, it will pay off.

If I have a golfer who has played for many years and cannot make long term commitment to rebuilding their swing, guess what I don’t. Be realistic they cannot swing like Tiger Woods, so lets use what they have and work in such a way that we fix the key components and with these changes they will play better. You do not have to have a great looking swing to play better and lower your scores, you must understand what makes your swing work and then it’s maintainance, through correct understanding of your swing you can practice much more constructively.

You are not just hitting balls trying to find a swing, YOU KNOW YOUR SWING !

David Bown PGA AA Golf Professional

Authorised Golfing Machine Instructor

contact david@bowngolf.com

07973746872

To view my website. www.bowngolf.com

I was watching him practice at the BMW championship at Wentworth, and you can see the  hi -speed video I took.

Here is a player who has got a lot of confidence in his ability at the moment,  his all round game is very high, his driving is his strength, his putting has really improved and so has his short game.

What can you learn from Lee?

He is very precise with his set up and alignment,  has great rythm and balance and has worked very hard on his weaknesses which were his pitching, chipping and sand shots. Now these areas of his game are much improved, his consistency in his scoring has greatly improved as well, so when he hits the errant shot he can get up and down and  keep his score together, which breeds more confidence. 

Watching all these top players at Wentworth , it is such a small margin that divides the winners, the losers, the players that make the cut, and the ones that don’t, they all strike the ball so well on the range, it is how they play the game on the course that makes the difference . How do they cope with a bad swing, a bad bounce, wrong club selection, bad luck, the conditions of the course,  can they continue to play their game under pressure, how is their confidence, do they believe they can win, believe they can make that crucial putt, can they take the chance when it comes, have they got the inner strength to keep going. do they really believe in themselves?

My key points to improve  are.

1. Find a good Instructor
2. Video your swing and know your swing.
3. Know your weaknesses.
4. Have a plan to work on them.
5. Work on your mind game.

I will be talking about the things you need to understand and more importantly to execute, which will enable you to lower your scores consistently.

Also you can tell me what you want to know!

I have been a PGA professional since 1975 and in the coaching industry for over thirty years and it still amazes me that people are not getting better !

With all that digital video has to offer, the internet, the books that are written by the best players in the world telling you how to play, how they think or feel they do it, the coverage on tv and seeing the best players play the game.

Why are golfers handicaps not getting any lower ?

Any Ideas?

I have a few here we go.

1. Most golfers do not  know what to practice.
2. They just  want to hit it as hard as they can.
3. They have no awareness of where the club is in relation to their body.
4. They have no plan of action or blueprint.
5. They do not practice enough.
6. What they feel they are doing bears no relationship to what is really happening in their swing.

Here is Simon Khan playing a 3 metal at Walton Heath in the U.S. Open qualifier.

His shot went straight onto the green at a short par four of 275 yds, he two putted for a birdie.

Key points for you to see are how he starts the centre of his body moving, his core and chest, his arms go along for the ride , everything has moved in unison, his right side, his hip and chest all turn away very smoothly.

This is a great angle to see his transition from upswing into his start down.

You can clearly see like all top players his lower half starts moving back towards the target first, transferring his weight onto his left leg, this gives him a great platform and stability, so he can swing down in the correct sequence to create his maximum power.

His wrists respond to this move, the club is being pulled or dragged downwards on plane into impact . He has not used his wrists from the top , he has retained their energy and used the correct sequence of motion in his downswing, which is feet pushing into the ground, to give stability for his hips and thighs to do their work, which in turn starts to unwind the core and the chest , which pulls the arms downwards, so the arms and wrists can transfer their energy into the club at the right time.    

His swing is  smooth and unhurried, no wasted motion and very efficient and deceptively powerful, everything is working in the correct sequence, that is why it looks so smooth.

What can you learn.

1. Start your move of trunk arms and club away from the ball in unison.
2. Let your right hip and shoulder turn, keeping your right leg in its flex.
3. Unwind in the correct sequence into the downswing, learn to use your powerhouse , your body, not your arms and wrists.