Tuesday 3rd August 2010

Driving & Grips

Coaches Tip for Driving:-

This is a very simple drill which if mastered will help you hit longer and straighter shots off the tee.

1 - Take your normal driver or wood set up making sure your ball position is forward in your stance, i.e. opposite your left heel for a right handed golfer.

2 – As you start your takeaway I want you to focus on (very slowly at first) brushing the grass on the takeaway for as long as you can.

3 - In the down swing be sure to only clip the top of the tee, you should be trying not to contact the ground at all.

4 – Do this 8 or 9 times without hitting a ball until you understand the concept and can reproduce a low and slow sweeping action.

5 – When you feel comfortable try it with a ball making sure to have the same low and slow rhythm back and through as before.

This drill allows the player to make a better turn of your shoulders thus building power and will stop high or weak shots due to early wrist hinging. Remember you should not be contacting the ground with your driver you only sweep!!!


Equipment Tip – Grips

Whether you play off +2 or +22 we all have the same connection to our clubs… our grips. I deliberately use the word connection because it is exactly this connection that enables the golfer to feel and play a shot consistently. If for some reason we do not have adequit grips on our clubs we will loose the connection and we will not play to our full ability!! Remember if your grips are not 100%… 100% of your game will suffer!

A good grip should encorporate the following:

1) To be clean enough i.e. not to give off a shiney look.

2) To be the same type of grip, full chord, half chord, wrap or tour velvet.

3) To be the same thickness.

Top tip:- Once a month put your whole set in the bath with COLD water, add some fairy liquid and scrub your grips with the solution, then dry immediately with a towel. This will remove the shiney look, which is a build up of sweat over time and will give them back their grippy feeling!! Cheap and very effective.

N.B. If they are still shine after this cleaning they are too old and have lost their pigment and need to be replaced.