Tips To Help Your Game

THE PROPER GRIP

Read this slowly and carefully, one position at a time

Doing each hand position as suggested in the order below.

You should repeat these moves until it becomes natural.

Practice is essential to make it work for you.

T To attain the ‘proper’ hand position, grip pressure, thumb placement and how to place the shaft properly in your fingertips. These instructions are written for right hander's. (For left hander's reverse left & rights). Hold your hands in-front of your chin, palms facing each other, elbows relaxed, the back of the left hand and the right palm facing the target. (This relationship of your hands should never change.) Move your left hand away so that the left thumb rests in the lifeline of your right palm. The left thumb will now be just under and below the right thumb. Intertwine the right little finger between the index and middle finger on your left hand. The V formed by the index finger and middle finger of your left hand points at your right ear. The V of the right hand points at your right ear. The thumbs should never be on top of the shaft except when putting. The shaft lies in the fingertips of both hands, not the palms.When held properly, the butt end of the grip rests under the fatter part of your left hand, at the base of your little finger; the shaft rests in the first joint of your left index finger. You should be able, to lift the club comfortably from this position with just your left hand (right for lefties)

Here’s how:

Start with the club at your left side (right for lefties).

Your target side forearm and shaft in a relatively straight line. Lift the club off the ground with your target side index finger. Your forearm is now parallel to the ground;

the shaft is at an angle of about 30°, with the toe of the club pointing up. To place your right hand on the club, Do NOT bring your left hand to your right!! You must bring your right hand to the left. Lower your right shoulder slightly so that your upper body tilts to the right. Lower the right shoulder; do NOT raise the left shoulder. With both hands on the club bring your hands and club in front of your chin again. If you can see two knuckles of your left hand and two knuckles of your right hand, you’re off to a great start.

You now have

THE PROPER GRIP

PROPER BALANCE

Prevents swaying side to side, and back and forth.
Brings the club back to the ball squarely.

Golf is a game of ‘feel’. Just as you want to ‘feel’ the grip in your fingertips, you also want to ‘feel’, for ‘proper balance’,the soles of your feet holding the ground.Stand comfortably erect, with your feet shoulder width apart.
Since we are all slightly different, some of you will be a bit wider, some a bit narrower.
Find your comfort zone! There should be no tension in the area of your upper groin.
If you feel tension, you are too wide: bring your feet closer together.
From this position, flex your knees slightly.
You should ‘feel’ the soles of your feet ‘holding’ the ground.
If you do not, you are too tense or too rigid.
Get rid of the tension by taking a deep breath and letting it go.
‘Feel’ your body relax, your knees flex and you’ll get the ‘feeling’
Finally, distribute your weight between the balls of your feet and your heels. you want to be able to raise your toes freely on the inside of your shoes. There is no weight on your toes! EVER! From this proper balance position, your club will come back to the ball squarely. Not in the ‘toe or heel’ You will be able to ‘coil’ your hips and shoulders Around your spine angle rather than slide from side to side. Sliding is a ‘no no’! The shoulders and hips must coil. From this new found ‘balanced’ position; hold your club in front of you. With the shaft at waist height and parallel to the ground. Hold the club just tight enough so that it cannot be taken from you. Then have a friend hold the club head, and gently pull you forward. If you have balance, you will not move. Next, have your friend push you back. Again, you should stay in the balanced position.

Please read this slowly and perform each position as you read and then do it again. It’s all part of the practice routine. And remember, it’s a game! Have fun!

PROPER POSTURE

Prevents dipping or raising up and hitting thin or fat shots.
The golf swing is a coil, pivot, turn or rotation around the spine angle.
To coil properly you need to have the ‘proper’ posture.
Start by standing comfortable erect, hands hanging at your side. Doing this in front of a mirror will be a great advantage. Please notice how your shoulders are below your chin. You must maintain this relationship while doing the following: tilt forward from the hip (your bottom should feel like it is protruding slightly with a slight arch in your lower back). until your arms are hanging over your toes.
Look at yourself in the mirror and notice your head and shoulder relationship.
Pretty much the same as when you are standing straight.
Repeat this routine with a club. When you are set,
look in the mirror, take a deep breath, and let it all out,
then soften your right side so that your shoulder drops a bit and you appear tilted.
Do NOT lift your left shoulder, but drop your right.
With your arms hanging from the shoulders and without the feel of ‘reaching’,
your right elbow should be resting gently against your rib cage.
It is important that you notice the lack of tension. Tension in the golf swing is a killer.
Tight muscles will not project the ball properly.

