A Great New Day! (Lesson No. 27)

Every year one million people take up golf. Every year another one million give it up, finding it too difficult. I took up the game at age forty-eight and now approach my twentieth year as a golfer. Here are ten things I have been told that are nearly correct. My point is that most advice comes close but not nearly close enough.

1. A professional in Georgia told me in my first year of playing that I needed to work on stretching exercises. What he should have said was, “You need to stretch more going into your back swing.”

2. Another professional in Georgia said, “It’s probably some little thing you are doing wrong.” What he should have said was, “It is probably many little things you are doing wrong.”

3. Another professional told me to relax my right arm at addressing the ball. I have since learned that a golfer must relax right shoulder, right arm, lower back muscles and right hand before taking a back swing.

4. Another professional (Cindy Ried at Sawgrass) told me to stand further away from the ball. That was very good advice.

5. Another professional told me to widen my stance. What he should have said was, “You need to widen your stance and shift your weight to the right foot in the back swing.”

6. A friend, winner of the Ohio Amateur, told me, “The left arm is primary. The right arm goes along for the ride.” What he should have said was, “The left arm initiates the take away as the right arm pulls the take away toward the top.”

7. In a Video Cassette, Gary Player makes the statement, “Ah yes! The grip. We could talk for hours about that.” He fails to talk about the grip except to say it should be relaxed. He should have said, “The grip and grip pressure at take away are the most important parts of golf.” He should further have said, The forefinger knuckles and thumbs of both hands are paramount to the direction of the back swing.”

8. It is often said that we should have but one swing thought. It would be far more correct to say, “You should have but one swing thought at a time.” When you watch Ernie Ells or Tiger Woods, it is plainly obvious, by their moves and adjustments at address, they have more than one thought going through their minds. The golf swing is like Lasagna. It is correctly accomplished in layers or sequence. For example,

a) Push & pull,

b) knuckles or thumbs away, into the back swing.

9. How often we have heard it said, “Keep the left arm straight.” While essentially true, pragmatically, such is not easy. Better to have said, “As the back swing approaches the top, be sure to straighten the left arm before the down swing.” It is very easy and easily remembered.

10. I have been told that every club swings the same. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is far more correct to say, “The length of the club and lie angle of the shaft make every club slightly different to swing. Particularly the hands must respect the lie angle of the shaft in terms of grip pressure and finger forces on the shaft.”

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In beginning the back swing, do you aim at the target? No, you should not. Once you have addressed the ball with respect to your target, your first direction of aim is into your back swing. The biggest error in golf is attacking the ball from the wrong place at the top of the back swing. Where is the right place to be at the top of the back swing? You will find that after much fun on the driving range, just like the pros.

Having a problem with your game? Send us an Email and we’ll try to help! They say most advice is worth what you pay for it. Partly true but much advice you pay for is worth about as much as the tee you set the ball on. Good luck!

RHE

If you like symphony, you can visit Richard Englefield's Symphonies web site by clicking on the Englefield Symphoies web site box at the upper left of this page. Just click and Go! Turn on your speakers.

My Hole-in one That Did Not Count! (Lesson No. 26)

A hole-in-one is a very educational experience. Profound is a better description. There is simply bounds of valuable information contained in the experience. Why? because it very probably is the finest shot you will ever make, unless it was pure dumb luck. (Of course it was luck but maybe not dumb luck.)

Two days ago I was on a par three tee box 165 yds. away from the pin. I hit a six iron fat that rolled to the front apron and teed up another ball since no one was following. I was playing alone, practicing. My second tee shot flew straight and high then dropped out of sight.  I was sure the sweet hit was over the green. It felt near perfect.

As I approached the green (apron) I stroked my first ball toward the flag and walked to the backof the green in search of the second shot. I could not find it! I then returned to the first ball and as I passed the cup I glanced down and saw my second ball in the bottom of the cup! My mind immediately remembered everything about the tee shot that was nearly perfect. It felt good! I had rehearsed my orientation and initial take away. I took the time to perfect my grip pressures. I made  sure I turned my upper body away as I took my back swing. I extended my left arm at shoulder height, leveraging the swing perfectly. The ball found the bottom of the cup, leaving a ball mark three inches from the pin.

