Holding a golf club is one of the most important fundamentals to a great golf swing. The slightest change to the position of the hands has a tremendous impact on whether the ball finishes in the woods or in the middle of the fairway. Focusing on how to hold a golf club is the first step to developing a great golf swing.
There are three basic golf swings: the baseball grip, the overlapping grip and the interlocking grip. Each grip has its own unique advantages and disadvantages. As each player evolves, many have experimented with each grip to suit their game. Continue reading →
Have you ever played a round of golf when you could not sink a putt? Most of you said ‘of course’! Have you ever played a round of golf when you seemed to drain your putts from everywhere? A few less ‘of course’ was just spoken. What was the difference between the two rounds? Most will say the mental game was the difference and that would be true, however I suggest it was your focus when putting.
On the days when they are putting awesome, most players will sink or lag their putts on their first two greens. Suddenly, the player is feeling ‘it’ (what ever it is) and they start to pay closer attention to the factors of the green that are important to making great putts. But, why do most golfers wait until they have a good start before practicing focused putting.
Other sports have the same moment during the game when the player must focus differently. In basketball – the free throw; in tennis – the serve; in darts – doubling out; and in volleyball – the serve; all of these sports require a focused effort to perform a specific skill; golf is no different.
Focused putting can be achieved by anyone at any time. It is a simple skill. It all starts on the practice range. I talked about the 3-6-9 putting drill in earlier posts and that will definitely help; but the skill for focused putting is a pre-shot routine! It is important to develop a pre-shot routine to trigger your entire body and mind that focused putting is required. This routine is yours alone and there is no wrong way to do it. Watch Keegan Bradley and Phil Mickelson, two completely different styles with a similar result.
Like other sports, a pre-shot routine is very important to duplicate success. Do you have a pre-shot routine for putting? If not, why not?
“If there is one thing I have learned during my years as a professional, it is that the only thing constant about golf is its inconstancy.” – Jack Nicklaus
The Golden Bear describes many golf games. Watching the tour it is not difficult to see that consistency is the key to success. For example: Phil Mickelson is currently on the bad side of consistency; he has played in 6 events and only has 4 top 25 finishes, missed the cut once and withdrew once. Not one of Mickelson’s memorable starts! However, Harris English is 5th in the FEDEX points; he has played 11 events with 6 top tens and has made the cut in every event – extremely consistent. Looking around the professional and amateur ranks, it is not difficult to see that consistency is one of the major keys to success!
Consistency is defined as reliability or uniformity of successive results or events – pitched with remarkable consistency throughout the season. Basically, accurate repeating of the same stroke at the same distance with similar results. The stroke does not have to be pretty, but the results, when trying to break 100, have to consistent. This is really the key to great golf.
Regardless of a players handicap, consistency drives their score. A single digit handicap player will be extremely consistent in most areas of their game. The closer to the pin, the more consistent the player becomes. Their short game is really something to watch – it is almost magical. If you watch professional golf, their short game is sometimes breath-taking as they consistently make miracle shots when least expected.
To achieve consistency and break 100 there is a magic formula. It is the best kept secret and is repackaged everyday. It is free and anyone can follow the simple process. Here it is – PRACTICE YOUR SHORT GAME!
I know many will say that you cannot even hit the ball well – that might be true, but most beginners will waste 3-5 shots around the green on every hole. They will 3-4 putt, chip the ball 2 and three times or get in the sand and have a hard time getting out! We have all been there and experience shows that consistency around the green is the first step towards lowering your score and achieving milestones.
If you are still skeptical, ask any player who scores consistently low, 98% of them will point to how well they chipped and putted during their round! To confound Jack Nicklaus’ quote, take time to practice your short game it will be the first steps to breaking 100.
One of the more exciting strokes in golf is chipping in from anywhere. Of course, the closer to the hole increases the chances of success. Watching the ball roll up to the hole, take the break in the perfect way, then drop right in the heart is a thrill! Fantastic shot – your player partner says as you collect high 5s from the group! Some players will say ‘boy, that was lucky’…..or was it. Is that not the intent of every shot….to go in every time?
Watching the highlights of the WGC Cadillac Championship, it was amazing to see how many players recovered from a missed approach shot and chipped in. From the sand, the fringe, the fairway, it did not seem to matter. A while back, I posted an article on how to use the bump-and-run to increase a players changes of chipping in and as a result lower their overall score. Happily, after watching the pros, some of my technique had some similarities with the pros, but my skill level has a long way to go!
What do the pros have that empowers them to be more successful? Yes, they are highly skilled, make their living at playing golf, and have the time to practice, but that is not what I mean. So again – What do pros have that empowers them to be more successful?
Is it confidence, mental toughness, lack of fear, strong visualization skills or what? Actually, it seems to be all these things. When an élite player walks up to their ball, they immediately start to analyze the ball position, the lay of the green, the grain, hole location, and possible hazards. Watch their eyes. Sometimes they are looking at a spot that baffles the amateur, but it has caught their attention. When they have figured out what they want to do, they prepare to execute.
All their actions are feeding the best kept secret in golf – there is always a perfect shot that will result in a chip in. Every shot has one, every shot! The trick is to figure out what it is. It sounds complex and sometimes it is…..others it is obvious. Armed with this knowledge, the pros play with confidence knowing the answer is out there and they are the ones to figure it out.
If every amateur approached all their chip shots armed with the same knowledge and confidence, they would have greater success and their misses would not miss by that much.
Chipping in is possible for every shot. Figuring out exactly how all the pieces fit together is the fun part. It is the ultimate jigsaw puzzle. If you have any hints or secrets you would like to share, please send them along for all to share.
There are many transferable skills between sports. As a volleyball coach, my training focus for beginners was on foot work and proper body position when contacting the ball. By reinforcing the fundamentals early produced greater results as the young players developed. Again and again results prove that proper, repetitive movements in sports build the positive foundations required for success.
One specific skill in volleyball is call the ‘reverse C’. This specific technique requires a volleyball player to arch their back to add tension to their hitting stoke. This technique is difficult to master, but once they do – the results are amazing. The movement to spike the ball has players arch their back and ‘load’ their hitting arm. At the proper time, the hitting motion starts with uncoiling of their back. As they extend their arm to strike the ball, the momentum of their back uncoiling added to the arm motion generates more power and thus greater arm speed. The result is greater speed of the ball that is hard to dig. The ‘reverse C’ is a valuable skill that generates power.
Golf uses a very similar skill. The ‘reverse C’ in golf is used to generate power and improve launch angle. A key part of this fundamental skill is ball position; placing the ball off your lead toe is a great place to start. The ‘reverse C’ is created by sliding your hips towards the target before you start to uncoil the club from the top of the takeaway, this movement helps maintain the proper position when contacting the ball. Additionally, it creates tension by tightening the coil of the shoulder rotation. The result will be greater distance with more consistent contact, improved angle of attack and increase height on the ball during flight. The ‘reverse C’ is a fundamental skill used to hlep break 100 and lower, focus on creating the ‘reverse C’ when contacting the ball. You may be surprised at the results of your efforts.
Many sports skills are transferable. The ‘reverse C’ is definitely one that all élite volleyball players and golfers master. Focusing on core fundamental movements from other sports maybe a new way to improve your game and lower your scores.
