Golf Impact Continued

Last week we introduced a video of PGA Tour Player John Sendon. Let's go back to that video for a moment and study the section from 1:35 to 1:39. Click Here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbKyakBdMO0

Some of you are familiar with the term "angle of approach", or "arc of the swing" or "hit down on the ball", but few have ever really understood what it means to do this correctly. "hitting down on the ball" is very dangerous terminology. Most people who try to hit down on the ball do so with their upper body and create steep & inconsistent divots. The ideal angle of approach is to "hit down on the ball", but the downward strike is a very shallow strike. Let me explain further.

As you study the video you can probably make a rough estimate that the club is approximately 3 inches above the ground in the frame right before impact and approximately 2 inches off the ground in the frame after impact. With the impact zone right in the middle we can make an educated guess that the club was descending past the point of impact with the ball. However, with close observation you can see that the club descended gradually. It did not drop five or six inches through the impact zone. Now that we know the club must be descending at a gradual rate, next week we will discuss where the bottom point should be and how to achieve a "shallow" angle of approach.

Your Partner In Golf Success,

Scott Seifferlein

Practice your Golf Swing

What?? Practice swings you say? What difference does that make?

Well here is what the average golfer does. The average golfer will tee up his ball and then step back and take a full 100% simulation swing of what he thinks he wants to do.

You'll even hear a 'swish' to the club going thru the air. If he hits the ground too hard, he'll take another, if not, he'll think he's ready.

Contrast that with the greatest players in the world. They'll take some swings to find a rhythm and move their body. They might even rehearse a mechanical move.....but, that's it. Then they step up to the ball and use their 100% swing.

One of the best examples of this is Tiger Woods. He takes about 3-5 swings that are about 3/4 back and thru and swung in slow motion. He's preparing his body. This concept has even found it's way into baseball.

Hideki Matsui has the most curious habit at the plate. He never takes a practice swing once he steps into the batter's box. He saves all those meaty cuts for when he needs them. Hideki knows that practice swings suck up energy, also if you swing hard enough on a practice swing, you could hurt yourself.

Your Partner In Golf Success,Scott Seifferlein

Golf Tips : Your Alignment

As you read this golf tip, please keep in mind that it may not apply to your unique needs. Always consult with your local PGA professional before attempting to apply any golf tip you have read from a newspaper, magazine, book, internet, etc.

Most right-handed golfers aim too far to the right (left handed golfers too far left) This causes the club-head to move outside the correct plane and then across the ball in the downswing to compensate for the poor alignment. The result is a loss of club-head speed. To check your alignment, place a shaft along your toes or the back of your heels. Stand ten feet behind the ball and look to see where the shaft is lined up. It should be aligned to the left (right for left handed players) of and parallel to your target. The shoulders should also follow this line when set-up to the ball.

Written by Scott Seifferlein, PGA Golf Guru

Golf Fuerteventura Tips: Using Pool Cues To Improve Your Driving

This story is for you if...
• Your driver impact feels either very dead or like you've just made contact with a bowling ball
• You find contact marks out on the toe and heel sections of your driver's clubface
• You slice

THE PROBLEM
You can't make contact on the center of the clubface with your driver, and that's costing you distance and accuracy.

HOW YOU KNOW IT'S HAPPENING
When you hit it off the heel, it'll feel like you just hit a brick and the ball will shoot dead left. If you hit it off the toe, you'll feel a soft impact, like you whacked an old apple.

HOW TO FIX YOUR HEEL AND TOE HITS
Lay four dowels (or pool cues or even string) on the ground as shown. The spaces between the dowels should be slightly wider than your clubhead. Address an imaginary ball in the middle lane. If you tend to hit it off the toe, take practice swings making sure your clubhead travels through the far lane after impact. If you hit it off the heel (or tend to shank your irons), your downswing path should go through the near lane. After 10 practice swings, tee up a ball and swing away. Now that you're slotted correctly, you'll hit it square and the same distance every time.

