DNA STEP 1
Conception is the single most important element in learning to hit the golf ball properly. It's imperative you learn this first before anything else. Without this you might as well be blindfold every time you swing. A golfer's conception regarding how to hit a golf ball has never ceased to amaze me. In fact it's incredible just how many golfers have absolutely the wrong understanding about the basic rules of the club and ball at impact. Even more amazing is the amount of golfers who have been playing this way for years and continuously blame their swing for their bad shots. There are many golfers out there that know what I am leading up to, but when asked to explain it back to me it is evident that their understanding/conception is still misleading them. My intention is to explain fully what conception is and how it will open the door for you to start improving your game immediately.
So let's think about it for a moment, where does the swing start? Is it the grip, is it the takeaway or does it start somewhere else? Well, the correct answer is
your brain. It cannot start anywhere else. You're on board computer is the start point for everything you do, including golf. So before we start talking about the mechanics of the golf swing let's start talking about the beginning - conception.
I want to start with Al Soran a man who loves his golf and has a burning desire to improve and play as well as he can. He practices hard and takes lessons regularly with his local PGA Professional. He takes on board the relevant instruction and also analyses the occasional swing article in the golf magazine. When he plays a round of golf he has good days and bad, he doesn't expect to be the next Tiger Woods but would dearly love to have more consistency in his game. His knowledge of the golf swing is a good one, he knows about the set up and how important it is, he knows about the backswing and the coil he should be creating, he also knows about the through swing and how his weight should have transferred to his left side. Strange isn't it? He knows all of this but seldom gets the reward he should for the effort he is putting in. When it comes to hitting the ball it simply doesn't happen and even on the odd occasion he does hit the ball straight and true he really doesn't know what he did to achieve it. This normally brings about the conclusion of a lack of ability to play the game. However this is not always the case, the fact of the matter is that he has either misinterpreted the situation or has been misinformed as to how to hit the golf ball correctly.
In step-1 of the coaching programme I shall attempt to unravel the mysteries surrounding the golf swing and its DNA. I will explain the reasons why so many golfers have spent so long looking at the wrong end of the games spectrum. In simplistic terms, there are two ends of the golfing spectrum, the one end is all about swing mechanics and the other end is all about the art of hitting the golf ball correctly. Unfortunately, ninety nine percent of golfers (including myself) will get bogged down with too much swing theory and analysis.
Let's assume for a moment that like Al Soran you have a decent understanding of the golf swing and how the body moves in order to hit the golf ball correctly. Okay, but do you understand how the club is delivered to the ball in order to contact the ball correctly and the manner in which this is achieved? My experience suggests not.
So lets start with your equipment.
Your golf clubs are designed and manufactured to sit on the ground in a specific way. Lets go through it piece by piece. Firstly, grab a six iron out of your bag and stand in front of a mirror. Place the club on the ground as if you were going to hit a normal shot. Make sure the sole of the club head is sitting flat on the ground in every direction. If you have the club sitting properly you should be able to see (by looking down or into a mirror) that the position of the grip end of the club is slightly to the left/forwards of the clubhead (to the right for a left handed player). When you place your grip onto the club your hands should now be opposite the ball as you look down. (Check in the mirror to see if your hands are level with the ball). Remember the grip end of the club is always to the left and in front of the clubhead. I wonder why? Well, lets see if you can work it out.
Let me ask you a question based on what I've just said, if you answer the question correctly then you will be taken to the next stage, if you answer incorrectly then I will recommend you read it again and choose a different answer. (remember, your answer will be the opposite if your left handed)
As you look down, you should see that the grip end of the club is slightly to the left of the clubhead, this is the correct position you should be in when you address the ball.
So here's the question,
Where should the grip end of the golf club be at impact?
A,Should it return to the same position you started from?
B,Should it be to the right of the clubhead?
C,Should it be further to the left of the clubhead?
Tip - A wrong answer will simply reload this page.
