Golf Monthly is one of the world's leading multi-platform golf media brands.
We exist to help golfers get more out of the game they love. Our team of passionate golfers and experts produce authoritative in-depth reviews of the latest golf equipment to help you buy better, tips and advice to improve your game, ideas for golf courses to play and places to stay and coverage of the game at every level from grassroots up to Tour.
We exist to help golfers get more out of the game they love. Our team of passionate golfers and experts produce authoritative in-depth reviews of the latest golf equipment to help you buy better, tips and advice to improve your game, ideas for golf courses to play and places to stay and coverage of the game at every level from grassroots up to Tour.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Hello everyone, Neil Tappan here from Golf Monthly and welcome to this video in which
00:04we are going to take a look at six golf tips you should ignore. These tend to be the things
00:09that amateurs say to other amateurs and they can actually do you more harm than good. Right,
00:14let's head out onto the golf course here at Fox Hills, take a look at the six golf tips
00:18you should ignore.
00:21Okay, so we're joined by Alex again and Alex, the first one on the list is about the position
00:31of your left elbow in the golf swing. Explain to me what it is that people get told here.
00:35There's a lot of talk where we've got to keep this left elbow straight and left arm straight
00:40and now, okay, there may be reasons why we actually bend the left elbow due to grip, but
00:45if we just look at it just as a whole and saying, I don't think there should be so much pressure
00:49on keeping the left arm straight.
00:50Okay, so can I just play devil's advocate here for a second? You don't want to be in
00:56a position where you're in that position there.
00:59No, no.
01:00So there is some truth to this, that you shouldn't be in that position there.
01:03Exactly. Why is that not a good position to be in?
01:05Ultimately, it's going to create a very inconsistent bottom of the arc.
01:09Anytime I see a motion like this, I tend to kind of classify people that may be a little bit
01:14scoopy into the golf ball, but the thing with this, look at Jordan Spieth,
01:18was a world number one, master's winner. He is what we kind of classify as slightly bent at the top.
01:25Okay. So what's an okay position to be in at the top?
01:28So what I would say is we don't want to feel like we're locked out because that's really going to limit our rotation.
01:33Anytime that we feel like we concentrate on trying to keep that straight, we start to create a lot of tension through the whole body.
01:39Right, fine. Anytime we create tension, it's hard to create rhythm, it's hard to create a good consistent swing.
01:44So even when I swing is, and as I come to the top, I would never be locked out, I would never be at 90 degrees,
01:50but I would have a slight kink in my arm.
01:53Yeah. Just be relaxed.
01:54Yeah. So it's just, I guess this is one for anyone out there that's really getting a bit too focused on keeping this very straight.
02:00Exactly. And it all can become very mechanical and sort of lacking in that kind of free-flowing movement that you're looking for.
02:06Exactly. And if we look at Ernie Owls, Jordan Spieth, all free-flowing movements, we're not stood here like a mechanical robot,
02:13really focusing on this, because our focus is on this then, not the shot in hand.
02:17Yeah. So there you have it. Don't worry too much about keeping this elbow perfectly straight during the golf swing.
02:22So for the next one, as you can see, we are on the putting green. And Alex, it's again, another tip that you'll hear people give to each other,
02:35which is that you've got to keep your wrists really locked down to have a repeatable, consistent putting stroke.
02:41But actually, again, it's a thought that can do more harm than good. Why?
02:44Exactly. Well, if you just imagine you're going to address the ball on the floor there, if you feel the wrists are locked,
02:49straight away, we're going to get tension in the arms, tension in the shoulders, and it becomes a very wooden, no-flowing motion.
02:56True. Now, there are techniques where we potentially get the arm in the arm lock, and we do create it to be locked out.
03:03So putting's very individual to you, and if you're using that kind of grip, then that's okay for that technique.
03:09Yes. But otherwise, for most of us who aren't using an arm lock grip, actually, you want a little bit of freedom in your wrist.
03:16We look at Jack Nicklaus, one of the probably the best putters, best short game, having that flow,
03:21even feeling, I'm not saying flick it, but a little bit of giving the lead wrist.
03:25Okay. It's going to help you develop feels,
03:27it's going to help you longer putts, shorter putts, and just overall help you flow.
03:31But as you say, you don't want to flick it.
