An interesting question that I have been running into lately is:  “Do I turn my hips hard on my downswing to create more speed?”  Many people feel and truly believe that beginning the downswing you should turn your hips as hard and as fast as you can, and the faster you can turn them the more power you will have.  Now, I will be the first one to say that this is clearly what it looks like on TV.  But, if you actually break down the swings of all the greatest players of all time, this is NOT what clearly is happening.  In fact if you try to turn your hips as fast as you can on the downswing there will be way more problems than good things that will come out of it.  This will more than likely destroy your golf swing and cause you to hit it more off line and shorter than you ever have!  That does NOT sound like much fun!  This is what should be happening…

After moving to the top of your golf swing, the first move towards the ball should be a reconnection to the pivot by way of a hip bump, slide, or whatever is politically correct.  “The LAWs of the Golf Swing” by Mike Adams, TJ Tomasi, and Jim Suttie talks about this move in great detail.  The more vertical your swing, the more exaggerated of a hip bump you will need for the reconnection of your hands and club to your pivot.  The more flat your swing is, the less of a hip bump you will need to reconnect your hands to your pivot.  So basically you have to find the correct combination to suit your swing!

“Golfers who have read Hogan’s advice to clear the hips as fast as possible on the downswing, as a way of generating power, have been thrown way off course.  They spin their hips around so abruptly that they get way out ahead of the ball and mishit the shot.  The slow hand-arm-club releasers block the ball, while the fast releasers hook the ball.”  Johnny Myers, Golf Magazine Top 100 Instructor.  My advice would be if you are being taught to clear your hips fast as to generate power, run the other way!

Ben Hogan put great emphasis on hip action in “Five Lessons”.  He explained how he would turn his hips from the top of his backswing hard and fast.  Being the number one selling golf instruction book of all time, maybe that is why people believe that is what is right!  In the book “The Hogan Way” it says, “As far as what Hogan mentions in Five lessons, he left out the most important point:  that he shifted his hips laterally toward the target before rotating them to the left in a counterclockwise direction.”

If you have any more questions about this topic and want to find out how to implement this in your golf swing do not hesitate to call me!

Here is an easy way to learn to control your distances when hitting in greenside bunkers.  For a long bunker shot, feel as though you are swinging a 20 pound dumbbell, instead of your golf club.  Think about the different muscles, and how they would be used when moving the dumbbell back and through.  Your core would be engaged, creating enough force capable of moving this much weight.  Do the opposite for a short bunker shot.  Feel as though you are swinging a one pound dumbbell.  Think about how much you do not need to engage your muscles to move the dumbbell back and through.  While swinging the weight you will want to have a very lose feeling, which will allow the ball to come out very short, soft, and will stop very quickly.

Merry Christmas and  Happy New Year!  

I hope everyone had a blessed Christmas and Happy New Year. Thank you all so much for your support in 2011 – I could not and would not do what I love to do without you.

2012 is going to bring many changes!  The first one is an email based newsletter.  In this email based newsletter I will be giving free golf tips, ideas, and most importantly, keeping everyone up to date on the some of the highlights/scores and tournaments some of my students are playing in.  The second one is the formation and branding Drew Belt Golf Instruction.  You will learn more about this in the future!

My goals for 2012 are directly focused on improving your golf game and I will do so by improving the 4 cornerstones of the golf game:

• The long game:  Your ball striking and the full swing.
• The short game:  100 yards and in, including putting, chipping, pitching, and bunker play.
• The course management game:  Having the knowledge and discipline to manage yourself on and off the course.  
• The mental game:  This is developing firm control of your mind and your emotions on and off the course.  

What are your goals for 2012?

Currently there are 7 junior golfers in the top 150 of their respective class working and training with Drew Belt Golf Instruction!  Many of us don’t know which tournaments we are all playing, or what were the results?  Let’s keep each other informed!  If you are playing in any tournaments, shot a new best score, or simply overcame an obstacle please email me!

Walker Bottomley doing what he loves!

