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Good Golfing Member Newsletter - February Issue
Dear Good Golfing Member Thank you for subscribing Good Golfing Newsletter. Body Pitching
Maintain a consistent club-face angle and loft by controlling the swing with the body turn so that the hands and wrists should stay steady but not lead the motion. Focus on turning back and through, keeping your hands in line with the centre of your chest. Practice Drill: Use your towel under your arms to feel this: the arms, hands, club and body will feel they are moving together. Once you have the feel of this "body pitch", get used to different length backswings giving you different length shots.
Which clubs to practice
Leg Action If you want distance and power, you need good leg movement Contrary to the way most people think, a good leg action will tend to mean less movement from the legs rather than more. For the backswing, the legs should remain steady; the knees hold a gap as the shoulders wind up around the lower body base. In the downswing, the left leg will shift towards the target whilst for a split second, the right leg and hip holds steady. By using the legs properly, it will help you to maintain good posture and create plenty of room for the club to swing into the ball from the inside of the target line. Most amateurs start the downswing by releasing the right side of the body which blocks the inside path to the ball which results in pulled or weak slice shots. Remember the powerful line to the ball is from inside the target line. Practice Drill:
Palm Putting It's often said that putting is a game unto itself, separate from everything else. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that the best way to hold the putter is dramatically different than the grip used for most short-game and full-swing shots. The difference is in the left hand. In the standard overlapping grip, the club is held in the left hand's fingers. This positions the club's butt end snugly under the hand's heel pad and allows the wrist freedom to hinge and unhinge during the swing. The right hand drapes over the left, again holding the club in the fingers. In putting, however, the best results come from a stroke generated by rocking the shoulders, with virtually no contribution from the wrists. Therefore, you want to hold the club so that wrist motion is limited.
In the left hand, the grip should sit in the palm, with the butt resting in the center groove between the heel and thumb pad. Next, wrap your fingers around the handle, with the left thumb resting on top of the grip. Make a few strokes with the left hand only. You'll find that the wrist is nearly immobile, forcing the left arm and the putter to move as one unit. That feeling will produce the most consistent results.
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During the full swing, the unhinging of the wrist through and after-impact is a contributor to power. In the short game where control is more important, excessive wrist movement produces inconsistent results. Too much wrist movement will change the club face angle at impact affecting distance control and accuracy. This is one reason why some pitches fly way passed the target while others fall short.
There are 14 clubs in most people's golf bags but there are 4 main shots most amateurs should concentrate on.
Hold and drop the range basket. Groove the proper leg action by holding the basket in your knees for the backswing. This gives you a feeling of what the leg should be doing during the shoulder turn. As you start the downswing, the left knee should shift towards the target causing the basket to drop before the club reaches impact. This will give you a feeling of correct leg action during the swing.
