Will 2010 Be Your Best Golf Ever?
Will you allow 2010 to be your best golf year ever? If this is your goal then I have some suggestions for you:
1. First work on making solid impact with the golf ball before you start working on fixing your direction issues.
Solid impact supersedes everything else in the golf swing since it determines how the golf ball will fly. Often times Golfers are more focused on the direction they hit the golf ball. Which is understandable however, thats not the solution as far as becoming more consistent.
Too often Golfers are overly concerned with fixing their golf swing to eliminate slices and hooks. And yes, if you do have slices and hooks – you should gain better control of your ball flight. However, when trying to fix your golf swing for the sole purpose of stopping a slice you will usually just end up making even more compensations in your golf swing and causing even more inconsistency.
Have you ever went to a golf lesson to fix a slice or hook? Afterwards most Golfers are even more inconsistent or worse than before their lesson! Because trying to soley fix a slice or hook is usually based on new compensations trying to fix your old compensations. Which just means youre throwing even more compensations into your golf swing!
Trying to fix the direction you hit the golf ball before you start improving your impact will just keep you on the same merry-go-round you have been riding for the last ____ (fill in the blank) years.
However, once youre focused on learning to hit the golf ball more solid its so much easier to fix direction and gain distance. Golf Instructors often debate whether the most important part of the golf swing is swing path, swing plane or clubface. And during most golf lessons what you most likely will be working on, will be that Instructors preference. Yet, you should be working on all 3, along with your angle of approach into the golf ball at the same time if you want to improve.
Now some people might say that that is too much to think about at one time. Yet, I would passionately disagree with anyone that brings that up. Because you can work on all 4 of those points (without thinking of all those 4 points) if youre working on improving your impact with the golf ball.
How do we do it?
By helping you to control your Center of Gravity. Once you understand how important your Center of Gravity is and how it can guide all 4 of those points without you having to think about each one – you will start hitting the golf ball more solid which will allow you to start controlling your direction with much more ease.
The unfortunate thing is that most Golfers are not trained to do it that way. Theyre trained to think about each point individually. Thats one reason why the majority of Golfers do not ever improve their golf swing from year to year.
2. Make it a point to See it, Feel it, Do it before each shot.
The typical Golfer walks up to their golf ball, takes a couple of Ornamental Practice Swings, glances down the middle of the fairway and then swings.
That is poor, poor, poor!
Visualizing where youre going to hit the golf ball sets-up your entire shot. Now some people will say Well Marc, Im not good enough to visualize before each shot. My swing isnt consistent enough at this point and I need to be more focused on that, rather than visualizing. When I do get better, maybe Ill start to think about visualizing my shot.
If thats you I believe youre missing the point. Because being able to start to see your shot before you even swing will actually help you to improve your golf swing. By seeing it youre telling yourself where you want to hit the golf ball. Once you do that its amazing how your mind communicates to your muscles to make the proper golf swing movement. No, it doesnt guarantee all your shots will be great however Id wager a large sum of cash that youre going to hit more good shots than if you fail to See it first.
Because once you See it then youll be able to Feel it. Most Golfers just walk up to the golf ball and take an Ornamental Practice Swing. Why Ornamental? Well, the way most Golfers do it – theres no purpose to it – its just for show because everyone else does it, so you do it. Some might say that they use their practice swing to get loose. Well, if you need to get loose just stretch, itll do more for you than a couple of practice swings.
Some might say – I take my practice swing to get my rhythm. Well, youll get more rhythm by whistling a song before you swing than youll get from your Ornamental Practice Swings.
Wed rather you take a Rehearsal Swing rather than an Ornamental Practice Swing. Whats the difference? Well, with a Rehearsal Swing youre actually rehearshing the shot youre about to play. Youre preparing yourself for your next shot by rehearsing the actual swing youre about to make.
Most Golfers? Theyre just swinging at air! Accomplishing nothing except allowing themselves to ask the recurring question of: Why do my practice swings feel so good yet when I go to hit a golf ball it hardly ever feels as good? Why cant I just hit the golf ball with my practice swing?
To become more consistent – learn to Feel it before you actually swing.
The reason so many Golfers improve with GMS is because we help our Golfers with the total picture. First we work on improving your swing motion using some really excellent drills so that you can better understand your golf swing and improve it. And because of this improved motion – you start to develop a more solid, consistent impact. And its amazing how much easier it is for us to help you improve your direction and distance, once we have helped you with hitting the golf ball more solid!
