Joe,
How much of a pro golfer’s success is due to good teaching versus his or her natural ability?
Mickey
Hello Mickey,
This is a great topic for debate. There are many good golfers who were self-taught, even if their swings might resemble a polo player without a horse. Lee Trevino said he would never listen to anyone who couldn’t beat him, and very few people could do that. Other good golfers were fortunate enough to be given good instruction from the start, and they continue to have swing coaches and mentors. However in my opinion, whether or not you have a teacher, in order to be really good you need to be blessed with a lot of natural ability, and better than average hand-eye coordination. You do not have to be in the best of physical condition, but you do need a fair amount of athleticism. When you do have natural ability, you do not need to think much about the way you swing. As an example, Ralph Guldahl was on his way to becoming one of golf’s all-time greats. He won the US Open in 1937 and 1938, and he won The Masters in 1939. Then he was asked to author an instruction book. He went into great detail, which forced him into thinking about parts of his swing which had always come naturally to him. After that, he lost his game and never recovered it. So what about golfers who do not have above average natural ability, are they all doomed to mediocrity? No, just be realistic and enjoy this crazy unpredictable game and set your own expectations for success. It is not reasonable to expect golfers like us, who play once, maybe twice per week, to play anywhere near as well as a pro who practices and plays every day, so just enjoy little successes one shot at a time.
Joe
Thursday, June 23, 2005
)Joe,
I am really afraid of sand traps because I usually cannot get out in one try, so what should I do?
Sarah
Hello Sarah,
Many golfers do not have a place where they can practice sand shots, so it stands to reason that greenside bunkers are to be feared. If you ever want to get over this fear, you need to find a facility that has a practice bunker. If there are no such facilities nearby, you might have to be a little creative, like looking around for a park or playground that has a sand box, sand volleyball court, horseshoe pit or a nearby beach. Here is how to practice. Without a ball, grip the club with the face wide open (this prevents the club from digging too deep into the sand), and try to hit the sand in the same spot every time (make sure to fully follow through with the clubface still open). If you cannot hit that spot every time, then try a more vertically upright swing path. Once you can do this, then place a ball 2-3 inches ahead of that spot and make the same swing. The ball is likely to go a little to the right of the target (assuming you are right-handed), so don’t fight it, just aim to the left. If you are still having trouble, try a sand wedge that has more “bounce”, which is the downward angle of the bottom of your club measured from leading edge to back of the sole. Some sand wedges have very little bounce, which is good for fairway grass and for coarse sand, while other sand wedges have around ten degrees of bounce, which is better for finer grains of sand. The more bounce a club has, the less it will dig into the sand, so it will get you out consistently with less effort. Once you experience that, you can experiment with distance control by using the same easy swing and varying the ball position (forward usually works best), varying the amount of open face (after gripping the club), and varying how far behind the ball your clubhead enters the sand. Is there such a thing as a club with too much bounce? Yes, if the sand is firm, the club will not penetrate the sand, instead it will bounce off and “blade” the ball, sending it too far. However, this may be a handy shot to have for longer bunker shots that are out of your normal blasting range. For such longer sand shots, open the face a little more than normal and try to pick the ball clean. Even if the club hits the sand first, the club should bounce off the sand and into the ball, sending it about a far as a pitch from grass. This takes a little practice, but it might come in handy some day.
Joe
I am really afraid of sand traps because I usually cannot get out in one try, so what should I do?
Sarah
Hello Sarah,
Many golfers do not have a place where they can practice sand shots, so it stands to reason that greenside bunkers are to be feared. If you ever want to get over this fear, you need to find a facility that has a practice bunker. If there are no such facilities nearby, you might have to be a little creative, like looking around for a park or playground that has a sand box, sand volleyball court, horseshoe pit or a nearby beach. Here is how to practice. Without a ball, grip the club with the face wide open (this prevents the club from digging too deep into the sand), and try to hit the sand in the same spot every time (make sure to fully follow through with the clubface still open). If you cannot hit that spot every time, then try a more vertically upright swing path. Once you can do this, then place a ball 2-3 inches ahead of that spot and make the same swing. The ball is likely to go a little to the right of the target (assuming you are right-handed), so don’t fight it, just aim to the left. If you are still having trouble, try a sand wedge that has more “bounce”, which is the downward angle of the bottom of your club measured from leading edge to back of the sole. Some sand wedges have very little bounce, which is good for fairway grass and for coarse sand, while other sand wedges have around ten degrees of bounce, which is better for finer grains of sand. The more bounce a club has, the less it will dig into the sand, so it will get you out consistently with less effort. Once you experience that, you can experiment with distance control by using the same easy swing and varying the ball position (forward usually works best), varying the amount of open face (after gripping the club), and varying how far behind the ball your clubhead enters the sand. Is there such a thing as a club with too much bounce? Yes, if the sand is firm, the club will not penetrate the sand, instead it will bounce off and “blade” the ball, sending it too far. However, this may be a handy shot to have for longer bunker shots that are out of your normal blasting range. For such longer sand shots, open the face a little more than normal and try to pick the ball clean. Even if the club hits the sand first, the club should bounce off the sand and into the ball, sending it about a far as a pitch from grass. This takes a little practice, but it might come in handy some day.
