November 10, 2018 5:05 pm

By Jon Woodroffe, World of Golf London Master Professional

“I can do it fine when I am on the golf range but I cannot do the same when I am on the golf course”. Does this sound familiar? This is the biggest comment I hear from customers on the golf range. After weeks coaching our Tuesday morning Seniors class on the golf range and seeing great improvement there, I’m then told that it’s not the same when they get out onto the course. I recently went along to see some of my pupils in action, in their native habitat of the golf course. I arranged a small 9-hole game where I could watch how they played. The results astounded me. Swings changed dramatically when under the extra pressure created by repercussions of failure, like bunkers, trees and lakes. The main change was in the follow through and finish position of their swings. On the range, where a bad shot is only followed by another ball coming out of the range machine, the guys were able to finish in a position that a tournament professional would be pleased with. Balanced with all their weight shifted onto their front foot and the tip of their back foot only on the floor, like the picture below.

On the golf course their swings were curtailed. They tended to lean back onto their rear foot and often even spun round, looking more like a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing than a golfer, as in the picture below.

So my advice is be aware of the position you finish your golf swing in on the golf course. You will be inclined to hit at the ball rather than follow through. A tennis player will hit through the ball not at it. Even a footballer will “put their laces through the ball”, not hit at it. This is easier said than done on a golf course. After you have hit your shot, watch the ball as you obviously will be interested in the result, but then quickly look at your position. You should be able to lift your back foot up and tap your toes a couple of times, showing that all the body weight has transferred to the front foot. Be disciplined in this and I guarantee you will play your range game, on the golf course.

Categorised in: Golf lessons, Tip of the month