Blending technology and swing knowledge is a recipe for success, and it’s amazing how many times I improve launch monitor numbers by adjusting a student’s grip, aim and ball position. That’s why it’s important to understand these fundamentals.
GRIP
This is crucial to a square clubface at contact. Often, only slight adjustments are needed to improve your preferred ball flight. Many long hitters and professionals play with a slightly strong grip. On the other hand, tour players wanting to avoid a hook might adopt a grip with their left thumb pointing straight down the shaft. As always, it should be an individual thing, with my job to find your perfect blend of good fundamentals, tendencies, ball flight and functionality under pressure.
BALL POSITION
This might be the most overlooked fundamental for correcting path and angle of attack problems. I recently had a student ask if moving the ball forward in his stance would correct an inside-out swing path. In a word, yes. Just as a baseball player who hits the ball late will often hit it to the right side of the diamond, a golfer who plays the ball too far back in his stance will most likely swing out to the right as well. For the guy who pulls the ball left, the opposite could be true.
AIM
I often see amateurs work intently on creating set-up and swing positions while paying little attention to aim. What good is a perfect swing if your aim is off target? I like to allow 20 seconds for aiming purposes before the swing. You don’t have to use that entire time, but do so if needed. It’s amazing how much more confidence you’ll have before taking the club back when you know your aimed properly.
Geoff Murtha is director of instruction at Dove Canyon Golf Club. Reach him at (800) 279-0225 or golfacademyonline.com. Through November, Southland Golf readers and new clients can get $50 off a $150 swing assessment.
