FIPPA Newsletter - December 2006.
Welcome to this edition of the FIPPA Newsletter.
A lesson with Willie.
FIPPA is pleased to bring you a Willie Parker coaching article from the Pitch and Putt magazine, Backspin.
"DON'T BE THAT WAY"
By Willie Parker
As that's from a song I might get away with it, though a coach should never say "Don't." A coach should always find a positive way to give advice. "DO this instead." and so on. Surprisingly easy to find a way, if you just pause for thought for a moment, and it's much more reassuring.
However, today I want to list some things I hate to see, but see all the time. The most common errors or problems besetting players. You can learn a lot from just looking on if you know what to look for, especially at ordinary medium or high handicappers.
Most common fault? BAD GRIP. Right hand under the shaft, palm facing the sky. Club turns over as you swing; shots fly lowish and go left when they hit the green, having hook spin more than backspin. With an open club and a high tee you can getaway with it to a degree, and it is possible to force the clubhead through square but the arm and shoulder muscles are not designed for this. Progress is limited. I don't understand how so many play like this when thousands of books and magazines and videos and all the golf photos you see show the way a club should be held. Just clap your hands, put the club between them. Palms are parallel, right palm facing the direction you want the ball to go. I don't care if it's overlap, interlock, two-handed or wrong-hand-under; if the palms are parallel you'll be OK. Wrong-hand-under is least desirable, limits the golf swing with full clubs, though it is workable.
Next nightmare? SCOOPING CHIPS. Trying to lift chips, playing the shot almost entirely right-handed, lobbing the ball on to the green, left arm collapsing, folding. With time you develop a sort of feel for the distance, but there is no control over the spin on the ball and no real ability to vary the chip. Proper way to play is treat the chip as an extended putt. Brush the grass on the backswing, cut the grass beneath the ball going through, and keep the clubhead low till the ball hits the green. You SLIDE the club under the ball and the amount of run or stop is controlled by the angle you set the clubface at, at the start. ABOVE ALL YOU KEEP THE LEFT ARM STRAIGHT THROUGHOUT, TO AVOID SCOOPING.
Third note? RUNAWAY CHIPPING. Most common amongst elderly junior women,
probably self-consciously rushing to get out of the way. I'm not being sexist, just look around you and you'll see what I see. I am sorry to say it's not only juniors. I saw several women and at least one man chipping like this at the Inter-County in Glenville last year - and I was only watching one hole. It goes like this. They hit a chip, drop the wedge, pick up the putter, and scuttle off while the ball is still rolling to be ready to hit the next shot. Dreadful. Wait and see, is a good motto on all shots. At least you're putting all your energy into the stroke. And you'll be much more consistent.
Fourth problem? WRISTY PUTTING. Leads to deceleration of the clubhead at impact. Better forget you have wrists and move your arms in one piece, accelerating through the ball. It's just a fact of physiology; the larger muscles are more reliable.
Fifth obvious error? MOVING ON PUTTS, typically as the ball is struck. First golf book I ever owned, "Golf," by Henry Longhurst (1937) said something that still holds good today. He advised that a good way to pass the time while watching the game is to look at the left hip of a player when he or she is putting (right hip if it's a left-hander) and see if it moves. If it does, chances are good the putt will be missed. Energy intended for the putt is diverted to moving the body, putt isn't as firm as intended and deceleration ensues. Putt wanders off line. Again, the message is, stand still, move only hands and arms, until the ball stops. Less common is body movement early in the stroke. The first movement of the backswing is a body shift - the body sways along or ahead of the movement of the clubhead. Once again, stand still. Put most the weight in the left foot and leave it there.
Now, a more positive note. Above are some of the faults to be seen every day, usually displayed by moderate players but as I said earlier I saw some inter-county players who weren't exactly flawless. When you watch the top-class players, what do you notice? First of all, neat, compact swings. They vary greatly in style but there is little unnecessary motion. Second, a businesslike way of playing the game. Play the hole, move on.
I have had the pleasure of marking a card for a few of the best players around and my overriding impression is that they just don't talk much, if at all. It's deal with the business at hand, chat later. My instinct and I am sure this applies to many players, is to say something about the chip that just went in, or more likely kicked off, and generally interrupt my focus with idle chat. It's natural but counterproductive. The good players don't waste time on that. They are already looking at the next shot. We can all learn to focus like that; it just needs making the effort.
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