Bunker Tip

Today is all about the Sand. If you stay aggressive when you are in a bunker, you will have a great chance of hitting a very acceptable shot. Here is how: 1. Position the ball forward in your stance. 2. Open your stance at least 25 degrees. 3. Widen your stance for more stability. 4. Dig your feet into the sand for more stability. 5. Aim at least 1 inch behind the golf ball. 6. Look at the spot that you want the club to hit. Do not look at the ball!! 7. Swing back like you are hitting a driver. 8. Swing through like you are hitting your driver hard! See, 8 easy steps that if practiced, will produce a repeatable, consistent bunker game that will take the angst out that part of your game. Good luck and good golfing! Happy New Year!!!

Consistency Tip

A number of my students claim that all they want for Christmas is consistency. I have a drill that will allow you attain that lofty goal. Follow the instructions outlined below and you will be more consistent in 2012. 1. Take your normal address position. 2. Place your feet together. 3. Make ten 1/2 swings at 1/2 speed. 4. Make ten 3/4 swings at 3/4 speed. 5. Make ten full swings at full speed. 6. Take your normal stance width. 7. Make ten 1/2 swings at 1/2 speed. 8. Make ten 3/4 swings at 3/4 speed. 9. Make ten full swings at full speed. 10. Repeat. If you follow this schedule for a few practice sessions, you will begin the new year with a much more consistent golf game. Good luck and good golfing!!!!

Distance Tip

Here is a great distance tip that many golfers forget about. Make sure that you reset your wrists after you hit the ball. This simple tip will help boost your club head speed by at least 20%. Many of my students are so concerned with the back swing that they neglect the forward swing. This is a critical mistake that usually results in less than satisfactory results. Here is a drill to help you attain this critical feel. 1. Take your normal stance. 2. Position the club face on the target side of the golf ball. 3. Without moving your hands forward, quickly try to point the club head to the sky. 4. Repeat many times until it is a smooth action. A great drill to help anyone, regardless of handicap ability to get more distance! Good luck and good golfing! Please visit my web site for more information. The address is www.bobschade.com.

Putting Tip

Here is a quick putting tip, especially on those pesky 5 footers. Swing both ends of the putter. Most bad putters tend to swing the club head instead of the grip end. Here is a little drill. Set up to a five foot putt. Instead of watching the ball, watch the grip end of the club. Watch it go back a few inches and go toward the target a few inches. Do this a few times and you will be amazed at how well the ball rolls. Try to incorporate that into your normal putting routine and you will become a more consistent putter. Good luck!

Distance Tip

A quick tip that will help you gain a few more yards. Swing back at no more than 10% of your swing speed. That will give you up to 90% speed for your forward swing. Another great visual for a smooth, slow back swing. Imagine a butterfly on the shaft of your club. Make the back swing without the butterfly leaving the shaft. Now that is smooth! That last image is from one of my junior clients. Out of the mouths of babes!! Good luck!!

Sand Play

A quick tip on sand play. Most of us know to open our stance and aim a couple of inches behind the ball. Many do not understand that you must swing the club along the foot line while keeping the club face pointing at the target. That is the key for successfully getting the ball out of a bunker. So the next time you are practicing, think about matching your arm swing to the line created by your feet. You will get out of the bunker every time! Good luck!!

Pitching

Pitching is defined as any short shot where ball flies as much as it rolls. Pitching from a good lie can give you a great chance of saving a stroke. Here are the essentials. 1. Ball position is determined by the height you want to hit the ball. The farther back in your stance the lower the ball flight and conversely the farther forward in your stance the higher the ball flight will be. 2. Lean the shaft forward toward the target opposite your left thigh. 3. Position the majority of your body weight on your left foot and keep it there. 4. Swing back twice as far as you think. Remember that you are not producing any power from your body. All of the power comes from the swinging of the arms. 5. Keep the grip end of the club in front of the club head through the entire motion. That is it for the technique. A very simple solution to a shot that causes some people a lot of problems. Good luck and good golfing! Please visit my web site for more information. The address is www.bobschade.com.

Belt Buckle Golf

The golf swing is made up of over 120 moving parts. That is one of the primary reasons the swing is so dynamic and complicated! I have a simple thought that should help most of you make better contact. Concentrate on your belt buckle during your practice sessions. On the backswing, turn your belt buckle about six inches to the right. Next turn your belt buckle at least eight inches to the left on the forward swing. Then swing your arms. This is the proper sequence and that sequence is the ultimate key to a repeatable, simple golf swing. Remember to concentrate on the belt buckle and you will improve your ball striking. Good luck!

Shake Hands

Quick Tip - Having trouble hitting the ball straight? Try to shake hands with the target. Try to get your right thumb to point to the sky halfway through your follow through. Good luck!

