Feet together drill

This is one of the most basic tips I have ever received or given. The tip is really a drill. It is called the Feet Together Drill. Here is the procedure.

1. Take your normal stance and setup.
2. Slide your feet together so that the golf ball is adjacent your left big toe.
3. Swing normally.

That is it! The most basic drill I know, but probably one of the most effective drills in the game. Start slow and slowly build up your speed. One catch! If you are doing this drill and losing your balance, slow down until you keep your balance. The rule is, you can swing as fast as you can as long as you do not lose your balance. Good luck and good golfing!

Hips in the down swing

The hips are very important part of the swing in one direction. That direction is going forward to the target. Do not worry about your hips on the back swing. The hips will react to the turning of your shoulders on the back swing. Follow the sequence below and you will be adding an additional power source to your golf swing. Good luck!

1. After completing your back swing, your hips should be turned to the right about 45 degrees to the target line.
2. The first move on the down swing is a lateral forward shift of both hips. This places the majority of your body's weight into the big toe of your left foot.
3. The next move is critical! Once your hips move the weight to your left big toe, the hips then rotate directly left to the heel of your left foot. This move acts as a sort of catapult in the golf swing.

That is it! A very simple procedure for adding an explosive burst to your golf swing. If you are looking to add some additional distance or regain lost distance, this is one of the first places to look. Good luck and good golfing!

Remember that Gift Certificates are available for lessons. The holiday deal is 3 half hour lessons for $75. This includes video analysis with each series you purchase. Email me at bobschade@bobschade.com for more information and remember to visit my site www.bobschade.com for more tips. Have a great holiday season!

Footwork

Last time I wrote about your head, this time I want to discuss your feet. As a body orientated instructor it is very important for me to explain the most important movements in the swing. This article will focus on the weight distribution during the swing. Please email me your questions at bobschade@bobschade.com.

Address: Your weight should favor the left side, approximately 60% left foot, 40% right foot.

Backswing: Your weight should be 50% left foot, 50% right foot with the weight in the heel of the right foot.

Forward Swing to impact: Your weight should move from your right heel to your left big toe and then to your left heel. At impact your weight distribution should be 65% left foot, 35% right foot.

Finish: Your weight should be 95% left foot and 5% right foot.

The way you practice this is by swinging with out a ball at a very slow pace. Matter of fact, swinging without a club at all will give you a great sensation and will stimulate a faster learning pattern. For more information visit my web site www.bobschade.com.

Head Positioning

In this tip I want to explore your head.  No it is not a couch session with Bob the shrink! I want to give you a complete description of what your head is doing during the swing. I think that most golfers completely buy into the thought that their head must remain completely still during the entire motion. That is why I believe most golfers turn themselves into swatters! I want everyone who reads this tip to become more athletic and knowing what your head is suppose to do will help. Good luck!


At address: Your head should be high. Your chin should be off your chest. You should be looking at the ball out of the bottom of your eyes.


Back swing: Your head is allowed to move side to side, but only a maximum of 1 inch. Your head is not allowed to move up and down. Your head should remain level.


Top of the swing: Your chin should be above your left shoulder, not on it.


Down swing: Your head is allowed to move side to side, but only a maximum of 2 inches. Your head may drop, but no more than 1 inch.


Impact: Your chin should be on the ball, but should be level similar to the address position.


Follow through: Your chin should follow the ball. It should not stay pointing where the ball was positioned before it was hit.


Okay, I know that this tip is a little complicated, but I think it is well worth the information. I think that most of the golfers I teach do fairly well until they get to the Follow Through and then they get stuck at the golf ball. Getting stuck at the ball will result in a dumping of energy into the ground and we know from the last tip that the energy needs to go toward the target. Good luck and if you have any questions, please email me at bobschade@bobschade.com. Also, my new website is up and running. The address is www.bobschade.com. It will become a treasure chest of useful information. Please give me your comments!

Rylea Marcum

One of my favorite students, Rylea Marcum. Rylea has worked hard to become a very accomplished golfer and was recently named Player of the Year in Kentucky. Here is her latest Video Lesson. This new technology allows me to review and comment on anyone's swing no matter where they are. If you are interested please contact me at bobschade@bobschade.com for more information.

Leverage point #1

Leverage is a very important part of the golf swing. There are several leverage points in the golf swing. One of the most important leverage points in the swing is the right wrist. This month I will explain how to use the right wrist as a leverage point. Please use the drill below on the range before heading out to the course. 1. Take your normal address position. 2. Take your normal grip. 3. Keep your feet together. 4. Take your left hand off the club. 5. Swing half way back with your right arm, trying to get your right thumb as close to your right wrist as possible. Hold this position. 6. Swing through the ball, with the thought of keeping the base of your right thumb on top of the club through impact. 7. Finish your swing. The correct use of the right wrist during the golf swing will allow you to maximize the leverage in your swing. Maximizing the leverage of your golf swing will allow you to reach your full potential. Good luck!

