drone shot of hole 9 of the predator course

Golf Tips: 3 Simple Steps To Better Golf

Former PGA Tour Player, Richard Zokol brings his wealth of professional golf credibility and personal experience to further enhance the many products & services here at Predator Ridge.

This golf drill will help you attain and maintain golf specific flexibility, strength and awareness – all essential elements in making and repeating an effective golf swing.

You may understand the mechanics of the perfect golf swing inside and out, but if your body will not let you transform that knowledge into a smooth motion, you are fighting a losing battle. Only with flexibility, strength, and coordinated motor skills specific for the golf swing – will you achieve the consistency needed for real improvement.

STEP 1 – THE STARTING POSITION

It is important to always use an actual golf club. This is what you will be using when you play – with its characteristic heft and feel – so it should be what you use when you are training. To start, adopt your usual stance before swinging. The following fundamentals are:  

  • Keep your knees bent and directly over the balls of your feet (not over your heels or toes)
  • Bend at the waist, with your back flat and spine straight (this creates your spine angle)
  • Set your feet approximately should width apart
  • Weight should be on the balls of your feet (this is a natural starting position of most all athletic positions)   

STEP 2 – THE COMPLETED BACKSWING POSITION

This is the complete extended position of the backswing when you have 75% of your weigh over the instep and ball of your right foot. If you are left-handed golfer, reverse the instruction. The fundamentals are:  

  • Maintain spine angle from Step 1 and rotate your torso entirely so that your back is squarely facing your target
  • Keep your right knee slightly bent (do not straighten right knee).
  • Left shoulder should have rotated under your chin
  • Extend and stretch your hands out as far as you can (this increases your swing arch)
  • Hold and breathe in this position for 20 seconds, become aware and control your centre-of-gravity
  • Stop, shake it off and relax for a short period.
  • Repeat from 1, three times

When you put yourself in this position, your body will not like it and it will let you know by its tight feeling and in it being difficult to maintain.

After doing this drill your heart rate will increase, you will start to perspire and your breathing will shorten – all indicators of physical work.

Keep in mind, if you don’t train your body and mind for these positions, you will not be able to achieve these positions when you swing the golf club. The goal of the drill is to be able to achieve these positions automatically.  

STEP 3 – THE FINISHED FOLLOW-THROUGH POSITION

After your final repetition of the Completed Backswing Position of Step 2, swing into your follow-through. Following the steps of a new proper Finished Follow-Through Position:  

  • Transfer your weight from the ball of right foot of Step #2 to the ball of your left foot. (be sure not to shift weight to the toes or heels of left foot)
  • Simultaneous with 1, Rotate torso to the follow through while maintaining spine-angle. Most people will experience some restriction, tightness or even discomfort through holding the spine angle in this position. This is an indication that attention to stretching and centering in this position is most important
  • 90% of your weigh should be on the ball of your left foot (maintain spine angle)
  • With your torso and hips facing the target (maintain spine angle).
  • Hands stretched out and high as possible (maintain spine angle)
  • Hold and breathe this position for 20 seconds. (become aware and control your centre-of-gravity)
  • Stop, shake it off and relax for a short period
  • Repeat from 1,three times The important part of this training is to become aware of your centre-of-gravity in each step.

As you train each of these positions, the end result is to transfer and control the centre-of-gravity for each of these steps in a fluid golf swing motion. Success in the drill comes from your commitment to investing in your golf swing.

The freedom and power you will gain in your golf swing is the reward.

Written by Richard Zokol | Predator Ridge Golf & Real Estate Specialist and Former PGA Tour Player

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