Watching people struggle at the practice range turns my thoughts toward helping and what swing keys could I suggest that would make the big change for them. It really surprises me that so many players do not know how a golf ball acquires lift and that seems to a major reason for so many bad swings with poor ball contact. Golfers need to be taught that a golf ball is struck on the downswing with some clubs at the bottom of the swing with others. I like to help players realize that lifting the ball in the air does not come from getting under it as the club head does not go under the ball. The club head catches the ball on the downward side of the arc. When you have been trying to lift the ball by getting under it for a long period of time, striking the ball on the downswing can be a difficult move to achieve. Proper motion and action at the bottom of the swing during practice sessions will enable a player to experience the correct feel.

A classic follow through.

The second problem that seems to be more evident as I work at instruction is the differences between swinging the club and forcing with the upper body or shoulders to increase power which I call a push. The big question is, are you able to feel the difference between swinging the club or pushing with your shoulders to increase power which I call a push. The big question is, are you able to feel the difference between swinging the club or pushing with your shoulders and upper body? When you cannot feel the difference on the downswing, your chances for improvement are not very good. A common saying around the practice tee is, “when I swing at twigs, cigarette butts or golf tees, I always make good contact with them, but I do not have the same result with the ball.” To begin with, the small items mentioned really do not have to go anywhere so in all probability the player uses a good swing or lets the club head do the work. The problem begins when we try to make a golf ball go a long way and we bring force into the picture. There are many articles written about hop work, leg work, foot work and turning, but I rarely see one about arm work. If your arms were tied to your body, there would be nothing to swing. Your arms and the golf club are an extension away from body and rotate around your body during a swing. When a player is able to distinguish the difference between swinging and pushing, they are on the way to immediate success. Students often ask for a swing thought that will help them feel the difference of a swing versus a push and the one aid that has been more helpful than all others for me is a simple one. Hold the club up in the air about waist high like it’s a baseball bat and then swing it waist high. Swinging a club or a baseball bat waist high is a few motion with the bat or club dong most of the work. The body turns and there is a weight shift from one foot to the other, but the swinging of the implement causes those things to happen automatically. During this swing, when the club head returns to the center of the swing, the wrists and forearms rotate over the club shaft and that movement closes the clubface and develops proper spin and more power. That is one reason that the baseball swing feels so easy and natural. When a person does not feel the difference between pushing or swinging the club, their chances for major improvement become limited. Improvement comes when the proper swing thought or thoughts are repeated with practice. Repetition of thought will soon produce a repeated action. The ball is sitting still and if less attention is paid to the ball and more to what a good swing feels like, the opportunity to develop a natural and loose motion reachable.

Golf is very much like a bank account. You can never take out more than you put in and that says quite a bit about practice. I like what a famous golfer used to say, “The more I practice, the luckier I get!” Head back out to the range, discover the swing thoughts that suit you best, learn how to swing the club head and feel the club do the work. The reward will be a great one.

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Swing sequence. Submitted photos

Whether you’re standing in the locker room or the golf shop at the end of the day and you ask each player how he played today, the answer is usually the same. Not very well! Everyone wants to play better and more importantly, score lower than they do, but only seldom do they reach their expectations. During a round of golf, most everyone who has any experience will make some very good golf shots. This is the time to ask yourself, what did I do right? However, most golfers continually ask what am I doing wrong? When I questioned why a player wants to know, they most often say because they do not want to do that again. Now my question to them is, do you know if you can hit that same bad shot again and they always say no.

The lesson to be learned here is to determine what you were thinking about and what your golf swing and body motion was when the shot was a good one. You become a better player the day you start to identify why the good shots were good ones and forget why the bad ones were bad unless the poor shot is a constant one. It appears to me that when a golfer continues to hit bad shots, he will focus more and more on the ball with the intent of hitting it rather than the execution of swing thoughts or body control to resume making good ball contact.

Without good ball contact, players return to square one and concentration goes out the window. The more you try to hit it, the less chance you have to develop a good golf swing. What a player does naturally and what is comfortable for him is most likely preventing him from improving.

