Safety:

• Careful when swinging and walking around.
• Wait for everyone to finish hitting. Everyone picks up balls at once.
• No goofing around.

Address & Grip

Grip: Types include overlap, interlock, and 10-finger.

• Left hand grip in fingers with thumb down shaft.
• Right hand forms V to eliminate thumb down the shaft.
• Grip more with the fingers like shaking hands with the club. Grip should not rest in the palm.
• Grip at a strength of 5 on a 1-10 scale

Stance and posture

• Back straight
• Square feet to target: Railroad tracks, feet slightly open
• Ball position: According to personal choice but keep consistent.
• Relaxed with arms straight set club down. Check distance hands are from body.
• Weight on balls of feet with knees slightly bent.

Short Iron Swings

Swing technique

• Cock the wrist back as the club is taken away from ball.
• Left arm stays relatively straight during backswing.
• At top of a full swing, club shaft should point at target and be parallel to ground.
• Weight transfers to inside of back foot and then forward through the ball on impact.
• Release the wrists before contact for maximum force.
• Club head should strike down on the ball (unless using a wood from a tee)
• Finish in a balanced position facing the target.

Practice Activity:

• Without club students practice swinging arms. Thumbs point to sky in back and point to sky in front.
• Practice the swing starting with a backswing only waist high. Progress gradually to a full swing.
• Practice the swing using 7 or 9 irons.

Chipping

Chipping technique

• Club selection: use enough loft so the ball lands on green and rolls. Depends on lie.
• Open stance: Ball in middle
• Weight on front foot
• Hands forward
• Select spot for landing
• Swing: Little wrist, backswing shorter than follow through
• Deep grass bad lie: use punch shot.

Activity: Chipping course with painted targets or cones to hit.

Putting

Grip: Gentle grip pressure to feel ball but firm to be consistent

• Reverse overlap: Modified with finger down shaft
• Cross handed
• Split handed
• Facing palms
• The claw

Set-up

• Ball placed up in stance. Hit up on ball wit top spin
• Eyes over ball
• See line or putting lane
• Weight on front foot

The putt: Types include pendulum and wrist.

• Keep triangle: move only shoulder
• Square putter face
• Putt through ball
• 1 inch back swing per foot put. Longer follow through

Keys

• Relax
• Attitude: See it, feel it, trust it
• Tempo
• Line

Activity:

• Each student practices each part separately and is checks by instructor before moving on.
• Set up a putting course for the class.

Full swings

Impact geometry: Bernuli’s principal

• Path of swing: Push, pull
• Direction of club face: Fade or draw

Swing technique review

• Cock the wrist back as the club is taken away from ball.
• Left arm stays relatively straight during backswing.
• At top of a full swing, club shaft should point at target and be parallel to ground.
• Weight transfers to inside of back foot and then forward through the ball on impact.
• Release the wrists before contact for maximum force.
• Club head should strike down on the ball (unless using a wood from a tee)
• Finish in a balanced position facing the target.

Using woods

• Tee the ball up so the bottom is about halfway up the club face.
• Swing is slightly flatter than iron shots.
• Ball should be more forward in the stance.
• Contact the ball on the upswing.

Activity: Use various clubs for shots on driving range.

Specialty Shots

Sand shots types: Never ground you club in the sand trap. Take all practice swings outside the trap.

1. Explosion (ball embedded): Pick a spot about 1 inch behind the ball, close club face and take a full swing.
2. Blast (good lie): Chose a spot 1-3 inches behind the ball. Open stance and open club face and take a good swing at it. Control distance by how far behind the ball you hit and how much follow through you have.
3. Stiff-arm: Using a 7-iron and keeping you arms straight and wrists firm, take a half swing at the ball with your club entering the sand 4-8 inches behind the ball. Make sure to drive through the sand and take the ball out of the bunker.
4. Pick (fairway bunker): Use 1 to 2 clubs more than normal for distance. Use a wider base and the ball in the middle of your stance during the address. Take a 3/4 back swing and make sure to contact the ball before the sand.

Uneven lies

• Uphill: Address with ball up in stance and keeping shoulders parallel with ground. Use more club, less back swing, and higher follow through.
• Downhill: Address with ball back in stance and keeping shoulders parallel with ground. Less club, more back swing, low follow through.
• Side hill with ball above feet: Address by aiming to right of target (RH golfer) and chocking down on club. Use flatter back swing and follow through.
• Side hill with ball below feet: Address by aiming left of target (RH golfer) and bending knees more. Make sure to stay down while swinging.

Bad lie

• Punch shot: Use to get ball out of tall grass or weeds. Move ball back in stance and take steeper angle hitting it out.
• Under a tree: Use a less lofted club. Ball back in stance. Use less back swing and let the ball bounce to target.
• Around trees: Using Bernoulli’s principle adjust your swing path and club head direction to impart side spin on the ball. For a draw, swing inside out with closed club face. For a fade, swing inside out with open club face.