What is your type?

All golfers must know their dominant characteristics. Do you know yours? Using the legend below and find out where you fit.

LA - left arm/hand dominant
RA - right arm/hand dominant
LE - left eye dominant
RE - right eye dominant
LH - left handed dominant swing
RH - right handed dominant swing

Persons I know for sure
Mike Hurley - RA, RE, RH
My son - RA, LE, RH
Golf Course Employees
SB - RA, LE, RH
JF - LA, RE, RH
DS - RA, LE, RH

The players listed below are my best estimate

Tiger Woods - RA, LE, RH
Jack Nicklaus - RA, LE, RH

Phil Mickelson - RA, RE, RH
Phil began swinging the golf club at a very young age left handed. By starting so young, he overcame most obstacles associated with using non dominant characteristics.

These dominant characteristics determine how you look at the ball and your target, which are controls the swing, and which side of the ball to stand. Once these things are in place, along with the proper grip and set up, good things happen.

Some players will take longer than others to accomodate the changes. Most players will still try to turn, shift their weight, keep their lead arm straight, etc. The simplicity of the swing is hard for most to get right away. Old habits die hard.

Next post will cover swing drills to get the feel of the dominant arm swinging the club.

Thanks,
Mike

Another Rainy Day in Texas

As I type the rain continues to come down. This June will be the wettest in history for this area. In June of 2004, the course received 13 inches of rain. Yesterday's rain put the total for 2007 over 13 inches.

Despite the rain, I have been working with students. This morning is a good example of finding the dominant characteristics and having the student use them when swinging a golf club. In this case the club was a putter.

The student is left hand dominant, right eye dominant, and wants to swing right handed. The first use of the left hand to swing the putter produced good results but, the putter was not swinging on plane.

We next moved to letting the leading side (his left) slow throught impact. When this happened, the putter began to release and the putter began to swing on plane.

Two posts ago, I talked about the heel of the club and the leading side of the body slowing as the club goes through impact. You may feel the toe of the club going faster than the heel through impact. This also happens with the putter. The same thing also happens when you chip and pitch.

The student began to hit very solid putts. The ball also rolled smoothly. The key to consistant putting is solid contact. After several minutes of practice, the student was showing signs of becoming an excellent putter.

In today's earlier post, I mentioned several PGA Tour players who were inefficient in their swings. The poster boy for inefficiency is Jim Furyk. The level of hand eye coordination required to find the golf ball with his swing is beyond anything I can muster. It is hard to imagine what records Tiger Woods would post with an efficient swing.

Thanks,
Mike

The Aha! Moment

On May 8th, I experienced an Aha! moment. The moment where everything comes together and you know things have changed for the better. Mine happened on the lesson tee at the golf course while giving a lesson. Actually it was my second lesson of the afternoon.

I had earlier played in the U.S. Open Local Qualifier at Sherrill Park Golf Course in Richardson, TX. I shot 82. I left wondering what was happening. I knew I was close, but I was frustrated. This was the low point.

That afternoon during the second lesson things changed. My student was not letting his trailing elbow or wrist bend during the backswing. He could have hurt himself playing that way. I demonstrated how the elbow bendsand the wrist hinges. Then I demonstrated this action while swinging a club. Then I hit a ball. Wow! My most solid shot of the day. To prove it wasn't a fluke, I hit another. Same result. I was on to something.

After the lesson, I played a few holes and the results were spectacular. Solid shots with a straight or slightly left to right ball flight.

I have never hit a left to right shot with any kind of repeatable action before. And the divots were going at the target or slightly left of target. 43 years of right to left and divots going right were gone in 10 minutes.

The divots going right has plaqued me for years. I've tried everything and even asked Jim McLean for advice. Nothing worked. Now in ten minutes it's gone.

You might be thinking, how is this possible? It is possible and with accurate information, I can help anyone begin to their journey to excellent golf. A bold statement.

If you know your dominant eye, your dominant swinging side, and your dominant hand/arm, you will get better. This not only works with full swings but also with chipping, pitching and putting. The difference is dramatic.

My earlier posts on placing the club in the fingers properly, setting up and alignment are still sound. Add the dominant characteristics and things change.

I am still dumbfounded when I see someone with major swing faults begin swinging the club on plane and square. This usually happens within 30 minutes. It seems to simple. Am I the only one to think of this?

It has changed the way I look at tournament golf. I see most tour players do not swing the club in a manner which is the most efficient for them. This translates into the club not swinging on plane or being square. If the club is on plane and square, they are manipulating the club to make it happen.

Players who are not efficient;
Tiger Woods
Ernie Els
Jay Williamson
Nick O'Hern
Jack Nicklaus
Zach Johnson

Players who are efficient;
Angel Cabrera

There other players in both camps and I will add to the list as I see more players.

Aha! I now understand.

Thanks for your attention
Mike