Years ago, my mentor and teacher, Chris Bottomley, would dissect instructional books from cover to cover with me.  We would then grab a golf club and really try to understand what the book was saying.  He taught me a major lesson that everyone knows but not everyone practices, “Knowledge is Power”.  I now have a collection of books that definitively would tally over 100 books.  Not every book you read you agree with what the author is saying, absolutely nothing is wrong with that!  It is fine to form your own opinion!

So, step one is to READ!

Jim McLean’s “The Eight Step Swing” is a well written book by one of the greatest golf instructors ever.  My favorite chapter out of that book is Chapter 20, The Great Learner.  He gives us 12 different characteristics of quality students:

1.  Listen intently 2.Clarify problems 3. Ask Questions 4.Don’t expect immediate results. 5 Persevere. 6. Are determined to succeed.  7.  Trust the teacher. 8. Don’t complain about minor setbacks. 9. Follow the game plan devised with their teacher. 10. Write down swing thoughts and feels. 11. Set reachable goals within a set time frame.  12.  Don’t always judge their progress by ball flight.

Mr. McLean goes on to tell a story about Tom Kite and how was working on a major swing change the TUESDAY before a big tournament.  How many times have you heard this is the wrong thing to do?  This is the correct thing to do if you are determined and unafraid!  Needless to say he struggled the first day, figuring it all out on the way, and ended up finishing 6th.  He later that year won the US Open at Pebble Beach!  Tuesday was EXACTLY the time he needed the change…what better time then now?  Mr. McLean then goes on and gives a story about how even Tiger appreciates a great shot, and still gets excited.

“Woods and Kite play golf because they love it.  To them it is art.  They paint pictures with their clubs.  Neither one can wait for the next day of golf.  Great students love the game.”  Enough said.

That is what is new with Jack Rautenstrach, a 14 year old who is a Freshman at Greenbrier High School.  He has done an amazing job at working on his swing and you can really tell the difference!

 Jack before the series of lessons….

After two lessons!

There are two things that I worked on with Jack that have caused this change:  when the straightening occurs in the left leg on the downswing, and keeping the connection between the hands are body on downswing and follow through.

The junior move that I see most often is the players try to kick there left leg out or spin out way to early in an effort to create power.  The left leg shouldn’t straighten till just post impact, and that is the feeling Jack is having in the swing.

The second move is helped by a training aid.  Jack can hit balls over and over, but as soon as there is something in the way to notify him when he does the move wrong – the incorrect move magically self corrects!  I believe drills are a great – but when the drills involve hitting golf balls – it always works better!

Awesome job Jack!

Great article by Jason Sobel from the Golf Channel.  Preach on!

“WHY ARE YOU STILL WRITING ABOUT THIS GUY?!?!?!?!?”

My response has remained the same for years – from Woods’ on-course dominance to his personal scandal to his current state of uncertainty. It’s the reason why television ratings spike when he’s in the field, why his galleries swell to much larger than those of the leaders at any given event.

Simply put, it’s the law of supply and demand.

You demand more Tiger. We supply it.

All of which conjures a quixotic conundrum. If “you” are complaining about the overanalyzation and constant coverage of Woods, then how can “you” also be clamoring for further content on him?

The explanation is that unlike all other professional golfers, everyone has an opinion on Woods. As my colleague John Hawkins recently said, “He doesn’t move the needle. He is the needle.”

Undoubtedly, some golf fans love Woods, while others love to hate him. What’s been interesting so far this week, though, is that the balance between the two is shifting back to the former more so than at any time since his extramarital affairs were revealed to the worldwide public.

For years, the hypothetical question, “What would be the state of golf without Tiger?” was asked, but only recently has it been answered. In the past year-and-a-half, the game has become a parity party, with first-time major champions taking each of the past half-dozen titles and the world’s No. 1 ranking becoming a revolving door for terrifically consistent players who aren’t consistently terrific.

Woods himself has descended from the top spot to 28^th, a downward spiral rooted in a cornucopia of personal, emotional, spiritual, physical and technical issues. He hasn’t won anywhere in 21 months and isn’t currently qualified to advance to the FedEx Cup playoffs.

