Orlando Golf

The month of January has been unseasonably cold with temperatures in the 40’s and 50’s.  Playing golf in these temperatures can be miserable if you’re not dressed properly.  On the other hand, if you are dressed properly,  playing in the cooler weather can be quite enjoyable and you will also have an upper hand on your opponents.  Here are a couple of suggestions that I have for battling the cold weather on the golf course.

1. Stocking cap - Simple enough, but I have found that keeping you’re head warm will help keep your entire body warmer.
2. Compression Shirt - This is a relatively new piece of clothing in the market place, but a compression shirt is a skin tight shirt that helps block any cold winds of the day and allows for you to stay warmer and swing away without that bulky clothes feeling.
3. Turtle neck shirt - I like to place a turtle neck shirt over my compression shirt for added protection of my neck area.
4. Rain Pants - I have found through years that if your lower body stays warm, the rest of your body will stay warm as well.  In addition, I feel more stable and grounded in my swing when I where the rain pants.

Losing a lot of distance lately?

More than likely you’re losing your posture somewhere during the backswing.  You could be straightening up in your knees or standing up in your waist.  Either way, losing your posture will translate into losing power.

If you feel like you’re losing your posture, try to have the sensation of slightly bowing to your right knee as your body is turning during the entire length of your backswing.  The proper sensation will have you feel like your belly button is going to make a slight motion to the top part of your right knee.  

Try this drill before you hit balls on the range to get a better feel for this power move.  First, put your hands on your hips (1st photo), and then simply bend from the waist to your right knee. (2nd photo).   This drill will help you get the feeling of maintaining the proper powerful position that is required to add more distance to your shots.

Have you ever wondered how far you should stand away from the golf ball before you hit your golf shot?

To find the correct distance from the ball, I like doing the “hand span” test.  Simply take your stance, make sure the sole of the club is sitting flush to the ground, with the toe and the heel of the golf club are level.  Make a slight “hand span” and place between the butt of the club and your body, where the pinky of your right hand is placed near the butt of the club and your thumb is near your body.  Your goal is to be a “hand span” away from the butt of the club after taking your address position.

This is a great, simple little measure to consistently get you to stand the proper distance from the ball, which in turn will promote better balance and weight shift throughout the swing.

You may snicker at the title of this tip as a buried lie shot the bunker can be intimidating and just getting out could seem impossible.  I would like to show you a technique to not only hit the shot, but to be able to hit the shot with some height to it so that you can clear a high lip if necessary.  

The reality of it all is that this is really a pretty easy shot, if you understand the proper technique.  In fact, most of our fear is a result of a lack of knowledge.  If we have the proper knowledge on how to execute, our confidence increases.  So let’s increase your knowledge and confidence so that you have a positive attitude in approaching this shot.

The secret to hitting great golf shots is to develop a consistent and proper impact position.  Being in the proper impact position will greatly enhance our ability to hit solid golf shots.  All my lessons are geared to get our students in the proper impact position.  If you look at all the PGA Tour players, they may all have different backswings and different finishes, but they do have one thing in common:  a consistent proper impact position.

Here are the characteristics of a proper impact position:

• Head position is in the correct position, just slightly behind the ball.
• Left arm and the shaft of the club form a line
• The back of the left wrist and knuckles feels “down and through” the shot
• Your weight is shifting properly to the left foot.