Remember! Practice and repetition is the name of the game.

BALL POSITION

Improper ball position causes erratic ball flight.

There are two schools of ball positioning: which one is right for you? The first is to set your feet about shoulder width apart, and, maintaining this distance, move both feet to the left or right depending on which club you are using. The other is to start with a narrow stance for the short clubs. Then position the ball just left of centre, as the club gets longer, only the back foot gets wider. Each golf club is made to do a specific job and is constructed accordingly. Starting with the pitching wedge, position the ball just left of centre of your stance. With each progressive club, widen your stance moving only the right foot until the clubface is square to the target line. Never is the clubface adjusted by the movement of your hands. You can see this more readily if you compare this now with a wedge and a three iron. Set up first with the wedge and then the three iron without moving your feet. Notice that the three iron appears open. To square the clubface, move your right foot to the right until the three iron is square to the target line. Because the three iron is longer, you will have to step back away from the ball the same distance as the club is longer or shorter.

ALIGNMENT

Alignment is the positioning or aiming or your clubface and body: (feet, knees, hips and shoulders) in the same direction. If your clubface is aimed in one direction and your body in another, the ball will not go straight. Stand behind your ball facing the target. Pick an item (leaf, pebble, cigarette butt) about six inches in front of your ball directly in line with the target. This is your ‘target line’ .Set-up to the ball with the leading edge of your clubface at a right angle to the target line. Your toes, knees, hips and shoulders should be parallel to the target line; aimed slightly left of the target. As if stood on a railway track (ball on one feet on the other). If your shoulders and clubface both face the target, you will be apt to hook. If your shoulders are too far left of the target and not parallel to the clubface, you will slice. Practice your set-up in the mirror, or place two clubs down in front of you on the practice tee .One at your toe line and the other on the outside of your ball parallel to the other club. Again, practice the set-up. Get the help of a friend, or use your mirror. The mirror is your best help.

 TAKE-AWAY

One of the biggest problems on the take-away is that most players roll their wrists immediately upon taking the club back. The PROBLEM is that the clubface stays open and There fore, will not come back to the ball squarely. The take-away is a one-piece motion. Your shoulders and hips coil around your spine angle, away from the target, all at the same time. There must be a transfer of weight into a braced right knee, which means that the right knee stays in the original position. The shoulders take the club back until your hands are just over the back knee, with the shaft now parallel to the ground, the toe of the club facing the sky. Your left thumb in this position should be on the top of the shaft in the same direction as your chest.

 STOP HERE!! REPEAT THIS MOTION.

AT THIS POINT YOU ARE STARTING TO BUILD A GOLF SWING. THE REST NOW GETS COMPLICATED AND PERSONAL INSTRUCTION SHOULD BE TAKEN!

TIMING

The proper rhythm will keep you from swinging back too slow or too fast and will allow the golf club to do its job. Your golf clubs are actually made to work for you. All you have to do is hold the club and swing properly. Proper timing, simply put, is taking the golf club back, slowly, in a rhythmical fashion. Swinging the club back too quickly will easily, throw you off balance; swing back too slowly and you will find yourself getting too tense. In the golf swing we need to save our speed for the downswing. Swing back too quickly, and you are throwing away the energy needed on the downswing. Think of building up your energy whilst you swing back. Imagine swinging to the rhythm of a metronome, counting as you swing back. Doing it out loud will help. For starters, on the back swing, count as follows; 1,2 on the back swing, then 3,4 on the downswing. Bring your hands back only to waist high; ditto on the follow-thru. As your timing improves, you can then count, 1,2,3 back and 1,2,3 down.

Top Tip

Practice a single swing change for at least 3 to 4 weeks. According to experts in muscle or more appropriately, motor memory, a single swing change can take a minimum of three to four weeks to ingrain into your swing depending on the complexity of the change, how long you have been doing it wrongly and how long and well you practice. During this time it’s important to only be training the muscles for this single swing change. Follow-up lessons should be for the purpose of monitoring your progress and to ensure body positions and the motion for the change are being practiced correctly. You should not be going to your lessons expecting to learn something new each time.