If your golf swing is in a bit of a rut, it might be tempting to start all over again from the ground up. But before you go down that route, stop and consider these six tips from Golf Monthly Top 50 coach Alex Elliott that should get you on the route to better golf without having to totally change your swing.
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00:00Is your golf swing in such a mess right now you're thinking about rebuilding it totally from the ground up
00:06Well before you go down that time-consuming and probably expensive path
00:10I'm gonna be joining this video today by golf monthly top 50 coach Alex Elliott
00:14Who's gonna give us six top tips to get you back on track without changing your entire swing?
00:20I'm here at Kedleson Park Golf Club today. Let's get started
00:23Right. Okay. We're on the range now Alex
00:26I want to talk about before people go and change their whole swing and the whole identity of their golf
00:30It's the maybe two for one here change your practice routine up a little bit
00:34Yeah, and change that practice routine to focus more on strike and swing because strike could be the problem, right?
00:39Yeah, I mean, especially with driver right a lot of people forget this. There's something called gear effect
00:42Okay, so you could make a good swing, but the strike could be a little bit out and if you hit out the heel
00:47Yeah
00:47He'll twist in
00:49forward curve with left to right curvature for a right-handed golfer and out the toe right to left curvature and
00:55a lot of people forget that because
00:58When we're looking down at the shot, we think oh that's curved because I've done something random
01:02Whereas actually we've just maybe got it a two fingers a finger off the center, which is gonna cause that curve
01:07Yeah, so maybe people watching at home aren't actually swinging that bad and don't need the force
01:11It's just there a few inches out. So maybe let's think of something about strike
01:15What sort of tips have you got for strike drills?
01:18Yeah, so this drill would be the same for irons and driver right the gear effect. Yeah only count for driver
01:24Okay, but I think this is really gonna complement you with your irons, too
01:27So if you look down there closely, then I've just set up like a really tight little this is this is scaring me
01:34Yeah, it's quite narrow, isn't it?
01:35I know you can start off a little bit wide if you want to start like that and make it a little bit narrow
01:38But essentially miss both teeth eggs. You're gonna find the center. Okay, don't worry
01:42If you hit the outer one start with or the inner one
01:44I'd actually say that's probably a good thing
01:46You then got a focus of how you're gonna change that right and as a club golfer
01:51You're not gonna be perfect straight away
01:52But knowing what the feedback you've got if you always toe or always heel, you know, how are you gonna fix that?
01:59Brilliant. So it because I think a lot of people maybe don't actually know they're like, why is it going that way?
02:04Where I'm actually hitting it from this is gonna give you that that visual audio cue as well
02:08100% was what you're gonna do is you're gonna rule out that it's not strike, right?
02:11Because then if it is still curving and you hit in the middle
02:13Then that might be where you got to go and seek further advice
02:15Maybe we do go change your swing
02:17This is before you have to change if you're still messing up go change it
02:21Okay, so I'm gonna this one ago. So I've got it. It looks very narrow as I'm looking down
02:25But I'm just gonna trust and work on that feeling of wrecking and I bring it through that center. Oh
02:32Yeah
02:34That plays so if you're doing that tick what what happens if I've hit this one on the right or this one on there?
02:40So if hitting this out one, we're probably gonna find the heel of the golf club
02:43Yeah, because our club has moved a little bit further away and we're gonna slice there
02:46Yeah, I've moved on the hit on the inside one. We're gonna hit him all the toe
02:49We're probably get more that hook shot
02:50I think the thing to remember here is we only want to change our swing and we're saying don't do that first
02:54But people rush to change their swing because they're worried about ball flight. Exactly
02:58So this is a really really good one thing
03:01So two for one here change that practice routine think about that strike because that could be what's causing you issues more than your actual golf
03:07swing
03:08Right Alex before people start thinking about changing their entire swing. Should we take a look at the grip?
