Sports & Recreation
Golf Guide-13
How many times, either at the driving range or on the course, have you been the recipient of golf advice from your golfing buddies, friends or family members? Probably too many times to count.
Golfers are notorious for giving advice to other golfers. Some of this advice may be helpful, but in many instances it may lead to the formation of bad habits that can sometimes be hard to break.
Golf is considered by many to be a game that is difficult to learn and frustrating to play. Yet it is often these same golfers who are handing out advice to others. This can sometimes cause misconceptions as to what is right and wrong fundamentally.
Let’s look at some of the frequently given advice and what effects it can have. This discussion will focus on right-handed golfers.
One of the most common examples of advice is to keep the head down. Keeping the head down obstructs a good shoulder turn during the take-away, resulting in the left shoulder contacting the left side of the chin. This restricts both the length of the back swing and the ability to reach the desired club position in the back swing.
Golfers are often advised to keep their left arm straight during the take-away. Doing so hinders a proper weight transfer and creates unwanted tension in the arms. This affects the fluid motion of the swing and puts added stress on the lower back.
It is often suggested that golfers play the ball farther back in their stance (toward the right foot) when hitting the high irons (No. 7 through the wedges). This prevents the club face from squaring up at the impact, which affects the direction of the ball flight. This also lowers the trajectory of the ball flight.
Golfers sometimes hook the ball (ball starts right, then curves left). In such cases, they are advised to point their feet more to their right during the set-up to help compensate for the hook. But compensating in this manner only tends to exaggerate the hook even more.
For those who find themselves hooking or slicing, keep in mind there is no such thing as compensation in golf. What there is instead is the use of good fundamentals.
When golfers are having trouble getting the ball in the air, they are advised to move the ball forward in their stance (toward the left foot). Doing this can result in topping or sculling the ball, or hitting extremely high shots.
These are just six of the more common tidbits of advice often offered to golfers. I have touched on each one only briefly, but from the discussion it should be apparent that although the advice is well-intended, it can only lead to problems that sooner or later will have to be addressed.
Before putting any advice given to you into your golf repertoire, it should be your task to first ensure that the advice is based on sound fundamentals.
Golf Guide-13
How many times, either at the driving range or on the course, have you been the recipient of golf advice from your golfing buddies, friends or family members? Probably too many times to count.
Golfers are notorious for giving advice to other golfers. Some of this advice may be helpful, but in many instances it may lead to the formation of bad habits that can sometimes be hard to break.
Golf is considered by many to be a game that is difficult to learn and frustrating to play. Yet it is often these same golfers who are handing out advice to others. This can sometimes cause misconceptions as to what is right and wrong fundamentally.
Let’s look at some of the frequently given advice and what effects it can have. This discussion will focus on right-handed golfers.
One of the most common examples of advice is to keep the head down. Keeping the head down obstructs a good shoulder turn during the take-away, resulting in the left shoulder contacting the left side of the chin. This restricts both the length of the back swing and the ability to reach the desired club position in the back swing.
Golfers are often advised to keep their left arm straight during the take-away. Doing so hinders a proper weight transfer and creates unwanted tension in the arms. This affects the fluid motion of the swing and puts added stress on the lower back.
It is often suggested that golfers play the ball farther back in their stance (toward the right foot) when hitting the high irons (No. 7 through the wedges). This prevents the club face from squaring up at the impact, which affects the direction of the ball flight. This also lowers the trajectory of the ball flight.
Golfers sometimes hook the ball (ball starts right, then curves left). In such cases, they are advised to point their feet more to their right during the set-up to help compensate for the hook. But compensating in this manner only tends to exaggerate the hook even more.
For those who find themselves hooking or slicing, keep in mind there is no such thing as compensation in golf. What there is instead is the use of good fundamentals.
When golfers are having trouble getting the ball in the air, they are advised to move the ball forward in their stance (toward the left foot). Doing this can result in topping or sculling the ball, or hitting extremely high shots.
These are just six of the more common tidbits of advice often offered to golfers. I have touched on each one only briefly, but from the discussion it should be apparent that although the advice is well-intended, it can only lead to problems that sooner or later will have to be addressed.
Before putting any advice given to you into your golf repertoire, it should be your task to first ensure that the advice is based on sound fundamentals.
If you want to improve your game, Bob Gates may be contacted at (708) 425-8637.
About the Author:
Bob Gates is a golf instructor at
Stony Creek Golf Course and Driving Range
in Oak Lawn, Illinois.
Bob Gates is a golf instructor at
Stony Creek Golf Course and Driving Range
in Oak Lawn, Illinois.