This week my daughter asked me for a lesson. Of course I was excited, as time alone with my 18-year-old is rare. After a very productive lesson she asked me to send her a reminder of what we worked on. After reading through the notes, I thought it might be fun to share them with you all in the pro tip below. No need to focus on all of the tips at once, but each one has it’s own benefit.
Most Important: Make sure your focus is on the golf clubhead. Make sure the club goes down the path on the mat and at the target. Club needs to be square at impact.
Feel the dance: Weight moves to the right foot and back to the left at the finish. Even on the short pitches you should feel a subtle shift in your weight on your feet.
Take away: You need your take-away to be smooth and not with a snatch. If back swing is too fast the momentum will pull you out of balance and make it unlikely you return to the ball consistently. Move hands back at first. Do not hinge wrists at the start.
More dancing: This time with your hands and arms. Smooth backswing, shoulders turn and feel the rhythm of your hands and arms when you change direction from backswing to downswing.
Grip: Left hand just a little stronger. So the entire heel of your hand is on top of the grip. This will help square up the club and get rid of the ball fading.
Stance for short shots: Set up with a narrow stance for soft shots and flare your left foot open so the toes are pointing towards the target.
Set-up for longer shots: Set-up with feet shoulder width and feel your thighs flexing with your bottom out. This is an athletic position and will give you more power without having to swing harder.
Putting: Choke down so the right arm is almost straight. Bend over a little more and get your eyes over the ball. Hit the sweet spot and focus on speed. Practice in a mirror so you can see your putter face. Also, keep the backswing simple, not too long.
Advanced Stuff: Work on the trajectory of your ball flight. Especially with the driver. You need to hit a flat shot. Practice swinging in slow motion, very simple, slow and balanced. When you control your trajectory, you are learning to master the control of your ball!
Take lots of practice swings working on these things.