My Newest Certification

 

Hard vs Soft Sand Techniques

I want to give you a tip that will help you always get the ball out of the sand. The sand at most golf courses is very inconsistent. Some of the bunkers have soft sand and some have hard sand. The setup for each is basically the same with a just a couple of changes. Follow the procedure outlined below for each sand type you will have no problem navigating your way out of those pesky bunkers. Hard Sand 1. Position the ball in the middle of your stance. 2. Position the weight of your body 75% on your left foot. 3. Position the grip end of the club in front of the club face. 4. Take a ¾ swing without shifting your body's weight. 5. Swing down and through keeping the shaft leaning towards the target hitting about ½ inch behind the golf ball. Soft Sand 1. Position the ball in the front of your stance. 2. Position the weight of your body even on both feet. 3. Position the grip end of the club even or slightly behind the club face. 4. Take a full swing, hitting about 2 inches behind the golf ball. As you can see there are very small differences in the setup and execution of each type of sand. Even though they are small differences they are important. Try to practice each type of sand and you will gain a better understanding on how to get the golf ball out of the bunker and closer to the hole. Good luck!

Role of the right arm in downswing

Last time I gave you a tip that helped you put your right arm in the proper position at the top of the back swing. Now I want to guide you down to the golf ball and to the finish. If you have been following the past couple of tips, you should be able to get your right arm in a “cocked” position at the top. Follow the procedure outlined below and you will be able add considerable speed to your golf swing. 1. From a “cocked” position at the top of your swing, you should try to get your right thumb as close to your right shoulder as possible. 2. Starting down, try to keep your right thumb as close as possible to the right shoulder until your right forearm is parallel to the ground. 3. Once you reach this position, extend your right arm and point your right thumb to a position 12 inches in front of the golf ball. 4. After you reach maximum extension, move your right thumb to your left shoulder as fast as possible. 5. Hold this position for at least three seconds. Practice this routine with out a golf ball many times, if possible in front of a mirror. Then when you start to feel comfortable start hitting golf balls on the driving range. This will feel very strange at first, but it is correct. Good luck and play well!

Right Arm Role in Backswing

I want to continue on my recent theme and add the role of the right arm into the backswing. The role of the right arm is very misunderstood. Many people shy away from focusing on the right arm because they think it will overpower the entire left side of the swing. I say, hogwash! Most right arms are the dominant and strongest for the right handed golfer. Why would you just give away your strongest arm? Here is the proper way to use it. 1. At address, your right hand should be pointing at the target. 2. At address, the inside of your right elbow should be pointing at the sky. 3. At address, your right arm should be relaxed. 4. At the beginning of the back swing your right hand should point at the target for the first 12 to 18 inches away from the ball. 5. Next, the right elbow folds and the right thumb goes up and to the right. This is called the right arm cocked position. This is the proper way to move your right arm into the top of the back swing position. Practice this move with just your right arm and then with both arms. This is a great exercise to do in your home, at the range or even in between shots on the course. Good luck!

Beginning of the Back Swing

I want to address the beginning of the back swing. The beginning of the back swing sets up the entire golf swing. If you perform this motion efficently, you will be well on your way to a better, more repeatable golf swing. There are two segments to the beginning of the back swing. The first segment is the alignment of the club face as you take the club back. The club face should remain looking at the ball until the club gets outside the back foot. This is a square to slightly closed position. Practice this very small motion by slowly swinging the club back and forth to the position just outside the back foot. This very small motion is the cornerstone of an effective golf swing. The second segment of the beginning of the back swing is the pace to which you take the club back from the ball to a position just past the back foot. The pace should be very, very slow. A great visual is a train leaving the station. It doesn't jerk and speed itself out of the station, it is a very slow gradual build up in speed. This build up in speed does not begin until the club reaches hip high. If you take some time and practice this part of the swing, it will pay off. Your golf swing will become much more efficent and you will play better. Good luck!!

