Archive for Cure a Slice
Power Driving: Two Major Power Leaks To Avoid
Posted by: | CommentsPower Driving: Two Major Power Leaks To Avoid
Article by Jack Moorehouse
Copyright (c) 2007 Jack Moorehouse
Some people contend that when it comes to driving for power, you either have it or you don’t. While it’s true that some people have more natural ability to hit a golf ball than others, that doesn’t mean you can’t add distance to your drives. You may never drive the ball as far as PGA pro Scott Hend, who once averaged 318.9 yards through the Reno-Tahoe Open, but you can definitely get more out of your drives through an efficient, balanced swing. The key: seal the power leaks.
Power leaks, as I’ve written about in my golf tips, are physical flaws that inhibit the efficiency of your swing. Usually, they’re little things that make a big difference. Often, we don’t even know we’re doing them, so they go undetected. But string enough of them together in a swing and they can rob you of power and distance. And that, in turn, can affect both your game and your golf handicap. Let’s examine some common leaks and see how to can seal them off.
The Setup Becoming more efficient in your swing doesn’t mean rebuilding it, just tweaking it. And a good place to start is your setup. Among the biggest enemy’s of power in your setup, as I’ve mentioned in my golf tips, is tension. You must be loose and relaxed over the ball to generate power. And relaxing during your setup starts with your hands. If your hands are relaxed, the rest of you will be also. So grab the club loosely in your fingers and relax your hands. Let that relaxed feeling travel through your arms, your shoulders, and then the rest of your body. Now you’re ready to hit.
The takeaway is the most critical element in your swing. If you’ve eliminated the tension from your hands and arms, you’ve positioned yourself nicely for the takeaway. As you do, make sure you maintain a good spine angle. That’s another power leak. If you slouch, you’ll have to compensate during your swing. Keep the spine angle set while swinging. It’s your axis of power around which everything else turns. It helps generate the torque you need for extra distance. Also, try keeping about 60 percent of your weight on your toes.
Another power leak is your right elbow (right-handers). It’s the first joint to hinge in your backswing. Keep it relaxed and relatively close to your body. As you take the club back, your right elbow folds, allowing the club to start on plane. Don’t fight it when the elbow folds and the club works up and to the inside. That’s all part of a good backswing. When you reach the top of your swing, feel the coil in your right knee, uniting it to your right hip. Don’t straighten out your right knee. That creates a huge power leak. And position the ball inside the left toe. That ensures that you’ll strike the ball on the upswing, helping produce the right launch angle.
The Swing The most common power leak among weekend golfers is the hip slide. Instead of supporting the turning of the body and upper body, the right knee stiffens and the right hip slides laterally away from the target, creating a huge power leak. The club is out of position now. The golfer throws the club out and down from the top, creating a steep angle of descent and a downward blow. The result: a dead pull or a weak slice.
As for the downswing, the less interference from the body the better off you are. If you take the club back properly, the body stores that power, creating torque. And it wants to release that power in the downswing. If you hinder that release of power with your body, you inhibit your power, creating another leak. Instead, maintain your spine angle and stay behind the ball. Focus on keep the club extending down the target line after striking the ball. When you finish, check the balance in your swing. It’s a great indicator of just how efficient your swing was.
One other thing on power leaks. The body itself can be a huge power leak. Flexibility and core strength are the keys. Try keeping the body flexible and strong through workouts. If you have a better range of muscle movements, you’ll be in a better position to swing the club throughout the golf swing. So work on flexibility and core strength when you can. And don’t forget to do some stretching before your start a round.
Not all of us can hit the ball as far as a PGA pro, like Scott Hend. That doesn’t mean we can’t generate more power from our swings. We just need to seal off the power leaks by creating a balanced, more efficient swing. Do that and you’ll be creating the conditions necessary to improve your golf handicap.
About the Author
Jack Moorehouse is the author of the best-selling book “How To Break 80 And Shoot Like The Pros.” He is NOT a golf pro, rather a working man that has helped thousands of golfers from all seven continents lower their handicap immediately. He has a free weekly newsletter with the latest golf tips, golf lessons and golf instruction.
Golf Tips From The Pros
Posted by: | CommentsGolf Tips From The Pros
Article by Jack Moorehouse
When weekend golfers watch the pros hit unbelievable shots their amazed. The typical reaction is often “How do they do that?” It’s not magic. It’s solid fundamentals, plus hours and hours of practice and constant attention to their swings. Or course, the fact that most of the pros have been honing their swings since they were kids doesn’t hurt either.
