June 2012 - Easy to Learn Golf

Top Three Golf Swing Set-Up Tips

Stance

The stance is the foundation of the golf swing and like many other sports requires the player to prepare for athletic action. Begin by evenly dividing your weight between both feet, slightly favoring the balls of the feet not the toes or heels. Next, position the feet approximately shoulder width apart. Proper stance width helps maintain good balance, too narrow a stance increases instability and too wide restricts hip and shoulder turn, making it difficult for the player to properly transfer weight back onto and over the right leg during the backswing.

Turn the left foot (forward foot) outward toward the target about a quarter turn. This position allows the player to maintain dynamic balance throughout the golf swing and well into the finish. The back foot (right foot) should generally be pointed straight forward or at a right angle to the target line. This position allows power-generating resistance to build by stabilizing the right leg while the upper body turns around it.

Alignment/Aim

Aligning or aiming the body properly is crucial if one desires to develop a powerful repeating golf swing. The first key point of alignment is; align the leading edge of the
clubface square or at a right angle to the target line. Then set the tips of the toes, knees, hips, shoulders and eyes parallel to that same line. This method of alignment is
referred to as aiming “parallel left.” If a player is to err or deviate from this common principle it would typically involve the feet and body aiming slightly to the left of the
target. Keep in mind though, whatever combination of body and clubface positions a player employs is deemed acceptable if it results in the clubhead consistently traveling down the target line with the clubface square to that line.

Golf is a target game and it is very easy to get caught up in the complexity of the perfect golf swing. However, many who follow this quest fail to recognize that no matter how beautiful the swing becomes it is of little value if aimed incorrectly

Posture

Another key element to develop a powerful repeating golf swing requires the upper body to be tilted over the ball slightly at address. This is achieved by bending from the hips over the ball, not the waist. Bending from the hips allows the spine to remain straight and the buttocks to protrude slightly, whereas if we tilt from the waist the spine tends to curve. The head should also match the plane of the back; this allows the left shoulder to turn underneath the chin during the backswing. This very much helps maintain centeredness while completing the backswing.

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History of Golf

By Kevin Cotter, PGA

How and where the history of golf originated is for the most part unknown and continues to be the subject of much debate. Although, for the most part it is widely understood that the Scots during the middle ages where largely responsible for creating the game of golf we play today, a claim that has undergone substantial scrutiny and numerous challenges over many centuries.

There are several forerunners to the history of golf dating back as far as early 1297 to the Netherlands, leaving the Dutch to appear to have the closest ties to the origin of golf. Further evidence is supported by early 13th Century Dutch literature which contained numerous references to “golf like” games with medieval names such as “spel mitten colve” (play with club). Additionally, Dutch master painters of the day created numerous paintings and sketches of early participants playing a game with a club and ball in Holland, most certainly resembling what we know today as golf.

Commerce between Scotland and Holland blossomed throughout the North Sea trade route during the beginning of the middle ages. Sailors and traders often became stranded or delayed due to bad weather and became perfect candidates to become introduced to a new and better way to enjoy their leisure time and began to participate in the favorite local sports of the day. In many instances, some of the players shown in Dutch pictures wore kilts giving a clear indication they were Scottish visitors.

The first written word of golf in Scotland was referenced back to 1457, which at the time declared golf as illegal. In Holland the earliest written record dates back to 1297 and describes a cross-country version of a game with four players to a side, playing four holes with the objective being to strike the doors of pre-selected buildings with the ball along the way, the equivalent today of “holing out.” The prize for the winning side was often a barrel of beer, giving a clear indication that celebrating at the “19th hole” is a long-standing time-honored tradition.

The history of golf also shows Scottish and Dutch people jointly attending many festivals, fairs and large market gatherings, where among the countless items sold were leather-covered balls stuffed with feathers or cow hair. The only other early style golf ball we know of was made of wood. Interestingly, during the middle 1600’s the Scottish king appointed a “golf ball maker” in an effort to better balance the trade deficit because the feathery golf ball was quite expensive.

One might assume from this information that a reasonably strong case could be made for Holland being tagged “the true founder of golf.” But looking beyond the Dutch border, historical records tend to indicate that Belgians played a similar stick and ball game called “chole,” which was derived from Italy. But, these were one-club contests, with some of those clubs being used to perform more than one type of shot. Modern day golf as we know it today is played with a variety of clubs, up to fourteen according to the official USGA Rules of Golf and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews.

Also, the game today is played over a large area frequently exceeding 100 acres using a small ball with the primary object being to stroke the ball into the hole in the fewest strokes possible from a designated starting area (teeing ground) which for the most part was developed by the Scots and propagated by them around the world. Clearly, they deserve much of the credit for the game of golf as we know it today.

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Four Keys to Developing a Championship Golf Grip

Developing a championship golf grip is essential to consistently deliver the clubface squarely to the ball. As the great Arnold Palmer once said “The grip is the crucial junction point from which all the body’s strength and rhythm are transmitted to the club.”

The golf grip is considered a pre-swing principle and carries with it a wide range of personal preferences from which to choose, but there are four keys or common denominators to a championship golf grip that all great players apply.

1. Positioning

“Positioning” refers to the rotational location of the hands on the club. The proper position is best achieved by first allowing your arms to hang somewhat naturally while grasping the club, resulting in a position where the palms of each hand oppose one another or are rotated slightly inward. This resembles the look of praying upside-down. If the hands shift too far to the right or clockwise on the club it would be considered a “strong grip” (closed-face-grip) which encourages a hook, if rotated to far to the left or counterclockwise the opposite would apply or “weak grip” (open-face-grip) which encourages a slice. A desirable position would be one where the upside down V formed between the thumb and forefinger of the left hand (upper hand) points to your chin or right cheek, and the V formed by the lower hand pointing slightly more towards the right shoulder. The opposite would apply for the left-handed player

2. Placement

The upper hand should be placed consistently about 1/2 to 1 inch down the grip from the top or upper end of the club. Position the thumb of the left hand slightly right of center on top of the club; place the thumb of the lower hand on the forward side of the club touching both the club and the tip of the index finger. Also, grip the club in the fingers of both hands as much as possible as grasping the club into the palm rather than the fingers tends to limit joint wrist flexibility.

3. Grip Pressure

Grip pressure should be a 2 or 3 on a scale from 1-5 with 5 being the tightest you could possibly hold the club, or light enough to encourage maximum clubhead speed without losing directional control, and still hold onto the club. Gripping the club too tightly retards clubface rotation as well as prevents the hands/wrists from hinging properly, destroying power generating leverage.

4. Grip Options

There are three grip options from which to choose. The most common grip is the overlapping grip or Vardon grip named after Harry Vardon, where the little finger of the right hand (lower hand) is overtop and in-between the first two fingers of the left hand. The second option is the interlocking grip where he little finger of the right hand is intertwined with the index finger of the left hand. This adjoining or melding together of the hands with both the Vardon and overlapping grip help unify the hands and aids in preventing one hand overpowering the other resulting in increased distance and consistency. The third option or the ten-finger grip sometimes called a baseball grip is only recommended for very young or physically weak individuals who do not possess adequate strength to otherwise hold and swing the club.

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