Your Body Type Effects Your Swing(from Golf Today)
by Joe Groch-PGA

 

Have you ever noticed how people come in different shapes and sizes? Ever notice that everyone doesn't wear size 9C shoes?

If we agree that everyone is not built the same, we should be able to understand why everyone's golf swing should not look exactly alike.

Many golfers have read that the backswing should swing around until it reaches a point parallel to the ground. This is a benchmark for the average body build with an average amount of flexibility.

This may not be the place you should be swinging to, however. Your body simply may not be made for that backswing.

Stand up straight and hold your left arm out pointing straight ahead. Now move your extended left arm to the right until it is stopped by your chest.

Some of you flatter-chested individuals can move your arm quite far before it meets your chest, but women and men with large chests will run into a roadblock very soon. Their left arms have a much shorter range of motion because of their chests. This is the point that Ben Wright, the golf announcer, was trying to make when he said that women with large breasts have a tougher time playing golf. Wright was criticized for his remarks, but what he said was not altogether untrue.

Nevertheless, there are some things you "obstructed" golfers can do to free up your arms for the swing.

First of all, instead of letting your arms hang down alongside your chest, try putting your upper arms more on top of your chest at address. Secondly, to encourage the body to turn freely in the backswing, we should do two things: Turn the right toe out about 30 degrees, and draw the right heel away from the target line a few inches.

What we're doing is making it easier for the body to stay out of the way of the arms as they go about their job of swinging the club up and down the swing plane.

These are things flat-chested, flexible golfers don't have to concern themselves with. But if you body type doesn't match that of the local club champion, don't think that your swing should look the same someday.

Maybe, to be the best you can be, it shouldn't.

Putting Tips

Tips that will improve your putting stroke

Target line. Align the sweet spot on the putter blade exactly along the target line. Most putters have a target line inscribed on the top of the blade or on the flange behind the blade. Place the putter so that this line points to dead center of the ball and straight through along the target line. This is the exact position you want the putter blade as it strikes the ball.
Eye on the golf ball. When you are in your putting stance you do not have to look straight down at the ball. Phil Mickelson thinks he can aim the ball down the target line better if the ball is a couple of inches forward of center in his stance and a couple of inches forward of a straight-down look at the ball. This give him a view down the target line that is from slightly behind the ball -- he has a better view of both the ball and the target line.
Putter style. The style of your putter affects the putting stroke. A simple blade putter with the hosel (where the shaft connects with the blade) in the heel of the blade tends to move in a slight arc; e.g., as your begin your backswing the blade naturally rotates inside the target line. Your downswing brings the blade down along this arc, striking the ball exactly on line at impact, and then arc inside the target line during follow-through.The key is to consistently strike the ball exactly on line. This take practice.
The alternative is to try and force the blade to remain exactly on line during the backswing and downswing, therefore striking the ball exactly on line. This is a bit unnatural -- you must rotate your hands a bit to maintain the on-target alignment. This goes against the principle that your hands should serve only to connect your arms with the putter shaft.
Force of putting stroke. For a short putt requiring a soft putting touch with little forward force, the backswing should be short. After striking the ball your follow-through should be twice as long as your backswing -- extending your arms and putter along the target line, For a longer putt use a longer backswing and longer follow-through -- try to keep the rhythm and feel of the swing the same as for the short putt. Longer distance results from the longer backswing. Work on your putting stroke and you will gain confidence in consistently making those short putts.