Virginia Golfer September / October 2022 | Page 37

Wedge Practice
GEEBRAN WARCHAUSKY to swing freely , as you allow the weight of the club to create its own acceleration . The weight of the club doesn ’ t change . The weight to the club is always the same unless you make the putter shorter or longer , adding or subtracting weight . The better you understand how much force comes from the putter , the better you will putt .
PUTTING PRACTICE : Go to your putting green . Aim for the fringe of the putting green instead of a hole . Start with an uphill putt , think of how far back you need to take it and let the putter swing . Try to get as
Putting Practice
“ Knowing and understanding how to create consistent speed is paramount to getting up and down inside of 100 yards .”
close as possible to the edge of the fringe . Now do the same exercise with a downhill putt . Again selecting the fringe as your target . Putting to the fringe edge allows your arms to swing freely and you will quickly begin to judge the length of your backswing . The more you stay still , the freer your arms are the faster the putter moves .
Next are your wedges . Knowing and understanding how to create consistent speed is paramount to getting up and down inside of 100 yards . The stance you create with wedges is going to be very different from the putter stance . Since the task is to create shorter swings , your feet will be much closer together and the lower body open to the target . The body weight will be on the lead foot . Your arms will be hanging from the shoulders . For very short distances , choke down on the club . Use your shoulders not your hands to take the club back . The resistance created with your legs will bring the club back down by allowing the hips to rotate toward the target . Within a very short amount of time you will understand exactly how far a wedge will hit the ball . Allowing the club to gather speed is very different from just swinging the arms . When you just swing the arms your mind has to calculate the distance of the swing and the amount of force needed to create it . When you rotate your shoulders back ,
hold your legs together , the setup dictates how far back the club goes and the hips create the downswing .
WEDGE PRACTICE : Select targets at 20 , 40 and 60 yards . Your goal is to keep things simple . You will use more or less of the club when taking the club back , allowing the club to do all of the work .
Last are the irons and woods in the full swing . In a full swing , stand with your feet shoulder width apart and allow your arms to hang from the shoulders . The lower body must remain extremely still ( meaning no sway right ) as you rotate and heave the club back and finish a full rotation in the backswing . In the process of having taken the club back you have created enough body coil to change direction . Moving from right to left side will promote a pulling of the golf club as long as you remain tensionless in your hands and arms . The idea is to constantly feel the weight of the golf club accelerating . As long as you don ’ t try to control the club , it will function at its best .
FULL SWING PRACTICE : You want to find out is how far your club goes when you don ’ t add any additional force . Most people are amazed that they actually pick up distance because the club has more freedom . vsga . org S EPTEMBER / O CTOBER 2022 | V IRGINIA G OLFER
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