Latest-Golf-News-and-Information

Training, Training, Training

After a friendly game with a stranger, he bought me a drink
and told me that I had intimidated him. Then he said, "I
don't get intimidated."

I asked him why he got intimidated. He replied that my level
of confidence never changed whether I made or missed a shot
and I always played as if I would make the shot. Then I asked
him what he did. He told me that he coached wrestling and was
the lead man for a swat team.

Being curious, I asked him what exactly does the lead man for
a swat team do. He told me that he was the first person
through the door and his job was to take out whoever was on
the right side of the hallway or room before he was shot or
killed.

I told him that I was a mental trainer and asked him how he
mentally prepares himself to do his job. He told me that
it's the same for wrestling or being the first one through
the door. Training, training, training was his answer.

He trains himself to focus totally on executing the process
without any fear or concern about the outcome. I asked him
if he had any fear. He said his only fear was that the second
man through the door behind him wouldn't take out whoever was
on the left side of the hallway or room.

Then he told me that he relies on his partner's training to
keep him out of harms way. Can you rely on your mental
training to keep you out of harms way on the golf course
or do you still get emotionally involved and think about
the outcome?

Scientific research has revealed that human beings learn and
remember what they have learned through repetition. Isn't it
amazing then, that so many golfers expect to read a piece of
information one time and retain it forever?

You may think my newsletters are somewhat repetitious, but
that's OK. They are designed to be repetitious to help you
to keep polishing the wheel until you have the best mental game
around. Once you have a great mental game, it's important
to keep training, training, training to keep it that way.

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If you are not working on improving your mental game, you
are playing golf with only half of the equipment. If you
have not read "The Mental Keys to Improve Your Golf," your
mental game will benefit greatly by seeing the whole
picture instead of just pieces contained in these mental
tips. My book gives you the tools to improve your mental
game. My CD makes it easier to use them.

More Infomation

March 2, 2005 13:06 - The Ryder Cup

Ian Woosnam was elected by the players commitee as the man to captain the European team in the Ryder Cup matches to be held at the K Club in Ireland next year.

The commitee also took the unprecedented step of naming Nick Faldo as the captain for the 2008 match.

Woosie will prove to be a popular choice as he is well liked and respected on the European Tour.

March 2, 2005 13:14 - This weeks events

Before we go any further, lets hear it for Hale Irwin, winner once again, what a record this man has he is just incredible.

The Ford Chapionship
Doral Golf Resort and Spa
Last years winner Craig Parry
visit the course here
www.doralgolf.com

LPGA
Mastercard Classic
Bosque Real Country Club
Alejo Peralta
Mexico City
This is an inaugral event

The Dubai Desert Classic
Majlis Course
Emirates Golf Club
Last years winner Mark O'Meara

March 3, 2005 15:12 - DuBai Classic First round leaders

Ernie Els has started of with a bang in Dubai shooting a first round 66 to take a
1 shot lead from Jiminez and Howell, who are closely followed by Australia's Jarrod Lyle.

Els 66
Ji,inez/howell 67
Lyle 68

Its close at the top with 4 shots separating 30 players.

March 3, 2005 16:46 - Golf Potpourri

by

Mac Stevenson

Limit Golf Cart to Back Nine

For many of us just coming out of winter hibernation, our
conditioning for walking 18 holes of golf isn’t all it should be.

An 18-hole round of golf should be a combination of healthy
exercise, fun, and camaraderie; however, after walking the front
nine, continuing by foot on the back nine can become the
equivalent of a forced march with a full field pack while in the
employ of Uncle Sam.

Depending on your age and condition, carrying a full-size bag or
pulling it on a cart--for even nine holes--can be so tiring that
it takes the fun out of the game.

Have you ever tried playing the front nine carrying an
extra-light, no-frills canvas bag? It should be a bag that’s just
a shell of light canvas with a ball holding pocket and no other
extras. This is a golf bag so small and light that you can’t
carry all of your clubs in it.

For the front nine--when you’re going to walk with a
featherweight bag--you should carry a driver, three-wood,
five-wood, five-iron, seven-iron, pitching wedge, sand wedge, and
your putter. You can vary the clubs you carry according to the
course and your game, but try playing with just eight clubs on
the front nine while walking.

If you’re past your physical prime, like most of us are, walking
nine holes is plenty--it’s about two and a half miles carrying a
bag. That’s a lot of exercise. And be sure that you have
comfortable golf shoes. It’s no fun to walk nine or 18 holes when
your feet are hurting.

