Instruction
Dennis Clark: More golf swing myths
A few months ago, Dennis Clark wrote the popular instruction article “Three golf swing myths that can hurt your game.” Here are five more golf swing myths:
4. Myth: Hitting down on the golf ball causes more spin.
Fact: It does not: Dynamic Loft, speed, and point of contact on the face control spin. That’s it. The angle of attack technically does not matter. If you hit down OR up the golf ball, spin will remain the same if the dynamic loft and face contact point and speed remain the same. Nine iron spins more than two iron because of loft, not because the attack angle is steeper.
5. Myth: A club face square to the target causes the golf ball to fly straight.
Fact: Sorry, just not the case. Read my previous article on the D Plane. A club face square to the path will cause the golf ball to fly without curve (left, right or straight). It has nothing to do with the target line unless the golf club is traveling at the target at impact. This is rarely the case — perhaps a 3-wood off the ground occasionally.
6. Myth: A draw is hit with the club face closed to the target. A fade is hit with the club face open to the target.
Fact: Please refer to myth/fact No. 2. The golf ball starts in the direction of the face and curves away from the path. So if you want to play a true right-to-left draw, the face should be open (pointing right of target) and the path should be in-to-out of where the face is pointing. Just the opposite for a fade. So yes, in the Masters playoff Bubba’s face was left of the green and his path had the be extremely inside out.
7. Myth: Wedges go high, two irons go low.
Fact: Not if they are both struck correctly. In fact, every shot you hit, regardless of the club you hit it with, will go the same height (about 35 yards, or 100+ feet high for tour pros). The reason they look different is the the wedge gets to its apex well before the driver does, but the apex will be the same, all things being equal.
8: Myth: Draws go further than fades.
Fact: This is in the “yes but” category. Yes, but only because draws are launched lower. There is no evidence that left axis tilt (draw spin) runs further than right axis tilt (fade spin) whatsoever. But the draw is produced by a club face that is closed relative to the path (and therefore slightly de-lofted) and a fade is produced by club face open relative to the path (and therefore lofted). If they are hit at the same trajectory (which technically can be done) they will go the same distance, all thing being equal. So a draw hits “hotter” because the landing angle was lower.
How do I know all this? TRACKMAN tells me so. If you see ball flight through the eye of this amazing machine, you might never think of a golf swing the same again. It is truly revolutionary and scary accurate. I see it all day every day and would not teach without it. Our years of “guessing” in golf instruction are over.
Analogy: An X-ray machine versus an MRI machine or 3-D vs 2-D.
Because of golf doppler radar technology, teaching world will never be the same. Every one of my lessons measures, not guesstimates the result of every shot. Trackman measures 21 variables, ball flight and club delivery, which are all measured to plus or minus a fraction of a percent. Teachers, don’t leave home without it.
As always, feel free to send a swing video to my Facebook page and I will do my best to give you my feedback.
Click here for more discussion in the “Instruction & Academy” forum.
Dennis Clark is a PGA Master Professional at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Farmington, Pa., and Marriott Marco Island Resort in Naples, Fla. He has been a professional for over 25 years. You can learn more about Dennis on his website, http://www.dennisclarkgolf.com
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Instruction
Clement: Stop ripping off your swing with this drill!
Not the dreaded headcover under the armpit drill! As if your body is defective and can’t function by itself! Have you seen how incredible the human machine is with all the incredible feats of agility all kinds of athletes are accomplishing? You think your body is so defective (the good Lord is laughing his head off at you) that it needs a headcover tucked under the armpit so you can swing like T-Rex?
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Instruction
How a towel can fix your golf swing
This is a classic drill that has been used for decades. However, the world of marketed training aids has grown so much during that time that this simple practice has been virtually forgotten. Because why teach people how to play golf using everyday items when you can create and sell a product that reinforces the same thing? Nevertheless, I am here to give you helpful advice without running to the nearest Edwin Watts or adding something to your Amazon cart.
For the “scoring clubs,” having a solid connection between the arms and body during the swing, especially through impact, is paramount to creating long-lasting consistency. And keeping that connection throughout the swing helps rotate the shoulders more to generate more power to help you hit it farther. So, how does this drill work, and what will your game benefit from it? Well, let’s get into it.
Setup
You can use this for basic chip shots up to complete swings. I use this with every club in my bag, up to a 9 or 8-iron. It’s natural to create incrementally more separation between the arms and body as you progress up the set. So doing this with a high iron or a wood is not recommended.
