Fundamentals revisited

THIS BLOG WAS WRITTEN BEFORE 'THINK BIG', BUT PUBLISHED LATER.
After a couple of weeks of focusing on the length of my backswing, my (flat) wrist position and body turn and playing some very ordinary golf, I am reminded of the old warning about not thinking about technical swing issues while actually trying to play a round of golf.

However, like many others, I really only practise while I play, so thinking is hard to avoid.

The problem with this thinking is the tendency to tighten up, to interfere with the free flow of the swing - in fact slowing it down and potentially destroying the swing plane, weight transfer and other 'effortless' aspects of a good golf swing.

I'm afraid that my focus on the flat wrist (aimed at producing a straight ball flight) together with a restricted backswing (for further control) are at the heart of this thinking and tightening up. I am therefore inclined to try a new strategy to achieve the same result, consistency, which has been my main goal in developing these fundamentals.

This new strategy involves perhaps the most basic of all fundamentals - grip.

I've recently learned that my hero - Peter Thomson - used a fairly strong right hand grip, producing a low draw as his standard shot (ideal for links golf, incidentally). I've also heard an internet teaching pro say that the grip should take account of the impact position, not what looks good at address.

What this means to me is that I need to return to a grip that will allow me to avoid thinking and manipulating the backswing - i.e. by focusing on the flat left wrist and restricting the backswing - and instead concentrate on delivering the clubhead at maximum speed into the back of the ball.

For me, this will mean trying an experiment I've tried before, with mixed success, that of slightly strengthening my right hand grip (not left hand, as is often suggested) so that the clubface will square up and close more readily at impact. I overdid this in my previous experiment, so finding a happy medium will be the key.

This said about the flat wrist and backswing, I stand by my other two fundamentals - 'don't sway' and 'don't try to hit too hard'. I think these two principles are really vital considerations for the average golfer. Adhering to both of these fundamentals will help us keep our balance and maintain a good swing plane, with fewer casting, dipping and other jerky moves that are the enemies of consistency.

I should, to conclude, mention Gary Player's number one fundamental, which I have mentioned before in relation to swaying. This is the imperative of playing all shots with the weight on the front foot. Whether this is achieved by a sound transfer of weight, without swaying, by stacking and tilting or some other method, is a matter of personal preference, but it is very important, and I might just consider replacing the flat wrist fundamental with this one.

In fact, I will ...

Here are my NEW fundamentals:

1. Don't try to hit the ball too hard,
2. Don't sway,
3. Play every shot with the weight on the front foot.

Let's see how it all goes.