It may sound strange, but I’ll explain.
Since nearly 20 years, I have written this blog each week to share my observations and experiences from over 40 years of experience in the golf industry. You will know from reading my blog posts that I am passionate about the learning process to improve your game. I cannot begin to count the number of golfing books and articles that I have read or the hours spent watching golfers at all levels.
It’s a simple fact that the more you can hit your best shots, and the fewer your worst ones appear, the more fun the game is. It amazes me how few golfers want to improve their game. What other way can you explain that, despite all the advances in equipment technology and the endless amount of instruction (much of which is free), so few golfers are able to achieve any kind of success?
This week, I’d like to share with you what I consider to be the three ways that I can guarantee you will never improve at golf.
Ignore how important a good grip is
From the beginning, I was taught that the fundamentals of golf are learning to hold the club correctly. It takes absolutely no athletic ability to do this, and you can perfect it anywhere. Close observation of elite golfers on the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour seems to confirm that.
You can choose the full-finger (not “baseball”) grip on the club, especially if you are not as strong in the hands. If you have weaker hands, it’s possible to choose the “full-finger” grip (not the “baseball”) on the club. You can rotate your grip a little stronger or weaker but the fundamentals remain the same.
- The grip should be placed under the heel pad and not across.
- The thumb and forefinger must be lightly engaged if not at all.
- The lead or upper hand must “control” the movement of the clubs.
If you do not hold the club in a fundamentally sound way, your body and the club will simply not be able to move through the swing motion.
Do not ignore the importance of correct posture and setup
It also takes little athletic ability to simply “stand there” and adopt the correct posture to make a golf swing. Watch the best golfers in the world. There is very little variation in how they set up their bodies to prepare for a powerful and fundamentally sound golf swing. You don’t have to tell me what they do – look at the pictures and videos of great players. They all begin with the same set-up and posture. You are wrong if you believe you can be a good player if you start with a “homemade” setup that is not sound. In this area, the biggest mistake I see is that the hands at address are either too high and eliminate the secret angle of success or they are too far in front of the clubhead.
You can learn a lot from your friends
Golf instruction is a combination of art and science. Your friends — even if they seem like good players — may not be familiar with either aspect. Tips and advice can be cheap. I can’t count how many times I have seen or heard golfers who are unable to break 80 (or 90) trying to “coach’ someone who is also unable to break 80. If your friend hasn’t spent years and hours studying the golf swing, and isn’t a good player themselves, you should ignore their advice.
Comparing the cost of golf instruction to other costs, it’s a bargain. It was my father’s wise advice: “If something is worth doing, then it is worth doing well.” I bet you’ve already decided that golf is “worth doing”. So find a professional who understands you, and make sure you see them regularly.
You have the answer. Frank Sinatra may have made a fortune with “My Way,” yet that is not the way to improve your golf.
