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Copyright 2006 Ed Tischler / New Horizons Golf Approach. All rights reserved.
Playing Naturally
The Natural Way This article is an excerpt from Ed Tischler's book, Golf -The Timeless Game - A Natural Way To Play. It is copyrighted by Ed Tischler. All rights reserved. The average player must find a natural approach because he cannot afford the full amount of practice necessary to achieve a more intricate level of accomplishment. Thus, the more simple and natural your approach, the more likely you will be able to stay on track. As a result, the development of your game will not take as long, internalization will be more readily attainable, and maintenance is sure to be more manageable. Even though the professional golfer may seek out a more involved style of play, he too would be wise to keep his approach as simple and natural as possible. For as with the amateur, he too needs to deal with the pressures of the game. Consequently, the more complicated your approach, the more likely you will fold under the pressures of play. If your fundamentals are both simple and natural, your foundation will be solid, and you will acquire a style of play you can depend on. You can begin to understand the natural approach by understanding how you approach everything else you do in life. As you write with your dominant hand, so should you play golf. As you hammer with your dominant hand, so should you play golf. As you kick with your dominant foot, so should you play golf (i.e. the transfer of weight). With everything we do in life, we depend almost completely on the skills of our dominant side. Although we can find exceptions to the rule in ambidextrous players, this is not the norm. Even though we may find exceptions in our own lives, this, as well, is out of the norm. Therefore, for your play to be natural, you must utilize your natural skills, and you must call on the assistance of your dominant side. Nowhere else in life is the individual so apt to undertake something so unnatural as in golf. We are so addicted to the game, that we are compelled to try even the absurd if there is the possibility it can help advance our play. The traditions of the game uphold such sayings as, "If it does not feel right, then it probably is." You might say then, "If it doesn't feel natural, then it probably is." I know for myself that this is wholly untrue. Furthermore, think about how the game supports a multitude of training aids, gadgets, instructional material, as well as types of equipment. We find ways of tying ourselves up, strapping ourselves down, manipulating our bodies, and tormenting our minds. Then we wonder why the game seems so difficult. Consequently, I believe we could all learn much by following the lessons of the masters. Keep it simple, keep it natural, and stick with it until you understand what it truly entails. As your journey progresses forward, you'll find a need to understand the games basic fundamentals. Becoming aware of these fundamentals and incorporating them into your approach in as natural a manner as possible is imperative to the development of your game. Although there has been much discussion as to which technique is the best, there are no mysteries surrounding the actual fundamentals. No matter what technique you develop, no matter what physiological type you might possess, the hands control the transfer of the swing’s energy through the club to the target, the arms convey the swing’s stored energy through the hands and club, the body generates the swing’s basic motion by rotating through the ball to the target, and the player's weight can provide additional power if needed. Therefore the fundamental motions include the Body Motion, the Arm Swing, and the Transfer of Weight. The Body utilizes the assistance of a pivoting action to transfer rotational force through the ball, as well as the driving of its weight to transfer additional energy through the ball, and the arms must be connected to the pivot in such a way to convey the body's energy through the hands, club, and ball to the target. Thus, the most simple view of the swing is that the body must rotate through to the target as the arms and hands direct the swings energy down the intended line of flight. Beyond this, you keep in reserve the ability to drive your weight when additional power is necessary. Lastly, to make this process natural, you must utilize the understanding of your dominant side to control these actions. Therefore, the necessity of these fundamentals is clear, and their application accessible. The way in which you apply these fundamentals is solely up to yourself. You can make the process as complicated or simple as possible. You can choose a technique you notice your favorite professional utilizing, or you can find a style of play that is suited to your unique physiology. With all this in mind, the true mysteries of the game lie within your inner relations and the way your inner relations affect your commitment to the approach. If you search for more in your swing beside a centered rotation of the body, the blending of a connected arm swing, and synchronization of your weight shift, then you are sure to evade the real questions you must answer. But, you must acquire some sort of foundation with the physical part of the game, an awareness of what actions produce what shots. And you must demonstrate some command over these fundamental activities. Otherwise, you will be continually searching for answers where they cannot be found. |
