Golf.com: Off the Tee

[3-Putt]

How to Groove a Perfect Backswing in One Minute


This new practice technique pays dividends fast

This story is for you if...
? You're like most golfers ? your driver backswing is full of errors.
? You want to improve, but you don't have time to bang balls at the range.

Try This!

If you're busy or don't live at a convenient distance from a driving range, practice your backswing at home with a new twist: make your backswing last an entire minute. This technique has been proven to match the effectiveness of hitting thousands of balls.

When you reduce your backswing to extra-slow-motion speed, your concentration and muscle memory soar to new levels. Get into your address posture with your driver, and then start the clubback very slowly. The club should literally move at a snail's pace. Follow the pace indicated by the photo (i.e., take 10 seconds to swing your hands from address to mid-thigh, then another 10 seconds to get the shaft almost to parallel, and so on). Don't just swing to the positions and stop ? the motion should be extra slow, but you should never stop moving. Keep in mind that this is more of a workout than you might think (you'll see what I mean as soon as you get to the top).

Perform this drill every morning before work, and after a week take your new backswing to the range. You'll be surprised at your results, and how easily your body remembers the positions you practiced in your slow-motion swing.

Note: This technique works for your downswing and through-swing, too. After a few weeks of practicing these swing sections over the span of a minute, try making your full swing over 3 and then 5 minutes.

By Mike Malaska
GOLF Magazine Top 100 Teacher
Published: May 01, 2009

[3-Putt]

How to Add Juice to Your Irons


Tap the hidden speed in your release to use one club less into every green

The Problem

YOU'RE hitting 6-irons into greens when your buddies are hitting 7- and 9-irons from the same distance.

The Solution

Simple: speed. Adding extra miles per hour to your swing is the only thing that's going to allow you to hit each of your irons farther. Most amateurs think of speed as something they generate from the top, but that's a recipe for almost every bad shot you can imagine. The secret is to maximize the fastest part of your swing, and that comes after you strike the ball. Copy the release positions here and you'll learn to accelerate through the ball and into your follow-through, making your impact faster and adding yards to your irons.

CENTERED HEAD It's important that your keep your head centered over the impact area. This allows you to make your swing as wide as possible on the target side of the ball (just like you should on your backswing). If your head moves in front of the ball, then you're limiting the radius of your through-swing and robbing your swing of crucial miles per hour of speed.

LEVEL AND STEP Swing into your release with level hips (or as close to level as possible) and steep shoulders. Notice how much lower my right shoulder is compared to my left ? that's evidence of my right shoulder working under my chin, not in front of it. This right-shoulder-under move allows you to move your club at a right angle to your spine, which is the fastest route possible.

RIGHT-HAND SLAP Notice how far the clubhead has traveled from impact to its position in the release, but how my hands have only moved a few inches. The difference between these two distances is what makes your release the fastest part of your swing. You can achieve this hidden speed by giving the ball a right-hand "slap" through impact, and continuing the slap in your release so that your right arm gets very long with the club as far away from your head as possible.

By Mitchell Spearman
GOLF Magazine Top 100 Teacher
Published: May 01, 2009

[3-Putt]

How to Make a Solid Backswing Pivot


It's simple: Point your nose at your right foot

This story is for you if...

? You swing hard but still don't drive it very far.
? You rarely feel like you "got all of it."
? You try to keep your head still during your swing.

The Conventional Wisdom

To develop a solid swing that you can repeat, you need to keep your head still during your backswing.

Why It's Wrong

The most natural thing your head can do is float with your body as you coil behind the ball. If you try to keep your head still you'll leave your weight over your left leg. This leads to a reverse pivot, the most common and most damaging power leak.

What You Should Do Instead

Here's a good swing thought for your backswing: Your head should move enough so that your nose points at your right foot at the top. If you're in this position, then you'll know that you've transferred your weight to your right side and are in the correct spot to deliver a powerful blow to the ball.

By John Dahl
GOLF Magazine Top 100 Teacher
Published: June 01, 2009

[3-Putt]

How to Set Up for 20 Extra Yards


Three one-inch changes will turn your address position into a launching pad

This story is for you if...

? You want to hit shorter irons into par 4s.
? Shorter irons? I just want to cream it!

Try This!

The next time you really need to bomb one off the tee, or if you're in desperate need to hit your driver 20 yards longer than your current average, make the three one-inch changes to your setup pictured here. They may be small (notice the subtle difference between my "normal" address below and and my "power" address at right), but they pay off in serious extra yards.

Power Change #1

Pull your right shoulder back one inch from its usual setup position. This move points your swing plane slightly to the right, which will help you swing right of target and increase your chances of adding draw spin.

Power Change #2

Move the base of your spine one inch closer to the target, which will tilt your spine slightly to the right (upper body leaning away from the target). This encourages an inside-out swing, an upward strike and more yards.

