National University Golf Academy's video: Golf Short Game Tips: How Having a Proper Golf Grip and Golf Weight Can Improve Your Golf Trajectory

Visit http://www.NUGolfAcademy.org today to learn more about training for a career in golf at National University Golf Academy. Ted Norby, Director of Instruction for the National University Golf Academy, explains how your golf grip, golf stance, golf weight at address, and left arm can impact the distance control and trajectory of your short game. To discuss this golf tip with other golfers and share your own, leave a comment below. We look forward to your feedback. ******************************** DIALOG FROM THE VIDEO ******************************** I'm Ted Norby, Director of Instruction for the National University Golf Academy. I'm going to talk to you right now about setting up in the short game and how most amateurs setup incorrectly which doesn't let them control distance or trajectory. It also affects how we contact the ball. Most people hit it fat or thin, or we hit those blade shots, and it's usually the setup that creates these issues. Number one, when we're taking our grip, they put the hands forward and then take the grip. What this does it this creates a closed club face. When the clubface is closed the only way to hit it face on line is to scoop or to block the ball. So what I want to do is I want to take my grip with the shaft straight up and down, or in front of me, so that I have a square club face. Now I have the ability to us my body to go forward and let the club square up with the arc of the swing. The second thing that happens is how we setup with our weight. We all know we're supposed to put a little weight on our front foot in the short game. But what most people do is they put weight forward with their legs, with their hips, with their knees. And that kicks the head backwards. So if I'm putting weight, with my weight forward, with my lower body, and my head goes back, the bottom of the swing is now behind the ball, causing the fat shot or the blade shot because I'm already catching it on the upswing. The last part, and this is something in golf in general we always hear, is to keep a straight left arm. So people go with a straight left arm or a very tight left arm which kicks the left side up. Again, now I'm hitting a scooping move. So we put these three things together, hands forward with a closed grip, we shove our legs forward and my left arms gets straight and there's no way to go forward. All it is is this little blocking upward motion which usually creates that blade shot. And if I'm not coming up, I'm going to hit behind the ball. So three things in the setup: 1. Take the grip with the shaft straight away from your body. Now you have a square clubface. 2. I want to put the weight forward with my upper body. That puts the bottom of the swing just in front of the ball. 3. And the last thing is to keep that left arm soft. That puts me in a position where my body can go through and I can start using my body for distance control and I'm going to catch the ball solidly because the bottom of the swing is now ahead of the ball. So grip with the shaft straight up and down, put a little bit of weight forward with your upper body, and keep your left arm soft. That will let you move to the target. Remember in the short game we want to take our grip square with our shaft straight in front of us, we want to put the weight on our left leg, with our upper body and we want to keep our left arm soft. That will put the bottom of the swing in front of the ball, creating solid contact, then I'll be able to control distance in our short game. ******************************** ******************************** We're also on Facebook at http://bit.ly/s8GSkS. © Copyright National University System 2012