As opposed to most Golfers/Golf Instructors that first work on direction and wait until they hit it straight before working on hitting it solid.
Then we use See it, Feel it, Do it to work on you visualizing your shots so that youre actually telling your brain what you want to do before you do it. Which will have your brain telling your muscles what they need to be doing. And your muscles will move the golf club correctly. Which will have the golf club telling the golf ball where to go.
And by incorporating an excellent swing technique with mental technique – our Golfers improve!
If you want to improve your golf swing you first need to get away from the style of instruction that hasnt been working for you. Then you need to understand why having a PLAN of using See it, Feel it, Do it will further improve your golf swing and overall game.
GMS is nothing like anything you have ever tried before. Maybe thats why so many finally improve!
The Monkey works on their golf swing with the sole purpose of fixing the direction they hit the golf ball
The Player first focuses on learning to hit the golf ball more solid and then is amazed at how that helps them to hit the ball more consistently
Go ahead, be a Player!
Regards,
Marc Solomon – Your Instructor For Life
See original here:
Will 2010 Be Your Best Golf Ever?
‘How To Fix The Cause Of Golf Swing Problems?’
All I want for Christmas is a . Golf swing. Imagine if it was as easy as sending a letter to the North Pole.
Santa, all I want is a consistent golf game. Ive been a good ___ (girl or boy, you fill in the blank). Ive been nice to the ones around me. And yes, I have been practicing hard for the last few years to improve my golf swing. Yet, like most people I dont improve as much as I should, regardless of what I do. Please, please, please put a brand new, shiny golf swing under the tree for me this year!
Regards, Ades Perate Golfer
Will an improved golf swing just appear out of nowhere? Probably not. A consistent golf swing needs to be earned. Yet Im sure there are many Golfers that feel they deserve a better golf swing just because they have spent hours upon hours on golf lessons and hitting golf balls at the driving range.
Unfortunately for these Golfers an improved golf swing isnt only about the number of hours you have put into golf instruction or hitting golf balls. An improved golf swing comes more from the knowledge of understanding how Cause and Effect affects your golf swing.
Most Golfers are improperly taught to work on the Effect in their golf swing. Meaning: If youre told that your golf swing comes over the top (or that you have an outside to in golf swing), most Golfers are taught that they need to swing more from the inside, or that they need to swing more inside to out. Often times they are improperly told that the way to do that is to try to drop the golf club down into the slot on their downswing.
However, that doesnt produce positive results for many Golfers right away. Most Golfers struggle with this because the above instructions dont fix the Cause of the over the top movement. The only thing that those instructions do is work on the Effect.
And in fact, many Golfers dont produce positive golf shots even after hours upon hours of practice. Why? Because you cant improve your golf swing if youre working on trying to fix the Effect. You first need to find and fix the Cause.
So what is the Cause of the over the top swing mentioned above?
Well, it can be many things. For example: Is it something at set-up (weight distribution, ball placement, posture)? Is it something at the start of your backswing (too much hands, too much body, right-side of body doing too much, left-side of body doing too much, right-side not doing enough, left-side not doing enough, bad synchronization of body and arms)?
Now a lot of people might say Well maybe that Golfer is taking the club too far outside on the backswing. They probably need to take the golf club more inside on the way back.
Yet, that would still be trying to fix an Effect. The question needs to be Why is that person taking the club too far outside?
Whats Causing them to take the club back in that direction?
Its very easy for most Golf Instructors to see a Golfer taking the club back to the outside or the golf club coming over the top or not enough hip movement or not shifting weight correctly. However, truly exceptional Instructors (like my Instructors at GMS) are able to rise above that 3rd Grade level of teaching to know and understand the difference between Cause and Effect. A truly exceptional Golf Instructor should know why that Golfer is making those bad movements and they should know how to correct them.
As opposed to a lower level Golf Instructor that would teach their Golfers by saying I see your problem. Youre taking the club too far outside. You need to take it more inside on the way back.
An exceptional Golf Instructor will find the Cause by doing different tests with the Golfer. We want to find whats Causing the golf club to go outside. That way well be able to help you eliminate the problem. As opposed to most golf instruction that just teaches you take the golf club more inside. Yet thats not fixing the Cause – so regardless of how much you practice what youre told – youre going to continually get the same negative Effect.
