Archive for the ‘Natural Golf Swing’ Category

Continuous Rhythm, Light Hands!

Friday, December 11th, 2009

Well, my swing has been getting better and better, thanks to continuous rhythm and light hands.  Today’s practice was a blast although there was a storm moving here into Northern California.  There was only one other guy at the range today and the range was closing rather early at 7pm.

Anyways, today I probably had one of the best swing days of my life (I know I say this often but my swing is getting better and better so…) and here’s some swing keys that helped me do that:

  • Hover the clubhead at address and feeling the weight of the golf clubhead.   This helps you feel the weight of your golf club before you start your golf swing plus you won’t be starting from a completely static position, helping you to get into action.  Jack Nicklaus used to do this on all his shots even on putting, I highly suggest you to do this too.  It can also be a good pre-swing move, sorta like a push forward with your hands.
  • At the top of my swing (actually it felt like I couldn’t distinguish between my backswing and downswing), my hands felt “weightless” or very light.  Also during transition, it felt so “smooth”, like butter.  To accomplish this rhythm, try waving your hands like a music conductor.  Oh yeah, that’s the feeling, smooth.

That was about it and I felt like my swing was simply an exaggerated version of my small chip/pitch shots.

Also, one more thing, if you start swinging badly, stop hitting full shots and hit very short 30 yard pitch shots.  To hit great 30 yard pitch shots, you will need to lighten your hands a lot and swing very smooth.  Once you can hit the ball really solid with your pitch shot rhythm, try it on your full shots.

Well, gotta go, I got a long weekend ahead of me although I still haven’t played a single round this year.  Gotta make money first then I should be on my way to PGA Tour baby!

My New Golf Swing – The Weak Grip/Flat Plane Golf Swing!

Thursday, December 3rd, 2009

Well, I have finally built a new golf swing after tinkering and experimenting with different grips and swing planes.  This new golf swing is probably perfect for golfers who are similar build to mine (I am 5′ 9″ 190lbs with modest muscles in my upper body and rather muscular lower body) or you can try it if it works for you too.

Another quirk I have is that I have flat foot, meaning that if I try to swing like non-flat footed people, I simply can’t but I have found using a super, weak grip and a super, flat swing plane, I can hit the ball after ball consistently toward my target and also have a great control over my ball trajectory and distance.

So, here it goes for those of you who want to try a golf swing that I’ve created.

The Grip

grip-1

The grip starts with my left hand.  The left hand grip is actually simply neutral.  Just hang your left hand down the shaft naturally, back of your left hand facing the target.

grip-2

You should see about 2 knuckles, the V formed by your thumb and index finger pointing to your chin or right shoulder.  I use the standard left hand grip but the right hand grip is where we make the weak grip. (and the secret sauce behind my swing)

grip-3

For the right hand, you will place your right hand grip “well weak”, meaning the V formed by the thumb and index finger should point to your left shoulder or slightly beyond.

This mechanism allows me to really prevent turning my right hand over after impact.  Rather, I can fully release my right hand at impact, thereby applying extra power to my overall swing speed yet be able to control the golf ball with super accuracy.

I find that traditional golf instruction only teaches the “wrong” way, where the right hand is vulnerable to turn the club over the quickly.  Why not set your right hand so it can never turn over so fast?  That’s my secret.

grip-4

Here’s the finished netural left/weak right grip.  Ben Hogan used something similar to this, I’ve exaggerated my weak right hand grip more because I hit the ball better that way.

When done right, both your arms should be straight instead of traditional golf instruction where your right elbow is slightly tucked into your body.

I find that you can feel more unison between your hands and arms when using this grip.

