Fundamentals First
Golf is a very hard sport, as most of you know. In order to have success, you must set up for success. Fundamentals are the key to this philosophy. When we work with our students on the practice range, this is the first thing we assess. I have a little quote I like to impress upon our students, “not everyone can swing like Tiger Woods or Annika Sorenstam, but we all can set up the same way they do.”
Fundamentals, in golf, consist of four pre-shot things: Grip, Posture, Ball Position, and Alignment.
Grip
Grip is the most important fundamental in golf. Your grip is what controls the clubface. The top hand on the grip is the controlling hand. In my opinion, this is one of the reasons the grip is so difficult to learn. For example, for most of us right-handed golfers, we are right hand dominant. This means our non-dominant hand, our left hand, is controlling the clubface. When gripping the club, make your V’s, the space between your thumbs and index finger, point to your right shoulder. You should be able to see two knuckles on your left hand. Your thumb on your left hand should rest in the palm of your right hand. And lastly, when it comes to grip pressure, LIGHT never TIGHT!
Posture
Great posture requires two things, Balance & Athleticism. Don’t over think it. Make your stance wide enough to stay balanced. Make sure your weight doesn’t favor your toes or your heels. Preferably, I like to feel like my weight rests in my arches. This feel, for me, keeps my weight towards the balls of my feet. Rule of thumb, the shorter the club the narrower your stance should be. The longer the club, the wider your stance will progress.
Ball Position
Ball position is an optical illusion. Most people believe that the position of their ball should change based on the club they are using. It appears that way, but not how you would think. In relation to your left foot the ball position should never change. You should always position the ball slightly forward in your stance, or a couple of inches inside your left heel. When your stance gets wider, your back foot should just move slightly back. This keeps the ball positioned forward of center and in the same place inside your left foot, with every club. Again, it is kind of an illusion, BUT, as long as you keep the ball forward of center, you are gold!
Alignment
If Grip is the most important fundamental in golf, Alignment is the most overlooked. We give a lot of lessons where our students are hitting good shots but are not satisfied because they don’t know where they are aiming. There are two lines in golf, the target line and the body lines. These lines should be parallel of each other. We aim our clubface at our target, and our body parallel left of the target line. Most amateurs make the mistake of aiming both their body and their clubface at the target. Make sure you are not looking over your left shoulder to see the target.
We are so excited to welcome all members back to The Landings! To start the season right, please go back to the fundamentals. They are the foundation to our success, and it is a great way to reset for the season!
