Instruction: Bill Forrest, 2006 PGA Teacher of the Year
Which part of the golf swing is mostly responsible for distance???
Tim Powers
Tim: I find four potential power sources or power leaks in most golf swings. Hand action includes levering or hinging and releasing the golf club. Coil is effective use of the body, the pivot or what some call the X factor. Weight shift is the loading and unloading of the body weight and lastly, centerness of hit is where one makes contact on the face. Look closely at your game and find out which of the four needs improvement.
Bill
I'm in a quandry as to what grip to use. Overlap, inter lock, 10 finger grip. I believe interlock reduces distance compared to the overlap. Are there any good or bad points for using the 10 finger grip as I do like this one. It feels the most natural, especially having played softball (baseball to Americans) when I was younger. I have only practised th 10 finger grip and never taken it on the course proper. I'm now 49yrs old and play off an 11. Your thoughts appreciated.
Gary Heathcote
Gary: The ten finger grip is a grip that I teach to a lot of beginners, juniors and female golfers. It's the best way for your hands to learn the game and remain active. This grip allows you the most flexibility and freedom in your hands. The overlap or Vardon grip is the most common of the three and allows for a medium amount of freedom in your hands. Interlock is the strongest of the three grips and allows the least amount of flexibility. For this reason I seldom teach the interlock grip, a new student needs all the hand action they can handle. I have never switched a female golfer from the interlock to a ten finger grip and had her switch back. Make sure that your left thumb is under your right palm on the club so that it does not become a baseball grip. Stick with it, I am a fan of the ten finger grip.
Bill
Equipment: Tom Henderson, PGA Professional & Master Club Fitter
Are there illegal club grooves now?
nt
NT:
Grooves must conform to the specifications as listed in the Rules of Golf.
If you look in the current book on page 123, the maximum groove width is 0.035" and the maximum groove depth is 0.020". This information is illustrated in Appendix II, 5c. You will also find a great illustration there (Figure X).
Be on the lookout for future "groove changes". It seems to be a "hot" topic of discussion.
Rules: John Crumbley - Certified PGA Professional & Rules Expert
My Physical Therapist has recommneded carrying a weighted club (iron) and practice swinging a few times before each shot to keep my back muscles from spasming and tighting up. This has bee a cronic problem for me. The rule for carrying a weighted club implies I may do this, but I still cannot exceed 14 total clubs. OK. I have received various conflicting input from my fellow league players
1. Can I legally practice swinging using a weighted club during a round of golf, but not actually using the club to strike the ball?
2. Can the club be weighted in "any" fashion -ie a weighted taped to the face, or must the club be an official weighed training club?
Submitted by:
Dave Williams
Dave,
We can turn to the USGA's decision book on the Rules of Golf for this one. Decision 4-4a/7 says:
4-4a/7 Carrying Weighted Training Club
Q. May a player carry a weighted training club in addition to the 14 clubs selected for the round?
A. No, but a weighted training club may be selected as one of 14 clubs carried by a player, provided it conforms with Rule 4-1. Rule 4 does not regulate the weight of the golf club.
So you can carry and use the club so long as it conforms to the Rules of Golf.
The situation is this, your tee shot lands in the fairway. Directly in front of your ball is a divot overfilled with "divot fill", i.e., the divot was overfilled and is mounded above the natural contour of the fairway. Your ball is not touching the divot fill, but again, its right in front of your ball. Can you level out the divot fill so it doesn't obstruct with your balls immediate flight?
Submitted by:
Bert Honour
Bert,
Rule 13-2 prohibits a player from improving his line of play or area of intended swing. So no, you may not level out the divot. See Rule 13-2.
13-2 Improving Lie, Area of Intended Stance or Swing, or Line of Play
A player must not improve or allow to be improved:
o the position or lie of his ball,
o the area of his intended stance or swing,
o his line of play or a reasonable extension of that line beyond the hole, or
o the area in which he is to drop or place a ball,
by any of the following actions:
o moving, bending or breaking anything growing or fixed (including immovable obstructions and objects defining out of bounds),
o creating or eliminating irregularities of surface,
o removing or pressing down sand, loose soil, replaced divots or other cut turf placed in position, or
o removing dew, frost or water.