Address/Setup

address-1

At address, you should stand as tall as possible (like you are standing) and simply bend your knees a bit.  The shoulders here are “square” and “parallel” to your target line while the arms may be slightly open due to the super, weak right hand grip.

address-2

From the front, you should see that the hands are slightly ahead of the golf clubhead and you should “feel” the triangle formed by your shoulders, arms, and hands.  This is the most pivotal part, you need to feel that “triangle”, that is what you turn on the backswing and downswing. (or turning your body)

Backswing

backswing-1

For the backswing, you will simply turn your “triangle” formed at address in-plane.  You do not need to consciously cock your hands, they should naturally cock as the result of your body movement.  Also, you only need to go as far as your shoulders will turn about 90-100 degrees for control, there’s no need to swing to parallel, that’s only a made-up guideline, there’s no reason why you should swing so far, especially when you consider your elbow angles will go out of control and you will have to re-adjust to compensate on the downswing.   Also note, I am turning on a single axis of my upper body, that’s all I need to do.

backswing-2

For the backswing, you will need to imagine a plane formed by your shoulders and the ball and try to turn your “triangle” along that plane.  When you do that, you get what you see above.

I’ve intentionally also left out the takeaway, I believe golfers should not focus on the takeaway because it’s only result of the process of getting to the top of the backswing and it will hurt your rhythm if you try to manipulate the takeaway.  Rather, think of the backswing as one action from address to the backswing.

All throughout my swing, my hands feel “super” light, tension in your hands will kill your golf swing.  It might “look” like I am holding the club hard but in reality, I am holding it light as I can through my swing, even on my downswing.

Transition – The Hip Slide & Turn

downswing-1

Transition is the most important part of your backswing because if you don’t start the downswing with the hips, you will come over the shot, hitting a slice or a pull hook.

From the top of the backswing, I feel like simply “bumping” my hips back to the target, which starts a chain reaction of events like the shoulders, arms, and hands being pulled down to this position.  My hands still feel super light and I feel like I am ready to punch someone out.

downswing-2

Because of the super weak grip we’ve implemented here, you can really swing through as hard as you can from here without worry about hooking the ball.

Also, in this part of the swing, I “still” feel the triangle formed earlier at address.  (You should be able to feel the unison of your shoulders, arms, and hands throughout the golf swing.)

Impact!

impact-1

You shouldn’t really practice impact since it’s also result of process but at impact, this is what it should feel like, the hands still ahead of the club.

impact-2

Follow-Through

followthrough-1

After impact, you should really “feel” the triangle formed at address turning.  The result is that both of your arms are extended fully.

followthrough-2

And as you can see here, the clubhead should be in this position, meaning you are swinging inside-out.  Also note, the spine angle has been maintained.

My hand still feel super “light” though.  If you body (triangle) does the work, your hands will feel light.

The Finish

finish-1

After follow-through, feel free to let your body come up so you don’t hurt your back.  Although I have seen some golf instruction that teach you to maintain spine angle even through finish, I disagree for longer golfing life.

There’s absolutely no reason for you to maintain spine angle AFTER your follow-through because that will only hurt your back.

Notice how straight my right arm is, this means I’ve extended my right arm as fully as possible through impact and follow-through, this mean full-power and accuracy too.

finish-2

Players like Annika Sorenstam does this well, even turning their heads at impact.

finish-3

At the end of your finish, your boday should be balancing nicely on your left foot.  I’ve actually “exaggerated” my right arm to be straight but you can actually relax at this point.

finish-4

See how my body is very upright?  This is really great for hitting thousands of golf balls on the range and never hurt your back.  I believe the best and simple golf swing is also the one that doesn’t harm your back.  With this finish position, I can literally hit 300 golf balls per day without any lower back problems.

Another important thing you can check at the finish is to check how “stable” your right hand grip is.

Another reason why I changed my right hand grip to be super weak is because at finish, my right hand grip still feels super “stable”, whereas a my old neutral right hand grip was slightly “shaky” at best.

Of course, all these swing tips might not help you because you are probably not built like me.  I am just demonstrating what has worked for me and a lot of stuff I’ve implemented are those I’ve learned through golf books, instructors, and finally customizing them to my body.

Remember, there IS no perfect golf swing, the perfect golf swing is the one you can hit the ball consistently and easily without breaking your lower back.