Don’t carry a lot of extra balls in your light bag, two or three
is plenty. If you have a dozen golf balls in your bag, you’ll be
carrying a bag that’s heavier than it needs to be.

Your first reaction is going to be that your scores will balloon
if you don’t have all your clubs. They won’t. You’ll be surprised
to find out--over time--that you will score just as well with
eight clubs as you do with the full complement of 14. And you’ll
learn how to hit some new shots. If you have a 115-yard shot, and
it’s too close for your seven-iron, you’ll have to hit a soft,
three-quarter shot. And you’ll have to hit some punch shots when
you’re going against the wind because you won’t have the club you
would normally use.

If you play with a regular group of friends, you can occasionally
borrow a club. In other words, if you have a nine-iron shot and
your nine-iron is back at the clubhouse, just borrow a nine-iron
from one of your friends in the foursome.

If you’re going to ride a cart the back nine, you’ll want to have
your large bag--with the rest of your clubs--in a handy place so
you can make a quick switch at the turn.

Riding a cart for 18 holes four or five times a week gets
expensive fast. That’s $50 or more a week and a lot of golfers
can’t afford that. Many public courses that charge $10 for 18
holes on a cart will charge $6 or $7 for nine holes. That’s not
only unfair to the players, it’s outrageous. Course managers
should be encouraging their players to walk as much as they can,
and they shouldn’t charge over $5 for the back nine if their cart
rental is $10 for 18 holes.

Most golfers can easily walk nine holes, but that back nine can
become pure torture if you run out of gas. And that takes all the
fun out of the game. Try this method of carrying a lightweight
bag with just seven or eight clubs on the front nine, and then
ride the back.

You’ll get all the exercise you need, and the back nine will be
fun instead of drudgery.

"Thank you so much Richard for recommending the Slice Busting
video to me. It has reduced my handicap by 7 strokes in three
weeks. Not bad for a ole hacker like me. This stuff really does
work...."
- Paul Gadson, Hendersonville, NC
You can order the Slice Busting Video here:
More Infomation

March 4, 2005 13:27 - Golf Tip

Maintaining Rhythm and Tempo The average golfer, when trying for extra distance, attempts to speed up his swing and hit the ball harder and faster with his hands and body. Most of the time when he does this, he hits too soon with his hands and body, and thus destroys the rhythm and tempo of his swing. As a result, he loses both distance and accuracy. Rhythm and tempo must be maintained at all times, even when you're playing the most difficult shot. This is why our star players spend countless hours working on them. What, then, do these star players do to obtain extra distance? Instead of trying to swing faster and hit the ball harder, they just turn their left shoulder a little bit more to the right on the backswing than they normally do. It's very much like the pitcher in baseball who reaches back a little farther than usual when he wants to get a little added zip on his fastball. It gives your muscles that little extra stretch that produces that little extra power without destroying the vital rhythm and even tempo, which are so essential to all good golf swings. Joe Sharkey

More Infomation

March 4, 2005 16:48 - Latest news on this weeks golf

In Dubai at the Dubai Desert Classic even after carding his second sub par round
Ernie Els finds himself 2 shots off the lead after a fabulous 8 birdie round by Jiminez.

Mean while in Miami we have a fourway tie for the lead, Michelson,Olazabal, Davis, and Dawson
all carded first round 64's

March 5, 2005 18:33 - COLUMN TO READ (CAMPBELL ON NEW VS. OLD)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Writing in the Houston Chronicle last week, Steve Campbell
took a look at professional golf today and compared it to the
way golf used to be - the way it was meant to be, as he put
it. It was last weekend's match play championship that gave
Campbell pause. His main point: golf today is too much about
"uniformity" and manicurity (our word). Players are perhaps
"soft" and maybe spoiled. Give him the good old days when, as
in match play, competition was mano a mano. No drops. Just
hit it, find it, and hit it again. Check him out at:
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/campbell/30532
18

March 6, 2005 13:24 - Dubai Classic Result

What a finish in Dubai, Stephen Dodd of Wales fires a 66 to take a share of the lead at the las, Jiminiez is one infront of Ernie Els playing the 18th, they both reach the green in two Ernie makes the eagle putt to go 19 under and Jiminez
misses his birdie putt leaving Ernie to pick up the winners cheque for the third time.

Colin Montgomerie finished 4th on 16 under.

