How To Make A Swing TEE TIME continued Eric Alpenfels Director of Golf Instruction / Golf Academy at the Pinehurst Resort The Pinehurst Gazette, Inc is privileged to have Eric Aplenfels as one of our contributers. Eric Alpenfels is the Director of the Pinehurst Golf Academy and Golf Instruction at Pinehurst Resort. He is a Class A Member of the PGA of America and has been part of the Pinehurst family since 1985. His expertise has earned him recognition from Golf Magazine as one of the “Top 100 Teachers in America,” Golf Digest as one of “America’s 50 Greatest Teachers” and U.S. Kids Golf as one of the “Top 50 Teachers for Kids.” Eric’s activities beyond the fairways of Pinehurst are extensive, and include speaking engagements, contributions to industry publications and participation as an Adjunct Facility of the PGA of America Education Department. In partnership with Dr. Bob Christina, The Golf Academy is conducting research to pioneer the development of new practice techniques and innovative drills. He recently coauthored “Instinct Putting” with Dr. Bob Christina and Dr. Cary Heath. �� TEE TIME continued Change Part 4 by Eric Alpenfels In my opinion, the ultimate goal of any swing change is for the new motion to be carried from the range to the course. If this happens, and the swing change results in improved ball flight and overall control, the change should be considered a success and should be the goal of any practice session. The goal of this last article in the series is to highlight the steps taken with a member of Pinehurst Country Club who participated in a series of lessons with the goal of eliminating a pull slice. As mentioned before, I have chosen this particular example primarily because the swing technique issues being addressed are common among both women and men golfers. Changing the Technique The first step in any swing change is to identify what ball flight issues need to be addressed and why. In this case, the golfer had a downswing path that traveled too much to the left through impact, resulting in a shot that started to the left of the target in varying degrees and a clubface position that was open at impact resulting in a shot that curved to the right in varying degrees depending on the club hit. In step one of this series of lessons, I focused on the clubface position at impact due to the golfer’s dislike for any shot that curved to the right. In step two, I focused on the golfer’s clubhead path through impact to help eliminate shots being pulled to the left of the target. In this case, I utilized two alignment rods placed on the ground with the first rod aiming at the intended target and the second rod placed at a 20 degree angle on top of the first rod. The goal in this case was to swing the clubhead on the angled rod (to the right) through impact. The last step in this swing change process was to combine the two swing cues together, so that each shot had the ball starting on the target line with a minimal amount of curve no matter the club hit. In this case, the “In-To-Out Drill” was used as a simple way for the student to get the feel of the motion. Clubhead Path and Face Drill The “Start Right-Hook Left Drill” begins with the positioning of a rod on the ground that is aimed at the intended target and a second rod that is aiming to the right of the first shaft at approximately a 20 degree angle. Initially, rehearsal swings should be made with the intent of swinging the clubhead through impact on a path parallel to the second rod. The second piece of this drill consists of the golfer closing the clubface prior to impact as the clubhead path swings to the right. This exaggerated path of the club through impact combined with the attempt to close the clubface prior to impact will offer a specific feel to the golfer that can be slightly dramatic and somewhat awkward due to the newness of the motion. Next, with a seven-iron and a teed ball, attempts to recreate the rehearsal swing are put into motion while hitting a shot. Initially, impact with the ball will be inconsistent and the feel of the swing will be awkward due to the newness of the motion. As the practice session progresses, one should continue to alternate between the rehearsal swing and hitting the ball to help develop the overall feel of the motion. Once able to eliminate the pull of the ball to the left and any curve of the ball to the right, one should gradually add speed to the motion until reaching full speed while controlling the ball’s starting direction and curve. Practice Routines In most cases, this swing change will take TEE TIME con't. next column TEE TIME con't. next column a practice session or two before the motion becomes comfortable and the golfer is able to recognize when a variation of the old swing is made when compared to the new motion. Once this step is achieved, the next step is to incorporate a “Transfer Practice” strategy to help carry the new swing technique to the course. In this case, simply alternating between clubs (no more than three hits with each) and different targets will begin the process. Next, one might “play” a favorite golf course on the range by recreating the holes utilizing the various targets, undulations, buildings, etc. found on the range. Last, practice of the swing change should be attempted on the course by hitting shots that are typically encountered in a round of golf. The key in this case is to practice in a way that mimics situations found in regular play. �� No. 128 The Pinehurst Gazette, Inc. p.9
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