03:12What pieces of advice would you give for someone who's not striking it great or they're pulling it or they're slicing it and how
03:18They can just alter a little bit of their grip to help with that. First things first
03:22I'd make sure that your club is in the fingers
03:24So I'll interest you and just purely sometimes we have it in the palm
03:28Which if we have a little look at that closer there
03:30Then you can see it was a quite a big gap in between my little finger and where the club is
03:34yeah, essentially it makes it very very hard to square the face very very hard to swing the club with any momentum and
03:40Essentially overall
03:41Leafy motion with that is that the club face is probably gonna be open is that gonna lead to a bit of inconsistency of strike
03:47As well, if it's not in those fingers definitely and we drive it. It's just gonna be absolutely
03:51So the first thing just to combat that I would look at
03:55And it's a really sort of little Ben Hogan tip here that with all the fingers on and just take them off and leave this
04:00Here. Yeah, the club should stay
04:03interesting if it
04:05Falls, you know, it's more in the palm because our meaty our padded area isn't there to sort of create a little bit of it
04:11Right, that's a great little just check for yourself actually, isn't it? Okay good
04:14But then you also mentioned slice and you also mentioned hook
04:17Yeah
04:18So really nice and simple with that as long as we've got that club in the fingers if you hook the golf ball
04:23Nice and simple just from player cam here rotate your hands more towards the left half of the golf club
04:28If you slice the golf ball just rotate both non glove and glove hand to the right side of the golf ball
04:35It's that easy and just have a go at that because how you hold the club has a very very big impact on how you control
04:41the face and I think it's probably the last thing people go to because it feels very strange and it feels very odd because it's
04:48Like I'm not used to that
04:49Yeah
04:49But it's gonna have a direct impact on how you control the face and that's essentially what the ball flights good and it is
04:55Although it feels more extreme it is a bit easier than having a full swing change, right?
04:59It's just it's a few little notches here and there and it'll feel weird for the first 15 20 shots
05:03Get yourself on the range just adjust that grip slightly as Alex told us there
05:07Depending on where you're hitting the ball and don't change your whole swing
05:10Do you want to hit one for us now?
05:11Because I will on the 17th here and I would like to see you go for okay
05:15All right, so I've got a little bit the case of the pools today
05:18So I'm gonna go a little bit weaker perfect and see if that helps me just keep that face a little bit open
05:25Oh my
05:28Catch a piece. This is a part five, by the way, just gonna mention that I'd be happy there just off the back, right?
05:34I think you make it up and down from there with that pin
05:35So yeah, just before you go and change your whole golf swing as I said tinker with that grip say get on
05:41So another thing to think about before entirely changing your swing Alex
05:45It's just tightening up that short game and your scores can come down considerably making a few more up-and-downs, right?
05:50100% I like I think the most common sort of issue for golfers is they spend so much time on driver and want to bomb it
05:56But if you only use it, maybe 11 12 times around but this could be used on every single green
06:01Yeah, now this tip is nothing to do with technique. It's about choosing the right loft and the right landings up
06:06So I've got two tee pegs down and down like I've got one at 50% of the way
06:09Yeah, this would be like off 50% in the air 50% roll. I've got another one here
06:14Which should be our sort of 25% in the air
06:1675% roll out now right now many golfers don't know what shot is good for them. So I want you to pick two clubs
06:22I got my pitching wedge here, which is my more roll one
06:24Then I've got my 58 which is my more 50% in the air 50% roll out and just get into tune with what loft and what?
06:32Roll requires for that shot and what you might prefer as a goal for anyway
06:36You might get on more with you 58 you might prefer a little bit less long percent because guarantee you'll prefer different wedge to me
06:41Yeah, and golf is very personal. So practice that and find out what's good for yourself
06:45So, okay, I'm gonna play both it first one my more roll one
06:48So I'm gonna focus on the tee peg not the hole. Okay, let the club do the work for me a
06:56Little bit downhill
07:00That was the first take can I just say as well and then this one here was more in the air shot now
07:05I'm a golfer that I know this I've done this show many times. I prefer
07:09Less I'm the same. I want I want that shot
07:12Rolling a bit more a bit more control of it. So I'm proofs in the pudding. I guess so these shots get me a little bit
07:18more nervous
07:24So pretty handy well one in and one up and down so just tightening up that short game
07:29Visualizing the shot a little bit more before you go and change swing entirely bring those scores down
07:35Okay, Alex finally then we're gonna chat clubs and maybe before that swing has to change you have a little MOT of your bag
07:41And what's in there? We can chat a few things here. We can chat maybe
07:45gapping
07:46loft and lie
07:48Put some new grips on it
07:49You're often live first because I think some people maybe don't understand how that affects their game
07:53Definitely, so loft and lie will affect your clubs even more. So in the most lofted club
