Category: Golf Instruction

Posted on

Video Lessons

With the season in full swing, Summer is here and I really wasn’t playing that well.  My swing was  inconsistent and unpredictable to say the least.  I’ve been shooting 84 and then 98 in the span of just a few weeks.  Normally, this can be fixed by going to a coach and getting things straightened out.  However, I haven’t had a coach for a few years because I moved to a rural area and I don’t know of a good one around here.  So what to do?  It just so happens that the last lessons I took in San Diego were videotaped, so I dusted them off and took a look.  Yet again, my video lessons proved to be money well spent.

There were a couple things that I saw on those videos.  First, one of the first things my old coach had be work on was my reverse tilt.  Instead of my torso tilting toward the hole, my coach wanted my torso to tilt away from the hole.  This would promote a better plane and make it easier to launch the ball, especially with my long irons and fairway metals.  So that was the first thing I changed.  I took these mental images to the driving range and immediately saw results.  My plane has improved and my ball striking is much more consistent.  The two rounds I played since viewing those lessons were both 82’s.  Yeehaw!  Can’t argue with success.

Man those video lessons continue to payoff even years later!  Even before this happened, I was a believer in the benefits of video lessons.  However, learning from them years after the lesson was one benefit I hadn’t thought of.   Now all I can say is that I’m gonna keep those videos forever!

Posted on

Avoid Heat Injury!!

In the military, heat injury is a big deal.  If your body gets too hot and can’t cool itself down, you could die.  Seriously.  The Marines will go out on humps and very warm weather, but they place an emphasis on education and watch their members carefully.  This Navy Seals train in all different environments, but they have a physician close by in case of emergency.  And if anyone does fall out, depending on the severity of his condition, they may be booted out of the military.  Heat injury is that important.  What about on the golf course?

The golf course is an easy place to fall victim to heat injury, especially if you are out drinking the night before.  Summer, especially in the South, can bring very warm weather.  It’s very important to be careful and to prepare adequately.  Here are some guidelines:

  • Be careful how much alcohol or soda you drink.
  • Drink water before you get thirsty
  • Drink water before you go to the course
  • Stay in the shade of possible — carry an umbrella, or use a cart
  • Dress appropriately
  • Take a break at the turn
  • Play early in the morning or late in the afternoon
  • Consider sitting this weekend out if you’re sick

Next time you play in crazy heat, like here in North Carolina, think about these guidelines and be safe!

Posted on

What is bounce?

We’re not talking about Tiger Woods and the commercial where he bounces the ball on his wedge and then hits it out of mid air.  Have you ever tried that?  It’s fricken hard.  Anyway, bounce on a golf club is usually associated with wedges like a 60 degree lob wedge or a sand wedge.  It refers to the angle on the sole of the club.

Bounce is important for several reasons that greatly impact your short game.  First of all, bounce is very important on sand shots.  This is what keeps the club moving through the sand instead of digging deeper.  This helps you move sand and the ball on top of it.  If you listen to bunker shots that the pros take, you can hear a ‘thud’ before the ball comes out.  That’s bounce at work.  It happens when you hit the sand with the sole of the club (bounce) instead of the leading edge of the club.  Next time you practice a bunker shot, hit the sand a few times without a ball.  Try to make that sound and you’ll notice how easily the club moves through the sand.  Remember don’t hit the sand with the leading edge of the club.

Bounce is also important when chipping.  Phil Mickelson is known to grind down all the bounce until it’s gone.  This is so he can get the maximum loft on the wedge.  It makes it tougher to hit because the club will dig into the ground if you don’t hit it perfect, just like in the sand.  On the other hand, if you have too much bounce, you may tend to hit it thin or skull it.  For example, I had a 60 degree lob wedge with 7 degrees of bounce.  I hit it great, but when I got a new wedge with 11 degrees of bounce I skulled every chip because I had to hit it differently.  I went back to a club with less bounce and my chipping so I could use the stroke I had learned over the past several years instead of trying to relearn a new chipping stroke.

So that’s bounce.  Hopefully, you can use it to your advantage when you buy your next wedge and your up-and-down’s will put some…bounce… in your step!

Posted on

A video will help your swing!

Should you buy a video camera to check out your swing? Unquestionably, yes. I recently started using one just for the heck of it and it has been unbelievable. The ability to watch your swing day-to-day and work on a few things consistently is incredible. I’ve taken video lessons in the past and they’ve been really helpful, but having one to use everyday has been fantastic.

Sean Ohair sweet set up in his house. He has a room with a camera behind him in front of him connected to a flatscreen TV so you can watch his swing real-time. Of course, he’s PGA touring pro and makes the money to have one of those rooms. But I want one! That way when I see a tip on the Golf Channel, I can turn on camera and see what it feels like to be in whatever positions they are recommending.

A lot of it boils down to feel. If you can’t feel your swing change, how do you know you’re doing it when he gets the course? If you have a camera to show you when you’re doing something correctly and when you’re not, you can compare the feeling that you have. If you can ingrain it into muscle memory, you can take it to the course. And if you have your own video camera, you can check yourself over and over without waiting until your next lesson. Using my video camera, I changed my back swing and my position at the top quite easily. I took my new swing to the golf course last weekend and had the ball crisper and then I had in a while. I love it. I don’t know why I never bought a video camera before.

To me, a video camera has been one of the most valuable things I bought to help my golf swing. Plus, a video camera is very helpful around the house, if you know what I mean… 🙂

Posted on

Keep your elbow straight

Years ago when I first started playing golf, I used to practice at a driving range in Hawaii Kai on the Island of Oahu.  I started playing during the summer when I was home from college and I hit the ball ok.  I was using a set of Mizuno used clubs that my parents bought.  The driving range wasn’t far and I had just graduated from college and didn’t have a job yet.  It was a great time because I could go hit a couple buckets of balls every day.  Through college I had played summers, but this was the first time I was able to play consistently.  I was flirting with breaking 100 for a while, but just couldn’t break through.  I watched the golf channel and read some magazines, but the thing that really helped me to break 100 was the straight elbow.

You’ve probably heard people say to keep your left elbow straight (for right handers).  I started practicing keeping my elbow straight throughout my swing.  The technique is fairly easy to explain.  Instead of breaking your elbow at the top of the swing, you keep your arm straight.  The concept is that this will help you do several things.  First and foremost it gives you the ability to get back to a good ball striking position consistently.  Some say to get back to address position, although there are some important differences between the position at address and when striking the ball.  Either way, you’ll get to a ball striking position easily and consistently.

This tip will help you get to a good strike position several ways.  For example, it will improve your transition at the top of the swing.  When people get to the top of the swing, and the elbow breaks, it can become difficult to make the same movement consistently.  It’s just one more variable that you have to account for in the swing.  When you swing harder or softer, faster or slower, you must adjust the timing and amount that you break your elbow.  However, if you keep the elbow straight, it takes that variable out of the swing.  Whether you are swinging hard or soft, you don’t have to worry about adjusting your elbow.

Another way it helps is by keeping your hands in front of your body.  You may have heard this tip before as well.  You may have also heard people say to keep the triangle between your arms and chest throughout the swing.  These are all related concepts.  Keeping your elbow straight will help.

In any case, try keeping your elbow straight through your swing.  It helped me find a consistent swing and break 100.  And actually I hit it longer, too.  It felt strange at first, but now it’s second nature.  Try it!  Good luck and hit it long and straight!