Golf Tip

One of the images I try to present to my students is that playing and practicing are different from each other.

When practicing at home or on the driving range, the golfer should be working on a specific area of the swing. These areas include the address position, pivot motion or the swing of the hands and arms.

The swing is learned in sequence. If the address position is sound, you can work on the body motion knowing that you are in position for an athletic pivot. If your pivot motion is good, it is time to work on the free swing of the hands and arms.

Technique flaws must be traced to the root of the problem. For instance, a poor swing of the hands and arms is almost always related to an incorrect pivot motion. Simply stated, if the body is in the wrong position, a free swing of the hands and arms is rendered virtually impossible.

Therefore, even though the arm swing is incorrect, the problem is not with the arm swing but the body positions that determine how the arms can swing.

When practicing at home or on the driving range, time should be taken to focus on the specific areas of the address position and swing. On the golf course, the swing thoughts should be simplified to include just one or two specific areas.

For instance, if you are trying to change your club position and posture at the start of the swing, focus on one or the other when you are playing. The golfer should also focus on something that is easy to feel such as balance.

The golfer working on changing the address position and pivot motion could use a simple swing thought such as "posture and balance" when playing.

Complicated swing changes are achieved by the repetition of drills and exercises at home using a mirror and on the driving range. The golf course is not the place to be thinking of difficult swing positions.

- The Golf Learning Center is now offering group golf lessons for adults at Eagle Valley Golf Courses. These classes cover all aspects of the game and are suitable for beginning and intermediate golfers. The lessons are on Wednesdays at 5 or 6 p.m. and Saturdays at 9 or 10 a.m. The lessons are six one-hour sessions (one per week). Cost is $75 per person. Sign up by calling 885-8225 now.

Terry Gingell is a PGA Class A Professional and is the owner and operator of The Golf Learning Center, an indoor golf school specializing in video golf lessons and professionally custom fit golf clubs. Send golf questions and comments to Terry at appeal@swiftnews.com.