The reason it felt perfect is that my rhythm was perfect. My turn away was in perfect unity with my back swing and weight shift to the back foot. It was in fact so smooth I thought I had hit the shot twenty yards further than I did, as it dropped out of sight. I remember saying, "Better add some yards to my 6 iron!"

Maybe never again but I will always remember the weight shift and orientation ideas and probably the grip pressure reminder. How could I ever forget........the hole in one that did not count?

RHE

Spring Time Optimisim (Lesson No. 25)

Can your game improve? Will your game improve? The answer is found in your approach to the game. Of course it will improve. It might improve a lot!

With the vastly improved weather,  many of us will be playing and/or practicing more golf. Your approach will determine the extent of improvement. Golf has several different aspects.

The take-away (back swing) -  For the longer irons you will need a slower (completed) back swing and larger arc.

The mirror or shadows on the ground are the best tools for guaranteeing your head and shoulders stay over the ball during the swing. The confusion arises from the turn and the weight shift. It makes sense that a turn away keeps the head and shoulders over the ball. The slight hip slide at the beginning of the downswing keep the shoulders from lunging forward, ahead of the ball.

Chipping is all technique. It can be very easy or quite problematical. Play the ball back and hit on the downswing. Practice makes this element near perfect. The bump and run requires you have very slight wrist movemnet as in putting.

The driver is fun and probably the easiest to hit. Practice with a medium speed back swing. The club head will be going fast at impact. Take practice swings before hitting your driver.

Green side bunker shots are easier than I ever believed. Right handers should throw a side arm pitch at the sand behind the ball. It will slide through and lift the ball high and onto the green.

As for iron shots, every time I take Jack Nicklaus advice and raise my hands high in the back swing I hit the ball straight. I believe the turn begins only slightly after the initial take away. A determined left side and left shoulder going into the take away works better than pulling the right side away. BUT YOU MUST remember that a good take away ALSO requires The right arm pulling away in agreement with the left side.

My best advice to new golfers is:

"Learn to Turn!"

RHE

If you like symphony, you can visit Richard Englefield's Symphonies web site by clicking on the Englefield Symphoies web site box at the upper left of this page. Just click and Go! Turn on your speakers.

 

No Better Idea for Improving Your Scores (Lesson No. 24)

We are coming to the close of New Golfers Need Tips. Perhaps there will be a few more and then we will close down the web site. We therefore suggest you copy off all lessons and make a booklet for your review.

Here is a simple suggestion that is inexpensive and can be very helpful to your game. I'm surprised more people don't use this idea. The cost is around $10.00. Easily it could save you ten or more strokes.

Go to your local hardware store and purchase a 10 ft. plastic pipe. Then go to Wal-Mart and purchase a good size green dish towel and a pack of brass compression rings. The latter are for the corners of the "flag". Drill two holes in the pipe matching the size of the dish towel and wire the towel to the "pin". You will have a perfect target for practicing your short game in the back yard.

For a dollar or so more you can purchase a plastic covered container for your golf balls. In the early mornings before your game or in the cool of the evening you can learn to chip and pitch close to the pin. It worked wonders for me.

A few "Big Birdies" can help your score immensely. Par saves are very rewarding.

RHE

PS - We'd love to hear from you if we've helped your game. Use the Comment response available below or Email us, if you prefer, at consistantgolf@aol.com

Lost Your Swing? Puzzled? No Problem!! (Lesson No. 23)

If you are new to the game of golf, sometimes your new swing abandons you. As my brother Bob has said, "Here today, gone tomorrow." Where did it go?

Our new swing leaves us when we are tired.It leaves when we are working on something new and forget the previous things we learned.Very easy, very easy to do. Be glad if it happenes when you are NOT playing for $1.00 a skin! Expect it will happen from time to time and have a good laugh.It is absolutely predictable.