Squaring the club face

Here is a little tip that will help you square the club face at impact. Over 85% of golfers slice the ball and the number one reason why they slice is an open club face at impact. Most of those people have no idea how to square the club face at impact. Most try some abnormal move with their body to throw the club into the impact zone. This leads to inconsistent contact and very poor misses. Most of my students are excellent strikers of the golf ball because at impact, the lead wrist is flat or bowed slightly. Golfers with improper technique will have a bent or cupped lead wrist. Here is how to get a flat or bowed lead wrist. 1. Take your normal address position with a 7 iron. 2. Take the club back so that your lead arm is parallel to the ground. 3. Very slowly, return the club to the impact area. Note the position of your lead wrist. 4. Place a golf ball on a tee and take your normal address position with a 7 iron. 5. Take the club back so that your lead arm is parallel to the ground. 6. As you start to feel the club going toward the ball, slowly rotate your lead hand's knuckles towards the ground. By the time you reach the ball, your lead wrist should be flat or better yet bowed. It is very important that the fingers on your lead hand never, ever pass your lead wrist. This move ensures that the club face is square and the contact will be consistent. Practice this exercise is small swings and then incorporate the move into longer motions. A couple of observations that you will make almost immediately. First the ball flight will be lower, next the ball will not slice, and finally the contact with the ball will be different (better) than you have ever experienced. Good luck and good golfing!

Summer Golf Help

During the hot summer months here in Central Florida, the bermuda grass grows like crazy! It is very normal to have lies in the rough that are 3 to 5 inches deep. There are very specific set up adjustments that you can make to help you extract the ball from this rough. Thought #1 Choose a club with enough loft to get the ball out of trouble. When you try for a hero shot, you almost certainly will become the goat! Don't be a hero, play safe and score lower. Don't compound one mistake into another. Thought #2 Whatever club you choose, open your stance 3 or 4 inches and put the ball farther back in your stance. This will steepen the path into the ball making it easier to get the ball airborn. Thought #3 At the address position, put more of your body's weight on the forward foot. This too, will steepen the path and make it easier to get the ball out of the heavy rough. Thought #4 Try to hit a cut or slice shot out of the rough, not a draw. A cut or slice has a much steeper path than a draw. Think about swinging from 5 to 10 on a clock where 12 is your intended target. Finally, the main objective during the summer is to better manage your game to help you control the golf ball. First, you must get the ball out of the rough in one shot, not multiple shots. Secondly, you might have to play short of your intended target to get the ball out and lastly be realistic and make it a challenge. If you can follow these thoughts, you be able to accept the tough rough and continue to lower your handicap. Good luck!

Swing Freedom

Golf Tip of the Month By: Bob Schade Last month I gave you two tips to help with your motion. Here is another tip that will help you gain the trust needed to have a repeatable, consistent golf swing. Practice this tip on the range and then take it to the range. I think you will be pleased with the results. 1. Take your normal address position. 2. Take one practice swing with your eyes closed. 3. Now, hit the golf ball with your eyes closed. 4. Repeat this procedure 10 times. That would be 20 swings. 5. Hit 2 shots with your eyes open. After doing this drill a number of times, you will gain an understanding that watching the golf ball is not the most important part of the swing. Many students stare at the ball for way too long. Another good tip is to keep your chin on the ball throughout the swing. That means when you strike the ball and it goes forward your chin should rotate and follow the ball. Good luck and good golfing!

Thought of the Day

Today's Golf thought of the day: Always have a target! If you are practicing, have a target. If you are playing, have a target. Always, Always, Always have a target!!!

Motion Drills

I have been spending the past few months writing about the role of certain parts of the club and how they relate to make a powerful and repeating motion. This month I want to give you a couple of drills to do to help better develop that repeating motion. Drill #1 Feet together drill 1. Take a 7 iron and assume your normal address position. 2. Put both feet together. The ball should be between both big toes. 3. The ball should be on a tee. 4. Swing at 25% power just trying to make contact with the ball. 5. Once you are maintaining balance increase the swing speed. 6. Continue to increase your swing speed until it reaches 100%. Do this drill every time you go to the range and your motion with become very consistent. If you motion is consistent you will strike the golf ball much better. Good luck! Drill #2 Sequence drill 1. Take your normal address position with a 8 iron. 2. Make your normal back swing stopping at the top. 3. The majority of your body's weight should be on your right foot. 4. Keeping the club behind your neck, slowly more your body's weight from your right foot to your left foot. 5. Swing your arms to a full finish. Hold your finish for 3 seconds. 6. Repeat 3 times and then swing normally. This drill is essential for understanding the relationship between the body and the arms. The body leads the downswing and pulls the arms to the finish. A very important key to a good motion. Good luck!

