The slice is enemy No. 1 for a lot of golfers. And it’s easy to see why.
A slice curves away from the target pretty quickly and zaps distance, making tee shots and approach shots less likely to find the fairway and green. The result? Higher scores.
Slicing the ball is a common fault because it’s a combination of a lot of common miscues but none more prevalent than an over-the-top backswing and open clubface at impact. Those two combined make it easy for the ball to spin left to right (for righties, opposite for lefties), and away from the target.
The good part about a slice though, is just like any swing fault, it can be fixed with the right prescription. We asked Jimmy Wisinski, the PGA of America Director of Instruction at Kent Country Club in Michigan, to share a drill on how the combat the dreaded slice.
Jimmy delivered with a great alignment-stick drill that you can do the next time you hit the range:
It’s the season for fixing slices! Try this alignment stick drill from Jimmy Wisinski, PGA for straight shots! pic.twitter.com/S5vMYuBHfj
A Swing Tip You Can Learn From the NFL Quarterbacks Who Played in the Super Bowl
By Ryan Adams, PGA
Published on Sunday, January 28, 2024
A thrilling match-up for Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas on Feb. 11 ended as it should.
With drama.
The Kansas City Chiefs won their second straight Super Bowl, defeating the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 on a short pass play in overtime. The game was fun to watch, with high-flying offenses, stout defenses, plenty of storylines . . . and how could we forget Taylor Swift?
Believe it or not, though, there’s also a little golf lesson you can learn from the quarterbacks playing in today’s game.
Did you see how Patrick Mahomes (above) of the Chiefs and Brock Purdy of the 49ers were making their throwing motions? Well, there’s a lot of similarities between the way these quarterbacks sling it and how to create more powerful strikes with every club.
Let’s break it down.
Wind up and weight transfer
The first step for a quarterback is winding up their upper body and then transferring weight to the front foot to fire a pass. That’s a lot like the golf swing if you think about it: You make a full turn and then transfer your weigh to the lead side to maximize power. Look at Mahomes below as he steps into a pass:
He can’t make this throw without transferring his weight to the lead side. When they weren’t under pressure during the Super Bowl, Mahomes and Purdy started throws by stepping into them, and not hanging back. When you hang back on your trail side, there’s no energy going to the ball (or in the quarterbacks’ case, the pass) which makes it harder to create good contact.
Try this: Make practice swings with a full turn (shoulder under chin) and then on your downswing, take a step with your lead foot like you’re throwing a football or baseball. You’ll understand the proper sequence a lot better.
Unwind the lower body
Once you’ve made that first step, it’s time to unwind the lower body. You’ll see in the Super Bowl that the quarterbacks create space with their lower body by opening their hips and firing through with their upper body. Without that, it’s nearly impossible for them to make a proper move and throw the ball. Look at Purdy unwindingfor a big throw here:
Same goes for your golf swing. There’s no way for you to hit the ball squarely without unwinding and rotating your hips to clear out space for the arms, hands and club. Not only are you clearing out space but because you made that move we described above in the first step, your sequence is right on and that means really good contact with the ball.
Try this: To understand this hip clear-out, get in stance and then take your lead hand and press it into your lead hip. You should feel an open rotation, or a “clearing out” of your lower body. Another way to think about this is if you had a belt on and tugged it with your lead hand. Attempt hitting a few half shots with this idea in place with your wedges.
Hopefully this two-part tip is something that will help you, like it helps these great quarterbacks on the NFL’s biggest stage.
Here are some important points to consider when choosing a golf coach:
Compatibility
Make sure there is a good fit between you and your coach on all levels, personality type to mutual goals, to similar beliefs about the game and how it should be played, as well as your coach’s ability to relate to your individual needs.
Find a PGA Coach near you
Do your Research — One good way to find the right coach is to ask your friends and playing partners for referrals. Ask them about pricing, reputation, location, and how they improved after working with the coach. Call the coach and set up a phone or in-person meeting. A good coach will be happy to discuss your game and get to know you.
Accreditation and Experience — Does your golf coach have the education and experience to take your game to any level you desire? Many individuals claim to be golf coaches but you cannot get any better golf instruction than from a member of the PGA or LPGA, all of whom have completed intense training which they need to continually update.
