GOLFONEPLANETIPS.COM

Bunker Rules

2009-06-15T08:19:00Z

Gary Players Rules for Bunkers

Here are some tips from Gary Player for your bunker shots from the June 2009 edition of Golf World

Never think of a bunker as a 'Trap'
Less Sand = More Spin
Very Wide Stance
Cock wrists early in backswing
Accelerate through impact

Here is a link for the Golf World website.

Iron Play Tip: Iron Accuracy

2009-05-31T17:13:00Z

More Club. Less Swing.

Let's say you hit a nice drive. You have about 150 yards to the green. You take out the club that you usually use for that distance. You set up, swing away, and off goes your ball, way right or way left, or, well, you know, nowhere near the hole or even the green. Why? Lots of possible reasons, but here's something you might want to pracitce.

Try using more club. Instead of a 7-iron, try a 6 or even a 5. Instead of a full, hard swing, take about a 3/4 swing. You might find that you will make better sweet-spot contact and achieve greater accuracy.

That would be worth a few balls of practice on the range, wouldn't it?

Hybrid: Stance

2009-05-24T13:48:00Z

Using the hybrid club can significantly help your game. There are a few basics you need to know to make sure you have success with the hybrid clubs. We'll cover them in a number of blog entries

Stance for the Hybrid

Take a stance that is a little wider than normal, almost as if you were setting up for a drive. This helps promote a sweeping motion. Your weight should be a bit toward the balls of your feet. Lean a little to the right so that you are behind the ball, similar to many driver setups.

Golf Tip One-Plane Swing Kata 5

2009-05-20T16:18:00Z

Combination of Elbow Up and Back and Forearm Roll
(be sure to read #3 and #4 prior to doing this one)

Simply add the ELBOW and the FOREARM Kata together. Send your elbow up and back simultaneously doing your forearm roll.

Left Arm to Chest

Start with your left arm in set-up position. In the one-plane swing, the right arm does the most work, with the left in a support role. Turn your left arm to the right, keeping it close to the chest, not bringing it up too high. You can think of your palm starting out basically facing to the right, then turning about 90-degree to face the ground. Bring your left arm almost to straight, but do not lock your elbow.

Note: Keep your wrist immobile. There is no conscious wrist cock.

Mentally, put your wrist in a cast. This will help keep your swing, and therefore your club, on plane.

Golf Tip One-Plane Swing Kata 4

2009-05-20T16:14:00Z

Forearm Roll

(be sure you check out #3 before doing the forearm roll)

With your right hand in set-up position as if holding a club, palm facing to the left, roll your forearm about 90-degrees until the palm is facing upward. As you do the roll, bring the hand up higher than the elbow. Try to coordinate your breathing with your movements – inhale as you move your elbow up and back.

Click here for a good, simple forearm exercise.

Golf Tip One-Plane Swing Kata 3

2009-05-20T16:11:00Z

Your Elbow Leads

These Kata will deal primarily with your right elbow, right forearm and left arm. In later Kata we will add more body movement, but for now master this Kata, as it will form the basis of your One Plane swing. (Note: this can also be done almost anywhere – at your desk, while watching TV, while waiting to hit your shot. Use your imagination.)

Stand in your basic set-up position. We will go into detail on proper setup in a later blog. Do each movement at least nine times, but you are free to do more. Remember, you want this to become a rote activity, so do them often.

Elbow Up and Back

With your right arm bent at about 90 degrees, raise your right elbow up and slightly back. Do it slowly. The movement is almost as if you were striking someone behind you with your elbow. Keep repeating. You might want to coordinate your breathing with your movements – inhale as you move your elbow up and back.

Golf Tip: Fixing Lateral body movement

2009-05-19T16:14:00Z

Lateral body movement and Right knee stability

By Jay Kragh

P.G.A. Professional

The Problem: Lateral body movement

Lateral movement of the body during the golf swing can create timing issues. For every little bit of movement that occurs during the backswing, there must be the same amount of movement during the forward swing. For the player who does not play and hit balls everyday, this lateral movement can make good ball striking a challenge. Furthermore, the movement can often be the result of a moving right knee.

The Solution: Right knee stability

At address, the golfer should not only have the right knee flexed, but also have it angled inward slightly. When this is done properly, there will be a little more pressure felt on the instep of the right foot. This will help stabilize the right side of the body, and thus reduce lateral movement of the body during the swing.

Golf Tip: Pitching Rules to Remember

2009-04-30T17:35:00Z

BG offers you these basic, yet important tips to help you PITCH IT CLOSE

•The distance you need to cover is determined by the length of your backswing. Remember, always complete the swing. Once committed, complete the follow-through.

Better to be a little long (as long as it is safe back there) than flubbing the shot and not making the green.
•Don’t be an eager beaver to see the result of your shot.

Keep your head down, eyes on the ball.
Don’t pick your head up until you have completed your follow through.

•Placing the ball forward in your stance will create a higher trajectory. Placing the ball farther back in your stance will create a lower trajectory. Remember higher up shorter out, lower up longer out.

Transition Smoothly

2009-04-26T23:47:00Z

For better control of your irons, focus on making a smooth transition from your backswing to your downswing.

Instead of lunging at the ball, start your downswing at about the same speed as you started your backswing. This will help you make sweet-spot contact, and to improve your accuracy.