Conception is the single most important element in learning to hit the golf ball properly. It's imperative you learn this first before anything else. Without this you might as well be blindfold every time you swing. A golfer's conception regarding how to hit a golf ball has never ceased to amaze me. In fact it's incredible just how many golfers have absolutely the wrong understanding about the basic rules of the club and ball at impact. Even more amazing is the amount of golfers who have been playing this way for years and continuously blame their swing for their bad shots. There are many golfers out there that know what I am leading up to, but when asked to explain it back to me it is evident that their understanding/conception is still misleading them. My intention is to explain fully what conception is and how it will open the door for you to start improving your game immediately.
So let's think about it for a moment, where does the swing start? Is it the grip, is it the takeaway or does it start somewhere else? Well, the correct answer is
your brain. It cannot start anywhere else. You're on board computer is the start point for everything you do, including golf. So before we start talking about the mechanics of the golf swing let's start talking about the beginning - conception.
I want to start with Al Soran a man who loves his golf and has a burning desire to improve and play as well as he can. He practices hard and takes lessons regularly with his local PGA Professional. He takes on board the relevant instruction and also analyses the occasional swing article in the golf magazine. When he plays a round of golf he has good days and bad, he doesn't expect to be the next Tiger Woods but would dearly love to have more consistency in his game. His knowledge of the golf swing is a good one, he knows about the set up and how important it is, he knows about the backswing and the coil he should be creating, he also knows about the through swing and how his weight should have transferred to his left side. Strange isn't it? He knows all of this but seldom gets the reward he should for the effort he is putting in. When it comes to hitting the ball it simply doesn't happen and even on the odd occasion he does hit the ball straight and true he really doesn't know what he did to achieve it. This normally brings about the conclusion of a lack of ability to play the game. However this is not always the case, the fact of the matter is that he has either misinterpreted the situation or has been misinformed as to how to hit the golf ball correctly.
In step-1 of the coaching programme I shall attempt to unravel the mysteries surrounding the golf swing and its DNA. I will explain the reasons why so many golfers have spent so long looking at the wrong end of the games spectrum. In simplistic terms, there are two ends of the golfing spectrum, the one end is all about swing mechanics and the other end is all about the art of hitting the golf ball correctly. Unfortunately, ninety nine percent of golfers (including myself) will get bogged down with too much swing theory and analysis.
Let's assume for a moment that like Al Soran you have a decent understanding of the golf swing and how the body moves in order to hit the golf ball correctly. Okay, but do you understand how the club is delivered to the ball in order to contact the ball correctly and the manner in which this is achieved? My experience suggests not.
So lets start with your equipment.
Your golf clubs are designed and manufactured to sit on the ground in a specific way. Lets go through it piece by piece. Firstly, grab a six iron out of your bag and stand in front of a mirror. Place the club on the ground as if you were going to hit a normal shot. Make sure the sole of the club head is sitting flat on the ground in every direction. If you have the club sitting properly you should be able to see (by looking down or into a mirror) that the position of the grip end of the club is slightly to the left/forwards of the clubhead (to the right for a left handed player). When you place your grip onto the club your hands should now be opposite the ball as you look down. (Check in the mirror to see if your hands are level with the ball). Remember the grip end of the club is always to the left and in front of the clubhead. I wonder why? Well, lets see if you can work it out.
Let me ask you a question based on what I've just said, if you answer the question correctly then you will be taken to the next stage, if you answer incorrectly then I will recommend you read it again and choose a different answer. (remember, your answer will be the opposite if your left handed)
As you look down, you should see that the grip end of the club is slightly to the left of the clubhead, this is the correct position you should be in when you address the ball.
So here's the question,
Where should the grip end of the golf club be at impact?
A,Should it return to the same position you started from?
B,Should it be to the right of the clubhead?
C,Should it be further to the left of the clubhead?
Tip - A wrong answer will simply reload this page.