Backspin Volume 3, Issue 1 | Page 32

lessonspin full swing fundamentals Two aspects of the full swing are the pre-swing and the in-swing. The pre-swing is the set up at address and includes the fundamentals for everything a player should do prior to starting the back swing. The inswing includes the fundamentals for everything a player should do once the back swing is initiated. The full swing is one in which a player desires maximum distance from woods and irons. (Note: for lefthanded players, all statements that Tad Kivett refer to “left” will be obviously be PGA Professional reversed to right.) Pre-swing: It is important to have proper posture when addressing the golf ball. In golf, the definition of “address” is “placing the club on the ground behind the ball and taking a stance.” Every player needs to be in the proper setup position in order to execute an effective golf swing. Stand straight with your feet about shoulder width apart. Slightly flex your knees, then tilt your upper body forward toward the golf ball, bending from where the hip joint meets the leg joint. Do not bend from the waist, bend from the hip joint. (Fig.1). Bend until your upper body is at a 45-degree angle to the lower body allowing the arms to hang straight down and tension free. (Fig.2). Bending from the hip joint will move your buttocks slightly outward allowing for better balance. Keep your chin up and eyes down. This position will straighten your spine and allow the shoulders to move freely underneath the chin and will help keep your head still throughout the swing. The frequently asked question is, “How far should I stand from the golf ball?” This question easily is answered in that wherever your arms hang straight down in a “dangling” tension free position is the position you should grip the How far should I stand from the golf ball? 30 club when addressing the ball. (Fig.3). Ball position: For iron shots, position the ball in the center of the stance directly even with your chin, as the club will tend to reach its fullest extension and hit the ground where the chin is positioned. For the driver and fairway woods, position the ball slightly left of center. Be careful not to position the ball too far left in the stance, as the club head should still be moving down the target line after impact, allowing for a straighter ball flight. Be careful not to position the ball too far left in the stance, as the club head should still be moving down the target line after impact, allowing for a straighter ball flight. If the ball is positioned too far to the left in the stance, the club will move left at impact imparting left to right ball spin, resulting in a slice or some other off line shot. To view correct ball position, refer to (fig. 5a, b, c). Weight distribution is key to maintaining balance throughout the swing. Keep the weight on the inside of both feet, what most refer to as the “ball” of your foot behind the big toe. In this position, you should be able to lift your heels off the ground and still feel balanced. (Fig.4). This position is an “athletic” position, much like a tennis player waiting to return a serve or a football quarterback waiting for the hike. In all cases the player must be able to move in any direction at any given time. Keeping your weight balanced, as mentioned above, will allow you to have resistance from all four sides of the body. A good drill is to keep the heels lifted off the ground while swinging the club. This drill will improve balance and help eliminate wasted motion in the lower body. For iron shots, I encourage my students to distribute the weight of the body 60 percent left and 40 percent right. Anchoring the weight to the left side of the body encourages a descending motion on the downswing, allowing the club to move down and through the impact zone. In order to get the effective loft of the clubface and proper ball trajectory with the irons, the club must be moving downward at impact. For a ball that is teed up, such as the driver, keep the weight distributed evenly: 50 percent left – 50 percent right. Since the ball is on a tee, you do not need to swing downward, but rather level to the ground, more of a sweeping motion, not taking a divot but rather brushing the grass. The path of the club is similar to an airplane landing and taking off. An airplane must land level to the runway just as a driver should approach the impact zone more level to the ground. For iron shots, position the hands slightly ahead of the golf ball more towards the target, forming more of a straight line from the shoulder down the arm and through the shaft. The more lofted the club, such as the 9-iron, the more forward the hands are towards the target. When swinging a driver with the ball teed up, position the hands more evenly in line with the golf ball. (Fig. 5a, b, c). There is more to this lesson! See the full article, including more information on the grip, the back swing and the downswing at backspinmag.com/fullswing-fundamentals/.