03:33Yes. Because I guess the truth,
03:35again, there's always an element of truth behind all of these, isn't there?
03:37Yeah. And the truth is,
03:38you see a lot of players, when they putt, get into that position there, they kind of
03:42do all of the work by flicking the wrist at the ball, and why is that not a good idea?
03:47Almost going to hit up on the ball, we're going to hit above the equator,
03:50we could put the face left, put the face right.
03:52So what I would tend to give as my advice, if I was holding it a more traditional way,
03:57is that we want a motion that's driven mainly by the arms and the body, and very little with the wrist.
04:03So if I make this motion here, you wouldn't stick out that I'm flicking the golf ball club.
04:09No. But I have an element of softness to my wrists.
04:12And that's what I want you to have, the element of softness, almost like you're squeezing a tube
04:16or toothpaste. Yeah. So just that little bit of,
04:19I guess you could call this a little bit of lag, actually, in your wrist,
04:22it's going to help the freedom of your stroke, the flow of your stroke,
04:25ultimately improve your overall consistency on the greens.
04:28Okay, so the next one on our list relates to lag. And it's something that a lot of amateurs
04:38go in search of because they know that it's kind of that secret ingredient that delivers more power.
04:43But why is lag itself something that players should sort of not be so worried about searching for?
04:49I think it's a dangerous topic for most people. It can, for me, cause them to stiffen up,
04:55point the face right at target, and really become very obsessed in creating a move that looks very
05:01false in rehearsal. Now, there are essence in saying that, okay, we've got to create the opposite
05:07scenarios to what we've got. But I would say for most people, if you look at you've got a good grip,
05:12good body movement, good sequencing, that will help you create lag.
05:16Okay, fine. Rather than going searching for it directly.
05:19So don't be led down the path of thinking it's this kind of magic, you know, little single thing
05:25that you can do that's going to deliver more power.
05:27Exactly. We're not saying it's not important, it is, but being too focused on it can be the wrong
05:32avenue for you.
05:32Okay, go on then, hit one for us, Alex.
05:34Okay.
05:43Okay, lovely shot. And I think we'll show that again from the sort of square on angle,
05:48you'll be able to see that Alex creates lag in his golf swing, but he does it for a whole host of
05:52other things that are working well. Trying to focus purely on delivering that lag,
05:56it's probably not the right way to go.
06:03Okay, so the next one on our list relates to chipping. Alex, what is it?
06:07So I always hear this, especially when we're trying to create a bit of spin around the greens,
06:13put the ball back, get the hands forward, hit down the golf ball. I was told it as a junior.
06:18Yeah, I was actually taught that as being the right way to chip.
06:22I mean, there probably are times and scenarios where we probably want to adopt a similar
06:26technique for that, but sometimes by putting that ball back and the hands forward, all we're doing
06:31there is exposing that leading edge and it's going to dig.
06:34And you're going to potentially duff it, which is something that I am very familiar with, Alex.
06:38Alex, so if that's not the right technique for chipping, what is the right technique?
06:42Well, I like to make sure the ball is a little bit more central. So the rule of thumb that I use is
06:47my stance, I like to have just wide of a club with the part. And if the chip becomes a little bit
06:52longer, I get a little bit wider accordingly. Ball position, just on my zip or just the right of my
06:58zip. And then from there, hands on the golf ball, because now we've got an opportunity to display
07:03some loft and hit slightly down on it, which is a good recipe for creating spin.
07:07And crucially, you're going to be employing a bit more of the bounce of the golf club,
07:11so the club should just glide off the top of the turf.
07:13Exactly. You've got a much more margin for error. So in the winter, when you're chipping,
07:16or it's a bit of a wet lie, a bit of a bad lie, you've got a bigger margin for error.
07:19No, you've just put yourself under a bit of pressure there, because it is winter here,
07:23it is very wet underfoot. This is a real prime scenario for duffing it, isn't it? And that's
07:28exactly why you shouldn't have the ball back in your stance and your hands forward.
07:31Exactly.
07:31So yeah, show us how it's done, Alex.
07:33Okay. No pressure.
07:41Well, it just grabbed on you there, but as you can see, absolutely no danger that
07:45that club was going to dig and that Alex was going to duff that one.