Weekend golfers can learn a lot by studying the pros. They just need to look closely. Below we describe some golf tips derived from watching various players over the years. These mini golf lessons may not help you hit the long, straight drives, towering long irons, and delicate wedge shots the pros do. But they will improve your swing and cut strokes from your golf handicap.
Power and Accuracy In The Swing – Golf Tips from the Pros
Chip Beck isn’t nearly as famous as Tiger Woods. But he is a respected member of the Tour. Beck’s known for his accuracy off the tee. It stems primarily from an on-plane swing. He swings his arm up the plane rather than around his body. That keeps the club moving toward the target, generating accuracy. If you were to draw a line from his hands to the ground when he’s in his finish position, it would point exactly where the ball was at address-a sign that he swung up the plane.
Mark O’Meara is known for his power. He generates it by making a complete shoulder turn at the top of his swing. A right-hander, he keeps his back pointing at the target as long as he can before committing to his downswing. Keeping his back facing the target allows his right elbow to stay close to his body, dropping the club inside. This starts his shots to the target’s right. When combined with the proper clubhead release, this swing draws the ball back to the left. It’s a good way to eliminate a slice.
Brad Faxon is known for his putting. But he also excels at getting off the tee. The secret to his swing’s success is in his right elbow. A right-hander, he keeps the elbow bent and close to his right hip as he approaches impact. This delivers the club to the ball from the inside, eliminating pulls, pull-slices, and pop ups. In addition, Faxon keeps his right shoulder markedly lower than his left before impact. That keeps his head behind the ball. It also produces more leverage, which in turn increases clubhead speed.
Tips On The Downswing – Golf Tips from the Pros
Vijay Sing is among the world’s best golfers. He’s also among the world’s highest money winners annually. His classic swing combines precision and accuracy. It includes a narrow downswing with the clubface close to his left shoulder. A wide follow-through with the club and arms launched from his shoulder sockets also contributes to his classic swing. To create this swing, he keeps his arm and hands relaxed. His legs and hips power the downswing as the club’s weight lags behind until impact. Once the club is released, his arms follow the club’s wieght into the finish. This creates a free flowing swing.
Don’t have to be large in stature – Golf Tips from the Pros
Although he’s small, Shigeki Maruyama generates enough power to play with the big boys. How does he do it? He does it with solid mechanics. Most notably, he keeps his hands high at the top of his backswing. High hands expand the swing arc and increase clubhead speed. Meanwhile, a massive shoulder turn allows him to keep his head behind the ball. It also allows him to shift his weight properly and sets up a more powerful and athletic downswing. To better rotate his hips, Maruyama flares his right toe out at address.
Watch the pros whenever you can. It’s like getting a free golf instruction session. So use the opportunity wisely. It can provide valuable golf tips, like those discussed above, that can cut strokes from your golf handicap. They might even transform your game. So keep a close eye on the pros on Sundays.
About the Author
Jack Moorehouse is the author of the best-selling book How To Break 80 And Shoot Like The Pros. He is NOT a golf pro, rather a working man that has helped thousands of golfers from all seven continents lower their handicap immediately. Free weekly newsletter with the latest golf tips, lessons and instructions.
Square the Shoulders for Longer Distance
Posted by: | Commentssquare the shoulders
Article by Cheapgolf
The Right Equipment to Achieve Longer Distance in Your Golf Game
When you go for a custom-fitting session, as I did yesterday, at Titleist’s state-of-the art facility at St Ives Golf Club, it’s important to ideally bring your ‘A game’ to the bay (or as near as possible) so the clubs you’re planning to use, can compliment your current swing.
Obviously Srixon XX10 impact Driver can creep in but PGA-trained fitter Richard Harries gave me a tip he always used in the early part of his amateur career which helps to square the shoulders at address and reduces the risk of them opening up to the target as you grip the club, forcing a tendency to slice.
He recommends: “As a right-hander I was always encouraged to grip the club with the left hand and place the clubhead behind the ball, with my right hand behind my back.
Correct Positioning of Your Elbow and Shoulders for Longer Distance
“This way, the teaching pro watching from down the line, could see the correct position of the inside of my left elbow with my shoulders square to the target. Step two is to then bring in the right hand on to the grip from underneath the Srixon XX10 Prime Driver and into position.
“This helps retain the shoulders in a square position, as opposed to immediately putting the right hand on top of the grip and tending to force the shoulders open.”
Use these helpful tips for longer distance in your golf game
Hopefully it’s a tip that will work for you, too and immediately reduce the chances of that destructive out-to-in swingpath which can cause the dreaded slice.
Srixon XX10 Iron Set Cast stainless steel body with precision welded titanium face – an oversized iron to improve performance for golfers of all abilities. One of the key aspects of TPL