I just hope you don’t be scared to try new grips, swing planes, just because your golf instructor tells you otherwise.

Too many golf instructors teach you one golf swing, which is completely wrong and won’t work on everyone.

I’ve found my golf swing and should be refining it soon.  And yes, definitely take it for a test drive next year at some mini-tour events.

Happy golfing, and remember, practice makes perfect.

P.S. I should have a video of this new swing soon, see my last video just before I found my new golf swing, which is pretty much the same thing.

Here’s some practice swings:

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My New Golf Swing(Grip)!

Wednesday, November 25th, 2009

Oops, well, I am hitting the ball awfully well now, better than ever by actually doing something completely different from traditional golf theories.

For one, now I am using a super weak grip where my right hand shows almost 3 knuckles with my V pointing to beyond my left shoulder.  (My shoulders are still square parallel to my target line though and my left hand grip is still neutral.)

While hitting golf balls, I realized that I hit some really solid shots without myself knowing my right hand was super weak.  Needless to say, I tried it out this right hand grip “consciously” and the result was fascinating, I could hit a 200-yard target over and over effortlessly within couple feet of each other.

Greg Norman even has a golf grip aid for taking the right hand out of the swing, I figured why not just weaken it completely useless?

What I found out is that my release of the golf club near the impact is more consistent and I never overpower with my right hand like I used to.

There was actually one time where I had a right hand grip with the thumb touching the index finger to render my right hand useless during impact.  (that works well too by the way except a bit loose)  I simply have a better one now that is secure while letting me hit super-duper consistent shots.

Plus, my swing has been getting flatter than ever but I feel that I have found new source of power through my new golf swing by being able to leverage my body more. (with a flatter swing)

I should have an update with detailed instructions/photos on how to accomplish this swing soon (if you want to try it out).

I think what the golfing world is missing is the ideas of “customization” and “creativity”.  If you swung like everyone else, you probably won’t do better than everyone else.

So, I am here to make a new golf swing (or I did), let me share it with ya soon!

One thing I’ve noticed is that my tendency to “hook” so badly has gone away completely every since my super-weak right hand grip change.  Plus, now my swing feels easy, I feel more natural, less thinking and more solid shots.

And oh yeah, Happy Thanksgiving!  Don’t forget to hit some golf balls b4 you eat some turkey, duh!

I found my SWING!

Friday, November 13th, 2009

You know, you have one of those days when you find your swing, every swing feels effortless, you can hit every shot at the target.  Today was such a day for me, let me share you some insights what I tried to do today.

For one, I haven’t hit balls all week due to me playing with new gadgets such as my new Canon 7D DSLR.

I felt really fresh heading out to the range and even felt a little out of it since it’s been so long (like 3 days) without hitting golf balls.

Last time I was at the range, I remember hitting a lot of balls and trying to hard.

There was a time when I used to swing effortlessly and shoot under par every time I played.  Well, today I tried that.

Instead of trying to “perfect” my swing mechanics (and btw, there is no such thing as perfection in golf, pros have only tried to set some guidelines but that is really all, guidelines, no swing guru can tell you how to swing perfectly in reality.), today I simply tried to develop a swing that was more effortless, like how I used to hit the ball.

When you try to swing effortlessly, a great thing happens, you can literally hit ball after ball and you never get tired.

Anyways, this is what it felt like:

First, I relaxed my hands throughout my swing.  This allowed me to naturally get into the right positions during the swing without tension creeping in.

Second, I felt like my backswing was like holding a basketball and simply turning to the right. (on my plane created by my spine angle)

I really felt like I was swinging a basketball and not a golf club, meaning it felt like I was using my body.

Third, I simply try to hit the ball as solid as I can without trying to do too much.

When I did these things, something wonderful happened, that is I felt like my head and body was no longer restricted.    I didn’t look up but immediately after I hit the ball after impact, I felt like I was coming up on the shot but it felt so “right” and “comfortable”.