Judging by the litmus test provided over the first two rounds at Firestone Country Club, while it can be debated how much the game actually needs Woods, it’s undeniable that those who are fans of the game clearly want him to return to his previous stature.

On Thursday, as he awaited his first swing in a competitive environment since withdrawing from The Players three months ago due to multiple leg injuries, it felt like Woods had the entire population of Akron surrounding the tee box, cheering him in unison.

We’ve now reached a point where the masses have witnessed the future – and they’d rather blast back to the past. Individual sports are dependent on their superstars and while the PGA Tour won’t cease to exist should Woods never revert to form, the degree of its short-term prosperity may hinge on his impending success.

There’s a reason why the Bridgestone has been the year’s most anticipated non-major tournament – and maybe just as anticipated in some circles, if not more so, than a few of those majors. Woods has transformed from the game’s greatest player to its greatest enigma, which provides intrigue in itself, but whereas fans once gathered to watch his exploits in open-mouthed awe and at times last year simply wanted to witness the circus sideshow, the current sense is that on-course spectators and at-home viewers are hoping for a return to prior dominance, because, well, it beats what we’ve ascertained as the alternative.

For his part, Woods fails to acknowledge why or how he continues to draw the most supporters, even when he isn’t winning tournaments or – like on Friday – he’s well behind the leaders.

“I think it’s great they just came out, period,” he maintained. “It’s great to have them come out and support the event. This is a big event and whether they’re following me or someone else, it’s great to have them out here.”

That’s not to say that there is unilateral patronage toward Tiger, but there is universal interest in his adventure. All of which brings us back to the main theme of this column. Why does so much golf coverage revolve around Woods? Because for better or worse on his scorecard, you care about his progression and you’re piqued as to what the remainder of his career will entail.

If you’re still skeptical, I have one last bit of proof: Hey, you not only clicked the link to this Tiger Woods-related story, you just read it all the way to the end. Case closed.”

AGREED!

One of the amazing things about living and working in Augusta, Georgia, is how good some of the junior golfers are here.  I truly believe (I know) that the Augusta area could hold it’s own with junior golf against any other area in the United States and maybe the world!  (not including junior academy towns such as Bradenton and Howie in the Hills)

The simple explanation of why Augusta, Georgia has very good junior players would be found in a book called “Bounce”, by Matthew Syed.  Basically there are three things that are required to become extremely good or world class at something. 1:burning desire in the individual 2: luck 3:hard work.  Sounds easy?

1:Matthew Syed says the burning desire in the individual is “motivation by association: a small, barely noticed connection searing deep into the subconscious and sparking a motivational response”.  ”I am similar to this guy; he has achieved really good things…, I want to achieve those things, too!”  This burning desire and inspiration can be found in every juniors back yard come April.  Kids see players do this and say, I can do that too!  Augusta National helps out that cause with the Junior Pass program.  Oh and another thing about Augusta, the Augusta State Jaguars men’s golf team have won back to back national championships!  That is some serious motivation!

2: Luck.  Luck is being born in Augusta.  Unfortunately luck is also being born to parents that are able to afford and bring you to a golf course.  Luck is also being able to practice at a place that challenges your abilities.  Luck is finding a world class instructor that will motivate you and give you the opportunity to be, and have, highly skilled mechanics.  Go to a golf course, any course in Augusta, and you will find dozens of lucky kids!

3:  Hard Work.  ”The secret’s in the dirt”.  Ben Hogan is basically saying you have to practice – HARD.  Deliberate practice – not just joking around practice.  This may not sound fun, but players with the deep motivational will look at the boring practice and say they are really loving it and having fun.  There are many books and experts that debate Malcom Gladwell’s 10,000 rule, which is “the key to success in any field is, to a large extent, a matter of practicing a specific task for a total of around 10,000 hours”.  This is the reality, and if you break it down to each day you need to practice 3 hours for 10 straight years.

Get to work!

