Pro Tips
This month’s game improvement Tip comes from Colin Ferguson, Class AA PGA Professional & Golf Operations Manager at De Vere Slaley Hall.
The Two Ball Position Methods
First off, there are two main fundamentals that are taught in relation to the correct ball position in golf.
Moving Ball Position
The first method is the moving ball position. With this method the ball is placed in the center of the stance for the wedges (shortest clubs), and then for each longer club, the ball would move slightly closer to the left heel (right for lefties). The stance would also widen slightly for each shot too.
Stationary Ball Position
The second method is known as the stationary ball position. This isn’t as common with beginners as the moving ball position, but it has proven to be quite a popular method with pro’s over the years. Ben Hogan talked about the technique in his book “Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf”. The stationary ball position technique involves very little movement of the ball. Instead what changes is the width of the stance. The ball is positioned near the left heel, and the right foot is all that moves to widen the stance. The wider the stance, the longer the club, with driver being the widest stance of all.
This makes sure the head position remains behind the ball for drives and hitting the longer irons, allowing you to get underneath the shot and get the ball airborne. On the shorter irons your head should be closer to the ball, setting you up so that your club is coming in on a much steeper angle.
For shorter clubs it is important to keep the stance open, so open those hips. A simple way to do this is to open your left foot towards the target (right for lefties). As you work your way to the longer clubs you should close your stance slightly each club number you drop, ending up square with a 5 iron, then slightly closed for a driver.
Conclusion
The golf ball position at address comes down to a choice of these two methods. Whichever you choose is down to personal preference. The stationary method does provide more consistency in my experience, as you only have to think about changing one thing during setup. If you use the moving ball position method, then you have to think about moving the ball position as well as the width of the stance, in effect doubling the chance of any inconsistency.
Next time you’re practising, try whichever technique it is you’re not using and see how it works for you. Also, if there’s any golf on this weekend switch over to watch how the different pro golfers position the golf ball in their stance.
Pre Round - 5 Warm Up Tips
Warming-up is essential for peak performance in any sport. If you attend any professional sporting event you always see athletes engaging in a pre-game warm- up - and professional golfers are no different.
By the time tour professionals step on to the first tee, they are fully prepared to make their best swing from the opening tee shot.
Most amateurs, however, get warmed up by dashing from their cars to the pro shop to check in, then running to the first tee, all within five minutes.
Usually this is followed by erratic play for the first five holes and, in the end, another poor round. That kind of warm-up leaves you prone to injury and making bogeys before you start.
To avoid this, I recommend this quick warm-up routine click here
Pro Tips
We have another great tip from PGA Teaching Professional & Custom Fit Specialist at Oulton Hall, Phillip Akers.
Do we have to be strong to be long?
We all like to 'crush' the ball off the tee and from time to time we all search for those few extra yards, but i often find that golfers get too caught up in trying to swing the club harder and faster to gain distance which more often than not has a negative effect on accurancy and distance. It's important that we understand that it's not just the speed of your swing which makes the ball travel a long way off the tee. A great example of this on the PGA TOur is David Toms and Stephen Gangluff who average exactly the same driving distance, however Toms swings at 104mph and Gangluff at 120 mph. I'm not saying that speed doesn't help hit the ball a long way, because it does, however it's not the only factor that you can focus on when trying to increase your driving distance.
I've always believed that three key areas that a golfer can focus on to maximise distance off the tee: 1) the correct specification of driver which launches the ball at the optimal angle with the correct spin rate for your swing speed, 2) a stronger, more flexible and faster (core) body movement which helps promote more clubhead speed, 3) a technique which transfers and maximises the force and energy created in the swing to the impact of club and ball.
The Hook Shot
This month our Pro's Tip comes from PGA Teaching Professional & Custom Fit Specialist at Oulton Hall, Philip Akers.
Phil's Tip for Hookers Problem:
The vast majority of magazine golf articles will focus on curing the dreaded slice and whilst understandable, because it is the most common shot shape for golfers (particularly beginners), it often leaves a group of us in the lurch thinking 'what about me?' The hook shot, starts to the right of your target, travels with right to left curvature in the air and finishes to the left of your target (for a right handed golfer).
