Ballantyne Magazine

WIN 2014

Ballantyne Magazine covers news, events, real estate, restaurants, shopping, health, schools and business in the upscale Ballantyne Area of Charlotte, NC.

Issue link: https://ballantynemagazine.epubxp.com/i/420621

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 95 of 99

BALLANTYNE | tee it up Andrew Kiger Keeping it Fresh 5 Great Ways to Advance Your Game this Winter By Andrew Kiger, Staff Instructor, Dana Rader Golf School PUT THE BASEMENT TO GOOD USE THIS WINTER. Move the couch, lamp, dog, cat and anything else you care about out of the way to create room to work on your golf game. If you want to hit the ball longer and straighter next spring, here are some ideas to keep fresh in your mind so that your game doesn't go cold. Molded Grip Purchase a molded grip. It will guide where your hands should be on the club and help keep your hand placement consistent. A good molded grip also will align your hands so that the clubface is square. Alignment Aids Jack Nicklaus mentioned several times that the set-up determines what motion a golfer makes. To help with your alignment, purchase some alignment rods from your local Home Depot or Lowe's. The home improvement stores call them driveway reflector rods. Using the station pictured, practice setting up properly. Ensure that your body is parallel to the target, your ball position is correct and the bottom groove of your golf club is perpendicular to the target. Putting Arcs This is also a great time to work on your putting. There are several arcs available to help you groove a natural putting stroke. The three shown here are The Putting Arc, Inside Down the Line and The EyeLine Golf Edge Putting Plane Rail (70-degrees). I prefer the plane rail because it teaches you to keep your stroke on plane and your clubface square to the plane. Before you know it, your stroke will be grooved and you'll be making more putts than ever before. Mirror Practice Using a mirror as feedback can help you see your desired positions throughout your swing. Use an expo marker or piece of tape to mark where the shaft plane is, and then mark the line where the shoulder plane is. Make sure to take your backswing and downswing somewhere between these two lines. If you do not have a mirror, you can use a glass door or window that will reflect at nighttime. Impact Bag Drills Work on your impact position and understand how the clubface works through impact; this can help any golfer achieve the desired ball flight. To hit a draw, square the clubface to your intended start line and create a path that is more in to out (right of the start line) than the face. If you are hitting the impact bag correctly, your arms and club shaft will form a lower case "y" as your weight shifts toward your front foot. The bag will also travel in the direction of your swing path. So if your club is traveling in to out, the bag will travel to the right of your target. However, the ball would have deflected in the direction the clubface was pointing and then curved right to left toward the flag. Molded Grip Alignment Aids Putting Arcs Mirror Practice Impact Bag Drills 94 BALLANTYNE MAGAZINE WINTER 2014-2015

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of Ballantyne Magazine - WIN 2014