Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Golfers have it easy! Why? Because we have the luxury of 14 different clubs to use to hit the ball different distances.
The game would be significantly more difficult without that great a choice. It allows you to have the same swing and hit the ball anything from 70 - 300 yards by changing the club.
Things tend to get a lot more difficult when you have to hit the ball 20, 40, 60 yards ... when you are not allowed to use 'your one swing fits all' approach. Anything within that distance you would normally use maybe one or two clubs and are required to vary the distance of the shot.
So how do we vary the distance we hit the ball? The best way is to vary the length of the backswing, primarily controlled by the length of the left arm. Shown alongside are three different length swings that would produce three different distances.
If you imagine that the left arm is the hour hand on a clock face, the images show 7, 8 & 10 O'clock. You should try to produce a smoothly accelerating blow with any length of backswing, finishing in a follow through that mirrors or is slightly longer than the length of the backswing.
If you practice having three different lengths of swing in your arsenal, and you have two different wedges to use, you will be able to cover at least six different distances between 20 - 80 yards, which will give you a great deal more confidence and control from 80 yards in, which will have a very positive impact on your score at the end of the day.
