Category Archives: Trianing Drill

Eliminate Impact Fallout [idiot proof tip]

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Hey Hotlist Member,

Like most things in golf chipping is all about consistency. Knocking the ball six inches from the pin once in a great while is worthless if you can’t get it close on a regular basis.

Using your wrists is hands down the biggest mistake golfers make when chipping. Using your wrists in a chipping stroke is not only unnecessary, it’s also the number 1 source of duffed shots and double bogeys around the green.

You don’t use your wrists in a putting stroke because you need that stroke to be dead accurate and repeatable. The chip shot is no different. That’s why the video I’ve included above is so important.

The technique may be a bit unorthodox but it works. Your buddies may snicker the first time you use it but when you’re consistently knocking your chip shots in a 4 foot radius of the hole they’ll change their tune real quick.

Okay on to the actual technique. To make your chip shots consistent and repeatable you want to take your wrists completely out of the action. And for short chip shots you’ll be taking your hips out of the action too. All the movement comes from rotating your shoulders.

This technique starts with a special grip on the golf club.

Start by placing your left hand at the very bottom of the grip, where the rubber meets the steel. Allow the grip to rest along your left forearm. Now there should be a slight gap between the grip and your left wrist. This little gap is where you grip the club with your right hand.

Your right hand is there to stabilize the club and press it into your left arm so that your left wrist stays flat. This grip will keep the golf club and your wrists in the proper impact position through the whole swing.

This technique adds consistency because it doesn’t rely on you getting in the proper position for one brief moment. The perfect position is there the whole time.

Now that you’ve got the grip down, the next step is swinging the golf club by rotating your shoulders. Your arms and hips should not be involved. It should feel like your arms and shoulders are locked into a triangle.

This is where the consistency comes from. Now the only variables in your golf chip shots will be how far back you rotate your shoulders and the loft of your golf club.

It may take you a few strokes to get a feel for how much rotation you need to get the ball a certain distance, but after that your golf chip shots will be dead accurate, follow a predictable trajectory every time, and get close to the pin on a regular basis.

This tip can be a real game changer for you.

Sometimes I can’t believe I’m giving away such great info for free. Luckily the DVD package this tip came from is so jam packed with great golf instruction I can give little nuggets like this away and not worry too much about it.

If you want to get a hold of the parts of Bobby Schaeffer’s Walk Through Power that I just can’t stomach giving away for free check out:

Walk Through Power DVD Package

Go ahead check it out now. Your buddies will hate you for it.

For Better Golf,
Doc O’Leary
Head Golf Nut, OHP

Golf Tip – Can A Metronome Help You Sink Putts?

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Having a consistent repeatable stroke is a big part of sinking putts. This golf tip will definitely help you sink more 8 to 10 footers. More importantly this putting drill will help you sink those 4 to 6 foot putts where your nerves and the pressure of losing a round are weighing on you.

It’s all about having a consistent rhythm ingrained in your head so that no matter what kind of putt you are facing you know exactly what to do.

The metronome is a great tool for developing rhythm and tempo, after all that’s why musicians have been using them for nearly two centuries.

So how do you use a metronome to improve your putting? It’s very simple. First of all you’re only using the metronome for that very last part of your whole putting routine. It wouldn’t make sense to hold yourself to a strict rhythm while reading and aligning your putts.

Instead you’ll only be using the metronome for about the last 4 seconds of your putting routine, the part where you take your last look at the hole then make your putt. To do this you have to break those last few seconds down into specific movements. As Bobby Schaeffer points out in the video those movements are 1) Your last look at the hole 2) Moving your eyes back to the ball 3) Taking the putter back and 4) Impact with the ball.

When you learn to do these four steps in a set rhythm you’ll be able relax even during tough putts. Having a set routine means you won’t really have to think about much during the stroke, you already know the exact movements you are going to make and how long they will take.

The actual speed you set the metronome to doesn’t matter all that much. What matters it that you learn to use that same rhythm every time you make a putt.

You can certainly use this drill without a metronome but having a metronome will help keep you honest. Also listening to the continuous beats will help you internalize whatever putting rhythm you choose.

For more tips on becoming a master of putting check out Bobby Schaeffer’s Hot Touch Putting.

For Better Golf,
Doc O’Leary
Head Golf Nut, OHP

Golf Tip – Rotate Eyes to Target for More Golf Swing Speed

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This drill comes to you from PGA Golf Pro John Darling. This tip is all about allowing your body to make a complete golf swing with full shoulder and core rotation.

Often time the biggest obstacle preventing a full swing is fixating on the ball. Sure you’re going to need to look at the ball during address, in the back-swing, and before impact, but looking at the ball any longer than that can freeze your upper body.

