COMMUNITY

Happy New Year!  It's been a while since I've written one of my instructional blogs, but I'd like to start off the year with a little backswing thought that should help you with one of the most common problems with many amateurs--that is, the closed clubface at the top of the swing.  Some pros have made great livings playing with a closed face at the top (Trevino, Duval, Z. Johnson, etc.), but they know exactly how to handle it.  For most amateurs, it's a disaster waiting to happen (believe me, I struggled with one for years).

If you go to a golf course or driving range and watch people swing, pay attention to their clubface position at the top of their swings.  I'd be willing to bet that a great deal of them would have their clubface pointing at the sky at the top of the swing--that's dead shut.  I see this all the time wherever I play, even when I'm playing with very good players.  My usual golfing buddy, who is a 0.5 handicap (I'm a 3.1), plays with a closed clubface.  When his timing is good, he can strike the ball well, but more often than not he's all over the place and has to save his round with his freakishly good short game.

See, here's what happens when the clubface is closed at the top:  Whether you consciously know your clubface is closed or not, your body subconsciously knows it.  And one of two things are going to happen to most amateurs who don't know how to play with a closed face:  Either 1) they will release the club and hit a low screaming hook, or more commonly 2) in a subconscious effort to compensate for the closed face, they hang on with their right hand (left for leftys), hitting a weak cut that often turns into a slice.  Do either of those shots sound familiar?  I bet to some of you they do...they're familiar to me too.

So how do we fix this?  First you need to check your grip.  I won't go into detail (if you search my earlier videos, I've got one on there about the proper grip), but I will say that if you can see two knuckles of your left hand, and the 'V' between your right thumb and forefinger is directly on top of the shaft, pointing at your chin, then you're in good shape.  Make sure that your grip pressure is light and relaxed, just firm enough to keep the club from twisting in your hands.

Okay, here is the backswing thought that I talked about earlier.  Even with a good grip, it is possible to bring the club back closed, and this happens because we try to keep the face pointing at the ball far too long during the takeaway.  When you bring that club back, let the toe of the club naturally rotate open.  The position to check and practice is this:  when your arms are parallel to the ground on the way back, the toe of the club should be pointing straight up.  From there, you should be able to experience one of the greatest sensations in golf--that of the club rising freely to the top of the swing.  By simply continuing your natural shoulder turn and wrist hinge, you should feel the club go "up through the slot," into the perfect position at the top with the toe pointing at the ground.  And then, the beautiful thing is you are now free to release fully at the ball on the downswing, without the fear of hitting a hook!  Start down with your knees and hips, make a full release, and watch the ball sail straight and true.

Now, here's my disclaimer (you knew there would be one, didn't you?):  if you are used to "hanging on" because of your closed clubface, you are about to slice the hell out of the ball when you take this to the driving range.  Don't panic and don't quit on this!  This is simply because before, you were hanging on to a closed face, trying to keep it just a hair open, and now you're trying the same move with an open face!  So now, you need to remember the feeling of a full release at the ball.  Let those wrists unhinge naturally (light grip pressure is key), and stay down on the shot.  Don't get excited and pull up out of the swing, or else you'll just start slicing again.  When you get this down, you won't have to look up anyway--because the ball's going towards the hole.

Good luck!  Have a great year in 2010!  Please share your thoughts and comments.

-Tim G.