On these nice warm days, as few as they've been, that we've experienced this winter, many golfers head out to the range, itching to swing their clubs. Unfortunately, after hitting a few wedge shots to get warmed up, most go to the driver, hoping to find some magic.
What most people should do before stepping on the range is go over to the practice green and hit some chip shots and pitch shots. This will help reinforce the idea that you must learn how to hit the ball first, and then the ground, in order to get the ball in the air. I see too many people trying to lift the ball in the air using their arms.
Yesterday, I was standing next to a guy on the range...same basic build as me, although I may outweigh him by twenty pounds. He couldn't hit a driver as far as my 8 iron. Why? Because he does all the work with his arms, and creates no leverage in his swing.
Understanding that you need to learn how to hit the ball first before you hit the ground is the first step toward learning how to swing the club properly. Learning how to compress the ball is of utmost importance in trying to hit the ball further. This starts around the practice green.
Come see me at the Olney Golf Park in Olney, Maryland so I can get you started!
Scott Cole
www.howtogolfyourbest.com
Monday, February 28, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Tiger Woods Swing Analysis
I just completed an analysis of a Tiger Woods' drive swing from his recent tournament in Dubai....check it out below!
Scott Cole
www.howtogolfyourbest.com
Scott Cole
www.howtogolfyourbest.com
Aaron Baddeley wins at Riviera
Aaron Baddeley picked up his first PGA Tour win since 2007 yesterday, holding off Vijay Singh for a two stroke victory. If you have followed his career, you may remember that he was once the poster boy for the Stack and Tilt swing model. This was because he was already a high profile name on tour and not long after he began receiving instruction from Mike Bennett and Andy Plummer, the proponents of the model, he won twice and saw his world ranking skyrocket. Since then, he struggled, and he went back to his old teacher in 2009.
Much of the commentary during the telecast revolved around Baddeley’s swing. Since I did not see much of Baddeley’s swing in prior years, I can’t really make a comparison. Today he played under control, and finished the tournament third in greens in regulation. That is impressive considering that Riviera is a shotmaker’s course and it is necessary to hit a fade on some key holes. The Stack and Tilt model is mainly geared toward hitting a push-draw.
During the telecast today, Peter Kostis did his analysis of Baddeley’s swing and focused on the plane of the club shaft. Baddeley did well to stay on or close to the original plane he achieved at address throughout his swing. This is the essential key to Hank Haney’s teaching, although Baddeley is not a student of Hank. Hank also preaches the ability to hit all nine ball flights equally well…a straight shot, fade or draw with low, medium and high trajectories. Tiger Woods was capable of doing this at well with his irons before his knee issues resurfaced in 2008.
The bottom line is that there is no one swing model that will work for every golfer. Baddeley did achieve some success with Stack and Tilt in 2007, but his putting was also spectacular that year, and he actually finished a dismal 188th in greens in regulation that year. Overall, he apparently felt limited by the swing pattern and decided to return to his old teacher. Other tour players are clearly having some success with the model, otherwise it would not be so popular in some respects.
It should be noted that some of the best ballstrikers ever are noted for returning the clubshaft to the original plane they achieved at address. The best example is Ben Hogan, and well, it doesn’t get much better than that. However, he was not concerned with keeping the club on this plane in his backswing. It was his transition and hip turn that caused it.
If Aaron Baddeley continues to swing the club like he did this week, he will be a major force going forward.
Scott Cole
www.howtogolfyourbest.com
Much of the commentary during the telecast revolved around Baddeley’s swing. Since I did not see much of Baddeley’s swing in prior years, I can’t really make a comparison. Today he played under control, and finished the tournament third in greens in regulation. That is impressive considering that Riviera is a shotmaker’s course and it is necessary to hit a fade on some key holes. The Stack and Tilt model is mainly geared toward hitting a push-draw.
During the telecast today, Peter Kostis did his analysis of Baddeley’s swing and focused on the plane of the club shaft. Baddeley did well to stay on or close to the original plane he achieved at address throughout his swing. This is the essential key to Hank Haney’s teaching, although Baddeley is not a student of Hank. Hank also preaches the ability to hit all nine ball flights equally well…a straight shot, fade or draw with low, medium and high trajectories. Tiger Woods was capable of doing this at well with his irons before his knee issues resurfaced in 2008.
The bottom line is that there is no one swing model that will work for every golfer. Baddeley did achieve some success with Stack and Tilt in 2007, but his putting was also spectacular that year, and he actually finished a dismal 188th in greens in regulation that year. Overall, he apparently felt limited by the swing pattern and decided to return to his old teacher. Other tour players are clearly having some success with the model, otherwise it would not be so popular in some respects.
