Tuesday, 14 June 2011

Magazine instruction

Pick up any golf magazine from the racks of a newsagent and I guarantee the front cover will promise to improve your game. Tips on how to be a better golfer date back to the first edition of Golf Monthly published in 1911. What is fascinating is that the same publication are leading the way on innovation with QR links in the latest magazine taking you to online video instruction content. Despite these advancements, most golfers I know pay these pages of advice very little, if any, attention. This has always perplexed me as surely any golfer could potentially benefit from the advice these sections offer. Potentially there are some who would equate it to having a sneaky peak in Pandora's Box but in my opinion they can be extremely valuable, yet modestly priced, words of wisdom.
Perhaps my thirst for knowledge and relatively low standard of play makes me a suitable target. Whatever the cause the latest two gems I have spotted in this month's Today's Golfer will hopefully make a big improvement in my game.

The first is for chipping and pitching. On reading the description of the fault I was struck at how it perfectly described my problem. Having worked really hard on my short game Ihave got better at brushing the grass with the sole of my club and making crisper contact. However, on occasion I'll get stuck in the turf and duff it a few feet. To compensate next time I may swing a little harder and subsequently run it long. The tip was so simple, yet it's often the smallest things that we miss. Your swing with wedges is naturally steeper due to your proximity to the ball. By opening the clubface just a fraction I should, theoretically, avoid this error. The logic behind it certainly makes sense and I'll hopefully get a chance to give it a whirl before Saturday.

The second piece of guidance relates to ball position. I have always struck most of my irons from the middle of my stance. As a result my clubface might be slightly open at impact causing my slight left to right ball flight. I have worked recently on other parts of my set up but not ball position. Hopefully, this will prove a eureka moment at the range on Thursday.

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