Hints & tips
--provided by Mr Handicapper
These tips are based on the Paul Wilson method. Paul Wilson is the pro at
the Bear's Best Las Vegas course and the lead trainer at
Revolution Golf, an online source of coaching tips. He is the developer of the “revolutionary
Swing Machine Golf Instructor”.
The tips are Mr Handicapper's summation of Mr Wilson's recommendations, and
cover areas such as Putting, Chipping and Fixing Common Problems.
The set up & swing
NB: Throughout the following I shall use the terms “front foot/leg” and
“back foot/leg”, with the “front foot/leg” being the one closest to the
target.
The basic premise of these tips is that to get more distance you should use
your body to generate power (torque), rather than your arms. This may sound
weird but hang in there.
The 4 Basics
1. The Grip
The purpose of this grip is to make the left hand relatively weak, so that
you are less likely to use your arms in the swing.
Grip the club with your left hand, thumb to the right of centre, to the
point where you can see the first two knuckles of the left hand. Lay the
club across your right hand so that the shaft is in your fingers, NOT your
palm. Place the right thumb to cover the left thumb, so that the left thumb
nestles into the fleshy part under the right thumb. The thumb and first
finger of both hands should form Vs which point towards your right shoulder.
Straighten your arms and turn your forearms inwards. Try to be relaxed!!
2. Your Weight
Get up from the computer. Take your normal stance and turn your belt buckle
and shoulders away from the target, as far as you can. As you complete this
you will notice that your weight has moved to the outside of your back foot.
This is normal. But here is the trick: it needs to be the inside of your
back foot. It is this opposing force that generates the torque.
As you take the club head back your weight should be on the inside of your
back foot. Make sure your weight is on the inside of the back foot by
turning your back knee in a little to exaggerate it. Note: There will be a
tendency to sway back. Try to stay upright and steady. Keeping your eye on
the ball will help in this respect.
3. The Takeaway
Holding the club with your normal stance, turn your belt buckle and
shoulders away from the target 45 degrees, or as far as you can. Let your
arms drag the club head back. You should be able to feel the drag. There
should be a noticeable delay between the moment you start to turn your belt
buckle and the club head starts to come back. If you can’t feel the delay
and drag it means you are still using your arms to take the club head back.
4. The Swing
To trigger the down swing, turn your belt buckle back to face the ball. The
critical thing is that the down swing starts after the trigger. There should
be the drag and delay mentioned previously. The down swing starts, not
because your arms are bringing the club down, but because the turning of
your middle and lower body brings the club down. Think: “body — then the
club”.
As the club head goes through impact your front leg should straighten and
your weight should be transferred from the inside of your back foot, to the
front foot, in a spring-like motion.
The Complete Process
Grip the club as described. Take your stance. Feel your weight on the inside
of your back foot. Turn your back knee in a little to exaggerate it. To
start the take away, turn your belt buckle away from the target. Feel the
delay and drag as the club head comes back. To kick start the downswing,
turn your belt buckle back towards the ball. Again feel the delay (called
“lag” in golf parlance) and drag. As the club head goes through impact your
front leg should straighten and your weight should be transferred from the
inside of your back foot, to the front foot.
Your body should be relatively still during this process, ie. you are not
leaning towards or away from the target.
“All very well for you to say”, I hear you thinking, and you are correct.
Breaking the habits ingrained over a long period will not be easy. You are
thinking — put the weight inside of the back foot – kick start by turning
the belt buckle – turn the belt buckle back toward the ball – through impact
transfer weight to the front foot – keep still – #@%*! – I took my eye off
the ball!!
Introduce this process slowly. It is more important that you be relaxed
during your swing than anything else.
To start with concentrate on just two things: (1) your weight on the inside
of your back foot; and (2) turning your belt buckle away from the target to
kick-start the backswing. You must feel the delay and drag. And always
remember to keep your eye on the ball.
Warm up and swing drills
Following are some pre-swing drills that may help.