The best thing about losing your swing is that it makes you remind yourself of what you have learned. You feverishly search for what made your swing work correctly. It becomes a valuable time for review. Review of the fundementals.It makes you think. Golf requires much thought in the set up process, addressing the ball. Each hand must be correct. Balance must be anticipated. The orientation of the take away, weight transfer in the back swing and again in the down swing. All these things enter into the thought process when addressing the ball.

Suppose you have found that you need to take the club higher in the back swing or maybe quite differently, take a flatter back swing rather than higher. Your concentration on the new technique will almost always cause some forgetfulness regarding other matters. The secret then is to order your thoughts for the set up and then have the one new swing thought in the back swing.

The thought process is sequential, tandem, one following the others, reminders rehearsed so to speak and then the swing.Understanding the commonality of mental lapse makes us understand that lapses happen to all of us including the best touring pros on TV. As Tiger Woods said during an interview, "It was one of those shots that you don't know where it came from. It just happened."

When it happens to you, do not be alarmed. Simply go to the range and begin to rebuid your swing one element at a time until you discover what you were forgetting.As you go through the reminders and elements, you will find the flaw and get back on track again.

Actually, the experience is very helpful because it will happen on another day during your first skins game and you will want to know how to regroup and hit the next shot with perfection. It will require rethinking your set up and perhaps your backswing but it will be based on experience and should allow corrections during your game.

Fixing your swing is a part of the game of golf.We all have to learn to repair our swings.The PGA pros are constantly working to improve. Some have major repairs to make, at times. It is very much a part of the game.

Review lesson No. 18.

 

RHE

 

Interesting Paradox Can Help Your Learning Experience (Lesson No. 22)

My first golf mentor (19 years ago) advised me to slow down my back swing. He should have reminded me to complete my back swing. Slower but complete works well. 

On the Sr. Tour we see pros with varying speeds in their back swing but many are not fast. Another mentor advised me recently that he thinks of the driver being longer and slower in the take away. The point is a slower back swing helps to maintain balance and make ready for the moment of truth in the down swing. Some articles suggest a  very slight pause at the top of the back swing which can only be possible with a somewhat slower back swing.

I tell my students the speed of the back swing is not as important as balance and the all important preparation for the down swing, Also, a slower back swing allows things to happen in terms of rotation of the arms before the down swing begins. People often fail to complete their back swing by being too fast.

A controlled back swing is only possible without chaos or a hectic effort. A slower controlled back swing permits the all important coordination and acceleration though the impact area.An extremely fast back swing tends to spend or waste the swing effort before hitting the ball.

Relaxing before the shot and quieting the lower body will help in accomplishing this interesting paradox. Slower is better but completing the back swing to the top is imperative.

RHE

 

 

Your Round of Golf Needs Practice Swings (Lesson No. 21)

If you are taking the time to learn the game of golf,you should take the time to take practice swings. I always say, "If the pros do it, there is a good reason for it." Much of what the pros do is designed to take the error out of the shot.A great example is hitting the ball first from a fairway bunker.Most pros hit the ball first with their irons from the fairway. What about practice swings?

Nearly all profesional golfers take a few practice swings before they hit the ball. Why do they do this? Because a few practice swings tell you what you are about to forget to do.You know the feel of a good take-away. If the practice swings feel strange, then you know you are forgetting something.

Never is that more important than when on a side hill lie. Or an up hill lie. Or a down hill lie.Or a side hill up or side hill down hill lie.Practice swings tell you two important things. They tell you  how to adjust for good balance and they tell you how much to choke up on the grip; alternatively how much to adjust your posture for an uneven lie. The ball one inch below your feet requires a grip adjustment and even an adjustment to your stance. Hips move slightly forward if the ball is above your feet by merely one or two inches.

The best pros take as many as five practice swings before a chip shot. Actually, most fairways lies are not level. Many may be if your course is level but I find as I approach the ball most of the time there is a slope of some kind in the fairway. We do not want to hit fat or thin so we take practice swings to determine the correctness of our stance and balance before the shot.

You will be a long time learning if you do not learn to take practice swings. The sooner the better.

RHE