Ever wonder why some days you strike the ball so well and others you hit the ball thin, fat, left, right, or just no consistency?
The posture in which we stand while swinging the golf club is important because it allows the club to swing on the proper plane. In this article we will look at spine angle and spine tilt and
how they affect the plane of the swing.
Spine Angle
Spine angle can be defined by the angle that the spine and the ground create. The spine angle is created when we bend from the hips to take our stance. Once we have taken our stance we want to maintain this spine angle for most of our swing. At this point we can think of the spine as the axis or the pivot point for turning our shoulders.
Another image you can use is imagine your spine and shoulder create a t-square. While maintaining the angle between the spine and the ground begin to turn your shoulders. Your shoulders should pivot around your spine, done correctly the line created by your shoulder will point to the ground. Turn your shoulders so your chest faces the target, the line created by your shoulders should point along the same line as when your chest faced away form the target.
To illustrate this better, take your stance and place a golf club across your shoulders. Turn your shoulders so your chest faces away form the target. Here you can see the shaft's end point towards the ground. Now take note to where the shaft is pointing. Turn your shoulders so your chest is facing the target. At this point your spine angle should remain the same as at address. Also the shaft's end should point along the same line as before.
If during the golf swing we stand up, the spine angle becomes more vertical and this causes the golf club to come outside the target line. Normally if a golfer stands up during the swing it occurs in the backswing. In order to make contact with the ball the club must travel from outside the target line to inside the target line through impact. This outside to inside swing path creates a steep plane angle and causes fat shots, pulled shots, severe slice (open club face), smother hooks (closed club face).
Spine Tilt
When we grip the golf club our trail hand grips the club lower than the target hand. Since the trail hand is lower the trail shoulder should be lower than the target shoulder. This creates a spine tilt.
Spine tilt benefits in two ways. First, it allows the trail arm to be level with or slightly lower than the target arm. This will encourage the club to be swung on the proper inside to inside path.
Second we can align our shoulders parallel to the target line. If we did not have a spine tilt the tendency to to open the shoulders to the target line. Meaning a right handed player's shoulders would be aligned facing left of the target line not parallel to the target line. An open shoulder alignment will cause us to swing the golf club on an outside to inside swing path.
ConclusionSpine angle and spine tilt are often over looked fundamentals of the golf swing yet they play an important of the golf swing. Spine angle in the golf swing determines the plane the club is swung and how solid we strike the ball. Spine tilt has a direct affect in our shoulder alignment. Pay attention to these elements of the golf swing and you will reap the rewards of a a more efficient and powerful golf swing.
About the Author
Creator and Webmaster of TP Golf Online. Has taught golfers of all levels as a CPGA Professional in Canada.
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Improved Chipping: Better Club Selection
By Ron Hanson
One of the most spectacular shots we witness on Sunday afternoons is Phil Mickelson’s high flop shot. He sets up with his blade wide open and takes a mighty cut. The ball flies high in the air and lands almost dead on the green. It is definitely a gorgeous shot but it is full of peril. Most of golfers don’t have the ability to hit the shot during play with any consistency. They will hit behind the ball leaving the ball where it is or blade the ball sending it shooting across the green. Those of you that have tried a lob shot can attest to its difficulty. It is a very low percentage shot.
Granted, there are circumstances that a lob shot is necessary, (over a bunker to a tight pin) but more often than not, the use of a high lofted club is a riskier shot than is needed. Hopefully, the club in your bag that you have the most control with is your putter. Its appeal is the ability to keep the ball on the ground. You have much more control of a ball when it is on the ground than one that is up in the air. The putter, as opposed to other clubs, is used on the green because of that control. As we move off of the green, we should be seeking to maintain much of the same control as possible. On the fringe, use the putter as much as possible.
If the fringe is uneven or bumpy, a putter may be inappropriate because the ball will bounce. The club to transition to is not a wedge. Consider using a 5-iron or a 7-iron. The objective of the shot is to carry the ball over the questionable surface and onto a safe haven, the putting green. The proper club to use is the club that has enough loft to carry the ball safely onto the green and will allow the ball to come to a rolling stop at the hole.