Touch the knee Drill 1
With your weight on the inside of your back foot, turn your belt buckle away
from the target. Then turn your belt buckle around to face the target using
a circular motion. During this process your front leg should lock, and the
back knee should touch the front knee. Think of holding a piece of paper
between your knees. You should be able to feel the weight moving from your
back leg to touch your front leg.
You don’t need a club for this drill. Do it at home. Do it shopping with
your wife. Your wife may refer you to a psychiatrist but do it there anyway.
Touch the knee Drill 2
Practice, without a ball, swinging through the air about a foot above the
ground. Have your weight on the inside of your back foot and kick start the
take away by turning your belt buckle away from the target. Kick start the
down swing by concentrating on bringing the back knee around to touch the
front knee. Your back foot should come up about 4-6 inches. It is a good pre
shot drill.
With these “Touch your knees Drills”, I use them all the time. But at this
stage, because I am concentrating on the 2 major things, it rarely happens
automatically. It is interesting to note that when you actually do hit a
cracker, that is how you end up: with both knees touching and your back foot
off the ground, looking just like a real golfer. I think it is a long
process.
Club across the shoulders Drill
Place a club across your shoulders. Keeping the club horizontal, move the
club around from right to left, as if you were taking a shot. Think
“circular motion”. Think “coiling” at the shoulders, “uncoiling” at the
waist. Keep the body straight and the club horizontal. Do not bend and move
the club up and down.
Other Swing Tips
Aiming at the Target
Standing behind the ball, check the line (direction) you want the ball to
go. Pick out an intermediate target (3-5 feet) in front of the ball. Go to a
position 90 degrees along that line and place the club face behind the ball.
The Stance
The stance should not be too wide. Basically, the feet are just outside the
line of the shoulders. Arms should be fully extended. Wrists should be
loose. Bend knees - stick backside out – straighten chest – turn your back
leg in slightly to make sure your weight is on the inside of your right
foot. Try to be — and stay — relaxed. That’s it!
How far back?
Most people take the club head back further than they need because they are
looking for power. A good basic rule is that you should not take the driver
back further than parallel to the ground. As age wearies us we are less able
to turn 90 degrees. Thus, for most of us, the club will be less than
parallel at the top of the back swing. Just exactly how far back you take
the club is your decision. But less than parallel is better than more than
parallel. NB: As you move through your clubs, the higher the club number,
the less than parallel the back swing.
Chipping and Pitching
What is the difference?
The object of the chip is to land the
ball just on the green and have it run up to the pin.
The goal of the pitch is to land the ball close to the
pin with back spin so it pulls up close to where it lands.
Which is best?
It depends on the circumstances. If you have a bunker
or some other impediment in front of you it may be best to pitch. If
not, in my opinion, the chip is the easier shot. Deploying the chip your
club options range from the 7 iron through to a sand wedge, depending on
the distance from the edge of the green to the pin.
The pitch requires a high lofted club, 56° or 60°, which for me always
spells trouble. And to impart the back spin, I am told, as well as
hitting the ball correctly, one must be using a high quality ball such
as a Titleist Pro V1. Sadly, the balls we
generally use are not conducive to imparting spin.
Chipping
Grip and Stance
A primary cause of misplayed chips is players' hitting the centre of the
ball with the leading edge of the club, causing it to shoot across the green
and (mostly) lodge itself in the nearest bunker. Try this:–
- Take your stance with the big toe on your back foot in line with the ball.
- Move your left foot one step towards the hole.
- Turn your back foot slightly out. This helps to have the club head come through cleanly.
- Grip the club so that you can look down and see 3 or 4 knuckles on the left hand (effectively gripping the club on the side).
- Grip down the club and bend your knees at the same time.
- Place the club face behind the ball, and move the top of the club across to your left hip.
- Your weight should be 70% on your front leg, and stay there during the shot.
- Take the club back and up, and then accelerate through the ball. Don’t bend
the wrists.
Which club?
