2nd March 2013
Dear John,
Swing tips
I am so excited about this latest improvement you have been able to make to your driving. You can tell from your voice that you are convinced that this is a development that will help you to move up a level.
For a few reasons, I am also confident that this latest “swing tip” will have lasting benefit.
Number one amongst these reasons is the fact that this tip involves an adjustment that is external to your swing: it doesn’t require you to try to alter any particular movement. It is, in fact, a tip about alignment and so, crucially, has no impact on your objective which is to locate your “timing” on every shot. And the fact that you are now able to find your “timing” relatively easily on most shots means that you have been able to get the maximum benefit from this tip very quickly. And because you are finding your “timing” from tee to green, then an improvement in your driving will have an immediate impact on your scoring because you are facing less difficult shots more often.
When I first discovered how to guarantee “timing”, I spent quite a lot of time on the range hitting shots that defied one or more of the accepted conventions of golf teaching. I did this to prove to myself that locating your “timing” was the fundamental task facing a golfer: that everything else was a mere “aid” – stance, grip, still head, flexed knees etc. At one point, I was able to hit straight shots standing very open or very closed, with a separated grip or a cack-handed grip, and shaking my head from side to side.
Standing in line with the target, with a conventional grip and a relaxed stillness is absolutely fine for hitting straight shots, and if you can then you may as well. But the only thing that will guarantee a shot that you want to hit is “timing”.
Now that you have seen that fiddling with your alignment can actually be beneficial as long as your “timing” remains intact then I hope it will give you the confidence to “experiment” with your alignment to see what extra control you can get on the ball. For example, being able to fade and draw with most of the clubs in the bag; controlling spin and height. I think it is simply a matter of practising some different alignments, seeing what the effect is and then waiting for the right opportunity to present itself on the course.
I also hope that you will start to NOT listen to tips that require you to alter some part of your swing: there is absolutely nothing wrong with your swing, or any other part of your game.
Regards,
Colin
