Stage Carte Verte du 21 mars 2005

Anne, Irène, Michel et Philippe

LESSON N° 1 : monday march 21st 

AIM OF THE CLINIC :
- Preparing and obtaining the Carte Verte
- Improving your technical acknowledges
- Personal adaptation to these technical drills
- Set up of a more confident swing, to avoid future physical problems 

 
WORKING SHORT GAME : Position of the ball according to the lie (depth of the grass under the ball)
 
The starting principle is quiet simple. We consider that during the impact zone, 3 "moments" make the strike :
- A contact with the ground
- A contact with the ball
- The lowest part of the circle (in fact the swing)
Those 3 points happen together at the same time just when you hit balls on the mat, feet at the same level as the ball.
Let's take the example of the putting : Lowest part of the circle before the ball, no contact on the ground and contact nevertheless with the ball. Concerning the wood on the tee, it the same thing. In the bunker (we'll see that later), we admit that the contact with the ground will happen before the ball, the lowest part will be much under the ball (because of the sand), and there won't be any contact with the ball.
ANALYSIS OF THE LIE :
Much grass around the ball and you're able to pass under the ball : The ball in the middle of the stance, the club lies so on the right-hand side of that ball. We spread the stance more than usual, so to lower the center of gravity and so to hit lower into the grass "under the ball".
Much grass around the ball and no grass under it : You won't be able to take the risk to try to pass under the ball, because you don't know the way the club will "react".You are going to place the ball so that the contact with the ground and the contact with the ball will happen at the same time. It means on the right-hand side of the stance. Even if the club hits and enters the ground, you don't care : the ball is already gone.
 
OUT OF THE ROUGH ON SHORT GAME :
You think the same way : Able to pass under the ball or not. It is when you aim the club that you fell the depth of the grass, and so if you're able or not.
Able : Ball in the middle of the stance, club on the right-hand side, weight of the body on the left foot (instead of spreading the stance) . The swing is the same as in the bunker (wide, strong and downwards).
Not able : The club lies in the middle of the stance so that the ball lies on the right-hand side of the club. The club is then replaced behind the ball and the weight of the body comes on the left leg. This will verticalize the strike and will allow to hit the ground and the ball at the same time.

PRESENTATION OF THE METHOD :
To hit a golf ball properly, you need to respect a few fundamental rules :
- The hitting posture is the same as the starting posture
- The swing is as symetrical as possible (The finishing posture is a consequence of the speed, not an obligation)
- The path of the club is the same during the backswing and the downswing

What is going to be important is the fact that you have to find the points you have to pass by, instead of the physical way you have to move .

 

LESSON N° 2 : April 4th 2005

WARM UP ON THE DRIVING RANGE

- Physical warm up (stretching, limbering up)
- Set up of the rythm with small and slow symetrical swings, without too much acceleration at the beginning.
- Take confidence by finding the right impact place at the impact.
- Gradual acceleration to "find" the swing
- Find the right distance (body from the ball)
"ORDER OF THE THINGS" :
THE BACKSWING : We are going to build the backswing according to the impact zone, and the way we want the club to hit the ball. That means through the ball instead of downwards. The set up is the following way : PUTTER STARTING / SET UP OF THE CLUB PATH / RAISE OF THE HANDS.
Putter starting : We star the backswing the way we start the the putter shot, that means without wrists, not to load too fast. the fact to load the wrist makes the strike too much vertical (so you're going to hit the ground). That is better for short clubs.
Set up of the club path : After that putter start, we load the wrist to put the club parallel to the ground and towards the target. The club is so on the same line as the line followed by the hands during the "take away".
Raise of the hands : At this moment, you just have to raise the hands according to the shot you wish to involve the shoulders rotation.
The "important things" at that point of the swing are : left arm parrallel to the ground and the shaft making an angle of 90° with the left forearm.
 
AFTER THE BALL :
We'll find on the other side the same path as during the backswing. You're so going to hit the ball the "putter way", the wrist being unloaded during the downswing instead of during the strike because of the lack of power. The club will come back parrallel to the ground (as you did in the backswing), and you're then going to raise the hands to the "technical finish" (the right knee follows). Te "Physical Finish" will follow, according to the speed of the swing. You don't have to do the physical finish. It is the technical finish (perfect symetry between the backswing and the follow through) which is important and on purpose. It will be so possible to increase the speed of the strike without increasing the width of the swing. 

The "important things" at that point of the swing are : right arm parrallel to the ground and the shaft making an angle of 90° with the right forearm. 

