Troubleshooting on the Course

Golf is not a game of perfect; it's a game of a thousand variables. First, you--the imperfect human--is the greatest of all variables. One day you may play great and expect to go out the next day and do the same. Wrong. Golf don't play that. You may think you're doing everything exactly the same, but because the tolerances (+/- standard deviation) in golf are so narrow, it doesn't take much to get the ball hooking, slicing, topping, fatting, shanking, etc. Remember, even the biggest club face is only a few inches across, so that means you, at most, have a few inches of lateral and/or vertical leeway; that's not much room for error.

The other big group of variables include Mother Nature--the golf course conditions. First, is it an unfamiliar course? How difficult is the course design? How far back are you playing? What's the wind like? The temperature? The humidity? Rain? Fog? Terrain? Your lie? The grass length? Distracting shadows? Bright sun? I could go on and on.

Then there's simply probability and chance. Yes, I'm talking about "luck." You can hit a good shot but get a bad bounce or kick. You can hit a tree and have it bounce back into the middle of a fairway, or if you're unlucky it can bounce the other way and end up further in the woods. You might roll into a bunker and end up with a bad lie. Your ball can simply be in a bad position on the fairway, making your next shot tough. No matter how good you are, there are aspects of the outcome that are difficult to control. Chance is in charge here.

So, getting back to you--the group of variables you have the most control over. It's important to be able to analyze what's happening and make reasonable adjustments on the fly, or your day of misery on the course will continue. Sometimes one small adjustment you make will make all the difference. Some days, nothing will work. Happens to the pros too, so don't sweat it.

As so many wise sages of golf have said, what's the ball doing? It really will give you clues about all of the variables and how they're affecting your game that day. For example, if I am suddenly hitting straight pulls low and left, the first thing I can do is run through a fundamentals checklist in my mind, and I should start with the club face--probably too closed at impact relative to the path--and go backward from there. In this case, I may have unconsciously taken too strong of a grip (turn the grip leftward until I see the ball straighten or even start right a little). Maybe my grip pressure is too firm, or I'm gripping harder during the swing. Maybe my stance is too open or too closed. Maybe I'm too tense on the downswing and trying to muscle it. These are all things that may help correct recurring faults.

There is no magic elixir, no sudden epiphany, no all-encompassing panacea that will suddenly turn you from high to low-handicapper on the course. The swing thought or tip that works today may not be the one that works tomorrow. But there does seem to be one universal truth: A return to fundamentals can reverse your fortunes.

So start from the beginning and progress through the checklist. If you're a diligent student of the game, you likely know a lot about your particular tendencies and errors, your strengths and weaknesses (this blog is mostly about my own particular quirks, strengths, and weaknesses).

Begin with alignment, setup, and posture. Next the grip. Remember GASP (grip, aim/alignment, setup/stance, and posture) as an overall starting point. Next overall tension, rhythm, and tempo. Think of each one of those areas; there are so many tidbits of information associated with the fundamentals of each one. That's why golf is so hard; it's a game of managing mistakes, because the mistakes are coming--even when you're playing great. The golfer who makes the fewest mistakes (or the less serious mistakes) is going to score well.

Here's what you should NOT do. Don't rush. Don't have 15 different swing thoughts. If a zoned, blank-minded swing isn't working that day (and unless a flaw becomes suddenly obvious), you might be better off to only focus on two fundamental areas as potential quick fixes: GASP and keeping the head back on the downswing. It's likely that going any further with backswing, downswing, and impact swing thoughts and modifications will only increase your misery on the course. Save that stuff for practice.

Rushing is something I can occasionally do. I'll stop running through my usual preshot routine and stop taking practice strokes. I'll stop thinking about GASP. This is tension creeping in. The best thing to do is RELAX EVEN MORE during these bad moments and remember GASP (what happens before the swing) and for the swing, just keep the head back.

And don't try to make a miracle out of a bad situation, especially when you have no business (i.e., no such talent) doing so. I will soon publish a Trouble Series on how to deal with trouble lies (and they're coming). If you get over the ball and you don't feel right, back off! Go through your checklist on how to deal with the trouble and what you're trying to do.

