- yesterday
Make sure you don't fall into these beginner swing traps with the help of Top 50 coach Alex Elliott.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Now the golf swing is a confusing movement at the best of times especially if you're new to the game
00:06and a beginner golfer. Now in this video I'm going to be joined by Golf Monthly Top 50 coach Alex
00:11Elliott to talk about some swing traps that new golfers need to avoid. We're going to head out on
00:16the range and the golf course here at Kettleston Park to give you some top tips if you're just
00:20starting out on the game. Right let's get going. Right Alex hello we're going to chat swing traps
00:26here for new golfers on the range here at Kettleston Park Golf Club and this is number one for me from
00:31what I see for new golfers and it's leaning up lifting up thinking that's how you get the ball
00:36in the air with the irons that's not the case is it? No I think a lot of golfers just got to take comfort
00:40from the fact that the gold ball is designed with dimples the dimples are like the aeroplane wings
00:45they give it lift what gives it the spin is your grooves on your club face you've got to allow
00:50yourself to maximize using those grooves and with an iron we want to sort of picture a descending blow
00:57to get the middle part of these grooves to allow it to ride up as much as we can rather than the sort
01:02of scoopy we're sort of down towards this bottom edge. So could you give us a drill for new golfers
01:07watching now who might be a bit leany and not strike it quite low to help them not do that hit down on it
01:13and compress that ball a little bit more? I'll say two things here Dan first thing the drill I would just
01:17place a t-peg one fingertip in front it doesn't have to be too precise what it all is it's just
01:22a bit of a focus point yeah now if you think about this logically for me to get that t-peg if you look
01:27at this in player cam if I don't transfer my weight it'll be so far behind the ball exactly and that's
01:32what we see like your most common bad shot will probably either the thin or a slot or a bit of a
01:37top possibly the longer irons and we don't want that thin fat or top no so what I want you to be
01:42aware of a couple of things trying to hit the ball and through to the t-peg but also try and
01:47feel the impact I've got sort of 70-30 weight distribution onto the left side that's going to
01:53take our bottom of the arc ahead yeah help it down there we go brilliant brilliant tip there from
02:01Alex and it is a swing trap I think we see lots of new golfers fall into so understand how the golf
02:05ball and the face work together understand where that weight needs to be and strike the ball better
02:10okay a swing trap I see loads of beginner golfers get into is getting their aim wrong Alex so can you
02:14you show us firstly what people are getting wrong when they start out with their aim and how they
02:18should be going about it I think firstly it's just the concept of aiming because the golf ball is on
02:23that side of us we all associate aiming our body first and that's where we fall into that trap so
02:29let me explain this Dan so it would make sense in any other logical sport this would happen and we
02:34stand to the golf ball and we sort of aim our shoulders first straight towards let's take the flag
02:40because it's sure yeah yeah now this really impacts our ball to target line right and that's what I
02:46want people to become a little bit more obsessed with so have a look at this here this really other
02:50straight sit my shoulders and feet are aiming pretty much at the flag okay now if you just place that
02:55down parallel to this one here now way around and come have a look at this look how far right that is
03:01let's have a look at that you can see now actually aiming at that tree going way right there yeah but
03:05it didn't feel like it did it no no and you stand over it and you you look through your shoulder and
03:10you maybe see that from player cam now and just see actually yeah you know what I feel like I'm aiming
03:13yeah you hit a good shot it finishes right and then you associate actually what could have been a good
03:18swing as a bad one but just with poor alignment interesting so the routine I want golfers to think
03:24about here is standing behind that golf ball and firstly being fixated over the ball of the target line okay
03:31so I'm going to put my club up and sort of pick an intermediate target only about two or three feet in
03:35front yeah let's just take that mark sure I walk in and I build from the ball to the club head my
03:40hands to my body not body down to the ball right so I'm placing my club down thinking about that line
03:46that I had and sort of making a 90 degree angle between my club head and that line that I'm sort of
03:52picturing and then build my stance to that so now when you look up you'll feel like potentially aiming
03:58a little bit left interesting but now if we place these down I mean my alignment's not my best
04:04thing but it's a little bit closer I'll tell you what it's a bit better isn't it exactly it's closer
04:08and it's interesting because it is all about that feel so you felt that you're potentially going a
04:12little bit left but actually doing that routine building that routine gets you aiming a bit better
04:18now that's something I think all new golfers need to build into their game early for that habit
04:24right go on then show us it and let's hit the shot shall we I'll do it properly we'll go through the full
04:27routine okay we're in picture that line doesn't have to be a long process walk it in then have
04:34a little look up and then give it a hit a little left to target a little of a pull
04:45and the wrong club bit of a pull but I'd say you're aiming straight you just pulled it there so hey you
04:49can't you can't be great every time but importantly the aiming routine build it into your swing early
04:54and you won't fall into that trap right Alex another swing trap I think a lot of new golfers
