Relaxation Is The Key - Important Tips (Lesson No. 34)

Often new golfers will go to the course in cold weather, not realizing they could injure themselves. Dress warmly and wear regular warm gloves. Here are fun facts about cold weather golf....  and summer golf as well.

Many years ago I played in 40 degree weather. I wore thick gloves and could not grasp the club well. So, I decided not to grasp strongly but lightly through the thick gloves. I hit the ball surprisingly well!  Knowing I was stressed by the cold, I made a point to relax my cold shoulders before I hit the ball. I did surprisingly well.  When summer came I remembered the winter factors that provided good hits; relaxed hands and relaxed shoulders and I hit the ball very well.  The winter had taught me a valuable lesson.

One day four years ago I played in Ohio on a cold blustery day. I injured both elbows and required cortizone shots to repair the damage. There are "must dos" in cold weather which command relaxation techniques.

In the very hot summer we must first relax to hit a good shot. We must relax a second time to be rid of the heat stress. So a "double relaxation" is required in the very hot weather.

I have experimented with a floatation of the arms into the back swing. One must first relax and then let the arms float into the back swing before attacking the ball. As long as I remembered to rotate my arms into the flotation back swing I hit very good and accurate shots. It required a somewhat slower back swing, certainly unhurried.

These are good things to think about and practice on the range. Cold weather and hot weather induce stress that we must deal with.

RHE

 

 

 

Several Ways to Attack the Ball From the Inside (Lesson No. 33)

Often we hear advice to hit the ball from the inside. The idea is usually in reference to the problem of casting from "over the top" or coming across the ball producing a slice or unwanted fade. I have worked on this problem for a long time and in many different ways. Because we are all somewhat different there are different remedies for different folks. Here are some methods to achieve a better approach to the impact area. They largely relate to achieving a good position at the top of the back swing and beginning the down swing.

On the driving range we can experiment (A Very Useful Tool) without concern about the end result while practicing. Simply say, "This I will do, regardless." Improvement comes from new ideas, most often.

The elements must be understood.  The take away requires the left arm coming across while the right arm pulls away. There is a required "extension" of the arms in the take away. The angle of that take away varies with the length of the club. The driver making the largest radius in the take away.

The turn away has several elements which include the action of the feet and legs (weight transfer), lower and upper back muscles and the arms as well.  At the top, we endeavor to achieve a hit from the inside. Therefore, at the top we can consciously drop the club toward the back of the right foot or toward the right hip before attacking the ball. It works very well.

I have had good experiences with taking the club away and then consciously moving the hands inside in the take away. I sometimes like to think I'm swinging around the outside of a barrel; sure to get the club to an inside path from the top. Most often I must also remember the roll or rotation of the arms and then not to forget the turn away, as well. I rehearse these ideas before I take the back swing.

Both arms must roll back to the address position in the down swing.With all these tandem thoughts to remember, one must slow down the back swing. Even slowing down the initial down swing helps to achieve the complete release through the ball area. And, therefore we can attack the ball with greater force at impact having saved our effort for the impact zone.Doing otherwise spends the swing effort too early.

A little insurance is required to achieve this inside attack on the ball. Try these ideas. The right knee moves toward the ball in the down swing. The hips briefly slide toward the left in the down swing. Pictures of Ben Hogan show him addressing the ball with his hips slightly forward, which seems to help.

The swing plane is important. As the body turns there is a tilt at address and the arms must be in agreement with the tilt of the shoulders. The left arm is in line with the shoulders plane or angle. Think about the idea of a more or less flat back swing. Correct is in agreement with the tilt of the shoulders. The left arm coming back toward the right shoulder. This is helpful with the longer clubs. The shorter irons requiring more precise accuracy may require a greater lift in the back swing or slightly higher back swing.

This lesson reduces simply to take away, swing plane and beginning the down swing. 

RHE

 

 

 

Valuable Review Session (Lesson No. 32)

This week I had the unpleasant experience of a faltering swing. The "WHY" of it we may never know with certainty. Several things brought it back to an acceptable level of performance. Mentally, I had to start over and review "what made it work well."  There were several important rediscoveries that had to be made.

1. I knew a good torque and arm rotation into the back swing had performed magnificently in the past.

2. Length and accuracy were enhanced by good  attention to knuckles and thumbs in the back swing.

3. I remembered our Club Pro saying he did not manipulate the release. He simply let it happen. so, I relaxed my wrists and hands more. The results were quite amazing. I began to draw my iron shots again. This could go to the idea of a medium soft grip pressure.

I still have work to be done but I was again hitting the ball reasonably well. The heat and humidity probably was the cause of it all (95 degrees and 95%  relative humidity at 9:30 a.m.) The review was well worth the effort.

Today I suggest you review previous lessons No. 3, 4, 7, 8 and 18.

RHE