 

Pivot: Think Inside of the Right Foot

A golfer's hips and upper body should mostly pivot in-place, staying fairly centered with no lateral movement. If you're like me, you've struggled with a sway that moves the swing plane's low point all over the place, making it difficult to get back to the ball consistently and apply power efficiently and effortlessly. The body can sway moving right, but it can, unfortunately, sway too far left on the downswing--getting too far ahead of the ball.

At some point, I think a golfer MUST get this point to advance beyond high handicap status: The backswing pivot occurs on the inside of the right leg and inside the right foot (for right handed players). Now, you may have been told that before from many credible sources and thought you WERE doing it, but when you really learn to do this right, a major lightbulb will go on over your head.

If you discover that your right hip is moving outside of your right knee and placing weight towards the outside of your right foot, you are swaying. This is very subtle and sometimes difficult to catch. The hips and knees should turn inside the feet.

The right hip actually moves straight back and even inwards a bit towards the center of the stance; the hips and knees should always stay centered between the feet until the very end of the swing.

A drill that you can find throughout the internet works to teach this sensation: Simply place a golf ball underneath and to the outside of your right foot and take some practice swings. There are also more expensive training aids available that can teach the same feeling. See how the swing center (and therefore bottom of the swing) stays closer to where you established it at address? When you first hit some balls while concentrating on this move (when you've been a swayer), you'll immediately understand the difference.

When this is done properly, the outside of the right foot should feel like it's slightly off the ground during the backswing, and the right knee will kick inward toward the left knee ever so slightly during or just before the backswing. Some pros use the inward kick of the right knee as a way to start their swing, and it's not a bad idea--it helps remove the possibility that you will sway. Or you might consider just kicking in the right knee slightly and concentrating your weight into the inside of the right foot as part of your address procedure. This bracing maneuver concentrates the weight on the inside of the right leg where it should be, preventing a sway to the right during the backswing. As a result, ball-club contact is much more consistent and powerful, because no energy is lost trying to find the ball again.

But this can be taken further, because one should really be on the inside of the LEFT foot during the initial part of the downswing! Hank Haney states that the weight should feel, initially, as if it's moving from the inside right foot into the left big toe and then finishes on the outside of the left foot. Therefore, the left foot rolls from inside to outside during the downswing, while the right foot NEVER rolls to the outside on the backswing. Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus (two of the best players to ever hold a club) say that the game of golf is played INSIDE the feet! It's also easy to see how moving first to the inside of the left foot on the downswing can keep the head behind the ball where it's supposed to be at impact, instead of moving out ahead of the ball. But the kicker here is, you shouldn't TRY to stay on the inside of the left foot; just concentrate on staying on the inside of the right foot during the backswing (ensuring you maintain a flexed right knee) and the rest will take care of itself on the throughswing.

Achieving a centered pivot is possible when you recognize that the right hip does NOT move to the right at all during the takeaway: It moves straight back and even towards the body's center line, and the right leg stays angled towards the target (does not move towards a perpendicular-to-ground position). As a proper on-plane takeaway keeps the club head outside of the hands, the correct opposing move is for the right hip to move straight back. This thought should also keep you pivoting correctly.

Shawn Clement describes this feeling of playing on the insides of the feet as "bracing against a firm left side," because backswing energy is expended in making a centered turn, rather than wasting energy moving laterally backward and then forward again. Shawn says that any weight shift (back and then forward) is no more than a inch long! This is where the erroneous belief that the head doesn't move during the swing comes from: The head actually does move slightly right on the backswing, but it's such a small movement that the golfer doesn't always notice--it feels centered. Large movements to the right mean the swing bottom is moving well right of where it was set at address (probability to hit fat increases).

This works for ALL strokes: Drives, irons, chips, pitches, and even bunker shots (you can even dig the inside of the right foot into the sand to brace for those fairway bunkers, which helps pick the ball cleanly). For the short game and bunker shots, the weight on the inside of the right leg simply keeps one braced on the inside of the left foot (i.e., there's little to no rightward weight shift).

