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I have played the game of golf for years and my handicap hovered around the 18 - 20 mark. Some days I played to a 12 or so then the next time I would come down to earth with a bump shooting in the 90’s.
Then one day I picked up a magazine which promised to lower my handicap (don’ t they all) so as usual I would read it even though in the back of my mind I knew I was probably lining someone’s pocket in search of a miracle. This article was different though. IT WORKED.
So here I am today playing off a handicap of 4 and I would like to tell you what I learnt. Every article you will read about where the club should be half way back, where it should be at the top of the back swing etc. You end up with umpteen swing thoughts and you fall into that famous golf cliché of paralysis by analysis. As a person who is a complete control freak and has to have a logical explanation for everything this was my downfall. The one swing thought I have today and on every swing is a mental picture of my impact position. Think about, if you went to a professional for lessons and you had a swing like Jim Furyk, Chris DiMarco or a young Lee Trevino the pro would have a heart attack, but last time I looked they were pretty useful golfers. What they all do well is through the impact zone. They get the club into the back of the ball and where the club is before that is neither here nor there.
If you look at any photo of a pro just before impact he will have his right heel (for a right handed player) off the ground and the club will be behind the ball and his belt buckle will be aiming in front of the ball. This is a superb position for number of reasons:
The club is playing catch up with your body which is accelerating the club head through impact for more distance It cured an ongoing problem of mine which was the dreaded slice because with the core of your body in front of the ball position I found it made it very difficult for the club face to be left open at impact so you make contact with the ball with a far more square face rather than a glancing blow.
With you having your right heel off the ground you know you are transferring your weight onto your left side and not hanging back on the shot and causing blocks, slices and a general lack of power.
Probably the best of all is it keeps your swing simple. You don’t go round the course talking to your self about what you should be doing and making things worse. My one swing thought is to get my navel in front of the ball just before impact which will automatically get my right heel off the ground, showing a good weight transfer and powerful impact position.
I don’t know about you but a lot of tips contradict the other but using this simple plan there is no confusing, no collapses after about 10 holes and it keeps your mind clear which means 2 things. You have no negative thoughts which is the root of all bad swings and you enjoy your round far more with a clear head which, after all, is why we play the game.
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