As you move further away, a more lofted club may be needed dependent on how much green there is to work with. On a 30 foot chip shot near the edge of the green with green to work with, a 5-iron may be the club of choice. The ball will travel about 5 feet in the air and roll the remaining 25 feet. When there is less green to work with and more fringe to carry, a more lofted club is needed. On a 30 foot chip shot with a wedge, the ball will carry about 15 feet and roll 15 feet. Spend some time chipping with a less lofted club. You will like the results.
Golf Tip: To make the most effective use of your short game practice time, vary the distance of your shots. Many golfers dump their balls beside the green and chip to the same target repeatedly. This practice is good for creating a chipping motion but it doesn’t develop feel. To create feel, set up targets at varying distance (i.e. 20 feet, 30 feet and 40 feet). Hit one shot to the first target, one shot to the second target and the third shot to the last target. Repeat the process several times, then change distances. By changing the distance each shot, you learn to react to the shot at hand and develop a feel for distance.
One of the most spectacular shots we witness on Sunday afternoons is Phil Mickelson’s high flop shot. He sets up with his blade wide open and takes a mighty cut. The ball flies high in the air and lands almost dead on the green. It is definitely a gorgeous shot but it is full of peril. Most of golfers don’t have the ability to hit the shot during play with any consistency. They will hit behind the ball leaving the ball where it is or blade the ball sending it shooting across the green. Those of you that have tried a lob shot can attest to its difficulty. It is a very low percentage shot.
Granted, there are circumstances that a lob shot is necessary, (over a bunker to a tight pin) but more often than not, the use of a high lofted club is a riskier shot than is needed. Hopefully, the club in your bag that you have the most control with is your putter. Its appeal is the ability to keep the ball on the ground. You have much more control of a ball when it is on the ground than one that is up in the air. The putter, as opposed to other clubs, is used on the green because of that control. As we move off of the green, we should be seeking to maintain much of the same control as possible. On the fringe, use the putter as much as possible.
If the fringe is uneven or bumpy, a putter may be inappropriate because the ball will bounce. The club to transition to is not a wedge. Consider using a 5-iron or a 7-iron. The objective of the shot is to carry the ball over the questionable surface and onto a safe haven, the putting green. The proper club to use is the club that has enough loft to carry the ball safely onto the green and will allow the ball to come to a rolling stop at the hole.
As you move further away, a more lofted club may be needed dependent on how much green there is to work with. On a 30 foot chip shot near the edge of the green with green to work with, a 5-iron may be the club of choice. The ball will travel about 5 feet in the air and roll the remaining 25 feet. When there is less green to work with and more fringe to carry, a more lofted club is needed. On a 30 foot chip shot with a wedge, the ball will carry about 15 feet and roll 15 feet. Spend some time chipping with a less lofted club. You will like the results.
Golf Tip: To make the most effective use of your short game practice time, vary the distance of your shots. Many golfers dump their balls beside the green and chip to the same target repeatedly. This practice is good for creating a chipping motion but it doesn’t develop feel. To create feel, set up targets at varying distance (i.e. 20 feet, 30 feet and 40 feet). Hit one shot to the first target, one shot to the second target and the third shot to the last target. Repeat the process several times, then change distances. By changing the distance each shot, you learn to react to the shot at hand and develop a feel for distance.
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
A Good Golf Bag is important
Few things are more important to a golfer than a good golf bag. First off, golf bags come in many styles and a wide variety of colors. You can choose a bag for style, features or pick a color to match your mood.
Some have legs that fold out when they are placed on the ground and stand upright so the golfer doesn't have to bend down and pick it up. That's a nice feature in golf bags, especially if the golfer tends to walk the course, as many do. There is plenty of bending to be done when a golfer is trying to remove an obstacle from around his or her ball, or to get the ball out of the cup, so any way to avoid bending over is more than appreciated.