March 7, 2005 18:13 - Todays Golf Tip

Chip Like A Long Putt Thinking of a chip as if it were a long putt can bring great benefits to your short game. Too often you will try to loft the ball to a point close to the pin, then look for excessive backspin to stop the shot near the cup. This won’t usually work. A much safer method is to use your putting grip, stance and ball position. hen, swinging a iron with the least loft you need to get onto the putting surface, execute the same stroke you would for a putt of the same distance. The ball will pop up on to the green and run easily to the pin, since it will have a minimum of backspin. Joe Sharkey

March 8, 2005 18:00 - MENTAL TIP by MICHAEL ANTHONY

I have been interviewed on radio talk shows around the
country. Many of the hosts who have read my book "The Mental
Keys" commented about my statement that fear can not exist
in the present. They had never looked at fear in that light.
But, they all acknowledged that the concept made total sense.

I have consulted with athletes in many different sports from
Olympic Gold Medalists to low and high handicap golfers. All
of them admitted that fear was public enemy number one on their
list of negative emotions. Since an athlete, golfers especially,
can not deny the reality of the mind/body connection, it is
easy for them to realize that fear causes their performance
to diminish. They, also, readily acknowledge that when thay
are performing at their best they are not thinking. They are
playing on instinct.

When an athlete experiences fear, he/she is thinking about a
future outcome that has not occurred. Fear about an outcome
triggers adverse chemical changes in your brain, which cause
your performance to deteriorate. Because of the mind/body
connection fear makes it impossible to duplicate the same
stroke mechanics that you have when you are relaxed.

If you think about it, fear can not exist in the present.
Since you can only physically exist in the present, you only
have control of the present. In the present all one can do
is execute at their curent level of proficiency. How well you
control the present, determines the future outcome -- good or
bad. It is only when you think about a future outcome that
fear enters the equation and throws off your performance.

The vast majority of individuals have spent their entire life
chasing the outcome. However, you can train your mind to ignore
the outcome and stay in the present by focusing on mastering
the process. This is a major cultural change for anyone brought
up in the Western civilization's belief system of materialism
and winning. Ignoring the outcome is a huge undertaking, but
it can be accomplished.

In contrast, the philosophy of Zen is based solely on being
the process -- be the ball. In the Eastern culture, centuries
ago, samurai warriors were highly skilled in the martial arts.
To be at their best, they were trained to fight without the
fear of dying. Golf is a game! Golf is not a life or death
situation. So have fun and relax.

Learn to have fun on the golf course and train your mind to
stay in the present. If you do, you will have less fear and
your golf will improve.

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More Infomation

March 10, 2005 12:15 - This weeks golf events

PGA
The Honda Classic
Palm Beach Gardens
Last Years winner Todd Hamilton

European Tout
Qatar Masters
Doha Golf Club
Last Years winner Joakim Haeggman

Visit the site www.dohagolfclub.com

Champions
SBC Classic
Valencia, Calif.
Last Year Gil Morgan
www.valenciagolfclub.com

LPGA

No Event

March 10, 2005 13:13 - COLUMN TO READ (EUROS HAVE ORDER DOWN PAT)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Last week The Golf Channel's George White wrote about how
differently the Europeans and the Americans determine Ryder
Cup captains. He writes on the heels of the former picking
Ian Woosnam and Nick Faldo to be bosses in 2006 and 2008,
respectively. The decision overseas was made by a committee
of 14. Here, on the other hand, RC captains are chosen by
nobody knows who, says White. Check out why he thinks this is
not a good way to do it, not that he thinks Tom Lehman won't
make a good U.S. captain in 2006.
See the article http://www.golfhelp.com/a/go.php?c=ds030905

March 11, 2005 11:44 - To days golf tip

Warming Up

Whenever you can, hit out a few balls before you begin your
round. And use your head when you warm up. There's nothing gained
by taking out your driver and just seeing how much beef you can
put into a swing. What you want to do is to get a good sound
swing started, to get your shots moving out there with a pattern
that has some character to it.

Start your warm-up with the mashie, the five-iron. I'll tell you
why. It encourages a controlled swing in which you pivot properly
and use your hands the way you should. If you start with a
putter, you're too apt to develop a pattern that doesn't tie body
action and arm action together. You don't swing. And if you rush
right off with a wooden club or a long iron, instinctively you
try to hit the ball for distance before your swing is ready for
it. Now with the five-iron you're just trying to get the ball out
there 150 yards or so, so there's no tendency to press or to rush
it. Then, once you've established a good pattern and rhythm for
your swing, you can change to a long iron or hit a few woods and
strengthen this groove.

