You CAN See What You Are Doing!
This past Saturday I spent about four hours sitting on the range at Centennial Golf Course – to allow golfers the opportunity to hit some of the new Edel Wedges that we now have available. The true value of this day for me though – and hopefully for you – was in watching a lot of players practice and the lessons from this.
One of the players who hit balls was an aquaintance of mine. It was clear he is playing irons that are at least an inch too short for him. How can I say this? Well, at address he bent WAY down to sole his irons, and at impact he was way out of this initial stance – so could not consistently make contact with his shots. He was having problems hitting his irons well. He was, though, a lot better with his woods….with these he was more upright (perhaps since most woods you can buy are too "long" for most players) and kept his posture during his swing. At this time I did not say anything – which for those who know me is not easy! – but I hope at some time to give him some advice on how he can modify his irons to hit them better.
There were two other golfers practicing who I know a little. Both obviously were very intent on improving their golf swings. Both, though, on their backswings swayed back to the outside of their foot and had to "adjust" during downswing to make good contact. I believe neither of these folks knew that they were doing this.
Finally, there was one player who was a pretty good ball striker hitting shots. In HIS case, near the end of his session he had his wife Video His Swing using her iPhone. Wow – simple, quick feedback then available. I fully expect that this guy will learn something from looking at the video and continue to improve his swing if necessary.
The Lesson? All of these guys want to play better golf. All of them have been doing what they normally do when they go to the range to hit balls and "practice." But THESE DAYS there are great, easy options to see Real Time what you are doing when you practice. How about – say if you are practicing with a buddy or if you know someone else at the range when you are there – getting someone to video record a few of your swings? You might be surprised at what you see – and you might help yourself to improve your game faster – which is EXACTLY why you went to the range anyway.
The Fit Is IT!!
Tony