07:59That's not your best, Alex. Now, if we were playing golf, in that scenario,
08:03I might be tempted to say to you, just slow it down a bit because it looked a bit ragged.
08:08Yes. Yes. It looked a little bit off balance, I guess.
08:11But actually, it's a tip, again, it's a tip that gets handed from one amateur to the next that might
08:16not be that useful. Yes.
08:18Now, if we look at the top players in the world, they're trying to swing the club as fast as they
08:23can. It's all about distance in the modern game. I'm really reluctant to tell someone to slow it down.
08:28I'm more bothered about the tempo of the swing. Okay, fine.
08:32So my speed might be same as yours, but we have slightly different tempo and how we go about it.
08:36Okay, fine. So that begs the question, how do you work on tempo? Tempo is one of those things,
08:42isn't it, that you either have one day or you don't?
08:44Yes. So the analogy that I like to use, and I use this on the course as well,
08:48so not just in my practice, I imagine a rev counter that works from transition down to the golf ball,
08:54so on the down swing. Okay.
08:56So a lot of people like that swing there would have looked like the high peak and the higher revs in your
09:01car were really early in the down swing. Right at the top of all those.
09:04Exactly. I want you to feel like you build up to that, so we're peaking our revs just before impact.
09:10Yes. I guess it's the reason why many of the world's best players, they look like they
09:14swing the ball and swing the club quite easy, but they hit the ball very hard because actually,
09:20they don't get speed until they really need it most.
09:22I mean, Ernie Owl, as soon as I think rhythm and tempo, he comes straight to my mind.
09:26Yes. So next time someone says to you,
09:28I think you might need to slow it down, just check yourself and think, actually,
09:32it's tempo, it's a smoother tempo that I need. That might just help you straighten things out,
09:37hit better shots.
09:43Okay, so Alex, I'd say the number one thing that you hear amateurs say to other amateurs
09:48that pros really don't like is, keep your head down.
09:51Yeah.
09:52You know, you've hit a bad shot there, oh, you lifted your head.
09:55Especially when you see a top shot. I hear that all the time.
09:59Yes, you hear it all the time. Why is that unhelpful advice?
10:01Well, just in terms of, if we look at how we want to work through the golf ball,
10:06we want to be very rotary through the golf ball. Now, to help us do that,
10:10the chin has to lift. We have to start looking towards the target.
10:14Yeah. I mean, take a look at the way that Henrik Stenson swings the golf club,
10:18or the way that Anna Kasorenstam hit the ball. Both of them, through impact,
10:22their head would be at kind of that angle, wouldn't it?
10:24Exactly. So, what I would say is, any time that we are trying to keep our head down,
10:29is what the tip that we hear, this is really limiting our ability to swing through and rotate.
10:35We're using club head speed, and it's going to do more harm than good,
10:38because that face could be pointing left and right, because we're really relying on our hand-eye
10:42coordination to time it. Now, Alex, I'm going to play devil's advocate here,
10:46and say there is an element of truth to don't lift your head. That element of truth is that you
10:53don't want people to lose their posture, their spine-eye. You don't want someone to lift up,
10:58or I guess you'd less see people dipping down. Is that true? Is that fair?
11:03Yeah. That's the kind of, I think, where it gets a little bit led down the wrong avenue,
11:08when we say lift our head. In an ideal world, I like to think the golf swing, we get light,
11:13we get heavy, and we get light, but through doing this, our head roughly stays around the same
11:19position. We never want to see too many changing levels. Yeah. Okay. Well, hit one for us then,
11:25Alex, so we can see what you mean. What I try and feel is, in terms of trying
11:27to get me to get my head to move towards target, I try and imagine I'm going to follow the spots on
11:32the golf ball down to target. Okay. Good.
11:35Lovely. So there you have it. Don't focus too hard on keeping your head down during the golf
11:45swing. Chances are, if you're hitting bad shots, it's not because you're not looking at the ball
11:49through impact. It'll be something different. Hopefully, Alex's tip will show you what to do.
11:53So there you have it. That's our list of the six golf tips you should ignore. Guys,
11:57please do leave some comments below. Is there anything that you think we've missed? Any tips
12:01that you've been given in the past that have actually done you more harm than good? We'd be
12:05really interested to hear your thoughts. But for now, thanks for watching. We'll see you next time.