blackboard and divots

Henning got a blakboard and asked us to hit off it. He also asked us where the divot mark should be. It should a balls length behind the ball. We all played a ball. And once again I hit 6inches behind the ball. The third time after cement session and divot session I actually hit behind the ball again. Should teach me a lesson to shift weight to front and have a steeper angle of attack.
I asked Henning about thinning my pitches. Have to keep weight on the front, just like in football volley shot.
Henning also spoke about the back foot at firts rolling and then on the yip toes. We then placed 4 balls in a line and checked the divots. Henning also noticed that I should work on my right knee angle.
Played today. Focused on my legs and knee angle and had this thought 20percent less and dial it back. Played great.
He took a video of us. My head was too long down. probably trying to hard and aggressive to hit the ball. should be like Sorenstam looking to the front and thus shifting my weight to the front.

Pitching and One Piece Takeaway

Henning told me that he observed me while I was practising pitching... I thinned nearly every shot. Why? It could be a lot of different reasons.weight on the back, deceleration of club, too much wrist action. When he saw how I was pitching my hands were too much in front , thereby I shut the face of the club (from 52gap wedge would turn to 42 9iron). So we started to work on correcting these mistakes
First my takeaway was too wristy meaning I hinged my wrist straight away while starting the takeaway. It should be a one piece takeaway where I turn the club with my shoulder  and where the wrist hinge happens only towards the end of the upswing.
My hands and club (shaft) should be in line or behind the ball so that I can use the loft of the club and the bounce.
My weight should be on the front foot although the hands are more important as he showed while pitching on the  right leg.
And one should accelerate through the ball.

A great video showing the one piece takeaway

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.