This fixation can prevent full shoulder and torso rotation which is necessary if you want to increase your swing speed. Even more important it can cause deceleration at impact and a whole host of other nasty golf swing problems.

The best way to fix this problem is to hit the range and use the drill in the video above. By making an exaggerated effort to transition your eyes to the target line earlier in your swing, even before impact, you’ll force your body to make a full rotation.

Take your time at first, focus on the rotation. You may also want to make it easy on yourself by teeing the ball up to get a perfect lie. Don’t let a chewed up range get you frustrated. Tees are cheep. By teeing the ball up for a perfect lie the only things you have to focus on are the rotation in your swing and transitioning your eyes to the target line.

Once you get this drill down you’ll be surprised at how smooth and fluid your swing gets.

For more instruction from John Darling check out his Swing Speed Accelerator DVD.

For better golf,
Doc O’Leary
Head Golf Nut, OHP Direct

How Can A Marshmallow Improve You Golf Swing?

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Strange tip I know…but I’ve seen this trick help many golfers.

Like Darrell says in the video it is difficult for many golfers to take their mind off the golf ball when practicing.

You may be wondering “why would I want to take my mind off hitting the golf ball, isn’t that the whole point of golf.” Think of it this way, is it possible to make a good golf swing without hitting a ball? I think so.

For many golfers the second you put a ball in front of them their natural swing disappears and they start to hit AT the ball, not THROUGH it.

When you aren’t hitting through the ball you are slowing down at impact. Slowing down at impact can cause a whole bunch of nasty things to happen to your golf swing, not to mention it robs power and distance from your golf shots.

The marshmallow trick allows you to focus on your swing NOT what you are hitting. Once you focus on your golf swing it is much easier to accelerate through the point of impact.

Like Darrell explained in the video the best way to practice with this trick is to swing and imagine hitting an object that is a foot or so past the ball/marshmallow. The ball or marshmallow will naturally get in the way. When the ball is just getting in the way as you accelerate toward the imaginary object you will know that you are hitting through the ball.

This will maximize your distance and and eliminate all the problems that come from decelerating before impact.

For more golf instruction from Darrell Klassen check out his signature series package. It’s a great deal you don’t want to miss out on.

Falling Victim To The Putting Illusion?

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As Bobby said in the video the importance of proper putting cannot be ignored if you want to shoot low scores. I’ll admit putting isn’t the most fun thing to talk about, but let’s face it consistently dropping 6 footers will take a serious bite out of your score (plus it will drive your golf buddies nuts).

Golf is a mental game and putting relies even more heavily on your mental state and confidence level. That’s why overcoming the illusion Bobby talked about is so important if you want to become a consistent putter.

Focusing on keeping the putter face perpendicular to the target line through your whole stroke will drive you nuts, force you to do some funny things, and cause you to lose confidence on the green.

To eliminate many of those problems all you need to do is understand that the putter face will open and close naturally through your putter stroke.

Some guys intuitively understand this or simply go with what work, and through chance and luck they figure it out. Others guys (like me) need to understand this phenomenon conceptually before our brains will let us trust the putter stroke.

This video and the inclined plane tool should prove to you that taking the putter straight back on the inclined plane results in the putter face opening up. The same rules of geometry that caused it to open up will cause it to be square when it hits the ball. So as long as you take the putter straight back you don’t need to worry about getting or keeping the putter face square at impact.

All it really comes down to is accepting that this is fact of golf. It will allow you to focus on much more important things while putting, such as your speed, follow-through, break, and the speed of the greens that day.

You probably don’t have an inclined plane at home so use a score card like Bobby showed in the video if you need to prove it to yourself. The score card will also help you ensure that you are bringing the putter straight back.

For more putting tips and tricks from Bobby Schaeffer check out his Hot Touch DVD Package. This stuff will shave some serous strokes off your score.

For Better Golf,
Doc O’Leary
Head Golf Nut, OHP

Golf Tip for More Golf Clubhead Speed & Longer Drives

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Who doesn’t want more club head speed? This is one of the simplest ways you can boost your club head speed and start hitting longer drives.

This warm-up swing forces your golf swing to have a longer, wider arc. The longer the arc of your golf swing the more time you have to speed up the club head, which is exactly what you want to do.

Widening the arc of your swing also helps prevent you from swinging from the outside-in (which is what causes a slice). Starting a warm-up swing with the club head held out in front of you makes it practically impossible to swing outside-in. So if you slice the golf ball this is an especially good warm up.

This practice golf swing has one more advantage. Many players strike the ground on their warm up swing, whether they are getting ready for a drive or a 100 yard pitch shot.

