I think I’m late for every significant movement in golf. I started playing golf in the early to mid 1990’s and used persimmon woods, when metal woods were already big. I was using a steel shafted driver long after graphite became the norm. And I’m not even considering one of these “in style” putting grips like the claw or the dozens of other variations.

Once again, I’m late for the hybrid revolution. When I’m hitting the ball well (unlike now), I wouldn’t trade my long irons for anything. Senior players have been using woods in favor of mid and long irons for a long time. I’ve actually seen an 11-wood. It really helps them to get the ball airborne and land it with a little softness.

Now, hybrids are the next evolution of that trend. They combine the better characteristics of irons and woods together in a single club. They have the distance and control of irons, with the low center of gravity found in woods that helps get the ball airborne. Their wider soles let them handle rough a little better than irons, as well.

These hybrid clubs aren’t just the next sensation in the local pro shops and clubs. They have a big presence on Tour. That alone makes me think I’m stupid for hanging on to my 2-iron (hey, we’re close, OK?).

I’m not sure when the first hybrid hit the market, but looking back, I can pinpoint one club that put the concept in my mind: The Perfect Club. Come on, you know you used to watch the infomercials on The Golf Channel when there was nothing else on. I can still hear Peter Kessler saying, “I promise…it’s perfect.”

At the time, I remember thinking that it seemed like a gimmick and that a club that needed an infomercial probably wasn’t worth buying. That was years ago. I’m not sure what kind of success it had, but it’s still on the market, and more importantly, every one of the big manufacturers started to come out with hybrid clubs in the coming years.

Now here we are, well into the hybrid revolution and I’m still clinging to my long irons. I’m interested to hear from those of you who have made the switch. And so I don’t feel so lonely, I wouldn’t mind hearing from anyone who refuses to carry a hybrid. Tell me why I shouldn’t consider switching. I have a feeling I’ll be test-firing some hybrids before the end of the season.

Part of my overall plan is a focus on fitness. I used to work with heavy weights. Now, I’m trying to do more stretching and core strengthening work that is a little more targeted toward golf.

I’m recovering from a herniated disk in my lower back, so I’m obviously concerned with keeping that area strong and flexible. In addition, my hips and shoulders are a problem area that I target regularly.

I wanted to share a few of the stretches and exercises that keep me in golfing form.

Before we start, I want to mention that I’m not a fitness professional. I’m sharing with you what I do, but it’s important that you do what’s right for your own well-being, so consult with a physical trainer and/or doctor to help you decide your own path.

Open Books

This exercise I picked up from the Titleist Performance Institute. I lie down on my side with my knees somewhat bent and both arms straight out in front of me, with my palms together. The back of one hand is on the floor. Then, keeping my knees on the floor, I rotate my top arm across my body until the back of my top hand is touching the floor on the opposite side of my body. I hold for 20-30 seconds, then repeat. I then roll over and repeat for the other side. This is great for adding flexibility in the chest and shoulders. I also feel a nice stretch in my core.

Press Up

This exercise was part of my initial physical therapy regimen for my back, but I like it so much that I continue doing it. To begin, I lie on my stomach. Then, keeping my pelvis on the floor, I gently press up with my arms, feeling a nice arch in my lower back. I stop if I feel any discomfort, but generally I’m able to press up to the point where my arms are straight. I do ten of these, holding the stretch at the top for a few seconds.

Russian Twists

I really like this one for core stability and some stretch in my back. I start by sitting on an exercise ball and rolling out, so the ball is under my middle back. Then, I hold a ten pound dumbbell at arms length over my chest. From there, I rotate my upper body to one side, lowering the dumbbell to my side. Then I rotate from there to the opposite side with the dumbbell by my opposite side, all the while making sure my lower body stays stable. I do two sets of 20.

These are a few of my favorites, but there are many others that I typically do. I’m really finding that it’s helping me with my golf game and with feeling better, in general. I have a long way to go before I’m even approaching being in decent shape. But I’m definitely getting there with a well-defined fitness plan.

I’m a total rules geek. I like to do the occasional post about the Rules of Golf, but it can get dry at times. I thought it might be fun to do a little rules quiz to liven things up.

Those of you who are USGA members might be familiar with the ridiculously difficult Rules of Golf quiz they print every year. My quizzes will be much easier and will cover the basics to help you learn and remember the nuances of the Rules.

I found a WordPress plugin that lets me easily create a quiz. There are several improvements I’d like to make, but I thought I’d roll out one and see how it goes. The first one is a little rough around the edges, so bear with me. Let me know if you like it, and I’ll keep them coming.

I’m planning on making the following improvements, so look for these in the future:

• I’d like the quiz within the post, instead of on a separate page
• I’m going to modify the results page so it shows the correct answers, not just a total score
• I’ll probably try to make them ten questions instead of five

Without further ado, on to Rules Quiz I…

Several days ago, we started talking about the slice. I covered a big cause: the “over the top” swing and factors that lead to it. Then, I covered some additional problems that can lead to a slice. Now, we get to the good part. Today, I’m going to finish up by covering some drills and techniques you can use to combat your slice.

