Sam's Golf Improvement Strategy

Putting Practice at Woburn 19th June 09

Putting practice using the mirror.  Working really hard on getting alignment correct and posture.  Making sure I'm keeping my shoulder blades down and my posture really good.  Feeling like I'm really aware of my spine and sternum, which stays very steady, and feel like my left shoulder is working around, not up and down. In the downswing, again feel like the shoulder is working around, not down.  Tend to hit a push if the shoulder works down and under.  When the right shoulder works around and the club feels like it lags slightly I hit really good putts

Practice at Collingtree 18th June 09

Hitting 7 irons.  Working on taking the club away with the right shoulder blade. Make sure I'm feeling a stretch in the left armpit and feeling that there is plenty of width in the takeaway.

Swing Practice 2nd Feb 09

Perfect grip, perfect posture. Scapula in neutral. Imagine a long triangle with the shoulder blades at each corner, the clubhead at the top. Spine is in between shoulder blades and the whole triangle turns around the spine. Stops the right arm flying away from the body. Feel the right glute being pulled round into the backswing as a result of the left scapula complex turning and stretching. This happens really naturally and easily with no effort. It's just the natural response of the upper body turning and coiling properly. Feel like the base of the spine is moving towards the target slightly, so can feel like I'm right on top of the ball. Swing the club with your hips, feel your centre and swing from there.. ------------------

Putting Practice 28 Jan 09

Putting with my eyes shut. Helps me focus on the target and trust my feel. Focus on the target, trust it, let it go freely. I seem to roll the ball more freely with my eyes shut. I paint a better picture in my mind and then let the putt go into the picture. 

With my eyes open I feel like I am getting too much information and I get overloaded. This seems to result in me getting tense over the ball. This doesn't happen with my eyes closed.

Practice with the impact ball. Keeps the stroke long and low and keeps the putter working outside the hands. Make sure posture is correct. Shoulder blades down, weight going down through ankles. Don't let weight get too far forward over the ball.

Putting Practice 16 July 07

Putting practice. Just roll the logo line end over end to the target! Its really that simple. Practice rolling it end over end down the line. This can be done without a perfect stroke!

Practice the stroke without the ball, but imagine striking the ball and getting that pure roll

Lighter putter definately better, and also no line on putter but use the line on the ball. This is the way I putted in The English in 95. Just roll the ball the best you can!

Make sure the left wrist is not bowed 'up'. For some reason when the left wrist is bowed above the neutral position, the stroke feels horrible and is much less consistent. The good feeling is the 'Seve' feeling from the short game. The hands feel low and the toe of the putter feels 'up'. Flat putter !

Putting Practice 11 Jun 08

If the ball is coming off the bottom of the blade and the strike is not solid, check that the stroke is starting with the blade moving back first and the stroke is slightly soft and wristy. Don't let it get wooden. The blade goes back with the hands and then the through stroke feels like it's all body.

Also check alignment. Same 'not solid' feeling can come from setting up aligned left with the shoulders and or feet.

Longer putter is definately better in terms of getting the feelings in Stans book. That lighter Ping putter also seems easier to get started back on line. Also seems easier and simpler to see the line of the putt with no line on the ball or on the putter. No confusion when looking back to the ball. Just 'see' the line into the hole on the grass and stroke it down that line. 

If using the line, on breaking putts always hit the ball just on the 'low' side of the lie on the ball.

Putting Practice 08 Jan 08

Missing short putts can be caused by not swinging the putter back with the left hand. Make sure the putter goes back with the left hand, then is swung back through with the body leading, not the hands. The feeling is the same as all other parts of the game. The putter is released with the body turning back through, not with the hands. The 'mantra' is, ' Back with the left hand, through with the body.' Critical Variables as Foci of awareness. The line to the hole The face angle of the putter The path of the stroke ------------------

Short Game

Good Stan Utley setup. Take the club away by hinging the wrists and rotating the forearms. Left thumb stays on top of the handle. Right elbow works round the body. The body doesn't move that much. Feel the angle in the right wrist increase, but it doesn't hinge straight back, the club works around the body. This moving back of the arms creates the lag. This can't happen if the body turns back as well. The downswing is simply a turn back to the left, the crucial thing is to maintain the lag and the angle in the right wrist. Fat shots are due to this angle collapsing and the club releasing early. It is a little one plane swing in minature. ------------------

Short Game

Neutral short game grip. Left arm fully rotated left. Right elbow to right hip. Finger and thumb off the club. Most of my short game troubles come from swinging the arms rather than swinging the clubhead. Good practice drill is to hit little chips keeping the hands and arms really quiet, hardly moving them at all. When I was a kid I had a fantastic short game. Who was my favourite player? Seve. He had the best short game ever. Low hands and wristy. When I feel the same way my short game is great. When my hands get too high the plane of the club gets too steep, which is a big problem especially out of a tight lie. Lower hands shallows the swing plane and allows the arms to work around rather than up and down. So get the Seve impressions going again. ------------------

Swing Practice

If I start hitting it bad, check that the club is not going outside the line on the way back. Left arm across chest hands into right thigh

Hips. Very important. Right knee stays firm and flexed. Hips turn inside, so weight transfers to left side in backswing. Don't let hips slide to the right, they turn to the left.