Playing Naturally This article is an excerpt from Ed Tischler's book, New Horizons Golf Approach Pocket Coach Volume 2 - Developing Your Skills. It is copyrighted by Ed Tischler. All rights reserved. Although playing naturally is not a fundamental issue, I believe it is something that all golfers would like to experience. The more natural the golfer can be while accomplishing the fundamentals, the happier each golfer will be. Since playing naturally is not a fundamental issue, adhering to the principles of natural play is simply a choice. Therefore, if you do not care about playing naturally, then you can skip the rest of this section and move on to the rest of the approach. To play naturally, commit to using your natural skills. For example, if you are right-handed, play right-sided golf. This means standing on the right-hander’s side of the ball and swinging with your right hand in control of the golf club. If you are left-handed stand on the left-hander’s side of the ball and use your left hand to control the club. Dominant hand control of the golf club was a controversial topic between 1940 and 1990. However, over the past ten years we’ve seen a resurgence of this once popular idea. Historically, golf has always been a dominant hand sport. From the ancient Scottish teachers, to Tommy Armour, to Ben Hogan (who said he wished he had three right hands), to the modern teachers, dominant hand control has always been present. Only during a short period of time did it become popular to pull through with your non-dominant hand. And this was mainly due to the change from hickory shafts to steel shafts in the 1940’s. With hickory-shafted clubs, the clubface would torque open during the downswing. Therefore, it was necessary to roll the hands and clubface over, closing the clubface throughout the release. When the golfers of the Forties needed to make the change from hickory- shafted clubs to steel shafted clubs, they found their old rolling the hands action inappropriate. With steel shafted clubs, the old rolling action produced hooking golf shots. Players like Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, and Byron Nelson all found the need to develop a new type of hand action. Ben Hogan simply opened the club so much in his grip and backswing that no matter how hard he supinated in the forward swing, the clubface would never be closed through impact. Sam Snead simply delayed his release as long as he could so that he would not roll the clubface too early. The longer he held the hinged attitude of his wrists, the less he found the ball hooking. This technique was later coined the “Delayed Hit.” Byron Nelson made his grip more neutral, firmed up his hand action, and tried to make a more straight-back straight-thru swing path. To do this he implemented a lateral weight shift. He drove his weight laterally through the ball to the extent of dipping and sliding his body through to his finish. This motion was later coined “The Caddy Dip.” The thing to remember about all these adjustments is that they were compensations made by players who had a habit of rolling their releases aggressively. It was a good habit for hickory shafted golf clubs, but a bad habit for steel shafted golf clubs. If you never developed the habit of rolling your hands too much, then their methods will not work for you. Even Byron Nelson finally admitted that he overdid these adjustments, and that the modern day player does not need to do so. So, what does the present day golfer need to do? First of all, realize that the more you pull through with your non-dominant hand, the more your shots will slice through the air, and the more unnatural your swing will feel. It will be unnatural because you are controlling the club with your non-dominant hand. It will create bigger slices because the more you pull through with your leading hand, the more open the clubface will remain. However, the more you control the club with your dominant hand, the more natural it will be to deliver the clubface squarely. It is similar to tossing a ball with your hand. It is natural to keep the palm of your hand square to the path of the toss. What all golfers eventually learn is, there is no need to roll the clubface back-n- thru. If the palm of your dominant hand remains square to the path of your swing, the clubface will remain square and the overall feeling will be a square- to-square delivery of the clubface. This is clearly the most natural way of playing. And it has been utilized by many great players. Tom Watson, Lee Trevino, Greg Norman, David Duval, Paul Azinger, and numerous other golf professionals have managed the clubface in a square-to-square manner. I would also like to note that these players are not lacking in power, while at the same time displaying above average accuracy. So, follow their lead and learn to control the clubface naturally in a square-to-square manner. |
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This page was last updated 05-16-09
| The sequence pictures shown above and below demonstrate how naturally and athletically you can play with your dominant hand in control of the golf club. Being dominantly right handed, I am playing shots with my right hand only holding the club. Each golfer must decide individually how full of a one arm swing they can manage. Only swing a large as your strength will allow. If you try to swing too full you may experience an injury. |
| Compare the sequences above to below and you will notice how similar the one-handed swing is to my two handed swing. In the sequences that match up the positions are strikingly similar. |
| The main differences between the two sequences above occur simply because my two handed swing displays more power than my one handed swing. Therefore it is more stretch out. Especially during the forward swing. Below, you will see a one handed sequence from the target line view. |
| Below you will view two sequences from an interesting angle. The camera was position in front and off to the side of me. Once again, the swings look very familiar. Especially in those sequences where the shaft angles mirror each other. |
| Compare the sequences above to below and you will notice how similar the one-handed swing is to my two-handed swing. In the sequences that match up the positions are strikingly similar. |
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Playing the game in a Natural manner is
a key aspect of the New Horizons Golf
Approach. All New Horizons Golfers find
a way to apply their skills in as natural a
manner as possible!!
a key aspect of the New Horizons Golf
Approach. All New Horizons Golfers find
a way to apply their skills in as natural a
manner as possible!!
Training one-handed tosses, and one-handed
swings is a great way of developing a natural
way to play. (Pictured Above) New Horizons
coaches encourage their students to begin each
training session with one-handed tosses and one
handed swings.
swings is a great way of developing a natural
way to play. (Pictured Above) New Horizons
coaches encourage their students to begin each
training session with one-handed tosses and one
handed swings.
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