Swing Aids — A swing aid should do one thing: assist you in feeling the difference between what you are currently doing in your swing versus what your coach would like you to feel within your swing. If a swing aid does not provide that feedback for you, then it is not the right choice for you.
Technology — Video is an expectation of golf practice. If you cannot post the video to various social media immediately, you are behind the times. The value of videos should be to show you what how you need to improve your swing.
Follow-up Communication — You should expect instant feedback via digital platform or in-person, regarding follow-up practice, scheduling and your improvement.
An Expert Team — Golf is getting so diverse that a coach cannot know everything about golf anymore. Good coaches will surround themselves with a team of experts that may include a fitness instructor, sports psychologist, nutritionist, and others. You may not need all those experts but having them at your disposal could be a huge benefit to you.
Wherever your golf journey is heading, let’s get you there. There are nearly 29,000 PGA Professionals ready to help. Find yours at pga.com/coach.
Golf is sometimes perceived as a secret society with its own mores, culture and language, which can make it feel exclusionary, elitist or unwelcoming. Yet, while the sport is deeply rooted in history and traditions that make it great, today’s golf scene is getting with the times like never before. In fact, golf will present you with such unbelievable personal and shared experiences that the only fear you’ll have nowadays is a FOMO –a “Fear of Missing Out!”
There are almost too many reasons to list for taking up this great game, but here’s eight of them to get you started:
Connections Abound – Golf’s a relationship game. Every angle of the sport is rooted in relationships—both personal and business. And your time spent in and around the game allows you to make connections and foster relationships through shared experiences that you wouldn’t otherwise make.
“Grass Ceiling” No More – Tired of being excluded from the informal networks your colleagues, especially the guys, are building on the course and then leveraging for career advancement? Grass ceiling no more, girl. Get in the game. You’ll break down those barriers, and build a network for a lifetime.
The Great Outdoors – In this high-tech generation of being chained to our mobile devices while doing more with less at the office, who couldn’t use a little more time outside in the fresh air? Can’t you just hear your mom saying, “Go outside and play!”? Mom knows best, especially when it comes to what a little fresh air can do to boost your mind, body and spirit.
Calorie Burn – Who couldn’t use a little extra off? You’ll burn approximately 2,000 calories during an 18-hole round (while walking and carrying your clubs) or even 1,300 calories when riding a golf car as you play!
Your Wardrobe Awaits – Forget about the stodgy, starchy, boxy and, yes, tacky golf shirts of days gone by. Cute, fashion-forward, sexy, professional, sporty; whatever look you’re going for on the course, the fashion world is your oyster in golf. Oh, and the shoes! One word. Love.
Your Significant Other – Golf is such a special sport to share with a spouse or partner. You’ll leave the world behind and be together, undisrupted in a beautiful setting where nothing else matters but the two of you. Fun and closeness are sure to result. (And don’t fret if you don’t currently have a significant other, many happy couples are known to have met on the golf course.)
Destinations Await – Around the corner or even the globe, golf travel can take you to stunning locations all over the world.
That One Shot – There’s no way to do justice to describing the feeling of pure exhilaration you’ll experience the first time you connect your golf club with that little white ball. There’s really nothing like it! You can do it…And you’ll never forget it! Believe me, it will keep you coming back to the game you love!
Tips and instruction to learn proper fairway bunker shot technique.
By Kevin Cotter, PGA
The primary difference between a fairway bunker shot and a green side bunker shot is you strike the ball first then the sand in a fairway bunker. The angle of attack to the ball is also more shallow than that of a green side bunker, in a fairway bunker the clubhead travels somewhat level to the ground through impact.
Also, position the ball more towards the middle of your stance.
Plan on up to a 1/3 distance loss with fairway bunker shots, therefore you may have to take some extra club, but do make sure you still have enough loft to to clear the lip of the bunker.
Check out the video link below with PGA Professional Michael Breed demonstrating a key tip on how to position the right foot in the sand in an effort to stabilize the back leg during the swing minimizing lower body movement. You must emphasize movement of the upper body with fairway bunker shots and keep the lower body fairly quiet. This helps prevent your feet from pivoting/shifting in the sand during the swing.
