Article #19
Featured Teacher: Jitterbug
To meet this week's teacher, or to purchase a copy of MUNIE ~ The Jitterbug Collection, go to www.bobbysteiner.com
It must be hard for the beginner. With all these theories and seemingly different golf swing methods, the new golfer, unless she shuts everybody out, is gonna get more advice than she can possibly internalize.
If that's not enough, she soon discovers there is a television network devoted entirely to golf, most of which is instruction. Then, there are magazines and books, as well audio and video lessons. She might even find golf instruction plastered on the washroom wall.
In just a short time, she's heard everything from, "you have to do it exactly like this…" to "just do it however it's natural."
So, there we have it. On the one hand, there are teachers who emphasize a particular system of swing sequencing, which might even be broken down into steps.
Then, you got teachers who say, "Just swing the club," as if nothing at all matters.
Which is the right way?
Well, if you're going so far as to take a golf lesson, there are some things that must be addressed so that all the other fundamentals have meaning. I'm talking about your grip, posture, ball position and alignment. These areas, though often neglected, should be polished until there is no more room for improvement.
Then, there is all the stuff that gets emphasized prematurely. I'm talkin' about the correct half-way-back-position, precise down swing sequencing, and a variety of other position related aspects of the swing. The study of all this is so detailed, and communicated in such a hard-to-understand language, that even the experts disagree about how to teach it.
The irony, of course, is that if you set up correctly, all these more exciting things happen quite naturally.
Let me say that again: with a correct set-up-grip, posture, ball position and alignment-your body will very naturally observe proper swing fundamentals.
On the flip side, that is to say without a proper set-up, it is imperative that you swing in a way that is not fundamentally sound to hit the ball well. In other words, from a bad set-up, you have to ignore every piece of swing advice there is, regardless of where it came from. But, now I'm getting off the subject.
All I''m trying to say is that with so much available advice, given so freely, and with such little regard to grip, posture, ball position and alignment, it's no wonder people have such a tough go at this game.