Putting Tip

This putting tip is a little wild so bare with me! Several years ago I had a discussion with a sports opthalmologist. He made the point that golf is the only sport where we are entirely focused on the object and not the target. Imagine a Quarterback in football watching the ball instead of his receivers. Imagine a baseball infielder watching the baseball as he throws it to first base. Imagine playing horseshoes and watching the horseshoe. Doesn't happen does it. This putting tip uses the minds ability to control the swing. Try it and you will be amazed at how good you putt. 1. Take your normal putting stance. 2. Position at least 51% of your body's weight on your left foot. 3. Look at the hole. 4. Now putt while looking at the hole. Give this a try, especially if you have trouble with judging distance on long putts. It is also very effective for those who suffer from the yips. It will free you up and stop the obsession with the mechanics of the putting stroke. Good luck and have fun!

Iron Consistency

Here is a tip that will help you hit crisp irons. Hitting crisp irons will allow you to hit more greens and score better. Try this the next time you are on the range. 1. Take your normal address position. 2. Pinch your elbows together, the closer the better. 3. Make practice swings trying to keep your elbows together. Practice this tip over the course of several practice sesssions, but do not think about it while you play. It will invite tension which is the greatest cause of swing malfunction. Swinging with your elbows close together is a great way to form connect and consistency throughout your golf game. It has a very dramatic effect on your iron play. Good luck!

Swoosh Drill

A quick tip for the weekend! Need more distance? While warming up, turn your driver upside down. You will be holding the neck of the club. Swing the club back and forth trying to make it swoosh past the golf ball. After doing that for a few minutes, grip the club normally and make a few practice swings. You will instantly gain 5 mph and if you hit the ball square that is worth at least 10 yards. Good luck and have a great weekend!

Golf Shaft at Impact

Last month's focus was on the club face. This month I will focus on the position of the golf shaft at impact. The position of the shaft at impact will always be leaning toward the target. That is the same with every club in your bag. This position allows you to strike the golf ball with a descending blow. This descending blow is critical for getting the golf ball airborne with the correct trajectory for the club you are hitting. Hitting a five iron with the same trajectory as your pitching wedge is not very productive. Here are differences between setup and impact as it relates to the club face and golf shaft. Study the differences and you will become a better ball striker. Good luck! Address: 1. Your body's weight 50/50 on each foot. 2. Hips and shoulders square to the target line. 3. The grip end of your club pointing at your belly button. 4. Club face square to the target. Impact: 1. Your body's weight 70% left foot and 30% right foot. 2. Hips opened 45 degrees to the target line. Shoulders open 25 degrees. 3. The grip end of the club pointing in front of your left hip. 4. Club face slightly open to the target. The golf shaft will be forwarding leaning and provide a consistency that will amaze you. If you do this exercise in front of a mirror, you will immediately gain an understanding of the differences between the address position and the impact position. With this knowledge, you will be able to train your golf swing to find the correct impact position with as little manipulation as possible. Please remember that the more your body dominates the swing the more consistent your swing will be, but we must educated the entire body in order to accomplish a consistent well-timed swing. Good luck and good golfing!!

Weight Shift

One of the interesting things about teaching someone to play golf is that me as the teacher is always learning. Figuring out different and more productive ways of getting a student to do something is the challenge of the job. I was recently teaching one of my long time students and noticed a little idiosyncrasy in his golf swing. He was shift his weight into the heel of his right foot causing his left shoulder to lift. This lift throws the entire swing plane out of wack and an adjustment has to be made at some point to get the club back on plane. I didn't say anything immediately; I just used my iPad to video him. Later that evening, I spent a few hours looking at his swing and several others. I then, watched several videos of professional hit the golf ball. What did I discover? All good players shift their body's weight into the big toe of the right foot (for a righty). As I continued to study swing after swing, I developed a better understanding of how weight is shifted from address to the end of the backswing. At my next lesson with the above mentioned student, I showed him his video and discussed what direction I wanted to go. We discuss my observations at length and when we were both satisfied, he began hitting golf balls. The moral of this tale is that even after 22 years of teaching this great game, I can always pick something up that can help a student. The advent of video, specifically using the SwingReader App on my iPad, has given my students a much better understanding of their golf swing. Sometimes that is scary, but it is always helpful. Good luck!