Many people chip to the green using the same one or two clubs, the pitching
wedge and/or the sand wedge. To use this method successfully you need to
take the club head further back in your swing as the distance to the flag
increases. In effect, you are guessing how far to take the club head back.
Another way is to take the club head back the same distance every time, but
use the full range of clubs to get the ball to the flag. The aim is to land
the ball one foot in from the edge of the green for every chip, and let the
loft of the club take the ball to the flag. A 7 Iron is going to run a lot
further than a sand wedge.
Walk to the edge of the green and compare the distance from your ball to 1
foot onto the green, and the distance from 1 foot on the green to the flag.
Paul Wilson recommends a sand wedge where the ratio is 1:1 (50% fairway/50%
green). Other ratios are; 1:2 – pitching wedge; 1:3 – 9 iron; 1:4 – 8 iron;
1:5 – 7 iron.
You will need to take into account the speed and the slope of the greens
when selecting which club to use, but the ratios are a good starting point.
Special Note from Mr Handicapper: When I started following this advice I
found myself continually short. The reason is that the ratios come from a
Pro well-used to the fast greens that Pros play on. Often our greens are much
slower. So choose a club lower than you think you should use, eg. a 9 iron
rather than the pitching wedge (1:2 ratio), and work from there. It may
require two clubs lower.
Pitching
The following pointers are from Martin Hall, another of the trainers at Revolution Golf.
-
The set up is normal with the feet not too far apart and the ball in the centre of your stance.
-
Your chest should be turned a little towards the flag.
-
As Seve Ballesteros said, "A little lean keeps it clean." You should lean a little towards the flag. Take your top hand from the club and slide it down your leg closest to the target until the finger tips reach the top of your knee. That is the amount of lean you should have.
-
Taking the club back, as the club head passes your knee you should cock your wrists.
-
You need to remove any distractions. To do this Martin says that you should count 1-2-3; 1, with the 1-2-3 on the back swing and the final 1 as you bring the club down. Do a couple of practice swings with the 1-2-3; 1. In fact, Martin advises that you do this with all club swings.
-
The swing should be relaxed. Go with the flow. How far you take it back will be trial and error but you should let feel get involved. Your chest should end up facing the target.
-
Try to keep your eyes level and parallel (LAP). This is critical. Your eyes should be LAP, definitely not right eye down (code red). In fact a lot of players are left eye down, ever so slightly.
Putting
Target orientated
Most people are thinking too much about their stance, grip etc. Try this. On
the practice green (10-15 feet from the hole), throw a few balls underhand
towards the hole. You will be surprised at how close you get. Then practise
putting from the same point with your right hand only on the putter. When
you are out on the course, forget your left hand totally, and putt with the
right hand as if you were throwing the ball towards the target. The object
is to think less about the stance, grip, etc., and concentrate on the right
hand and the target.
The Grip
Whatever grip you use, both thumbs should be straight down the shaft, not
the sides. Place the club face before the ball. Touch your sides with your
arms and then bring your hands together. That is where the grip should be on
the shaft.
The Ball
The ball should be 3 ball widths (a gap of 2 ball widths) inside your left
instep, ie. forward of centre.
The Stance
Arms should NOT be straight as this tends to cause you to hit long. The
stance should be slightly open (no real rules here), but your shoulders
should be straight.
Putting Drill
When players take to the practice green before a match, they try to sink
balls. There is an argument that you really ought to be getting a feel for
the speed of the greens. Try the following drill. You can do this out of the
way of other players on the practice green. Take 3 balls. Hit the first one
1 metre. Then hit the second ball 1 metre past the first one, ie 2 metres.
Then hit the third 3 metres. Then repeat the process hitting 3, 4 and 5
metres, then 7, 8 and 9 metres, and so on. Then you can try and sink a few
putts.
Fixing Common Problems
Topping your fairway woods
If you have a bad tee shot, or your round is not going too well, you often
find that you are topping your fairway woods. It happens because you start
trying to hit the ball harder to make up the lost distance, and during this
process, taking your eye of the ball. SLOW DOWN YOUR SWING – a good piece of
advice when any part of your game is not travelling well.
