How Much is Too Much?
By Dr. Eric C. Wilson, PGA
Co-Founder
When I give corrective lessons, I try to get my student to exaggerate corrections in their swings or in how they use the golf club.
If someone is slicing due to an open clubface, I want him/her to learn to hit big hooks. Once students know what it feels like to hit big hooks and slices, they can then develop a feel for hitting smaller hooks and slices, the first step in gaining control of the clubface/path.
One of my favorite sayings concerning the golf move is:
“You don’t know what too much is until you get there.”
What may initially feel like too much (grip too open-faced/closed-face, swing plane too flat/upright, ball position too far/close, weight too much front/back, etc.), may actually be what works best for that student.
As Cochran and Stobbs stated in The Search for the Perfect Swing,
Co-Founder
When I give corrective lessons, I try to get my student to exaggerate corrections in their swings or in how they use the golf club.
If someone is slicing due to an open clubface, I want him/her to learn to hit big hooks. Once students know what it feels like to hit big hooks and slices, they can then develop a feel for hitting smaller hooks and slices, the first step in gaining control of the clubface/path.
One of my favorite sayings concerning the golf move is:
“You don’t know what too much is until you get there.”
What may initially feel like too much (grip too open-faced/closed-face, swing plane too flat/upright, ball position too far/close, weight too much front/back, etc.), may actually be what works best for that student.
As Cochran and Stobbs stated in The Search for the Perfect Swing,
Once a golfer has reached the stage of having, in the loose golfing terminology, ‘a swing’, he should deliberately introduce variations and extra difficulty into practice sessions. By so doing he broadens his experience (increases the variety of memory traces) and develops alternative nerve and muscle routes for producing acceptable shots.
Furthermore, The Search for the Perfect Swing explains the purpose of practice:
This brings us to the essential purpose of practice. This may surprise some readers. It isn’t to ‘groove’ a swing, but to build up a series of alternative ‘routes’ whereby almost identical swings can be produced – swings that result in acceptable, though not in every case perfect, golf shots.
Consequently, my advice is to practice exaggerations, develop a repeating GOLF MOVE™ that produces acceptable results, dedicate time to your short game, and find an IMPACT AWARE™ Golf Coach who will provide support and guidance on your journey to golfing excellence.
