Greetings Golfers,

I didn’t send my usual Friday email last week because of the Holiday Weekend. So here it is on Tuesday:

Did you see Jordan Spieth shoot 63 in the last round to win the Australian Open? Rory McIlroy said that he couldn’t shoot 63 on that golf course.

I really like some of these young players. They’ve got great attitudes and old-school golf swings.

What’s old-school about Jordan Spieth’s golf swing? Well, he has a relaxed left arm. Or in other words – he lets his left arm bend on the backswing. Most of you have probably heard all of your golf life that a straight left arm is vital to a proper backswing. It’s not. A bent left arm is trouble at IMPACT … and that’s where the misunderstanding began.

People don’t always understand cause and effect – even golf instructors. Most golfers’ left arms break down at impact (known as a chicken-wing). So, to remedy the problem, emphasis was put on keeping the left arm straight during the backswing. But, a bent left arm will naturally straighten into the proper position on the downswing … if the golfer swings the arm properly on the downswing.

The problem is not the backswing – the problem is not understanding how to swing the club into the ball. Most golfers try to scoop the ball at impact. That scooping move breaks down the left wrist, and then the left elbow breaks down into the chicken-wing position.

Try it and see. Without a club, just swing back your left arm and let the elbow bend … then just let it swing down and feel the arm naturally straighten out.

By far the biggest flaw people have in their golf swing is trying to scoop the ball. That flipping of the wrists to get the club under the ball stops the swinging of the club and opens up the face of the golf club. That’s why most people slice their golf shots.

Practice rotating the wrists rather than flipping (scooping) the wrists. If you swing the club waist high like a baseball bat, you will naturally rotate your wrists. Use that same wrist action in your golf swing. The loft on the club will get the ball up into the air – don’t try to help it with faulty wrist action.

Also, our annual Christmas Sale is this Saturday, Dec. 6 from 9am-3pm. Everything is 50% off. The Holiday Golf Passes will also be on sale.

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM and Head Golf Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com