Tips and Helpful Hints from Ted Frick of Classic Swing Golf School
This tip is a review of three distinct areas that involve applying force to the ball while affecting our score; putting, wedges, and the driver.
From putter to driver, the golf club is built on an incline plane. This simply means that the instrument you are using to apply force to the ball in order to move the ball in an intended direction is built on an angle, as pictured below.
Therefore, the golf club travels on a path that is a curved line, as well as, a three dimensional orbit called the swing plane. Without getting too complex, your golf club will work inside the target line on the backswing and attack the ball from inside the target line on the downswing with any club, from putter to driver, as pictured below.
The Putting Arc is a teaching aid that truly illustrates the natural path of the orbiting clubhead. Putting accounts for 40% of your overall score and perfect practice makes perfect. Following these guidelines, please spend time with your putter over the winter months.
It is tough to get up and down successfully when you do not wedge the ball close enough on your approach shots. The biggest breakdown in the golf swing for the right- handed golfer is the flipping, or bending, of the left wrist through impact. Be sure to remember the importance of the flat left wrist from impact to follow through when you are working on your chipping and pitching this winter. "Charlie the Chipstick" is our number one teaching aid to promote a proper technique for the all important short game, as pictured below.
The clubhead always approaches the ball from inside the target line on the downswing, and the big muscles move the small muscles, therefore, the pivot is the driving force in the downswing.
The Big Stick, the paragraph most of you are interested in, focuses on three main areas: 1. Complete your backswing with a full turn. 2. Always swing in to out through the ball. 3. Roll baby roll. A full shoulder turn over a flexed right knee is paramount to power. You cannot dump what you do not load. Focus on getting your left shoulder over the right foot at the top of your backswing and keep the right knee flexed while doing so. In the downswing, make an attempt to cross the target line at approximately a 30 degree angle or what feels like hitting a baseball to right field through the ball. By not attempting to hit the ball straight, and actually hitting the ball out away from you, you must incorporate the sensation of rolling your forearms immediately upon impact.
For more tips from one of the Best Golf Schools, please visit us at www.classicswing.com/home/