P.S. I'm still working on a special deal for all of our blog readers on a really really hot golf product on the market. I tried it and it actually even improved my game. I want to get you guys a bunch of bonus materials and a better price so bear with me. I should have details in a day or so.

Sincerely,Dan The Golf Man

Golf Canary Islands Tips: Help I'm Stuck In The Sand And I Can't Get Out

When you're in a greenside bunker the club should never touch the ball. You want your wedge to toss the sand beneath and behind the ball onto the green. The ball will float out on the whoosh of sand. You must convince yourself that the ball is an afterthought on these shots. To practice this, stand in the flat of a practice bunker and place two tees opposite your left instep. You don't need a ball. Hinge your wrists quickly on the backswing to create an upright path, then swing down and let your sand wedge hit about two inches behind the tees. Make a full follow-through, finishing with your hands at shoulder height. You'll see that the tees have flown up and toward the hole along with the sand you sprayed.

Repeat the drill five times, and see how high and far you can make the tees fly. Then drop a ball down and repeat that swing. With a little practice, escaping bunkers will become an afterthought. The half-buried lieUsing the traditional bunker escape from a fried-egg lie would require you to throw massive amounts of sand at the green. Instead, play the ball off your right instep, toe your wedge in and swing down so the club slams into the sand right behind the ball. This punch shot should dislodge the ball and get it out of the bunker. Expect it to run without any spin, but at least it's out.
P.S. My Friend The Swing Guru wants to thank everyone who took advantage of his Simple Swing Golf System offer from the other day. Since he personally makes sure that EVERYONE using the system improves their game he is limiting the amount of new students who can sign up for the system. He told me 5 more people from the golf tips newsletter can sign up, but I talked him into giving us 10 more slots. I highly suggest you take this opportunity to sign up. Once all of the slots are taken no more will be available at any price, let alone the special offer he gave us. Check out the Simple Swing Golf System today! It has a complete money back guarantee.
Sincerely,Dan The Golf Man

Golf Tip: How to Stop Slices & Hooks

This story is for you if...
• You're making controlled, balanced swings but the ball is curving hard to the left or right.
• You've tried every drill imaginable and still can't hit the ball straight.

The Problem
You follow up a severe slice on one tee with a vicious hook on the next.

Why It's Happening
You're taking the club back off plane, and aren't making the necessary compensations on the way back down.


THE SOLUTION
You can search for downswing compensations to help you hit the ball straight, but why not just fix your backswing? It takes 20 seconds.
Lay your driver across your shoulders with the grip end to your left. Take your stance and make your regular backswing turn. Now, you may have seen this drill before, but hardly anyone does it correctly. Most golfers think that you should make your backswing turn so that the shaft points at the ball (photo, top right). That's way too steep, and one of the reasons why you slice. Swinging the club too flat with the shaft pointing way beyond the ball (photo, bottom right) is equally bad (and a potential source of your hook).
The correct way to perform this drill is to turn your shoulders and maintain your posture so that the shaft points at a spot just a foot on the other side of the ball. That's a perfect on-plane position. Combine a nice, smooth backswing with this exact shoulder turn and you'll be in perfect position at the top.

Sincerely,Dan The Golf Man

Golf Tips:Your swing is too up-and-down

The Problem
Your swing is too up-and-down, which causes either a fat shot or a wild slice.

The Solution
A too-steep backswing creates two problems: 1) The resulting steep downswing will force you to stick the club in the ground before impact (fat), and 2) When you take the club back too high, your forearms tend to rotate down, cupping your left wrist and opening the clubface (slice). To swing the club properly around your body, think about keeping your elbows level at the top.

The Drill
Here's a good way to learn how to keep your swing on plane. Take the club back and find your position at the top. Then, have a friend grab another club from your bag - something long like your driver or 3- wood - and try to balance it between your arms (see photo). If your elbows aren't level, the club won't be straight. Practice this until you can feel the correct position all the time.

By Dan The Golf Man

Golf Tips in Golf Fuerteventura

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