Getting back to basics

Many ammies are under the false impression that top-class players are working on things in their games that are on a completely different level to the average golfer – that once you reach a certain level, then the basics are sorted and some advanced technical theory is required to progress further.

But here’s a little secret: what every top-level golfer is working on – or constantly monitoring – is what every golfer of every standard should be working on, and that’s the basic fundamentals of the swing and short game.

Essentially, great golf is all about doing the basics right and the elite players in my academies are drilled constantly in the basics of the game, just like our beginner golfers or our juniors.

Top-class players like Ernie, Phil and Tiger are always revisiting fundamentals in their setup such as grip, posture or alignment, and basic swing principles such as
timing or connection.

So we’re all working on the same things, even if the results are slightly different.

Here are a couple of examples of leading amateur players and the drills they are working on to keep their basics in check.

The towel drill

Here Gareth uses a drill which is favoured by Richard Sterne, where he holds the towel under his right armpit at address and keeps it there throughout the swing until after impact, which is where it finally falls out.

This ensures that the right elbow is tucked in at address and keeps the shoulders and forearms squarely aligned with the rest of the body.

Keeping the towel in during the swing ensures that the right elbow doesn’t ‘fly’ away from the torso, thus generating power from a good connection between the arms and the torso and producing an efficient swing plane on the backswing.

This all helps with the timing of the downswing and ultimately leads to solid, consistent ball striking. The average player will create more power from this compact, connected swing than by trying to swing as wide as possible.

The separation that is caused by the flying elbow (as shown in the picture on the left where the towel falls out on Gareth’s backswing) leads to a multitude of sins on the way down, and very often an over-the-top move – which brings with it that dreaded slice, or worse.

Michael’s basic checklist

Set-up:
■ Grip
■ Posture
■ Alignment
■ Ball position

Swing:
■ Rotation and coil
■ Balanced weight shift
■ Body/arms connection
■ Timing
■ Wrist hinge
■ Swing plane

Rugby ball drill

It wouldn’t be SA without a rugby ball somewhere. Here, Terence keeps the ball between his forearms throughout the swing.

Both of these pictures are on the downswing, moving into impact – but notice in the picture without the ball how his shoulders and forearms are misaligned, forming an X if seen from above.

This is an X-factor that you don’t want, caused by the timing between body and arms being out of sync.

By using the ball drill you can see that the shoulders and arms are better aligned, encouraging the club to travel on a smooth in-to-square-to-in swing path for consistent results. The average player will benefit from this drill to improve timing on the downswing.

The ball also aids forearm rotation through impact – vital in hitting a draw.
Players of all levels have essentially the same problems and need to work on the same things to improve.

While better players may have better motor skills and hand-eye coordination (commonly known as talent), the key for all golfers is to stick to the basics and repeat over and over again.

Michael Balderstone is the founder and elite performance director of The Golf School of Excellence, which offers training programmes such as Elite Academy and the PGA Diploma to train players for a playing career or a career in the business of golf. Michael is also coaching assessor for the PGA of SA.

Contact Michael on 011 659 4719 or email info@tgse-golf.com