Q and A with Joe DeLorenzo is BACK!!!

Hi Seth,

Let's get right into it :)

Joe,
What is the most important move a golfer can make during a golf swing?
Ira

Hello Ira,
If I tell you, I will have to shoot you. Oh, all right, here it is, early Merry Christmas. You will get a lot of different opinions on this question, but here's mine. On the downswing, move your back elbow to your hip before you strike the ball. This one move will help other good things to happen, without even having to think about them all.

It helps your lower body weight shift from the right leg to the left leg. It promotes a proper swing path, which is a little bit inside out. It helps you to hit downward at the ball. It helps you to delay the wrist break until you really need it, like the power of a whip.

Watch the slow motion replays of the pros on TV, and you will see they all do this elbow move, no matter how different their swings otherwise may look.

Joe,
Why do pros preach fundamentals, yet their swings all look different?
Alan

Hi Al,
There is a difference between fundamentals (what everyone should do) and mannerisms (individual peculiarities). Most of the mannerisms occur on the backswing, because the backswing's only purpose is to arrive at a strong hitting position at the top, and if you can do that it may not matter how you get there (right, Jim Furyk fans?).

From there, the fundamentals take over, and the downswing happens so quickly that you may not notice the pros' similarities (lower body weight shift and moving the back elbow in front of the hip before ball contact).

Once the ball is struck, the differences in the follow thru positions again are mostly mannerisms (right, Arnold Palmer fans?).
Joe

Joe,
Do you think swing aid devices are any good? I have tried a few and they did not help much. Also they are rather expensive. What do you think?
Elbie

Hi Elbie,
Some folks claim they help, but I would rather spend my money on greens fees.

Here are 4 swing aids you can buy really cheap at your local hardware store

1. Get a good sized hammer with a grip about the same size as your club grips. With this you can work on your swing indoors without hitting the ceiling. The weight of the hammer head will simulate the weight of a clubhead.

2. Get an ordinary yardstick to use as a putting aid. There are a number of things you can do with this. First, pick a target and get into your normal putting setup and have someone else place the yardstick flat on the ground flush against the face of your putter, then stand back and see if the yardstick is properly aimed at your target.

Most people are consistently off to one side. Then step back and aim the yardstick at the target and line up your putter face flush against the edge of the yardstick, and you will be aiming properly (does it look right or wrong when you stand over the ball?). Then replace the yardstick with a ball and putt the ball at the target.

Most people again are off consistently to one side, but it helps to understand your tendencies. Another thing you can do with the yardstick is to view your stroke directly over the yardstick to see how steady your stroke is compared to the target line.

3. Get piece of PVC pipe, diameter 3 / 4 inch, 18 inches long. On any smooth rug (or actual putting green), try to putt the pipe in a straight line. If your putting stroke is faulty, the pipe will spin. The direction of the spin tells you if your stroke tends to push or pull the putt.

4. Get a foot-long piece of soft pipe insulation tubing that has a slit on the side. Wrap this around your putter grip and have a contest to see if you putt better with a thicker grip. The theory is that any unwanted hand rotation during the stroke will translate into the face of the putter moving off square.

The amount of this movement off square is reduced with a fatter grip due to the ratio of hand movement to the circumference of the grip. This may also improve your chipping as well because it reduces unwanted wrist action on the downstroke.
Joe DeLorenzo

Until Next Time...

Good Golfing,
Joe Forbush
thinkandreachpar@gmail.com

ThinkandReachPar.com

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Nashua, NH
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US

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