As our golf season draws to a close and the ski season approaches, I wanted to tell you all how much I have enjoyed writing the golf tips article this year.  I hope it has been helpful and informative for you and I look forward to continuing it next year. So as I prepare to leave beautiful Vermont for a winter of teaching in Florida, I thought I would leave you with some things you can do during a snowy winter to improve your golf game.

I have heard many people tell me that watching golf on TV is like watching paint dry. The fact of the matter is that watching good swings can make your swing better. The next time you watch golf, focus on the mechanics of the swing and the strategy around the greens. It has been my observation that many golf announcers don’t seem to know the difference between a pitch shot and a chip shot. Remember that a chip shot is basically a putt with a lofted club. Many times when the announcer calls the shot a pitch and run, it is really a chip and run, also known as a bump and run.

If you want to watch the football game while golf is on, tape it and when you go back to watch it later, fast forward until you find a player whose swing you like and watch it a frame at a time to look at the detailed mechanics of the swing.

When we talked about putting we talked about the importance of keeping the putter square on the back swing as well as the forward swing. One of the drills I gave you at that time was the string drill. Putting a ball under a string set up over a hole. Tough to do over the winter. You can still work on this skill if you practice your putting stroke without a ball, along the seam in a tile floor or along the parallel lines of a hardwood floor. Work on keeping the putter square with the sweet spot, designated by the mark on your putter running along your reference line. If you have a relatively short pile carpet in one of your rooms, you can practice putting a ball into a glass or a ball return device. Focus on the stroke, not the speed because the speed of your carpet will probably not match the speed of next years greens. If you live in an older house, you may have to learn to play the "break of the living room".

If you have a basement or play room you could practice chipping into a small net or bucket. This practice should be avoided if you have windows, mirrors or breakables nearby.

To work on your full swing, a great drill is slow motion swinging. For this drill you can use a yardstick, as we tend to break fewer things in the house with a yardstick than a golf club. Perform your swing as slowly as you can and focus on the positions in the golf swing, such as the "9 O’clock position, the top of back swing position with special attention to the club position at the top. On the downswing focus on the inside out move back to impact, and the slightly open hip position at impact, while keeping the shoulders square, the release toward the target and a high finish. Then swing again even more slowly.

If you are fortunate enough to have a place in your home to safely swing a club, do so whenever possible. Ever notice how good your practice swing can be and yet with a ball there you cannot duplicate it. Well, the more times you repeat that practice swing, the better chance you have of duplicating that swing with a ball there.

There is a very good CD ROM program from Compusport called "Fundamentals Of A Model Swing" which uses a computer generated model called "the pro", which has a screen saver that allows you to watch repetitive, perfect swings with many clubs from many angles. Time spent looking at such a swing will be beneficial.

Although I will be in Palm City, Florida for the winter, you can still contact me through my website at www.vermontgolfschools.com or my e-mail, golfprovt@adelphia.net, which is forwarded to me in Florida.

Have a great winter and I look forward to seeing you all in the spring. Stay Warm!

Bruce

Copyright © 1999 Bruce R. Munch       
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