Golf Instruction

May 2007 - Posts

• The Big Feeling - Pitching

  By Denis Pugh Golf International Teaching Professional FINE-TUNE YOUR TOUCH Good players use the length of swing and the 'turnspeed' of their body to control their pitching distance. Using the 'speedo' principle certainly gives you a good feeling to work on: i.e. for a 40-yard pitch shot your swing cue is 40 mph. For 60 yards, you up your speed to 60 mph. And for 80 yards – pretty much a full swing with a gap-wedge – swing at 80 mph. While this may not be a new idea, it's still the best imagery to have in mind to control the distance you land the ball. And the key in all this is that the through-swing must always reflect the length of the backswing. So, as you see here, a 40 mph shot sees me swing from approximately hip-high to hip-high – a totally controlled motion. Sixty takes it that little bit further, while 80 mph is my absolute max. Next time you practise, grip down the shaft a little, establish good balance, and make what you feel is a controlled 40 mph swing. Working at that 40 mph speed will see you finish in a balanced position that ties-in perfectly with the backswing. Depending on the loft of the club, that 40 mph swing might give you a shot of, say, 40 or 50 yards. That's your benchmark, and from there you can then up the tempo to gradually increase landing distance. A 6o mph swing with the same club might land the ball 60 - 70 yards, while 80 mph gives you a shot of 80-90 yards. The key to all this is to recognise and get a feel for the speed of the swing that gives you this sort of control, leaving you with a professional short-game scoring system you can trust. Posted May 25 2007, 03:55 PM by Denis Pugh with no comments Filed under: Golf International, Short Game, Pitching, Dennis Pugh

• Short Game - Speciality Shots

  Keith Williams, PGA Master Professional Rescue Run-Up Low and running A choice of clubs is possible here - a rescue or hybrid club or even a lofted wood. It is usually played from just off the green when perhaps a lofted club is too difficult to play or a chip shot will not offer a reliable bounce. Grip down the shaft and stand closer to the ball for control. Stand tall with a slightly more vertical spine angle. Position the ball opposite the left heel. The weight is distributed evenly or slightly towards the front foot. The backswing is kept low and on an inside arc. There is a little wrist action, but the wrists should remain relaxed and work in harmony with the rocking shoulders and free swinging arm action. The lower body is passive. The length of the backswing varies but usually is about the same as for a short chip shot. If you think of the shot as a lofted putt, you will understand that the downswing is controlled by the shoulders and arms. Allow the momentum of the rocking shoulders and the smooth turn of the body to accelerate the club through impact. The club head remains relatively low to the ground throughout. Resist the temptation to steer the club head towards the target, let it travel back on an inside path in the follow-through. Keep any weight shift minimal otherwise there is a tendency to drive the ball too aggressively forward. Pro tip: Try a weaker left hand grip - it helps restrict the wrist action and keeps the relatively limited loft of the club correct at impact. The full range of Pocketshots™ golf lessons from famous international golf coaches are available at http://www.dizzyheights.com/. Published by Dizzy Heights UK Limited.© Pocketshots™ and Dizzy Heights™ are trademarks of Dizzy Heights (UK) Limited all other trademarks are acknowledged. All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part or in any form. Posted May 25 2007, 12:02 PM by Pocket Shots with no comments Filed under: Short Game, Pocket Shots, Keith Williams

• The Big Feeling - Chipping

  By Denis Pugh Golf International Teaching Professional The 'big' feeling that I want you to focus on with the chipping action is to turn your upper body over still legs. Nine times out of ten, mis-hits and generally poor ball control ball in the short game can be traced back to over-active legs and/or hands. In order to develop a simple yet effective method that gives you total control over the delivery of the clubhead, you have to focus on turning your upper body over the stability of a 'quiet' leg action. For anyone suffering around the greens, I guarantee that this will transform your chipping action. The key is that, from the set-up, you gently turn your stomach and shoulders over fairly still legs (but not rigid). All the wrist action you need is pre-set via the grip and in the way that you then ease your hands ahead of the ball as you settle down over the shot. From then on you are looking to repeat this simple back and through stroke, the hands and forearms relaxed, passive throughout. Posted May 18 2007, 03:52 PM by Denis Pugh with no comments Filed under: Golf International, Short Game, Dennis Pugh

