Jonathan Clewett - Golf Swansea

Could be as simple as your alignment? April 2011

We are often quick to judge that our swing is the problem when we hit a bad shot, however I have seen more than my fair share of amateur and professional golfers that are not lined up where they are trying to hit the ball.

It is easy to see why you can get misaligned, if you hit a couple of shots to the left you will start to make compensations and aim more right, if you hit it right you will aim more left. The problem is the more you change your alignment the more you will affect your backswing path and downswing plane. As a result your swing will start to go into a tail spin and your ball striking will suffer.

If you feel like you're not hitting it as well as usual then check you alignment. Lay some clubs (or tours stick at £12) on the ground along your foot line and along your target line. This will help you get back to basics. When you're practicing alignment try not to do it during windy conditions especially if your driving range has a cross wind as this will affect your ability to focus on your alignment.

Bunker Play - March 2011

The main reason most golfers hate bunkers is that they don't know the correct technique to get out of them.
Once you do, and you practise it enough, you may actually relish the challenge.
In many circumstances, top professional golfers prefer to be in a bunker next to the green than on the grass, as it gives them greater control of the ball.
The sand wedge is designed never to touch the ball.
The aim is to hit the sand about an inch behind the ball and create a mini-explosion which carries your ball up and out.

STEP ONE :

Settle into the sand to give you a nice solid base and feel for the thickness of the sand.
Set up with the ball in middle of your stance.
Without grounding your club, lay the face open then take hold of the club with your normal grip.
This puts the clubhead in the right position so its wide sole bounces through and off the sand taking your ball with it.
Tighten your grip but mainly with your left index and little finger.
This keeps the club firm so it does not turn over into the sand but flexible.
Because you have opened the clubface, it will now be pointing off to the right if your body is square to the target.
To compensate, shuffle your feet and shoulders to the left until the face is square to the target again.

STEP TWO:

Hover your clubhead behind the ball and pick a mark in the sand behind the ball.
Aim to hit this spot.
Your weight should be on your left foot not right to encourage a steeper line of attack for your club.
Pick the club head up more sharply than normal forcing it outside your normal line.

STEP THREE:

Swing the clubhead back down hard along the line of the shoulders.
Your knees should be more flexed than for a normal shot, so you need to concentrate harder on keeping your head steady and not dipping down towards the ball.
As you swing the club back towards the ball you should feel as though you are cutting across the line from outside to in.
It may feel as though this will take the ball too far left.
But it won't - it'll make up for the the fact the open clubface is forcing the ball right.
You should always take almost a full swing - the distance can be largely controlled by changing the amount of sand you take.

STEP FOUR:

The sand wedge has a wide sole.
This means rather the slicing down into the bunker, the clubhead can 'bounce' through it and lift the sand - and the ball - skywards.
It requires considerable clubhead speed to remove the ball, especially when the face is steep or the sand is wet.
Aim to produce a solid-sounding 'thump'.

STEP FIVE:

It is extremely important to follow through to the target.
Don't allow the club to 'die' into the sand.
Imagine smashing the club down onto a pool of water and wanting to watch the droplets scatter all over the green.
It is the same action - the sand absorbs some of the blow but bounces the club back out.
Use your shoulder and hip turn to help it along.

Finally .............. Be confident and commit to the shot!!!!!

Goal Setting - February 2011

I often talk to golfers who have great goals and plans for the year ahead. If you were to put these goals on a graph they would be a diagonal line from the bottom left corner to the top right, with success in a straight upward line. In reality, how often do you achieve all your goals so easily and without setbacks and difficulties?

It might be better to set some goals that are definitely achievable, process goals, such as becoming better at accepting mistakes or developing your ability to relax and concentrate. Whatever your goals are, here are some guidelines that offer a different approach to the norm.

