Mental Note: The Hips!

At the moment, I am having trouble getting my body to turn through the shot which is resulting in big pushes to the right. Frustrated and nostalgic, I started thinking back to times when my swing seemed effortless. The moment that always comes to mind was a full 90 yd. sand wedge from the 2nd hole fairway at Green Harbor. I remember feeling so comfortable over the ball as I motioned back and then through the shot. The strike was pure as the ball skied high and landed softly within 5 feet of the cup. Through process of elimination, I realized the success of that shot can be attributed to the rotation of my hips which activated my downswing. When executed, your arms and hands should follow and almost drop on an inside path to the ball. Steal this feel!!

The backswing starts in this order:

1. Hands
2. Arms
3. Shoulders
4. Hips

The downswing starts in reverse order:

1. Hips
2. Shoulders
3. Arms
4. Hands

Ben Hogan had this to say about the hips:

"If the average golfer will only start his downswing with his hips, what a world of difference this will make in his swing and his shots, not to mention his score."

Playing Lessons: Nick Faldo

The thing I like most about watching Faldo is his effortless rhythm. He makes the game looks so easy. Whenever I struggle with my swing, I find it refreshing to watch his tempo.

Tee Shots

• Always swing to a target.
• Use the ground. Build a solid stance for optimal power.

General

• It's always easier to hit full shots rather than half shots in down wind.
• See your shot and then get on with it already!
• If you have the opportunity to play practice rounds, play your shots/putts from the worst, most difficult spots.

Chipping

• From off the green, pick your spot where you want to land the ball. Then determine the club to use by how much distance left to the pin.

Putting

• Get as much info as possible. Read the line from both sides.

Tee Ball Heights

I picked up on an interesting tip from Johnny Miller during the telecast of Tiger Wood's victory at Bay Hill. He explained that teeing the ball at different heights allows for different shot shapes.

1. Tee the ball High to hit a Draw
2. Tee the ball Low to hit a Fade


On this day: Tiger Woods wins the 2012 Arnold Palmer Invitational

Round: Braintree (2012 Opener)

Players: Me, Erik, Jay P
Pre-round practice: None

18 Holes
Global warming is ruining our planet but it is also allowing obsessive golfers like myself play golf in March :) It was a beautiful day for a round of golf and the conditions were perfect. I did not have many expectations for score but I was hoping to see some improvements on things I worked on during the off season. My short game was as sharp as its ever been. Unfortunately everything about my swing was off. I did not hit one shot to the left. Mostly everything was slicing or blocked/pushed to the right. I did not have much feel or comfort in my swing to understand the problem. After the round, knowing my tendencies, I have been able to diagnose the following ailments.

• Hips getting stuck and not turning through to the finish. My body stops rotating.
  Result: Blocked/Pushed shots

• Left hand is not rotating; clubhead not releasing after impact.
  Result: Blocked/Pushed shots

March '12: Practice Sessions

Field practice

• Review fundamentals
• Better ball-striking
• Maintain posture throughout entire swing
• Keep your focus on the swing and completion of the shot, not the ball!
  Trust your ball position.
  
• Blocked shots. Not turning through.
• Less focus on the ball. More on making full finish.
• Watch posture.
• Hitting fat shots.
• Make full turn on backswing.

Tip: 100 Swings Everyday

Most golfers along with myself find it hard to invest enough time to practice our game. Hank Haney suggests picking up a club and swinging it 100 times per day. This should take no longer than 10 minutes of your time. He claims it will make noticeable improvements to your game. Hey, it's the least you could do!