Labels: Golf, Golf Instruction, golf instructor, Golf Lessons, Golf Schools, Golf Swing, Golf Travel, golf vacation
What movement in sport has more to-do’s, along with more not-to-do’s than the golf swing? In the golf swing we have the Golden Rules like: we need to “shift our weight” – yet not “sway”. In the golf swing we need to “cock our wrists” – yet not “flip our wrists”. In the golf swing most Golfers will tell you that you can’t lift your left heel on the back swing (right handed Golfer) and yet, if you don’t lift your heel – many don’t have the flexibility to make a “perfect” shoulder turn.
So how do you “shift your weight” without "swaying"? And how do you “cock your wrists” without “flipping your wrists”? And how come it was alright for Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson to lift their heel on the backswing – yet you’re not allowed to?
Why are there so many dang rules when swinging the golf club?!!!
One of the best pieces of advice that a Golfer should listen to is that there are no Golden Rules as far as how to swing a golf club. Although, I would say that if there was anything close – it would be: that the direction your club face is pointing when it hits the golf ball is more important than anything else than you have ever heard or will ever hear about – that is … if you want to be in control of the direction the golf ball flies.
See, we get so overwhelmed with all these “Golden Rules” on what we need to do to hit a golf ball – that we bog ourselves down. It’s almost as if you have so many thoughts of what you need to do correctly before hitting the golf ball – that you have very little chance of consistently hitting a good shot.
Yet, the concept of a good golf shot comes down to one important factor when using a Results Based Approach – “The golf ball will go in the direction my club face is pointing when I hit the golf ball.”
And although there are many that will say – “Well yes Marc, that is true. But in order to do that you need to have all these other Golden Rules happen.” To which I believe my response would be – how many of the same exact Golden Rules do Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Jack Nicklaus share? How many of the same Golden Rules do Stewart Cink and Jim Furyk share? And Lorena Ochoa and Annika Sorenstam?
Do these golf swings that are mentioned above look exactly the same? Or lets put it another way – if you were to put a bag over the head of each Golfer (so you couldn’t tell who it was – made Mickelson play right handed or the others play left handed), even the most casual Golf Fan would be able to tell which is Tiger’s swing and which is Jack’s swing. Meaning Tiger doesn’t have the same exact Golden Rules as Nicklaus. And Mickelson doesn’t have the same exact Golden Rules as Cink. Etc., etc., etc.
What Golden Rules are you applying to your golf swing right now? And who told you about those Golden Rules? Did you read about one of Sergio’s Golden Rules in a golf magazine and decided it needs to be one of your Golden Rules? If so, why? How do you know that Sergio’s Golden Rules apply to your golf swing? And what’s worse, maybe you’re already doing that Golden Rule well in your golf swing (but not know it), so now when you apply it to your golf swing – you’re overdoing it. Which could cause even more problems in your golf swing!
Here’s a Drill using a Results Based Approach for you to do:
Take out a wedge and hit a golf ball 10 yards. After the shot – determine if you hit it solid and if it went in the direction you intended.
If you hit it solid, hit a golf ball 30 yards. After the 30 yard shot – determine if you hit it solid and if it went in the direction you intended. If it wasn’t as solid or as straight as the 10 yard shot – go back to the 10 yard shot and try to find out what you did differently (besides making a longer back swing) and hit another good shot from 10 yards.
<After you hit another solid 10 yard shot - go back to the 30 yard shot and try to feel what you’re doing different in your swing. When you do hit a good 30 yard shot ….
Then hit a 60 yard shot. After that shot - determine if you hit it solid and if it went in the direction you intended. If not, go back to the 30 yard shot and try to find out what you did differently. If you did hit the 60 yard shot well – go to 90. Then follow this process until you’re taking full swings.
Why will this drill help you?
It’ll help you in many ways. The first is that most Golfers try to determine what’s wrong with their golf swing primarily after taking full swings. Yet, that swing happens so fast and your arms and body are moving at a speed that doesn’t allow many Golfers to feel what they’re doing during the swing. By starting with these small swings – you’re better able to pinpoint what’s happening in your golf swing at different points in your swing.
