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Today’s subject is posture.
I see hundreds of different postures, not only amongst amateurs but also among the pros. Not so much now, as the gyms and fitness coaches have put most PGA professionals in great shape. But not so many of the older amateur golfers who were businessmen and now have become golf enthusiasts and are looking for ideas (and miracles) to improve their golf game.
Because we all have different physiques, arm lengths, and leg lengths, there had to be a better way of always getting into the correct posture for each golfer – and there is!
Mike Adams:
Mike is one of the leading teachers in the US and is in the Teachers Hall of Fame because of his work with biomechanics. This is his way of getting the correct posture for each individual golfer.
Bend forward with slightly bent knees and place your palms flat on your thighs.
Put the index finger of each hand on the top of the kneecap.
Now, relax your arms (keeping the posture) and let them hang loosely. They should hang at 90 degrees to your shoulders.
Place your hands together without moving the arms forward or back. (no matter how weird it may feel in the beginning)
Place a club in your hands (again without moving the arms towards or away from your body)
This is the correct posture for you. Practice this at home until it starts feeling comfortable.
Another factor that can influence posture is Club length.
Make sure you go to a certified clubfitter and check that your club length and lie angles are correct for you in your new posture.
You can’t go wrong with A protein-based diet for Golf Fitness is the subject of today’s Fitness Friday. A Golf Video Blog with Mel Sole, Director of Instruction and Master Professional at the Mel Sole Golf School, located at Pawleys Plantation Golf and Country Club in Pawleys Island, SC.
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
On Fridays, we present tips to help your game and curate articles from well-known fitness instructors in the golfing industry. Nutrition and fitness go hand in glove, so don’t try and get your body in shape without a healthy diet as well. Rob Labritz for PGA.com gives you some correct steps to go about this!
“Pay attention to what you put in your body.” Surely you’ve heard that from your doctor countless times. Well, now you’re going to hear it from PGA Professional Rob Labritz.
Emphasis on a protein-based diet for Golf Fitness.
In this week’s installment of our “Become a complete golfer” series, Labritz is putting a major emphasis on nutrition. “Make smart choices,” he said. “You can’t go wrong with a protein-based diet. However, it must also include fruits and vegetables without a lot of sugary carbohydrates. You do need some carbohydrates for brain function, but you don’t need the kinds that are slathered in sugar.”
Over the course of this series, Labritz has stressed the importance of keeping everything “in balance.” It isn’t just your mind and your swing. It extends to what you’re eating, too. For instance, Labritz said, if you’re the kind of person who thinks fueling up on the course means a hot dog and a soft drink at the turn, you may want to reevaluate — particularly if you’re serious about improving all aspects of your game. “Basically, you’re messing yourself up pretty bad if you opt for a hot dog and Coke,” he said. “You’ll probably have a sugar high for 45 minutes and then a crash. When your body does that, your mind does the same thing. So it’s hard to stay balanced.”
Labritz is a self-described “strict eater” when it comes to life in general and believes a protein-based diet is something everyone should buy into and make a part of their lifestyle. So how do you apply nutrition to the course? Like everything else, it has to do with preparation.
The Goal.
The goal on the course is to keep your energy high and your focus throughout. You don’t want to be full out there, but you certainly don’t want to be starving either. Labritz recommends eating a good meal 3-4 hours before your tee time. If it’s an early morning tee time and you don’t have time to get that solid meal in, here’s what Labritz suggests.
A different way to chip – This might be the answer!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
Hi, I’m Mel Sole, Director of Instruction and Master Professional at the Mel Sole Golf School at Pawleys Plantation Golf and Country Club in Pawleys Island, SC. I have taught this method over the years to students who struggle with the conventional method. Using a less lofted club like a 6 or 7 iron, getting into a chipping stance with the ball behind the back foot’s toes is the way I do it.
Chipping always takes a little bit of practice to develop a feel.
But once you get that, the rest is easy! A different way to chip! This might be the answer!
Listen up as A.J. Avoli, one of Golf Digest’s Best Young Teachers, explains a different way to chip with this innovative method. He likes to get the shaft a little bit more upright and hits the ball off the club’s toe. Maybe this gets the ball to roll a little bit better. It would certainly prevent the club from sticking in the ground! He is director of instruction at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.
Over time, a simple method for getting the ball from off the green to the flagstick fell out of favor.
I rarely see anyone chip like the late Hall of Fame golfer Paul Runyan. That’s a shame, because this technique will make you more accurate around the greens, with a lot less practice. Once you master the setup and learn to make a rhythmic stroke—like putting—you’ll start getting up and down more often. Let me show you how to chip old school.
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
I have many students who allow their weight to move over to the outside of the trail foot by allowing a hip “slide.” Unfortunately, this now affects the way they start the downswing. They have nothing to push off with. Here, Josh Zander explains, with the help of a teaching-aid, how to keep this from happening in your swing! I think Josh gets into a bit of a Stack and Tilt position at the top of the backswing, which I don’t really like. However, that is a lot better than allowing the hip to slide away and get the weight outside the back foot at the top of the backswing. I also like the use of the training aid. I have used this in putting, but never in the full swing. Great idea.
How the proper hip turn helps generate power and proper impact in the golf swing.
Imagine standing inside a barrel. The hips stay inside the barrel on the backswing, with the weight still loading onto the back leg. You now get into what I like to call a baseball pitcher’s windup position. He would fall over if he allowed the hips to slide laterally. The hips turn!
