T-OFF (ISSUE15) OCT - DEC 2019 | Page 35

SWING CLASS is key if you are going to fix the issue and eventually improve your golf! AJ’s Rule # 2 - Find A Swing Doctor. Now that you’ve got yourself in for a few lessons you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. But this game takes time to fix. The golf swing is not a natural motion for the body to execute. We have to train our bodies to be able to execute the motion correctly. This is accelerated with the help of a good Teaching Professional who is able to watch and pick up the inconsistencies in the swing motion and work with you to make necessary changes.  It is then up to you to put in the necessary time to develop these changes. Practice makes perfect. Right? Wrong!!! Practice makes permanent! Perfect practice makes perfect! A good Teaching Pro should take you through the necessary drills that give you feedback reminding you that you are making the correct motion during practice, and if he or she doesn’t, then it’s your job to ask for them. In fact, as a paying customer, it’s up to you to gain as much pertinent information as possible during the lessons. “Why” should be the first question out of your mouth. By the time you are done with a lesson you should leave with a clear understanding of what the issue was, what caused the issue and most importantly, what you need to do to fix the issue. You’re on your own on the Links and experience has shown that the faster you can diagnose and correct a swing issue the sooner the scores stabilise. Research has shown that it takes an average of 10 hours of repetition to make a swing change set in.  AJ’s Rule # 3 - Perfect Practice Makes Perfect. It doesn’t stop there though. Over the last six years teaching golf in Kenya, I have seen a trend that once the game returns I don’t see that person for at least half a year if not more before I get a call from him or her in a panic saying the game has gone again. Don’t wait till the wheels come off to get it back together. As mentioned, the golf swing is not a natural motion. Continue with regular sessions to keep the swing from going awry and you will see how easy this game is.  AJ’s Rule # 4 - Prevention Is Better Than Cure. In closing, this game is not rocket science. It’s based on physics, just simple physics. Ask Bryson. There are only nine different ways your ball can fly. If you can get your clubface pointing to your target at impact, your ball is going to go to the target. Unless you swing the club across your target line, then it will shape off- line. Remember the traditional way of explaining how to shape a golf ball; Point your clubface to where you want the ball to finish and point your feet to where you want the ball to start turning from. That’s changed now. Research has shown that the angle of the club’s face at impact (Face Angle) determines the starting direction of the ball and the way we swing the club through impact (Swing Path) creates the lateral spin on the ball. EVERY shot you hit is a combination of these 2 factors. This is the Law of Ball-Flight.  I hope that this article has shared some light on how you can go about correctly fixing your swing and improving your golf. There are two major factors that accelerate your golf development, the first being, improving your swing, and the second (and my favorite) improving your equipment. This will be covered in the next episode. Till then, if anyone has any questions about anything golf do not hesitate to get in touch with me at Total Golf Solutionz Ltd. Swing with Confidence my friends! Anokh Jai is a USGTF Lv. 4 Master Teaching Professional based at Golf Solutionz Ltd [email protected]