The emotional side of golf and the level of frustration players may reach has much to do with who they are and the level of desire they possess to play better golf. There are a variety of suggestions that could help people deal with anger and stress on the golf course or practice range. Evaluate how good you really are is one recommendation.

Practice with three piles of ten balls. Two good shots with the first ten, four with the second ten and three with the third ten tells you that you are a “thirty percenter.” When you practice and become a “sixty percenter,” you are hitting more good shots and less bad ones. Your score should be coming down as well as your level of frustration.

Another good way to fight tension and frustration is to stop keeping score for awhile. Begin to enjoy the day, the company and realize how good the exercise is for you. The best way to overcome weaknesses is to address and understand cause and effect.

Find a well respected golf instructor in your area and devote the time and effort it takes to make changes and see what those new changes can do. One of my favorite comments to students is: golf is like a bank account, you cannot take out more than you put in. Most golfers want a lot more out of the game than they are willing to put in. Do you fit in this category?

I have always thought that golf is an unnatural game for most people and fighting bad habits that take place naturally becomes the big problem. When a player really wants to improve, he will learn what it takes to make better contact with the ball and then move up to the next level of expertise where you are able to impart the spin on the ball that you desire.

You must learn to be patient, put the practice time in to make swing changes, focus on all the good that golf does for you and smile a whole lot more regardless of the type of day you are experiencing! Let’s face it, we are all lucky when it’s our day to be on the golf course!

Lou Thibeault is a teaching golf professional at The Links of Naples, 16161 Tamiami Trail E., Naples. You may reach him at 394-8102, or at 417-1313.

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Proper posture makes the difference for a good swing. Submitted

By Lou Thibeault

Your posture or the angle of your body at the address position will probably determine at what position the club face will be in when it contacts the ball. When you watch a player address the ball, you already have an idea that they are in either a good or bad position to make a good swing. Proper posture can be achieved if you stand up straight without a golf club. Bend from the waist and let your arms hang down freely. When you do not bend enough, your arms will hang too close to your body. When you bend too much, your arms will be too far from your body.

The next step is to bend your knees slightly. Bending your knees too much will bring your body to a severe upright position and take away the ability to turn your trunk on the backswing. The weight of your body should be on your heels and toes evenly. Some players lean forward on the balls of their feet while others tend to keep their weight on their heels. I like to use the three most important words in real estate: location, location, location, and then substitute them for what I think are the three most important words in golf: position, position, position. When any part of your body gets out of position, the golf club cannot return to exactly where it began, resulting in off center hits on the club face.

A right handed player has their right hand lower on the grip than the left hand and just the opposite for a left handed player. This automatically lowers the right shoulder for right handed layers, which at times can tilt the upper body backward and further behind the ball than required. Some players tend to aim their shoulders a little to the left of their target due to the right hand lower on the club. When you put your left hand lower on the club, you will see that the position of your shoulders will change and face to the target or the right of the target.

There are some comfort items to consider. A person who is short of stature and possesses a big belly will have to either bend more from the waist or stretch his arms a little father from his body to rotate or turn his trunk during the swing. A tall person can usually stand a little closer to the ball which in turn creates a more upright swing or straighter backswing instead of a rounder or more inside back swing. You hear the expression spine angle and that refers to bending from the waist at the address position and maintaining that position until the club head

returns to the ball. Trying to lift the ball will usually cause players to swing up and change their spine angle before ball contact.

Golfers can learn swing keys that help them play better but once you realize that good posture or correct spine angle throughout the swing equals consistency then you are on the way to a higher skill level. As I have said before, just hang in there. Try new things and find out what helps you improve.

Lou Thibeault is a teaching golf professional at The Links of Naples, 16161 Tamiami Trail E., Naples. You may reach him at 394-8102, or at 417-1313.

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Determine at what position the club face will be in when it contacts the ball.