Driving high right
The cause of this problem is that the club face is slightly turned out at
impact. Run through the Touch the Legs drill (mentioned earlier) a couple of
times, before your take your shot. Keep wrists loose.
Driver not working for you
Can happen at any time but usually, it is late in the round because you are
tired or because you are over thinking your game. Simply grip down the shaft
3 or 4 inches and take a ¾ swing. This will reduce the chance of an error.
You will be surprised at the distance you get. Once comfortable, move back
to your normal swing.
How to avoid slicing that drive off the 1st tee
You are at the first tee. You have had to rush a bit, have had little or no
time to warm up, and you want to hit a cracker of a first drive. How often
do you slice that first shot? How often does it set the tone for the rest of
the day?
The reason for the slice is that the club face is open at impact, and the
reason for that is because you are all locked up and tight. Try taking 5 –
10 practice swings where you turn your wrists over just after the club head
starts to come down.
Then forget all about that; go to the tee and tee off using your normal
swing. Hopefully the pre-swing exercise will have loosened your wrists up
and you won’t slice. The author provides no warranty as to the efficacy of
this tip. Also, there is no need to try and belt the cover off the ball on
that first shot.
Are you driving hard right or hard right with a fade?
Read this:
Driving your hips and body too hard
If you have been following the process described in our tips, or even if you
have not, you may find this helpful. If you find that lately you have been
topping shots or pushing the ball hard right or hard right with a fade, it
could be that, because you have become more confident with the elements of
the swing, you are turning your middle and lower body too fast, trying to
generate more club head speed, in an attempt to get more distance. You drive
your body forward, resulting in the club face being open at impact. Here are
three ways it could be happening.
Your body gets too far ahead of the ball and the shot goes right or right
with a fade, depending on how open the club face is.
Your left arm “disconnects”. At the point of impact you should be able to
feel the top of your left arm against your body, under the armpit. If the
left arm “disconnects” (known in golf parlance as a “chicken wing”) the
result, again, is that your body is too far ahead of the ball.
Because you are trying to hit the ball too hard, you start to “stand up”
coming through the swing, which can result in topping the ball or, if you do
connect, the club face will be open.
How can this be corrected?
If you have been using your arms to hit the ball, and are trying to change
to using your body to hit the ball, then it is not going to be easy to
master, and you have to be patient. So the first thing to do is SLOW DOWN.
The same advice applies to any method.
Practise the “Touch the Knee Drill 2”, described above, as much as you can,
particularly as a pre-shot drill. Because you are not actually hitting the
ball, you can concentrate on the feel – the weight on the inside of your
right foot, the back knee coming round to touch the front knee, etc.
Hopefully, it will eventually become second nature.
The “disconnect”
Grab the top of your left arm with your right hand, with your hand passing under the left arm. Then practise your body turns away from the target and then back towards the target and feel the top of the left arm touching the body under the armpit. NB: It does not have to be tight, leaving you scrunched over. It should be just “some” pressure. It will be easier if you slow down your swing.
The “stand up”
There are two ways to combat this. First, keep your head
down for 2 seconds after impact. Second, when you do come up, keep your head
tilted to watch the flight. Don’t bring the head up straight. Your head is
tilted when you hit the ball. By concentrating on keeping it tilted, you are
less likely to “stand up” through impact.
Finally, because you are driving your hips and body too hard, it is likely
that the crossover of the wrists is taking place after impact. You need to
start the crossover of the wrists just before impact, so that the club face
is square at impact. Practise the “Touch the Knee Drill 2” as a pre-shot
drill, exaggerating the crossover before impact. Keep your wrists loose.
How to get out of a bunker
Choke down on the golf club. Have your right index finger about an inch from
the bottom of the grip. Choking down gives you control of the club and
allows you to feel the shot rather than hitting it.
Narrow your stance a little and play the ball forward of the middle of your
stance. This will aid in controlling the shot and will contribute to higher
ball flight.