While you set up to hit a ball, simply tuck the towel underneath both armpits. The length of the towel will determine how tight it will be across your chest but don’t make it so loose that it gets in the way of your vision. After both sides are tucked, make some focused swings, keeping both arms firmly connected to the body during the backswing and follow through. (Note: It’s normal to lose connection on your lead arm during your finishing pose.) When you’re ready, put a ball in the way of those swings and get to work.
Get a Better Shoulder Turn
Many of us struggle to have proper shoulder rotation in our golf swing, especially during long layoffs. Making a swing that is all arms and no shoulders is a surefire way to have less control with wedges and less distance with full swings. Notice how I can get in a similar-looking position in both 60° wedge photos. However, one is weak and uncontrollable, while the other is strong and connected. One allows me to use my larger muscles to create my swing, and one doesn’t. The follow-through is another critical point where having a good connection, as well as solid shoulder rotation, is a must. This drill is great for those who tend to have a “chicken wing” form in their lead arm, which happens when it becomes separated from the body through impact.
In full swings, getting your shoulders to rotate in your golf swing is a great way to reinforce proper weight distribution. If your swing is all arms, it’s much harder to get your weight to naturally shift to the inside part of your trail foot in the backswing. Sure, you could make the mistake of “sliding” to get weight on your back foot, but that doesn’t fix the issue. You must turn into your trial leg to generate power. Additionally, look at the difference in separation between my hands and my head in the 8-iron examples. The green picture has more separation and has my hands lower. This will help me lessen my angle of attack and make it easier to hit the inside part of the golf ball, rather than the over-the-top move that the other picture produces.
Stay Better Connected in the Backswing
When you don’t keep everything in your upper body working as one, getting to a good spot at the top of your swing is very hard to do. It would take impeccable timing along with great hand-eye coordination to hit quality shots with any sort of regularity if the arms are working separately from the body.
Notice in the red pictures of both my 60-degree wedge and 8-iron how high my hands are and the fact you can clearly see my shoulder through the gap in my arms. That has happened because the right arm, just above my elbow, has become totally disconnected from my body. That separation causes me to lift my hands as well as lose some of the extension in my left arm. This has been corrected in the green pictures by using this drill to reinforce that connection. It will also make you focus on keeping the lead arm close to your body as well. Because the moment either one loses that relationship, the towel falls.
Conclusion
I have been diligent this year in finding a few drills that target some of the issues that plague my golf game; either by simply forgetting fundamental things or by coming to terms with the faults that have bitten me my whole career. I have found that having a few drills to fall back on to reinforce certain feelings helps me find my game a little easier, and the “towel drill” is most definitely one of them.
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Instruction
Clement: Why your practice swing never sucks
You hear that one all the time; I wish I could put my practice swing on the ball! We explain the huge importance of what to focus on to allow the ball to be perfectly in the way of your practice swing. Enjoy!
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Jooma
Oct 11, 2012 at 11:33 pm
A golf ball spin is created only by the angle of attack of a golf club face and the friction between the ball and the club face.
Steeper angle of attack creates more force therefore more friction resulting in more spin.
Justin
Jun 30, 2013 at 1:04 am
Sorry, but no. To both. Still believe every new drivet model will grant you x amount of yards, too?
Jooma
Oct 11, 2012 at 11:26 pm
Draw will ALWAYS go further (assuming that the same force is applied) because the ball is trapped by the club face and thus more force can be transferred to it. Fade or slice is just sliding against the face of the club with the majority of force not being applied to the ball.
James Lythgoe
Aug 28, 2012 at 6:31 pm
For Myth # 8, fades are struck with an open face which effectively adds loft to the club used. Draws are struck with the clubface closed or de-lofted. If you were to hit a fade or a draw with the same amount of loft, both shots would fly the same distance.
James Lythgoe
Aug 28, 2012 at 6:26 pm
Adding to Myth # 4 I would say having the back of the ball exposed to the clubface is a big factor in determining spin. Playing in Canada where the ball surrounds the back of the ball, it is very difficult to spin the ball. Go to Florida and the grass lies flat on the fairway so the whole back of the ball is exposed. You can really hit crisp clean shots from lies like that.
Troy Vayanos
Aug 25, 2012 at 4:28 am
Some good ones her Dennis. It’s very interesting when you explain them like this compared to a lot of other generic golf instruction out there today.
dennis
Aug 24, 2012 at 5:44 pm
There are no false readings but you have to read all the variables to get an accurate take on it. For example if you get a 4-degree closed face to path reading and right spin axis, you can calculate how much toward the heel the ball was it…