So now you can narrow down where the problem is in your golf swing instead of just taking one full swing after another and pretty much guessing what’s wrong. And believe it or not – your guesses may be heavily influenced by the Golden Rules you saw on the golf channel last night or in the last issue of a golf magazine. Which probably has nothing to do with your golf swing – yet because you’re looking for answers – they sound like the thing you should try next.
Second – many of the problems that 8 out of every 10 Golfers have in their golf swing happens during the time period when the club head is lower than your shoulders. Yet, 8 out of every 10 Golfers are working on something to fix a perceived problem that’s happening above their shoulders. Remember, the problem you perceive at the top of your golf swing could be caused by something happening when the club is lower than your shoulders.
Which is another way of saying that too many Golfers are working on trying to fix an “effect” vs. what they should be doing – working on fixing the “cause”.
So by starting with small golf swings and working your way up – you’ll be determining (using a Results Based Approach) where your problem is occurring in your golf swing. Unfortunately, it’s been pounded into the heads of many Golfers that improving your golf swing is all about taking full swings. And yes, you need to take many full golf swings on the golf course. Yet, the best way to fix your full swing isn’t just by practicing full swings.
The teaching method I’m introducing to you above is a Results Based Approach of finding out where in your golf swing your swing is breaking down. It shows that if you hit your wedge well with the 10 yard shot and you hit the 30 yard shot well and the 60 yard shot well and then mess up the 90 yard shot (which to many would be between a ¾ and full swing) – it shows that you’re doing something bad in your golf swing somewhere in the area where your body and club passes through 60 yards as you go to a 90 yard backswing. Which you’re also probably doing at that point of your golf swing while hitting your Driver using a full golf swing – yet, you probably won’t detect this happening while hitting full Drivers because it happens too fast for many Golfers.
How do I know this works? Because using this Results Based Approach we’ve been able to display at least 2 testimonials every week in Golf Improvement Weekly for the last 284 Issues and are displaying 100’s more on the www.GolfMadeSimple.com website. When’s the last time you had the pleasure of telling anyone about how well you’re playing and how good you feel about your golf swing?
The Monkey will continue to work on hitting full shots until they “get it”
The Player finds where their golf swing is breaking down using a Results Based Approach
Go ahead, be a Player!
Regards,
Marc Solomon - Your Instructor For Life
Excerpted from Classic GIW Issue 208 - August 15th, 2007
"This is the story of a Golfer that I’ll call Jim.
"Jim has been playing golf for a number of years and generally has played pretty good, though he always wanted to get better – probably just like you hope to do. Jim enjoyed playing and competing in his county’s Amateur Golf Tournament every year. Yet, there’s been this nagging feeling that he desperately wanted to …."
For Anyone Considering Video Analysis - We have added our report on: "Using Video Analysis To Improve Your Golf Swing" to the Golf Made Simple website for you to download and view.
Just click here to be taken to the download page on the http://www.GolfMadeSimple.com website. It's easy, it's free and it's a pretty extensive report on our findings.
Indoor Putting Drill - If you'd like for us to email you a special Indoor Version of an excellent GMS Putting Drill that you could spend hours on - email us at IndoorPuttingDrill@GolfMadeSimple.com and put GIW in the subject line.
Tour Putting Square - Use the Tour Putting Square inside your home to improve your scores. Just send us an email at TourPuttingSquare@GolfMadeSimple.com with the subject: Tour Putting Square – and we'll email you how to use this game changing drill.
Swing Drills & Core Training - To view a segment that covers 2 swing drills you can practice inside, plus 3 exercises to strengthen your core - email us at: PushUp@GolfMadeSimple.com with the words 'Golf Improvement Weekly' in the subject line to receive a link and password to access the video segment from our DVD - 'How To Improve Your Golf Swing Indoors'
Like the locals know in areas like
And although there are people saying – “You’re thinking of November already? We haven’t even gotten to Labor Day yet!” Apparently there are more people than you think that are planning November dates because we already have more people signed up to attend our La Quinta location in November as of today – than we had actually attend in November of last year. So if we’re ahead of last year’s pace and its still 3 months away – imagine what it’s going to be like trying to get dates when we’re into October.