Nick Bollettieri (world famous tennis coach):

“Every endeavour pursued with passion produces a successful outcome regardless of the result.  For it is not about winning or losing – rather, the effort put forth in producing the outcome.  The best way to predict the future is to create it…”

I have to confess – I am a huge NBA fan – forcing myself to stay up all hours of the night to watch all of those West Coast games.  And, of course, growing up in Michigan, the Detroit Pistons are my favorite team.  Unfortunately, they did not make the playoffs…so I will have to go with the Thunder this year!

There is one part of basketball that is alarmingly similar to the game of golf:  the free throw.

If I were to give you a basketball, have you stand at the free throw line on the basketball court, and tell you to try your best to make the basketball go in the hoop, a few things would happen.  This sequence of events that takes place is whatever you do instinctively to best prepare yourself to make the shot.  Now, shoot the ball to the best of your ability…. Did you make it?  If you are visualizing this in your mind right now, of course you made it!

Basketball  players, before shooting a free throw, go through a getting ready process – a routine – through which they prepare themselves to execute the free throw shot.  This sequence of events may be something they have copied, or completely home grown.

Pre-shot sequencing, more often referred to as a pre-shot routine, is not exclusive to golf.  All deliberate sports (sports in which the player initiates the action) are best carried out by those with the most consistent pre-shot.  Think of bowling, tennis, volleyball, and archery.  In all these games there is a consistent manner in which players approach and execute, often consistent to the fraction of a second in the time it takes to perform the routine.

Develop a set routine for consistently better golf shots:

1. Looking at the hole, visualize that perfect trajectory you made that time you hit your best golf shot.  If you haven’t yet done this, then you are visualizing how someone else’s ball traveled when they hit a great golf shot.  This is where you would make the rehearsal swings, trying to figure our how much or little of a swing to use.
2. Set your clubface to your target, and then align your body comfortably around your clubface.
3. “Let everything go” and release the club.  Releasing would include the legs, hips, and the upper body.  Don’t be afraid to accelerate through the ball to a full finish.  This will ensure that you are not “quitting” on the ball at impact.

Now, go ahead and strike the ball to the best of your ability.  Did you make it?

Go Pistons!

The first step to becoming a better wedge player is understanding that “bounce” is a key factor in your short game.  “Bounce” defined, is the angle that is made by the metal built-up on the sole and the front edge of the club.  Players can use this to their advantage by matching the amount of bounce on their wedges to the grass and sand conditions of their home or favorite courses they like to play.  As a general rule of thumb, with harder turf and firmer sand in the bunkers, you should be using a wedge with less bounce.  This will allow the club to dig down easier to strike the ball.  On the other hand, with soft, fluffy grass and sand you should be using a wedge with more bounce.

Now, unlike tour professionals, you probably do not have different wedge options for the different courses and shots that you encounter every round.  So, as a result, players have to understand how to adjust the bounce of your wedge for each shot and situation.

Beginning with softer and fluffy grass or sand, you need more bounce.  To increase the amount of bounce on your sand wedge, you have to open up the face.  The easiest way to feel “open” is to hold the club in front of you and rotate the face to the right (for a right handed golfer) in your hands.  Remember this will make the ball go a little more to the right off the club face and not as far so adjust your feet and swing accordingly!  To use less bounce do the opposite.  With tighter lies, or hard compact sand, use less bounce.  To make sure you are not using too much bounce, do not open up the club face as much, or none at all.

If you are looking into getting new wedges – use this table as a guideline for what type of bounce you should use on your wedges!

Sometimes the amount of bounce is disguised on the wedge, so if you are still having trouble figuring all this out please ask your local PGA Professional and they will get you on the right track!

This past week I had the honor of playing in the first annual Green2Green Charity Golf Tournament.  This tournament benefits the CSRA Wounded Warrior Golf Program.   These soldiers have put their lives on the line for our freedom and they were a pleasure to get to know!  I can’t thank them enough for all they have done for our country!

Click here to learn more about Green2Green.

“Green2Green is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded by Lieutenant Joe Caley to honor and serve military Soldiers wounded in the line of duty. These men and women have selflessly served the cause of our nation, protecting our safety, rights and freedom. They return to us heroes! We appreciate their astounding contribution and have created this program to give back to our heroes in a way that they will be honored and empowered.”