I watched the second episode of the Hank Haney Project with Ray Romano tonite and got a kick out of a portion of the show with Hank and Ray on the range.  Ray is suggesting that Hank is putting too many thoughts into his head and Hank replies that Ray is complicating things by adding his own thoughts on top of Hank’s thoughts.

Now, naturally, everyone learns in different ways.  Some people will ask me a lot of questions, and others will just go along with what I am telling them.  However, it is important that the student forget about their preconceived notions about the golf swing and put more trust into their teacher.  Of course, the teacher must earn that trust.  But, the fact is in, unless the student is a scratch golfer, and/or a serious student of the game, his teacher should be viewed as the expert.

I also found it interesting how Romano is talking himself into making the process more difficult.  He feels that it is a matter of fact that things must get worse before they get better.

Well, I know from my own experience that I had immediately positive results after working with Hank last year.  I’ve also had that kind of experience with a few of my own students.  However, as I said, everyone learns differently and at their own pace.  The key to working with a new instructor though is to forget everything else you have learned.  I guarantee that most of what you have learned does not match what a full time instructor can teach you.  And remember where alot of that advice you received has come from…your playing partners.  They don’t really know any more than you do, so why pay attention to them? 

So remember this the next time you decide to get a lesson…empty your mind!  Listen to your instructor, absorb what they are trying to teach you, and if you are confident in what they are saying and showing you, work at it without putting your own thoughts into the process.  Oh, and as I’ve been telling my students lately, take notes after the lesson! 

Scott Cole

Snowmageddon hit us hard in Southcentral Pennsylvania, and yesterday afternoon was spent shoveling snow.  As I’ve mentioned before, shoveling snow is a tremendous workout, assuming you are healthy enough to undertake this demanding work.  We’ve all read numerous stories of heart attacks occurring while shoveling snow, so do not attempt to shovel out from a storm like this unless you have a clean bill of health from your doctor.

What are the benefits of shoveling snow?  First, there is the calorie burn.  A little research online indicated that snow shoveling can burn 100 calories or more in 15 minutes.  Second, it is a great total body workout, as you are working the legs, core, arms and shoulders all in one exercise. 

Obviously, if done improperly, you can injure your back.  It is absolutely critical that you engage the legs, rather than do all of the work with the back.  Yes, you still have to bend at the waist, and that will put some pressure on the back.  But, if you engage the legs, you will simply get a good workout for the back.

Today, after 2 1/2 hours of shoveling 18 inches of snow from my driveway, I am modestly tender in the lower back, just as I would be in any muscle group the day after a good workout.  That 2 1/2 hours of shoveling also indicates that I burned over 1,000 calories!  So, not only did I get in a good strengthening workout for some key muscle groups, I contributed to my weight loss goal. 

This is just one common sense activity you can perform to contribute to your golf fitness.  There is no need to join a gym or buy any fancy equipment.  Take advantage of these opportunities when they come along!

Scott Cole

Ok, well, it’s not really golf season here in Pennsylvania. But, now that the PGA Tour is in full swing, it’s golf season in the U.S. For those of us not so fortunately to live in a more tropical climate, the season is not that far away. With that in mind, now is the time to brush up on the fundamentals!

The Grip

The Grip is THE single most important fundamental in the golf swing, as it is our ONLY connection to the golf club. Yet, it is probably the most ignored. Why is the grip so important? Because it controls the clubface angle at impact. The angle of the clubface at impact is most important to determining ball flight.

If the clubface is open at impact, the ball will likely fly to the right (assuming you are a right handed player). The club path then determines which direction the ball will start. If your club bath is inside out and the club face is open, the ball flight will be a push or a slice that starts to the right. If the clubpath is outside in, the ball will start left and slice to the right. An open clubface is typically caused by a weak grip. In other words, if you are a right handed player, your hands are turned to far to the left on the club. If you are a left handed player, your hands are turned to0 far to the right on the club.

If the clubface is closed at impact, the ball will likely fly to the left. If your club path is inside out, you will hit a shot that starts to the right and then curves back to the left. If your club path is outside in, the result will be a pull or pull hook. A closed clubface at impact is typically caused by a grip that is too strong. If you are a right handed player, your hands are turned too far to the right on the club. If you are a left handed player, your hands are turned too far to the left.

Ideally, what we would like is a NEUTRAL grip. So how do we achieve that? Here are the basic points….

(Right Handers)

1. Your left hand should be placed on the club so that the left thumb points down the club shaft at about 1 o’clock. If your thumb is straight down the shaft, it is too weak.
2. The V formed by your thumb and forefinger should be pointed between your right cheek and right shoulder. Then, if I am standing in front of you, I should only see two knuckles on the back of your left hand. If I see more than 2, your hand is turned too far to the right (too strong). If I see only 1, it is turned too far to the left (too weak).
3. Your right hand should be placed in such a way that the pad of the right thumb covers the left thumb. You then wrap your fingers around the club from there.
4. Your right thumb should be pointed at 11 o’clock down the club shaft.
5. The V formed by your thumb and forefinger should be pointed between your right cheek and right shoulder…parallel to the V formed by your left hand.
6. You should form a trigger with your right forefinger, and that trigger should be directly beside the right thumb, not underneath the club, and not on top of the grip.

When you place your hands on the club in this manner, the palms should be facing each other.

(Left Handers)

1. Your right hand should be placed on the club so that the right thumb points down the club shaft at 11 o’clock.
2. The V formed by your thumb and forefinger should point between your left cheek and shoulder.
3. Your left hand should be place so that the pad of the left thumb covers your right thumb. Wrap your fingers around the club from there.
4. Your left thumb should be pointed at 1 o’clock down the club shaft.
5. The V formed by your thumb and forefinger should point between your left cheek and shoulder, parallel to the V formed by your right hand.
6. Form a trigger with your left forefinger, and that trigger should be directly beside the thumb, not underneat the club and not on top of the grip.

Whether you work with an overlap grip, interlock grip or a 10 finger grip is up to you. I personally recommend not using the 10 finger grip as that results in the hands working more separately than we like. We want the hands to work as one unit throughout the swing.

Changing your grip is often an uncomfortable change, but it is the key to hitting more consistent golf shots. The only way to get more comfortable with the new grip is to work on it, practice with it. Swing the club in the garage so you get used to it during the winter months.

However, I do not recommend you change your grip under the following circumstances:

1. If you have a strong grip as described previously, but you still slice the ball, then do not try to achieve a more neutrual grip, as it will only worsen your slice. You have to work on your swing path first.

2. If you have a weak grip and still hook the ball, again, do not try to go to a more neutral grip, as you will only hook the ball more. You have to work on swing path first.

In regard to grip pressure, most golfers have a tendency to hold on to the club too tight. Most golfers tend to slice the ball, and holding onto the club too tightly will only make this worse. However, if you tend to hook the ball too much, try holding the club a little tighter. Ideally, we want medium grip pressure…not too tight and not too loose.

Work on this most important fundamental and in the long run, you will achieve greater consistency.

Scott Cole
scottcolegolf.com
powergolftraining.net