For pictures and more information – click here to go to: http://golfmadesimple.com/palm-springs-california-golf-schools.html
Or for more information on available dates at our La Quinta/Palm Springs, California location: call me at 1-888-580-3635 or email me at IWantToBe@GolfMadeSimple.com
Labels: Golf, Golf Instruction, golf instructor, Golf Lessons, Golf Schools, Golf Swing, Golf Travel, golf vacation
Here are 9 of the most popular golf swing thoughts that many Golfers have before hitting a golf ball:
1. Keep my head still
2. Left arm straight (right arm for left handed Golfer)
3. Shift my weight
4. Eye on the golf ball
5. Turn my shoulders
6. Don’t sway
7. Make sure to swing easy
8. Clear my hips on the way through
9. Follow through all the way
Now which of these 9 do you think about before and during each shot? What? All 9?! Before and during each shot? Seriously? Wow!!!
The question I must ask is: if you did think of these 9 thoughts (or something similar), how many can you expect to do “correctly” on each golf swing? Now, I’m not saying that I agree that these are important thoughts – in fact, I believe that many of the 9 can do more harm than good to a Golfer getting ready to hit a golf ball. But, besides that point – the question needs to be: How much can you think about during one golf swing and still be able to hit a good golf shot?
Now, if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s that women can think about more things at one time than men can. This is a point that my wife has expressed to me many times over the last 10 years while she gives me my list of “Honey Do’s”. Yet, even the greatest multitasking female couldn’t consciously think about and do all 9 of those swing thoughts (or even 4 of those thoughts) during a golf swing that takes less than 2 seconds!
And besides, if you did ask a Golfer that happens to be on a ‘Good Streak’ for a few holes on the golf course – “You’re swinging so well, what are you doing?” – The answer 9 times out of 10 is simply something to the affect of: “I don’t know. I’m just trying to swing smooth.” Yet, if you say to a Golfer that happens to be on a ‘Bad Streak’ on the golf course – “What’s going on? You’re not playing as well as usual. What are you doing?” – The answer 9 times out of 10 is usually something to the affect of: “I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m probably thinking too much. I’m trying to … and also to … and on some swings I try to … Ohh, I just need to stop thinking about so much!”
Have you ever been in either of those situations yourself?
Now please, don’t misconstrue that I’m saying that if you only think of swinging smooth (and nothing else), that that will allow you to play your best golf ever. There might be more that goes into it. However, it’s a good place to start with rather than really screwing yourself up by trying to keep your head absolutely still while thinking of the 8 other things you need to do.
Yet, we need to make the distinction between ‘swinging smooth’ and ‘swinging easy’. I believe these are two totally different concepts. For example: For years, Golfers have marveled at how Fred Couples and Ernie Els have the ability to swing so smoothly. Yet, in typical Golfer talk – the description of their smooth swings have been misidentified by many Golfers marveling: “Ernie just swings so slow and easy and hits the ball a mile.”
Which is not true because Fred and Ernie don’t swing slow.
Couples – who still is in the top 10 in Driving Distance at 290 something yards a drive – has a swing speed around 120 miles per hour. There’s nothing slow or easy about 120 mph. Especially when the average male Golfer swings their Driver at speeds approaching 90 mph. And yet, after hitting a bad shot, this 90 mile per hour male Golfer will often say: “Oh, I tried to kill that one. I swung too hard. I wish I could swing as slow as Freddie Couples.” And the craziness about that statement is that you actually are already swinging 30 mph slower than Couples. Swing any slower and you’ll be 40 or 50 mph less than Freddie!
A Golfer that tries to swing “slow” and/or “easy” often throws off the timing of their golf swing more than they know. Which is the total opposite outcome of what they were hoping for. Whereas many Golfers will try to swing slower so that their timing (and consistency) will improve – the slowing down of your swing can cripple your golf swing in multiple ways. Too many ways to explain here – though we can get into two of the more frequent problems it can cause many Golfers.
A Golfer that’s trying to slow down their backswing could be causing more harm than good because of what happens much of the time when they transition from the back swing to the forward swing. If you’re swinging too slow on the way back – as you make the transition to now swing forward, you have two choices:
One - Continue to swing at the same speed and hit the golf ball ‘nowhere’. ‘Nowhere’ can be translated into – you’re not hitting the golf ball much distance at all because you have a very low swing speed. Yes, you maybe a little more accurate – however, you’re very short off the tee – making the hole very long and many times much more difficult.