So for example: say that we find that the Cause of the over the top (outside to in swing) was being Caused by your left-side not doing enough in your golf swing (on the way back and/or the way forward). Our next step is to find why isnt your left-side doing enough.
Is your left-side as coordinated as your right-side, is your left-side weaker than your right-side, does your right-side do too much that it doesnt allow your left-side to do what its supposed to do, is your left-side too slow, etc.
Once we can answer that then we work with you to improve the movements of the left-side of your body in your golf swing. Thats fixing the Cause! Once that person starts to learn how their left-side should work its amazing how fast that over the top move disappears! And because of that our Golfers will see consistent improvement from their very first swing. That doesnt mean their first golf swing will now go 300 yards. It means that each golf swing they take theyll see a little more improvement in their ballstriking.
However, the many Golfers that are taught to devote the next months to dropping their club into the slot or taking their club more inside on the way back so that they can swing more from the inside will continue to struggle. Because regardless of how much they try to fix this theyre more likely to find a brand new, shiny golf swing under a tree than they are to fix their over the top golf swing using the Fix the Effect method that 99% of all golf instruction is based on.
GMS works with you to find the Cause of your swing problems, correct those problems and to understand why those problems happened in the first place. Thats why our Golfers are improving. And most others are not.
The Monkey is constantly tinkering with their golf swing by jumping from Effect to Effect
The Player is smarter than that and searches out to find the Cause
Go ahead, be a Player!
Regards,
Marc Solomon – Your Instructor For Life
Read the original post:
‘How To Fix The Cause Of Golf Swing Problems?’
"The Best Way To Practice Your Golf Swing"
If youre looking to improve your golf game and understand how a Player practices (as opposed to how a struggling Golfer practices) – read the below paragraphs and fill in the blanks as they pertain to your golf game. Then below that section – well explain how you can use your answers to improve your golf game, golf scores and golf swing.
The worst part of my game is _______. If I wanted to improve this part of my game, I should _______.
In the next week, Im going to devote ___ hours to working on the worst part of my game that I listed above. Im going to go to _______ (name of golf course/driving range) to practice improving that part of my game. First Ill get warmed up by _______ . Then Ill get into trying to improve this part of my game by working on _______ (what part of that swing should you work on first).
I will then practice doing this for about ___ minutes. Then Ill move on to ________ (another part of that swing). And Ill practice that for ___ minutes or until I feel satisfied with my progress.
Once you feel that you made improvements (a couple of days or weeks later), you must ask yourself the same questions again and work on the next part of your game thats holding you back from consistency.
Then the next time you go out on the golf course, you must determine if you improved the worst part of your game. Now whats improvement? Well, if you say that your Driver is the worst part of your game because you lose 4 golf balls each round and after practicing using the system above – you only lose 2 golf balls the next time on the golf course – thats improvement. Anyone that doesnt think that thats improvement – will never allow themselves to improve.
Youre looking for improvement – not perfection!
Has anyone ever used a sheet of paper to write down the above practice PLAN or something similar? Or do you do what the typical Monkey does? Which is to just go to the practice range when you get the urge, buy a bucket of golf balls, start with your wedge and move to your 7 iron and then to your 5 iron and then to your Driver (for at least half the bucket of balls).
Or do you wait till the last 30 or 45 minutes before your round to practice hitting golf balls before going to the 1st tee?
Most successful Athletes/Golfers have a PLAN to improve. They know what they need to work on. And they set aside time to do it. For example – do you think that Lance Armstrong just got on his bicycle and started pedaling when he went out to practice? Or did he sit down and figure out what his practice schedule should be for each day of the week?
How about Roger Federer the tennis player? Do you think he just goes to the court to practice a few serves, then volley with another tennis player and then maybe play a set or two? Or does he look back on what he needed to improve on from his last match and then worked exclusively on that until he felt good about it.
And of course Tiger. Do you think he has a PLAN? Well, maybe you could blame Tigers early exit from the British Open on his wayward Driver. I guess Tiger did, because when he came back for 3 events in a row (two 1st place finishes and a 2nd place) his Driver was much improved. Do you think he came up with a practice PLAN to improve his Driver for those 3 events?