It has been said that golf is an unnatural game. Your body faces in one direction while you swing the club in another. When you swing the club head down at the ball, it goes up and when you swing the club head up at the ball, the ball goes down. Most players use their bodies when trying to hit the ball. That is what most people think the object of the game is. “Hit the ball.”

However, I feel that anyone who focuses on the ball instead of swinging the club head has a tough time knowing where the club is coming from and what happens exactly at impact. The release is seldom spoken of and that is probably the most important part of the swing. When you see a golfer who has a poor swing and plays good golf, you know that they are very good during the impact zone.

Another example is that a low handicapper uses hip action properly, but a high handicapper trying to use hip action usually turns their shoulders equal to their hips prior to impact and swing the club across the line at impact. This causes the ball to go left off the club head if the club face is square of a variety of shots depending on club face angle. Many players who are having trouble with their game are unable to understand the concept of swinging a club as well as the track the club head is moving on. Being focused on the wrong swing thoughts will definitely prevent improvement.

Keeping your eye on the ball and keeping your head still are two common phrases related to golf. They are important, but those two thoughts cannot help you make good contact with the ball as much as maintaining the proper spine angle through the hitting area. When a person changes their body position during the impact zone, it likely will create a circle or arc that does not return to the original starting point.

The result is poor ball contact that in turn causes a variety of ball flights. In other words, keeping your body at the same angle as it was at the address position, during the impact zone, enables the club head to return to where it began. Energy from swinging the club allows the body to straighten up and follow through naturally. Many good players have said, “The more I practice, the luckier I get.” Practice the items or focus points that apply to you, stay patient and watch the improvement happen. Hang in there and stay with it!

Lou has been a golf professional since 1953. He has worked at many clubs around the country with his longest connections on Cape Cod and Maine. He was a teaching pro at the Island Country Club in the early 80’s and the head golf pro and Director of golf at The Hideaway Beach Club on Marco Island for ten years. He is presently the teaching pro at the Links of Naples.

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The impact Zone or the Release

Determine at what position the club face will be in when it contacts the ball.

Have you ever played golf with a person that seems to deny all the fundamentals that are correct and still plays a very good game? I am sure you have, as most all players at some time during their golfing life have witnessed. There are players that have either poor grips or posture or both, bad backswings with little balance and look really bad when they swing at a ball, but still manage to play pretty good golf. They are lucky or skillful enough to possess the most important ingredient of the swing, the release. Somewhere in the impact zone, maybe a little earlier for some or later for others, the toe of the club head crosses over the heel of the club head and closes the face.

The movement of the face of the clubhead at this time will create the desired ball spin. The better you are at spinning the ball as you wish means you have a higher level of skill. During many years of teaching it always amazed me that so few players understood what their wrists and forearms did during the impact zone. You can learn through mechanics or motion but the person who cannot feel the movement of the wrists can usually improve by making it happen. There are swing thought keys or triggers that enable us to turn or rotate the club face into the correct position at impact.

One of the best ways to feel wrist or forearm rotation is to swing a baseball bat. When you swing a bat with energy, it is easy to feel your wrist turning or rotating. Use that swing as a drill if you cannot feel rotation at impact or really don’t know what your wrists and forearms are doing when they meet the ball. Right handed baseball players usually foul to left field because there swing is too early and rotation takes place before the ball arrives while a left-handed hitter will more likely hit his foul balls to right field for the same reason.

One way or the other, with a full swing, wrist rotation is essential to square the clubface and create club head speed. Early rotation or the club face closes it before it contacts the ball and usually makes the ball go left of where you aim and the club face staying open to line will usually make the ball go right of where you are aiming. Aim is important, but if the club face is in the open or closed position at impact, there is a good chance the ball will not go where you intended it to.

This piece of the swing is very important and people who have been playing for many years and still do not understand it or cannot make it happen will have a more difficult time improving. I believe it is definitely part of the basics and the achievement of a higher skill level can be reached sooner when the release becomes part of your swing thoughts. Experiment on the practice tee and use a 7 or 8 iron to get the feel of what the club face is doing when it contacts the ball. Use a tee if you’re still having trouble or not getting the feel.