• Mental Game On the Course - Concentration

  Dr. Karl Morris It is incredible to consider that 85% of the time you are on the golf course is NOT GOLF!! Yet how many people ever think of having a lesson on or focusing on what they do in the 'In Between' time? I firmly believe that the QUALITY of what you do in the 85% will have a direct and significant impact on what you do in the other 15% of the time when you are actually playing golf. Most golfers believe that what they are doing in the 'In Between' time is concentrating, I have another word for what they are doing and that is WORRYING!! The egg-timer of concentration is often empty very early in the round as a result of the inefficient use of mental energy in between shots. Understanding how to utilise this time can have a PROFOUND impact on your game. Switch On/Switch Off You need to develop the ability to 'Switch On and Switch Off' your concentration. Only 15% of the time that you are on the course are you actually playing golf, 85% of the time is the 'In Between' Part of the skill of developing focus and concentration is also linked to how well you deal with the inevitable poor shots that you will hit. Anger and frustration will severely deplete your levels of reserve within the egg-timer. Switch On Begin your routine by having a definite START SIGNAL that triggers the brain to go into a state of FOCUSED CONCENTRATION. In football it is easy because the referee's whistle is an obvious and overt signal but you can condition your own golf brain to respond in much the same way. Ideally your START SIGNAL should involve three of your major senses SEE, HEAR and FEEL. As a recommendation you could use your golf glove and go through the following procedure to trigger the routine. Take the glove out of your back pocket Look at the logo on the glove (colour this in if you prefer) Hear the Velcro ripping slowly Feel the soft leather as you place the glove on your hand Switch Off To switch off after you have hit the shot you could go through the following routine: Place your club back in the bag and wait until you FEEL the butt end of the club touch the bottom of the bag. SEE a bag tag on the side of your golf bag that maybe has a STOP sign on it. HEAR inside of your head the word DONE as a phrase that means OVER, FINISHED, the shot is HISTORY These simple rituals and triggers will enable you to effectively begin and end each shot. What you will get very good at is literally playing ONE SHOT at a TIME. Silence the Inner Voice Stop thinking and Come to your SENSES!! So much of the time we are INSIDE our heads. We have literally become 'thinking machines'! Once we go inside our heads and start to think we activate that internal voice of self-doubt and criticism. The voice that usually informs us of how stupid, inept and useless we are. As well as smashing our self-confidence the inner critic also drains vital stores of mental energy. The good news is that we can 'tune out' of the internal chatter by 'tuning in' to our surroundings. As you walk along the fairway just begin to notice what sounds you can hear? What can you actually see? What does the fairway feel like beneath your feet? As we tune out of our head and into our surroundings we not only mentally 'switch off' but also we silence the voice of self-doubt. Time for TALKING A lot of golfers mistakenly feel that any talk or banter on the course is only for friendly golf. Often the same golfer who plays great in the friendly situation will fall apart in tournaments when all of a sudden he gets SERIOUS!! Of course when you come to actually play the shot in front of you, your focus needs to narrow down completely to the task at hand. However in between shots ACTIVELY decide to indulge in some banter and chat with your playing partners or caddie. Again by doing this you are 'switching off' and replenishing your mental egg timer. Far from losing concentration you are INCREASING your ability to concentrate at the RIGHT time for a full 4-5 hours. The full range of Pocketshots™ golf lessons from famous international golf coaches are available at http://www.dizzyheights.com/. Published by Dizzy Heights UK Limited.© Pocketshots™ and Dizzy Heights™ are trademarks of Dizzy Heights (UK) Limited all other trademarks are acknowledged. All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part or in any form. Posted May 18 2007, 11:57 AM by Pocket Shots with no comments Filed under: Mental Game, Pocket Shots, Dr. Karl Morris

