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Written by Bryan Spitzer
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Wednesday, 18 February 2009 |
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Golf is one of the unique sports where every player can have a nuance to his/her swing that will not greatly impact or affect their performance. In other sports such as basketball, baseball, and many others the wrong technique translates to poor performance. In golf so long as your swing is on plane and square through the impact zone the results will be similar across the board, now granted, the trajectory will not be the same, nor will club head speed and ball control but essentially the ball will go in the same direction.
So how does any of this translate to my swing, one might ask. The
answer is SIMPLE, Golf is the ultimate sport where one must play within
himself/herself and not step outside of the "comfort zone" even at the
highest levels of competition players fold everyday, stepping too far
outside of their capabilities.
There are several easy ways to figure out what your swing type is and
where the boundaries of your comfort zone lie. The method I have
subscribed to over the years has been a steady dose of finding what is
repeatable and working to do THAT. For some it is a timing mechanism,
others use “feel” the key is to do what works for you to maintain
confidence and execution.
The range is a great place to "discover" boundaries to find out where
you are comfortable. First, place yourself in a situation, "445 yard -
dogleg right, par 4."..."the fairway runs out at 305, and the green is
some 25 feet uphill from the fairway." Already we have a good, real
world scenario that will require four good shots for par. Next, run
through your pre-shot routine and find two targets 25-40 yards apart to
"create" your fairway. Hit the "tee" shot and set up your next ball as
if it were the approach. After a 280 yard drive I have a 165 yard ,
uphill shot in which i need to carry the ball all the way back to the
pin. Ideally, my trajectory and path would be high with a soft fade,
to help me get the ball to stop up near the hole. As for club
selection, I am anywhere from an 6-8 iron depending on the wind and
lie. For me, with my much higher than normal trajectory i will take a
full 7 for this shot or try to pound an 8 iron. Either of these shots
will provide me an ideal option. Now which should i choose? If the
wind is at all in off the pin, I would opt for the 7 to ensure i get
the ball to the hole, plus with my trajectory the wind will help get
the ball up even higher. If it is down or helping i go with the 8 to
achieve the same trajectory and flight i would with the 7 in a hurt
wind. In most cases, I see the average player not thinking this
scenario through more than…wind in my face one or two more clubs, and
oh, hit it harder.
What we often fail to execute is the mental game and the preparation
needed for each shot or hole or round. Utilizing drills like the one
described above forces you to take your game beyond the physical and
focus all your energy right between your ears.
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