07:58Okay, so the more loft you have basically it's called face plane tilt and if I sort of grab a 50 degree here
08:05Let's say you had a very upright angle. That would be the toe off the ground
08:09This would point all off very left as I say more loft more effect
08:13It's hard
08:14So if you have very upright clubs, it can cause your ball to start massively left
08:18Okay
08:18If you have very flat golf clubs
08:20Which should be the sort of heel off the ground the ball can start significantly off to the right now
08:24Sometimes you do get fitted if you slice it that could be a pretty good thing
08:27Oh, yeah, push it because it can help you iron out some bad shots
08:30But a general MOT if you're seeing bad characteristics of shots that are left
08:35And
08:36It's something you can get adjusted. You might have already been fit and that was fine
08:40Maybe you swings change or maybe you haven't been fit before
08:43Definitely worth checking out
08:44Should we talk you've got a great example of it here actually in your set of clubs
08:47You've given yourself a little bit more help where you need it in the longer
08:51Irons you think maybe a split set for the perhaps more experienced golfer or even a beginner is a bit more helpful
08:57What what I'd suggest is let's just go beginner first
09:00I wouldn't even want them to carry a four or five. I'm four or five hybrid. Yeah, that's a great shot make it easier
09:06That's what I'd suggest and then for your intermediates that's more experience
09:09You gotta think people don't want to be buying clubs all the time
09:12So if you're an intermediate golfer with aspirations of practicing a lot playing a lot
09:16I would definitely say that sort of combo set whether you go blades a little bit bigger to a little bit bigger
09:21Yeah, or just go muscle back to sort of a more forgiving guy in the long one
09:24I think so
09:25I mean this and if Alex Elliot seal still using these at the top of the bag get that four iron blade out of your
09:29Bag now, okay
09:31Let's talk gap in finally then especially the top of the bag
09:33I think the golfers especially they maybe want that five and four hybrid get in this area the bag, right?
09:38Can help you scores out a little bit more maybe help your swing out if you're swinging easier
09:42Into different hybrids or fairway woods. Definitely like I mean, I would always say first on that gapping
09:48I don't want people to really use a three wood
09:50I really I use five wood and that's what I'd recommend for most golfers and actually they hit it a little further because that three
09:55Was a bit close to the drivers. You're acting as well
09:56Where's actually being used every that like most of these golfers are gonna use their three wood or five wood off the depth
10:02Yeah, three was a very hard club to get in the air
10:04So essentially having a little bit more loft a little bit of a deeper face. Yeah help you get it up
10:08So I would always suggest going driver
10:10Five wood and then maybe another maybe a three hybrid in there then four and five
10:15Brilliant. That's great shot on the fiber. Don't jump up because it's only a couple of degrees, isn't it?
10:19And it will be a bit easier and then get those wedges right as well the the bounce
10:23The gapping in there. Yeah, I mean how I'd base that on and most people's I mean, it's very changeable
10:29Depending what brand depends what your pitching wedge from your set will be
10:32Yeah, but how I'd base this have a look at your specs online or even ask your pro
10:37What loft is my pitching wedge and then base it on four degree increments from that?
10:41It might be that it's 52. It might be that it's 50 but base it on the pitching wedge in your set
10:45Yeah, brilliant brilliant advice said it might seem basic stuff and if you're watching your swings a mess
10:49You're like why are we talking about this?
10:50But before you go through that drastic change make sure I think you're using is correct first and then go from there
10:57Calic so we've spoken about timing about short game
11:00Chipping before changing a swing entirely should we chat about the putter now?
11:03I thought you're gonna maybe suggest change your actual physical grip which you could do
11:07But you're talking about changing the material of it go for a different type of grip
11:10Yeah, I mean there are so many out there. I mean you could go thick
11:14Yeah rounded thick with a flat front. I think it's a good way of making putter feel new
11:20Rather than investing 300 pounds in a brand new head and brand new for putter just go to your local PJ Pro
11:26Let them recommend something go. Oh, you know what?
11:28I need a change and need to look down some definitely to feel something different and that could just be the difference that makes you
11:34Hope these must make but yeah, I think that goes the whole bag as well
11:37Maybe regrip the irons regrip the driver
11:40Something different to look down on a different feel maybe a swing will tighten up because of it, right?
11:45So there you have it some brilliant bits of advice
11:47I think all golfers should be following before they go through that massive swing change
11:50I think we all really want to avoid big
11:53Thanks to Alex Elliot for joining us in that video some brilliant tips
11:56He's giving you there to head out into the range head out into the course to better your
12:00Game if there's something we may be missed or something you've tried that's worked before you've totally rebuilt your swing
12:06Let me know down in the comments
12:08I'd love to hear from you. But for now from Kedleston Park Golf Club. I'll see you next time