Dig a little into the sand with your feet and get comfortable.
Keep your body completely still throughout — no twisting hips.
Start your swing with your arms and keep your swing vertical. The end of the
grip butt should be pointed at the ball at the top of your backswing. Don't
bring the club straight back, remember: steep is better, here!
Your left arm should be parallel to the ground and be fully extended at the
top of your swing.
Start the downswing at the sand focusing to hit 1 to 2 inches behind the
ball. Don't focus on hitting the ball. Hit the sand behind the ball.
Remember — a steep angle into the sand is key, here. You don't have to swing
too hard. Start with an easy swing and increase the speed so that you reach
maximum speed a foot or so after the club head has passed under the ball.
Most importantly, make sure you have a full follow through. This is
essential.
As you become more proficient and comfortable, try opening the club face to
1 o'clock. This will give you more height and less distance. Experiment with
opening the club face more or less to try to get closer to the pin, rather
than just get out of the bunker. You need to aim left of the pin to
compensate for opening the club face (vice-versa for southpaws).
The
Quiet Eye – The "Eyes" have it
Joan Vickers of the University of Calgary, Canada, a professor in
Kinesiology (the study of anatomy and body movement), was one of the early
pioneers of the process and gave it its name, the "Quiet Eye" (QE).
Vickers first used this technique to improve the penalty shots of the
University of Calgary's women's basketball team. First, she trained them to
say "Nothing but net" to settle themselves down. Then, as they stare at the
net, they say "Sight, Focus," ensuring their gaze remains steady on the
target for at least two seconds and then shoot. The team's penalty hit rate
increased from 54% to 76%.
Vickers next looked at putting. She used a helmet outfitted with cameras and
mirrors to track where the athletes looked as they putted. In the seconds
before a stroke, amateur's eyes tended to dart around without purpose or
function. As well, almost all amateur golfers followed the ball with their
eyes after they hit it. By contrast the professional golfers looked steadily
at the target, then looked back at the ball and let their gaze rest there,
before and even after the stroke. The duration the professionals looked at
the hole and the ball, was 50% longer than the amateurs.
Tests showed that QE trained players were not only more effective at sinking
putts, they also missed by smaller margins.
The
Quiet Eye - The Process
The process uses a 10 second count. Choose your line of putt, take your
stance and pick out a dimple on the back of the ball. It is important that
it be the back. The easiest way would be to mark a dimple and set the ball
with it at the back.
Look at the hole for 4 seconds, look back to the chosen dimple on the ball
for 2 seconds, stroke the putt on counts 7 and 8, and keep your eyes down
for counts 9 and 10.
Not following the ball is the hardest part.
Question – But how do I know how hard to hit it? Answer – You leave that to
your instincts.
The
Quiet Eye - Why is it so?
Theory 1
This
is the left brain/right brain theory, my favourite. Left brain thinking is
logical, analytical, understanding tax forms (no doubt a problem specific to
our group). Right brain is rhythm, feelings, visualisation and intuition.
The argument goes that when you set up to a putt you are thinking - grip,
stance, line, distance, pace, the green, all left brain stuff, shutting out
the right brain. The QE process shuts out the left brain focus, allowing
feel and intuition to take over.
Theory 2
Another theory is that your brain needs a window of time to receive the
right information in order to organize the movement and then control it
while it is occurring. Focus and concentration through QE needs to be
directed to the locations or objects that matter, while all else can be
ignored. Focusing anywhere else can interrupt the organisation of millions
of neurons in the brain that convert the visual information into movements
of the putter.
When more time is taken to view the target and the ball, before initiating a
movement, more relevant information can be processed sub-consciously about
the target and what is required to hit it. It allows the golfer to take in
only the necessary visual information required to make the shot.
Theory 3
It can also be argued that having a set process to concentrate on simply
shuts out other things going on around you, and reduces anxiety. It could be
reduced to the age old mantra:—
KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE BALL!
Course Lengths
How long is long? Some interesting measures of course distances brought to you by Mr Handicapper