Set up

Before we can play a good shot, it all starts with solid alignment. For a typical shot, you want to be aimed parallel left of your target. I covered proper alignment in a previous post. Using an aim club helps to set your feet, hips, torso, shoulders, and head in line with the target.

Once that’s out of the way, you must have a solid grip. Yesterday, I pointed to a post where The Golf Drill Guru covered the grip, with photos of weak, neutral and strong grips.

Once the grip and stance are solid, you’re ready to make a swing. Without those fundamentals, you’re set up for failure. Having a faulty grip or stance can lead to many swing faults, not just a slice. It’s very difficult to be a consistent player without these two fundamentals firmly in place.

Avoid The “Over the Top” Move

If you have an over the top swing, you need to get the feeling of swinging the club more around your body. A good drill to encourage this type of feeling involves hitting off a side hill. Find a lie where you can hit some practice shots with the ball a good bit above your feet (6 inches or even more). As you hit the shots, feel the club come around you in somewhat of a flatter plane (less upright). Swinging more around your spine will help rid you of the over the top move.

Another great drill involves the use of a training aid. Position something like a plastic range basket about two feet behind your ball a little inside of the target line (something you’re not worried about breaking is the best - an empty plastic milk jug, for instance). There’s a photo of this over at Learn About Golf. This drill helps you in two ways: first, it gets you taking the club back a little inside the target line. Second, it forces you to approach the ball on the downswing with an inside to square path. If you make a proper approach to the ball, you’ll be able to hit the ball without disturbing the basket. If you come over the top, and get your club on the other side of the target line, you’ll hit the basket.

Start by taking slow-motion practice swings to get the feel of taking the club back on the proper plane and delivering it to the ball from the inside, instead of from over the top. Slowly increase the speed of your swings and work up to actually hitting a ball with the basket there. With a proper on-plane, inside to square swing arc, you’ll be able to hit shots without disturbing the basket.

Proper Release

With your grip and setup correct and a properly grooved inside to square swing arc (as opposed to the outside to in arc) your other main focus should be a proper release of the club through impact. Remember that we said that as your club approaches the ball on the downswing, the back of your left hand faces more toward the sky. At impact, it faces the target. During the follow through, it starts to face more toward the ground.

Here’s a drill I learned a long time ago to encourage proper release. On the range, grab your seven iron. You’re going to hit some mini shots. For each shot, only take the club back far enough so that the shaft is parallel to the ground. The toe of the club should be pointing straight up in the air, and the butt of the club should be pointing at the target. Your wrists should begin to cock, but not completely.

From there, make an easy swing and stop during the follow through when the shaft gets to parallel with the ground. Once again, the toe of the club should point straight up, but now the butt of the club is pointing away from the target. When you make these mini swings going parallel to parallel, concentrate on making a nice smooth swing with good tempo and letting your left forearm rotate through impact. Feel yourself release the club from toe up to square and to toe up again. A little body action is fine, about like if you were hitting a short pitch shot.

Take a few practice swings, then hit a shot. Then take more practice swings and hit another shot. Concentrate on solid contact, but don’t think about distance, and whatever you do, don’t slap or stab at the ball, trying to make it go further. It’s all right if it bloops 50 yards. It’s also fine to stop on some of your practice swings at each stage so you get the proper feel, especially at impact.

Another excellent drill for feeling a proper release is the split hands drill. Grip the club with several inches of space between your top and bottom hands (i.e. move your bottom hand down on the grip a few inches). Now take some short practice swings (about the same length as the mini-swing drill) and you’ll get a good feeling of the right arm rotating over the left through impact.

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I only covered a handful, but there are tons of great drills to help fix the slice. I’ll cover some more here and there over time, but Google will definitely help you find some good ones.

I spent a lot more time covering some of the causes for the dreaded slice because it’s my firm belief that if you understand how the swing works, you’ll have a much easier time fixing it. If you have a basic understanding of these various flaws, they’re much easier to recognize and fix.

Keep in mind that the information I’ve put out over the last several days is not an exhaustive list of causes and cures. I tried to cover the big points. Your best weapon against the slice is information. Learn as much as you can, and if all else fails, pay a visit to your local PGA teaching professional for some help getting rid of that slice once and for all. Good luck and kill that slice for good.

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Further Reading:

Banish Your Slice (Life in the Rough)
Causes of an Over the Top Swing (Life in the Rough)
Some Other Factors That Can Lead to a Slice (Life in the Rough)
Proper Alignment (Life in the Rough)
Proper Grip (The Golf Drill Guru)

For the last few days, we’ve been talking about the dreaded slice. Yesterday, I focused on the “over the top” move, that often leads to a slice (and possibly a pull-hook). While that might be a big reason that golfers slice the ball, it’s not the only possibility.

Remember that a slice is caused by an open club face at impact. Having a faulty swing path, as with an over the top swing, is a definite factor. However, it’s possible to deliver the club head to the ball on a proper path during the down swing and still slice the ball.