And now that he felt that his putter let him down at his 2nd place finish (the PGA Championship), does anyone want to bet against Tigers putting in his next event? Why are we probably going to see improvement in his putting? Because he probably has a practice PLAN all set-up to make sure his stroke is better in his next tournament.
Maybe Tiger doesnt say exactly word for word what I wrote above (where you fill in the blanks about your game), but Im sure its pretty darn close. How do I know? Because Tiger has a practice PLAN. And thats how you set one up.
We could get into any sport with just about any of the great ones that have succeeded in that sport and youll probably find a common link amongst their practice routines. Meaning:
The setting up a practice PLAN based on improving their weaknesses
How they stay focused on that one thing they most need to work without skipping around to other tasks
That they continue to practice that task until theyre satisfied with their improvement and then determine their next weakness to improve
The concept the majority of Golfers use to improve – Oh, Im just going to go hit some golf balls.
If you set-up a practice PLAN: Do you think that that you would improve more than if you didnt set up a practice PLAN? If your answer is that you would accomplish more – then why arent you doing it?
I do know why many Golfers dont practice. And Id love to say it, but I having a feeling many Golfers would be offended if I do. So Im going to watch my tongue. Yet, if youre the kind of Golfer that doesnt want to use the Oh, I never practice excuse to brush off your bad shots – then I suggest that you set-up a practice PLAN.
Now before were bombarded with emails saying – Well, how do I set-up a practice PLAN? I suggest that you go back to the very top of this article. Highlight the 2nd through 5th paragraph, hit Control (Ctrl button) and the letter c to copy (or right click your mouse and select copy). Then open Microsoft Word and hit Control and the the letter v to paste (or right click your mouse and select paste).
Type your answers in the blanks. Print the document. And then put it in your wallet or purse so that it bugs you every day you dont practice what you typed in. The first step in a practice PLAN is to determine what you need to work on. The second step is to get your butt out there and do it. 8 out of every 8 Golfers want to improve – however, unfortunately 7 out of every 8 Golfers reading this wont do whats suggested. Theyll read this, think that its too simple to do – and they wont do it.
Well, it may be simple, but it works. The old phrase states – A long journey starts with the first step. And the old New Jersey lottery used to advertise – You gotta be in it to win it! Well, regardless of whichever scripture you follow – the message clearly states that you need to somehow start the process. And thats what those paragraphs at the top are doing for you. Its helping you start the process.
The Monkey either goes to the range and hits too many balls without a defined purpose or they just dont go to the range
The Player has their practice all mapped out for them before they get to the range – thats why we call it a practice PLAN
Go ahead, Be A Player!
Regards,
Marc Solomon – Your Instructor For Life
See the rest here:
“The Best Way To Practice Your Golf Swing”
"The Golden Rules Of The Golf Swing"
What movement in sport has more to-dos, along with more not-to-dos than the golf swing? In the golf swing we have the Golden Rules like: we need to shift our weight yet not sway. In the golf swing we need to cock our wrists yet not flip our wrists. In the golf swing most Golfers will tell you that you cant lift your left heel on the back swing (right handed Golfer) and yet, if you dont lift your heel many dont have the flexibility to make a perfect shoulder turn.
So how do you shift your weight without “swaying”? And how do you cock your wrists without flipping your wrists? And how come it was alright for Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson to lift their heel on the backswing yet youre not allowed to?
Why are there so many dang rules when swinging the golf club?!!!
One of the best pieces of advice that a Golfer should listen to is that there are no Golden Rules as far as how to swing a golf club. Although, I would say that if there was anything close it would be: that the direction your club face is pointing when it hits the golf ball is more important than anything else than you have ever heard or will ever hear about that is if you want to be in control of the direction the golf ball flies.
See, we get so overwhelmed with all these Golden Rules on what we need to do to hit a golf ball that we bog ourselves down. Its almost as if you have so many thoughts of what you need to do correctly before hitting the golf ball that you have very little chance of consistently hitting a good shot.
Yet, the concept of a good golf shot comes down to one important factor when using a Results Based Approach The golf ball will go in the direction my club face is pointing when I hit the golf ball.
And although there are many that will say Well yes Marc, that is true. But in order to do that you need to have all these other Golden Rules happen. To which I believe my response would be how many of the same exact Golden Rules do Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Jack Nicklaus share? How many of the same Golden Rules do Stewart Cink and Jim Furyk share? And Lorena Ochoa and Annika Sorenstam?