I have for years, and still sometimes do, hit five-irons to a
pail down the practice fairway. I still think it is the best
stick in the bag either for beginning a quick pre-round warm-up
or a more intensive session on the practice fairway

March 16, 2005 15:09 - The Simple Golf Swing Review

Last week I received my copy of this system, while I was watching the video
I got so enthused by what Mike was saying I went into the garage and
got out one of my clubs to enable me to mirror what he was showing on the video.

Before I knew it I was in the garden trying it out and it felt real good, I could hardly
wait to get to the golf course to try it out.

Because I had to visit my family and my best friend, who is quite ill, I thought
I wouldn't have time to try it out until the following week, this coming weekend.

I felt really dissappointed.

However my son asked me to play and who am I to disappoint him! he only wants to beat me.

Off we go to the course, I didn't try it on the first tee but waited to the second, disappointment
reigned! I hooked it into the bushes, so much for your new system he said, however I reckoned
it was going to take more than one shot to get it right.

Whilst we were playing I was continuing to practice the swing, not every shot, but where I felt
it was appropriate.

By the time we got to the 17th I felt confident enough to reveal that I was going to use the new swing
on the tee, I knocked it staight down the middle and 10 maybe even 20 yds further than normal,
My second shot with a 5 wood also went straight and further, don't asked what happened next I haven't
practised the chipping drills yet.

On to the 18th a par 3, 145yds I took a seven iron put it on the green sank the putt for a two
happiness returned.

Its early days yet but I was very impressed, my son was also, like all changes it takes time
but the improvement in my shots throughout the round was really impressive considering
I hadn't had any practice at all with the system.

I will let you know what happens as I use this system

In the meantime if you want to improve your golf I reccommend you take a look at this system.

By the way he won!! More Infomation

March 16, 2005 16:35 - Todays golf tip

A Sand Shot From The Rough

When you find your ball in the rough just off the green, play it
like a sand shot. Open the blade of your wedge and aim two or
three inches behind the ball. Don’t quit on the shot and
emphasize the follow through. An explosion-shot of this nature
pops the ball up and lands it softly with very little roll. For
this particular shot I can recommend no better golfer to watch
than Jack Nicklaus. He was the best at this.

March 17, 2005 16:47 - Golf Potpourri

by

Mac Stevenson

Transition From the Top is Vital

On a full golf shot, it’s easy to make a smooth transition from
your backswing to the downstroke--right? Wrong. The most
important part--and hardest to accomplish--of the golf swing is
that fleeting moment when you start your downswing. If you try
and hit it hard from the top of your backswing, all is lost.

When you start your swing--whether it’s a full shot, chip, pitch,
or putt--keep the tempo smooth. That doesn’t mean slow. We all
differ on our natural swing speed; without destroying your
natural rhythm, try to keep your backswing smooth and deliberate
rather than quick and jerky.

This concept of being smooth is vital on the transition from
backswing to downswing. However, it’s much easier said than done.
Almost all of us have a tendency to become anxious and impatient
at the top of our backswing; consequently, we are too quick at
the start of the downswing. And that destroys timing and
distance.

When you’re “in the zone”--particularly on full shots--the smooth
backswing and forward transition seems so natural and easy that
you’re certain you’ve got it right once and for all. The secret
is yours. This is when you get your best distance off the tee,
but golfers are never satisfied. When you’re hitting it really
solid, the conviction is that you can give it a little extra.
That’s when the trouble begins.

The backswing becomes quicker and you try and hit it from the top
of your swing and get jerky. That magical feeling of confidence
dissolves like a puff of smoke. And your smooth timing is gone.

This idea of a deliberate backswing is just as important on putts
and short shots as it is on the full shots. On chips and putts,
you should have the thought of letting the clubhead do the work.
In other words, keep the transition smooth and stroke the shot,
rather than stabbing at it.

The transition from backstroke to forward stroke in putting is
crucial. When you get too quick--and we all do from time to
time--you jerk your stroke on the forward movement and push or
pull the putt.

Even the pros are inconsistent on their putting. No two days are
the same. That’s partly because our nerves can vary a great deal
from one day to the next.

For some reason, you can feel perfectly relaxed on one day and as
jumpy as a one-pawed cat on a tin roof the next. If you have an
important round of golf coming up, lay off the caffeine. Too much
coffee can definitely make you jumpy and nervous, and it‘s not
good for your golf game. This occasional nervousness isn’t a
personal flaw, it’s just a part of our physiological makeup.

