Improving your golf swing does come from practice, but proper practice basics are always needed. I went to the range today to hit a bucket of balls. Things really look different there due to the Covid-19 situation. While at the Stadium Practice Range here in San Diego, they took my temperature before I was allowed further in. Only sold one size of bucket...80 balls. Required a mask in the shop area, only credit card purchases and the range ball had just been disinfected.
We are returning to golf but as I have been stating recently, things are not as they were. Times are changing. However good golf comes from good practice basics and that NEVER changes. So as I ventured to hit my medium bucket of balls I noticed a few things while walking to me hitting station with my mask on ( I am allowed to take it off while hitting). First of all I viewed 8 golfers practicing. Of those on my side of the range only 3 (including me of course) were using alignment aids (sticks or clubs) to help with proper alignment to the target and ball position in relation to that. Thus 5 golfers used no aid, they just winged it, perhaps they assume they are always good with alignment? In my 30 years of coaching watching tour players or well advanced amateur players, EVERY one of them use alignment aids. I remember asking a European tour player many years ago if he always used alignment aids when practicing? He inquisitively answer; "Aye, do ya use a key to start your car mate"? My alignment sticks are a must....only a stupid bloke would not use them!" Ok...point well taken. The reason alignment aids are so important is that you will swing your club along the direction of where your body is aimed. As a matter of basic fact, most right handed players are right eye dominant, thus they see things skewed to the right more (they have to see their target line over the bridge of their nose). For this simple reason, if you are inconsistent on how you align your body to an intended target, you literally are swinging a different direction EVERY TIME you swing the club. When you align incorrectly you then look up to see the target and it will be in an inconsistent position each time unless your alignment is consistent. For example today as I hit some shots getting back to the proper look of where the target is I felt a little odd when using my clubs on the ground for alignment aids. I am a left handed player with a dominant left eye so I always see my target further left than is actually the case. As I go about my diligent work of simple alignment ( so I will not be that bloke the European Tour players suggested) I once again felt uncomfortable. The alignment clubs made me 'feel' like I was pointed too far right. Now over years of this simple conundrum I know that this is the correct feeling, but my mind tells me something else. When I was in AZ last month playing I had a very good round one day of below par and two more near par. My play was inconsistent so when I went to practice the first thing I noticed was my old habit of poor alignment too far left had slipped in AGAIN. This is a recurring theme for me and almost any golfer I know. Back to today, I had to adjust the sight line and my feeling of the target line. In the above picture is my intended target line. Thus I added another club parallel to that line along my foot line to insure I was aligned parallel to me target line. The most important step in the set up of the alignment station is setting your intention of hitting the ball on a specific line toward your target. There are hundreds of videos on YouTube about alignment so Ill leave you to find one you like. My point here is when you practice make sure you to it efficiently. If you do not, like those 5 players who were not today, then you are certainly wasting part of your effort. You get a good grade to exercise but you get an F in efficiency. As I said in my last Blog, the time you will have on the range will be reduced so it is a must to make the most of it. As I went about my time on the practice mat I then had to insure my ball position was consistent with my irons. Once again, if you assume it is always correct....that European Tour player should be ringing in your head about how much of a 'bloke' you are. Finally because getting to see an instructor may be more difficult now with limited space and even many golf training centers closed for now, each golfer may have to film themselves and send this film to their coach. In my case many of my students here in the San Diego and Southern California area will have the ability send me their swings on video beginning this week. So here is a simple link from two coaches I know who own Me and My Golf. Pierce and Andy are great coaches and have a huge following on line and this video link HERE will give you a basic starting point of how to film yourself from face on to a camera or down the target line. As Jack Nicklaus used to say; "you practice with a purpose and then get away from it". This meant you practice with purpose, go to the range with a plan of action. Use the plan, take action and commence and finish it. Then you are done. Hitting hundreds of balls is normally useless because you get sloppy, tired, and then way too many poor things can occur. Get to the range this week or weekend and be diligent with your approach. If you are a 'bloke' about how your prepare and practice, then the consequences are your fault.
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Al Owens CoachingAl Owens is a Peak Performance Golf Coach located in San Diego, CA Archives
July 2024
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