Or
Two – Abruptly speed up your forward swing so that you can create some swing speed to hit the golf ball farther. However, many times when a Golfer transitions from a slow back swing to a fast forward swing – many Golfers have the tendency of having their arms and hands outrace their body – while other Golfers may have their body outrace their hands and arms. Whichever tendency it is for you – just know that it could really foul up your golf swing in a big way.
So, many Golfers get stuck in the game of changing their swing every other shot because of this. The first shot they try to swing slow and they hit the golf ball much shorter than the people they’re playing with. The next shot they want to hit the golf ball farther while maintaining a “slow and easy swing” – so they have a slow back swing and then to get a little more power on the forward swing - they swing hard at the ball. Which invariably throws off your timing, swing path, swing plane, blah, blah, blah and causes the golf ball to slice off into the trees, or causes you to pop the golf ball straight up in the air, or top it 50 yards or …. whatever else a golf ball can do to annoy you on the golf course.
So on the next swing this Golfer decides they rather stay in play than lose another golf ball – so you go back to the “slow, easy golf swing” for a few holes so that you can play: “Well, At Least I’m Keeping It In Play” Golf. Yet, after a couple holes of: “Well, At Least I’m Keeping It In Play” – which translates into hitting the golf ball short and taking 3 or 4 shots to reach the green – you try one more time to swing with a little more power and …. let’s just say you go right back to the slow and easy swing that allows you to play the unfulfilling game of “Well, At Least I’m Keeping It In Play” Golf.
Do you know anyone that plays that way?
For Golfers that want to gain extra yards (while still keeping the ball in play) – we can very easily help you increase your controlled club head speed using what we call – ‘Effortless Power’. We work with many Golfers (from around the world) helping them to smooth out their golf swings which allows you to create the sensation of having ‘Effortless Power’. And that ‘Effortless Power’ often gives you the feeling as if you’re “swinging easy”. Yet, in reality, you aren’t “swinging easy” – you’re ‘swinging smoother’ along with having more power, control and consistency!
And although most people reading this will never approach a swing speed of 120 mph with their Driver – you can still improve your distance (and consistency) by having your swing speed increase from the 80 mph range to the 90 mph range or 90 to 100 or 100 to 110 - while swinging even more smoothly than you are right now. Trust me, I’ve seen it many, many times where a Golfer has gained 20, 30, 40 , even 50 yards on their Drives and then remarked: “I can’t believe that I hit the golf ball that far. Wow! And it felt like I swung soooo easy!!”
The Monkey falls into the trap of trying to “swing slow and easy” and then gets into the battle between having no distance (but being straight) vs. trying to get more distance (but being inconsistent)
The Player knows that there’s a huge difference between ‘swinging smoothly with Effortless Power’ vs. “swinging slow and easy with no power”
Go ahead, be Player!
Regards,
Marc Solomon - Your Instructor For Life
GMS Bonus Material
For anyone Considering Video Analysis - We have added our report on: “Using Video Analysis To Improve Your Golf Swing” to the Golf Made Simple website for you to download and view.
Just click here to be taken to the download page on the http://www.GolfMadeSimple.com website. It’s easy, it’s free and it’s a pretty extensive report on our findings.
Indoor Putting Drill - If you’d like for us to email you a special Indoor Version of an excellent GMS Putting Drill that you could spend hours on - email us at IndoorPuttingDrill@GolfMadeSimple.com and put ‘Blog’ in the subject line.
Tour Putting Square - Use the Tour Putting Square inside your home to improve your scores. Just send an email to TourPuttingSquare@GolfMadeSimple.com with the subject: ‘Blog’ – and we’ll email you how to use this game changing drill.
Swing Drills & Core Training - To view a segment that covers 2 swing drills you can practice inside, plus 3 exercises to strengthen your core - email us at: PushUp@GolfMadeSimple.com with the words ‘Blog’ in the subject line to receive a link and password to access the video segment from our DVD - ‘How To Improve Your Golf Swing Indoors’
Labels: Golf Instruction, Golf Lessons, Golf practice, Golf Schools, Golf Swing, Golf Travel, golf vacation
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