Golf Tips 17b- Golf for Beginners Lesson 2: Foot Action

"5 Basic Body Actions"

1. Foot Action
2. Leg & Knee Action
3. Hip & Shoulder Action
4. Arm Action
5. Hand & Wrist Action

In Lesson #1 I demonstrated the "5 Basic Body Actions" necessary to achieve maximum results in attaining your golfing goals of playing well in a relatively short period of time and which require minimum amounts of maintenance.

The first action we will talk about - Foot Action - is instrumental because even though your hands are the only connection with the club, your feet are the only contact with the ground. When you build a house you need a solid foundation. Not to diminish the overall importance of the hands which we will talk about later, but the feet don't feel the anxiety or nervousness that we apply to the hands by gripping tighter under pressure.

In addressing the ball, there is a best stance for every shot in golf, and the stance may vary for different players. There are three types of stances in golf: Square, Closed, and Open.

The Square stance is that in which both feet are equally distanced from the line of flight which is the imaginary line between the ball and the target. This is your basic standard stance which is recommended for overall compactness and control

The Closed stance has left foot nearer than the right foot to the line of flight. This stance is assumed when desiring to draw or hook the ball.

The Open stance has the left foot drawn back farther away from the line of flight than the right foot. This stance is best utilized to fade or slice the ball to the right of your intended target.

In addressing the ball, the heels should be placed at approximately the width of the shoulders. The weight should be distributed evenly from the ball to the heel of the feet. Now as we begin to start your swing, the feeling we want you to achieve is by rolling the inside of your left foot over to the inside of your right foot which is braced. This movement is minimal, yet very important as it will initiate the cycle of establishing the proper reaction in your swing in the correct sequences as you will see.

By Tom Ward, PGA Tour Instructor

Golf TIps: The Perfect Golf Swing - A Round With Foot

Golf Tips 17a - Golf for Beginners Lesson 1: The 5 Basic Body Actions of Golf

Almost anyone can learn to play an enjoyable game of golf, regardless of age or natural abilities. I have worked over the years with many golfers with Physical Disabilities. However many have not allowed this unfortunate handicap to limit them in continuing to enjoy golf. In fact, many are fundamentally better than their healthy counterparts because they are forced to utilize sound mechanics which prove that Golf can make the playing field more equal for everyone.

Through these articles you will see how I am going to dispel many myths that are prevalent in the world wide golfing community, such as "Keep your eye on the ball". I teach blind golfers to play, so that throws this theory out the window. Golf is a Billion Dollar Industry of Misinformation! I am not going to try to re-invent the wheel for you - only act as a guide to help you sort out fact versus fiction when it comes to what really goes on in the golf swing and the game. So if you want to learn to play golf, you CAN. Now let's move on to "lesson one", and how I approach golfers who are new to the sport.

My first lesson with a pupil: they show me, I show them.
Without showing or telling a new pupil anything at all, I have them swing the club the best they can. Then I briefly have them explain to me what they think it takes to hit the ball. This gives me an idea of what natural ability they possess, as well as how to approach them mentally based on their verbal descriptions.

After the new golfer has made some swings for me and we have talked briefly about whatever they have been exposed to up to this point in learning, I have them sit back and watch, and listen, as I fully explain and demonstrate the 5 basic body actions necessary to achieve maximum results in attaining their golfing goals of "playing well in a relatively short period of time which will require minimum amounts of maintenance".

The "5 Basic Actions" are:

1. Foot Action
2. Leg & Knee Action
3. Hip & Shoulder Action
4. Arm Action
5. Hand & Wrist Action

Other than your head, this incorporates your entire body. In the next lesson we will start the process of how to start your swing from the "Ground Up instead of the Hands Down" using this "5 basic actions dynamic domino effect" - which creates the proper chain reaction necessary to becoming a solid golfer for a lifetime.

By Tom Ward, PGA Tour Instructor

Golf TIps: Basic Golf Swing Setup and Posture