NOT FOUND: back to basics tune up.jpgWith the weather becoming warmer it’s time to start thinking about that tuneup lesson. The tuneup should consist of taking a look at your pre-swing fundamentals of grip, alignment, stance, and posture. Your short game fundamentals for putting, chipping, pitching, and sand bunker should also be reviewed. Other things to consider include setting some goals for yourself, course management, brushup on the rules, and taking care of yourself physically.
Of all of the things listed above, setting your goals and becoming more physically fit are at the top of the list. Doing this will clarify what you want and help you determine how much time you will need to devote to your game. One of the keys is to make sure you get off on the right foot, meaning when you do go over those fundamentals and start practicing them, you are doing them correctly.
Once you have the the pre-swing basics down, it becomes a matter of maintaining your balance during your swing. Good balance is so critical in the golf swing, and it is not really addressed as much as it should be. When you are out there on the practice range keep a log and evaluate on a scale from 1 - 5 (1 being total loss of balance to 5, a perfect finish position) your balance and finish of your swing. You should see a direct correlation between your balance and how the shot turned out.
Of the pre-swing fundamentals, alignment is something you can control by just laying some clubs on the ground parallel to each other, one outside the ball and another inside the ball close to your toe line forming a railroad track. Also lay one between your feet to keep your ball position consistent. Don’t overlook this because it can be the cause of many swing compensations.
Another idea to get to a good start is to use a mirror so you can see yourself set-up and swing. You can just do this at home or at the practice range and the visual feedback you receive is helpful. What to look for in the mirror is where the shaft is moving and what your legs or lower body is doing. Have your golf instructor talk to you about shaft position during the swing. If your legs are moving all over the place, then your balance is going to be affected. Try to steady the lower body as much as possible so you feel balanced throughout the entire swing.
Here is a rules brushup for you. This came about in a lesson with a young teenage boy who is a very good player. He hit a shot on a par three hole and it ended up near the cart path. The cart path was in the way of his intended swing. He just stepped up to the ball and had no intention of taking relief. I stopped him and asked, “why aren’t you taking relief?” He didn’t think he was allowed unless his ball was on the cart path. You are allowed to take relief from situations that will affect your stance and swing, not just where the postion of the ball is. You also have to make sure to find your nearest point of relief. In his case he had to go behind the cart path because going the other direction would have put him closer to the hole. Part of your tuneup should be just reading the section in teh rules book on relief situations and procedures. You can save many strokes if you know how to use that little book.
When you do your tuneup, take a closer look at some of those things that we don’t think about. The little things make a big difference in anything we do.