Stop Lateral Slide

We had a question in the Dewsweepers mailbag that asks how do I stop lateral slide?
First lets understand why we slide.
Lateral slide is used in the golf swing as a timing mechanism. What I mean by that is that people generally slide laterally during the forward swing in an effort to create time to get the club back into the correct position and in front of their pivot.
I most often see this in golfers who have their arms out of position in the back swing such as a right elbow that is too far behind the right hip. (for a right handed golfer)
The best way to fix the slide is to eliminate the reason you are sliding and find the error in your golf swing which creates the need to buy your self time on the downswing.
A drill that I use all the time is to have a player hit balls next to a bag stand or a shaft in the ground.
Place the bag stand or shaft up against your left hip and hit balls learning to not bump the bag stand or shaft with your left hip.
This will create a feeling that your left hip is turning our of the way or the sensation that the hip is actually backing up or going backwards.
Try this and see if you don’t eliminate your lateral slide

Whats the right Ball for You?

A question came in from the Dewsweepers mailbag which asked was it always better to play the most expensive ball?

The answer to this question is definitely "NO".

It is very important to find the ball that is right for your games' needs. For instance if you need distance you are going to want a ball which is harder and goes further. The trade off here is that as the ball gets harder and goes further it also spins less and is more difficult to control around the green.

You must find the right combination of distance and the ability to control the ball around the green. I believe the best way to do this is through a ball fitting. We do this frequently here at the Hank Johnson School of Golf at Santa Rosa Beach using Tracman Technology. The Tracman is a wonderful tool to measure the distance and spin on the golf ball. Find yourself a place offering a ball fitting and go try out all varieties and see which one measures up best for you.

For more information on which ball might be best for you you can always email us here at the Dewsweepers!

Skulls, Shanks and Flopshots

A dewsweeper recently wrote in that they had installed a short game green at their home and that for awhile their scores dropped as they perfected a delicate little flop shot which helped them on their course. Since then they have progressively gotten worse and now shank and skull most of their short shots. This dewsweeper needs help.

The flop shot is a wonderful shot to have in your arsenal but not needed all that much. Most amateurs try this shot way too much. The flop shot is hit by allowing the club head to slide up underneath the ball and flopping it nicely and softly up on the green. For the average golfer this shot promotes too much scooping and hand action rather than using a pivot motion to hit the shot. Not to mention it is an extremely high risk shot. If you find your self in this predicament remember where the low point of the swing needs to be....which is in front of the ball. Go back to making the shaft lean forward at impact. These keys will get you back to solid contact and help you get rid of the shanks and skulls. Use the flop only when necessary and realize that at times it is better to just take your medicine.

You want to be able to hit the flop shot but you don't want it to be your only shot!