Before, I was all trying to keep my spine angle consistent.  And you know what happens when you do that, you might hit the ball good but you are putting awful lot of pressure to your lower back plus when you are tired, you tend to slap at the ball with your hands.(especially under pressure)

Instead, I put the pressure off my lower back by simply standing up more after impact.

Let’s just put it this way, I had the best ball striking day this year.  I hit 2 jumbo buckets today and I feel like I didn’t even hit balls.

This could help you, perhaps you want to try less next time you practice and let natural instincts take over.

I will have a video soon, I know this will look much better than my last swing video so hopefully tomorrow!

I am starting to Play Pro Tournaments AGAIN!

Thursday, October 15th, 2009

Well, after years of not playing competitively, I’ve finally decided to take a shot at the PGA Tour again.  My goals for this year is to play at least 2 Pepsi Tour tournaments before the year is over.  I know that’s not whole lot of competitive golf but heck, I gotta start playing somewhere!

Next year, my goals are to enter couple Nationwide PGA Tour Monday qualifying events hopefully around my neighborhood in Northern California.

I will also be trying to qualify for U.S. Open next year, wish me luck to make it to the Open baby!

Anyways, my swing is looking really good, I’ve simplified it enough where I don’t have to practice much to keep my swing in shape.  (although I have desire to hit at least 300 balls everyday)

I haven’t really played much, maybe 5 rounds total in the last 2 years but it shouldn’t take me too long shooting 60s again.

I realize I am getting older but my swing is more stable and mature.  My thoughts on golf has naturally improved due to age.  Maybe that is why before Tiger’s era, pros didn’t start winning majors until they were in their 30s.

Wish me luck and I will try to keep updating the blog although I will get very busy now focusing only on one thing, winning the U.S. Open!  (hahaha, that will take me years but heck, it’s a good goal)

Today, I hit the ball GREAT just like 2 days ago.

Here’s couple swing thoughts I was using to hit laser-accurate iron shots and super-long 350 yard drives:

For short shots, be very loose, light hands, and make a very smooth swing.

Also, swing inside-out and try to keep that swing in motion before you start looking up where your ball is going.  This doesn’t mean your head stays down, just keep your spine angle consistent until after impact, that’s the key to crisp, iron shots.

For extra, super-long 350 yard drives, I’ve developed a new method of creating “super-lag” with my woods.  Basically, you start turning your lower body quickly right as you are reaching the top of your backswing, this creates a “super-lag”, plus you will be able to square the ball easily with the added amount of clubhead speed generated.  I find that a nice 15-yard draw is generated with this method or a straight shot.  Before using this method and just hitting the ball hard with my driver in the past, I experienced a lot of blocks to the right.

Well, that’s all for today, I will be gone golfing!

P.S. I will also be ordering some custom golf wear I can wear to tournaments to show off my golf blog.  PLUS, I will be interviewing couple of my old golf pro friends at Pepsi Tour, sorta like reality show for aspiring pro golfers.  (You will get to see what they are thinking, where they are going, and who knows, some of these guys DO make it to the PGA TOUR eventually so that’d be interesting stuff to watch.)

My first tournament here at Boundary Oaks Golf Course in Walnut Creek, pray for me!  (although I think it will take me at least 3 tournaments before I start playing well…)

samll

Weekend Warriors – How to Hit the Ball More Consistently!

Sunday, August 23rd, 2009

Most of us don’t have the time that it takes to perfect a golf swing nor maintain it.  For those weekend warriors, here’s couple swing tips that have actually worked for me:

  • Don’t fight your swing, whether you hit a draw or fade on that day, just play that shot.
  • Keep your swing smooth but make sure your followthrough is longer than your backswing.  This makes sure you accelerate through the golf ball without over-swinging.  This is probably the best tip for keeping your ball flight consistent even if you hardly practice.
  • Keeping your ball flight consistent, whether that’s a slice or hook,  comes first.  If you can hit the ball with a consistent ball flight, you don’t have to hit the ball straight and still score good.  I’ve seen hundreds of scratch golfers who have bad swings but they have consistent ball flights.
  • Don’t ever try to “correct” your swing, just go with the flow and work with your flawed swing.  Again, consistency rules over straight shots.  Even pro golfers don’t try to hit the ball straight.  Jack Nicklaus and Fred Couple hit fades all through major championships, you should pick a side too.
  • Practice more short game and putting, that’s where your advantage is or even Tiger’s for that matter, not in the 300+ yard driver.  Although it’d be good to hit it 300+ yards off the tee, that’s the last thing that’s gonna help you score near par.

I’ve been playing golf for over 20+ years now and more I realize that perfecting your golf swing has more to do with scoring bad  than trying to work with what you already have.

Even me, I have less time to practice than before since I have to run my online publishing business.   I score better when I try to find ways to keep my swing more consistent by doing less.

Less is more, especially in golf.  No matter how many personal golf lessons you get, it’s probably worthless if you change your swing everytime you go out on the golf course.  Stop tinkering and start playing golf.

Here’s a simple exercise if you tend to end up in vicious cycle of trying to fix your swing.

1. Don’t practice on the range anymore.

2. Don’t try to fix your swing on the golf course.

3. Keep playing more golf and try to work on your golf strategy to fit your ball flight.

4. keep doing 1 to 3 until your ball flight is consistent and you have find a working golf course strategy.

5. If you must, fix your swing once every 3 months.

Happy golfing!

How to Swing Better by Not Being Perfect!

Wednesday, August 19th, 2009

Sometimes, perfection can be the root of all evil things in a golf swing.  A lot of times when I was playing competitively on a daily basis, I would try to perfect my golf swing by banging 10 buckets of balls.  I would have probably done better if I just relaxed more and focused more on my short game and putting.

Golf is a game that requires great mental focus, it’s a not a game where the best golf swing mechanics win tournaments.  Rather, golfers with ability to turn the golf course into their friend wins as evidenced by Y.E. Yang’s win over Tiger last weekend.

That said, I hit balls for the first time in about 3 months yesterday and boy, I hit the ball really, really good.

Here’s something I tried to do yesterday:

  • I tried to not be perfect, simply relax my hands and let my body do the work.
  • My swing though consisted of “keep it smooth” like Fred Couples.
  • Worked on specific shots that would help me on the golf course like fading the ball (which is my strength) and odd shots that could get me out of trouble.

In all, yesterday’s practice at the driving range might have helped me whole lot more than me simply banging a lot of balls mindlessly one after another.

The key to great golf is keeping your golf swing consistent.   The only way an average golfer who rarely practices to keep their golf swing consistent is to keep their swing thoughts simple.

Golf has so many parts to master but unless you are a professional golfer with all the time in the world, you are not going to master it.

Forget “fixing” your swing and try simply “scoring” with your current golf swing.  Whatever your bad shots are, a nasty hook or banana slice, you can still “score” well by adjusting to your weaknesses and using them as strengths.

I’ve seen it a gazillion times where a golfer with a really weird swing will win over a golfer who has a perfect swing.  Most of the time, the golfer with a really weird swing has an incredible short game and a knack for putting since he/she is hitting the ball all over the place.  The golfer with perfect swing usually never performs under pressure because he/she simply does not know how to deal with trouble under pressure.

Anyways, I will be heading over to the course more often before this summer ends and looks like they got the tent set up at Harding Park for the President’s Cup 2009 this year. (I have an incredible view of the 12th hole at Harding Park from my 12th floor apartment!)

Annika Sorenstam’s Swing – The Stand Up Swing

Saturday, September 22nd, 2007

Annika Sorenstam’s Swing

Apart from the Men’s Golf, Annika Sorenstam probably has the best swing in golf. The above animated gif is a favorite among mine that’s floating on the internet.

Click below for the full swing analysis of Annika Sorenstam and a HOWTO drill for copying her “stand-up-head-up” downswing.

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