Ladies Golf Academy Week 1

Golf is one of the greatest games ever invented. It is in a larger sense "the game of a lifetime." You can play golf as long as you are able. It is a rare combination of nature, concentration, awareness, decision making, fun, intensity, relaxation, well, it is just plain and simple, good for you and your health in every sense of the word.

-Develop A Sound Pre-Shot Routine-

A good pre-shot routine lets you focus more on getting yourself into and making a good swing consistently, instead of worrying and thinking about swing techniques and swing positions.

Take full dress rehearsal practice swings. Set up to the ball correctly and take a full swing practice swing trying to picture and feel the shot you want to hit. These are advanced concepts, but if you practice golf shot visualization from the beginning you might find it easier to accomplish as you embark on your golfing career.

-The Grip-

How you hold on to the golf club when you swing the club.

This illustraton shows the 3 different grip styles. There is no rule as to which grip you should use.

This is a good solid neutral grip at the address position. Hold the grip in your fingers, both palms should be facing each other and you should be able to see the first 2 knuckles of your left hand.

View of a strong neutral and weak grip position and how each grip affects the angle of the clubface at impact.

-Setup Posture-

Notice the relaxed posture, head up, back straight no slouching of the shoulders, shoulders over the toes, hips over ankles, arms hang naturally in front of her body with enough room between her hands and body to allow the golf club to swing freely.

These 3 illustrations show an open, square, and closed clubface in relation to the golf ball.

Ball Position with three different clubs of three different lengths. The longer metal wood club is off the front of the stance, mid iron a little further back, and short iron is played more toward the middle of the stance.

-Alignment Process-

Parallel alignment pictures. This is called parallel left. Also included are pictures illustrating ball position relative to your left and right (or right and left) feet. The picture above would be a text book position for a regular iron shot for a right handed golfer. To the left illustrates a few finer points in ball positioning theory. Remember these are general guides that you apply within your own swing requirements, learned through PROPER PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.

This is aan illustration of the classic "railroad track" alignment concept. You stand next to the inside track, and swing your hands along that track. You swing the clubhead along the outside track. this is how you hit straight golf shots.

Great picture. Shows a great visualization of what a straight golf shot will look like: keep it between the tracks!

-Position At The Top-

Notice first the distance between her arms, the arm position, and the flat left wrist and forearm as she sets the golf club at the top of the swing. Also, the anlge of her left arm and left leg are exactly the same. Her right hip is turned out of the way, head steady as she changes direction and begins her downswing.

The pictures to the left are great illustrations of four key swing positions. Starting with the beginning of the downswing, into impact, to extension after impact, into a good full, balanced follow through. Notice the solid left side evident in all the pictures. Also notice how the right shoulder and the right knee are stacked together during all phases of the sequence. The left hip turns as the weight shifts forward into the left side, while the right side line stays intact.  

 -Full Swing Images-

This picture is a full swing sequence tracer picture by Bobby Jones. Notice how the body, with all the swing movement, stays in the same place, and how the circle of the grip and hands swinging is perfectly centered over the middle of Bob's body ! 

The bottom picture illustrates the concept of "swing plane". Swing plane basically means that the shaft of the club travels on a flat arc around your body from the start of your swing through impact to the end of your swing into the follow through.

Try Not To Do This!

This is a classic picture of a faulty backswing position. It is the first picture to pop up if you google "golf swing sway."