When that works, try to control and manipulate the club face to make the ball do what you want it to. Have fun, try some new thoughts and swings and look ahead for development and improvement. Hang in there and keep trying, becoming a better golfer is well worth it.

Lou has been a golf professional since 1953. He has worked at many clubs around the country with his longest connections on Cape Cod and Maine. He was a teaching pro at the Island Country Club in the early 80’s and the head golf pro and Director of golf at The Hideaway Beach Club on Marco Island for ten years. He is presently the teaching pro at the Links of Naples.

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The Downswing

As I said to my cousin many times, you cannot play golf without a downswing!

My last article had to do with the backswing, how to start it, and what some key thoughts are available to help. It is important to point out at this time that too many swing thoughts can interfere with the rhythm and one piece action of a swing that really takes place so quickly. The Swing thought that initiates the downswing may be as different to each of us as it was for the backswing. Power starts from the ground up and footwork and lower body work have much to do with the club head speed and energy to the club head. There are many articles written about what truly happens first. Different players have discovered that the swing thought that worked does not work today. The development of muscle memory takes a long time with many hours on the practice tee and every good player has to find the thought or action that repeats. A couple downswing keys that seem to work well for right handed players;

26. Planting the left foot down or shifting the lower body weight to the left foot.

27. The feel of driving the left hip toward the target area before any other part of your body moves.

28. Pulling the butt end of the handle down and back to the ball.

29. Dropping the right elbow down toward the right hip.

30. The feel of the upper left arm dictating the pull or downswing.

However, while trying to make a good downswing; many players create a bad position on the way down with a premature shoulder turn. Turning the shoulders too soon on the way down will open the body or turn the body to the left of the target before the club head can contact the ball. Most people call this going over the top which creates a swing path across the ball. When the clubface is square to that line you will pull the ball. When the face is open to that line, you may slice or cause ball flights to the right side rough on every hole.

There are many other swing thoughts that could initiate the downswing and most likely, you will always come back to the one that works best for you. Experiment on the practice tee with a variety of ideas and actions until you find the right one for you. I know that I am repeating myself, but mental and physical swing changes require time for development. Keep trying, don’t give up and invest the time necessary to reach your goals.

Lou has been a golf professional since 1953. He has worked at many clubs around the country with his longest connections on Cape Cod and Maine. He was a teaching pro at the Island Country Club in the early 80’s and the head golf pro and Director of golf at The Hideaway Beach Club on Marco Island for ten years. He is presently the teaching pro at the Links of Naples.

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The Backswing

A common question that arises during conversation about golf is what really initiates the backswing. There are many answers depending on what works for you. Many great touring pros have discussed their own keys to start the backswing. A club head or wrist waggle is always a good way and one that used for many good players. It has also been said that a forward press with the handle of the club prior to the backswing will help the first move away from the ball, but I have discovered that more people who have a difficult time with the backswing benefit from a swing key of having relaxed shoulder sockets. This thought at address as well as during the back and down swing allows the arms and upper torso to go backward and turn to the right in one piece as well as the elimination of upper body force on the downswing. People who look good swinging are usually those players who keep everything moving in one piece. It looks easy because one or more parts of the body are not taking over and creating any type of split action. Everyone cannot swing or move the same and that makes finding your own thoughts and swing keys a difficult thing to do. Because a full golf swing happens so quickly, most players cannot feel the little transitions that interfere with a constant smooth action.

Another frequent question is how far do I swing the club up, or how long should my backswing be? There are a variety of answers due to the fact that everyone is not built the same, possess the same muscle structure or the same range of motion. Consequently, we are back to finding our own feel as to when we have reached the top of our backswing. There seems to be no measuring device to when each person reaches the top of the backswing, but if a player starts their downswing before completing the backswing, the feeling of rushing the club back to the ball or a jerky movement at the top becomes a common improper feel. The shoulder turn and arms take the club up or back only so far and then the wrist cock completes the backswing. Many players like to feel a slight pause before the downswing begins. A different thought takes me to the old adage of, why can’t I swing at the ball the same as my practice swing. I think it is an easy answer, you do not have to hit anything that has to travel any distance. The thought of hitting the ball and swinging the club are two different thoughts with two different actions.