• The Big Feeling - Iron Play

  By Denis Pugh Golf International Teaching Professional Golfers have heard all about the importance of getting their weight across and on to the right side in the backswing, which is perfectly correct with a driver (as per the previous article). But with the irons – and particularly the mid- to short irons – the danger is that in moving too far 'off' the ball you risk losing the accuracy of your delivery coming back down. Remember, you have to get back to the left side to strike the irons properly, which involves making sure that your body weight is centred more on top of the left foot as you hit the ball. With a driver, if you can first get behind it and then stay behind it, you will enjoy flighting your tee-shots with a good powerful trajectory. With the irons, if you get behind the ball and stay there, you are likely to hit it fat. To counter that, my advice is that you work on this feeling of being more on your left side throughout – i.e. staying more 'on top of the ball'. The big feeling you should go after is that of turning your upper body away from the target without consciously shifting your weight across on to your right side – i.e. turn more about the axis of your left hip. Be aware that when you work on this you are going to feel more weight on your left side during the backswing than you have done before – even though your left heel may still come up off the ground a tad, as mine has (inset). That's perfectly OK, provided the left knee retains its 'braced' position and that your weight is then fully on top of your left foot as you proceed to unwind through the ball. Posted May 11 2007, 03:48 PM by Denis Pugh with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Golf International, Dennis Pugh, Irons

• Selecting Your Putter

  By Harold Swash This article is extracted from a series of folding pocket lessons for leading international golf coaches called Pocketshots™. Visit www.dizzyheights.com for more details on the entire Pocketshot™ series. Introduction Harold Swash has more than 40 years of experience in the golf industry as a coach, golf club designer and inventor of putting training aids and the 'Yes C' groove putters. He is a leading authority on putting and instructor to many of the world's top professional and amateur golfers. He has coached 8 of the 12 players on the winning European Ryder Cup team, and we all know how good they are at holing putts. Selecting your Putter Rule 1: Make sure the length allows you to take up the ideal posture whilst allowing your arms to hang down naturally and comfortably. Rule 2: Make sure the lie allows the sweetspot to be the only point in contact with the ground. The heel or toe should not be in the air. Rule 3: Most putters have between 2 and 4 degrees of loft (i.e. the angle of the putter blade to the ground). In my opinion, with the ideal hand position at address the ideal loft is 2.5 degrees. Rule 4: Finally choose a putter to help you line up. Do you use the line on the putter head to line up or the putter face to square off to? Whichever putter you choose, you must feel comfortable with it. Finding the Sweetspot To find the sweetspot: Hold the putter with your weakest hand between thumb and forefinger at the point where your lowest hand normally holds the grip. Take a tee peg between the thumb and forefinger of your strongest hand and tap along the face until the putter moves back and does not twist. When you find the spot, mark it on the putter so you can see it at address. By combining the four fundamentals and striking from the sweetspot every time, I guarantee your putting will improve. Summary The blade of the putter needs to be square to the target at both the address and strike position. The blade of the putter needs to be square to the path through the hitting area. The putter blade needs to have a slight up stroke through the hitting area. The putter blade needs to have a smooth acceleration through the hitting area. Choose a putter that you feel comfortable with. Get the right grip and setup position and stick to it. Develop a pre-shot routine and stick to it when you practice and play. You should only have this pre-shot routine in mind when you approach your putt on the course. For further information about golf instruction, training aids and the C groove putter visit www.haroldswashputting.com. For more informationabout C-grove putters visit www.yesgolf.com. We recommend you use one of these great sites to keep track of your improvement: www.strokeaverage.com and www.golfscoretracker.co.uk. Published by Dizzy Heights UK Limited.© Pocketshots™ and Dizzy Heights™ are trademarks of Dizzy Heights (UK) Limited all other trademarks are acknowledged. All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part or in any form. Posted May 11 2007, 11:52 AM by Pocket Shots with no comments Filed under: Putting, Pocket Shots, Harold Swash

