Practice can make perfect

   When you practice, do you just hit and hope, thinking that eventually, after you have hit many, many practice shots, the “Golfing Gods” will bestow upon you the mythical “I’ve got it now!” secret?
   Or are you like Jack Nicklaus, who said he never practiced without a firm plan. He always practiced with a certain goal in mind for each session.
   At The Martin Green Golf Academy, students are taught that the body responds to the motion of the swing and that practicing is more than just banging ball after ball into the vast space of the driving range.

Here are some basic practice guidelines:
1. When working on your technique, do it without a ball and do it slowly so you can feel and see (use a mirror if possible) the exactness of the motion.

2. When working on different kinds of shots, such as fades and draws, try to work your shots around targets (i.e. a flag, a tree or a marker). It really helps your eye and feel for the shots.

   If there are no target objects where you practice, then try to hit your fades from the right side of the practice tee and your draws from the left side. This will help you see the actual amount of movement you are getting on your shots.

Here are some unique ideas and swing thoughts.
   There seems to be a “swing” away from lots of body motion during the downswing. Tiger Woods had worked hard since his early days on the PGA Tour to slow his hips and legs during the downswing.
   David Ledbetter believes amateurs tend to use their bodies too much during the downswing. This fault is hardly surprising when virtually everything you read tells you to start your downswing with the hips and/or legs sliding and/or turning and miraculously your arms and hands and club will follow down in the correct path.
   If this were true, hitting good shots would be as easy as falling off the proverbial log.
   Your hands control the club and cause its motion. The body, in turn, responds. When throwing a ball or hitting a baseball, the body and arms move as a response to your intention to throw or hit. You do not think about your legs and body; you focus solely on the outcome.
   In golf, the body does and must move, but not to fling the hands/arms/club into the swinging motion back and down. The benefits of hitting the ball this way is that the body does not wrench itself to create the motion of the swing, thereby causing strain and injury to itself.
   The body should be passive and respond to the swing created by the hands and arms. You don’t hold the body still, but instead let it comfortably respond. That is why a correct setup is vital.
   Here’s an example of the ideal hitting action: Imagine taking a driver with zero loft and, in one blow, completely drive a six-inch nail into the base of a tree. Throughout the swing, you keep your view of the nail head constant (i.e. a stable head) and make the swing without flinging your body about to generate force (no control).
   Instead, you allow your body to comfortably respond to the swing/hitting motion of the hands/arms/club. This is very close to the ideal hitting action.
   How you would need to do this should be very similar to your golf swing: a constant, unchanging view of the nail or tee; hands controlling the club; arms swinging, body motion stable and responsive.
   It’s an easy drill. Take your driver and swing it back and forth from address to the top and back to address with out stopping. Do this several times.
   While doing this, notice how your body stabilizes, your hands take charge, your arms awing, your eyes maintain and unchanging view and your body follows naturally and athletically.
   Practice this technique a few times to stimulate your thought processes and help train your body to create a more stable base and you will see some real improvement in your golf swing.

Identifying cause points in the golf swing
   In our teachings, we believe we have identified the “cause points” of the golf swing. Our swing “ideal” looks conventional, but the teaching method is more revolutionary.
   In conflict with the modern theory of a big-muscle, body-controlled swing, I believe the hands control the entire process. They are the source of motion, power, control and consistency. Their performance is characterized by pushing, never pulling the clubhead throughout the swing.
   Weight shift, coil and a firm left side at impact occur in response to this pushing of the hands.
   From a conventional address position, the hands press against each other and begin the backswing with the left exerting slightly more pressure against the right. A pulling motion, especially with the right hand, results in the club being dragged inside, ruining the chances for a good backswing.
   We teach a backswing that reaches completion at a three-quarter position. The hands stay more or less in front of the chest, level with the right shoulder, and the shaft is well short of parallel.
   But since a pushing motion is the guiding force of this golf swing, the hands, working this way can only “push” to this shortened, but efficient position.
   Here is where we sever ties with conventional instruction by encouraging, in essence, an early hit. The late hit has many theories, but most teachers agree that “hitting from the top” ensures the angle of power will be lost.
   In direct opposition, our formula is to “throw the clubhead at the ball.” To avoid translating “throw the clubhead” into an over-the-top move, we employ drills for a proper release.
   The most significant is the “hit drill.” From the top of the backswing, you uncock your wrists by pushing the clubhead down on a slow motion path to the ball.
   Done correctly, the club shaft aligns with the left arm and promotes an on-line hit of the ball.
   You must understand that knowledge is not easily transferred from the intellect to the muscles. Our program is built on learning in gradient steps.
   Each element of the swing has an accompanying drill so that the student not only understands the skill but repeats it until it becomes a habit.
   When the steps are drilled in, the student has the confidence and ability to play golf by focusing on hitting that ball without concentrating on the mechanics.
   Our entire philosophy at the MG Golf Academy is dedicated to making the student understand that golf is a hitting game. Thinking about concepts such as holding the angle prevents students from making solid contact.
   Golf is a hitting game just like any stick and ball game. Focusing on positions and mechanics shuts off your natural ability.
   Like the other elements, the swing, from impact through finish, is properly executed by the hands continuing their pushing motion from the top.
   It is a sense that the body remains quiet and acts as a solid base when the club starts down. The left hip and shoulders are pushed through by the clubhead as it hits the ball. The right hip and shoulder are then pulled through by the clubhead.
   This method encourages throwing the clubhead from “A” (the top of the swing) to “B” (the ball). Though this direct route is physically impossible to achieve, it must be the golfer’s intention for consistent ball-striking.
   Our emphasis on the use of the hands is, to some degree, a revisiting of more traditional instructional theories such as those espoused by Henry Cotton and Tommy Armour.
   But to these historic teachers, the hands were only a piece of the puzzle. To us, they are the centerpiece of a great golf swing.
   Our teaching style is organized around this one concept and in doing so, we offer a simple method, with clear definitions of each element of our swing theory and a unified structure of communicating this message.
   We try to instill one priority in our students: “Hit the Ball” and allow swing mechanics to fall in line as a result.
   It no doubt is a welcome change for the golfer bogged down in technical thoughts.

By: Martin Green, Director of Instruction - Martin Green Golf Academy, Panama City Beach, Fl. From an article published in Southern Golf Magazine Vol. 8, No. 11, November, 2002