Club face

The club face is a very important part of the swing and gaining control over the club face is a very important element in the golf swing. The most important face to realize is that the position of your left hand on the golf club should mirror the club face at impact. The back of your left hand must point at your intended target and be rotating towards the ground. The left wrist at impact should be bowed, not bent. If you can get your left had to behave properly, you have given yourself a great chance at squaring the face of the club at impact. Here is a drill to help you feel that sensation. 1. Take your normal address position with your left hand only. 2. Grab your left forearm with your right arm. 3. Bring the club back, without moving your left arm. Wrist set only. 4. The club shaft should be parallel to the ground. 5. Slowly rotate your left thumb toward the ball. Make sure your left wrist is bowed. 6. Slowly repeat this procedure as many time as you can. This will educate your hands on how to behave at impact. If you are able to learn this skill, your ball flight will dramatically improve and the quality of the contact will be much more solid. Good luck and good golfing!

Finish

Golf Tip of the Month By: Bob Schade This month I wanted to discuss the value of your finish. I give many lessons each week and I get the impression that my students undervalue the finish. This is a mistake that can have a dramatic effect on the outcome of the shot. Here are three positions that you should try to achieve: 1. Your chest should point at or left of the target. 2. Your belly button should point at the target. 3. Your right knee should point at the target. I know many of you are saying that you don't have the flexibility to get to these positions. I disagree! I think 98% of you reading this article will have more than enough flexibility to reach all three of these positions. Here is an exercise to test your range of motion. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Raise the club, parallel to the ground, and with one hand at each end of the club. Keeping the club parallel to the ground, slowly move your arms to the left. Let your right foot rotate onto it's toe. Now pay attention to where your chest, belly button and right knee are pointing. In this exercise the farther left everything is pointing the better. If you can do this test you most definitely can achieve the the 3 positions listed above. Good luck and remember that you must finish in order to reach your potential!

Putting Tips

Here are a couple of putting tips to help you make more putts: 1. Position the ball adjacent to your left big toe. 2. Position at least 60% of your bodies weight on your left foot. 3. On the downswing, try to keep both ends of the club moving toward the target. #3 is the key to great putting. Many golfers stop the grip end of the club at the moment of impact. This is incorrect and leads to glancing blow on the golf ball. Work on these three tips and you will start making putts during your next round.

Foot work

I wanted to give you a lesson in foot work. More specifically how your weight transfers from one foot to the other. This is very important to the timing and tempo of your golf swing. This is how it works: When you begin your swing your weight should be equally distributed between your left and right foot. At the very beginning of the swing, your weight should move slightly to your left foot. After that move, your weight should make a massive move into your right foot. Most people can expect to more 70% of their weight into their right foot. You should feel that your right foot is very heavy. When your arms reach the top of your back swing and your weight is into your right foot, you should feel a transfer of weight from your right foot to your left foot before your arms start down. This is the most critical part of the golf swing and provides an enormous power boost to the golf swing. Once you feel your weight at least 60% in your left foot, it is time to start swinging your arms. You are allowed to swing your arms as fast as your balance allows. If you lose your balance, you must slow down your arm swing until you can maintain your balance. Continue swinging forward until your chest, belt buckle and right knee are pointing at your target. Your weight should be at least 90% on your left foot.

Wrist reset

Most of my students recognize the need to set the wrists on the back swing, but many of them do not understand the idea of resetting the wrists in the follow through. This last part of the swing is one of the biggest sources of power in the golf swing. If you can master the proper set, release and then reset you will maximize the club head speed and hit the ball further. Good luck!

Back swing wrist set

Please follow the procedure to properly wrists 1. Take your normal address position. 2. Without moving your hands, set your wrists until you can see the wrinkles in your right wrist. 3. Move your arms to a position where your left arm is parallel to the ground. 4. At this point the left arm and club shaft should be at a maximum of 90 degrees. The lower the angle the better. 5. Your wrists are now set. As you can see setting the wrists is a very simple process that takes a little understanding and a little practice to groove. Good luck and good golfing!