Most people have never seen themselves swing and really do not know what they look like and most have given little thought about starting the backswing. Experimenting with new swing thoughts and developing the same backward movement every time is getting on track for consistency. Changes take time and adopting the changes you need may require many practice sessions. You cannot go to a restaurant one time and say it is a good one or bad one. It could be great the first time and poor the second. Once you try it a few times, the percentages will show it’s either good or bad. I feel that is how you determine whether a swing thought is really good or only worked for a short period of time. A player who will experiment on the practice range for three or four sessions can easily evaluate the good or bad of their new swing thoughts. As I have said before, just hang in there, keep trying and find those swing keys that fit you and practice for perfection.

Lou has been a golf professional since 1953. He has worked at many clubs around the country with his longest connections on Cape Cod and Maine. He was a teaching pro at the Island Country Club in the early 80’s and the head golf pro and Director of golf at The Hideaway Beach Club on Marco Island for ten years. He is presently the teaching pro at the Links of Naples.

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Grip, Posture, Backswing, Downswing and Impact Zone or Release:

Every aspect of the fundamentals is important and each one needs to be understood clearly. A few of these were featured last season and the series will be covered again to reinforce the basics.

The Grip

The proper grip can make your association with the club a positive and good starting point. The only thing that will contact the ball is the club face and the only thing that touches the club is your hands. Most new golfers, as well as many experienced ones, tend to hold onto the club in a comfortable way and that appears to be the beginning of a poor grip. When a person has a comfortable grip, there is a good chance that the position of the right hand is not in the correct place, the word comfortable or maybe the word natural, usually takes us to a bad position of the right hand for right hand players. When your right arm hangs loosely by your side, the palm of your hand is facing inward toward your body, when a person picks up a golf club they most likely will put their right hand under the club with the palm of the right hand facing upward to the sky. The grip feels strong and secure, but the position of the right hand is not in the proper place. The right hand sets on the club in the ends of the fingers of the right hand, the same angle as your hand was when it rested beside you. This in turn feels uncomfortable to most players as they now feel less secure. However, the right hand should now be correct. Teachers are after the correct position of the right hand at address and throughout the swing rather than the player being comfortable. The old saying about the three most important words in real estate; location, location, location, helps my three most important words in golf. They are position, position, position. When your grip, body angle, swing arc, or body weight or anything else is out of position at impact, chances of meeting the ball on the sweet spot or the middle of the club, is unlikely. As a player swings the club head back to the ball from the top of the back swing, their body cannot move up or down or forward or backward as they will have changed their hitting position from address. Poor ball contact usually means you have moved some part of you out of position and you can no longer contact the middle of the club head. It only takes a small position change to create bad shots. My advice to those players who want a good grip is a simple procedure. Put your hands on the golf club as you always have. Lift the club head straight up to your belt buckle and cock your wrists slightly up. Without moving your head, see if the second knuckle of as their right hand is visible. Most people can only see the first knuckle as their right hand is too far under the handle. The adjustment will require you to move your right hand more on top of the club just as it was when you let your right arm hang beside your body without the club. All changes require a period of time for development and only a percentage of players will allow for that time. So hang in there and find out what is right for you and work on it!!!

Lou has been a golf professional since 1953. He has worked at many clubs around the country with his longest connections on Cape Cod and Maine. He was a teaching pro at the Island Country Club in the early 80’s and the head golf pro and Director of golf at The Hideaway Beach Club on Marco Island for ten years. He is presently the teaching pro at the Links of Naples.

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Creating ball flight

Loft and getting the ball to fly high is a result of swinging the club head down and contacting the ball on the downswing. A downward blow creates a backspin which in turn produces lift. The golf club goes in an upward motion on the backswing, reaches the top of the swing and starts downward until it reaches the bottom of the area where it begins to travel upward.

