Get that straight-back, straight-through swing

Get that straight-back, straight-through swing

There should be no looping in the perfect swing but there are players out there who play extremely well with a loop in their swings such as Jim Furyk and Lee Trevino.

I'm teaching a guy who has a big loop in his swing and he's going crazy in trying to get rid of it.

I'm trying to say that he should just leave it, as he plays great golf with his loopy swing hitting the ball long and straight but he's a perfectionist and won't be satisfied until he loses his loop.

In order to maintain the direct simplicity of a good-looking straight-back, straight-through swing, you must maintain the angle of your spine throughout the movement of the club.

Once you have established this in the set-up when you adopt your posture, you should hold it on the back swing and on into your downswing -- and even into the follow-through if you can.

To demonstrate exactly how the swing plane works, the following exercise -- which does not involve the use of a club -- should be practiced by anyone with a similar loop.

Stand opposite a ball, as if you were about to play with a middle iron. Stretch out both your arms so that both forefingers are pointing at the ball.

Now swing your right arm up and back until it's approximately parallel to the ground and pointing straight back.

From this position the angle of the swing plane required to get from A to B can be readily seen.

Golfers generally don't handle pressure well and one of the main problems is failure to visualise the upcoming shot correctly.

Looking around and developing a sense of the situation you are in while thinking and acting more slowly will help.

For example, on tough shots where the target is near, anxiety can cause golfers to look early at the target.

But looking early generally causes head movement, which contributes to shoulder movement, which causes technical problems and a poor strike. In a pressure situation, keep your eyes still by focusing on one point of the ball such as its logo.

Out of Bounds: While Henry was teeing off from the men's tee, he realised his wife, Beatrice, was teeing up on the woman's tee in front of him. He hit a super shot that hit her directly in the temple, killing her instantly. A few days later, Henry got a call from the police.

Police: "Henry, your wife seemed to have died from blunt-force trauma to the head. You said you hit a golf ball and hit her in the temple, is that correct?"

Henry: "Yes, sir, that's correct."

Police: "Henry, we also found a golf ball wedged between the cheeks of her bottom."

Henry: "Was it a Titleist 3?"

Police: "Yes, it was."

Henry: "That was my mulligan."

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