Competition Monthly Medal

1.Keep a calm tempo during round especially  while putting
2. Visualise the shot
3. Continue being aggressive and continue to try to make birdies. its human nature to  try and protect it

Driving

I told Henning I did not like the way I was driving the golf ball. i got my old distance back but I did not like the swing. I thought it was all arms strength. I hit a few drives. He asked me to do my maximum shoulder turn. All it was was nearly 90deg. He turned my shoulders more until my sweatshirt really stretched and I was really feeling the pull. This is a shoulder turn. I thought what... I was afraid to hit it with such a shoulder turn... being afraid of not hitting the ball at all. I hit two balls with my maximum turn and they just took off over driving range fence and rising. Henning also put mud on ball to see where I hit the ball.
First this promotes a more inside swing just like kicking a football on the right outside with anticlockwise spin and one has to approach the shot on the inside... like Ronaldo doing a freekick.
Second like the rubber band slowly extenting and then letting it go. I was a bit quick going up...slow it down just a bit with maximum shoulder turn.
Third.... have to ask henning next time... forgot

Lesson 8 steeper angle and weight on front foot

Started with a few pitches into a landing area made by 4 clubs. I hit a few good ones but caught a few thin. Why? Henning pitched a few. The answer was clear. He had clear divot marks. I had none.
I should strike the ball with a steeper descending blow - first ball than turf.
I should visualize the chip or the pitch just like a putt with landing area and roll.

Henning said a storey of the two German Golf instructors to be - 1 and 3 hcp. They both thinned their pitches. One was able to fix and attack ball steeper while the other continued thinning.
He asked what is more important steeper angle of attack or shift of weight. He made marks with his club on cement. result was that THE combination of the two is important. Played a few 6 irons and it was a great feeling to play golf with divots,

Lesson 7 Shoulder turn and distance

Told Henning  I was having problems with distance while I was concentrating on my legs. we did an exercise were I had to slap his hands while I had the back of my left hand on my right elbow and had to slap his hand with my right palm. I did it a few times and I did it without turning my shoulder. I instinctively slapped his hand without turning my shoulder. There was no power. We laughed and when I slapped his hand with a shoulder turn ouch!!
We worked on pitching. I pitched a few balls. They all went low left and this with a 9iron. Henning noticed my club face was slightly closed and my divots were all to the left. I straightened my club face and over corrected my swing path from inside to outside. Balls were flying much higher and my divots were much straighter.
The position of the ball in the stance determines the height of the shot. More in front gives you a higher shot.

Chipping is a more hand action while pitching you have to use your body.

Henning played a few balls without using his body and shoulder turn just arms and his divots were all sideways and pointing in all directions.

Played balls with a good shoulder turn and I got the distance and height of my 6 iron I wanted.

Lesson 6 Impact and leg flex

Henning got some impact tape. I hit a few balls and most balls were hit 1cm off centre. The ball flight was a slight draw. I did the 3 ball exercise with the ball I should hit in the centre. I hit the inside ball a few times. This is an exercise I should to to improve impact
In connection with the above we tried to analyse why my impact is off centre by 1cm. My down swing is a mirror image of the upswing. It should not be. With my hips turning first on the down swing there should be an angle in the shaft and not parallel to the ground like in the upswing

Finally, something I will be working on. My legs should have an athletics stance. My hips were moving upwards which has quite an influence on my impact. Henning asked me about a baseball swing. It should be the same.
Just a good turn and look what is behind you and (Henning said imagine a red hot lance) the flex in the leg should not change.
In the follow through my right knee should touch my left knee.

Lesson 5 Out on the course

Great fun. Worked with a high speed camera. Hit rescue three from 220yds. Ball drifted right. On camera one could see that my hips were passive at contact and only moved towards target at the end of the swing.
Its similar to the throwing events (which I have been teaching for ages but I only realized that it is the same principle as in the golf swing). In order to get more power you have to move up from the toes to the knees, hip, abs shoulder and unwind gradually... sounds complex ...Pet Cowan describes it in this video

                                                              Putting
Henning noticed that I opened up my shoulder to see the putt instead of staying still and listening the ball drop.                                                              

                                                               Chipping
After I hit a few chip shots and Henning easily noticed that I loeffeld the ball. As they say chip with dead hands. To check just watch the angle of your hand in the follow through. Back of the hand should be straight and not hinged ( which would show a loeffeln). I was also a bit too quick to play the chip

                                                                Bunker play
We worked on bunker play. I have been thinning many bunker shots. Why? My divots were much too shallow, although my point of entry was fine.
So get lower by putting feet deeper in sand.
Ball in front of stance (easiest golf shot because you do not have to hit the ball)
The shot is like a pitch shot with a good hinge
And take a deep divot (especially in my case)
The power you put into it is about 3 times the distance you would want to hit it.
Open the club face according to distance to pin that is close or use a 52 from further on. a great binker shot has a lovely thudding sound.

Great fun... there is so much to learn...
Into the breeze swing with eaze...
Luke Donald swing at 87mph and hits it 250m. All the hard work of his technique training

Lesson 4 Driving and drawing

Played a lot during holidays. Got a more nuetral left hand grip. My thumb should be covered and inside my right palm. Changing grip was tougher than changing my syance
I was slicing all week. Strongly. Henning asked me to draw the ball. just close my stance. And the balls were flying straight. What did I do. I started turning my forearm over subconsciously. First time I could ever control a driver. Pick a reachable target and let it go.

Follow through is very important. If I do not I start blocking it like a cricket player.

Worked on my chipping. i noticed that when I move my hands slightly foward I chip better and after some time I find my rythym.

Finally Henning talked about M.A, Jimenez.and the fuck it effect.