All golf bags have compartments where the golf clubs are to be placed. Each golfer has his or her own way of doing this and putting clubs where he or she wants them. Some golfers, though, are lazy and just stick their clubs in the compartments, grabbing whichever one they want when a particular club is needed. But, some golf bags have tubes to protect the club grips. These are nice to have. With the tubes, a golfer can get his or her clubs out easier. The clubs are never tangled up, and the grips last a lot longer.
Another important factor in choosing a golf bag is the number of pockets it has. Frankly, there's no such thing as too many pockets in a golf bag. First, one of the pockets will be used to hold the golf bag's hood. The hood is used to keep the clubs and bag from getting drenched when it rains. Another pocket will be used to keep extra towels (believe it or not, extra towels are important in the summer to keep the sweat off the brow and out of the eyes, along with keeping the hands relatively dry. Then, there is the pocket used for keeping the extra golf tees and possibly the divot tool. Finally, a pocket is needed for the golf balls themselves, and it doesn't hurt to have a pocket to carry another dozen balls in, just in case.
Some courses are so difficult it is easy to lose a lot of balls during 18-holes of play. This makes having an extra box of balls around a good thing, but there has to be somewhere in the golf bag to keep them, which means another pocket.
Imagine trying to play golf without a bag. The golfer would be constantly stooping over picking up clubs, tees, balls, towels and the divot tool. Then he or she would have to walk to the ball, drop all of the clubs and stuff, select a club, hit the ball, and start the process all over again. It would be a major pain in the neck, and would make it nearly impossible to finish playing a round of golf. So, golf bags are an essential part of the game of golf.
J. Brian Keith is a Golf Instruction author and contributor at golfclubsgolfcourse.com, where innovative ideas and information about Golf Clubs is openly shared. See Golf Club, Golf Ball and Golf Bag related articles.
Some have legs that fold out when they are placed on the ground and stand upright so the golfer doesn't have to bend down and pick it up. That's a nice feature in golf bags, especially if the golfer tends to walk the course, as many do. There is plenty of bending to be done when a golfer is trying to remove an obstacle from around his or her ball, or to get the ball out of the cup, so any way to avoid bending over is more than appreciated.
All golf bags have compartments where the golf clubs are to be placed. Each golfer has his or her own way of doing this and putting clubs where he or she wants them. Some golfers, though, are lazy and just stick their clubs in the compartments, grabbing whichever one they want when a particular club is needed. But, some golf bags have tubes to protect the club grips. These are nice to have. With the tubes, a golfer can get his or her clubs out easier. The clubs are never tangled up, and the grips last a lot longer.
Another important factor in choosing a golf bag is the number of pockets it has. Frankly, there's no such thing as too many pockets in a golf bag. First, one of the pockets will be used to hold the golf bag's hood. The hood is used to keep the clubs and bag from getting drenched when it rains. Another pocket will be used to keep extra towels (believe it or not, extra towels are important in the summer to keep the sweat off the brow and out of the eyes, along with keeping the hands relatively dry. Then, there is the pocket used for keeping the extra golf tees and possibly the divot tool. Finally, a pocket is needed for the golf balls themselves, and it doesn't hurt to have a pocket to carry another dozen balls in, just in case.
Some courses are so difficult it is easy to lose a lot of balls during 18-holes of play. This makes having an extra box of balls around a good thing, but there has to be somewhere in the golf bag to keep them, which means another pocket.
Imagine trying to play golf without a bag. The golfer would be constantly stooping over picking up clubs, tees, balls, towels and the divot tool. Then he or she would have to walk to the ball, drop all of the clubs and stuff, select a club, hit the ball, and start the process all over again. It would be a major pain in the neck, and would make it nearly impossible to finish playing a round of golf. So, golf bags are an essential part of the game of golf.
J. Brian Keith is a Golf Instruction author and contributor at golfclubsgolfcourse.com, where innovative ideas and information about Golf Clubs is openly shared. See Golf Club, Golf Ball and Golf Bag related articles.
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