==================================================== BCC Golf ==================================================== ==================================================== Golf Tip: Fat Hits and Outside-In Swing Slices ==================================================== If anyone has a golf question that they would like answered, please email your question to: teachingpro@bataviacc.com and I'll do my best to answer it in an upcoming newsletter. Steve K. had this question: "I have 2 questions for you. One of my biggest problems is that I take a divot before the ball. Second, I fade the ball a lot. I'm told I have an out to in swing. How do I correct that?" FAT HITS Taking a divot before the ball - a "fat" hit - can be caused by a number of swing flaws, as well as not knowing where the bottom of your swing is. To find out where the bottom of your swing is, take a seven iron, set up with your feet positioned under your shoulders, and swing the club in your backyard trying to take a shallow, centered divot with each swing. This will tell you if the bottom of your swing is center, forward, or to the rear of where you think the center - or bottom - of your swing is. Position your golf ball accordingly when you play. Another thing you can try is to look at the front of your golf ball when you hit your irons, this will help your clubface hit the ball first. It might take some practice to make sure that the clubface is square to the ball-target line at impact. Swing flaws that can cause a fat hit are the same that cause an out to in swing - I call it an outside-in swing, so let's deal with that swing error. I'll explain some common causes first, and then I'll recommend some training aids that will help correct the problem. COMMON CAUSES FOR AN OUTSIDE-IN SWING PATH REVERSE WEIGHT SHIFT During the golf swing, we shift our weight slightly to the rear foot during the takeaway, then we shift it forward during the downswing. With a reverse weight shift flaw, the weight shift goes forward during the takeaway, then to the rear during the downswing. If you are finishing your swing with your weight on your back foot instead of your front foot, you've got this problem. This is usually caused by bending your front knee during the takeaway, locking your rear knee straight, and leaning your weight over your front foot towards the hole. As a result, you have no choice but to transfer your weight backwards during the swing as the downswing unfolds. This causes fat hits, as well as slices. A good drill to practice getting your weight transferred correctly is what I call the Gary Player walk through drill. When Gary Player was playing professionally, he used to get his weight positioned nicely on his rear side during the takeaway, then his weight shift and rotation was so pronounced on the downswing that he actually turned and took a step forward as part of his finish. This is a good drill for those that have a reverse weight shift problem. IMPROPER ALIGNMENT Outside-in refers to a swing path wherein the club head approaches the ball during the downswing from outside the ball-target line, makes contact with the ball, then finishes inside the ball-target line. The ball-target line is the straight line that the ball would take if it traveled directly to the hole when struck. When I teach golf, this imaginary line is extended from the front side of the ball forward, and the backside of the ball to the rear, like it's a straight line going from a distance behind the ball, through the ball, towards the hole. Your body should be set up on a line parallel to the ball-target line, which means that your body line is actually aimed to the left of the hole compared to the ball-target line. Most amateurs aim their body at the hole, and also aim the ball at the hole. If you think about this for a moment, you'll see that this incorrect alignment actually encourages an outside in swing path, so the setup mistake is another possible cause of an outside-swing swing fault. CASTING Another major cause of an outside-in swing path is casting your club from the top of your swing when the downswing commences. Casting is just what it sounds like. If you were fishing and casting your line, you would pull the rod over your shoulder, then flip it outward to cast the line. That's the same motion many golfers use during their downswing, and it causes the club to be thrown outside the ball-target line, and as a result it has to be pulled from outside-in to strike the golf ball. Most of the downswing related problems like this can be corrected by practicing hitting the ball with a swing path that approaches the ball on an inside-out swing path. If you have shifted your weight properly to load your rear side during the takeaway, and then have started the downswing with a forward weight shift and a gradual uncoiling of the body, all that's left is making sure that your right elbow stays close to your body instead of flying away from it (flying right elbow) and the club will drop into the slot and approach the ball from an inside out swing path. Here's a drill that I used many years ago to stop slicing the ball. I did it during the winter, in my garage, regardless of the outside temperature. I cut a piece of carpet remnant big enough to stand on and swing a club on. I drew an extended line for a ball-target line, than another line that positioned my body parallel left to the ball-target line, the proper distance for me to swing a seven iron down the ball-target line. Then I drew a small perpendicular line on the ball-target line for where my ball would be positioned. So I have a long line for my body position, parallel to a ball-target line with another shorter vertical line marking the position of my imaginary ball, it looks like a small cross in the line. Now swing your seven iron with your front hand only, put your rear hand in your pocket, and practice swinging it so that it approaches the imaginary ball from the inside-out angle to the ball. I did this 100 times per night, five days per week for an entire winter, and when I golfed that spring I had the most beautiful draw on my ball that you could imagine. It was so ingrained into my muscle memory, that I actually had to re-train myself to hit a fade! Everyone may not be as obsessive as I was about as many reps as I did, but just do it in moderation and your swing will transform beautifully. A good training aid on the market to help your swing path is the Inside Approach. It retails for about $60 at http://insideapprocah.com I bought one, then built several others for use in my lessons by buying some pvc and foam at Home Depot. Building them myself cost about $8 in materials, and it's easy - never in my life have I ever been accused of being a handyman. Another real simple training aid is a block of foam that you place behind and just outside the ball-target line from your ball when you practice on the range. Try to hit the ball without hitting the foam, it forces you to be inside-out on the approach or you launch the foam downrange. I usually anchor the foam with some string and a golf tee to save chasing it too far. I would be remiss to my profession if I didn't mention that another option would be a golf lesson. I really don't know why a lot of people choose it as a last option, when as a first option it would make the game easier to learn. So there are a few options, pick one and improve your game! Enjoy, Tom