Joe
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Joe,
My game is OK except for the half-shot to ¾ shot, less than a full wedge. I either hit them too fat or too thin, and sometimes I hit it OK but I pull it, and I am throwing away a lot of strokes because of this. I hear this is called No Man’s Land, and we should avoid these distances, but I would rather not. What can I try in order to fix these things?
Ferdinand
Hello Ferdinand,
I’m sure you have heard about the Yips. Most people think The Yips only pertain to putting, but I believe The Yips also apply, maybe more so, to the half-to-3/4 shots. Why? Because this type of shot is a departure from your normal swing, and the opportunity for error is magnified by the many different variations in the length of the backswing necessary to control intermediate distances. Then add the factor of twitching nerves as you are scared that you might be hitting it fat or thin, and you already have too much to think about. Focus on execution and trust your stroke. First, let's address the pulled shot. Most advice on pitch shots say to use an open stance and swing along the body line. This will lend itself to a pulled shot unless you keep the face of the club open during the follow-thru. You can only accomplish that by keeping the hands in front of the club thru impact. Sometimes you cannot help flipping the wrists during the follow-thru, but on a less-than-full shot, you must have the discipline to keep the face open all the way thru, or else the shot will be pulled. Of course, if you pull the shot consistently every single time, just adjust your aim to a more squared stance. There are a number of reasons for hitting too fat or too thin. If you have too much body movement, work on executing the stroke while holding still (comfortably) as much as possible. Keep staring at the spot on the ground where the ball used to be after you hit it, this will prevent you from looking up too soon. Other experiments you can try are different ball positions, different amounts of wrist break on the backswing, different tempos, or a forward press. Above all, on the downswing be sure to keep your hands ahead of the clubhead and keep the face open thru impact.
Joe
My game is OK except for the half-shot to ¾ shot, less than a full wedge. I either hit them too fat or too thin, and sometimes I hit it OK but I pull it, and I am throwing away a lot of strokes because of this. I hear this is called No Man’s Land, and we should avoid these distances, but I would rather not. What can I try in order to fix these things?
Ferdinand
Hello Ferdinand,
I’m sure you have heard about the Yips. Most people think The Yips only pertain to putting, but I believe The Yips also apply, maybe more so, to the half-to-3/4 shots. Why? Because this type of shot is a departure from your normal swing, and the opportunity for error is magnified by the many different variations in the length of the backswing necessary to control intermediate distances. Then add the factor of twitching nerves as you are scared that you might be hitting it fat or thin, and you already have too much to think about. Focus on execution and trust your stroke. First, let's address the pulled shot. Most advice on pitch shots say to use an open stance and swing along the body line. This will lend itself to a pulled shot unless you keep the face of the club open during the follow-thru. You can only accomplish that by keeping the hands in front of the club thru impact. Sometimes you cannot help flipping the wrists during the follow-thru, but on a less-than-full shot, you must have the discipline to keep the face open all the way thru, or else the shot will be pulled. Of course, if you pull the shot consistently every single time, just adjust your aim to a more squared stance. There are a number of reasons for hitting too fat or too thin. If you have too much body movement, work on executing the stroke while holding still (comfortably) as much as possible. Keep staring at the spot on the ground where the ball used to be after you hit it, this will prevent you from looking up too soon. Other experiments you can try are different ball positions, different amounts of wrist break on the backswing, different tempos, or a forward press. Above all, on the downswing be sure to keep your hands ahead of the clubhead and keep the face open thru impact.
Joe