Chipping

Last month I covered putting and received many great comments. This month I will tackle chipping. Chipping is defined as any short shot where ball rolls more than flies. Chipping from a good lie can give you a great chance of saving a stroke. Here are the essentials. 1. Position the golf ball adjacent to your right toe. 2. Lean the shaft forward toward the target opposite your left thigh. 3. Position the majority of your body weight on your left foot. 4. Keep the grip end of the club in front of the club head through the entire motion. That is it for the technique. A very simple solution to a shot that causes some people a lot of problems. Good luck and good golfing!

Skying the Ball

Quick Tip -- Having trouble skying the ball? Try putting more weight on your right foot at address. This will allow you to swing into the ball at a much more shallow angle. Good luck!

Quick Tip -- Trouble hooking the ball? Try rotating your body through the shot. This will delay the face squaring and straighten out that big hook! Good luck!

Quick Tip -- Trouble topping the ball? Focus on the back of the ball and you will stay in the shot a moment longer and make better contact. Good luck and happy Sunday! Go play some golf!

Over the past few months I have been focusing on the details of the golf swing. I am going to shift gears and tackle putting this month. All players should make putting practice a priority. A 3 foot putt is worth just as much as a 300 yard drive, after all! Here are some thoughts that may help you get better or rediscover that lost magic with the putter.

1. Sole the club evenly on the ground. The center of the club where the ball is struck must swing parallel to the slope of the ground. Do not press the club into the ground.
2. Position the shaft of the putter as vertical as possible. Please reference #1 above.
3. Slightly lean the shaft of the putter toward the target.
4. Grip the putter as lightly as possible. On a 1 to 10 scale, try 3 or 4. Less on down hill putts and more on up hill putts.
5. Position the golf ball off the logo of your shirt, provided it is on your left chest. If you make a mistake, the ball is better off farther forward than farther back in your stance.
6. Position the majority of your body's weight on your front foot. Left foot for right handed golfers. This percentage can be as little as 51% left foot or as much as 90% left. Whatever percentage you choose, it should stay the same throughout the stroke.


Now you are set up to make the best possible putt you can. The rest is up to you. Practice from various distances and angles. This will allow you to sure up your putting, take a few strokes off your score, or beat a buddy out of a friendly wager! Good luck and Good Golfing!

Last month, I gave a tip that focused on the right knee. This month I want to focus on the hips. The hips are a major source of power in the golf swing. Using the hips properly during the golf swing will result in more power and accuracy. Here is exactly what you need to know in regards to your hips.

Address:

1. Your hips should be square to the target line.
2. Your hips should be level to the ground.

Back swing:

1. Your hips should turn away from the target on a level line.
2. Your hips should turn approximately ½ as far as your shoulders.

Down swing:

1. Your hips should lead the down swing.
2. Your hips should turn toward the target on a level line.
3. At impact your belt buckle should point in front of the golf ball.

Finish:

1. Your hips should be level.
2. Your belt buckle should point at or left of your target.

As you probably gathered keeping the hips level throughout the entire swing is very important. Another very important element is keeping the hips active in the swing. Nothing kills swing momentum like slow or dead hips. Focus on your belt buckle, particularly from the top of the swing to impact and you will be amazed at how much club head speed you gain. Good luck and good golfing!

Last time I gave you a tip designed to get your path to the ball from in to out. A number of people commented on how hard that was to do. After watching a number of my students struggle with creating an in to out path, I discovered the reason.

Many of my students cannot create the proper path because there is a significant flaw in the back swing. This flaw is very simple, but of vital importance. The flaw is the inability to maintain the flex in the right knee throughout the swing. Maintaining this flex is crucial in staying level. Staying level enables you to turn your shoulders correctly in the back swing.

Most of my students immediately stand up when they start the back swing. This is incorrect! In a proper back swing, as you are turning back, you should feel like you are sitting into your right knee. You should feel pressure (torque) in your right knee and thigh. The torque you build in your back swing is one of the biggest sources of power.

Here is a drill to help you deal with the right knee.

1. Take your normal stance.
2. Before making your swing, pick up the heel of your right foot 1 inch.
3. Hold the heel off the ground through the entire swing.

This drill will help you ingrain the feeling you will need to build a powerful back swing. Good luck and good golfing!

Last month I covered grip pressure. I received many comments on that subject. Many of the comments centered on how easy it was to hit the ball with lighter pressure. I am glad that the tip helped so many golfers.

This month I want to discuss the role of the arms on the down swing. Once you reach the top of your golf swing, the real fun begins! At this point, all you have to do is keep your arms close to your body as you swing towards the golf ball. You do not want to create space between your arms and your chest at the beginning of the down swing. This position allows your arms to drop into the slot and create the correct path into the back of the golf ball. The correct path will be from slightly in to slightly out on the way from the top of your back swing to a point just after impact. Here is a couple of drills that will help you feel this action. Please remember to keep your grip light so you can feel the club head.