04:59watching now will fall into is watching loads of swings on instagram watching the tour pros do it
05:03and thinking right I've got to have the perfect swing to get out on the golf course that's not
05:06the case is it let's simplify it a little bit definitely I mean you've only got to go to the
05:10open this year stand on the range and you're going to see a host of different swings the only place
05:15they are very similar is those six inches down at the ball how we deliver the club so most people
05:21slice it right and don't just take this advice from me Wyndham Clark recent us open champion I read
05:26one of his posts and the talk with his coach one week if he's hooking it you'll try and slice it on
05:31the range yeah basically try and create opposites to find the middle ground and that's as easy as
05:36it has to be so a lot of people at home with respect you're probably slicing it a little bit I
05:40reckon new golfers especially so you're thinking maybe let's bring a let's bring a hook feeling on the
05:44range and see where we go from there 100% and that hook feeling will probably just be a straight shot for
05:48most golfers yes so what I would suggest here Dan is really nice and simple first things first
05:52what's our only point of contact with the golf club the grip so hold the club up and look at
05:56this in player cam all I want you to do is rotate your hands both left and right to the right side
06:02of the golf club for a right-handed player to the left side of the golf club for a left-handed player
06:07now ball position with driver inside left heel making sure our shoulder alignment is not too left
06:12these are little good habits that I always promote but what I want you to feel in the shot which is going
06:17to change our release which is then how that club comes into the ball is I want instead of feeling
06:23like we're hitting it like this which it might not feel like that but if you're slicing it I want you
06:29to feel that you're going to make more of that motion now if you just watch my forearm there and my wrist
06:34I'm sort of making that action a lot of tennis players will feel it's a bit more like a top spin
06:39forehand right exactly so that's going to really stronger grip change a release that's going to change
06:45the action the direction and how my club face comes into the ball hopefully a little bit more
06:51into out and a little bit closed rather than out to in and a little bit open well I think I think
06:55one great tip there on doing the opposite of what you're doing get that feel and more importantly
06:59don't fall into that trap of trying to perfect your swing swing your swing and see how you get on
07:05right Alex spoke about hitting down on irons to get the ball up we're now going to pretty much
07:09completely contradict ourselves but it's a trap that a lot of new golfers fall into and it's not hitting up on
07:14the driver it's getting a little bit too steep isn't it exactly I mean you look at your driver
07:18face there's not many groups or not any at all and and also there's very little loft so it needs to be
07:24launched a little bit more now this can be a really simple concept you can do a lot of this with your
07:29setup so let's just talk through setup first yeah when you get the ball position two back in your stance
07:33so if you look at me from player cam here even having it sort of a club head back in our stance could
07:38just be a little bit too much okay in the sense of we're gonna hit down it's gonna become down to
07:43really move it up for sure and then also if it's too back you might end up trying to manipulate your
07:48swing in other ways yeah so little routine that I say for every golfer first things first line it up
07:53right in the middle of your stance now I like to fly my left toe so I move that out slightly and just
07:57move my right foot away like that straight away now I know my ball position is up in my stance yeah
08:03further up later in the arc more like it's it up just what's that flaring of the toe interesting
08:07for people at home um essentially just to help me open the hips yeah I've got a bit of a dodgy knee
08:11um which helps me sort of protect that a little bit as well but essentially it just opens my hips
08:16a little bit easier interesting now why have I got a towel in my hand so this is a really good one
08:21just as a focus point because it will feel a strange feeling when people first do this especially if
08:25they've got a habit of hitting hundreds of balls down as soon as we get this we need a little bit of
08:29focus we need a little bit of feedback so if I take the towel absolutely so nice and simple this is how
08:33you set this drill up from player count I'm going to place my club head down one in front then two in
08:39front and simply just roll your towel up just here have a few practice swings just inside it getting
08:46that feeling of just being more up and over the towel yeah rather than through the towel and it is
08:53as simple as that the ball position will help you do it the setup will help you do it and here you go
08:57so I'll talk you through my full routine and right foot away another little aid is I feel as though
09:03I my right shoulder is a little bit lower than my left again if I go like this look at that would be
09:09really up this way somewhere in the middle of those two do you reckon exactly don't don't be too
09:13complicated with it so here we go let's take this one away dan got my setup got my towel my focus here
09:18is up and over the towel beauty look at that great strike and it is it is tricky for new golfers to
09:28almost get their head around that I think especially when we've spoken about irons already take this
09:32drill to the range of you though practice hitting up on that ball and don't fall into that trap and
09:36getting too steep with your driver okay another swing trap a lot of beginner golfers fall into
09:42Alex is and I do this myself still after playing for a long time is using too much loft around the
