Follow through, balance and observation

It's a common thing at driving ranges around the world. Take a moment from hitting your basket of range balls and have a good look down the line at the other golfers at the range with you.

For starters, by seeing how others swing we can all recognize what a nice swing and not so nice swing looks like, and the usual results that come from those swings. Pay attention to both and look at the body positions of the golfers through the whole process of the golf swing.

The most obvious fault I see with many recreational golfers is on the follow through. Almost all high handicap golfers do not finish with most of their weight on their lead foot and their back foot turned up with the sole of their shoe showing. (see photo)

The high handicappers are usually leaning back on their back foot as they try to 'hoist' the ball into the air. If we were to throw a ball or pass/shoot a puck at a target with accuracy (and power) or try to hit a home run, we would shift our weight to the lead foot to act as a brace as the rest of our torso is carried through the action by momentum.

Poor balance is also usually evident as few casual golfers seem to 'pose' and watch their shots after impact. The next time you are at the driving range try to imitate the guys on TV and hold that proper finish position until your ball lands and/or stops rolling.

Some instructors call this learning the swing from the finish and going backwards. I believe that it can really help a lot of golfers out there because like the act of walking or swinging a baseball bat, you shouldn't (and I bet won't) be analyzing how you are swinging the club back to the top of your swing. Then just swing down at the ball and work on your balance by holding your finish.

A good drill for practising balance is stand in an open space (indoors or out) and stretch your arms out to your sides. Then close your eyes and count to thirty. Too easy? Okay now lift one leg just slightly off the ground and with your arms outstretched, close your eyes and count to thirty. Unless you are a ninja, you will be challenged at first to stay balanced with your eyes closed and arms outstretched. You should also feel the small stabilizer muscles in your lower legs working like crazy to help you stay balanced. Try it barefoot, with shoes on, on hard ground, grass, a balance board (super ninja). It is a really good exercise for getting better balance and strengthening your lead leg to help hold you in place after swinging the golf.

Don't get all psyched out when looking down at that little white ball. Just go off to the side of the range or your back yard and swing (swat) at all the dandelions or weeds (if you have them it's more fun then getting down on your knees and pulling them out). Notice how free and easy you swing and try to hold your finish for a few seconds or so. If you have full length sliding glass doors, take some practise swings in front of them and look at your reflection in the glass. Hold that finish.

Try to imitate and copy the pros on TV and soon enough you'll be hitting it like them!

Understanding Impact

Everybody's swing is different. Even on the PGA Tour there are no two swings alike. You could line up hundreds of golfers of varying skill levels that are similar in size and build and you would still not see two swings that are exactly the same.

But what you would see is how different the better golfers come into the impact zone than the less experienced/skilled golfer and strike the golf ball.

I see so many golfers that are new to the sport or have been playing for years but fail to improve and break 100 or lower their scores or hit the ball better because they don't understand the most critical part of the golf swing. They don't understand proper impact.

These frustrated golfers' most common mistake is that they add loft to the club. If at the moment of impact a snapshot was taken they would see their body behind the ball with most of their weight on their back foot, the shaft of the golf club would resemble a similar position as it did at address and their wrists will have 'broken' down as they have 'flicked' at the golf ball. They 'scoop' and try to help the golf ball into the air and think that golf is so difficult because the golf club has such a small margin of error as they try to slide it under the golf ball's equator but not take too much turf. For this reason many of these golfers prefer to hit range balls off the artificial turf matts that allow the golf club to bounce, not dig in and thus slide under the golf ball. The artificial turf does nothing to help teach them to hit a golf ball properly under real 'on course' conditions.

The proper way to strike a golf ball is the same for chipping as it is with the full swing. The hands need to be ahead of the ball at impact in order for the club to strike the ball crisply. The easiest way to get the feeling of your hands ahead of the ball is to at address with your hands on the club, 'press' your hands forward toward the target and angle the shaft of the golf club. If you took most irons and let them rest on a hard surface you will notice that when the sole of the club is resting on the ground the shaft naturally angles towards the target and your left side. (This angle is most evident in the short irons and gradually lessens as you get into the long irons and woods.) The left side is also where you need most of your weight to be as you impact the golf ball. The exact opposite of what many beginner and less skilled golfers do!

Think of the golf swing as the same motion we use to throw a ball or a frisbee, or most things for that matter. There is a transfer of energy, a shift of our weight forward to help 'sling', propel the object forward or towards the intended target. Another way to think about it is if you were holding a rope attached to something heavy and you were pulling from your side. To get the heavy object moving towards you and in the desired direction you would lean away from it and would feel in your left side (your lat muscles) tension as your torso twists and your arms are pulled straight from the heavy object. We wouldn't pull something heavy or be in a tug of war standing completely upright with our arms bent. We would lose that tug of war every time! A good way to see and feel the motion with a golf club is to grip a club and stand as you would when addressing a golf ball, with the golf club head resting at the edge of a heavy mat. Now without swinging, try to move that heavy mat towards your target and you should see and feel what I am referring to as proper impact position.

