July ‘06 Golf Digest Instruction Commentary

This month's articles:

LESSON TEE –Annika Sorenstam. Three things to note: simplicity, one swing speed for all clubs, a consistent approach (pre-shot). On the next page her coach notes her rhythm and balance.

SQUARE YOUR EYES. Hank is close in this article. While shifting their eyes is not uncommon for reverse pivoters, its not the eyes its shifting the weight that is the problem. Keep you balance.

FINDING MORE SPEED. How can you find more speed in your car? It only can go so fast. The same is true for your swing. Before you look for more speed as a means to get more distance, look for distance by improving your swing. Put face tape on the driver and see if your are hitting the ball in the center. An off-center hit can rob up to 15 yards. Then look at your swing size. Is your swing arc as big as you can comfortably make it? Finally, look for the right trajectory. Too little loft means the ball is in the grass too soon. There are many ways to optimize your distance. Trying to swing faster is the most dangerous place to look.

COMMIT TO EVERY SWING. If a practice swing clarifies the mental image of what you want to focus on during your shot, then it is useful.

PUTT TO A PICTURE ON BIG BREAKERS. One can learn to putt to the apex of the curve in a breaking putt and then have the ball roll beyond it to the hole. This is the more difficult way to accomplish the task. Turn breaking putts straight puts by choosing an alignment target to the side of the cup and putt the ball to the alignment target. The slope of the green will then curve it into the hole.

LET YOUR HEEL RISE. If allowing the heel to rise (NO WEIGHT SHIFT), allows you a longer backswing then go for it.

ACCELERATE ON SHORT PUTTS. A swinging motion will have you accelerating on all putts.

50 FEET TO THE PIN
BREAKING 100. Sounds good
BREAKING 90. Eight iron is a good club selection but the rest is unnecessary complication in the setup.
BREAKING 80. Sounds ok.

MY 5 KEYS TO CONSISTENCY.
Posture—if you are not comfortable at address, you will be less likely to maintain that posture during the swing. If you don’t maintain the address posture, you’ve changed the shot.
Backswing—ok
Power—Having a wider stance does not increase your power.
Tempo—Tempo and rhythm are two different things. What Adam is referring to is rhythm. Tempo has to do with the elapsed time it takes for the swing. Ryhthm has to do with evenness and smoothness.
Balance—Balance is the unsung hero of a good golf swing.

THE CHOICE I MADE—not an instructional article but very interesting with many ideas that are compatible with our teaching concepts.

SECRETS TO GREAT GOLF—While I have my minor disagreements with some of these 101 “secrets”, this is probably the single best compilation of useful, accurate information I can remember in a golf magazine.

Breaking 100|90|80
Pick a precise target—from tee to green this is always a great idea
Breaking 100—good
Breaking 90—Learning to fade is not a good idea for someone wanting to break 90. Firing your right side may be good for boxing. What is better for golf is to ensure that your left and right side are free to respond to your shoulder-to-shoulder full swing.
Breaking 80—Swing smooth and maintaining your post are good ideas for every player.
Breaking 70—Fear results from us allowing our brain to think about what we don’t want. Use your brain to focus on what you do want.