In that case, one of the biggest culprits is the grip. When I say grip in this context, I’m talking about how you hold the club in your hands as well as the tightness with which you hold it.

Weak Grip

When referring to the way you hold the club in your hands, the grip is typically categorized as weak, neutral, or strong. I could do a whole post on the grip, but I’ll just say for now that when you hold the club in your hands, the V’s that are formed by your forefingers and thumbs are the main indicator of whether the grip is weak, neutral, or strong. In a neutral grip, the V’s should point at your right shoulder (for a right handed player). In a weak grip, the hands are rotated more left on the handle and the V’s point more toward the chin. In contrast, in a strong grip, the hands are rotated on the handle of the club more to the right and the V’s point to the right of a neutral position.

The Golf Drill Guru has an article about the grip with photos of weak, neutral, and strong grip positions.

Now, you’re probably wondering how a weak grip could cause a slice. Well, as you approach impact, your hands will tend to want to achieve a neutral position. With a weak grip, when the hands try to get neutral, the club face actually opens some. That means, even if your swing path is correct, you can still slice the ball if your grip is weak enough. Along the same lines, if your grip is too strong, the hands will want to return to the neutral position, possibly causing you to hook the ball.

Improper Release

As you approach impact during the swing, a proper release is critical. By that, I mean that the left forearm is rotating through the downswing and impact and into the follow through. Have a look at a photographic swing sequence in your favorite golf publication and you can see what I mean. On the downswing, the back of the left hand faces the sky. At impact, the hands are in a neutral position with the back of the left hand facing the target. During the follow through, the back of the left hand faces more toward the ground.

To strike the ball well, you need to release the club properly. When you have proper fundamentals, the release is mostly automatic. It’s just the natural progression of proper action in your hips, torso, shoulders, etc.

Unfortunately, many players don’t release the club properly through impact. They “hold on” to the club and restrict it from returning to a neutral position. When they reach impact, the club face is open, and they slice the ball.

One of the big causes for improper release is the “death grip”. The golf swing is like any other machine in that to work properly, all of the moving parts must be free of tension. Sometimes players feel like they must grip the club very tightly. This causes a tremendous amount of tension in the hands, arms, and shoulders. This tension inhibits the release of the club and causes the player to slice.

Sometimes, an improper release can come as a result of compensation for other flaws. I’ve said before that the human mind and body are wonderful things. Our subconscious is smarter than we might realize. When we want to hit the ball straight, sometimes our body will find ways to make it happen.

Take for example someone who has flaws which cause him to hook the ball. Eventually, with enough practice, he will subconsciously learn that if he restricts his release (not necessarily as a result of tension), that he will be able to deliver the club face to the ball squarely, allowing him to hit it straight.

That’s fine until he begins to correct the problems that caused him to hook the ball in the first place. Now, he has grooved an improper release that will not allow the club face to be square at impact, and the result is a slice. This could be the result of conscious swing changes or just subtle changes that occur naturally over time. Either way, he went from hitting “good” shots to slicing the ball and is probably frustrated and trying to figure out what went wrong.

The Gear Effect

This is something you probably haven’t given much thought about. The gear effect simply describes how spin is imparted to the ball when it is struck off-center and the club head rotates around it’s center of gravity. There’s a nice discussion of gear effect over at About.com, if you’d like to know the nuts and bolts.

What’s important to understand is that, in general, striking the ball toward the heel of the club will impart spin on the ball that will tend to make it fade or slice. To see if that’s your problem, simply get some impact tape (or use masking tape), hit some shots, and be sure that you’re not hitting the ball off-center.

Equipment

One other factor I want to touch on briefly is equipment. These days, equipment specs are becoming increasingly more important. There are so many different ways that clubs can be customized that it’s enough to give you a headache just thinking about it.

Swing speed is something you should be aware of. If you have a high swing speed, you’ll want to use clubs with stiffer shafts. Otherwise you could have problems getting the club face square at impact. This is an over-simplified look at the whole situation, so if you’re suspicious of your equipment, get a professional club fitting. The fitter will be able to match all the specs like shaft flex, swing weight, moment of inertia, face depth, lie angle, etc., to your swing.

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We’ve covered several of the causes for slices over the last couple of days. But what you really want to know is how to stop slicing. Well, be patient. Part of the understanding the cure is understanding the problem. If you understand why you slice the ball, you’re half way home. Then you can work on fixing it. Once you get to that point, if the slice rears it’s ugly head again, you’ll be ready to knock it right back where it came from.

If you’re really having trouble pointing to the cause of your own slice, schedule a lesson with your local PGA teaching professional. He/She will be able to recognize the problem quickly, and help you get back on track.

Tomorrow, I’m going to go over some of my favorite drills and training aids that will help you get rid of your slice.

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Further Reading:

Combat Your Slice (Life in the Rough)
Banish Your Slice (Life in the Rough)
Causes of an Over the Top Swing (Life in the Rough)
Some Other Factors That Can Lead to a Slice (Life in the Rough)
The Gear Effect (About.com)
The Grip (The Golf Drill Guru)