By Dave Baron
All the information in golf instruction is categorized into LAWS, PRINCIPLES, and PREFERENCES. There are 5 laws that even Tiger must live by. They are speed, centeredness, path, face, angle of approach. The principles, and preferences are all of the other info and are only beneficial as to how they relate to the laws.
The first two laws deal directly with posture. To maximize speed we must first perfect your posture, enabling your body to be its most athletic, elastic, and powerful. You will learn that the hands merely hold the club and you can swing faster by using the body. The proper use of speed controls the distance you want the shot to go.
To perfect your path, your body needs to be properly aligned and in posture that allows the body to swing the club on the path you wish the shot to start on. The upper body will move the club back and the lower body will move the club forward.
The third law or angle of approach deals with the ball position feature of posture. The trajectory you wish the shot to fly on is determined by where you position the ball between your feet. For normal trajectory shots my preference is that wedges are played in the center of the stance. As the club gets longer move the ball forward based on the length of the club, with the driver being played off the forward heel. To play a lower shot move the ball back a few inches from normal ball position.
The fourth and fifth laws deal directly with your grip. You will find that it is far easier to start with a square clubface with your ball in the center of the clubface and let the hands simply hold the club throughout your swing. It is extremely challenging to have the clubface opening and closing during the swing. An open clubface at impact causes the ball to curve right for a right-handed player and a closed clubface causes the ball to curve left.
The sweet spot, the greatest amount of mass in the club head, is in the center. It is much easier to hit the sweet spot when the hands play the neutral role of simply holding the grip rather than moving the sweet spot around.
Perfect your individual grip and your individual posture and you will hit shots the start on the line you want, curve the way you want, or not at all, fly on the exact trajectory you want, and travel the distance you want.
If you need help with your grip or your posture please don't hesitate to call me. My goal is for you to achieve maximum enjoyment of the game in a minimum of time.
To schedule a lesson with one of our PGA Professionals please call the golf shop.