By Tim Kunkle
My objective in every lesson is to try to improve one or all of the following areas.
ImpactYour goal is to contact the ball and then the ground with your irons; with your woods, hit it cleanly. If you are not doing this you are either hitting it fat or too thin. Here is an easy way to see where you are. Use a tee and draw a line in the grass opposite your target line. Make full practice swings and see where your club is contacting the ground. Work on hitting the line and taking a divot about the size of a credit card in front of the line with your irons.
Ball CurveYour goal is to have a ball flight that is repeatable. This is achieved by delivering the clubface at the same angle every time it contacts the ball. If your ball is curving too much to the right (for a right handed golfer) then your clubface is open to the target. If your ball is curving too much to the left your clubface is closed.
Usually the right curve (slice) is more common. If this is you, work on swinging the club at knee level and focus on getting the left hand to return to its original starting position through the impact area. It may also help to strengthen your grip.
If your ball is curving too much to the left (hooking) try this. First check to make sure your grip is not too strong (turned to the right for right handed golfers). You can also check to make sure your left hand is not bowed or angled down at the top of your backswing.
You want your left hand flat to your left forearm at the top of your backswing.
Clubhead/Ball Contact PointYour goal is to hit the ball in the center of the clubface every time, but it's not as easy as it sounds. If you can achieve this you will compress the ball more frequently on the club face and achieve maximum distance and control. If you are
hitting the ball on the toe of the club it's usually caused by a swing shape that is too vertical. Try to feel the Club swinging more in and around your body by swinging the club off the ground at knee level. Picture the flatter swing shape and hit some irons off a short tee trying to sweep the ball off the tee. If you are contacting the heel of the clubface look first to make sure your body is not dropping down and moving closer to the ball in your downswing. If you are not dropping, then your downswing is probably coming down above or over the top of your backswing. The best evidence of this is that your divots angle off well left of your target line.
TrajectoryYour goal is to have each club produce a slightly different height for every shot. For example, your 3 wood should produce a slightly higher shot than your driver which is also relative to the speed of your swing. A faster swinging golfer will usually hit the ball higher. The problem is much more serious when the ball is flying too low. For example: if a golfer hits seven irons that look like three iron shots, you can bet those lower lofted clubs never come out of the bag.
If your ball is flying too low, you're probably not taking those credit card sized divots we talked about earlier. You can also look at higher lofted woods, more flexible shafts & hybrids to help you get the ball up.
If you are hitting the ball too high first make sure the face is square at impact and the ball is flying straight. If the ball is straight or hooking left (for a right handed golfer) you can work on abbreviating your follow through or just slowing down your entire swing. Work on this with your short irons and take one extra club.
These tips and drills will help you identify and provide a starting point for improving your golf game in 2007. Enjoy the Challenge!