A smooth and short backstroke on short putts is vital; if you
take too long a backstroke, you’ll decelerate as you strike the
ball and that’s a fatal flaw. Take it back smooth and let the
putter head do the work.

Try and keep your entire routine on the golf course deliberate
without being slow. And keep the backswing and transition to your
downswing rhythmic on every shot you play. No one can do this
every time they hit a golf ball, but it’s a great swing thought
to go to when you’re having a rough round.

More Infomation

March 17, 2005 16:53 - Todays golf tip

Count ‘one and two’ for Better Timing

Timing is everything-in golf as in life. A friend of mine seemed
to be in a hurry to finish her swing from the top. She would not
allow her weight to shift to her right side. Well before
completing her backswing, with her hands at only shoulder height,
she would start her knees toward the target. All this hurt her
timing and produced erratic shots.

To improve her timing, I asked her to count “one and…” on the
backswing, consciously pause at the top and leisurely count “two”
before starting down. This slowed and lengthened her backswing,
created a better weight transfer and eventually added distance
through better timing. If you can count to two, it can work for
you, too.

March 18, 2005 14:59 - MENTAL TIP by MICHAEL ANTHONY

MENTAL TIP by MICHAEL ANTHONY

"Success or Disappointment"

If you want to have more success in golf, it is important to
inoculate your mind to be free of disappointment. Webster
defines disappoint as "to fail to meet the expectation or
hope of."

Since it is impossible to hit a good shot everytime and golf
courses are designed to challenge even the best golfers, how
does a golfer keep from becoming disappointed without lowering
his or her expectations?

It is done by changing your mindset and type of goals. The
vast majority of golfers judge themselves by the scores they
shoot. How often do you play a round of golf and feel totally
satisfied that you shot the lowest score possible that day for
your level of play?

More than likely, you probably felt you could have shot a lower
score if only your putt didn’t lip out or hit a spike mark, the
wind didn’t cause your ball to land in the bunker or the water,
your perfect shot down the middle of the fairway didn’t land in
a divot, et cetera. So you went home disappointed because your
score didn’t reflect what could have been.

What is even worse is that you were disappointed with some of
your shots and putts during that round. We all know that we
play at our best when we feel good about ourselves. The only
way to get out of the trap of trying to play well when you are
disappointed is to change your outcome goal of scoring and
become totally process oriented.

An excellent definition of success is the progressive realization
of a worth while goal. If your goal is to learn and improve from
the feedback you receive each time you hit, chip or putt the ball,
you can eliminate the concept of disappointment from your mindset.

Let’s narrow our discussion and focus solely on your attitude
after each shot you take during a round of golf. I’ll make a
friendly wager that after a good shot, you tend to feel good and
after a bad shot, you tend to feel bad. I’ll make another friendly
wager that when you make a good shot and feel good, your chances
of making another good shot are higher than when you feel bad about
yourself or your last shot. Do I have any takers on these bets?

Now, let me ask you question. Is it easier to control the outcome
everytime you step up to the ball or to control your attitude before
and after each golf shot you take? The obvious answer is that it
should be easier to control your attitude since it is impossible
for even Tiger Woods to make all of his shots.

Since a good attitude increases the probability of making good
shots, the logical conclusion is that it is much more productive
to focus on the process of always maintaining a good attitude than
to focus on the outcome of your shots, which you cannot control.

If you take two golfers of equal talent, I’ll make you another
friendly wager that the one who has and maintains the better
attitude will win many more times than he will lose to the other
golfer who allows himself to be disappointed by his outcomes.

Now, I’ll make one last wager with you. No matter what your
talent level is, if you train your mind to focus on improving
your attitude no matter what happens when you hit the ball,
your scores will fall and you will not be disappointed.

More Infomation

March 21, 2005 14:24 - Todays Golf Tip

Starting with the Left Foot

When you are at a course with weekend golfers, you are struck by
the high percentage of players who swing at the ball and in the
same motion let their whole weight shift back. They want to hit
through, we know that, but they simply can't. Because of what has
gone before in their swing, they have lost the means to follow
through.

