MISCELLANEOUS
(22).."KEEP YOUR HEAD DOWN"
When I give lessons I spend a lot of
time eliminating the most common myths
in golf.
At the top of the list is keep your head down. I know this is probably the first
thing you were told to focus on when you started to play golf. The problem is
that it is a killer to your swing motion and turns your swing into a arm swing,which robs the energy you stored in the swing turn. A golfer who exaggerates keeping their head down, or often suffers from a reverse weight shift, an over use of their arms and a definite power lose.
Remember, your head is connected to your spine. As you start your swing your spine rotates, much like a spring and stores energy. If you lock your head on
the ball, as soon as your shoulders become parallel to the ball your head restricts the uncoiling of your spine and turns the swing into a arm swing.
If you are going to rotate your shoulders successfully, your upper spine and therefore your head must move with it. When your shoulders become parallel with the ball allow your head to rotate with them naturally through the completion of the swing. This allows you to take full advantage of th energy you stored in the back swing. Any extreme effort to inhibit head movement will restrict your uncoil and your weight transfer, which means less distance and inconsistent hits.
A better thought process would be to keep you head level. We must allow some side to side motion of our head or we can never transfer our weight. Videos of the world's best golfers clearly show that they move their heads to the right from 1-5 inches in order to accommodate the back swing weight shift. It is also clear that they release their heads with the rotating spine and finish well left of their starting position as they complete their follow through.
A good golf swing depends on free flowing motion. So, go with the flow, let your head move a little, release your head with your shoulders and you will be surprised how it frees up your swing. If you do these two things your distance will increase and you will be more consistent.
To feel the difference try this little drill.
Pretend you are at address,
with or without a club. Make a SLOW swing and lock your head on the ball through the complete swing. Now do the same thing except when you shoulders get parallel with your head allow it to naturally to follow them, do not force the head turn, just allow it to happen.
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(23).."WAGGLE THE CLUB
Do you waggle?
You should. Here's why: It aids you're prepping for the take away and it signals
your body/mind that you're about to stop thinking and start doing.
Think about Pavlov's dogs here. This is how you ring your bell before you expect
your response. A waggle is your signal to yourself to shut up and put up. It
stops yips cold since it is the "first move" of your swing, and you've trained
yourself to "shut up" when you start the swing.
How to waggle. Think of it as a micro-take away. You slightly move your hands and wrists in a mock take away and then back to the ball.Sometimes you'll see this changed into an up and down motion instead. Either way can work for you. Pick!
The waggle prepares you for the swing's path and rehearses the plane to a degree. In fact, tweak your waggle on the fly if you like to mimic a swing's taking an outside path if you're planning to fade the shot. Let this part of your game be creative and matching the shot you're prepping for.Another way to waggle tweak is to vary
how fast or slow you waggle. Use the slow waggle for your softer/shorter shots and the fast waggle for the long shots.
Treat the waggle with respect. It must be part of your swing to accomplish the main goal of a waggle which is to stop thinking and start doing. Remember, during practice, always end your waggles with an actual take away to burn in that
sequence. At the range, include the waggle. Once you've got your waggles down, you'll be surprised at how effectively they can serve you and your enjoyment of the game.
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(24).."MENTAL GAME
Improve your focus for a better game.
Maintaining focus is golf's essential core. What most golfers struggle to understand is the subtly of this maxim. Focus does not mean mentally straining to enforce alertness throughout a swing. Far from it, instead, focus means staying in the moment and quietly observing the actions of the body without interfering with undo commentary or tweaking.
This is far different than the normal perception of golfers who get to the ball and think that they must THEN assume this knitted brow attitude. Actually, that's when it is most important to begin to consciously relax and get through the pre-shot routine without bringing in some sweat inducing tensions.
Focus is all about letting go and enjoying the game. Consider a wide angled lens. Even though it can be focus precisely on its subject, still all the other parts of
the scene are also included and in focus. Being human, you can only have one thought at a time. Ball, position, grip, hips, etc.--so many thoughts to have.
Better to let go and trust your routine and enjoy the whole process like a wide angled lens that takes it all in while precisely targeting its subject. Your subject is targeting without losing awareness of your surroundings. If you practice allowing all things to flow through you, then you don't have to be vigilant and disturbed if a bird flies by. As long as targeting is happening, nothing else can touch your swing.
The primary elements of focus are:
One: Be in the moment. Stay "now". Sticking to your pre-shot routine should accomplish this for you. This stops any "fear forwarding" or "backward regretting" the last shot. The pre-shot routine is complex enough to take up your whole thinking ability. Let it. This leaves nothing for fear to enter
with an errant thought.
Two: Targeting. This keeps you on this shot, not the next shot.
Three:... Don't wear yourself out rehashing past shots. This is a form of visualization that is not only self-defeating from a psychological/programming standpoint, but it also takes a huge amount of energy that fatigues you and depletes resources you'll be better off using for entering your next pre-shot routine.
