Golf Master Tips, Three Golf Lessons from Arnold Palmer - Sometimes when I'm looking for different approaches to improve golf swing, it's best to go back to the old masters who played the game many years ago.
I've written recently about some of the things Ben Hogan taught, and they still have a great deal of bearing on how the golf swing should be constructed, especially with amateur golfers. Some of the writings of Arnold Palmer from years ago still make a great deal of sense and here I would like to express a few of those.
Here are a few of Arnold Palmer's thoughts on the golf swing that should be practiced by many of us today:
Three Golf Lessons from Arnold Palmer
Palmer makes the point that the golf swing of today has gotten much more complicated than it should be. That has gotten the average golfer away from the basics you should be concentrating on, and this not only causes a great deal of confusion in what the swing should look like but it also makes the game a whole lot less fun. In other words, by sticking to the basics of the swing we will have a lot more success and a lot more enjoyment from the game.Here are a few of Arnold Palmer's thoughts on the golf swing that should be practiced by many of us today:
Simplify the putting stroke
The quiet body is the number one way to consistent putting, according to Palmer, and to do that he says to "think inward", as he calls it. To do this think about pinching the elbows and knees toward the center of the body. This keeps the limbs from moving in various directions that are counter to keeping the golfer stable while putting.
I now use this method, which is almost a takeoff on the jack Nicklaus set-up for the putt, and for me it has helped immensely. It may look a bit odd because rarely do you see golfers do this hunched over style, but it really does stabilize the body and keep it from moving.
Accelerating the club head when chipping
Palmer calls this "whisking" the wedge through the ball, and that's a great thought. Most chipping woes happen because most mid-to high handicap golfers try to finesse the chip. When the hands get to active or the club decelerates through the ball, nothing but bad things will happen. The swing action for the chip should be quick and firm, and if you have the feeling that it's going to send the ball farther than you want, just take a shorter backstroke.
The back elbow should remain stable right before impact
Getting the back elbow away from the body often causes the right hand to take over as the club approaches the ball. This results in loss of control of the club head and shots that can end up almost anywhere. Return the back elbow to the body as you approach the ball.
About author
Sean O'Kelly maintaining a swing tempo is a way to keep the swing simpler. We think it is always important to simplify, even in the golfshortgames.com/. Sean O'Kelly is a writer and avid golfer living in Chicago, devoted to assisting the golfer become better in his craft, to enjoy the game to its fullest.