So by having the hands ahead of the ball at impact and our weight shifting forward, with forward shaft lean on the golf club we can descend slightly down onto the ball and strike it crisply. Those divots you see flying through the air when the pros on TV hit an iron shot actually occur after the ball has hit the clubface. The club is merely still descending down into the ground before following through.

Come on out and visit me at Olympic View Golf Club and I would be more than happy to help you achieve solid impact and improve all other aspects of your golf game. Our beautiful grass practise facility and short game areas will allow you to learn real golf under real conditions and you will start to see real improvement in your game.

Daylight Savings Time means Golf Season is here!

Tomorrow is the big day! We all move our clocks forward one hour, which means more daylight, which means more time after work to go outside and play some golf!

The weather is gradully improving, temperatures are getting milder so it's time for all you fair weather golfers to dust off the golf clubs and get ready for a great season of golf.

Before you rush out to the golf course after hauling the clubs out of the garage there are a couple of things you should do. First check out your golf equipment and make sure they haven't had your motorcycle leaning against them all winter or some critters have sniffed out that half eaten energy bar you left in your golf bag and eaten a hole right through your golf bag!

Once you have checked out the golf equipment, check out your equipment. I'm referring to your whole body - Have you been active at all this winter? Watching golf on TV doesn't count. You need to start doing some stretching everyday to get those limbs loosened up and ready for swinging the sticks. Getting outside and going for some walks around the neighbourhood is good idea too to get the numbness and some blood flowing back into those legs.

The next step is to contact me and get yourself (and friends and family) tuned up and ready for a great spring and summer of golf! I am available anytime at Olympic View Golf Club for golf lessons in Victoria, BC.

I look forward to seeing you at the course!
alaursen@golfbc.com

Winter Golf Tips

Do you golf 12 months of the year? Are you only a fair weather golfer, or do you head out and play in the rain too?

With the right gear and preparation there is no reason one cannot go out and enjoy a round of golf when mother nature is not in a good mood. In fact many times it can be one of the best times to go play 18 holes as many decide to stay indoors.

First off, invest in some good quality rain gear. There's a saying that you get what you pay for, and the saying couldn't be more true with rain gear for golfers. You want a jacket and pants that are 100% waterproof. Many of the higher end waterproof garments come with lifetime waterproof warranty, where as the more affordable, water resistant garments are either not gauranteed or it is for only a couple of years. Would you rather spend a few extra dollars that is gaurateed for life or every couple of years spend money on new rain gear because your old stuff leaks?

The rain gear should fit comfortably and allow you to swing the golf club freely. Enough room under the garment for you to be able to wear a sweater would be ideal as the rain gear is something that you would usually be wearing when the weather is cooler and gray. The same rules apply to rain pants - leave some room to be able to layer up underneath with your slacks and long underwear if necessary.

Toques, mittens and handwarmers are also good items to keep you and your hands warm, which is vital to be able to play golf in the cold. A good idea is to keep a couple of extra golf balls in your pockets or mittens with the handwarmers and rotate the balls every hole. A warm golf ball travels farther than a frozen one! Cold or frozen golf balls won't compress completely on impact.

Waterproof shoes are a necessity as well, and even if the shoes say they're waterproof some plastic grocery bags slipped inside will aid even more in your feet staying dry and therefore warm.

A good golf umbrella, golf bag cover and an extra towel hanging underneath your umbrella, ensuring it stays dry are the last things I recommend you take with you out on the golf course.

When you get out on the golf course I also suggest considering playing a set of tees forward from the ones you usually play, unless you want to practise on your US Open qualifying skills. In the Pacific Northwest the golf ball already doesn't travel very far, couple that with wet course conditions where no or very little roll is happening so do yourself and others on the golf course a favour and swallow your ego and play forward (at least a bit). Golf is hard enough as is.

This preparation will make your experience out on the links this winter season that much more enjoyable. I look forward to seeing you out there!

Do your golf clubs fit you?

Those big box golf superstores are like a candy store to anyone who loves the game of golf. All that equipment in one place gets some golf junkies drooling.

Sure they have an unbeatable selection with clubs available from every major brand. But those rows and rows of clubs you see there all have one thing in common - They're all standard size specifications.

Standard specs as they're known are the lengths, lie angles, lofts and grip thickness that all manufacturers mass produce their equipment to, and most of the major brands irons, woods, wedges and putters are within a quarter of an inch of each other with overall length, a degree with lie angle and lofts and the exact same with grip thickness.