By allowing your butt to touch the training aid, you will instantly feel as if there is a slide. Head to the range and work on this. You’ll increase your weight shift and body rotation and hit the ball further as a result!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
Top Speed Golf and Clay Ballard do a great job here of explaining how ground force can really help you not only hit the ball with more power but really improve all aspects of your game. The video is a little long (16 mins), but I can assure you, it is well worth the time!
Try hitting a golf ball while sitting in a chair with your feet off the ground!
Absolutely no power. Without the ground to help you generate power, you’ve got zippo!
If you want power in your golf swing, learn to push off with the lower body in a BIG way! Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart and just up vertically while twisting around to face the other way. That is what using ground force is all about! You will feel your rear foot push as the center of mass has to move forward for the body to rotate. If you jumped and turned to the left, you would push off with your right foot. That is what a right-handed golfer should feel. Go into your backyard and jump and turn to face the other way over and over. Push harder and harder, and you will eventually be able to spin around 360 degrees. That demonstrates how you can really increase your velocity and your power.
Once you have that pushing-off feeling, head to the range, and see if you can incorporate that right foot push-off feeling in your golf swing. It might take a little time, and you might hit a few bad shots, but it is all worth it. In no time, you will be pounding the ball out there!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
Sean Webb of Athletic Motion Golf highlights with this awesome GEARS 3D Motion Capture how much difference there is between the amateur golfer (even a good one) and a PGA Tour player. Obviously, if you want to hit the ball further, you must learn to turn the torso and the hips very fast through impact in the golf swing!
In this first video in the series, we look at the differences in body rotation between an amateur golfer who we captured in our studio and a PGA tour professional.
Positions are Significantly Different.
What was interesting in this video was the impact positions between the hip and torso rotation between a 5 handicap amateur and a PGA Tour player. The torso rotation saw an increase of 22 degrees! From 5 degrees in the amateur’s swing to 27 Degrees in the professional. The hip rotation was even more staggering, with a difference of 30 degrees at impact.
An amateur golfer (even a 5 handicap) can significantly improve his distance by increasing body rotation. So how does he do that? By doing a lot of rotation exercises. To be able to have a body that will allow that amount of rotation through impact!
What do the amateur need to do to increase rotation?
My suggestion for this player would be 2 things. First, hire a good teaching professional to help learn to start the downswing in the proper sequence. And two, hire a personal trainer who would get the body into shape. He needs the body to work the way it is intended to in the golf swing.
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
Golf course architects are horrible, aren’t they? They put trees on the golf course that could potentially get in the way of our shot to the green! But have no fear. PGA golf professional Bill Ore will help you navigate that precarious position. Next time, drive it on the fairway – there are no trees on the fairway!
But, if you do happen to find your ball with large trees in your way, this is how to do it.
1. Widen your stance slightly.
This will allow the club to come in on a shallower angle and get the ball up into the air quicker.
2. Move the ball more forward in the stance.
Closer to the lead heel. This will add more loft at impact, getting the ball up quickly.
3. Keep the head behind the ball at impact.
If the head moves forward on the downswing, you will deloft the club, and the trajectory will be lower, and you might not make it over the trees.
Watch easy golf instruction on how to elevate your golf ball quickly. PGA Professional Billy Ore offers a 3-step process for how to get your ball over that tree or other obstacle in front of you.
Learn the keys to Fairway Bunkers with Luke Donald!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
Former World #1 Luke Donald has been a Mizuno player most of his career, so this mizunogolfeurope golf tip should be presented. According to Luke, the key to hitting good bunker shots is to pick the ball clean off the sand. Here are his keys:
1. Dig the feet in the sand for good footing.
2. Grip down because of digging the feet in.
3. Try and have more of a sweeping motion than a digging motion with the club.
4. Very Stable with the legs.
5 Swing Easy!
Learn the keys to Fairway Bunkers with Luke Donald!
No one better than PGA Tour pro Luke Donald to explain the difference in approach with a 115 yard fairway bunker shot. More on the new MP-25 irons used by Luke in this tip on golf.mizunoeurope.com
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
What are the keys to great fairway woods?
Ged Walters from the Trafford Golf Center in Manchester, England, gives you a few things to work on to make your fairway woods more consistent and longer!
Ball position.
About 2″ inside the lead heel.
Width of stance.
About Shoulder Width.
Smooth swing.
No Rushing!
Ged Walters shows you the secret to hitting your fairway woods awesome. Play your best golf with help from one of Trafford Golf Centres PGA Golf Professionals. Ged shows you how getting the right set up with your fairway woods will help your hit awesome shots off both the fairway and the tee.
A fun shot to learn – Create a backspin on your pitch shots!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
My good friend Adam Bazelgette of Scratch Golf Academy and former co-worker at the Phil Ritson Golf Studio in Myrtle Beach back in the early ’90s have certainly come a long way in the teaching world. Being named twice, Florida Teacher of the Year is no small accomplishment! Here Adam explains in great detail how the conditions need to be to create backspin on your pitch shots so you can impress your friends.
The 4 golf chip shot tips in this video will help teach you to understand more clearly what is required to learn better how to get backspin with your chip shots and will show you the best way to get more backspin with your pitching and chip shot.
Loft.
The more lost you have, the more spin in created.
Contact.
Contact with the bottom of the ball with only a slightly downward blow.
Speed.
The more clubhead speed, the more spin. If you don’t have far to go, open the clubface to add more loft.
Grooves.
Worn grooves will not spin the ball. Relace your wedges more than your clubs.