In an effort to keep your head still, your weight won't be able to shift to the right (for a right handed player) on the backswing unless you sway your lower body. This is not the way the tour pros shift their weight during the backswing.

Now, it doesn't take a lot of head motion to get your weight to shift, we measured it in centimeters. Most tour pros move their heads from 7 cm to 15 cm during a backswing.

Golf Instruction: Keep Your Head Still - Golf Tips

Keeping your weight on the inside of the right foot during the backswing is critical to shifting properly. Allowing the weight to get to the outside of the foot doesn't give you a strong base to push off from when "springing" over to the left side. This can also lead to the dreaded sway, which results in a lot of wasted movement and is corrosive to good swing mechanics. To find a proper position, keep the right knee over the inside of the foot at address and throughout the backswing. Obviously, it's not good medicine to think about this during the swing, but stop at the top of the swing occasionally and check your position. In time, this will pay off in added power and more solid hits.

Free Golf Lesson - Learn to Transfer Your Weight

The key to proper footwork is weight distribution throughout the swing. Good golfers play within their feet. In other words, their weight is on the inside of the back foot on the backswing and on the inside of the forward foot on the through-swing. The average player constantly fights the weight-distribution battle, falling to the outside of one or both feet. The result is a loss of balance, control and power.

A grounded approach to power - Brief Article | Golf Digest | Tiger Woods

 

Preshot Practice Routine

A golf shot should be a loose, relaxed, whippy motion, much like the rope drill tries to instill. Shawn Clement's perpetual motion drill is another great example of a way to instill this feeling. One should begin the golf swing with a feeling that one is already in motion, not from a static starting position that can easily introduce tension. This is why many players have a swing trigger; it's usually a small movement that mimics the through swing. This is also the reason that some players waggle.

I ran across a good article on a preshot practice routine (may have been Martin Hall) and modified it slightly to meet my needs. Much like a baseball player rehearses at bat, start with the club in the immediate post-impact position, with the toe up and club face facing away from the target line (i.e., wrist watch facing away from the target line) and the club shaft pointing at the target line. Swing back and brush the ground slightly before taking the club to the top (the club should brush towards the right foot). Now swing down and brush the ground slightly, mimicking the club rotation that was the starting point. Keep taking these practice swings until it feels loose and one is brushing the ground consistently back and through. When taking the shot, try to copy the same loose feel.

Practice swings? Take them!! Here's how. Set up as if you're going to hit the shot but so that your club is a foot or so inside the ball (this assumes your lie leaves you sufficient room to do this); this is important because it's the closest approximation to the lie you're facing for the shot and it makes it easier to walk into the shot (careful not to get too close or you risk hitting the ball). Take two practice swings and return to your posture; now "walk the machine" over to the ball and take the exact same swing (this is where you can really become aware of flinching or trying to add to the shot). Your practice swings should incorporate the moves to achieve the ball flight and power you desire. When you're taking your practice swings (relative to the ball position), pay attention to the arc formed by the blur of the club, where the club bottoms out (if an iron where the divot is), or when the club begins rising from the bottom (important for the driver); then make adjustments if necessary (i.e., you're hitting fat or on the wrong side of the arc). Doing this routine will save strokes, because you've effectively taken two "good" swings for the shot; now you're going to move in and recreate a third swing exactly the same with the ball in the way. It can also help you take the flinch out of your swing. This is not perfect but it's definitely a stroke saver.

Most golfers don't put much thought into their practice swings, then wonder why they have no feel for the shot. Instead, focus on making it a true rehearsal of the swing you're about to make: Use the same grip pressure, the same aim, the same tempo. Don't just waste it.

Make your practice swing count: Golf Digest

What I believe to be happening with golfers that have a problem reproducing the positive features of their practice swings is that when they step up to the ball (now that there is a result in the balance, and the additional visual demand on the brain of the ball) the majority of the awareness is now taken away from what the golfer is feeling and put into what they are seeing, anticipating or anxious about. To recreate the same thing that happened in the practice swing they would have to continue to pay attention to what they are feeling, as they did in the practice swing.

