Free Golf Lessons

We've got a great a great lesson for you. This is a somewhat advanced lesson, but also a very necessary one as you prepare to drop strokes out on the course. This lesson also works on several different levels, so we need to get the fundamental assumptions, facts, and definitions out of the way first.

WARNING: Many of you will have problems adjusting to this. We understand that this is not an easy "change". But this is SO important to understand this fundamental that we had to include this. Let's begin.

Swing Path Discussion (written in terms of right handed players)

Below you will find an illustration of 2 swing paths. The swing path labeled "correct" will usually produce a slight draw or a straight shot. The Swing path labeled "incorrect" usually produces a slice to the right.

Correct This is a close-up shot of the correct swing path. Notice that the divot starts at the left and goes to the right. This will produce a draw or a straight shot.

Incorrect This is a close-up shot of the incorrect swing path. Notice that the divot starts at the right and goes to the left. This shot will most likely result in a slice.

The main idea of the above illustrations is that you have to start swinging on an inside to out swing path if you don't already. The "incorrect" swing path above is an outside to in swing path. The "correct" swing path above is an inside to out swing path.

Furthermore, the goal should be to complete your downswing on the same path as your backswing. So both the backswing and the downswing should be on the "correct" swing path above. On the backswing you bring the club slightly inside, and on the downswing you should be bringing the club from the inside to the outside (again, inside to out).

While on the practice range, your goal should be to always take the club back on the the "correct" swing path, and then check your divots to make sure that they are in-line with the "correct swing path" (starting on the left and moving gradually to the right).

Now, let me show you why this is so hard...

This is a picture of the fairway at a local course I was playing. I had to take the picture because it illustrates so well why so many golfers struggle with slicing the ball.

Hopefully, you can see my point. Believe it or not, this is a very typical fairway. Next time you're out on the course, please check out the fairways, and try to line the divots up with the target. You will see that the vast majority of divots start at the right and go to the left. As I explained above, this pattern leads to a slice, and it also explains why there are so many slicers playing the game.

When you start to analyze divots, you'll be able to tell good players and bad players apart just by looking at the divots their swings produce. Good players produce divots that go from the left to right (inside to outside) and higher handicap players produce divots that go from right to left as you see in the above picture (outside to inside).

The Slice

Now let's continue by looking at the usual results that occur when divot patterns exist. Below you will find the most common and most problematic divot pattern. This divot usually produces a slice, and I have marked it "incorrect" below. If you look at the picture you will see that all of the divots below are going from right to left, and the vast majority of these shots probably resulted in slices or fades.

The Draw

The draw is the most coveted shot in golf. The good news is that by analyzing your divots and trying to come in on the correct swing path, you can learn to hit them. Then bad news is that it's a hard transition to make. Even though the draw is the longest shot in golf, initially you may lose a bit of power because the body movements that produce a draw are a bit harder to produce than those of a slice. This causes you to think about your movements, which in turn, causes you to hold a little bit back on the shot.

Also, I believe that for most players, the movements that produce a draw are a bit unnatural. This explains why there are so many slicers playing the game. Coming from the inside is very necessary, but it will take some work and getting used to.

Finally, you should notice that the ball flight in the below image is a little less "severe" than the ball flight of the slice above. This is for 2 reasons.

1. The draw is directly related to the fade, not the slice. The fade moves to the right like the slice, but much less. The hook is the golf shot that moves to the left more severely, like the slice moves to the right. In this lesson, we are teaching the draw. A hook is usually caused by the clubface closing too early.
2. A draw is harder to accomplish than a slice. This means that, in general, it's much easier to come more severely from outside to in, than it is to come severely from inside to out. Most slicers really cut across the ball, causing a large slice. However, most people that swing from inside to out, can ever so slightly make that move. The result is a nice draw, vs. a severe hook.

The Bottom line

The goal of this lesson is to get you to start analyzing your divots. If you see them going from left to right, you're on the right track. If you see them going from right to left, you need to stop and take corrective action. Draw the inside path on the practice range, and take your club back on that path, and try to bring it back down on the same path. Then analyze your divot to make sure the club is coming from inside to out as you make impact with the ball. You'll see a dramatic change in ball flight by the end of just a few practice sessions.

Why it's so important

Distance is the obvious answer, because a draw is the longest ball you can hit. But that's not the one that I am going to give you here in this lesson. The better answer, I believe, is consistency. As I illustrated in the above pictures, generally speaking, an inside to out swing path makes the ball move less than an outside to in swing path. Therefore, if you can learn to start swinging from the inside to the outside, you can assume that the ball will go slightly to the left with a nice draw, or relatively straight if you mishit it. However, if you are swinging on an outside to in swing path, the majority of your shots will go to the severely to the right, and the shots that you hit really well will go straight or they will have a weak fade.

Yours in Golf,

David Nevogt and Bobby Eldridge

P.S.: If You don't have the Full Swing DVD yet, this is a great place to start building your inside to out swing. You can get special pricing at the catalog page below.

Click Here to check out the DVD NOW - Special Pricing!

 

About the Author:David Nevogt is the author of the best-selling book The Simple Golf Swing and the hugely popular PurePoint Golf Instructional DVDs. His book alone has helped over 8000 golfers during the past 2 years. As you will read, historically this system has a success rate of 95%, and bogey golfers are able to lower their handicaps by AT LEAST 7 strokes within the first couple of rounds. Many golfers are seeing even greater improvements! According to David this method is delivering an AVERAGE IMPROVEMENT of 12 STROKES.

 

 

NOTE: If you have trouble hitting your clubs correctly there is a good chance that your clubs don't suit you properly.

The reason for not improving your game may well be is due to badly fitted clubs. Think about it: people come in all different shapes and sizes, but most golfers simply buy their clubs off the rack in the golf shop.

Unless you are completely 'standard' and 'average' you should consider custom fitting for your next clubs. This can be done online, and it is free, quick and easy (and doesn't hurt a bit). Visit these two sites for free online club fitting, just follow the instructions given there:

'Club Fitting Wizard' at Pinemeadow Golf

'e-fit System' at GigaGolf

 

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