| Practice can make perfect | | | | be as easy as falling off the proverbial log. |
| | | | |
| When you practice, do you just hit and hope, | | | | Your hands control the club and cause its |
| thinking that eventually, after you have hit | | | | motion. The body, in turn, responds. When |
| many, many practice shots, the | | | | throwing a ball or hitting a baseball, the |
| “Golfing Godsâ€￾ | | | | body and arms move as a response to your |
| will bestow upon you the mythical | | | | intention to throw or hit. You do not think |
| “I’ve got it | | | | about your legs and body; you focus solely on |
| now!â€￾ secret? | | | | the outcome. |
| | | | |
| Or are you like Jack Nicklaus, who said he | | | | In golf, the body does and must move, but not |
| never practiced without a firm plan. He | | | | to fling the hands/arms/club into the |
| always practiced with a certain goal in mind | | | | swinging motion back and down. The benefits |
| for each session. | | | | of hitting the ball this way is that the body |
| | | | does not wrench itself to create the motion |
| At The Martin Green Golf Academy, students | | | | of the swing, thereby causing strain and |
| are taught that the body responds to the | | | | injury to itself. |
| motion of the swing and that practicing is | | | | |
| more than just banging ball after ball into | | | | The body should be passive and respond to the |
| the vast space of the driving range. | | | | swing created by the hands and arms. You |
| | | | don’t hold the body still, |
| Here are some basic practice guidelines: | | | | but instead let it comfortably respond. That |
| | | | is why a correct setup is vital. |
| 1. When working on your technique, do it | | | | |
| without a ball and do it slowly so you can | | | | Here’s an example of the |
| feel and see (use a mirror if possible) the | | | | ideal hitting action: Imagine taking a driver |
| exactness of the motion. | | | | with zero loft and, in one blow, completely |
| | | | drive a six-inch nail into the base of a |
| 2. When working on different kinds of shots, | | | | tree. Throughout the swing, you keep your |
| such as fades and draws, try to work your | | | | view of the nail head constant (i.e. a stable |
| shots around targets (i.e. a flag, a tree or | | | | head) and make the swing without flinging |
| a marker). It really helps your eye and feel | | | | your body about to generate force (no |
| for the shots. | | | | control). |
| | | | |
| If there are no target objects where you | | | | Instead, you allow your body to comfortably |
| practice, then try to hit your fades from the | | | | respond to the swing/hitting motion of the |
| right side of the practice tee and your draws | | | | hands/arms/club. This is very close to the |
| from the left side. This will help you see | | | | ideal hitting action. |
| the actual amount of movement you are getting | | | | |
| on your shots. | | | | How you would need to do this should be very |
| | | | similar to your golf swing: a constant, |
| Here are some unique ideas and swing | | | | unchanging view of the nail or tee; hands |
| thoughts. | | | | controlling the club; arms swinging, body |
| | | | motion stable and responsive. |
| There seems to be a | | | | |
| “swingâ€￾ away | | | | It’s an easy drill. Take |
| from lots of body motion during the | | | | your driver and swing it back and forth from |
| downswing. Tiger Woods had worked hard since | | | | address to the top and back to address with |
| his early days on the PGA Tour to slow his | | | | out stopping. Do this several times. |
| hips and legs during the downswing. | | | | |
| | | | While doing this, notice how your body |
| David Ledbetter believes amateurs tend to use | | | | stabilizes, your hands take charge, your arms |
| their bodies too much during the downswing. | | | | awing, your eyes maintain and unchanging view |
| This fault is hardly surprising when | | | | and your body follows naturally and |
| virtually everything you read tells you to | | | | athletically. |
| start your downswing with the hips and/or | | | | |
| legs sliding and/or turning and miraculously | | | | Practice this technique a few times to |
| your arms and hands and club will follow down | | | | stimulate your thought processes and help |
| in the correct path. | | | | train your body to create a more stable base |
| | | | and you will see some real improvement in |
| If this were true, hitting good shots would | | | | your golf swing |