One logical thing I would suggest in order to make the transition from the practice swing to the swing through the ball is to add a visual component to the practice swings: e.g., focus on brushing a leaf or particular blade of grass, etc., with your practice swings. This shows you if your club brushed the ground in the right spot or not. And if you have the specific problem of swinging too hard through the ball I would offer a temporary, band-aid type fix first: be sure to swing as hard in your practice swings as you are going to swing through the ball (and if you don't like the result of the practice swing don't swing through the ball until you take a practice swing that you like - if the practice swing was bad why would swinging through the ball on the next swing be better?).

The Practice Swing Phenomenon - Golf Instruction Article - PGAProfessional.com

You have long term and short term memory. Short term memory is held in the practice swing. If I am playing a golf shot out here the first thing I am going to do is take a practice swing, get a feel for the shot. If I am thinking about my backswing, my forwardswing, my set up, whatever I am doing I am thinking about it right here. After I take the practice swing I am done thinking.

Video Golf Tip | Utilizing a Practice Swing

As you take your practice swings, remember to use the same motion, do not think too much, visualize the flight of your golf ball before you address the ball. Having a pre-shot routine and using it before each shot will help you relax. However, if during your practice swings you feel your body start to tense up, step back and start your pre-shot routine all over again.

You Want To Eliminate Tension & Relax As You Swing the Golf Club

State your intention with each shot. Tell yourself what you are going to do, then go do it. On your short shots, take the same actions but take a couple practice swings right next to the ball. Rehearse the shot exactly the way you want to hit the ball with the same length swing and tempo. Create the exact feel that you want for the specific shot then simply set up and let your body repeat the feel. Do not give yourself time to think or to become tense over the golf ball. This leads to mishits. Focus on your landing spot and allow your body to repeat the same swing you rehearsed.

Commit To Your Shot! | Instruction Feature | PGA.com

 

Pivot: Create Separation

I mentioned this in a previous post on keeping the back facing the target for as long as possible in the downswing to help hit inside-out, but I felt I needed to emphasize the first part of this equation. You must create separation between the lower and upper body on the downswing (i.e., often called X-factor).

Once the back is facing the target, begin shifting weight to the left leg and rotating around it, while the back stays facing the target and the arms begin dropping. This move is discussed extensively by Ben Hogan in his milestone book (also by Jim McClean), and it's so critical to creating a powerful downswing that's driven by the lower body.

What really makes this work is the separation between shoulder and hip position. The shoulders should only catch up to the hips in the follow through. If they catch up early--or worse, outrace them--be ready to look for your ball in right field, because you'll likely get a slice.

If you get a push or slight slice, you simply need to close the stance (i.e., get the face closed to the path) to get that powerful draw working.

Another way to think of it: the shoulders mostly move first on the backswing and the hips mostly move first on the downswing. Voila! X-factor!

 

Putting: Allow Putter Head to Close

We all know there are two types of putting styles: straight back & through and arcing (i.e., the putter head opens going back and closes coming through). But what happens when you blend the two as I have for so long (i.e., arc back and try to go straight through). Well, I can tell you. Most of my putts have consistently missed right, because this hybrid putting method causes sliced putts.

Today, I started allowing the putter head to close going through and I actually hit straight putts with good distance control. I also discovered that this put more zip on my putts, which helped me reduce my lower body movement. My best putting style appears to be arcing--with a putter face that slightly opens going back and closes going through. This style is best for long distances, as it adds some zip; straight back and through might be more appropriate for medium to short putts.

 

 

My Wacky Left Shoulder Hitch

I am occasionally vexed by a hideous hitch in my left shoulder. What happens is that my left shoulder joint sometimes rises slightly upward at address (tension) and increases during the down swing, which exaggerates my shoulder tilt and causes all sorts of crazy shots--fat, pop-ups (especially with the driver), and thin shots. I've noticed it can creep in to my swing when I'm nervous or trying to belt one.

Not sure why it happens but it may be an unconscious effort to lift the ball during the swing.

And I'm not 100% certain how to cure myself other than to be aware of it; it's a sign of tension in my swing and address position.