Golf is a daunting game. Of that, we are all in agreement, from Rory down to every dub on the planet. But amidst all the variegated instruction, tips, and YouTube vids, there are two essentials that, if you follow, will serve you well when all other tips have been lost as you stand on the first tee, totally overwhelmed by the task ahead of you.
Those two theorems, noble truths, antecedents--call them what you will--are as follows:
With the driver, hit up on the ball.
With all other clubs, hit down on the ball.
Now you might ask, OK, but how?
And the answer may again produce umpteen different techniques and methods. But really, the answer lies in the mind's ability to intend to hit up or hit down. When you intend to hit up on the ball, the body will position itself to do just that, keeping the head slightly behind the ball at impact, lowering the right shoulder slightly as the downswing proceeds, shifting the weight to the right side on the backswing, while bringing the club back on plane on the backswing. At impact, hitting up on the ball imparts overspin and more roll for your tee shot.
You don't actually have to remember all that if you intend to hit the ball on the upswing with the driver. You don't believe me? As one of my Buddhist monk teachers used to tell us, "Try it for yourselves. You won't know the taste of honey until you try it."
With all other clubs (and that includes fairway woods and hybrids)--the putter is in a class by itself and involves an aspect of this game that is a separate game in its own right--you position the ball a bit more to the right at address, more so as the club increases in loft, take the club back on plane same as the driver, keep the head steady, and strike the ball first, then the turf after it. This will impart some backspin to the ball as it rides up the grooved clubface, much less backspin for woods than irons. A divot the size of a dollar bill usually results for irons. Again, all you need to remember is to intend to hit down on the ball. The body is smart enough to follow the dictates of the brain. After all, it's how human beings have developed during all these years of evolution.
Personally, when I leave the safe and private hitting stations of the driving range, I often forget what I've learned once I hit an actual golf course. Maybe it's performance anxiety. Maybe it's a kind of panic attack. Maybe it's stage fright. Maybe it's PTSD. Maybe it's battle fatigue. Or maybe it's a trench war form of shell shock (yes, I think that last characterization fits golf the best!). But regardless of what we call it, the mind goes blank and reverts to a default that often did not serve us well in the past. This is particularly true for amateurs who don't practice much, but can also apply to the most-tested of pros who also at times experience the horrors of brain fog. Unfortunately for the touring pro, he or she must endure the embarrassment of having such an occasion witnessed by several millions of TV viewers!
My above solution is a form of economy of motion, something a guitar teacher of mind emphasized to me many years ago. The difference now is that I am adapting it to the brain rather than the body. The body, if given a chance, will follow the intentions of the brain. Too often we see this in negative terms as in the thoughts of a mass murderer culminating in a mass killing. But in this case, an intention can lead to the positive results of a well struck golf shot which, I submit, is one of the most pleasurable actions a human being can experience in the course of this relatively short, but potentially, wonderful life.
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Another of our four majors starts tomorrow. This one, the PGA, is on a time-tested course in Rochester NY, and it should be a corker, as an old New England friend used to call it. My pick: Max Homa. My brother Hank's pick: Scottie Scheffler. The stakes: a tall Philadelphia water ice. But for you: enjoyment!
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My song Stones, which can be heard on streaming sources worldwide, from Spotify to YouTube, is looking for professional singers, TV shows, movies, etc. to pick it up and add to their repertoires, productions, and shows. Check it out. Spread the word. Break a leg. If you are connected with such people, let my producer Trystan Matthews know about it at info@demomysong.com. Many thanks.
Lovely two basic fundamentals.
Lovely.
Bucky
Did you hear Tiger telling JT that when his A game is on, he doesn't take a divot? Stunned me. He said something like: "When I'm flushing it, there's no divot." Go figure.