This subconsciously trains your mind to strike the ground first not the ball (this is almost always a problem, unless you are hitting out of a bunker). If you are doing this you are literally training yourself to hit fat shots.

You want to train your brain to hit the ball first, so starting your practice swing up off the ground takes your focus off the ground and puts it on your swing and the golf ball (the two most important things in golf).

On the downswing of your practice swing just skim the grass, there is no purpose to hitting the ground (your golf scores and the greenskeeper will be thanking you).

If you want to start hitting longer more consistent drives try using the practice swing in the video above.

For more great golf tips like this check out Marc Minier’s “Squaring It Up”.

For Better Golf,
Doc O’Leary
Head Golf Nut, OHP

Hit Longer Drives Using This Weird Bucket Drill

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The key to hitting longer drives is developing a more powerful golf swing. As many of you know swing power is not developed in the arms. Instead the power in the golf swing comes from your core and your pivot.

One of the crucial ways you get power out of your core is by creating torque from your torso. It’s kind of like winding up a spring (your spine is the spring). The trouble is many golfers think they are winding up their torso, when in reality they are just turning their whole body during the back swing.

To visualize this, think of a bungee cord going from your right shoulder to your left knee. If you turn your shoulders the same amount as you turn your hips there won’t be much tension in that imaginary bungee cord. In other words there isn’t much torque in that swing.

If however you rotate your shoulders more than your hips you would be stretching that cord and storing a lot of torque and power in your golf swing.

Now don’t get me wrong your hips and knees will rotate to the right during the backswing. The key is that for a powerful swing your shoulders must rotate further.

The key to this simple golf bucket drill it that is makes you conscious of how you are winding up your torso and hips. You can see and feel it right away.

If the bucket is pointed in the same direction as your shoulders you know you haven’t created any torque in your golf swing. That’s what makes this golf drill so powerful. You don’t need anybody to watch your swing, and there is no guess work (even better it’s free).

So go out there and try this out.

For more great tips like this from PGA Golf Pro Marc Minier (He’s also received the Teacher of the Year Award 4 times) Click Here.

For Better Golf,
Doc O’Leary
Head Golf Nut, OHP

Simple Golf Workstation Drill For Longer, Straighter Drives

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As you can see in the video this “work station” that you can easily set up on the driving range can help you fix several problems and get you hitting longer, straighter drives.

The best part is you only need two spare clubs and a handful of golf balls.

The first step is to lay a club between your stance pointing at the ball and perpendicular to your target. This lets you to easily glance down and see where the ball is in your stance (forward, back, or center).

Next lay a club parallel to your target line and about 6 inches away from the ball. This makes it much easier to see your target line while you are looking down.

Place a few golf balls along your target line downrange. Place the first ball 2 feet in front of the ball you are going to hit. Place the next ball 2 feet from that one, and so on.

The final step is to place a few golf balls behind you, along your swing path. The first one should be about 3 feet behind you along your swing path. The next 2 a few more feet back along your swing path.

The video shows pretty clearly what the swing path should look like. Your current swing path may not look like this (even if you think it does) so give this drill a shot. This workstation is designed to make it easy to visually check and make sure your golf swing is following the correct path.

As Bill describes in the video the first ball that is placed behind the golf ball you are hitting teaches you to have a low take away. The phrase low and away is a great way to remind yourself of this.

The back of your club should tap that ball out of the way as you take the golf club back to the top of your back swing. A low take way forces you to use your core and pivot to start your back swing (one of the keys to great golf). To practice this you can even let your club drag on the ground a bit in the take away.

This drill helps you on your down swing too. The balls placed along your swing path will help you see if you are coming over the top (swinging from outside to inside) or laying off (an exaggerated inside out swing).

For another one of Bill McKinney’s free golf instruction videos click here. Be sure to come back next week for another great video tip.

For Better Golf,
Doc O’Leary
Head Golf Nut, OHP Golf

How Disappearing Hands Can Fix Your Golf Swing

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Hey Fellow Golf Nut,

Doc here with one of the simplest ways to see if you are swinging “on plane.”

Swinging on plane will make all your shots more powerful and consistent. It will make your pitch shots deadly accurate and your drives long and straight.

On the other hand, swinging off plane will make your golf shots erratic and weak. You will be forced to play the kind of “army golf” that you swear is just for those other duffers on the course.

Often times the biggest difficulty amateur golfers have is simply knowing whether or not they are swinging on plane (and if they aren’t how to fix it). The golf swing happens so fast that it can be nearly impossible for anyone but a professional golfer to recognize the slightest of mistakes that are robbing power and accuracy.

This is where PGA Pro Bill McKinney’s “disappearing hands” trick comes into play.

