Golf Digest Nov '05 Instruction Critique

Many golfers look to Golf Digest for information to help them play better. Unfortunately, the instructional information often appears contradictory but, more seriously, too often it is problematic. By wrong I mean that the words in the instruction don't match the picutres and that the instruction given cannot produce the results being sought. The objective of this blog is to provide a helpful perspective.

This month's articles:

LIVE WRISTS, EXTRA POWER. Butch makes a great suggestion in this article. However, there is one point of miscommunication in it. You cannot increase your "wrist hinge". Your wrists will only hinge as far as that joint can travel. What we can do is to eliminate tension from the wrists and allow them to "hinge fully". Butch suggests that you "set them a little early in the back swing." The minute you try to set them, you'll put tension in them. Once the club begins to swing over your right shoulder, the weight of the club (if your wrists are tension-free) will set your wrists for you. Butch doesn't mention it, but the tension should stay out of the wrists througout the swing. By the way the hands don't "play an active role". They just hold the club. Centrifugal force will uncock your wrists as your club swings past the ball.

MY NEW STINGER. Tiger is teaching us a valuable lesson. It is best to find ways of creating various shots without making major swing changes. His new stinger requires no grip change and no setup change. As he swings he just keeps the hands leading the clubhead (the hands will pass his belt buckle before the clubhead) and this de-lofts the club and therefore creates the low stinger trajectory.

DON'T HIT DOWN. Well done.

THE RIGHT RELEASE. Hank almost got this one right. His discription of the hands at impact is good but what he should say is that this will happen by itself and that the "NO" photo is the result of "using" the hands to do something other than just hold the club. (See the above regarding Butch Harmon). The rest of Hank's comments are good.

McCleans Swing Fixes. Ok-but... With regard to the V's, at address both the left hand and right hand V should be pointed at your shirt buttons. The more they favor your left shoulder at address, the club face will tend to arrive at the ball with more loft and aimed to the right. The more they favor the the right shoulder at address, the club face will tend to arrive at the ball with less loft and aimed to the left.

Breaking 100. Good but...Regarding Setup be leary anytime someone says, "slightly" or "a little". Golf is a game of physics, and geometry. Unless your are trying to deloft the wedge, there is NO reason to play lean the shaft forward. If you play it with the shaft straight up and down, it simplifies the shot and removes the question, "am I leaning it enough or too much."

Breaking 90. Jack has it right regarding "longer not faster." However, the old idea of equating yardage to a clock face is problematic. What if the shot is uphill? Or, downhill? What if its into the wind? What if I want to use a sand wedge versus a pithing wedge? The clock metaphor never works. Instead, consider when you are playing catch with someone. How do you regulate the distance? No one ever thinks about their backswing. Your eyes are informing your brain of your partners location. That information regulates the size of your swing when you toss. The same is true for golf. Fully occupy your thoughts with a mental picture of the flag's location during the swing. You'll be pleased with how your brain will figure out how big the swing should be. By the way, there is a learning curve for being able to vividly hold the picture in your brain and the brain learning the right swing for the distance. But you'll be delighted at how quickly you'll see results.

Breaking 80. Ok.

Bonus Tips. Practicing making a swing while facing a wall is a valid way to confirm that your swing path is not seriously flawed. However, the information regarding "lead with your hands" is itself seriously flawed. To begin with, address a ball in the manner shown in the photo (ball in the middle of your stance, hands near your left pocket). When your club is in exactly the position of the one in the photo, you will see that the club face is aimed horribly to the right. The hands cannot be in front of the club head during the swing without either de-lofting the club, making the club face look right, or both. Finally, just move your hands back toward your belt buckle and notice how the club face corrects those errors--it is now properly lofted and looking down the target line.