Power Change #3

Play the ball one inch back of where you usually position it in your stance. This is another setup change that will get you in the habit of swinging slightly right of the target on your downswing and adding the right-to-left spin common to mammoth tee shots.

By Martin Hall
GOLF Magazine Top 100 Teacher
Published: June 01, 2009

[3-Putt]

How to Give the Ball a Power Slap


Unhinging your right wrist through impact is the key to massive drives

This story is for you if...

? You lack distance because you release the club too early...
? ...or you don't release it at all, which robs you of clubhead speed.

The Conventional Wisdom

Keep your left wrist flat through impact.

Why It's Wrong

You forget about releasing the club with your right wrist, which slows down your clubhead speed through impact and costs you distance.

What to Do Instead

At address, make a couple of smooth waggles, focusing on how you're going to hinge your right wrist in your backswing. Make sure you start your downswing with your hips, with your arms naturally following. When you approach impact, release hard with your right side and snap your right wrist through impact.

Learn This Move

This is the same motion as an infielder making a sidearm throw to first base. You know you're swinging correctly if your right wrist is flat just after impact and the butt of your club points to the center of your body.

By Mike Lopuszynski
GOLF Magazine Top 100 Teacher
Published: May 01, 2009

[GIR]

Good tips!

[3-Putt]

How to Grip It for Power


Waggle like a Tour pro to get more acceleration and better control

This story is for you if...

• You tend to tense up on the tee box.
• You often feel the club slip out of your grip when you swing.
• You're not sure how hard to grip the handle.

The Typical Advice

Lighten your grip pressure to make a more fluid swing and get effortless power.

Why It's Misleading

Grip the club lightly and you'll likely lose control at some point during your swing. Think about it this way: When you hammer a nail into a piece of wood, do you hold the hammer lightly? Probably not — especially since your other thumb is so close to the nail.

The Better Way to Take Your Grip

When you place your hands on the handle, do it with firm grip pressure, especially in your fingers. Make it just tight enough so that you feel you have complete control of the clubhead, yet are able to move your wrists freely. That's the secret to a good grip: firm hands and soft wrists.

The best way to make sure that your grip is firm and your wrists are soft is to waggle the club back and forth at address. You see Tour pros waggle all the time — and there's a method to their madness. Cock your wrists back and forth a few times, set the club behind the ball, and then swing. Your control and acceleration will skyrocket.


By Martin Hall
GOLF Magazine Top 100 Teacher
Published: July 01, 2009

[3-Putt]

How To Swing Your Driver Faster


The secret: Make an "XL" in your follow-through.

This story is for you if...

1. You struggle with distance off the tee.
2. You pay more attention to your backswing than to your follow-through.

THE PROBLEM

You make contact in the center of the sweet spot, but the yards just aren't there.

THE SOLUTION

After impact, allow your left elbow to fold and your right forearm to cross over your left. Combined, these two moves will cause your swing speed to skyrocket and almost guarantee that you'll strike the ball with a square clubface.

Picture your left arm and shaft forming a capital "L." This will help you properly fold your left elbow. As far as your forearms are concerned, picture them making a capital "X" as your right forearm rolls over your left and squares the face. When these letters take shape, you'll almost always land the ball farther down the fairway.


By Laird Small
GOLF Magazine Top 100 Teacher
Published: August 01, 2009

[GIR]

How to Groove a Perfect Backswing in One Minute


This new practice technique pays dividends fast

This story is for you if...
? You're like most golfers ? your driver backswing is full of errors.
? You want to improve, but you don't have time to bang balls at the range.

Try This!



If you're busy or don't live at a convenient distance from a driving range, practice your backswing at home with a new twist: make your backswing last an entire minute. This technique has been proven to match the effectiveness of hitting thousands of balls.

When you reduce your backswing to extra-slow-motion speed, your concentration and muscle memory soar to new levels. Get into your address posture with your driver, and then start the clubback very slowly. The club should literally move at a snail's pace. Follow the pace indicated by the photo (i.e., take 10 seconds to swing your hands from address to mid-thigh, then another 10 seconds to get the shaft almost to parallel, and so on). Don't just swing to the positions and stop ? the motion should be extra slow, but you should never stop moving. Keep in mind that this is more of a workout than you might think (you'll see what I mean as soon as you get to the top).

Perform this drill every morning before work, and after a week take your new backswing to the range. You'll be surprised at your results, and how easily your body remembers the positions you practiced in your slow-motion swing.

Note: This technique works for your downswing and through-swing, too. After a few weeks of practicing these swing sections over the span of a minute, try making your full swing over 3 and then 5 minutes.

By Mike Malaska
GOLF Magazine Top 100 Teacher
Published: May 01, 2009

Going to try this out and hopefully it works by Friday!