In the following video Bill McKinney is going to show you how to make sure your hands are “disappearing” after contact with the golf ball. Your hand position, during and after impact with the ball, is a great indicator of whether your swing is on plane or not.

Okay I know this sounds a little strange but if you watch the video I promise it will make perfect sense.

The best part about this trick is that you don’t need a pro watching your swing to see what you are doing wrong. You can have one of your golfing buddies or even some guy at the range (he’ll be delighted to learn this trick too) simply stand behind you and watch.

It’s so simple a 5 year old could do it. Check out the video below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snn4sMMFWOs

It’s really that simple. This is a great way to fix your golf swing quickly and easily.

Stay tuned to my blog for more simple tips on how to start hitting longer and straighter golf shots.

For better Golf,

Doc O’Leary

Head Golf Nut, OHP

How Mr. Hogan Was Wrong

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Dear Fellow Golf Nut,

Doc here with a short video showing you a simple drill, originally designed by the great Ben Hogan now recreated by golf Pro Bill McKinney, that will put massive power behind your golf swing.

Ben Hogan was one of the greatest golfers ever…but…he did make one big mistake in the way he taught people how to play better golf.

Mr. Hogan created a training drill using a heavy ‘medicine ball’ (the kind you see in the gym). In this drill he compared using your pivot to throw the ball down the fairway to a golf swing.

PGA Pro Bill McKinney has taken that drill to the next level. See he understands that, YES, your core is the source of your power…but…you should be delivering that power ‘down plane’ into the ball not in a sweeping motion down the fairway. In the video above you can see that McKinney is using his core pivot to drive the medicine ball down into the golf ball on the tee.

This is much more like a golf swing, where you transfer your power and energy into the ball not down the fairway with a horizontal tossing motion like Mr. Hogan’s original drill.

Why am I telling you about this? Well many high handicap golfers suffer from something pro’s call ‘false speed,’ which is essentially a misunderstanding about where power is developed and where it should be delivered.

‘False Speed’ is the speed you develop by mainly swing with your arms, or speed you never actually put into the ball. For example some guys seem to have a wicked fast swing but can’t figure out why their drives are still lacking. The real problem is that they are developing much of this false speed from their arms that is wasted in their follow-through after impact. It’s kind of like the difference between slapping a guy in the face and stepping into him with a punch. Only one is going to knock the guy back. Just like the slap ‘false speed in your golf swing looks fast but doesn’t pack the punch.

Don’t get me wrong, this is not what Mr. Hogan was doing. He put the power into the golf ball (if he didn’t we wouldn’t still be talking about his incredible ball striking abilities 40 years after he retired). But… many guys have misunderstood him.

Allow me to straighten this out. Power is created by using your core, stored in your lag, and then delivered ‘down plane’ to the ball at impact. This power must be created and stored before contact. And remember swinging fast with your arms simply doesn’t send the ball anywhere. Learning how to do this is the REAL secret to putting power into your golf shots.

Go try this drill and let me know what you think. When you get a club in your hands after doing this a couple of times, I think you will be impressed with the results.

For more from PGA Golf Pro Bill McKinney Click Here.

For Better Golf,

Doc O’Leary

Head Golf Nut, OHP

Impact Zone Training

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Hello again, it’s Doc…Good News — another golf video tip for you
from golf pro Bill McKinney to tap greater distance & power from your
swing — and learn to consistently find the “sweet-spot” at impact…

What Bill has for you is (1) the easiest secret to hitting longer
and straighter drives you’ve ever seen.

Well, guess what?

All great ‘ball-strikers’ have one thing in COMMON…
…perfect impact alignments — forward lean at the moment of truth.

You see, most handicap golfers on the other hand get too eager to hit
the ball with the clubhead, Closing the club face too early. The result
is that the wrists breakdown before impact (something called “throw-away”). The “Hackers” trademark…

Okay…focus on cleaning up your impact conditions — and you’ll
see your swing improve quickly.

Do yourself a favor…Try It Out!

Simply train your hands where they need to be at impact
with Bill’s “Impact Zone Training” drill. Pre set the club at release
point, move through impact into follow-through. As you make contact
the clubhead will naturally “lag” behind your hands. This is a
great drill to do in the back yard with plastic practice balls
and it forces you to keep you right wrist bent at impact.

To discover more: Click On This Link

Till next time… for better golf.

Doc
Head Golf Nut, OHP

Releasing Power at Impact…

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Here’s a great video tip from one of our pro instructors, Marc Minier -showing the proper release of the golf club at impact…if you want more distance from your shots, you need to stop the power leaks….

For more great tips like this check out Marc Minier’s Power Punch Golf DVD