Bringing Order to Anarchy - Changing Perfect
On-Course Changes
by Bob Duncan, Author of the GolfeCoach
Now that you’re a golfer you know just how strange and unpredictable the game is, yet you love it! Of course, you’ve learned
quite a few keys that help you hit the ball, and on about every 3rd hole you do it just right. But unfortunately, your keys don’t
work all the time.
Why not? You learned how to swing and found the keys, you had your clubs custom fit to you (you did, didn’t you?), and your
pro improved your swing and taught you the ‘faults and fixes’. But still, you have those “Awww, Jaack!” shots. You
remember: Those shots that Jack Nicklaus thought were going to do one thing but they did something else, which put him in
deep trouble. Fortunately for Jack, we remember that he hit more one-irons off the flagstick at 17 at Pebble...
But with your swing resembling anything but Jack’s, you know that there are players with different swings that win golf
tournaments. So, since you don’t have time to make your swing perfect, how do you play the game better?
You have to play the angles better. For example, you hit your ball straight down the middle on #1 (just how did I do that?).
Now armed with new confidence in your swing you step up to the ball that lies on a hill above your feet. In the back of your
mind you know it’s supposed to go left (yes, but why?), but you can’t bring yourself to aim at that right bunker just in case it
goes straight, since that TV commentator said never to aim at trouble just in case it goes straight -- conventional instruction
here... So you confidently aim safely at the right side of the green, make a great swing just like on the tee, and then hook it
into the left bunker.
What do you immediately do? Blame your swing! Because that’s what you’ve been taught - it’s all about your perfect
swing. However, let’s go back to your lessons - were you ever taught how to hit a ball from the side of a hill?
Getting back to the “why” the ball goes left, try this: Hold an 8-iron about a foot up the shaft in front of you with the clubface
level and aimed at you. In your other hand place the top of a long tee against the clubface. The tee should be pointing
directly at you. Now tilt the shaft to the right with the tee still in place and watch what happens to the direction... The tee no
longer points straight at you!
So, obviously on the side of that hill your ball was not going straight anyway, since to begin with your clubface was not aimed
straight. Therefore, for that ball to go straight you would have had to miss-hit it, which doesn’t make sense. Instead, you
should be using the angles to your advantage.
Here’s where you have to Change Perfect: there are 3 things to change in this “ball above your feet” situation. Each one
helps the ball go left, without closing the clubface. Now, don’t get me wrong - this will take a little practice (not much, as you
should be able to re-produce this shot within 10 - 15 tries). This is not conventional, but remember that conventional
instruction put you in that left bunker. Stick with me here...
#1 Place the ball 1 - 4 inches farther left in your stance. This will give the clubface a little more room to “square up”, though
we know it won’t be aimed straight.
#2 Place your balance 60 - 65% on your heels. Now, this is unconventional. But it does help since you’re in an
unconventional lie. Just swing soft and easy the first few shots as you’re starting purposely a little off-balance. You might
have to move a little closer to the ball, but that’s a comfort thing.
#3 Make your swing plane flatter, or more around your back. Remember that your level-ground swing plane will not work
consistently on the side of a hill, so you need to match your swing plane to the side of the hill. And, it’s actually more
important to swing somewhat flatter in the follow through. Again, swing easy as I don’t want you to fall down...
That’s it! Your ball will now more predictably go left, which is what it was supposed to do. How far left depends on how
severe the slope is. So now you can aim at that right bunker and expect the ball not to go there. Sometimes you may have
to aim even farther right. Just remember that you’re aiming right and trying to help the ball go left, which is what the slope
says it should do.
Since the course is not flat, then your perfect swing keys will not carry you all the way around it, and you must change what
perfect is. A perfect swing will fail in an imperfect situation, so you have to change to adapt. So, instead of hitting another
“Awww, Jaack!” shot into the left bunker, don’t fight the angles. Play with the angles you have and use them to your
advantage!