This past weekend I visited my alma mater, The College of William and Mary, for Homecoming to celebrate my 30th class reunion.
While visiting with my friends, naturally, golf came up as a topic since I played for W&M during my college years.
My first evening in town I was sharing a couple of pitchers with my senior year roommate and his lady friend, whose family owns a golf course in upstate New York.
My good buddy exclaimed that he can hit a driver just fine, but can’t hit the irons worth squat. As a result, his girlfriend typically beats him when they play the local par 3 course.
I immediately knew his issue… he THINKS he must keep his head down, but the reality is he is trying to hit his irons like he hits the driver…he is trying to hit the ball on the upswing.
So, using a fork and the small lid off the plastic container that contained some salad dressing, I demonstrated how the grooves in the irons, and the loft of the club, help to generate backspin when the ball is struck properly with a descending blow. It is that backspin that gets the ball in the air.
I explained to my friend that his inconsistency with his irons was the result of him trying to help the ball into the air, rather than rely on how the club itself is designed to get the ball in the air.
If I walk onto any public driving range, I would venture to guess that about half of the golfers on that range have never been told how the golf club is designed to get the ball in the air.
You can bet that they then have no clue about the ball flight laws either.
When I was growing up, and continuing into adulthood as a decent enough amateur golfer who earned a scholarship to play Division I golf, I never had a golf lesson where I was told WHY I needed to make a certain change to my swing or setup.
If that information isn’t provided, then how can a student be expected to make the necessary changes?
That is why when I teach new golfers, I start with the very basics, and explain why things are done a certain way. It makes it so much easier to get them onboard with the long term plan.