Annika on Wedge Accuracy

2009-04-20T12:00:00Z

Annika Sorenstam, in the May 2009 Golf Digest, has a good tip for wedge play . She believes that we need to use more body and not to rely as much on the hands and arms. Annika suggests an open stance and a body turn back and through. That promotes crisp contact and more predictable distance control.

Here's a link to the full article on the Golf Digest website: Annika Article

Kata Intro2

2009-04-19T22:11:00Z

We have broken down the One-Plane swing into ten Kata for you. All of them should seem rather simple, with one or two of them barely taking any thought or movement on your part. The task for you will be the eventual putting together of the movements.

Practice each Kata on its own. When you are comfortable, blend two or three together. Then add another and another until you have the One-Plane swing so grooved that you barely have to think about it at all. Wouldn’t that be nice?!?!?!

What is a Kata?
Why do the One-Plane Swing?

What is a Kata?

2009-04-19T22:01:00Z

In the Martial Arts, practitioners of some styles perform Kata. A Kata is similar to shadow boxing, except the Kata is prearranged and set. A Kata generally consists of hand strikes, kicks, blocks, and even simulated takedowns. Kata range from relatively simple movements for newer martial arts students, to an intricate series of movements for those moving to and beyond the Black Belt.

One of the concepts behind Kata is that if you do the movements over and over and over again, you won’t have to think about them when you are called up to use them, either in tournaments or in real-life situation. By repeating the Kata, the movements become embedded in the mind of the martial artist.

What is a One-Plane Kata?

By now you are probably getting an idea of what the One-Plane Kata is. We have taken the main ideas behind the body movements for the One-Plane swing and broken them down for you into a series of movements that you can do over and over again.

You will see that most of these can be done without a golf club. In addition, you can do many throughout the day. You can do some at work, sitting in a car, watching TV, or anywhere else your imagination might take you.

Therefore, when you are on the course, and the pressure is on, and people are watching, you should be able to perform the One-Plane swing without too much thinking, if you have practiced your One-Plane Kata.

Who knows, you might get a Black Belt in golf!!

What is the One-Plane Golf Swing?

2009-04-19T21:57:00Z

Basically, the idea behind the One-Plane swing is to have a backswing and the following downswing on the same plane. It is as if your downswing went along the same path as the backswing, and continued through release to follow-through.

If done correctly, this will help with sweet-spot contact, add yards and consistency to your golf shots, and eliminate some major flaws. Once mastered, the One-Plane swing can be used from the tee box, fairway and the rough. The challenge comes in mastering it!!!

Since you are swinging the club anywhere from 80 to more than 100 miles per hour, and you probably don’t have time to live and breathe golf, getting the club on plane can become very difficult. That’s where the One-Plane Kata comes in.

We will be explaining the One-Plane Kata in a number of blog entries.
We'll number them to make life easier for your. Golf is tough enough!!

Low Pitch Shot

2009-04-19T21:51:00Z

If you have a lot of green to work with, a low pitch shot might be better.

Play the ball in the middle of your stance.
Hands ahead of the ball.
Short backswing.
Short follow-through, almost as if you were punching the ball.
Accelerate through the ball.

High Pitch

2009-04-19T21:47:00Z

For a high pitch with soft landing:

Open the clubface.
Open stance.
Aim left.
Ball forward in your stance.
Very little wrist action.
Swing slower than normal.
Make a full follow-through.
Try to make crisp contact, and very little divot.

Pitch to the Flag2

2009-04-19T21:39:00Z

Similar to a chip, make a downward strike into the back of the ball. This will help elevate the ball.

Let the club-head do the work. The loft of the club, coupled with your descending blow, will propel the ball into the air.

To learn distances, practice with three different length backswings using the same club.
Swing #1 Bring the club back only until it is parallel with the ground.
Swing #2 Bring your hands a little bit higher than your waist. Add a little wrist cock. This is about a 3/4 swing.
Swing #3 Take a full swing.

Now study your distances with each length backswing, and with different clubs: 9-iron, PW, Lob wedge, etc.

Click for more PITCHING

Why One Plane?

2009-04-19T11:39:00Z

Golf instructor Jim Hardy has popularized the One-Plane golf swing. His DVD series and books on The Plane Truth have become immensely popular.

Hank Haney, Tiger Woods’ current coach, is also an advocate of a simpler One-Plane type of swing. Once Tiger mastered Haney’s concepts, he won seven PGA tournaments in a row.

The great Ben Hogan wrote about swinging on plane in his book Ben Hogan: Five Lessons.

Pitch to the Flag

2009-04-16T18:12:00Z

You’re about 100 yards from the hole. All you need is a pitch shot to get you on the green and close to the flag. It sounds easy, but how do you do it? A good setup and a good swing, coupled with knowledge of your club distances, should help you get on in regulation, and maybe even close to the flag. Read on!!

Precision is important when pitching so do your best to precisely coordinate all body movements; hands, arms torso.

Pitch with a slightly open stance, feet closer together than normal, with your weight on your left foot.

Place the ball back toward your right heel.

Keep your hands just in front of the ball.

There is very little lower body movement.

You can have a slight shoulder turn.

All of the above help in making a descending blow.

For more PITCHING tips, click here

Welcome

2009-04-15T20:48:19Z

Welcome to our blog.

You'll find excellent tips dealing with Iron Play, the One-Plane Swing, Pitching to the flag, trouble shots, and more.