Golf Fundamentals
Below are my core fundamentals. They are the foundation of my golf game and can be the foundation of your game. I post about these fundamentals more in depth on my blog.
My shot-by-shot routine:
I use a 5-step process on every shot I hit:
1.) Plan carefully: Before the shot I evaluate how the lie will affect the shot and I also figure the distance to the front and back of the green and to the flag. Then I determine my exact target line, how far I want to carry the ball in the air and the trajectory that I want. Then I pick my club and rehearse how the swing will feel.
2.) Commit fully: Before I approach the ball, I take a deep breath and totally commit.
3.) Execute freely: Once over the ball, I line, up look at the target, look at the ball and swing without hesitation while directing my energy to the target.
4.) Evaluate calmly: After the shot, I evaluate if I had a good plan, if I stayed committed to it and if I need to practice that shot later.
5.) Move on assertively: If the shot didn’t go as planned, I take a practice swing and say to myself: “Next time I will swing like that.” And then I move on to the next shot with confidence.
Mental Game:
My definition of success comes from John Wooden: Success is having the peace that comes from the satisfaction of knowing that you did your best with the talents and abilities that God gave you.
Doing my best on the course means that I do my shot-by-shot routine perfectly. Doing my best does not mean that I shoot a certain score or try harder over the ball.
Full Swing:
Posture: Balanced, feeling athletic with engaged legs and core.
Grip: Interlock with no glove from inside of 40 yards. Overlap with glove from over 40 yards. Left palm pad on top of grip with relaxed hands. Barely see the second knuckle on my left hand when I look down at address and the “V’s” of thumb and forefinger on both hands point between my right shoulder and chin.
Alignment: Feet, shoulders, forearms, hips and knees all parallel to the target.
Take-away: Engaged core and legs while extending arms and staying level.
Top of backswing: Coiled on right leg, left shoulder under chin, with a flat left wrist and arms feel extended slightly behind me so that hands are above my shoulders and vertically aligned above my heels from the down-the-line view.
Downswing: Simultaneously, my right elbow drives toward the ball while my left hip rotates and my hands turn down to start the downswing. Once this chain of events is started I drive off of my right leg and keep turning my hips and driving my right elbow through impact with my hands turned down.
Impact: Flat left wrist, hips open, with right elbow bent and in front of my body and the feeling of eyes stacked on top of each other if I were to look at the target.
Follow through: Relaxed with no tension. Extended right arm and body rotation happens automatically because of a good backswing and downswing.
Finish: Belt buckle facing the target, shoulders turned through and weight on left foot.
Short Game:
I use my 60 degree for about 95 percent of my shots inside of 100 yards. For long uphill chips with lots of green to work with, I use a lower lofted club.
Set-up: The smaller the swing, the more narrow my stance. The lower I want to hit the ball, the more I play the ball back in my stance. The higher I want to hit the ball, the more forward I play the ball in my stance. I always have more weight on my left foot during the entire stroke unless I am on an upslope. Also, the shaft points at my left hip on all of my shots and I use a weaker left hand grip so that I can’s see any knuckles on my left hand at address.
Stroke: Smooth “1, 2” tempo while keeping weight on the left leg is key. I count “1” on the backswing, with a slight pause at the top and then “2” through impact while letting the clubhead fall toward the ball while my body rotates through. I listen for the clubhead to make a matchstrike acceleration on the ground.
Greenside Sand:
Set-up: Wide stance and squat with an upright spine. For most sand shots I play the ball 3/4 of the way forward in my stance with clubface slighlty open and weight on my left foot unless it’s on an upslope.
Stroke: I set my wrists and open the clubface more on the backswing while staying level and maintaining my squat. Then hit 1.5″ behind the ball while cutting across toward my left toe while accelerating and keeping the face open through impact.
Putting:
Set-up: Feet, shoulders and forearms parallel to the target line. Forearms and shaft on the same plane from the down-the-line view and I stand hunched with eyes over the ball.
Stroke: Smooth “1, 2” tempo while keeping the nape of my neck steady. The clubhead moves back and through on an arc while the clubface stays square to the arc.