Below, Phil Micklelson describes the shallow attack angle and how he casts the club (breaks the wrists early in the downswing) to create a more shallow angle:
This story is for you if… • You want more distance and accuracy • You often miss your target to the right • You don’t understand what “release” means
Photo By J. D. Cuban/Golf Digest
BY ERIKA LARKIN
It’s no big mystery why you’re slicing your driver. The clubface is open to your swing path at impact. And that slice can get worse if you pull in your arms on the downswing to try to steer the ball into the fairway. Here’s my easy fix: Remember to roll and reach as you swing through. Let your forearms roll over to square the clubface and then reach your arms toward the target.
You can get a feel for this full release by hitting some “bunt” shots with your driver. Tee up a ball and take your driver back until the shaft is parallel to the ground and the toe of the club points straight up (see photo). From there, focus on extending the shaft toward the target so it mirrors that halfway-back position, with the toe up again. Bunt some balls down the range, and don’t worry about distance.
The Standard Advice
Try to square the clubface at impact for straighter and more accurate shots.
Why it’s Misleading
Impact lasts only a few milliseconds, so trying to perfect that moment is nearly impossible.
The Tip You Really Need
A solid release guarantees proper clubface rotation through impact, so perfect it instead. Plus, it’s easier to control your release. As you drive through the hitting zone, give the ball a slap with your right hand, changing your right wrist from bent back to bowed. Check the positions at left to see what it looks like.
Elbow In
Your left elbow should hang tight against your torso as your hands release. You can’t unhinge your wrists if your left arm bows out (no chicken-winging).
Shoulder Under
Your right shoulder moves under your chin, not in front of it. This allows your hands to power the clubhead correctly through impact and then around your body.
KEY MOVE – Active Wrists
Prior to impact your right wrist was bent. Now it should be bowed. This doesn’t happen by itself—”slap” the ball with your right hand to release the club properly.
Club on Line
A proper release whips the clubhead around your body in a circular motion and into your finish.
Brandt Snedeker shares his favorite shots around the green. (RT @GolfDigestMag: One of Brandt Snedeker’s favorite shots around the green? The hands-free lob.
BestGolfeBooks‘s insight:
The "Hands free lob" is an adaptation to the pitching swing and is a great tool in and around the green. The firmness in the hands provides a high degree of consistency.
The takeaway or start of the golf swing begins with combined movement of the clubhead, hands, arms and shoulders.
This movement, commonly referred to as the “one-piece takeaway” is quickly followed by the hips as they begin to turn in response to the shoulders. As the hips rotate the lower body (knees and feet) become active as the weight begins to transfer back onto and eventually around the right leg.
Soon after the “once piece takeaway” begins, allow your right elbow to fold somewhat against your right side, at least in the early stages of the backswing. This allows the arms to remain connected to the body.
The “one piece takeaway” sets the timing of the swing into immediate sync. The desired sequence of movement is; clubhead, hands, shoulders, hips and lower body in that order. This backswing sequencing establishes proper coiling of the upper body against the lower body, providing a power generating spring like action to be unleashed during the downswing. Correct timing also helps establish a square clubface position at the top of the swing.
In addition to timing, the proper takeaway is crucial in developing power through angular momentum or also known as the “lever system.” Proper use of the “lever system” not only unleashes tremedous power but helps establish a ball first then turf strike when playing shots directly off the turf. Learning to strike the ball with a descending blow is vital, a downward strike to a ball sitting on the turf provides the much needed spin necessary for the ball to stick and hold in the intended target area.
Also, the path of the club is hugely influenced by the natural flow of the “one-piece takeaway.” When not contrived in any way the club moves straight back then slightly to the inside around then up. Eventually, the club returns somewhat along the same path on the way down, creating a semi-circle pattern starting from behind the ball through the ball and into the through swing.
If the club is forced quickly to the outside during the initial stages of the backswing an out to in swing path is likely to be created. Conversely, if you force the club back too quickly to the inside, the club eventually has nowhere to go but to be forced to the outside and then back across the ball resulting in pulled or sliced shots.
So, as you can now clearly see, the “one piece takeaway” is the crucial first step in developing a powerful repeating golf swing, and provides the ability to consistently strike the ball cleanly and squarely, leading to longer and straighter shots.
For the best golf training and instructional aids on the web please go tohttp://www.BestGolfeBooks.com your golf eBook superstore andhttp://www.EasytoLearnGolf.com blog for more great stuff to improve your game. Lower scores are just a click away!