It should be noted that some of the best ballstrikers ever are noted for returning the clubshaft to the original plane they achieved at address. The best example is Ben Hogan, and well, it doesn’t get much better than that. However, he was not concerned with keeping the club on this plane in his backswing. It was his transition and hip turn that caused it.
If Aaron Baddeley continues to swing the club like he did this week, he will be a major force going forward.
Scott Cole
www.howtogolfyourbest.com
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Golf Tip - Preparing for Golf Season
It's the middle of February and we just got a taste of Spring, so I am sure many golfers took the opportunity to head to the driving range or even the golf course. I know I did! This a great time to get started on making some improvements to your golf swing so you don't need to worry about your swing so much during the heart of the season.
Swing changes take time and effort. If you've been watching the latest Haney Project with Rush Limbaugh, you know that Hank asked Rush to make 100 practice swings each day. It really doesn't take that much time. Ideally, these will be 100 FOCUSED practice swings. I like them to be performed in slow motion first, and preferably with a weighted club. Focus on the changes you want or need to make.
Patience is truly the key. If you are serious about making changes to your golf swing, you should know that even a minor change will take weeks before it will be ingrained in your swing. That means weeks of focused practice and lots of repetitions. That is why it is best to get started now. If you need a lesson, see your pro to develop your plan for improvement. If you have that plan in place, get to work!
Scott Cole
www.scottcolegolf.com
Swing changes take time and effort. If you've been watching the latest Haney Project with Rush Limbaugh, you know that Hank asked Rush to make 100 practice swings each day. It really doesn't take that much time. Ideally, these will be 100 FOCUSED practice swings. I like them to be performed in slow motion first, and preferably with a weighted club. Focus on the changes you want or need to make.
Patience is truly the key. If you are serious about making changes to your golf swing, you should know that even a minor change will take weeks before it will be ingrained in your swing. That means weeks of focused practice and lots of repetitions. That is why it is best to get started now. If you need a lesson, see your pro to develop your plan for improvement. If you have that plan in place, get to work!
Scott Cole
www.scottcolegolf.com
Monday, February 14, 2011
Golf Tip - Early season practice
Ok, so you've been cooped up all winter, and winter still has some left in it, but you got a break from the cold, so you are heading over to the driving range. Do yourself a favor...just take your wedge.
We finally hit 60 degrees in Maryland today, so I visited the Olney Golf Park for the first time in 2011. January was essentially a bust as it rarely broke above 40 degrees. As I expected, the facility was pretty crowded today. I personally had a plan...just hit a bucket of wedges and work on 3/4 wedge shots. My goal? To simply get the feel of good contact and ball flight, and to start getting my hips more involved through impact.
What I noticed today was that most of the golfers who were there practicing were hitting a lot of drivers. That is a mistake. Developing some tempo, rhythm and timing are essential at this stage of the season. Also, if you plan on lowering your scores, you should probably be focused on mechanics. Ripping a half bucket of drivers just to see that you still got it is a big mistake. If you have not swung a club in a month or two, it is easy to develop some bad habits by letting loose with the driver.
So, if you are reading this post early in the season, keep the long clubs at home for a couple sessions. You have plenty of time to get them out later.
Scott Cole
www.howtogolfyourbest.com
We finally hit 60 degrees in Maryland today, so I visited the Olney Golf Park for the first time in 2011. January was essentially a bust as it rarely broke above 40 degrees. As I expected, the facility was pretty crowded today. I personally had a plan...just hit a bucket of wedges and work on 3/4 wedge shots. My goal? To simply get the feel of good contact and ball flight, and to start getting my hips more involved through impact.
What I noticed today was that most of the golfers who were there practicing were hitting a lot of drivers. That is a mistake. Developing some tempo, rhythm and timing are essential at this stage of the season. Also, if you plan on lowering your scores, you should probably be focused on mechanics. Ripping a half bucket of drivers just to see that you still got it is a big mistake. If you have not swung a club in a month or two, it is easy to develop some bad habits by letting loose with the driver.
So, if you are reading this post early in the season, keep the long clubs at home for a couple sessions. You have plenty of time to get them out later.
Scott Cole
www.howtogolfyourbest.com
Monday, February 7, 2011
Golf Swing Fundamentals
In recent months I've participated in a golf forum known as Golfwrx. This forum provides discussion on a variety of golf topics, including instruction, fitness, and equipment. I have found it quite frustrating that there is some hostility among some of the instructors due to differing ideas about what golf swing models work best.
