I believe video technology and mirrors are the best teaching aids on the market for learning proper set-up and swing path. They show you your posture, grip ball position, body alignment, and weight distribution. These aids also show you what the golf club is doing during the golf swing.

From a mechanical prospective, learning the golf swing is a two-part equation.

A correctly trained set-up gives you the opportunity to train your club to swing on a good path and proper swing plane. Otherwise your body will learn to compensate and move indifferently to accommodate impact with the ball. This in turn makes timing and continuity of rhythm complicated and less reliable.

To know that you are set-up correctly and on a plane, use a body length mirror at home on a regular basis. This will prevent your set-up or path from changing from week to week. You are trying to match what you see, to a feel, training it to be permanent. It is important that you learn to feel what is correct.

Application

1. Put a piece of tape vertically on the middle of the mirror (preferably colored electrical tape) from top to bottom.
2. To position a second piece of tape, choose a middle length club (5 or 6 iron). Viewing your address position facing the mirror from a side profile put the tape diagonally on the mirror, running on the same angle as your club shaft.

If you have the luxury of using two mirrors, use one for face-on or front view, and the second mirror for your side profile or down-the-line angle.

Viewing your swing from the side view allows you to monitor your primary spine angle, knee flex, arm position and shaft position. And secondly, it allows you to monitor your club during its path and plane positions. The vertical tapeline should run thru the back of your shoulder through your kneecap and into the balls of your feet.

When viewing the diagonal tape line for path and plane, the club should move along the tape until it reaches parallel to the ground. At this point your club head should cover your hands as you look in the mirror. This would be the ideal club path position to achieve. Keep swinging the club shaft up, keeping the shaft parallel and above the tape as you complete the backswing. Now, lower the club parallel to the tape until it reaches parallel to the ground. Again the club head should cover your hands. Now, move the club down the tape line to impact. Practice this drill moving the club in very slow motion with a lot of repetition.

From the front view or face-on position, the vertical tape line can be used to monitor proper secondary tilt, ball position, grip position and weight distribution.

As your instructor, I will teach you the proper set-up and address position. Then we can begin to learn the proper swing plane and path of the golf swing. Training yourself to use the mirror correctly will keep you accountable, and the information you've taken from your golf lesson, accurately applied.

To complement my regular teaching sessions, in addition to a mirror and various teaching aids, I use digital video technology with V1 software provided by Pro Industries Corporation as my source of information and feedback. Assisted by these aids, I can more accurately diagnose for you, what is right, what is wrong and prescribe drills. If there is more than one fault, I can explain what the order of priority should be as you begin the corrective process.

Click on the link below for more detailed information.

PV200D Online Brochure

Features

• Two camera angles videotaping swing simultaneously. (Front view & Down the line view).
• Frame by frame or slow motion play back.
• Side by side comparison (compare students before and after swing) or (compare student's swing along side a touring professional of choice).
• Overlay a live image of a student's swing over a previously recorded image to show the comparison between the old and new.
• Create diagrams, draw and make notes and commentary directly onto videotape or CD ROM for take-home viewing.

The digital video and V1 software equipment allows me to observe and point out aspects of a student's swing previously unobservable. The V1's software recording capabilities allow me to interactively work with a student, make recommendations, record the suggested corrections, compare the revised swing to previous swings, and show how each change affects the golf swing. This provides the student with a clear, concise picture of where they are and where they need to go.

General Concerns:

1. Analyze the quality of your set up (posture, grip, ball position, body alignment, weight distribution).
2. Evaluate your pre-shot routine.
3. Observe overall rhythm and tempo of swing.
4. Examine the sequence of the swing from start to finish (take away, half-way back, top of swing, half-way down, impact, follow-through).

Specific Concerns:

1. What are the hands, arms and club doing in relation to the body?
2. Is there continuity of motion during the path of the swing?
3. Examine the quality of your body turn and leg action.
4. Are you producing a proper weight transfer?
5. Is the width and radius of your swing being maintained?
6. Is the club releasing correctly?
7. Does your finish produce good balance?

Most problems in a golf swing root back to a poor set-up at address. A poor set-up can cause the arms and club to get out of position in the early stages of the swing. When that happens, your body will do its best to compensate, so that you are able to get the clubface in some sort of square position for impact. In other words, "one fault leads to another".

