When I first began to play golf, I was very much aware that I did not want to learn bad habits from the start. I knew the game was about muscle memory and just like all “swinging” type sports a person can really damage their progression by picking up bad habits from the beginning. Something I thought about was to also be very conscience about learning from only a single source. I thought that by diversifying what I had been learning by instruction or reading about, I would develop a more rounded and diverse approach on how I wanted to perform. I can say now that I have learned the most from word-of-mouth from a positive instructor that I would later build on by further research and reading. I refrain from providing opinion on swings since I believe it is very much a personal process but I do feel it is important to build the basics and outline some key points.
I thought that one way I can build my readers in a swing style for them is to let them know what some of the more common mistakes are when starting and even as you progress. Problem is that I was not a pro when I started so how would I know? Well, I thought that one way to do this was to discuss my thoughts with a local golf pro. Again, there is no way I can fit this all in one post so I will be coming back to this from time to time. My “interview” was brief but I plan on going to a number of pros in the area to bring you a wide spectrum of opinions. For now, I had the chance to talk to Dennis Wright, head of instruction and PGA pro from Heartwell Golf course in Long Beach.
Golf Swing
I was curious what he thought was the biggest problem when starting to play the game. He indicated that a golfer’s head is generally the biggest issue. A golfer tends to always pop his head up before his swing is complete and by doing so many times skews the hit itself. Even today, I can tell you I am guilty of this myself. When I play with my wife I see the same thing. It makes complete sense to me, I am always eager to see where the ball is going. After all, I don’t want to lose it and want to evaluate my shot as soon as possible.
Standard Pendulum Movement
I had been scolded on this when I began and really wanted to find a way to correct this behavior. I came to believe that a golfer’s swing is a pendulum like on an old grandfather clock. The position, stance, back swing and most of the follow through are all centered at your neck. Keeping the head still and focusing on the ball are the key attributes on a solid hit. You can visualize the swing motion with the picture to the right with the ball under the “fixed point” and the “bob” moving like the golf club at impact.
As mentioned, I will continue to go over some key points to be aware of and to describe / break down my interviews in future postings.