Distance Boost

This tip is for those of us who are distance challenged. If you practice this tip, you will be amazed at the amount of the distance you gain. If you have any questions please feel free to email me at cypresswoodcc@gmail.com. 1. Take your normal setup position. 2. Slide your left foot back toward your right foot. Stop when the ball is completely outside your left foot. 3. Position the club where the ball would normally be in your stance. 4. Watch the ball and take your normal swing. This is an extension drill and will create width in your follow through. One of the biggest causes of distance loss is the collapsing of the arms as you approach impact and into the follow through. If you can create more extension in your impact, post impact and follow through positions, you will gather more club head speed and therefore get more distance. Good luck and good golfing!

Summer help

Golf Tip of the Month By: Bob Schade Last month's tip was a putting tip that helped with the transition from the winter to summer season. I heard many comments on how that helped! This month I want to tackle the rough. It isn't too bad as I write this article, but we know it is coming. Here are a few adjustments that I hope with make the rough less of a problem for your game. 1. Take more club and choke down. Choking down forces the club to swing more upright and making it easier to get the ball out of the rough. 2. Position the ball further back in your stance. This again, steepens the path into the golf ball, resulting in a higher ball flight. 3. Focus on finishing your swing. This thought will help you maintain the momentum of the swing and maintain the speed which will help get you through the rough. The first basic idea is to get out of the rough! Pick the safest route back to the fairway and take it. Bold players in the summer time lead to much higher scores! Be safe and stay in the fairway. That is the rule for the summer. Good luck and good golfing!

Summer putting tip

Each year at this time of the year, Cypresswood begins its summer maintenance program. With this program, we aerify the greens and start our fertilization applications. This is all in an effort to spur grass growth during the growing season. All of our golf games must make the transition or our handicaps will suffer. Here is a few adjustments to make in your putting to help make this transition. 1. Position the ball farther back in your stance. 2. Position the handle of your putter opposite your left thigh. 3. Position the majority of your body's weight on your left foot. If you make these adjustments the transition from winter to summer will be less painful. Good luck and good golfing!

Quick Tip

Quick Tip: If you are having problems with consistency try this great drill. 1. Take your normal setup, but put your feet together. 2. Take your normal swing, but at 50% power. 3. Slowly increase your power while maintaining your balance. This drill will help coordinate the arm swing with the body turn. If you over emphasize one over the other your ball-striking will suffer. Work on this drill every day and your consistency will go through the roof! Good luck!

Pitching

Pitching is a shot that is used by all levels of golfers. A pitch is defined as any shot that flies more than it runs with a stroke that is less than full. How many of those do you have in a round? With most players hitting about 6 greens a round, most players have at least 12 pitches a round. Throw in the par 5's and it is closer to 18. Become proficient with these kinds of shots and you will lower your score and handicap. Try this technique and you will get better! 1. Ball Position – You have choices: A: Ball back opposite your right toe, the ball will travel on a lower trajectory. B: Ball in the middle of your stance, the ball will travel on a middle trajectory. C: Ball forward opposite your left toe, the ball will travel on a higher trajectory. 2. Position and keep the majority of your body's weight on your forward foot (left for right-handers) throughout the entire swing. NO WEIGHT SHIFT!!!! 3. Position the grip end of the club in front of the ball, creating a forward shaft lean. 4. Take your backswing, take care to get the club head above your hands. 5. On the forward swing, strike the ball with the shaft leaning forward at impact. 6. On the follow through, keep the club face below your hands. If you take some time and practice the above technique, I know that you will develop a consistent pitching motion that will produce effective shots. Good luck and good golfing!

Chipping

One of the most underrated aspects of golf instruction is chipping. I would bet that most people hit more chips than any other stroke other than putting. I would also bet that chipping is probably low on most people's priority list in their very limited practice time. That is a mistake that probably costs the average player 3 to 5 strokes a round. Making chipping a bigger priority is a fast way to improve your handicap. Isn't that the point! Here is a solid technique that will help you gain some valuable strokes! 1. Position the golf ball opposite your right big toe. 2. Take a narrow, open stance. 3. Position the majority of your body's weight on your left heel. 4. Keeping your weight on your left heel, take a back swing that is about knee high. 5. Keeping your weight on your left heel, make your forward swing ensuring that the club head lags behind your hands throughout the entire motion. 6. Your follow through should be low to the ground and not past your left knee. Practice this technique on the practice green and you will gain a consistency that will help you gain 3 to 5 strokes each round. Soon your handicap will drop and you will be a happy golfer!! Good luck and good golfing!!

Putting Tips

Cypresswood recently purchased two newer greens mowers for the golf course. These new mowers allow our crew to be much more efficient with the cut of the greens. This will make our greens much faster. This change can be difficult for most of our customers. The transition from quick greens to fast greens does not need to be a score killer. Here are a few tips to help. 1. Take your normal stance, but do not ground the club. Hovering the club allows you to feel the weight of the club head in your hands. This sensation will allow you to control the distance you hit the ball. 2. Position the ball further forward in your stance. Putting the ball back in your stance will cause you to strike down on the ball causing it to a bounce. You do not want the ball to bounce on fast greens. 3. Position the ball toward the toe of the club. There is less mass in most putters in the toe area of the club. This will deaden the hit and cause the ball to come off the face slower. 4. Position your body's weight more 50 / 50. Most people position more weight on their front foot. Bad idea because when you hit down on the golf ball while putting it will bounce. A bouncing ball equals an inconsistent distance result. Try these four techniques while practicing on the putting green. They work if you practice them. Good luck!