Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Keeping fit for golf and life
Take it from a guy that has done every conceivable work out routine in my years and there is one that is PERFECT for golf and every sport for that matter anywhere and it is called Bikram Yoga. If you don't believe me go to Bikram Choudhurry's own web site www.bikramyoga.com and check out the testimonials yourself. I know I know most testimonials on sites are a bunch of garbage but this is NOT!!!! This form of Yoga is AMAZING it will change your body and mind quickly and effectively for the better. It uses what is called the tourniquet effect and works and massages every muscle, joint and amazingly organ in the body. You are never to old or young to start, and you do not even have to be athletic for this to work. There are tons of top athletes all ready benefiting from this so it's time for YOU to start seeing why people are raving about this. Don't worry if you start hitting the ball 10 to 40 yards farther you can just club down, it will be a nice feeling!!
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Get right grip on club to improve game
Let me say first that almost every bad grip I see is the direct result of a bad set-up position. We have to have a good grip so we do not have to manipulate the club in any way.
First of all let’s put some bad thoughts to rest. Most of us that have been around golf for a while have heard a lot of talk about the V’s and the Knuckles in the grip - where the V’s are pointing and how many knuckles we should see at address.
Well, these two things are completely meaningless. Let me give you an example.
Bob Charles, one of the best all-time players on tour, was very tall and set up that way as well. When he looked down at his hands at address he could only see half of one knuckle on his hand. Hubert Green another of the best that ever played the game, was short and he also loved to set up a little hunched over the ball, resulting in him being able to see all of his knuckles on the left hand.
They both had perfect grips.
The main thing is that you have the club in your fingers as illustrated in the picture above. And you have the right hand on the club as if you were shaking hands with someone. Your palms will be facing each other. This is the most powerful position you can get into with your hands.
Your left hand can be facing a little to the left if that is comfortable for you, but your right MUST be like you are shaking hands with the grip.
If your right hand is a little under the grip (too far to the right) it makes a weak position. If your right hand is too far to the left, this is also a weak position.
Now that your hands are on the club correctly, they MUST hinge in the golf swing to keep the club square. Go ahead and lift the club straight up with your wrists so the club head goes straight up in line with your spine. Notice how the club head stays perfectly square. If you flipped your hands to the left or right you are shutting and opening the face.
Get these fundamentals in your golf swing and you will have fun and get much better at the same time.
First of all let’s put some bad thoughts to rest. Most of us that have been around golf for a while have heard a lot of talk about the V’s and the Knuckles in the grip - where the V’s are pointing and how many knuckles we should see at address.
Well, these two things are completely meaningless. Let me give you an example.
Bob Charles, one of the best all-time players on tour, was very tall and set up that way as well. When he looked down at his hands at address he could only see half of one knuckle on his hand. Hubert Green another of the best that ever played the game, was short and he also loved to set up a little hunched over the ball, resulting in him being able to see all of his knuckles on the left hand.
They both had perfect grips.
The main thing is that you have the club in your fingers as illustrated in the picture above. And you have the right hand on the club as if you were shaking hands with someone. Your palms will be facing each other. This is the most powerful position you can get into with your hands.
Your left hand can be facing a little to the left if that is comfortable for you, but your right MUST be like you are shaking hands with the grip.
If your right hand is a little under the grip (too far to the right) it makes a weak position. If your right hand is too far to the left, this is also a weak position.
Now that your hands are on the club correctly, they MUST hinge in the golf swing to keep the club square. Go ahead and lift the club straight up with your wrists so the club head goes straight up in line with your spine. Notice how the club head stays perfectly square. If you flipped your hands to the left or right you are shutting and opening the face.
Get these fundamentals in your golf swing and you will have fun and get much better at the same time.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Using the right club makes all the difference
Today’s lesson is on using the correct club in a greenside bunker and it is not always the sand wedge. In fact, this is the worst club to use in the situation we will talk about today.
If you play golf on a course with some large greens you will run into this scenario quite often over the course of a season. You have landed in a bunker, have a good lie, but there is a lot of green between you and the flagstick.
Most people I see who have trouble with this shot automatically take out the sand wedge every time and have trouble getting close to the
If you play golf on a course with some large greens you will run into this scenario quite often over the course of a season. You have landed in a bunker, have a good lie, but there is a lot of green between you and the flagstick.
Most people I see who have trouble with this shot automatically take out the sand wedge every time and have trouble getting close to the
pin over and over. Instead of the sand wedge, try using your pitching wedge or even a 9 iron if the shot is a bit up hill.
