instruction

Teaching

Many golfers try to create elevation or lift using some kind ofhelping mechanism. This results in poor contact and loss ofcontrol on greens for the approach shots – and a high armfinish is one of the things golfers incorporate in this effort.

When I see this, I help them realize that they don’t need a lot of extramotion after impact to hit solid, high shots. From greenside shots outto 75 yards, I help them work on shortening their follow-through, evenincorporating a controlled recoil-type motion, to better activate theirbodies and arms from the ground up. This is acceleration through im-pact and recoil post impact, a deceleration pattern. This hit-and-holdapproach improves feedback, contact and control, always putting asmile on the golfer’s face.

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Shorten the swingfor solid shots

By Jordan Young, PGAwith Don Jozwiak, Senior Editor

EXPANDEDCONTENTSee page 140 for moreinformation on how PGAMagazine is increasing its instruction coverage this year.

PGA Professional JordanYoung, the 2013 PGA PlayerDevelopment Award winnerand the 2012 Michigan PGATeacher of the Year, is the PGAdirector of instruction at FoxHills Learning Center inPlymouth, Michigan.

DON JOZWIAK

Teachers

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ImpactShotsI’ll start with a student by asking them to hitme an impact shot, where they deliberatelyneed to control their arm swing through im-pact. I watch to see if they change their foot-work or sequence, and if they swing with onlytheir arms and hands instead of activatingtheir lower body. People who are handsy of-ten struggle with proprioception or pressureawareness in their feet. You also have to findout if they have any physical limitations – uptop such as wrist, elbow or shoulder injuriesand down below with foot, ankle, knee andhips. Once this exploration is completed, Ihave them hit a few shots with the idea of hitand hold: after impact, try to stop the armswing at chest height then attempt to recoilthe arms slightly.

Start With

Rehearse,Then RepeatSome of your students might have trouble hit-ting the ball when they first try incorporatingthe hit and-hold motion into their swing due topoor sequence. So, I’ll often have a student rehearse the swing motion without a ball for 15or 20 swings until they have a kinesthetic feelfor it. As they rehearse the swing, they start toget a feel for their BTT, balance, tempo and ten-sion throughout the swing. They then becomemore aware of their arm position finish atwaist level. Finally, I introduce the golf ball andlet them see that the ball will actually go just ashigh – or even higher – for them than whenthey used a longer follow-through. That’s because the clubhead speed is higher at im-pact, more efficient and the ball is being com-pressed against the face, all adding to bettercontact and golf ball control.

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Use Multiple TeachingApproachesLike any swing change I teach, I want to give my student a few options to connect with the message being delivered. I providedifferent drills based on their learning styles, different ways of thinking about and feeling the motion. If you are good and lucky enough to have a student “see” and “feel” it duringthe process, the student absorbs the concept more deeply,plus it helps me see which approach best suits them. UsingV1 Pro for visual feedback, BodiTrak for pressure, Swing Balance training aids, and even golf fitness aids certainlyhelp deliver a good message. It is beneficial to have all thesetools at our disposal, because every student learns differ-ently. I’m also fortunate to have a full short game practicearea and training course that helps me create “game-likecourse situations.” This helps golfers transfer their skills intotheir daily play, such as hitting a variety of approach shots or tomanage yardages. That helps them put their new skills to use

when they get into regular play, since they have similar experiencesto draw upon. Consistency is a myth, be a Master of Variability! �

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