TODAYSGOLFER.CO.UK ISSUE 315 WORDS KIT ALEXANDER PICTURES BOB ATKINS Welcome to the first of a new series of instruction articles tailored specifically for players of differing abilities. Each month, we’ll focus on one shot or element of the swing and address the common faults that players striving to break 100, 90 and 80 may suffer from and offer targeted tips and fixes. We start with fairway woods. So, you might be a high handicapper simply trying to make solid contact more often. Or you could be a mid handicapper looking for a more penetrating ball flight. Or perhaps you are a low handicapper seeking greater power and accuracy? No matter what level you play at, there’s plenty of advice to help you. WHAT’S TO COME Over the next few issues we'll show you how to create more power and distance with the driver, choose and play the correct shot when stuck behind a tree, set up for crisp and accurate pitches and master greenside bunker shots. FLUSH FAIRWAY WOODS ANDY GORDON is a level three Titleist Performance Institute certified instructor based at Lumine, Spain Hit better shots off the deck – whatever level you’re at BREAK 100/90/80 NEW SERIES Shot on location at Lumine Golf, Tarragona, Spain. Visit www. lumine.com for more information.
Transcript
Todaysgolfer.co.uk issue 315
W O R D S k i t a l e x a n d e r P i c t u R e S B O B a t k i n S
Welcome to the first of a new series of instruction articles tailored specifically for players of differing abilities.
each month, we’ll focus on one shot or element of the swing and address the common faults that players striving to break 100, 90 and 80 may suffer from and offer targeted tips and fixes.
We start with fairway woods. so, you might be a high handicapper simply trying to make solid contact more often. Or you could be a mid handicapper looking for a more penetrating ball flight. Or perhaps you are a low handicapper seeking
greater power and accuracy? No matter what level you play at, there’s plenty of advice to help you.
WHAT’S TO COMEOver the next few issues we'll show you how to create more power and distance with the driver, choose and play the correct shot when stuck behind a tree, set up for crisp and accurate pitches and master greenside bunker shots.
FLUSH FAIRWAY
WOODS
ANDY GORDONis a level three titleist Performance institute certified instructor based at Lumine, Spain
Hit better shots off the deck – whatever level you’re at
BREAK100/90/80
NEW SERIES
Shot on location at Lumine Golf, tarragona, Spain. Visit www.lumine.com for more information.
A consistent ball position and more loft will improve your contact
Encourage a penetrating draw with your set-upPUT THE BALL FURTHER BACK
Moving the ball a little further back in your stance will help guarantee a solid contact. It should be a clubhead’s width inside your front heel, but try moving it an extra ball’s width back towards the centre.
PELVIS FORWARDMoving your pelvis slightly forward at address – so your belt buckle is in front of the ball while maintaining the same position with your sternum, in line with the ball – will encourage you to strike the ball at the low point of the swing arc. striking it here will also encourage a swing direction to be more to the right to encourage a draw.
WIDE SWING ARCMaintaining a wide swing arc on the way down and through the impact zone means that the clubhead travels further and therefore picks up additional speed. every extra mile per hour you generate equates to around three yards of additional distance. so a wider arc could realistically mean 15 extra yards...
TAKE MORE LOFTflatter-faced clubs are harder to hit straight because they create more sidespin than a lofted iron. Take more loft, such as a 5-wood... or even a 7-wood initially. or, experiment with adjustability by increasing the loft on your woods.
HALFWAY DOWN CHECKMaking sure your clubhead is inside your hands – and your hands are level with or just inside your shoulders – halfway down will help you attack the ball from the inside and hit it straight, or even with a slight draw.
SMOOTH, NOT FASTa lot of higher handicappers try to swing quickly and hit very hard with this club – but that will negatively affect your rhythm, balance and the quality of your strike. Instead, swing smoothly.
AIM A LITTLE RIGHT setting up with your feet, hips, shoulders and clubhead a little right of your intended target will help to encourage the in-to-out swing path that is needed to put some drawspin on the ball.
PIVOT AROUND BALLdon’t simply pull your right foot back, and assume that will get you aiming right. set-up square, then rotate your whole body around the ball. Put an iron on the floor to help you aim.
issue 315 Todaysgolfer.co.uk
Learn from the tour prosHit your fairway woods like an iron and generate more clubhead speed
SHOULDER HIGHER AT IMPACT your left shoulder should be slightly higher at impact than it is at address – because the forces applied to the shaft and arms in the late downswing force the shaft up and it becomes slightly more vertical at impact.
TAKE A DIVOT Top pros like sergio garcia hit down with their woods like an iron, because it encourages the clubhead to move to the right and produce draw spin. It can be easier to control dispersion with this attack angle, too.
FLATTEN LEFT WRISTstraighten the inside of your left wrist in the transition so you can rotate harder and faster to attack the ball from the inside with maximum clubhead speed. This equates to extra distance.
BREAK 80
BREAK 100/90/80
WATCH YOUR KNEEMaintain the flex in your right knee in the middle of your downswing so you can straighten it in the latter part to help you push off from the ground and create greater clubhead speed at impact.
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