When a person fails to meet the ball on the downswing or at the bottom of the swing, the club head starts upward and contacts the middle or top of the ball which results in rolling the ball. Topping the ball shot after shot can be frustrating and in due time could cause a player to call it quits. At the address position, the club head and ball are on the ground. When you swing the club and contact the ball and ground at the same time, lift will become a common experience for you.

The practice tee is the place to train and experiment with new ideas that are simple, make sense and show progress. Remember, hang in there, and try again.

Focus on Swing Keys

You have probably heard the remark ‘I found it’, after a very good round of golf. It is something you may hear when a player shoots a low score and their swing keys or concentration points have allowed them a very rewarding day. It is usually triggered from repeating a thought and movement.

However the next round of golf may not have the same results with the exact same swing keys. There are many things that can interfere with a consistent motion: timing, balance, rhythm or force. The average golf swing usually takes place within a half of a second and it’s difficult to focus on more than one key.

When a player has developed the basic fundamentals and understands that you swing the club back and up, then swing it down to the lowest point and then up again, the goal to make the same exact club head track becomes the guideline for consistency. Each player might have a different key to make the same swing. Then it becomes each player’s duty to find the key or keys needed to develop their own swing.

There are so many good teachers today and so many great articles written that fitting the keys or swing movements to your swing should be easier. People who want to improve need to find the information that will fit their swing problems and then train to develop those changes. Practice with the information that pertains to you and your swing, allow lots of time to make the transition.

There are many good thoughts that may produce bad results. One example is keeping your head down. When a player keeps their head down too long, it will prevent proper foot work and lower body position during ball contact. When your lower body does not turn through with the upper body at impact, you usually reduce swing speed as well as developing separation.

The upper and lower parts of your body cannot work together or as a unit at the time of impact. Most teachers will tell you that swing or thought changes could take weeks. Stay dedicated if your new swing thoughts are simple, make sense and you see that they really work. Application of new information could take weeks, so hang in there, be patient and keep practicing.

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Time and experience have led me to believe that understanding how a golf ball flies is the principle reason why most people are unable to achieve a higher skill level.  Almost all new players and very many experienced players with higher handicaps continue to want to hit and lift the ball. These thoughts, whether conscious or subconscious, usually prevent people from learning how to swing the club properly.  The golf club is a tool and what the clubface does during the impact zone, just before, during and just after the ball contact, determines the spin and ball flight the ball will have.  Learning how to be responsible for the clubface angle and swing path at impact is essential to becoming a better golfer.  As soon as a player realizes that how they swing the club determines what the ball will do, the quicker the development stage begins.  Many players are able to improve at a faster pace when they substitute these three major words.  Swing in place of ball, down instead of up and ground for the word ball.  Other than on the tee, the ball and club head are on the ground and the swing should return there to make good contact with the golf ball.  Improvement takes time, but the correct swing thoughts and swing action will make improvement take place faster.

Lou has been a golf professional since 1953. He has worked at many clubs around the country with his longest connections on Cape Cod and Maine.  He was a teaching pro at the Island Country Club in the early 80’s and the head golf pro and Director of golf at The Hideaway Beach Club on Marco Island for ten years.  He is presently the teaching pro at the Links of Naples.

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Lou Thibeault

A common question that arises during conversation about golf is what really initiates the backswing? There are many answers depending on what works for you. Many great touring pros have discussed their own keys to starting the backswing. A club head or wrist waggle is always a good way, and one that was used by many good players. It has also been said that a forward press with the handle of the club prior to the backswing will help the first move away from the ball, but I have discovered that more people who have a difficult time with the backswing benefit from a swing key of having relaxed shoulder sockets. This thought at address, as well as during the back and down swing, allows the arms and upper torso to go backward and turn to the right in one piece, as well as eliminating upper body force on the downswing.

