I'd just finished a lesson when a ball came whizzing by my head. Teaching pros lead dangerous lives.
'Fore!' someone on my right yelled, a little too late.
I turned and saw the culprit. His face was bright red and he was looking at the hosel of his club, a 7 iron. He was talking to it, or to himself, commenting about his, or the club's, heritage, as in, 'You son of a …'. I backed off, but watched as he threw another ball down on the practice tee.
He swung again, and again executed the worst category of golf shot: the shank. The ball didn't get anywhere near the clubface. It came off the hosel at about a 45% angle. I noticed other golfers on the practice tee heading for the clubhouse.
Shaking his head, he took a practice swing. I immediately knew if he took another shot he'd shank it again. His stance was too wide and his leg action was way too active. There's a belief that a powerful leg drive down and through the ball is the way to get extra power and therefore, more distance.
But a problem happens when you drive your legs too much. Your hips and belt buckle move too far past the ball. Your knees over bend, causing your upper torso to bow or bend backwards too much, which thrusts the arms and hands forward into the ball with them opening up. It looks like your hips are running away from your upper body. It all leads to a blade or shank. Our guy's swing was a perfect example.
As he scraped another range ball over I hurriedly ' but cautiously ' went up to him, a complete, and in this instance, dangerous stranger.
'Don't you hate that,' I said with my well-practiced, sympathetic smile.
'%$&**+#$ club!' he replied.
I introduced myself.
'It's this %$&**+#$ club' he suggested.
'Maybe not,' I said. 'But before you hit that ball, would you mind if I adjusted your setup slightly. Maybe see what happens?'
He caved immediately. A couple 'hosel rockets' will do that.
Since he was using a 7 iron, I made sure his feet were a little less than shoulder wide and widened his knees out so they were over his feet. Then I told him, 'Shorten up your back swing and keep the outward pressure on your knees. Resist the left knee from moving inward. It will keep you balanced and stable,' I explained.
'It feels funny,' he said.
'I know,' I replied . 'Now, in the transition to your forward upswing, work on your belt buckle shifting left no more than an inch. You'll feel like you are barely moving to the left side and your upper torso will feel taller.'
While I was talking to him, I stealthily moved the ball he was about to hit out of harm's way. He took a couple practice swings. I made a few adjustments. He looked pretty good.
'It still feels funny,' he said.
'I know,' I said. I edged the ball over to him with my foot. He hit it. It wasn't great, but it was straight and the clubface met the ball pretty close to the sweet spot. He hit another. And another. And started laughing, simply, I believe, out of sheer joy.
The Peak Performance Golf Swing strikes again. Instant success.
I left the tee, convinced that, for the moment, he was no longer a danger to himself … or me.
The Surge!
P.S.If you've ever been embarrassed by a 'hosel rocket,' or just want to learn more about the painless, Peak Performance Golf Swing, click here.