Drill #1 Pump Drill.

1. Assume your normal address position.
2. Take your normal back swing and stop at the top.
3. Move your arms down to your hips, keeping your arms close to your body.
4. Repeat 5 times.
5. Take 5 practice swings.

Drill #2 Right Foot Flare Drill

1. Assume your normal address position.
2. Pick up your right toe.
3. Pivot your right toe to the right as far as possible. Do not move your heel!
4. Place your right toe on the ground.
5. Take 5 practice swings very slowly back and through. Keep your right foot on the ground.
6. Hit 5 golf balls. Keep your right foot on the ground.
7. Take your normal address position and hit 5 more golf balls.
8. Repeat this process several times.

Both of these drills are designed to allow you to swing from in to out. While playing, your primary thought should be to keep your arms close to your body on the downswing. Good luck and good golfing!

As I continue on my theme of common problems I see with my regular students, this one is easy to fix. This problem is grip pressure. In this case, too much pressure. Most golfers will play better, hit the ball farther, and hit the ball straighter with a grip pressure that is much lighter than they are presently using. On a 1 to 10 scale, most golfers should have a grip pressure that is in the 3 range. You want to be able to feel the club head when you lift the club off the ground at address. If you cannot feel the weight of the club head in your hands then you are holding too tight. Don't get me wrong, I do not want you hold the club loosely. I should not be able to take the club away from you at address. You would not be able to maintain control of the club head and shaft throughout the swing with such a loose grip pressure. Here are a couple of drills that will help you find the correct grip pressure for your swing.

Drill #1

1. Take your normal address position.
2. Take your normal grip.
3. While holding the club, open your hands so that you can see your palms.
4. Relax your hands and wrists.
5. Take your grip as tightly as possible. Define this grip pressure as a 10.
6. Repeat steps 2 – 4.
7. Take grip as light as possible. Define this grip pressure as a 1.
8. Now firm up the grip pressure just a bit. Define this grip pressure as a 3.

Drill #2

1. Take your normal address position with your new, normal grip pressure at a 3.
2. Relax your wrists and arms by slowly waggling the club back and forth.
3. Relax more by slowly breaking your elbows moving the club up and down.
4. Hover the club behind the ball, feeling the club head.
5. Swing back and through with your normal motion at half speed.
6. Slowly increase the speed on the down swing while maintaining the relaxation acquired during steps 2 to 4.

Maintaining a relaxed grip pressure and swing tempo is a very difficult task for most people, but definitely a worthwhile one. Most people who stick with it are surprised to find that they hit the ball farther and straighter in a relaxed state rather than a tense state. Those people also contend that their body doesn't hurt as much after each round of golf. Another wonderful benefit of a very achievable task. Good luck and good golfing!

Most of my students have some common issues that come up from time to time during their golf lives. One of the most common problems is shaft lean. What is shaft lean you ask? Shaft lean is the tilt of the shaft at impact, the moment you strike the golf ball. Many golfers get into a position where the shaft leans away from the target. This is a golf death move! The shaft should always lean forward at impact. Repeat that! The shaft should always lean forward at impact. If the shaft is leaning away from the target or even straight up and down at impact you are asking for trouble. An improperly leaning shaft will result in tops, slices, skulls, and the dreaded shank. Most of my students get into this terrible position because they stop the grip end of the club at the ball. The club head then continues through the hitting area. Some believe that this will create height or release more energy to the golf ball therefore creating more power. Both beliefs are incorrect and the cause of many of golf's ills.

Next time you are on the range, try this. Take your normal stance and place the club behind the ball in the address position. Pick up the club head and position it just in front of the golf ball. Now slowly more the club head and the grip end of the shaft toward the target to a position just beyond your left thigh. At this point, there should be a straight line form the top of your left shoulder to the club face No angles! Do this exercise several times, then put the club face behind the golf ball. Make a normal swing while concentrating on keeping the grip end of the club moving to that point beyond your left thigh. They finish your swing as your normally do. This drill will help create the proper shaft lean and will produce golf shots that much stronger. Good luck and please email me any questions to cypresswoodcc@gmail.com.

A number of my students want more distance. Who doesn't ??? Here is a tip that will allow your shoulders to turn back against a firm right knee. A firm right knee will help brace the backswing and create torque. Torque is the reason a person who is 5 foot can hit the ball further than a person who is 7 foot tall. Create torque and you will create more distance. Think of torque as a spring loading and unloading.

Here is the tip:

1. Take your normal stance.
2. Pick up your right foot and point it toward the golf ball.
3. Maintain some flex in your right knee.
4. Take your normal backswing. Feel as though you are sitting into your right knee.

This tip will allow you to create more torque. The more torque you have in your backswing the faster your can swing the club coming forward. Good luck!