Do these golf swings that are mentioned above look exactly the same? Or lets put it another way if you were to put a bag over the head of each Golfer (so you couldnt tell who it was made Mickelson play right handed or the others play left handed), even the most casual Golf Fan would be able to tell which is Tigers swing and which is Jacks swing. Meaning Tiger doesnt have the same exact Golden Rules as Nicklaus. And Mickelson doesnt have the same exact Golden Rules as Cink. Etc., etc., etc.
What Golden Rules are you applying to your golf swing right now? And who told you about those Golden Rules? Did you read about one of Sergios Golden Rules in a golf magazine and decided it needs to be one of your Golden Rules? If so, why? How do you know that Sergios Golden Rules apply to your golf swing? And whats worse, maybe youre already doing that Golden Rule well in your golf swing (but not know it), so now when you apply it to your golf swing youre overdoing it. Which could cause even more problems in your golf swing!
Heres a Drill using a Results Based Approach for you to do:
Take out a wedge and hit a golf ball 10 yards. After the shot determine if you hit it solid and if it went in the direction you intended.
If you hit it solid, hit a golf ball 30 yards. After the 30 yard shot determine if you hit it solid and if it went in the direction you intended. If it wasnt as solid or as straight as the 10 yard shot go back to the 10 yard shot and try to find out what you did differently (besides making a longer back swing) and hit another good shot from 10 yards.
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After you hit another solid 10 yard shot – go back to the 30 yard shot and try to feel what youre doing different in your swing. When you do hit a good 30 yard shot .
Then hit a 60 yard shot. After that shot – determine if you hit it solid and if it went in the direction you intended. If not, go back to the 30 yard shot and try to find out what you did differently. If you did hit the 60 yard shot well go to 90. Then follow this process until youre taking full swings.
Why will this drill help you?
Itll help you in many ways. The first is that most Golfers try to determine whats wrong with their golf swing primarily after taking full swings. Yet, that swing happens so fast and your arms and body are moving at a speed that doesnt allow many Golfers to feel what theyre doing during the swing. By starting with these small swings youre better able to pinpoint whats happening in your golf swing at different points in your swing.
So now you can narrow down where the problem is in your golf swing instead of just taking one full swing after another and pretty much guessing whats wrong. And believe it or not your guesses may be heavily influenced by the Golden Rules you saw on the golf channel last night or in the last issue of a golf magazine. Which probably has nothing to do with your golf swing yet because youre looking for answers they sound like the thing you should try next.
Second many of the problems that 8 out of every 10 Golfers have in their golf swing happens during the time period when the club head is lower than your shoulders. Yet, 8 out of every 10 Golfers are working on something to fix a perceived problem thats happening above their shoulders. Remember, the problem you perceive at the top of your golf swing could be caused by something happening when the club is lower than your shoulders.
Which is another way of saying that too many Golfers are working on trying to fix an effect vs. what they should be doing working on fixing the cause.
So by starting with small golf swings and working your way up youll be determining (using a Results Based Approach) where your problem is occurring in your golf swing. Unfortunately, its been pounded into the heads of many Golfers that improving your golf swing is all about taking full swings. And yes, you need to take many full golf swings on the golf course. Yet, the best way to fix your full swing isnt just by practicing full swings.
The teaching method Im introducing to you above is a Results Based Approach of finding out where in your golf swing your swing is breaking down. It shows that if you hit your wedge well with the 10 yard shot and you hit the 30 yard shot well and the 60 yard shot well and then mess up the 90 yard shot (which to many would be between a and full swing) it shows that youre doing something bad in your golf swing somewhere in the area where your body and club passes through 60 yards as you go to a 90 yard backswing. Which youre also probably doing at that point of your golf swing while hitting your Driver using a full golf swing yet, you probably wont detect this happening while hitting full Drivers because it happens too fast for many Golfers.
How do I know this works? Because using this Results Based Approach weve been able to display at least 2 testimonials every week in Golf Improvement Weekly for the last 284 Issues and are displaying 100s more on the www.GolfMadeSimple.com website. Whens the last time you had the pleasure of telling anyone about how well youre playing and how good you feel about your golf swing?
The Monkey will continue to work on hitting full shots until they get it
The Player finds where their golf swing is breaking down using a Results Based Approach
Go ahead, be a Player!
Regards,
Marc Solomon – Your Instructor For Life