Harvey Penick says "Take Dead Aim" The focus is on the golf shot and hitting the ball to a specific spot and not on all the little things that are happening in your swing. You will be amazed how many swing mistakes are compensated for by the brain when you "Remain Focused" on hitting the flag stick and not on your take away,keeping your head down,the shank on the last hole or some other part of your swing. Focus on hitting the flag stick and let the swing do it for you.
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(25).."MIND YOUR GOLF GAME
As you know by now, golf is a mental game. What would you rather be: a so so putter three feet from the hole or a great putter three feet from the hole with the yips? I thought so. Me too. In fact, there's no such thing as a
great golfer who always has the yips.
Note: Using your mind does not mean "worrying". That's being used instead of using the mind as a golfing tool. Here's how your mind is your best buddy: it helps you relax. The mind does have a say on how tense your muscles and posture is. Use the ability of the mind to command tensions to subside. Take control of the body, by demanding that it relax.
The intellect is what gets you to the course early enough to prepare to golf unhurriedly. Stretching, signing in, practice swings etc. take time. Let your golf discipline start with the mind taking care of "number one" and allow time for getting started properly without starting the round "breathlessly". Give yourself some time to "tranq" down. This psychological buffer zone is something that only the mind can bring to your game. The body with all its skills cannot make itself relax.
Of course game management begins with the mind concocting a strategy before the round. Each hole is gone over and clubs selected. Plot your use of woods as opposedto irons. Goals and expectations are pondered and a plan for success is arrived at. Do this. It is golfing as much as swinging, and arguably more important.
Of all the uses of the mind, one stands out as the absolutely essential ability:
visualization of the shot. Actually going into the imagined future and passing through all the stages of the shot is a powerful way to set up success and create confidence that wipes out tensions and fears. The mind, not the body, is what monitors tensions and tweaks them. Near a hazard? Only the mind can note that the body has somehow picked up a bad habit of gripping harder. This the mind can countermand.
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(26).."CHOKE...WHO ME?
Choking is bad, and it falls somewhere between having the yips and brain surgery. It doesn't help much that everyone does it and does it big time and does it often. What matters is that you do it.
So let's see what kind of handholds we can get on this challenge. First, admit it. If you're in denial, well, that gets you zip. Own up to when you choked and then drop it. Milk gets spilled. So now, instead of cleaning it up, let's spend some time preparing for the next situation where it might occur again.
No doubt about it, pressure causes choking. Or does it? Actually it is your reaction to pressure that causes choking. With that understanding, you see that you have a "say so" in this matter. Perhaps you can change your typical pattern to pressure. You can.
First you must have a pre-shot routine that is cast iron. This will prevent most pressure from getting to you simply because you're locked into another pattern that keeps you so occupied that it is hard for worries to break into the situation. A strong pre-shot routine keeps you focused on the fundamentals. And that's what choking is--a loss of focus. With focus, the fear of blowing a shot takes a back seat and has a tougher time elbowing its way to the front row of your thoughts like "What do I do if I chunk this crucial chip?" Such thoughts always do only one thing: they put your mind on what you would do if you were a bad golfer.
It's a self-fulfilling vicious cycle that can best be handled by never getting into in the first place.But, if you do get into it, what to do?
Try these:
Take a deep breath and brace yourself with a personal best request. Make lemonade out of lemons. Here, where the pressure is, this is where legends are made. Rise up to it. Challenge yourself. Expect big results! Get aggressive about what you're going to do instead of what a victim you're going to be. Don't spend time avoiding negative thoughts, create positive ones.Get loose. "What the heck, winning isn't everything" is an attitude that can serve you. Caring too much can take you right out of the game. Get back in by remembering that it's a game! It's fun! The process is better than the outcome.
Remember this, if you played on a Super Bowl team that lost, you'd still be
bragging about making it there to lose. Your years of golfing practice got you to where you are in a position to blow a shot. That's something! If you're expecting that you could/should make a shot, take that as a pat on your back. You don't ever expect yourself to make a hole in one, but if you did, you'd have to be one great golfer to expect such things of yourself.
Stomp your memories of past failures. So what if you blew a shot on the final hole last time! The past is dead. The pre-shot routine is now. The only past you care about is the hundreds of golfing hours of experience it took you to get to this level of skill. If you've got a crunch situation,
1...get into your pre shot routine.
2..no negative thoughts
3...Concentrate entirely on making a good golf
shot and not on the results.
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(27).."PUTTING FUNDEMENTALS"
(1)... Relax hands, forearms, and shoulders. Good putting requires feel
and a delicate touch. If your hands are too stiff from gripping the putter too
tightly it restricts free movement of the putter head and takes away your feel. Hold the putter softly but firm so you can feel the putter head swing freely.
KEY THOUGHT
Hold your putter like you would a new born baby, softly but firm.
(2)... Eyes are directly over the ball. This is an important fundamental because
it lets you see the line of the putt and set up the putter head square to the target.
KEY DRILL
Take your putting stance and drop a ball from your eyes, it should hit the ball
you are putting.
