Tips to help your golf swing

Three simple steps will help improve your golf game

By Duane Borcherding

Early season 1-2-3

Golf is a challenge.  Using my simple 1-2-3 framework of viewing the golf swing can ease the frustration of how to fix your swing and your golf game.  Often we over analyze the golf swing, which can make things much more complicated than they really are.  There will be adjustments as we learn and a need for patience and focused practice.  Sometimes “controlling your swing motion” can be a better way to improve than “changing your swing motion”.

Contact

The skill that separates golfers the most is striking the golf ball in the center of the clubface just before the bottom of the swing.  The positions of your body and golf club at impact will determine your type of contact, ball flight and the strength of your shot. If you can control your ball flight, you are controlling your swing.

The main early season concern for golfers should be making solid contact with the golf ball.  Pitchers in the major leagues start their season by standing close to their target and throwing easy.  You should do the same.  Short, easy golf shots are the best practice option in the early season and can be a wonderful fix during the season, too.  Your level of play will be directly related to the consistency of solid contact.  Controlling your body and club movements is much easier at a slower pace, so start nice and easy.

Not including the putter, you hit the ball on the downswing with 12 clubs and on the upswing with 1 club; the driver is normally teed up.  A large majority of golfers struggle with hitting the ball on the downswing, your divot, no matter how big or small must be after initial contact with the ball.

There are two main objectives in achieving proper contact:  1) Hit the biggest ball in our universe – the Earth and 2) hit the Earth in the right spot.  Put a couple tees in the ground and practice making contact with the Earth in the right spot.

Another vital part of hitting the Earth in the right spot is that your hands lead the club head through impact.  For example, a right handed golfer, at impact, would have his hands over his left leg if the ball was toward the center of his stance.  Your set-up and impact are similar looking but different and dynamic.

At impact.

1. Foot action provides the foundation for the body turn and supports the swing action.
2. Hips clear and turn, shoulders turn and support.
3. Arms swing guides club path.
4. Hands lead the club head at impact and control club face angles.
5. In line condition – solid contact, powerful release

Your “moment of truth” will determine the balls’ fight.  Ball flight laws are in general:

• Your club face determines where your golf ball starts.
• Club path relative to the clubface at impact determines how the ball curves in the air.

The Brassie Golf Course is located at 1110 Pearson Rd., Chesterton. For more information call 219-921-1192 or visit www.thebrassie.com for scheduled events.