Andrew Rice Golf

Posts Tagged ‘body curve’

The Correct Set Up

Let’s start at address:  In order to move your swing plane to facilitate an in-to-out path drop your back foot and shoulder inside the target line - basically set up with a slightly closed stance. 

Face On Set Up

 Tee the ball high and make sure it is not too far back in your stance.  You should have a sense that you are behind the ball and are preparing to “swing uphill” as you get set.

Hitting Up and Out

 In the swing you will need to feel that you are staying behind the ball with your upper body as you aggressively drive the hips and weight over onto the front foot.  This is where the “uphill” sense comes from – as the hips drive the head stays back you create the body motion that allows for the clubhead to move up into the hit. I like to refer to this as body curve.

Hitting Up - Notice the Body Curve

Believe it or not when you hit 5 degrees from the inside, coupled with 5 degrees up on the ball the clubhead is travelling straight at the target at impact (assuming you aligned correctly of course)!  A fantastic recipe for long and efficient tee shots.

If you cannot seem to get the sense or feel for hitting up on the ball it could well be that your are working your body incorrectly through impact.  It is very common for golfers with tight hips or general flexibility problems to overuse the upper body and try to muscle the hit with their arms.  This will always result in a downward, spinny strike on the ball.  You may also need to consult with a golf specific fitness trainer to help you become more physically able to get your body into the correct position.

Hitting Down on the Driver

Remember – this can be overdone! We are only looking for the clubhead to be moving a few degrees from the inside and a few degrees up so take it easy and go slowly.  I have had startling results this summer just by getting golfers to execute these two simple keys with the driver.  One golfer actually gained over 50 yards! I’m sure we could all benefit from a few extra yards….not to mention 50!

The Moment of Truth

Impact is the most important part of the golf swing! The ball spends an average of 1/2000 of second on the face of the club, yet it is during this time that it receives it’s all-important travel itinerary.  How high; how far; what curvature or spin rate; and ultimately what destination is all determined in that fraction of a second!

The above picture is an ideal impact position.

• The weight is comforably on the front foot
• The handle is leading the clubhead into the ball and thus the clubhead is travelling down for a ball-first, divot-second hit
• The head is over the ball with the weight in front of the ball leading to body curve

There are only three errors a golfer can make at impact and here they are:

Head and Weight Back

In this example the head has worked back behind the ball too much and the weight remains on the back foot.  This  golfer scoops the ball off the turf and tends to hit weak, high fades and slices with the occasional pulled shot.  Should a divot occur it is most often before the ball is impacted.  This is a typical “weekend warrior” swing!

Head and Weight Forward

In this example the golfer has found a way to compress the ball and actually strike it well, however, due to the upper body being positioned in front of the ball, direction is a major challenge.   This golfers’ tendencies will be to hit pull draws with the occasional push or flare.  There is not enough body curve in this mid-level impact position.

Head Too Far Back with Weight Forward

This impact position is invariably the demise of the better golfer.  Here the golfer has found a way to attack the ball from the inside while still delivering a downward blow to the ball, yet there is too much of a good thing!  The head hangs back while the hips drive to the target, dropping the clubhead too far to the inside and encouraging the hands to have to flip through impact.  This golfer will tend to play well with good timing, but should things get ‘nervy’ they will hit blocks and quick, sweeping hooks.

Analyze your shot pattern on the golf course and start to get an idea as to which of the above categories you fall into.  Get in front of a mirror and work towards improving or tempering certain elements of your impact position.  As you do this remember feel is very seldom real when it comes to golf.  Create the correct look in the mirror and then absorb what that ‘look’ feels like and take that out to your next practice session.

Things to Ponder:

• After two rounds of play in the WGC Bridgestone event all of the major winners of 2009; Cabrera, Cink and Glover all sit at two under par.
• If you watched last weeks final round at the Buick you might have caught this little cheese from the final fairway.  Rumor has it that David Feherty is to blame, but Tiger and Valvoline Williams sure did get a kick out of it.
• In the book “Bobby Locke on Golf”, Bobby Locke selects  the top player of his era with each club.  From the driver to the putter, even including the 2 wood and 1 iron! The most interesting selection  I thought was that he selected Ben Hogan as the best PUTTER!

We have all heard the sound of a properly struck golf shot: the ball squeezing off the face and fizzing toward the target with the divot flying and the ball penetrating the air with a seemingly single-minded purpose.  This is the sound of compression!   This is golf acoustics at it’s finest.

The compression of a golf ball only comes from a well executed, subtle, downward blow on the golf ball.  A strike where the face is square and the path is straight.  The easiest way to achieve compression is by getting into a great impact position.  Here is how:

• Set up with the stance width fairly narrow and the lead eye over the ball.  The ball position should favor a little more back than forward.
• Remain fairly centered over the ball in the back swing.  Obey the 84 degree secret!
• Drive the weight (hips and thighs) onto the front foot without getting the head forward of where it started.  This is what I refer to as body curve!
• Trap the ball by leading with the handle into the hit.  The hands must beat the club head to impact.  With the weight comfortably favoring the front foot this creates the descending strike on the ball which in turn leads to compression!

 Notice the uncanny similarity between Vijay and Tom in the illustrations.  While they have each already impacted the ball it does appear that the handle of the club got beyond the ball prior to impact as they both achieve the appropriate amount of body curve.  

A recipe for compression!

 A great strike on the ball is a necessity when you play a course like the players will face in the 2009 U.S Open at Bethpage Black.  The long and punishing test is designed to expose any ball striking flaws that may exist.

Here are a few U.S.Open notes:

• Newsday.com has some great up-to-the-minute news and photos – Long Island style!
• What does Hank Haney do while watching Tiger hit every single shot of the last two weeks?  I think he was in every picture I saw of Tiger.
• I find it interesting that there have already been four withdrawals.  If my game or body was not in top shape I think I’d stay home too!
• I predict a winning score of -5 and I predict someone in a red shirt will win!

I have come to believe that the majority of modern day golf instruction is based primarily around instructor style preference. Way too much of the information being peddled is ‘form’ based vs. ‘function’ based.

In studying the top golfers of all time there are no two swings that are alike. Who is to say that Ben Hogan’s flat plane is better than Jack Nicklaus’ vertical arm move? Who is to say that Sam Snead’s slight over the top move was better than Nick Price’s drop down transition?

Tom Watson

At the end of the day it all comes down to IMPACT! It is the one position in which all of the great players are decidedly similar. From Patty Berg to Lorena Ochoa and Tom Watson to Peter Thompson – all these players are almost identical at impact. If this is the case, which, trust me, it is, then the look of the swing should play less of a role in a golfer’s improvement and the focus should be more on impact.

Here are the elements of a great impact position:

• the weight is noticeably on the front foot; 80% or more
• the handle always leads the clubhead
• the head remains over the ball, while the hips have shifted to the target; this creates what I refer to as body ‘curve’
• the clubhead travels down (downswing!) into the ball; this includes fairway woods and the driver!

The next time you take a lesson make sure your teacher works towards getting you into a better position at impact. It is the only way you will start to hit better golf shots!