How to grip the golf club properly

How to grip the golf club properly: To place your hands on the club properly, hold the club in front of you at an upward 45- degree angle with your right hand (left for left-handed players) on the shaft slightly below the grip. Place the left hand on the grip with the heel pad at the base of the little finger on top of the shaft. My preference with the left-hand grip is to see the knuckles of the forefinger and middle finger. For most people this would be a neutral grip. My left thumb is on top of the shaft but to the right of center. When I look at the hand I can’t see the finger tips. From there, I slide my right hand down so that the left thumb fits into the lifeline pocket of the right hand. There is slight separation between the right forefinger and the middle finger with the grip resting in the middle knuckle of the forefinger. The right thumb rests on top of the shaft but slightly to the left of center. The “Vs” formed by the thumbs and forefingers of each hand should be parallel to each other and pointing somewhere between the chin and the right shoulder. Obviously everyone is built differently. The player should experiment with this “V” alignment to determine which position enables him or her to return the club face to impact with the with the face perpendicular to the target line. As long as a golfer stays within the framework of the fundamentals, some experimentation is always encouraged. Last but not least is the issue of grip pressure. To determine the proper pressure, hold the club in front of you with the shaft parallel to the ground. That’s too much pressure. Then hold the club in front of you with the shaft pointed straight up. That’s too little pressure. When the club is held at a 45-degree angle, the pressure should be proper. Please keep in mind that it’s very easy to have proper grip pressure when we’re in our set-up. The most important part is during the transition phase of the swing where we are most likely to squeeze. For game improvement lessons you can reach me at john@jmlongdrive.com or by calling me at 404-405-1403.

Golf Pitching Fundamentals

Golf pitching fundamentals: Regarding pitching, the basic fundamentals are to have a slightly open stance, weight predominantly on the left side (for right-handed players) and the ball pretty much between the feet. This causes the shaft to be leaning forward slightly and helps to ensure solid contact. Then we basically just make a mini swing while keeping the weight on the left side. This will insure crisp, solid contact. The lie is so important with short game shots. If you have a grass cushion under the ball you have more options. If the lie is tight you have to just hit down on the ball and trap it. Sometimes you just have to take your medicine and get the ball on the green somewhere and hope to make a putt but otherwise minimize the damages as much as possible. For game improvement lessons you can reach me at john@jmlongdrive.com or by calling me at 404-405-1403.

Here is a video of Adam Scott and Tiger side by side. In the facing portion notice how the right leg stays motionless. No lateral movement at all. From this position it gets easier to drive with the lower body. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyZvEBRkujc For game improvement lessons you can reach me at john@jmlongdrive.com or by calling me at 404-405-1403.

Sequencing the golf swing properly for more power and accuracy

Sequencing the golf swing properly for more power and accuracy: Here is a video of Adam Scott and Tiger side by side. In the facing portion notice how the right leg stays motionless. No lateral movement at all. There is a turn of the hips but no sliding. From this position it gets easier to initiate the downswing with the lower body. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyZvEBRkujc For game improvement lessons you can reach me at john@jmlongdrive.com or by calling me at 404-405-1403.

Drills for Skills

Drills for Skills Juggle three golf balls for five minutes. Hit shots while you alternate standing on your left leg and swinging with just your right arm. Then stand on right leg and swing with left arm. Hit five shots left handed if you’re a right-handed player and five shots right handed if you’re a leftie. Do it with a seven-iron turned around. Do the same thing on the chipping green. For game improvement lessons you can reach me at john@jmlongdrive.com or by calling me at 404-405-1403.

Golf is tough on the lower back

Lower Back Discomfort: If you play your fair share of golf or hit lots of balls at the range (like I do), chances are that you occasionally have some discomfort in your lower back. Notice that I said discomfort and not excruciating pain. If you have significant pain it’s probably time to pay a visit to your favorite orthopedist or chiropractor. But if it’s only a dull ache I have had considerable success in alleviating the discomfort by doing planks on a daily basis. Most fitness experts will tell you that planks are fair better than crunches for strengthening and stabilizing the core and maintaining neutral posture. Here is a link to a site that shows how to do them. And rest assured your back will feel better and your golf swing will work better!! http://thefitdadsays.com/how-to-do-a-plank-and-plank-variations/ For game improvement lessons you can reach me at john@jmlongdrive.com or by calling me at 404-405-1403