(3)... Accelerate through the ball. It's very important to have the putter head
gaining speed as you make contact with the ball. This will promote solid and consistent contact. What happens when you are cruising along on a bike and all of a sudden you hit the brakes? If you are like most people the bike will start to swerve a bit as you slow down. It's the same with the putter as you slow the putter head through the ball the heal of your putter starts to lead and the result is usually a week putt missed to the right.
KEY THOUGHT
Peddle your ball to the hole!
(4)... A firm left ( for righties) wrist through out the stroke. Have you noticed
the increasing number of touring pros that have switched to cross handed putting? The main reason they do this is because it keeps their left wrist firm through impact. When the leading wrist breaks down it causes the putter head to
twist and turn like Elvis.
KEY THOUGHT
Having trouble with those 4 and 5
footers? You might want to experiment
with a cross handed grip!
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(28).."LAG & SHORT PUTT"
(1)...Lag Putting
The most important element in long putts is speed, but often this is the most over looked aspect of putting. For most golfers 2 putts from 25 feet or more is a welcome event, so give yourself a nice big target. Visualize the hole the hole being 3 feet in diameter 5 feet deep and glowing bright red! Giving yourself a nice large target will help you to relax and bring feel into your hands. Finally try to rid yourself of any mechanical thoughts and just visualize the hole and stroke the putt, just like you would shoot a basketball or throw a baseball.
KEY DRILL
Take 3 or 4 balls and find two holes about 20 to 30 feet apart with some
undulation. Practice putting the balls back and forth with only the speed of the putt in mind. Try to stop the putts exactly even with the hole, don't worry about the line. You might be surprised to see how many putts go in the hole.
(2)...Short Putts
A firmly stroked putt in the back of the hole has the best chance of going in. Pick a spot in the back of the hole and aim for that spot. This will help you to stroke the ball firmly. Another advantage of a firmly struck putt is that you can play less or no break in the putt.
KEY DRILL
This simple and time tested drill will promote confidence and firmness to those
testy 3 to 6 footers. Take 5 balls and place them 3 to 6 feet away from the hole. Practice making all 5 in a row from 4 sides of the hole. Start with a flat putt to really gain confidence then move to a hole with some break in it.
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(64).."DO YOU HOOK ?"
Q. Do you have a big hook on your drives and long irons and don't know why? Have you tried everything you can think of and the ball still hooks?
A. It sounds as though you also have a swing path problem. The hook is caused by a severe, inside to out swing path, combined with a closed club face at impact. This is what imparts the counter clockwise side spin on the ball and causes the ball to curve right to left..As with a slice, side spin MUST be imparted on the ball before it will curve after impact.
Here are a few things that might help get rid of that nasty hook...
PREFERED FIX: Find and fix your swing problem.
• Shoulders and toes square to target.
• Take the club straight back on the take away -- Allow the toe of the club to point straight up to the sky when the clubhead is hip high.
Start you normal swing. When the butt end of the club is pointing to the ground..STOP...The butt end should be pointing to the target line and not above or below. If it is correct your swing so the grip end points at the target line on your back swing. This will stop the inside out swing and put you into the correct swing plane.
• Neutral grip
OTHER THINGS YOU CAN TRY:
• Weaken your grip -- Turn both hands to the left so your thumbs go down the middle of the grip. You should only be able to see one knuckle on your left hand.
• Open your shoulders at address -- Keep your feet square to the target but turn your shoulders so they point slightly to the left.
• Clear your hips through impact -- Let your body rotate to the left but drive the palm of your right hand toward the target, not allowing the club face to roll over.
• These things will feel awkward and mechanical when you first try them on the practice tee. However, it won't take long before you feel more comfortable and your shots will begin straighten out.
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(81).."THE WRIST COCK
"One way to mess up a golfer is to tell them to cock their wrists."Harvey Penick
One of the most common problems and misconceptions about the back swing is the wrist cock. Many golfers consciously try to cock their wrists,but this can actually lead to a number of problems, most resulting in weak, off line shots. This is especially true for seniors and women who attempt to cock their wrists at the top of their back swing in an effort to get more distance, The result is that they overswing and lose all of the snap in their swing.
Harvey did not like the term "wrist cock" because he said that many students became so entranced with getting their wrist cocked that they forget the rest of the swing.
Harvey wrote in his Little Red Book.
"When you swing back to waist high- the shaft parallel to the ground - the toe of the club must be pointed straight up to the sky," If it is, your wrist will be cocked and you don't need to think about it. Just go ahead and make your turn.
And of course, Harvey is right. With a good grip and tension free arms, the wrists will naturally cock as the arms continue to swing to the top of the back swing. That really is all there is to it.
The wrists are merely a hinge and left alone, will do their job without your help. Instead, players should spend their time working on their set-up and making sure the clubhead is in the toe-up position when the shaft is parallel to the ground in their backswing. Do this and you'll never worry about the wrist cock again.
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