Why would (and should) a person who is 5'5 play (and purchase off the rack) the same clubs as someone who is 6'2 ??!!! The length, lie and grip thickness would be way off for one or both of them 99% of the time if they both purchased 'off the rack' equipment.

Hitting balls on a driving range with a certified, professional club fitter is the way to go. Seeing your ball flight and how your current set and potential new clubs perform in real conditions is better than even the best golf simulator at any golf retail outlet.

Below are some of the various components of the golf club and the vital importance of a proper fit...

Lie Angle -
How the clubhead interacts with the turf when you come into the impact zome can greatly influence how the golf ball flies and where it ends up. At address one should ideally see the toe of the clubhead ever so slightly raised off the ground. This is easier to see when one takes their address on a hardwood floor or thin turf matt. You do not want the sole perfectly flush and level at address and the reason for this is that on the downswing the shaft of the golf club will actually bow outward, away from the player and thus change the angle of the clubhead coming into impact into a more upright position.

A lie angle that is too upright will result in a open clubface at impact because upon interaction with the turf the heel of the club moves at a faster rate due to less friction and thus the clubface opens and the ball flight would be to the right of the intended target line. The opposite would happen if the lie angle was too flat. Heel digs into turf and the clubface closes and ball would go left.

Length -
If clubs are too short, one is hunched over too much as they extend beyond the natural hanging of their arms in order to meet the golf ball with the clubface. This would result in a loss in distance and accuracy. The same could be said if the clubs were too long for someone and the additional weight would add another element of difficulty to be able to consistenly hit quality golf shots. Length can also affect the lie angle of the club as a club that is too long for someone would probably be too flat a lie angle and one too short would be too upright.

Shaft flex -
Important to find the right flex that allows the golf club to act as efficiently as possible and help 'whip' the ball as far and as straight as possible. A club that is too flexible (whippy) for a golfer would result in inaccuracies as the weight of the clubhead snaps the shaft back at the improper time coming into impact. The same can be said for a club that is too stiff as one would not get the benefits or have the ability to get the golf club to act as a whip and thus propel the golf ball its maximum distance.

Shaft torque -
Torque relates to the amount a golf club can withstand twisting when swung so violently at a golf ball. One who swings smooth and easy and at slower speeds would need a club with much different torque properties than that of one who swings faster and has a quicker transition from backswing to downswing.

Shaft weight -
A lighter shaft is usually more beneficial to average skilled golfers, but higher skilled golfers with very fast swing speeds would benefit more from a heavier shaft that is capable of withstanding the forces placed on it by faster swing speeds. Someone with a slow swing speed swinging a shaft too heavy (or stiff) for them is going to find it more difficult to get the ball in the air and maximize their distance capabilities with that specific club and will most likely also be missing shots to the right of their intended target line (if right handed) because they're unable to square the club face.

Loft -
Affects ball flight and ball spin. Iron sets have a usual standard of lofts progressing through the set so all yardages are covered when out on the golf course. Optimizing your distance from your driver is where it is important to find the right loft. Hitting it too low can result in the ball hitting the ground sooner thus coming to a stop well before your maximum possible yardage. Hitting it too high could result in the ball spinning too much in the air and upon landing the ball not rolling at all or minimally.

Grip Thickness -
Affects feel of club (swingweight, balance) and can impact flight of ball due to ability of hands to release the clubhead. A thinner grip makes it easier to release and possibly hook the golf ball, a thicker grip delays/makes releasing the clubhead more difficult thus promoting a fade to the right of the intended target line. A thicker grip also affects overall feel of the club and can diminish feedback at impact as contact is absorbed more through the thicker grip.

There are also hundreds of different styles of grips to suit your preference or usual playing conditions.

Swingweight -
A balance measurement of a golf club translating the clubhead weight relation to overall weight of a golf club. Swingweight is expressed with a letter and number; "C9," for example.

The letters used are A, B, C, D, E, F and G, and the numerals 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 (G goes up to 10). Each combination of letter and number is known as a "swingweight point," and there are 73 possible swingweight measurements.

A0 is the lightest measurement (think like a feather), progressing up to the heaviest, G10 (a sledgehammer). If you feel your clubs are too light in the swing, then you'll want to go up the scale; too heavy, down the scale. The idea is to find the right balance that feels right and that you can control and get the most benefit out of.

The manufacturers' standard for men's clubs is around D2, and for women's clubs, C6. The swingweight can be adjusted by adding lead tape or changing out components, a lighter shaft or grip or heavier shaft or grip.


So as you can see there are many variables that one has to consider before investing in golf equipment and the best way to find out what works for you is to visit your local golf professional and have them fit you properly and order golf equipment that is tailored to you and your swing.