No less an authority than Jack Nicklaus, as well as my mentors Mike Austin and Dan Shauger, all believed that if the first move in the downswing was to move the weight into the lead foot it is absolutely impossible to release the club too soon. But it’s how we move to the lead foot that is critically important. Think of yourself as a baseball hitter in the righthander’s batter box. This subtle bump of the left hip (4-5 inches) ideally should go toward the pitcher. When this happens the hands move down from the top and the clubhead approaches the ball on the proper path which is slightly from inside the target line to square at impact and then back to the inside. If the hip moves toward the shortstop (or even worse, the third baseman) the hands move out toward the target line and we end up with the classic over-the-top, out-side-in path. When the hip heads toward the second baseman (first baseman even worse) the club gets stuck behind us and we’ll hit blocks, thins, flip hooks and the occasional fats. While we’re making that slight hip bump, our arms and hands are soft and relaxed and we’re firing them with all cylinders. We’re not holding the angle; we’re swinging the arms with as much speed as we can muster. You’ll be surprised at how far the ball goes. For game improvement lessons you can reach me at john@jmlongdrive.com or by calling me at 404-405-1403.

Paying attention to the four "Cs"

Paying Attention to the Four “Cs” The success of many great players has to do with qualities outside the shot-making realm, namely possessing the four C’s: Confidence, Concentration, Courage, and Common Sense. Let me review these qualities common to golfers who play their best with great frequency. CONFIDENCE The best dictionary definition of confidence is “full trust.” Applied to golf, that means essentially this: When a player thinks he’s going to hit a good shot, he usually will, provided, of course, that his positive attitude is realistically based on a fundamentally good swing and at least a fairly good shot-making ability developed through regular and rigorous practice.The harder you prepare for anything, the higher your level of confidence about it, thus, the less pressure you feel and the better you perform. Practice solid fundamentals regularly and with a purpose, focusing on quality over quantity. CONCENTRATION There is always time to have fun and socialize with your playing partners in between shots. But when you get to the ball and you’ve selected your club, this is the time to fully concentrate on the task at hand. Pick out a target and imagine a good shot hitting that target before swinging. Try to stay in the game by imagining circular targets in the fairway on tee shots and on the greens on approach shots and to count how many times during a round you can hit the bull’s eye. COURAGE Many golfers, pro and amateur players alike, fail to live up to their full potential because they never learn the secrets of developing a courageous on-course attitude. These are the immature types who throw clubs, continually cuss themselves out, sulk, or even walk off the course after one too many bad bounces or bad holes. Their problem is that they expect perfection, whereas the complete and intelligent – and courageous – golfer respects the game’s unpredictability, takes it in stride, and gets on with the job as best as he or she possibly can. Even when they’re having an absolutely awful day, this player still gives every shot 100 percent concentration. His final score is his absolute best effort for that day, and biting the bullet like this hardens him or her for future rounds. Courage, then, is not inherited, but developed through a combination of experience, sheer grit, and determination. Jack Nicklaus was not a great all-around player. In fact, he admits to being just a fair wedge and bunker player. Yet, his courage brought him to the winner’s circle a record 18 times in major championships. COMMON SENSE I’m forever amazed by the foolish chances many golfers take during a round of 18 holes. The typical club-level golfer would never dream of driving a car 120 miles per hour down a regular road or gambling a life savings on a flip of a card. However, on the golf course, many amateur golfers seem unable to retain even an ounce of common sense. Playing with common sense involves making the decision to play aggressively or safely, based on a realistic appraisal of one’s capabilities. And in doing that, the chief consideration should be the reward of pulling off the shot relative to the cost of missing it. What this requires above all else is discipline, which just might be the most important word in the entire golfing lexicon. For game improvement lessons you can reach me at john@jmlongdrive.com or by calling me at 404-405-1403

Staying positive on the golf course can be challenging

We all have times when are thoughts betray us. There are several issues that a lot of people may have including lack of concentration, lack of confidence and anxiety. Most mental problems boil down to one word – negativity. Golfers who lack confidence, concentration, or suffer from anxiety are most definitely in a negative mind state. Here is a clever way of overcoming negative thinking: The fix involves a simple piece of equipment – a rubber band. . Golfers who suffer from negative thinking during their pre-shot routines should wear a rubber band around their wrist. At any time during their routine, all the way up to taking the club back, if a golfer has a negative thought, he or she should immediately stop the routine, snap themselves with the rubber band, and then consciously replace the negative thought or feeling with a positive one. Try it; it might very well help you!! For game improvement lessons you can reach me at john@jmlongdrive.com or by calling me at 404-405-1403.

Changes to the Rules of Golf in 2019

For those of you who are interested in golf rules, this Youtube video clearly explains all of the upcoming changes that will go into effect on January 1st. There are more changes than I had previously heard about and on some of the ones that I had heard about I had received bad information. Maybe you have as well. http://bit.ly/2RK1TkF For game improvement lessons you can reach me at john@jmlongdrive.com or by calling me at 404-405-1403.