As I work my way back this year, I’m starting to notice that my alignment during my setup is somewhat inconsistent. In fact, my whole setup is somewhat inconsistent, but that’s a problem for another day. Alignment problems are sometimes not apparent, but many times they are the result of other swing flaws. Your body is smart. Sometimes you may subconsciously make little corrections that get the ball where you want it to go. The problem is, it really just masks or compensates for other problems. Here’s how to check and work on proper alignment. At address, your shoulders, hips, knees, feet, and eyes should be aligned parallel to the target line. Remember that your body should line up parallel left of the target because you’re actually standing a little ways behind the ball. If you were to aim your body lines directly toward the target and make a good swing the ball would go a little right of the target. The analogy of railroad tracks is often used for a good mental picture. Imagine
Embrace The Weather
Yesterday, I was sitting at home admiring how nice the weather was outside. I had decided that I was going to take it easy this weekend to heal up because I was a little sore and tired. But with the weather like that, I figured I’d head over to the driving range and hit some balls. The way the range is situated at my club, it’s a couple hundred yards from the parking lot. So I walked out there, all the while admiring how nice the weather was. I went to the driving range booth, grabbed a large basket, and headed for the tee. It wasn’t until that point that it finally occurred to me how windy it was (afterward, I checked and the wind was 19 mph, gusting to 29mph). That just goes to show how oblivious I can be sometimes to what’s going on around me. I set up at the tee hitting a few warm-up wedges and I couldn’t believe how windy it was. I was hitting directly into it too. After
Repetition
The only real way to make any kind of permanent change to the golf swing is through repetition. It sounds like a given, but often times we start learning something and achieve some success then move on to something else before going through enough repetition to commit it to muscle memory. It’s like rolling a boulder up a hill. If you stop pushing too soon, it’s going to roll back down to the bottom. Repetition doesn’t just build muscle memory. It also builds mental strength. As you begin to groove the swing, confidence grows. When it comes time to execute under pressure, you’re more likely to perform well. Repetition is especially important in putting because it’s such a delicate matter. Some of you may be familiar with Phil Mickelson’s 100-ball putting drill. It was shown to him by the great Jackie Burke. I remember reading about it a while back before hearing that Phil had given it a try, and it fascinated me. The basic idea is that you line up ten balls in a
It’s A Numbers Game
Golf is a numbers game. To excel, it requires both art and science. The art can be there from birth and might even be developed some over the years. But the science is there for everyone to use to their advantage. This is one of the reasons that I’m a serious stats guy. I’ve been a little overwhelmed with the journey that I’ve just embarked on, so I’ve been a little lax in keeping my own stats, but I promise you, that will change as I get settled in. When you do your practice sessions, what do you work on? Your stats tell you what to do, don’t they? Right? In my opinion, and this isn’t groundbreaking theory here, one of the biggest issues in people’s practice time is that they don’t practice the areas that need the most work. Psychologically, people like to do what they’re best at. If you know someone who might have a relatively high handicap but hits his driver well, go to the range with him. I bet he hits
Video Never Lies
Well, I got over my apprehension about bringing my video camera out to the range with me. I was hoping to be able to share some stills and some of the video so we could analyze them together, but I’m having some technical issues. When I step frame by frame using my camera hooked up to my TV, the position of the club is apparent through the entire swing, but when I transfer the video to my PC, it’s much harder to make out the club near impact. I’m going to try again this week with the recording quality set to the highest setting and see if that helps. Anyway, I’m really glad I went through with it. I was able to learn a lot about where my swing is at right now. I also learned that either the camera adds a few dozen pounds or I need to stay committed to my weight loss goals. Hey, it’s in my to-do list but it’s going to take time. Here’s a breakdown of what I saw
Loading ...
Connect
Here are some other ways we can connect