People who look good swinging are usually those players who keep everything moving in one piece. It looks easy because one or more parts of the body are not taking over and creating any type of split action. Everyone cannot swing or move in the same way and that makes finding your own thoughts and swing keys a difficult thing to do. Because a full golf swing happens so quickly, most players cannot feel the little transitions that interfere with a constant smooth action. Another frequent question is: how far do I swing the club up, or how long should my backswing be? There are a variety of answers due to the fact that everyone is not built the same, and does not possess the same muscle structure, nor the same range of motion. Consequently, we are back to finding our own feel as to when we have reached the top of our backswing. But if a player starts their downswing before completing the backswing, the feeling of rushing the club back to the ball, or a jerky movement at the top, becomes a common improper feel. The shoulder turn and arms take the club up or back only so far, and then the wrist cock completes the backswing. Many players like to feel a slight pause before the downswing begins.

Another question often asked is why can’t I swing at the ball the same as my practice swing? I think it is an easy answer: you do not have to hit anything that has to travel any distance. The thought of hitting the ball and swinging the club are two different thoughts, with two different actions. Most people have never seen themselves swing and really do not know what they look like, and most have given little thought about starting the backswing. Experimenting with new swing thoughts, and developing the same backward movement every time, is getting on track for consistency.

Changes take time, and adopting the changes you need may require many practice sessions. You cannot go to a restaurant once and say it is a good one or a bad one. It could be great the first time and poor the second. Once you try it a few times the percentages will show if it’s either good or bad. I feel that is how you determine whether a swing thought is really good, or it only worked for a short period of time. A player who will experiment on the practice range for three or four sessions can easily evaluate the good or bad of their new swing thoughts. As I have said before, just hang in there, keep trying and find those swing keys that fit you, and practice for perfection.

Lou Thibeault is a teaching golf professional at The Links of Naples, 16161 Tamiami Trail E., Naples. You may reach him at 394-8102, or at 417-1313.

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Determine at what position the club face will be in when it contacts the ball.

Your posture or the angle of your body at the address position will probably determine at what position the club face will be in when it contacts the ball. When you watch a player address the ball, you already have an idea that they are in either a good or bad position to make a good swing. Proper posture can be achieved if you stand up straight without a golf club. Bend from the waist and let your arms hang down freely. When you do not bend enough, your arms will hang too close to your body. When you bend too much, your arms will be too far from your body.

The next step is to bend your knees slightly. Bending your knees too much will bring your body to a severe upright position and take away the ability to turn your trunk on the backswing. The weight of your body should be on your heels and toes evenly. Some players lean forward on the balls of their feet while others tend to keep their weight on their heels. I like to use the three most important words in real estate: location, location, location, and then substitute them for what I think are the three most important words in golf: position, position, position. When any part of your body gets out of position, the golf club cannot return to exactly where it began, resulting in off center hits on the club face.

A right handed player has their right hand lower on the grip than the left hand and just the opposite for a left handed player. This automatically lowers the right shoulder for right handed layers, which at times can tilt the upper body backward and further behind the ball than required. Some players tend to aim their shoulders a little to the left of their target due to the right hand lower on the club. When you put your left hand lower on the club, you will see that the position of your shoulders will change and face to the target or the right of the target.

There are some comfort items to consider. A person who is short of stature and possesses a big belly will have to either bend more from the waist or stretch his arms a little father from his body to rotate or turn his trunk during the swing. A tall person can usually stand a little closer to the ball which in turn creates a more upright swing or straighter backswing instead of a rounder or more inside back swing. You hear the expression spine angle and that refers to bending from the waist at the address position and maintaining that position until the club head

returns to the ball. Trying to lift the ball will usually cause players to swing up and change their spine angle before ball contact.

Lou Thibeault

Golfers can learn swing keys that help them play better but once you realize that good posture or correct spine angle throughout the swing equals consistency then you are on the way to a higher skill level. As I have said before, just hang in there. Try new things and find out what helps you improve.

Lou Thibeault is a teaching golf professional at The Links of Naples, 16161 Tamiami Trail E., Naples. You may reach him at 394-8102, or at 417-1313.

