Here it is August already…time really flies!  There was so much to do this year that it’s hard for me to realize that we may actually get it all done!

In this months tip I’m going to talk about the biggest difference between great players and average players.

Sure some of what great players takes talent but they ALL do one thing that most players do not.  A correct downswing sequence!  You can look at all of the swing styles out there, Ernie Els versus Jim Fuyrk for example, and they all differ in some respect.  But the ONE thing that they ALL have in common is the proper downswing sequence!

Here’s what happens.

From the top of the backswing the first move that initiates the downswing is a movement of the left knee.  This movement is then followed by a lateral hip motion, then the shoulders unwinding, then the arms swinging, and finally the club moving.

Poor players get this sequence incorrect.  For example, I recently saw a 30 handicapper that had a sequence like this.  Club, shoulders, arms, and finally hips!

Holy cow Batman!

As you can see, and probably vividly, this golfer had a hard time being consistent.  A huge loss of distance, couldn’t get the ball to start in the same place twice and wondered why he was having issues.

He was hating golf…and I don’t blame him…I would too!

The big question is though, can YOU change your downswing sequence to that of the best players in the world.

ABSOLUTELY!

Of course the best way would be for you to come and visit me in the desert, but very soon we will have some drills that you can do at home too.  In the next webinar I will be demonstrating how all of this works.

A Quick Heads Up…

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Attend one of our world class schools, workshops, or seminars. Contact reservations at 800.732.4995 or email at golfschools@medicuscorporate.com

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Fat and Thin shots…causes – changes in the radius, off plane motion, and ball location.

Changing the radius in the golf swing can, and usually does, change the delivery angle – angle of descent – into the golf ball.  The radius can be changed by bending the left wrist, the left elbow, raising the upper thoracic – which in turn raises the head.

Other causes of these types of shots can be the angles of approach into the golf ball as well.  Too far under plane shallows the angle of descent and too far over plane steepens the angle of descent.

Another cause, although less predominate then the above two, is ball location.  Too far back can lead to thin shots and too far forward can lead to fat shots.

So let’s examine how to “cure these malfunctions.

Changes in the radius, the left wrist bending for example, can cause BOTH fat and thin shots.  If the left wrist bends too early it can create fat shots and if it bends later thin shots.

practicing Impact

The right wrist bend controls the flat left wrist so the more bend a player has in the right wrist at impact and separation the less chance the player has of bending the left wrist which causes the club to move upward and the clubface to close.

Here are a couple of drills that are extremely effective in learning how to maintain a bent right wrist.

Hit shots with the right arm only while maintaining the bend in the right wrist.  Place a 2×4 8 inches behind the ball while using a short iron.  Make a swing and miss the board.  The board increases both the angle of ascent and the angle descent.  Another drill, using a short iron, is to address the golf ball in its normal location for the player then place a second ball in line with the right ankle.  Address the second ball with the club head, but without changing your original setup position with the body.  Make a swing and strike the front ball without hitting the rear ball.

And finally, have players hit punch/knockdown shots.  This has proven to be one of the most effective ways to learn to hit shots with the handle leaning forward.

The other most common way to lose radius is a shortening of the left arm.  This is most common with players that swing across the ball from the outside.  Lee Westwood loses his radius through the bending of the left elbow.  He manages this though by changing his body height, getting lower, through Impact and maintaining a flat left wrist.

A drill for this is once again hitting punch shots while keeping the body turning.  If the body doesn’t turn sufficiently the player essentially “runs out of right arm.”  The player should feel like they strike the ball and then continue turning the torso until the clubshaft is parallel to the base of the plane and on their heel line.

Plane issues:  As described above plane issues can also cause fat and thin shots.  In an ideal situation the player should work more on their swing plane but some players simply have inherent tendencies that probably will not change.

For example, better players have a tendency to come into the ball from underneath plane.  These players must play the ball farther back in order to strike the ball solidly with this shallow angle of attack.  The higher handicapper has the tendency to come into the ball from outside the original plane.  These player must play the ball more forward with this steep angle of attack.  My advice is to give the student options and then see which one they can more readily relate to.  If they are having a difficult time with staying on plane then make a ball position adjustment, as well as a clubface adjustment, to get the ball going where they want it to go.

Now let’s say their plane is pretty good and they have a flat left wrist but are still hitting it thin or fat.  Start adjusting ball location until they hit it solidly.  Remember however that any change in ball location also requires a clubface adjustment to hit the ball to target.

We have another “Mr. 59.”  PGA Tour veteran Paul Goydos shot that magical number, 59, today in the first round of the John Deere Classic.

Paul may have been one of the most unlikely candidates for this demonstration of shot making after 3 missed cuts and a withdrawal in the last 5      tournaments.  But he is now in the record books along with Al Geiberger, Chip Beck, David Duval, and Annika Sorenstam.

Congratulations Paul!

This video shows how quickly and how effective using the Vision Track is when working on your golf swing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7L5HeVjYp24

Here is another view of how the Vision Track looks and works.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3f0uCAiliw