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Start with Short Game and Build Up to the Full
Swing |
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The best way
to master the game of golf is to begin closest to the hole to
farthest away – from short putts to the full swing.
The reason is simple: the short game is a
microcosm of the full swing. In many cases, the skills utilized in
short game shots the same as those used in the full swing, just on a
smaller scale. |
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| Closer to the hole, the swing is at its shortest and
least complex: a smaller motion made using fewer body parts and thus
less to coordinate. The full swing is the most complex, a much
larger motion with many more moving parts at a higher rate of speed.
Trying to master the full swing without first mastering the short
game is like trying to gallop on a horse before you’ve learned to
climb on. |
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corollary of this truth is that many problems in the full swing can
be spotted within the short game and vice versa. For example, if you
come out of posture in your full swing, you will tend to do the same
in your short game and will probably miss a fair number of putts. If
you tend to reverse-pivot in your full swing, chances are you do
this in your pitch shots as well.
Improving your short game will not only make
you a better scorer overall, but it will have positive repercussions
throughout your game. As you work on and master your short-game
shots, you will not only iron out the problems you are having in
these particular shots, but your full swing will likewise benefit.
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will also develop feelings you need to understand and incorporate
(e.g., what a proper pivot feels like) while working through your
short game that you should also feel in your full swing.
This is not to say you won’t be using both
short game shots and full swing as you play a full round – but
during practice time, which you must incorporate into your golf time
to develop a solid game, the best way is to start small and work up
from there.
Tom Patri is a Golf Magazine Top
100 Teacher and the author of "The Six-Spoke Approach to Golf"
(2005, The Lyons Press; foreword by Fred Couples), available at
http://www.globepequot.com or http://www.amazon.com
In 2003, Tom was chosen as Southwest Florida's Teacher of the Year.
Tom coaches players of all levels (from beginners to PGA and LPGA
Tour professionals) at his golf academy, TP Golf Schools, based in
Naples, Florida. To subscribe to Tom's free golf newsletter, visit
his website at http://www.tompatri.com
To contact TP Golf Schools, call (239) 455-9179.Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tom_Patri |
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