Give up the goals which are seductive.
We all have things we want to achieve or acquire and nothing is wrong with this. But when these types of goals get us worked up to the point that we become more passionate about the future than

we are about today, then this thinking is unhealthy. Whether it's a goal to get on the Tour, win the Club Championship or to make a million pounds, these kinds of goals can lead you down a seductive

path where the future is far more interesting than the present. As a result, happiness is always just out of reach and you lose the present, which is where the real gifts are. Instead you swim around in

your thoughts about the fantastic future and it seems so far away from where you currently are that you get easily frustrated and despondent.

Perfect the present.
When your game isn't as you want it to be, the first thing we tend to do is to set a goal for a better future. Not bad, but if you'd take the same energy and perfect the present right now, you'd probably

attract a better future instead of trying to acquire it. This is a very different approach. The idea is that a better future will find you when you have made the most of the present you've been given. The

present is a superb teacher; the future is a seducer. So stop thinking about what you will do and pay more attention to what you are doing right now!

Stop trying to become a perfect golfer.

You will make mistakes. This is all part of learning. Stop thinking of your mistakes as bad and realise that they have lots to teach you and you are missing opportunities to learn if you just ignore them.

Stop over-planning.
I don't mean not to plan for your golfing future or to give up your important goals. But it's tempting for some personality types to think that fully laid-out plans and perfectly identified goals are the right

thing to do. In fact, they may simply be a mind exercise to reduce risk and fear. Identify a vision or sketch out a plan and then learn-as-you-go, but learn quickly. Better to become a rapid

in-the-moment learner than become an expert planner. Life is accelerating so quickly, that most planning skills are irrelevant by the time you master them.

Putting - January 2011

Always aim to roll the ball past the hole. Never up, never in is a common saying but is very true.

Take practice strokes to decide on how long a stroke you are going to take for distance. Then commit to this and do not question yourself when you take your real putt. Second guessing yourself during your putt is a sure fire means of missing your putt.

Think positively and relax and take the pressure off yourself. Remember, the world will not come to and end if you miss this putt.

Lighten your grip. Tension and tight muscles reduce your ability to feel the stroke and get in the zone. You are less inclined to pull or push your putt.

Keep your head still. Do not look up to see if the ball went in and keep completely focused on the back of the ball. Never look up until well after you have stuck the ball and completely finished your follow through.

Use masking tape on the toe and heel of your putter club head to mark the sweet spot. Then take practice putts and avoid hitting the tape, this will help improve hitting the ball square and straight.

Keep your body still by locking your legs. This will help prevent you from swaying.

Use a small blade of grass a few feet in front of the ball to mark your target line. Then align the club head to your target line and also check that your shoulders, feet and hips are parallel to that line.

Control the speed with your stroke distance. Do not try to hit a 30 foot putt by taking the club back a few inches and then swinging hard. Control how hard you want to hit the ball based on the length of your stoke. Concentrate on keeping the speed of your stroke consistent, whether your making a short or a long putt.

The position of the ball in your stance should be consistent. The ball should be placed at the very moment of the upswing of your putter and this will result in giving you a true roll.

The putting stroke should flow at an even pace with a sense of rhythm. The swing should not have a jerky burst of speed or a sudden long pause. Putter club head should move along the target line.

Feet, knees, hips, shoulders and eyes should all be parallel to the target line. Eyes need to be directly over the ball.

Visualize the putt in your head. Trusting yourself and being able to see the putt in your mind will go a long way in developing a consistent rhythm.

Spend time practicing with your eyes closed. After a period of time you will be amazed at how your feel for striking the ball and tempo will improve.

PRACTICE: On the average roughly one third of the strokes in a round of golf are with your putter. In addition, the average golfer has thirteen other clubs in his bag. It would stand to reason then that we should allocate one third of our practice time to the putter and the remaining two thirds to the rest of the clubs. Therefore, if you want to lower your handicap then improving your putting game is essential. With a positive attitude and practicing these fifteen tips along with these golf putting drills your putting and score will significantly improve.