Kevin Chin Golf Blog

For beginning golfers, relax it’s not as complicated as it may sound.

Golf is a very analyzed sport. I’ve actually heard that it’s the second most written about subject behind religion. If you think about it you could over analyze anything. For arguments sake lets think of a lumberjack chopping down a tree. They take the axe and hit the tree at a certain angle. They don’t worry about where their arm is at the top of their backswing or their weight shift on their downswing or keeping their head still. But we could film it and put it in slow motion and analyze every moving part. We typically don’t because it makes sense to us. Golf should makes sense too, but the biggest reason its not for most is the disbelief or misunderstanding that hitting the ball in a downward motion produces the ball going up into the air.

Does this sound familiar? You get over the ball without taking a practice swing because you feel rushed. Then you stand over the ball for about half a minute trying to remember 15 different swing tips. The result you end up with is topping the ball about 30 feet to do it all over again while everyone waits and watches. Think of the game in its simplest form, hitting a ball into a hole with a stick.

Most beginners don’t give themselves enough credit. Once you understand what direction your club comes in to hit the ball it’s as simple as hammering in a nail. You know the direction to hammer in a nail and where to hit the head on the nail. It’s not some unnatural mystical equation. You will know when it’s working because it will feel right. You will be working with your bodies’ mechanics!

The first thing I make clear with a student is the understanding that it is the golfer’s job to hit through the ball on the downswing getting this feeling that you are hitting the ball into the ground. It’s the job of the clubface’s loft to get the ball airborne. A big variable of hitting down is the angle of the shaft. The grip is in front of the club head at impact. Think of the club head ‘lagging’ behind the grip through the swing.

Also in the first lesson I will put a golf ball into a vice and flatten it in half. I have yet to see a golfer not be surprised with the amount the golf ball will compress.

Once you have a better understanding of hitting down and the ball flattening then you can deduct that the golf ball is in contact with the club much longer then you may have thought before. The ball compresses and rolls in an upward motion because of the loft of the club. Imagine the ball walking up the grooves.

I have given you a very two-dimensional picture. The next lesson I will write about is that of swinging the club around your body. And make the distinction of arms and hands. But don’t forget you’re just swinging a stick. I can analyze a lumberjack chopping down a tree.

Some pointers for overcoming your fears:

1. Don’t think of it as this four-letter word GOLF. The game was a guy fashioning a stick to hit a ball into a hole in the ground. The ‘trick’ or the counterintuitive part of the game, is hitting the ball down to make it go up into the air.

2. Pretend the game is not this intimidating daylong event with 18 holes. Once you learn how to play 1 hole you have learned how to play them all.

3. I have noticed that most golfers, especially beginners, are nervous about making a fool of themselves. And if that is true and you can relate then that means everybody is therefore worried about themselves. They don’t care about how well you play. But if a golfer finds themselves paired with a beginner they will probably be concerned that you;

   1. Are safe. For example that you know where to stand and when it’s your turn.

   2. Keep the pace of play. It’s the turn of the person farthest from the hole.

   3. Know some basic etiquette rules. A good rule of thumb here is to try to leave the golf course in the condition that you found it. Examples are to rake the bunkers after you make marks, replace divots and fix ball marks on the green.

Remember to understand the information you are getting!

If golf tips and or cliché’s work for you but just for a short time realize that you need to understand what that tip is trying to get you to do, and why. If you can't figure it out or your professional can't, then seek another pro. Contradicting information can be the makings of a very unhealthy golf game.