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Every aspect of the fundamentals is important and each one needs to be understood clearly.

The proper grip can make your association with the club a positive and good starting point. The only thing that will contact the ball is the club face and the only thing that touches the club is your hands.

Wrong

Most new golfers, as well as many experienced ones, tend to hold onto the club in a comfortable way and that appears to be the beginning of a poor grip. When a person has a comfortable grip, there is a good chance that the position of the right hand is not in the correct place. The word comfortable, or maybe the word natural, usually takes us to a bad position of the right hand for right hand players.

When your right arm hangs loosely by your side, the palm of your hand is facing inward toward your body. When a person picks up a golf club, they most likely will put their right hand under the club with the palm of the right hand facing upward to the sky. The grip feels strong and secure, but the position of the right hand is not in the proper place. The right hand sits on the club in the ends of the fingers of the right hand, the same angle as your hand was when it rested beside you. This, in turn, feels uncomfortable to most players as they now feel less secure. However, the right hand should now be correct. Teachers are after the correct position of the right hand at address and throughout the swing rather than the player being comfortable.

The old saying about the three most important words in real estate; location, location, location, helps my three most important words in golf. They are position, position, position. When your grip, body angle, swing arc, body weight or anything else is out of position at impact, chances of meeting the ball on the sweet spot or the middle of the club is unlikely.

Right

As a player swings the club head back to the ball from the top of the back swing, their body cannot move up or down or forward or backward as they will have changed their hitting position from address. Poor ball contact usually means you have moved some part of you out of position and you can no longer contact the middle of the club head. It only takes a small position change to create bad shots.

My advice to those players who want a good grip is a simple procedure. Put your hands on the golf club as you always have. Lift the club head straight up to your belt buckle and cock your wrists slightly up. Without moving your head, see if the second knuckle of your right hand is visible. Most people can only see the first knuckle as their right hand is too far under the handle.

The adjustment will require you to move your right hand more on top of the club just as it was when you let your right arm hang beside your body without the club. All changes require a period of time for development and only a percentage of players will allow for that time. So hang in there and find out what is right for you and work on it!

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Most players use their bodies when trying to hit the ball. That is what most people think the object of the game is: “Hit the ball.”  However, I feel that anyone who focuses on the ball instead of swinging the club head has a tough time knowing where the club head is coming from and exactly what happens at impact.

The release is seldom discussed, and that is probably the most important part of the swing. When you see a golfer who has a poor swing and plays good golf, you know that he is very good during the impact zone. Another example is that low handicappers use hip action properly, but a high handicapper trying to use hip action usually turns his shoulders equal to his hips prior to impact and swings the club across the line at impact. This causes the ball to go left off the club head if the club head is square, or a variety of shots depending on club face angle.

Many players who are having trouble with their game are unable to understand the concept of swinging a club or following the track on which the club head is moving. Being focused on the wrong swing will definitely prevent improvement.

Keeping your eye on the ball and keeping your head still are two common phrases related to golf. They are important, but those two thoughts alone cannot help you make good contact with the ball as much as maintaining a proper spine angle through the hitting area. When a person changes his body position during the impact zone, it will likely create a circle or arc that does not return to the original starting point. The result is poor ball contact that in turn causes a variety of ball flights. In other words, keeping your body at the same angle as it was at the address position during the impact zone enables the club head to return to where it began. Energy from swinging the club allows the body to straighten up and follow through naturally. 

Many good players have said, “The more I practice, the luckier I get.” Practice the items or focus points that apply to you, stay patient, and watch improvement happen.
Hang in there and stay with it!

Lou Thibeault is a teaching golf professional at The Links of Naples, 16161 Tamiami Trail East, Naples. You may reach him at 394-8102, or 417-1313.

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Lou Thibeault is a teaching golf professional at The Links of Naples, 16161 Tamiami Trail East, Naples. You may reach him at 394-8102, or 417-1313.

Printer Friendly Version!