============================================== Newsletter - Issue 8 Date 01/31/07 ============================================== ============================================== Golf Tip - Diagnosing Your Swing Problem ============================================== If anyone has a golf problem that they would like addressed, please email your question to: teachingpro@bataviacc.com and I'll do my best to answer it in an upcoming newsletter. Last week, a golfer emailed me with a recurring problem he is having as follows: Question: "With shorter irons: 8,9, P I have a tendency to pull left of my target. With the longer irons # 3 hybird, 4, 5 I have a tendency to push right or slight slice. It seems to help if I take a real strong grip with the longer clubs and weaken the grip as I move toward the shorter end. Is this my best remedy or is it actually bad to be changing your grip. I am new to the game and did take a few lessons. Your advice would be appreciated..." The answer is rather lengthy, but it may contain some of the best advice for diagnosing your own swing problems that you'll ever find, so enjoy! Answer: There is a lot of advice on what the perfect grip should be, but here's the definitive answer - it should allow you to square up the clubface at impact. Any grip that gets you to that point is correct for you. It is not a good idea to use grip variations to correct a swing path problem, which is what I think you may have. Work on getting a swing path that approaches the ball from the inside, stays on the ball-target line through impact, then returns inside the ball-target line. You can get the correct swing path feeling by practicing an easy swing with one of the weighted training aids on the market, the best buy for the money is the one MasterGrip sells, called the "Groovie Trainer". I just bought six of them for my group lessons. Go to http://www.mastergrip.com and in the left hand column click on Groovie Trainer. Golf Galaxy and Pro Golf sell similar clubs, but the Groovie is the cheapest I've come across, and they are all pretty similar. They all help you get the feeling of dropping the club into "the slot" on the downswing. This may sound odd, but practicing a slow swing with a light sledgehammer will also train your arms to fall into "the slot" as well. The reason they work is that it is hard to bring the club "outside in" on the downswing due to the weight of the training aid. The ball flights you describe seem to tell me that your swing path might be a little outside in, instead of more down the line at impact, especially on your short irons. Your long irons might be a little more down the line with an open clubface at impact. I'd really have to see several shots to be absolutely certain, but from what you've told me that's how it seems. The perfect swing path is one that approaches the ball from inside the ball-target line, is on the ball-target line at impact, then moves slightly inside the ball-target line after impact. Inside, on line with the clubface squared up at impact, then inside. A problem defined is a problem half solved. Here's a summation of the 9 rules of ball flight, which can help you diagnose a swing problem based on your ball flight. Learn the swing path (square down the line, inside out, or outside in) and clubface positions (square to the swing path, open to the swing path, closed to the swing path) that cause each of these ball flights. Inside out means that the swing path of the club approaches the ball from inside the ball-target line; outside in means that the swing path of the club approaches the ball from outside the ball-target line. Occasionally there is a different issue, but consider the descriptions to be accurate 98% of the time. The following applies to right handed players, lefties reverse the descriptions as necessary: Remember: SP = Swing Path, CF = Clubface Position in relation to The Swing Path. 1 ball starts straight, goes straight - SP down the line CF square 2 ball starts straight, curves right - SP down the line CF open 3 ball starts straight, curves left - SP down the line CF closed 4 ball starts right, goes straight - SP inside out CF square 5 ball starts right, curves right - SP inside out CF open 6 ball starts right, curves left - SP inside out CF closed 7 ball starts left, goes straight - SP outside in CF square 8 ball starts left, curves right - SP outside in CF open 9 ball starts left curves left - SP outside in CF closed I hope this helps everyone, and thanks for the question!