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GOLF RESOURCE GUIDE:
Instruction
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Associate editor Al Petersen is working with Tustin Ranch director of instruction Erik Horve on reworking his swing. Actually, they’re starting from scratch — or starting over — since a lot of bad habits need to be corrected. We’re monitoring their progress. It’s time to step up to the plate and face the main reason golf has been so frustrating the past few years: hitting a driver, or any wood, for that matter. The baseball analogy is appropriate, since I told Erik Horve one day that I feel like a batter who gets fooled by a pitch every time I try to hit a wood. “That’s because you’re out of balance. Try to hit the ball over the second baseman’s head,” said Horve, director of instruction at Tustin Ranch. “That will keep you from coming over the top and promote a more inside-to-out swing.” Amazing. While some balls flew on a straight line into the imaginary gap in right-center field, others went just to the right of second base and drew slightly back into center field. “By trying to push it to the right, you’re actually staying more on plane and in a better position to release the club through impact,” Horve said. Every golfer, however, will go down swinging if their stance isn’t conducive to driving the ball with power. “The setup is critical,” Horve said. “Your ball position is determined by the length of the club, so with the driver you need to move the ball forward so you can catch it on the upswing rather than the downswing.” Other keys (shown above) include: • Place your feet slightly wider than shoulder width. • Keep 65 percent of your weight on your right side. • Tilt your spine slightly so your right shoulder is lower than your left. • Tee the ball so the top of the clubhead intersects the middle of the ball. “Most people are afraid that they’ll pop the ball up by teeing it so high, but they’re hitting down on the golf ball instead of up,” Horve said. “You need to catch the ball on the upswing to launch longer and straighter shots.” SG Erik Horve can be reached at (714) 734-2104. |
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