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NCAA Champs!
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Stanford Women's golf has been one of the top programs in the country for decades. I have the privilege of being the volunteer swing coach for the team. By the time a player arrives at Stanford, they have had a stellar junior golf career. Most of them have coaches that they grew up with and they are what I call highly skilled and functional golfers.
So where do I come in? When a competent golfer comes for a lesson, it is not about rebuilding a swing or trying to get them to adhere to a certain swing model. It is about getting them to take their unique swing and make little adjustments to help them make solid, repetitive contact and be able to predict their ball flight. A great player is one who knows how far they are going to hit the ball and how it is going to curve before they execute the shot.
If you are a competent golfer and you are struggling, don't radically change your swing. When you take a lesson, ask the teacher how to take your personal swing and make it function. Changing techniques and radically overhauling a golf swing takes hard work and a lot of time which most of us don't have. Ironically what you may need is the same thing an NCAA champion needs, a little tweak to make your swing function.
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You can now gift a membership! Go to http://www.zandergolf.com/Shop/Store.aspx and make someone a member of the ZanderGolfClub. Access dozens of instructional videos and a monthly instructional newsletter with tips on all aspects of the game.
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zander Tip zone
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mental game |
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strategy tip |
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short game |
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You know how New Yorkers like to use the term "Forget about it" for just about everything? I'm recommending it for golf.
Jordan Spieth had a 3 stroke lead with two holes to go in the U.S. Open. He then proceeded to hit his worst shot of the week and make a double bogey. His lead immediately disappeared.
Then he proceeded to make a beautiful birdie on the 72nd hole to bounce back. In the interview after, he mentioned how he immediately put that behind him in order to play the last hole well. That's amazing maturity for a spirited 21 year old.
We all know how it ended. Dustin Johnson then 3 putted from 12 feet to lose to Jordan by one stoke. My advice to Dustin is "Forget about it". He is so talented and will have many other chances but only of he is like Jordan and puts it behind him.
Now my advice to you is forget about it. Golf amnesia is something that will reduce stress and make you a better player.
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I think it is great to imitate successful golfers. Johnny Miller said that when he wanted to fade the ball, he pretended he was Lee Trevino. When he wanted to draw the ball, he imitated Tony Lema. And when he wanted to hit it straight, he stayed as Johnny Miller because nobody hit it straighter in his day.
Imitating is fun and a great way to achieve a position without getting overly technical. There are so many models out there. You should ask your teacher who you should imitate to improve. Like Johnny Miller, you can choose different players for different shots or positions in your swing.
We all know that kids learn fast. Well, guess what, kids are imitating all the time. Maybe you should try it!
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Chunking the ball in your short game will drive you crazy. The leading edge of the clubface is sharp and acts as a digging tool.
I recommend opening the clubface slightly to take the edge off, pun intended. This will add some bounce and loft to your club which will negate the leading edge, leading to to softer, higher shots without the risk of digging.
The short game is all about touch and finesse. I tell my students that you should shift your brain into finesse mode when you reach the green. Making this slight adjustment at address will make your short game more effective and definitely lower your scores.
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Rough
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We all get in the rough so we might as well understand how to get out. If the ball is sitting up, the shot is not difficult to hit but it comes out with less spin so allow for more distance and roll.
If the ball is sitting down, I recommend opening the clubface a bit to add loft and keep the club from digging. You should also swing more upright to minimize the amount of grass that gets caught between the clubface and the ball. Nicklaus was a great player out of the rough as he liked to play a fade with an upright golf swing. I take a page out of Johnny Miller's playbook by pretending I'm Nicklaus when I'm in the rough.
Also, for you advanced players who know how to shape shots, don't try to curve the ball out of the rough. you may be tempted to do this because often times you are behind a tree. The rough tends to straighten out shots so be careful.
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Posture
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I love Adam Scott's posture. He looks so solid and ready to smash the ball. As you can see, Adam has some hip hinge but he gets down to the ball with some knee flex as well. I think of getting into my posture as if I was bending down to pick up a heavy weight between my feet. I start with a little squat to preserve my lower back and I add a little hip hinge as if I was bowing slightly. The result is a powerful position from which to make an athletic golf swing. Great shots start with great set-up positions. I don't like to miss the shot before I hit by having poor posture. The other cool thing is that it doesn't take a world class athlete to set up well. Check out my video on posture at the bottom of this newsletter. Notice how my forearms and thighs are parallel to each other. This is a great checkpoint for world class posture.
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Posture and Balance |
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health tips |
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EXPOLSIVE SWING DRILL
Explosive Swing Drill If you want to be fast, you have to train fast. It’s like training a long distance runner to becoming a sprinter. You have to train your muscles to be quick. This is a great swing drill, which will teach you how to activate fast twitch muscles in your golf swing creating more rotational power. One excellent way to do this is to find a club or training stick that is approximately 15 percent lighter than your average club and swing it, making sure to maintain your balance all he way into the finish. (You should only be able to hold your finish for a count of five seconds.) Start with 8 sets of 3 repetitions the first week, swinging at 60 percent of your maximum. Gradually increase the speed each week until you’re swinging at about 110 percent. Commit to this drill for 4-6 weeks and you will notice the difference. The goal is to teach your body to move quicker and more explosively. You want your last rep to be very explosive, or more so, than the first. Using high reps for this type of drill this is impossible – which is why pacing is a key factor. Once again, this is why gradually increasing the speed each week is extremely important. Each rep should be meaningful and purposeful. Try this: Take your driver and turn it upside down, so that the club head is in your hands and the handle is closest to the ground. Then swing away. Because there’s no weight on the end of the club, the handle will incur some resistance from the air as you swing. This will force you to accelerate your arms and body all the way into the finish, creating more clubhead speed.
Written by, Sidney Silver: TPI Golf Medical & Golf Fitness expert. www.SilverSportsTherapy.com (415) 932-6775
Written by, Sidney Silver: TPI Golf Medical & Golf Fitness expert. www.SilverSportsTherapy.com (415) 932-6775
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