Drill: Tee a ball up as normal that you intend to hit and place a second ball down which lies around 4 inches in front of (towards the target), and slightly to the right of the ball you're going to hit. Normally the clubhead would strike the second ball if you swing with an 'in to out' (away from the body) path. You should feel like the club is swinging more to the left (and closer to the body) through impact if you perform the drill correctly.
It may be the case however that the club face will be closed at impact causing a ball starting left but with a straighter ball flight (a 'pull' shot). If this happens, try to feel like the back of the left hand points towards your target for longer after striking the ball (as opposed to rotating left) to help straighten up your ball flight and eliminate your hook.
Chipping
This month's Pro Tip comes from Slaley Hall's Golf Operations Manager & Class AA PGA Professional, Colin Ferguson.
Lowering Your Score around the Green
A common trait amongst most amateur golfers is to pull out their 60° Wedge at every opportunity. Growing up learning my trade on the West Coast of Scotland, I soon built up an array of different shots to use around the greens. Read below for my best tip to turn 3 shots into 2 and lower your handicap.
Chipping
We would all say club selection is vital from the tee-box or approach, so why should that be any different around the green. A lot of amateurs seem to have a ‘preferred’ club which they use in almost every position around the green. When using the principle that more loft equals less roll (& vice versa) a simple ‘rule of thumb’ is that;
- Pitching Wedge, Fly half the distance to the hole, roll half
- 8 Iron, Fly 1/3rd roll 2/3rd’s
So using this, if you have an obstacle in your way (i.e. a grassy mound or Bunker) then choose a more lofted club, otherwise you should aim to get the ball on the ground and rolling as soon as possible, this will give you far greater consistency.
As far as technique goes, a good chipping action should contain as few moving parts as possible. I’ve listed below what I’ve taught as my key chipping principles;
1) Weight Distribution; 70/30 rule – to get a consistent strike and to ensure a descending blow you should have 70% of your weight on your left side (for a right handed golfer) *
2) Grip and Stance – For maximum consistency and control; choking down the grip, with the shaft pressed forward (will generally occur naturally if your weight is distributed as above) and your stance approximately 2/3rd’s normal width.
3) ‘Quiet’ Hands/Wrists – The swing or chipping action should bear more resemblance to a putting stroke than a swing. With the shaft pressed forward (or hands ahead of the ball) from here it should simply be a pendulum movement started from the shoulders. At no point should you break your left wrist (again for a right handed golfer), doing so; generally in an effort to get the ball airborne (this is what the loft of the club is for) will result in an inconsistent strike and poor distance control.
4) Landing Area – When going through your pre-shot chipping/pitching routine, instead of looking at the pin, focus on when you want the ball to land (remember the fly and roll rule – e.g. so halfway to the flag if you’re using your PW). Take into account any break just as you would with a putt and you’ll find your proximity to the hole dramatically reduced.
70/30 Drill
The next time you’re at the practice area, try hitting your chip shots with just the big toe of the right foot on the ground (so heel in the air). This will realy help you get a feel for point number one above. Hit 5 shots like this and then 5 normally (repeat 3 or 4 times until you’ve hit a full basket of balls) and subconsiously you will be building up muscle memory so that you can replicate without thinking about it out on the course.
Hitting the Ball Further
Every golfer wants to hit the ball further and the key factor to achieve this is by gaining more clubhead speed. Unfortunately when most golfers try this they lose their sequencing and start to hit the ball erratically.
One of the best drills to achieve more speed whilst maintaining good sequencing in the downswing is to swing the golf club as if you were swing a baseball bat. Hold the club out in front of you and swing as hard as you can, imagining you are trying to hit a home run. This will definitely create more speed without sacrificing accuracy. Then simply change your spine angle until you have the clubhead behind the ball a repeat the baseball swing on your normal golf swing plane. Make sure that you still commit to swinging quickly and I guarantee this will give you more distance on your shots.
A Game Improvement Tip
From Pro Golfer - Gavin Abson
Head Golf Professional, the Carrick on Loch Lomond
Struggling with the weight of your Putting?
'The next time you're practicing, hit some Putts whilst looking directly at the hole. This will help to improve feel and ultimately distance control.'
For more tips follow Gavin on his twitter page @GavinAbson
For all enquiries and additional information please email golf@devere.co.uk or enquire online.