TO WORK : Exercise of the wall . You swing "back against the wall", to check the plan of the swing. If you turn the shoulders to fast (before raising the hands), you're going to touch the wall. This exercise will give you the right feeling of the backswing.

 

LESSON N° 3 : April 11th 2005

 

SET UP OF THE TECHNICAL BASICS OF THE SHORT GAME :

The Posture :
- Stance more narrow, club shorter, closer to the ball. We add the weight on the left leg (to contact the ground easier) and the left foot is a little "opened". The hands a little forwards is a consequence of the fact that the weight is on the left, but you're not obliged to do so.
- The club face is aimed towards the target and the body is placed parrallely to this line.
Choice of the club :
- The choice of the club depends on the geography of the course. The more you have to make the ball fly, the more "open" will be the club (9, S). In the case you want the ball to roll, a "closed angle" club will be choosen.
- The lie (depth of the grass under the ball) will help to choose the right club. The deeper the grass, the more open is the club.
- Short approaches : The swing looks like the putter one. Each time the distance you have to make the ball go could be played with a putter, the swing must not be wider than the putter swing.. You don't use the wrists, to be able to control the shot better.

BUNKER :

- The posture and the set up are the most important
- Let the club hit the ground and finish the swing
- The place of the ball according to the hitting-line gives the distance the ball will fly
- We admit that there are two ways of playing in the bunker (club square- backswing  square-impact-finish / opened stance-opened club-outside to inside strike). the " square method is much easier for average players.
WORKING ON THE FACT THAT THE PLAN OF THE BACKSWING MUST BE THE SAME AS THE PLAN OF THE DOWNSWING:
- We keep on swinging the shaft of the club on the backswing according to the posture of the club at the aiming posture. At the top of the backswing, the club is in the same line as it was aiming the ball.  It is this position which makes the return of the club against the ball easier.
- It is necessary to control the hands during the impact zone. It must look like you stop at the impact and then finish. It must give the feeling that you don't need to turn your body too soon. This will help you too to close or open your hands to change the trajectory of the ball.
- The finish must be a consequence of the swing. The faster you go, the wider the finish is. 
 

ORGANISATION OF THE DOWNSWING :

The unloading of the wrists must happen as late as possible. You need to keep your energy for the impact zone
- The donswing begins by the fact to make the hands go down on the same way they went up, without straightening the right arm too fast.
- At half way of the downswing, the right arm is straightened to give a maximum speed to the club head
 

LESSON N° 4 : April 18th 2005

DOWNSWING MUST BE THE SAME AS BACKSWING :

Working on half shots :

- We keep on controling that the plan of the backswing is according to the way we want the club to hit the ball. As we said in the previous lesson, the club shaft is in the same position (at the top of the backswing) as it was on the aiming position. Nevertheless, the most important is what we called in the previous lesson "the order of the things". You'll have to swing the club down on a reverse way as it swang up. That means that the wrists are loaded during the backswing (after the take away), and you'll so to unload them at the same place in the downswing. It is the fact to unload too soon or too late which can make the club hit the ground or top the ball. Each player must find the place to load on the backswing, so that it is easier to unload before the strike.
- It is necessary to keep on controling the hands during the striking zone. To make that sure, you have to feel that you stop the swing just after the strike. This will give the feeling that you don't need to turn the body too soon towards the target. You especially will have to unload before the striking zone and not during it.It will be easier too to control the trajectory (direction) of the ball
- As we already said, the finish is a consequence of the swing. The faster the swing, the wider the finish. The fact to "stop" after the strike doesn't make a short finish. It looks like almost a complete finish.

WOOD ON A TEE :

- The main difference is in the distance from the ball. As the swing will be wider and faster down, the strike will happen "higher" than usual, that means a few centimeters over the ground. If the club lies just behind the ball, you will hit the ball in the heel of the club. So you're going to miss the ball. You have to set up with the club "beside" the ball. Just lifting the hands up, you see that the club face is perfectly against the ball. So you can find it easier during the downswing.
- The rythm of the swing must be always the same. The fact to miss the ball comes more from an uncontrol of the impact zone than from a wrong swing. So don't try when you miss to analyse the way you moved your body. Try to think about the way your hands were during the impact zone. Correct by ajusting the height or the accuracy of the club path.
- The posture is your own. It depends on the size, the elasticity of the body, the weight and many other things.
- The notion of "throwing" or "hitting" give the height of the tee. The hitter will put the ball lower and less on the left-hand side, and the thrower will putt the tee higher and more on the left.

 

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