With a New Year, comes a New outlook on life. We can wipe the slate clean and start again. Whether you are a weekend or avid golfer, there is always something that we can improve in our games. For most of us, the weather doesn’t permit us to get outside and play as much golf as we would like this time of the year. We are stuck indoors watching other people play exotic golf courses in warm climates like Hawaii and Dubai. But just because you are stuck inside doesn’t mean you have to give up the game you love. In fact, this is the best time of year to work on your swing fundamentals and your fitness level. I always spend the month of January reviewing my past golf lessons and working on the basics of my golf swing.
DON’T KNOW WHAT TO WORK ON IN YOUR SWING? SIGN UP FOR A VIDEO LESSON AT SWINGPAL.COM AND I WILL EVALUATE YOUR SWING.
If you spend a few minutes everyday this winter working on your grip, set up, impact position and fitness level, you’ll be a better golfer when the spring finally rolls around. Check out my golf fitness system called Cardiogolf to help you work on your swing fundamentals and fitness level at the same time.
This week spend a few minutes thinking and working on your grip. You can perfect your grip while you watch TV. Do a few drills and make a few practice swings while you watch TV and you will get comfortable with any changes you have to make in no time.
Everything you do before you swing determines how well your shot will turn out. You need to review the basics no matter what level golfer you are. Only once you have a solid and consistent set up can you develop other areas of your game like consistency and power.
Spend as much time as you possibly can working on perfecting your set up. Check your grip, posture and ball position. Once you have corrected any flaws, then you will want to rehearse setting up in the correct position. This is something you can do inside or away from the golf course. It only takes a few minutes to work on these basic fundamentals.
Grip Essentials
Nobody’s hands are the same, so you grip might not be the same as your fellow player’s, but that doesn’t mean it is wrong. How you join your hands together is up to you. There are three basic grip choices to find one that best suits you. Use whatever grip feels comfortable to you. Most importantly, use the grip that helps you square the clubface at impact with the least effort. Experiment with your grip by hitting balls with the different grips to see what works best.
Strive to form a neutral grip.
The Vardon Grip: The most widely used grip by golf professionals is called the Vardon grip, named after the grip’s inventor, Harry Vardon. This is where you piggyback the pinkie finger of your right hand on top of the forefinger of your left hand.
The Interlocking Grip: The interlocking grip is where you interlock the pinkie finger of the right hand with the forefinger of the left hand.
Baseball or 10-Finger Grip: This is where all 10 fingers are securely on the shaft, as if you were holding a baseball bat.
Learn to waggle
It is important to get the correct grip pressure before each swing, to keep your swing consistent.
Place your hands on the club and hold the club head just below waist high. The club head should feel heavy. If it feels light, you are gripping way too tightly and your won’t be able to release the club face and hit a good shot. Make sure the grip pressure is the same in each hand, not tighter in one than the other. Keep the grip pressure the same throughout your swing. Don’t tighten or loosen your hands at the top of your swing, especially not at impact. Learn to waggle. A waggle is a little motion each golfer does before hitting to ensure proper grip pressure and take tension out of her hands and arms. Hold the club above the ground just below waist high. Now make small, controlled clockwise circles with the club head, making sure that your hands stay securely on the shaft. The club head should feel heavy. If it feels light, you are holding it too tightly. When you are confident that your grip pressure is just right, you are ready to place the club head behind the ball and swing.
On-Course Exercise
Consult your local PGA or LPGA Teaching Professional about your grip. If you don’t have access to a teaching professional, video tape or take a picture of your grip and email it to me for a free evaluation. KPJ@swingbladegolf.com.
Find out your golf personality
Energize Your Game with Cardiogolf
Check out my new Cardiogolf clip on Youtube were I demonstrate exercises to help lack of rotation.
What is Cardiogolf?
Cardiogolf (www.cardiogolf.com) is a 60-minute golf-specific workout that is taught by certified instructors using an area in a gym or at a practice range. Using the specially designed Cardio Club participants learn exercises to promote better swing mechanics, flexibility, strength and balance throughout the golf swing. The exercises are set to music which makes this program ideal for a group exercise class. It accommodates every golfer regardless of gender, age and skill level or fitness level. Benefits include building strength, stamina, balance and flexibility.
Who developed Cardiogolf?
The Cardiogolf Fitness Program was created by Karen Palacios-Jansen. Karen, an AFAA certified personal trainer and LPGA teaching professional and is managing editor of Golf Fitness Magazine. Over the years she has instructed hundreds of professional and amateur golfers using this unique and effective program and has been featured in several top golf publications illustrating this success.
Why Cardiogolf?
Karen used to have a dilemma: spend her free time working out or working on her golf swing. Golf may be good mental exercise, but as far as a physical exertion it can’t compete with aerobics. So she got to thinking, maybe she could do both at the same time.
Learning to play golf requires a lot of time, effort and money. To play consistently, you must spend countless hours at a golf course. To achieve power, you must train your body, spending time in the gym lifting weights and stretching most days of the week.
Through analysis and research Karen developed a program that revolutionizes how people learn and practice the game of golf. Cardiogolf is a way for golfers to improve their swing mechanics and fitness levels at the same time.
Cardiogolf –The Core Workout is the second DVD to LPGA Teacher of the Year and Certified Personal Trainer Karen Palacios-Jansen’s Cardiogolf Fitness Program. Cardiogolf uses easy-to-learn movements without the need of leaving the privacy of your own home. In Karen’s newest DVD, you’ll learn core specific exercises to help improve your golf swing, lengthen your drives and reshape your body at the same time. You know you need to exercise for better health, so why not practice your golf swing at the same time.
There is nothing like Cardiogolf on the market today. This unique golf fitness program is designed to improve swing biomechanics, increase clubhead speed for more power and tone your body at the same time. Karen demonstrates proper technique step-by-step in a unique format that is easy to follow. The workout can be modified and intensified to fit the needs of players of all levels. Karen has taught her Cardiogolf fitness program to hundreds of golfers to help them achieve incredible results. To order visit www.cardiogolfcore.com or call 1-704-663-5199.
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