My Name
John Brott
My Experience
PGA Member - 1982
1996 Senior PGA Club Professional Champion
Technical Editor - Golf for Dummies
Volunteer - www.allexperts.com
My Web Site(s)
How my tip will help:
The misconception will be dispelled about hitting down on the ball and the proper, balanced set-up is explained.
Here's my tip:
Hitting down on the ball is a misconception fostered, I believe, by a misunderstanding of the dynamics of a correct golf swing. This can be explained by looking at what happens during the swings of the touring professionals.
Let me preface this with the premise that the golf swing is a circular motion. Every circle has a center. The center of the golf swing is located at the sternum (breast bone). The bottom of the circle is the point on the ground upon which the club rests at address. With the turning of the torso and shifting of the weight, the swing center moves slightly behind the ball in the backswing and is actually slightly ahead of the ball at impact. This causes the bottom of the swing to also be ahead of the ball at impact. The deepest part of the divot is the true bottom of the swing. So the pros are not actually hitting down on the ball, they are hitting ahead of the ball by virtue of the shifting weight. The ball just happens to get in the way of the club as it finds the bottom of its circle.
That was the "what." Now for the "how." The motion described above requires balance. Without balance, golfers do all sorts of things in their swings to compensate. Reverse weight shifts or pivots, scooping, hitting it fat or thin just to name the most common.
Ninety-nine percent of touring professionals have several set-up features in common. With minute variations, you'll note the following to be universal:
1. They bend from the hips to reach the ball.
2. They flex the knees just to the point of unlocking them.
3. They play the ball far enough away to allow the arms to hang fairly straight from the shoulders. And,
4. They position themselves so that their weight is situated on the balls of the feet.
Because they are balanced, they are able to make the subtle shifts and turns required to hit the ball and take a divot.
Advice
- I would recommend adopting the professional set-up. If you do and stick with it, you'll begin noticing very positive changes occurring with your ball striking.
- People always remark how easy the pros make it look. It looks easy because they are set up make it easier. Give it a chance. Make sure each swing begins from the position described above and you'll be quite pleased with the results.