09:46green in situations like this what would you say to people like that yeah I mean a lot of us see
09:51the guys on tv don't we and we see the likes of phil mickelson john ram messing around in the short
09:55game area playing it high I would just default away from any of your lofted clubs yeah so for example
10:00most people will grab 58 I'm going to hand you that let's get it away from you yeah I mean it looks
10:05great if you pull it off doesn't it it's brilliant but we want percentage game we want consistency
10:10everybody that comes to a lesson for me they go oh I want consistency well I think default to
10:15pitching wedge you've still got a little bit of loft but it's going to get the ball rolling a
10:19little bit so nice and easy all I want people to do is have the ball slightly towards the back of
10:24their stance have a look at this from player camp my stance is roughly two clubbed widths apart
10:29weight on my left and simply just feel as though you just rock that triangle back and through
10:34keeping that weight left it's as easy as that don't go complicated really see I'm a big I see I'm a big
10:40fan of that and it does look good but when you've got nothing to go over and the pin's nice and close to you
10:44keep the ball low get it rolling as soon as possible exactly so I'm just going to pick a
10:47landing zone maybe a yard two yards on go on then fall back
10:53let's get it rolling rolling quickly nearly went in there so yeah next time you're in a situation
10:58like this nothing to go over deal off those wedges make life easy for yourself right Alex this isn't
11:04so much a swing trap as a grip trap I can call it that but new golfers might not know how to grip the
11:09club properly they might think it wants to go in their palm or wherever it initially feels comfortable can you
11:13you talk us through where it should be going basically yeah and first thing I'd say is just
11:16make sure your grip thickness is right for you is that on the actual club itself yeah because that'll
11:21play like a big part and being able to get the club in the right position and a little tip for that is
11:25just your longest finger should just be able to just touch it it should be like digging in or shouldn't
11:30be too much of a gap that's what I recommend good little tip that yeah so palmy grip that will be when
11:35the club is sort of sat through here as you said right a nice simple way of getting that we all go to the
11:40range or improve our golf use your basket not just to carry your balls but think about it if you're
11:44picking up that basket I wouldn't grab it in the park no no you wouldn't it wouldn't make sense no
11:49look a bit weird yeah you would grab it in the fingers yeah so grab your basket have your club in
11:56your hand just place them on top of each other and then just remove the basket easy that's where I
12:00want the club to be and you'll notice the club feels lighter you risk and move much more and that's
12:05going to help with speed it's going to help with club face control and as you go to those longer
12:09clubs that's where you'll see even more of an effect with this brilliant a super easy tip there
12:13from Alex I think to get that right if you're a new golfer just getting into the game make sure
12:17these habits are right put that club in the right part of your hand right finally then Alex I think
12:23a trap people fall into new golfers probably even current golfers getting a bit too excited about
12:28club head speed how fast they're swinging it how hard they're hitting it how far it may or may not be
12:32going we don't really want to fall into that trap do we no I actually often find with club golfers
12:36they're faster they swing it very often the shorter it goes yes because their quality of
12:40strike goes so their ball speed drops so I want people to be more bothered about ball speed than
12:45club head speed correct so if we think about tempo because when you make a good tempo swing down like
12:50you're probably more likely going to find the center and this is the bit we want to be hitting it I know
12:54it sounds basic a lot of us just forget that I think I do as well mate even as a golfer who's played
12:59for how many years now I get a bit excited let's say I do I've got to tell myself not to do it stop
13:03it so like a little mantra I use and you can make it whatever you want Dan but I go Sergio for the
13:08backswing and Aguero on the way through other footballers are available yeah I mean it goes back
13:15to when I was a kid I remember playing one of my best rounds where I had like a song in my head yeah
13:20I'm not gonna tell you what song but I had a song in my head and I had great rhythm all day I found the
13:24middle I drove the ball great I hit my irons great yeah and it's so basic but we forget it yeah so
13:29I'd even hit a few on the range maybe even say it out loud so here we go go on give us a Sergio so
13:34I'd go a bit like this Sergio Aguero and it just gives you something to work to because you can't
13:41touch tempo no and that's the hard thing about it but having a mantra really does help I love that
13:46I'm gonna pick a footballer I can't work out who yeah I'll come back to you on that but as a new golfer
13:51even as an experienced golfer don't fall into that trap of chasing club head speed chase that
13:55strike and that ball speed instead right so there you have it some swing traps that beginner golfers
14:01need to avoid as they start out in the game massive thanks to Alex Elliott for joining us for that
14:06I thought he'd give some brilliant bits of advice there that you can take out into your practice
14:09sessions and onto the golf course hopefully to play some better golf now if there's something of
14:14yourself you've recognized in these videos or something we've missed out let me know down in the
14:18the comments because I'd love to hear from you but for now from Cattleston Park Golf Club thank you for
14:22joining me I'll see you next time
Recommended
1:03
|
Up next
12:23
14:42
1:29
2:00
23:12
15:58
8:03
16:04
8:19
1:11
1:37
10:36
8:49