IMPROVE MY GAME
Articles
Check your Fundamentals First
Fri Jan 17, 2014 by Dave Phillips
As much as the elite level golfers work with their coaches and trainers have you noticed how little their actual golf swings change?
That’s because they have great fundamentals and have already reached a skill level beyond what most of us can only dream of. Many swing problems come from basic problems in the setup that manifest into major problems during the swing. For instance if you align your body well to the right of the target subconsciously you know where the target is, so during the swing you will make an adjustment with the club to try and get the ball to start toward your target. This is when problems occur, the simple fix is to align properly but without someone telling you to do it, you will make the correction by swinging across your target line which in turn could produce a pull, slice or variety of poor shots.
If you really want to fix your poor shots check your basic fundamentals first, grip, alignment to the target, alignment of the clubface at address, ball position and distance from the ball. Develop a checklist with your teacher of what they should be and use that as a guide when you’re not hitting it your best. I see so many golfers working on their swings without any real attention to their basic fundamentals.
The other important factor to take into consideration when working on your swing is your body. You have to understand your physical strengths and weaknesses if your trying to fix a sway and you have poor hip rotation you can work as hard as you want on the range, but the sway won’t go away until you address your limitation. At TPI we always physically evaluate a player before ever telling them what they should do, this is essential when you’re trying to make a change.
If your truly committed to playing better golf, make sure you work on your fundamentals and understand what your body can do by seeing a TPI Certified Expert for a physical evaluation as it pertains to your golf swing.