Jaacob Bowden's Swing Man Golf Blog

Pushing & Left Arm Mechanics

Question:

I have been using the "How to kill the ball method" for 3 weeks. I hit the irons very good, but the longer the club the more trouble I have. I am getting a push to the right with these clubs. Should I feel like the left arm is against chest way past impact?

Jaacob's Answer:

The left arm is important to have it against your chest at the moment of impact because it is the lever that connects the club to your body.  Pulling the left arm off early essentially breaks that connection and you end up powering the swing with your left deltoid (not near as powerful).  However, it doesn't have to be kept on for an exaggerated period of time.  Just long enough to have hit the ball is long enough.

As for a push, first check to make sure you aren't aimed to the right.  Then, if your alignment is good, all you have to do to fix a push (without over-thinking and over-analyzing) is just to swing a little more across your body with an out-to-in swing path.  The initial direction the ball starts out is indicative of your swing path.  A pull is too far out-to-in...a push is too far in-to-out.

Curing The Slice

Slicing the golf ball is the most common problem amongst amateur golfers.  Many times players try to tinker with their swings so much to get rid of the slice when really it could be one subtle adjustment.  In this video Golf Instructor, Jaacob Bowden will give you 5 quick tips on how to cure slicing the golf ball.

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Stay tuned for more videos in the near future!

Pulling the Ball

Question:

I'm trying to introduce more shoulder turn into the back swing and follow through to create torque while maintaining a good rhythm.  My problem is when I really wind up and turn my back toward the target I tend to pull the ball left.  Do you know any good drills or is it just a matter of working on staying on plane?

Jaacob's Answer:

Usually when I end up hitting those crushed pulls to the left my upper body is getting a bit ahead of my lower body.  The only thing I do to fix that is to make subsequent swings by making sure to lead with the lower body first.  That and also consciously trying to swing out more to the right.  After a few balls swinging on the downswing path that I want, I've got the feel of the motion figured out and don't do it anymore.

Tiger Woods on His Injury & Return to Golf

This is an interview that Tiger Woods did relating to questions about his injury and when he will return.

Coordinating Downswing & Twirling the Club

Question:

The most difficult thing for me is coordinating the downswing weight shift and twirling the club.  Do you have any tips that might make that easier?

Jaacob's Answer:

The twirl....I'll give you another way of thinking about it.  On the way back in the back swing, counter-rotate your hands a quarter turn to the left (conventional teaching has us rotate and roll the hands and blade open to the right).  On the way back down, there is no more involved than what it takes to have the club arrive back squarely on the ball.  I used to over-exaggerate this twirl move...and once I simplified it a bit, I got much better results.

As for the coordination, I end up starting them at the same time...but even if you are a little late with the twirl part, that's okay.  Especially if you are swinging with as little tension or hardness in your swing and body as possible, the club will naturally come back down to the ball from the centripetal force of the weight shift and pivot.

Learn to Relax on the Course – And Play Lights Out

By Philip Reed

Author of "In Search of the Greatest Golf Swing"

We all know we play better golf if we are relaxed. But how do you become relaxed, in just the right way, when you’re heading out to play a round of golf?

I’ve been working on this question for a few years. I’ve also had the privilege to know some amazing, and insightful athletes to help in my search for answers.  And in Part 2 of these articles, I’ll cover a new product that has come on the market recently which will help the average golfer more than a year’s worth of lessons.

I was once talking with the great ball striker and long drive champion, Mike Austin about how the golf swing required excellent timing. He waved away this idea saying, “By the time the impulse has traveled from your brain to your hands, saying that the ball is about to be struck, the club head has actually traveled two feet beyond the ball.”

So, while your brain is still focused on hitting the ball the right way, you have actually already hit it!  I had to ask what this means for the golfer?

With characteristic brevity, Mike answered, “You have to pre-think. All your actions are rehearsed and the swing is automatic.”

Another friend of mine is, Dr. Tom Amberry, the world’s champion free throw shooter, who made 2,750 free throws in a row when he was 72 years old. “Dr. Tom,” as his friends call him, described free throwing as being in a state of self-hypnosis, but only six seconds at a time. Just long enough to make the free throw.

This approach applies to golf beautifully. We are walking the fairways, joking with friends, selecting the right club and are in a normal state of mind. But when it comes to actually hitting the shot, we should enter a state of self-hypnosis. We should wrap ourselves in a cloak of concentration for just enough time to get the job done. Then we re-emerge into the social side of golf.

I don’t want to scare anyone into thinking they have to perform some kind of hocus-pocus on themselves to use self-hypnosis. It can be as simple a matter as taking a few deep breaths and doing the same things every time in your pre-shot routine. As your mind sees what you are doing, and recalls the familiar routine, previous positive responses will be triggered in the memory to create the best possible circumstances for a good shot.

Another friend of mind, the golf instructor and author Dan Shauger , once told me that the pre-shot routine should even include putting your bag in the same place in relationship to where your ball is. Then, from the moment you pull the club from your bag, it is a countdown to striking the ball. All the motions are the same and, importantly, the amount of time that elapses should be roughly the same too.

The things I’ve just describe are all on-course specifics leading up to the swing. What can you do before you leave for the golf course to increase the chances of having a good round? What is the big picture behind it all?

I’ll soon be writing a second part to introduce you to a new device that could help you on and off the golf course.

Philip Reed is the author of several novels and two non-fiction sports books, "In Search of the Greatest Golf Swing" and "Free Throw; 7 Steps to Success at the Free Throw Line". He is currently an editor for the automotive website Edmunds.com.

Sports Sensor Swing Speed Radar

Question:

As I read the instruction manual for the Swing Speed Radar by Sports Sensor, it does say that if you swing a club without hitting a ball then the speed could be 5-10% lower than if you swing hitting a ball. Do you agree this is true?

Jaacob's Answer:

Yes, I experience that as well with my Sports Sensor Swing Speed Radar.  The 5-10% lower speeds without a ball that they mention seem about right based on what I've seen.