Coordinating the arms and the body is a major key to a consistent, repeatable, golf swing. When I videotape a golf swing, I can clearly determine at which point that synchronization breaks down. For example: if the turning of your torso during your back swing is completed by the time your arms move only half way back, (at which point you lift the club to the top); your arms are out of sink. Ideally, your arm swing and your upper body coil should complete the back swing simultaneously. This will result in better synchronization through impact.

Once you, the student, familiarize yourself with your swing from the viewpoint of video playback with your instructor, you will then be able to determine if you are on track as you work towards your personal goals.

Putter Fitting & Putting Stroke Analysis
CoutourGolf
Tom Jaeger is their Certified Fitter for New Jersey

COMING SOON

Practicing Your Swing

The type of practice most people are familiar with is practicing their swing.
This is about learning a position in the golf swing, or a certain movement. This is considered "mechanical practice".

Any time a golfer works on a new position or technique in a golf swing, it will initially always destroy rhythm and tempo. When learning a new position, the goal is NOT where the ball goes. The goal is learning the new position (creating a new habit). Top authorities in the game, say it takes "21 Days" to learn a new habit in the golf swing or a new position. For those 21 days, focus on the "new position", not ball flight results.

This type of practice is used away from the golf course, usually after a round or in preparation of a tournament. But NOT during a tournament or right before a round.

When you're practicing technique or learning a new position, you cannot gauge your progress by where the ball is going, mainly because you can not expect results that quickly. If you do mistakenly, start paying attention to your ball flight results you can easily convince yourself, that you're working on the wrong thing. You will then, give up on what you're working on, and begin to try something else. **When you start this guesswork process, it will always destroy a good practice session.

When I'm working on a new position in my golf swing, I will always tee the ball up 1/2-3/4 of an inch with my irons. My goal is simply to try to put the club or my body in that position and worry about nothing else. If I hit the ball way off line, or make unsolid contact, I have to look at my goal and ask myself the right questions: "Did I put the club or body in the proper position?" If not "Am I getting closer?" If I say "yes" or "almost", then you have to be satisfied even if the ball is badly missed or not solidly hit. It should matter not.

What's important at this point is you're creating a habit, and you must bear patience when creating a new habit or position. Rhythm and tempo will eventually reappear once the new move or position is integrated.

Practicing Your Game
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This type of practice is about getting your game from the practice tee to the golf course. During this period the only concern should be your target, ball flight, and pre-shot routine (which is just what it is when you're playing the game). When you remove golf from the target, which is the whole point of the game, the more problems any golfer is bound to have.

Rhythm, tempo, and balance, are your guidewords. By thinking target and using good rhythm and timing, fueled by a consistent pre-shot routine, any golfer can reset the priorities of their practice time.
This type of practice is used before a round or during a tournament. Learn a solid pre-shot routine and use it every time during this particular practice.

Guidelines When Practicing on the Range

• Have a clear objective for the specific type of practice you're doing.
• Duplicate your swing each and every shot, each and every day.
• Make sure your fundamentals are established (posture, grip, ball position, alignment)
• Build yourself a hitting station:
  • (eg.)One club parallel to your target line and the other perpendicular to that club, between your feet representing ball position
  • This assures you that where you are looking and where your body is aimed are in agreement.
  • If this is not the case, the direction of your swing and the alignment of your body will be in conflict and your swing will be flawed.
• If you have several things to work on, it's important that you work on them one at a time (in the order prescribed to you) If you try to make to many corrections at once you probably won't do any of them very well.
• Close down your practice session on a positive note.
• End your practice session by slowing everything down. Hit some wedge shots to keep your tempo in tack. Try to warm down the way you warmed up.

Summary

From my experience teaching this game, my advice to any one person is to give yourself time to create or learn something new. Do not jump right into it, or on the golf course, or in a club tournament without the proper approach, you will quickly confuse the two different types of practice.

My suggestion is to find out what part of your swing is failing and come up with a workable solution before you start hitting a lot of practice balls.

Set a plan: Chart out a plan for yourself before you go to the range. Obviously, your plan should be developed in conjunction with a competent teaching professional. Then, stick with your prescribed objectives.