Too many golfers make the mistake of taking the club back with
their hands only. They want to hit the ball really hard. You can
see it in their shoulders. But that is exactly where they defeat
their purpose. As the hands whip the club back, the left knee
sags out and the player stiffens his left leg. On the downswing,
consequently, the left leg tips him back toward the right just as
he begins to straighten the leg. He is forced finally to swivel
his body feebly around and lash at the ball as he falls back.
He’s trapped.

The correct execution of a golf swing depends on the timing of
the hands and feet. They should go back as one piece. The golfer
will put himself on the right track if he realizes that the left
foot actually starts the swing. Specifically, it is a steady push
from the outside toward the inside of the left leg. The push
starts the hands and arms moving back, and with the correct
synchronization. When you swing down to hit the ball, you will be
on balance and completely relaxed. If you begin with your feet
and hands together, they will stay together in your swing.

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March 21, 2005 16:15 - Latest news

Paul Casey held off the challenge of Paul McGinlay to win the TCL Classic this week end.

This was Paul's first tour title since 2003.

Kenny Perry held off the challenge from VJ to win the Bay Hill Invitational.
This second place however moved VJ back to number one.

This weeks events:

The Players Championship
Sawgrass
Ponte Vedra Beach
Last Year Adam Scott

Visit the site http://www.tpcsawgrass.com

Madiera Island Open
Santo Da Serra
Last year Christopher Hanell

Visit the site http://www.santodaserragolf.com

March 21, 2005 16:38 - Golf Club Reviews

Many of the visitors to this site request information on golf clubs.

What they are most interested in are the views of the amateur players

not just the manufacturers hype, real views from real players.

If you would like to submit a review of your experience with your golf clubs,

please use our comments section to do so, include your handicap.

I will then publish them for everyone.

I look forward to hearing from you.

March 23, 2005 13:59 - A free gift for you

My Gift to You and Your Family

Today is my Birthday and a special occassion as well. I'm
happy to announce the birth of my new book "How to Be Happy
and Have Fun Changing the World."

After receiving numerous requests from non-golfers to write
a book that applies to them, I wrote this book as a gift for
you, your family and all mankind. Please share this book with
your family, friends and the rest of the world.

Since a happy golfer plays better than a sad golfer, this book
will help make the rest of your life happier and help you to
lower your score.

I hope you enjoy my gift to you and your family.

To get your free copy of this book click the link below

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March 25, 2005 17:36 - Todays Golf Tip

Going Back

The average golfer is subject to three fundamental faults when he
takes the club back: (1) picking the club up too quickly with his
hands, rather than swinging the club back along the line; (2)
pulling the club up too close to the body; and (3) starting the
body action before the hands and the golf club start to
move—which pulls the body out of line and forces the golfer into
an unbalanced chopping action.

When I first began playing, I brought the club back too close on
the backswing, and this caused me to hook and shank. To overcome
this fault, I drew a mental line straight back from the ball, and
also in front of the ball, to reinforce my awareness of the line
of flight—the line I intended the ball to travel. Then I worked
on drawing the club back along that line.

Today my habit is to pick an object in the foreground that is
situated on the line of flight—a tree or a bunker or a house.
Then I take the club back straight from that object and the ball.
To check my backswing in practice, I stick a tee about six or
eight inches behind the ball on the intended line of flight. And
when I draw the club back I can check to see whether the club
hits the tee squarely or whether it tips or shanks it.

March 28, 2005 15:28 - Todays Golf Tip

A REMEDY FOR SHANKING

The shank, I would reckon, is the worst of all golfing ailments.
There are explicit causes that bring on shanking, but it is best
not to describe them since it would only make players more
conscious of things they are better off to have no mind of. One
can be explicit, however, about the remedy for the shank. For
quite a few decades now, golfers of all sorts and various degrees
of skill have come to me when suffering with this malady and, I
am pleased to say, have benefited almost on the spot from my
prescription.

The first step in curing a shank is for the golfer to swing the
club in an upright arc, keeping his hands exactly on the line of
flight. At the end of the backswing, which should be very short,
the butt of the shaft should be pointing directly toward the
ground. At the end of the follow-through, necessarily short too,
the same is also true: the butt of the shaft should point
directly toward the ground. This corrective swing, as I have
said, is a short one, the hands going no higher than the hips on
the backswing or on the follow-through. There is a minimum of
pivot, and the weight remains mostly on the left foot.

These steps provide you with a firm track to run on, but there's
one point that must be stressed. On all short shots to the
green—which is where shanking most often occurs—the ball must not
be scooped with locked wrists. Hit the ball with a natural
breaking of the wrists.