Home on the range

Licensed to drive

When you were a teenager, you had one thing on your mind...getting that driver's license. OK, maybe two things, but that's not important right now. The important takeaway is that before you got that license to operate a vehicle, you had to pass tests, written and road, and, ideally, get some practical experience. Not having that experience could prove dangerous to yourself and others, so it was vital to learn these skills before taking to the road.

I've had a few errant drives in my day, and the holes on a golf course are never quite as far away as you think they should be. A stray drive off the tee could be a sudden shock to other players on an adjoining fairway or a nearby green.

I once hit a recovery shot off of some hard pan (packed dirt) and pine needles through the golf cart of the other half of my foursome. Yes, THROUGH. My ball passed between the passenger and driver's heads as they crossed the fairway in my direction. I recommend some practice time first on the range...and learning to belt out "Fore!"

Staying in your lane

Golf, like life, can be very complicated if you truly want to understand it. Doesn't mean you'll be good at it, but you'll have a fighting chance...on the golf course as well. There are rules, etiquette, equipment, and mechanics, all with varying degrees of nuance in between the hard and fast applications. One of the things you'll want to find at the range is a suitable stance. This is where it is already getting complicated, because in order to know where to stand, you must first address the ball... (Hello, ball!) OK, well, not like that.

Lining yourself up to hit the ball in the correct direction is critical before you take your stance. But you will want to know where your target line is first, so naturally this is where I am going to go off-target and talk briefly about bowling. We'll just address the basics of 2 types: pin bowling and spot bowling. It's alright. Leave your clubs here, we'll be coming back soon.

So, pin bowling is self-explanatory. Your focus is on the pins you want to hit as you make your approach, start your swing and roll the ball. Given that a lane is 60-feet long, targeting this way can create a wide margin of error, especially for beginners.

Spot bowling has more components, but can make for better focus. Using either the arrows (15-17 feet down the lane) or dots (6 feet beyond the foul line) provide a target that is much closer and easier to hit. Translate that to the golf course...

Given the fact that a ball struck where the head is half degree off of square can result in a 20 yard difference from your planned target, it is beneficial to aim at a closer target then looking 200 yards out and picking a spot. So, determine the place where you want the ball to land, stand directly behind the ball facing your intended shot. Now, follow that line all the way back to your ball, finding a "mark" 6-12 inches in front of your ball along that line. It could be a stray tuft of grass, and old divot, or just push an extra tee from your pocket down into ground for your spot. That is now your target.

The best reason why this is effective is because when you take your stance your head is going to be tilted sideways, an angle that your eyes have to get adjusted to over time playing golf. Now picture a set of railroad tracks and ride the rails. The target line is one rail, the other is the straight line from the toes on your right foot to the toes on your left, each line running parallel to one another. There lots of tips and gadgets to help you with this, but a simple way is to lay another club at your feet in front of your toes that should run parallel to the line from your ball and "target" line. Let's talk more about setting your position.

Stance and deliver

The location of the ball (and the club you are hitting) determines where you'll take your stance. Then you'll forget about the ball, but that's another lesson for later. Anyway, place the club head slightly behind the ball so the sole lays flat on the ground. Let your left hand drop down from your shoulder and turn your hand, palm up. This is where your grip should fall. Your arms should be relaxed. A best practice is to place your right hand under the grip as well and interlock pinkies on both hands. This will keep your hands together in a good position when you close them, tight enough to hold the club, not so tight that you choke it to death. Your thumbs will line up, one over the other and run straight down in front of you on the grip.

Now, where your arms hang down and the sole of the club is flat on the ground, that's where you will take your stance. Always line up the club first, then your feet. Inevitably, if you take your stance you will be taking a completely different line on your ball than where you want to aim.

Where the ball lies will determine where your feet will go. As a general rule:
  • 8-iron through wedges line the ball in the middle of your stance.
  • 5-7-irons should be one ball space toward the front
  • 3-4 and woods are two balls up from center of your stance.
  • Driver is 3 balls forward.
Line that up as you adjust your feet to shoulder width apart (inside of feet to outside of shoulders.) Your knees should be bent, over the balls of your feet. Bend at the waist slightly so that you're perpendicular to the shaft (you should be at 90°) while keeping your back straight. Always good posture.

We'll talk a little about the swing basics next time, but I try not mess around too much with golf swings. I am not an golf instructor, but I did play baseball for about 15 years. Here's the similarity. Many instructors have a swing that they feel comfortable with and that's the swing they're trying to get you to by changing your mechanics. I call it the "cookie-cutter" approach. The fact remains that every person is designed differently and I'll give you a couple of examples here, with the first being a "What in the world is that?" which doesn't work and secondly, a "What in the world is that?" which has proven successful. Neither are the norm, but you'll have to find what works best for you.

The first example is Charles Barkley (not a golfer) with a swing that was quite dreadful and illustrated here in these video clips. Conversely, Jim Furyk has won 17 times on the PGA Tour, but is best known for a visibly unorthodox swing as shown here in a video comparison.

Now, I'm not going to be your Bagger Vance to help you find your "one true authentic swing," but if you keep The Uncle Dennis Rule in mind and stick to the basics, you can enjoy your game a little bit more.

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