Golf is a game of the 'opposite': if you're right-handed, you use your left to guide the swing; if you want the ball go up, then hit down on it; if you want the ball to go left, then hit towards the right;
* Grip:
- the pad of your palm should be on top of the handle;
- the V should point to the right shoulder;
- should see only two knuckles of your left hand when you look down (that's a neutral grip and ball will go straight; a weak grip is seeing 1 knuckle and tends to slice the ball; a strong grip is seeing 3 and tends to hook);
- your right hand's fingers should touch the grip between first and second lines;
- your right index finger should point straight down when extended;
- grip force should be about 4 on a scale of 1-10 (swing the club with a relatively loose grip will max the natural momentum from the weight of the club, e.g. try holding the club with only two fingers and swing it)
* Stance:
- your left heel should be about 2 inches (the length of the foot of the club) from the line of the ball;
- the distance between the head of the club and your lap should be the 'rule of ten' (i.e. for a 7 iron, 3 fingers away, 9 iron, 1 finger away, and so on);
- chin up so at least the arm can fit under it;
- put the club perpendiculat to the line of target (that's a square position)
* Swing:
- remember your body is in a tube;
- turn your shoulders, but don't drop your shoulder, which will over tilt the hip;
- swing from inside to outside (crossing the target line), don't 'chicken-wing' it (many golfers have this problem);
- to illustrate the turn, hold the club with your arms horizontally behind your back, then try the swing action and see the turn;
- when the club hits the ball, it flattens the area of the ball at the contact point; and the ball travels on the club surface for a brief moment; the more you flatten the ball the further your shot will be
* Follow-through:
- feel the right toe going into the shot;
* Tips: when someone yells "fore" it's a warning of the ball flying in--duck and don't look.
1 comment:
1. the 'opposite rule' helped me understand why they say the club should hit the ball first before hitting the ground: that way the club is in a slightly downward motion when it hit the ball. As the opposite rule applies, the ball goes up. So the lowest point of the arc is a little bit in front of the ball. Note that it's a relatively flat arc (i.e. with big radius) so we're only talking about "slightly downward" motion of the club head.
2. In a full swing, the left thumb is almost pressing straight towards the direction of the target at the bottom of the swing. The right hand is tightly behind it to provide the support. This is one of the things I realized years ago but have since forgotten. This not only helps with a straight shot but also a powerful one.
3. To correct the hip swaying to the right during back swing (to remember you're in a tube), make sure the right leg is on a "sitting position" (like sitting down on a chair only with the right side). Once the leg is in that position, it "locks" the hip from swaying to the right and acts as a povit point for the "turning" of the upper body. It also help with the weight shift (i.e. the moving of center of gravity of the body from center-right-left duing a full swing), which is said to be crucial to a powerful shot.
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