Now take a nice easy swing as if the pin was just on the green and see the ball come out lower with more run on it. Because of the lesser loft on the pitching wedge you will not have as much spin on the ball and it will run out much better.
I liken this play to the chip and run you have around the green. You know how easy this shot is compared to lofting the ball in the air all the way to the pin.
One last thing on this particular play – you do not have to open the face up as much as you do on a very short bunker shot. The more you open the face of the club, the more loft you are adding. The whole idea of this shot is to have a little less than normal.
Put this into your game on long greenside bunker shots and you will see quite a few shorter putts and lower scores.
Now take a nice easy swing as if the pin was just on the green and see the ball come out lower with more run on it. Because of the lesser loft on the pitching wedge you will not have as much spin on the ball and it will run out much better.
I liken this play to the chip and run you have around the green. You know how easy this shot is compared to lofting the ball in the air all the way to the pin.
One last thing on this particular play – you do not have to open the face up as much as you do on a very short bunker shot. The more you open the face of the club, the more loft you are adding. The whole idea of this shot is to have a little less than normal.
Put this into your game on long greenside bunker shots and you will see quite a few shorter putts and lower scores.
Golf ... just another sport using a stick!
Back in the 1940's, how would you like to be following a foursome including Babe Ruth, Joe Louis, Grantland Rice and Sam Byrd. They used to play together all the time during the off-season. Of course, that is when there was one.
Grantland, probably the most famous sports writing of all time, wanted to do a book about the differences in the golf swing and the baseball swing with Sam Byrd. Sam, to this day, is the only major league baseball player ever to have won a PGA tour event - and he won 25 in all.
Sam said, "sure Granny, let's get the book started right now!"
Sam goes on to talk about in baseball how Babe "always told me to tuck a towel under my left armpit. I squared my right foot up for resistance and power when the pitcher was ready to release the ball. My upper body was coiled into the right leg. When I swing the bat, my left arm just hinges at the elbow and my upper left arm stays on my body the whole time and I go to the target."
"In golf, the plane changes to a tilted one," Sam says. "I tuck a towel under my left armpit, square up my right foot, shift my body into the braced right leg for power and my left arm stays on my body the whole time while hinging at the elbow --- and I go to the target. It's going to be a darn short book, isn't it Granny?"
And boy is he right. Remember, Sam was Ben Hogan's teacher for 20 years and you see this in his swing as well as in every great player with a stick and a ball. Why would any one think it is different squaring a golf club to a ball than with a bat or racket?
As far as tennis, my teacher worked with the great Arthur Ashe. Arthur loved the game of golf, but was terrible because he was taught to keep his head still, the left arm straight, turn and then tuck the right arm in on the downswing. The guy could not break 90.
After showing him the bad positions he was getting in and seeing where the truly great players are, they went back out to the driving range with one thought in mind. Arthur found the golf swing is exactly like a two-handed forehand down the line. He immediately go better and was soon shooting in the 70's because he was a great athlete.
Get these fundamentals in your golf swing and you will have fun and get much better at the same time.
Grantland, probably the most famous sports writing of all time, wanted to do a book about the differences in the golf swing and the baseball swing with Sam Byrd. Sam, to this day, is the only major league baseball player ever to have won a PGA tour event - and he won 25 in all.
Sam said, "sure Granny, let's get the book started right now!"
Sam goes on to talk about in baseball how Babe "always told me to tuck a towel under my left armpit. I squared my right foot up for resistance and power when the pitcher was ready to release the ball. My upper body was coiled into the right leg. When I swing the bat, my left arm just hinges at the elbow and my upper left arm stays on my body the whole time and I go to the target."
"In golf, the plane changes to a tilted one," Sam says. "I tuck a towel under my left armpit, square up my right foot, shift my body into the braced right leg for power and my left arm stays on my body the whole time while hinging at the elbow --- and I go to the target. It's going to be a darn short book, isn't it Granny?"
And boy is he right. Remember, Sam was Ben Hogan's teacher for 20 years and you see this in his swing as well as in every great player with a stick and a ball. Why would any one think it is different squaring a golf club to a ball than with a bat or racket?
As far as tennis, my teacher worked with the great Arthur Ashe. Arthur loved the game of golf, but was terrible because he was taught to keep his head still, the left arm straight, turn and then tuck the right arm in on the downswing. The guy could not break 90.
After showing him the bad positions he was getting in and seeing where the truly great players are, they went back out to the driving range with one thought in mind. Arthur found the golf swing is exactly like a two-handed forehand down the line. He immediately go better and was soon shooting in the 70's because he was a great athlete.
Get these fundamentals in your golf swing and you will have fun and get much better at the same time.
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