Pro Tips

Pro Tips by Keri Moffat, CPGA
Director of Golf, GBC Golf Academy at Mayfair Lakes
kmoffat@golfbc.com

Posture

Starting in good posture is essential for your body to rotate effectively. As well, maintaining that posture throughout the entire swing is important for creating power and distance.

To start, tilt your upper body forward towards the ground, at the same time it will feel like you are sticking out your “behind”. This state of readiness position is similar to other sports, like volleyball or baseball. You will create a perfect counterbalance between your upper and lower body and allow for a full shoulder turn. To check this position, place a golf club against your back so that one end is touching your tailbone and the other end touches the back of your head (Fig. 1).
Now tilt forward, if the club stays connected to your tailbone, you are bending properly and will be able to rotate your shoulders around your spine. If the club becomes disconnected, you are rounding your upper back and as a result you will not be able to rotate properly (Fig. 2).
Once you have the correct posture, relax or unlock your knees, and let your arms hang straight down (Fig. 3). You are now ready to make a swing that is free to rotate around your spine and create power. Remember, by developing a solid set-up rooted in proper fundamentals you will be able to build an efficient and balanced golf swing.

figure 1

figure 2

figure 3

Pictures of: Justin Hyun, 2005 Junior Club Champion, Mayfair Lakes

Alignment

It is important to check your alignment as often as possible to ensure you are aimed at your intended target and not 20 yards to the right or left. Many players make the mistake of aligning their shoulders and body to the target thinking they are aim correctly (Fig.1), but are unaware that it is the clubface that must be aligned to the target.

To align yourself properly to the target, you must first aim the clubface to the target and then align your body (shoulders, hips, knees, and feet) parallel to that target line (Fig. 2). Visualize a set of train tracks. The first rail will aim your clubface to the target and the parallel rail will aim your body. The next time you practice, check your alignment by placing 2 clubs on the ground, one club at your feet and the other at the club head (Fig 3). Now take a step back and look where the clubs is aligned. If the clubs are pointing at the intended target, then you aligned properly. If not, adjust the clubs until it is pointing to your intended target and then take your stance.

Good fundamentals are important elements in developing a consistent swing. Continue to check your alignment to ensure you are giving yourself every opportunity to hit the ball where you want it to go.

figure 1

figure 2

figure 3

Grip

A good grip is one of the most important fundamentals in golf because it builds a good foundation for an efficient swing. How you place your hands on the golf club can help to determine the direction and distance of the ball. The biggest mistake most players make is holding the club too much in the palm, which limits the ability to hinge, resulting in reduced club head speed and consequently less distance. In addition, a weak grip will also limit the ability to square the clubface at impact leading to shots to the right.

A good grip is achieved by placing the club in the fingers, creating more power and control. To check your grip, rest the club diagonally along the base of the fingers in your left hand, from below your pinkie finger to the first knuckle on your index finger.
With the club resting in the fingers, wrap your thumb over the top of the club so the heel pad sits on the top part of the grip. Next, with the right hand place the club along the base of the middle two fingers as if you were shaking someone’s hand. The index finger and thumb should almost touch. The fleshy pad at the base of the right thumb should rest on top of the left thumb.
With both hands on the club, look down to see where the Vs created by the thumbs and index fingers are pointing. For a neutral grip, the Vs should be pointing between the chin and right shoulder.
If you struggle with a slice, try strengthening your grip by pointing the Vs more towards the right shoulder. Now with your hands correctly on the club you are on your way to playing better golf.

Stop Topping the Ball

After topping a ball, how many times have you heard “You’re lifting your head”? So you tuck your chin into your chest and proceed to top the next shot. A topped shot is NOT the result of a player lifting their head, but instead stems from the wrong belief that you need to get under the ball in order to lift or “scoop” it into the air.

First, in order to launch the ball into the air, your club must strike down through the ball, not scoop under the ball. To kick a soccer ball in the air, you must kick down, the same principle applies in golf.
Second, when striking down at the ball, hitting the grass and making a divot is a good thing, as long as the divot comes after the ball.

Practice like you Play

In order to improve your performance under pressure, practice like you play. Putting and chipping several golf balls in a row is great practice for improving technique, but it does little to prepare you for the pressures of the game. To improve your performance on the course, try the Chip & Putt Drill. You will need a wedge, a putter, and one golf ball. From different lies, chip the ball onto the green then putt out, counting the number of strokes. To take it a step further and play with a partner to force you to concentrate on every shot.

Lack Confidence on the Putting Green

Some days the hole looks as small as a dime, making a putt seem impossible. To improve your confidence on the putting green, try placing a tee in the practice green about 4 feet away. Putt to the tee until you begin to hit it several times in a row. Then move the tee back at 2-foot increments until you are putting from 10 feet. When you return to the course, your confidence will return.

Proper Practice Technique

Have you ever asked yourself the question: Why can’t I bring my range game to the golf course?

If you have, I have an interesting point for you to consider. Golf is the only sport I can think of that separates the practice ground from the playing ground. Hockey players practice playing hockey on the hockey rink. Football players practice playing football on the football field. Swimmers practice swimming in the pool. Where else would they practice? What do golfers do?

Golfers practice hitting shots on the driving range and play golf on the golf course. Sometimes we may practice for hours at a time. We do this in an effort to groove the perfect swing or at least to get our swings manageable enough to play a decent game of golf. Most of us will hit the same club; say a 7 iron, at the same target, over and over again in order to gain the correct feeling or to get the correct result. You will get good at what you practice and eventually you will become good at hitting your 7 iron. You may practice this way with all your clubs and you will eventually become competent at hitting all of your clubs. Great! Now it’s time to take what we’ve learned on the practice tee and put it to the test on the proving ground of the golf course. Despite all our efforts and best intentions we still have a problem transferring our skills from the range to the course.

So what’s the problem? If I can hit all of my clubs how I want to on the driving range, why can’t I do the same on the golf course?

Let me ask you this question: When is the last time you hit a bunch of 7 irons in a row at the same target from a perfectly flat lie with no consequence to the results of your shots while you played a round of golf?

The point I am making is this: If you want to become better at playing golf on the golf course, you have to practice like you play. For most people it is not practical or even possible to practice on the golf course, so we have to bring the golf course to the driving range. Instead of hitting the same club at the same target ball after ball, try doing these exercises:

Change your club and target using your full pre-shot routine with each ball that you hit. Try this for 20 balls.
Play a few holes of your favorite golf course on the driving range. Try to picture the holes exactly as they are. Define the shape of the fairway, location of water and sand, and limits of the green. Consider the direction of the wind. Choose the appropriate clubs and target and use your full pre-shot routine on each shot. See how you do!

By doing these exercises you will be practicing how you play golf. It is necessary to do these things if your intent is to play better when you are out on the golf course. Initially, you may not hit the ball as nicely as when you practice the other way, but you will get better at it with time. You will get better at what you practice. I suggest that you dedicate at least half of your total practice time to this new type of practice. If you are working on swing changes with your coach then by all means hit a few shots with the same club and target if you need to. Always be aware of the purpose for your practice. Are you working on swing technique? Are you practicing to play better on the course?

Golf is about dealing with constantly changing conditions. Every round of golf you play is different. Every shot you hit is different. It is time to think differently about how you practice. Make your practice conditions and playing conditions closer to the same so that you can take what you practice out to the course when you go play!

For further help on your game, see your local CPGA professional at the GBC Golf Academy at Mayfair Lakes.

Special Offer

Pro Tips