This provided me the motivation to try and find some common ground among instructors in regard to the fundamentals of the golf swing. To my surprise, a consensus could not even be reached in this regard.
I have concluded that golf instruction is similar to the martial arts in this regard as well. It is up to the student to figure out what type or style of instruction best suits their own personality. It is also up to the instructor to convey to potential students their own thoughts on the golf swing, and how best to learn.
To learn more about how I teach, click here
Scott Cole
This provided me the motivation to try and find some common ground among instructors in regard to the fundamentals of the golf swing. To my surprise, a consensus could not even be reached in this regard.
I have concluded that golf instruction is similar to the martial arts in this regard as well. It is up to the student to figure out what type or style of instruction best suits their own personality. It is also up to the instructor to convey to potential students their own thoughts on the golf swing, and how best to learn.
To learn more about how I teach, click here
Scott Cole
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Golf Tip - How to Make Swing Changes
Admittedly, watching Tiger Woods struggle this past weekend is likely going to make it tough for an instructor like me to convince a student to make a swing change when it is required. However, what I will point out is that this is the third major overhaul in Tiger's swing in about 12 years, and I would certainly not ask a student to completely change their swing in this fashion.
Swing changes must be done piecemeal, because even the smallest of changes take significant time and practice to be ingrained.
The best way to make swing changes is to make them without hitting any balls. Most people get too wrapped up in the result, rather than the execution. Occasionally, a golfer will hit a good shot with the same flawed swing. This is just a function of better timing with that particular swing, rather than an improved swing. Then, when they hit a crappy shot after making an improved move, they get frustrated and give up on the change.
What I try to do with a student during the first lesson is to identify the most critical ball flight error. I then let the student know what they need to do to correct that error, and then I give them a plan to improve their overall golf swing.
In order to make a swing change, the student needs to make practice swings without a ball, with significant focus on each repetition, for 100 swings a day, for several weeks. The repetitions need to be done in slow motion until they are ingrained, then done at half speed, then full speed, and without a ball. There is no point in trying to hit a ball until their is significant improvement in the move. I also HIGHLY recommend using a weighted club while working on these new motions. The heavier weight with slow motion reps sends a stronger signal to the brain.
This does not mean you don't ever go out and play while you are trying to make swing changes. When you are out on the course, it is necessary to just play and not worry about the changes you are making. If you are practicing as described above, these changes will take care of themselves out on the golf course over time. A round of golf is meant to be enjoyed, and it is more enjoyable if you are not worrying so much about mechanics. Mechanical changes should only be made and worked on during practice.
The key is to be very patient with making swing changes. Most golfers are not, and that is why most never improve. It takes a year for a good player to make a major swing overhaul, and a couple years for the average golfer. However, along the way, it is not unlikely that lower scores will occur. Stay patient and stay positive and you will surely reap the benefits.
Scott Cole
www.howtogolfyourbest.com
Swing changes must be done piecemeal, because even the smallest of changes take significant time and practice to be ingrained.
The best way to make swing changes is to make them without hitting any balls. Most people get too wrapped up in the result, rather than the execution. Occasionally, a golfer will hit a good shot with the same flawed swing. This is just a function of better timing with that particular swing, rather than an improved swing. Then, when they hit a crappy shot after making an improved move, they get frustrated and give up on the change.
What I try to do with a student during the first lesson is to identify the most critical ball flight error. I then let the student know what they need to do to correct that error, and then I give them a plan to improve their overall golf swing.
In order to make a swing change, the student needs to make practice swings without a ball, with significant focus on each repetition, for 100 swings a day, for several weeks. The repetitions need to be done in slow motion until they are ingrained, then done at half speed, then full speed, and without a ball. There is no point in trying to hit a ball until their is significant improvement in the move. I also HIGHLY recommend using a weighted club while working on these new motions. The heavier weight with slow motion reps sends a stronger signal to the brain.
This does not mean you don't ever go out and play while you are trying to make swing changes. When you are out on the course, it is necessary to just play and not worry about the changes you are making. If you are practicing as described above, these changes will take care of themselves out on the golf course over time. A round of golf is meant to be enjoyed, and it is more enjoyable if you are not worrying so much about mechanics. Mechanical changes should only be made and worked on during practice.
The key is to be very patient with making swing changes. Most golfers are not, and that is why most never improve. It takes a year for a good player to make a major swing overhaul, and a couple years for the average golfer. However, along the way, it is not unlikely that lower scores will occur. Stay patient and stay positive and you will surely reap the benefits.
Scott Cole
www.howtogolfyourbest.com
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