Thursday, July 29, 2010

For Straight, Consistent Shots Let Your Arms Hang at Address


It is rare that you see tour players extend the arms and reach for the ball at address, but this is something seen all the time by amateurs on the lesson tee. It is also a common cause of slicing.

Your arms should hang under your shoulders and feel relaxed. Your wrists will already be semi-cocked, so you can simply maintain that wrist cock as you swing back. Your hands are closer to your body for leverage. Through impact the club stays along the target line longer. But if the club and your arms are positioned higher, forming more of a straight line and extending toward the ball, you feel tension in your shoulders. Your wrists will cock inconsistently. You will come across the ball, making it hard to square the club and release (turn over) the club face through impact.

Work on your set up so that your arms hang naturally from your body. You should be looking in at your hands, not out at them. Then, do your best to return to that position at impact. You should never feel as if you’re reaching for the ball at address. I would definitely rather see your hands too low than too high.

Source: tomwatson.com

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Practice Schedule for Maximum Game Improvement

I get asked all the time by my students as to when, what and how long they should practice. With the understanding that time is precious and that it can be difficult to get away to work on the game, here is a "perfect world" layout as to what a weekly practice schedule should look like to maximum your opportunity to improve your game.

Monday-Thursday (1 hour)
- 10 minutes putting: 2 ft., 3ft., 4ft., and 5ft. putts
- 10 minutes chipping: change clubs every fourth shot
- 10 minutes pitching: 10, 15, and 20 yard shots

(25 minutes hitting golf balls):
- 5 minutes: ½ swings
- 5 minutes: short iron full swings
- 5 minutes: mid/long iron full swings
- 5 minutes: fairway woods & driver
- 5 minutes: ½ swings

- 5 minutes putting: 10 ft., 15 ft., 20ft., and 25ft. putts

Friday (Day off)

Saturday and/or Sunday (2 hours)
- 30 minutes putting: 2 ft., 3ft., 4ft., and 5ft. putts
- 15 minutes chipping: change clubs every forth shot
- 15 minutes pitching: 10, 15, and 20 yard shots

(45 minutes hitting golf balls):
- 10 minutes: ½ swings
- 10 minutes: short iron full swings
- 10 minutes: mid/long iron full swings
- 10 minutes: fairway woods & driver
- 5 minutes: ½ swings

- 15 minutes putting: 10 ft., 15 ft., 20ft., and 25ft. putts



Note: Any practice day can be substituted with play, however, during the round you should keep track of your putts, up and downs, greens in regulation, fairways hit, and sand saves to find out where your strengths and weaknesses are. If time permits after the round you should spend 15-30 minutes working on the area of your game that needed the most improvement according to the statistics from the round.

Friday, July 16, 2010

Tom Morton Weekly Video Tip #6: Hitting the Driver

Learn to hit the driver farther and more accurate with this tip on proper address position.

View Clip at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2OM9lqMDqA

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Tom Morton Weekly Video Tip #5: Scoring Shots Inside of 100 Yards

Hitting better shots inside of 100 yards is crucial to lowering your scores...This tip will help you hit shots more solid and crisp increasing your chances to put the ball closer to the hole.

To view the video clip go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WR3znjXnUQ