• The Big Feel - Driving

  By Denis Pugh Golf International Teaching Professional The key to solid driving is that you first get fully behind the ball as you wind up your backswing. Only then can your truly stay behind the ball as you unwind on the way back down. With the driver, one of the problems that I see a lot of amateurs struggle with is they get too far ahead of themselves on the way down, which results in the swing being too steep coming in to the ball. For you to create the shallow swing path that you need to catch the ball at the very bottom of the arc, or even as the club begins to swing up, you have to make sure that you first get fully 'loaded' up, then wait a moment, and be patient from the top. Next time you play, think about turning over an axis that runs up through your right foot and right hip as you turn your upper body and really wind up your backswing. Get the left shoulder under your chin and fully behind the ball, your weight across into your right side. From the top, the first move down is key: you have to 'settle' into a position that frees the right side, and gives you the room then to accelerate the whole of your right side as you rotate hard through the ball. As you change direction, a good feeling to have is that as you 'squat' on to your right thigh you swing your right hand away from the right shoulder. Trust me, it won't actually happen, but a feeling of doing that – of 'casting' the right hand and the club will encourage you to establish fantastic width as you make your way back to the ball. Posted May 04 2007, 03:46 PM by Denis Pugh with no comments Filed under: Golf International, Dennis Pugh, Driving

• Practice Drills

  By Harold Swash This article is extracted from a series of folding pocket lessons for leading international golf coaches called Pocketshots™. Visit www.dizzyheights.com for more details on the entire Pocketshot™ series. Introduction Harold Swash has more than 40 years of experience in the golf industry as a coach, golf club designer and inventor of putting training aids and the 'Yes C' groove putters. He is a leading authority on putting and instructor to many of the world's top professional and amateur golfers. He has coached 8 of the 12 players on the winning European Ryder Cup team, and we all know how good they are at holing putts. Finding the Sweet Spot To try and ensure you hit the ball cleanly from the sweet-spot, try this exercise. Set yourself a fairly straight short putt. Take two tee pegs and place one just outside each end of the putter head. Now try and hole a series of putts. If you hit the tee pegs you are not hitting the ball out of the sweet-spot. This drill will help you setup square to the target line, hit off the sweet-spot and swing on a straight line through impact. Practice Drills To build confidence holing those short putts, setup a series of similar length putts on different points of the compass around the hole. Try and pick a part of the green that will give you breaking putts to make it more challenging. Now try and hole as many as you can in a row. If you miss one then you must start again! This helps simulate the pressure of a real situation on the course. Set yourself new goals and challenge your friends. Warm-up Drills In a round of golf you never get the same putt twice. Be creative in practice and vary the putts you hit. Your warm-up should not be about your mechanics. Instead you should be preparing yourself for the situations that lie ahead. Always warm-up in the playing mode. Warm-up Drill 1 Take one ball onto the putting green and practice making putts. Vary the hole you putt to and the distances you putt from. Hit putts with large and small breaks, monster putts and gimmes. Use your pre-shot routine on every putt. Warm-Up Drill 2 Setup a number of balls on different lines around the hole. Challenge yourself or a friend to hole as many putts as possible. To make it harder increase distances or the break. Use your routine on every putt. These drills will increase your touch, feel and visualization. For further information about golf instruction, training aids and the C groove putter visit www.haroldswashputting.com. For more informationabout C-grove putters visit www.yesgolf.com. We recommend you use one of these great sites to keep track of your improvement: www.strokeaverage.com and www.golfscoretracker.co.uk. Published by Dizzy Heights UK Limited.© Pocketshots™ and Dizzy Heights™ are trademarks of Dizzy Heights (UK) Limited all other trademarks are acknowledged. All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part or in any form. Posted May 04 2007, 11:49 AM by Pocket Shots with no comments Filed under: Putting, Pocket Shots, Harold Swash