The all-important pre-swing routine, which includes grip, aim, stance, posture and ball position in relation to the feet, should be practiced so as to become a natural, repetitive habit prior to every shot.
Setting up properly takes only a few seconds, encourages confidence and helps promote correct in-swing motion.
Oftentimes, shoulder alignment is ignored. Open shoulders (shoulders that aim left of target for a right-handed setup) are one of the chief causes of a slice swing. The arms and hands tend to follow the shoulder alignment during the forward swing.
Open shoulders can occur when the right hand is placed on the grip.
If the right hand comes into the grip from above the shaft, the shoulders open.
A quick cure: At address, hold the club with the left hand only. Aim the left shoulder about five yards right of the intended target.
Take the right hand and slide it underneath the grip, adjusting the right hand for the appropriate placement.
By taking the right hand grip from underneath, the right shoulder will be less likely to move in front of the left shoulder.
Including proper shoulder alignment in the pre-swing routine can go a long way toward eliminating the unintended slice and promote a successful setup.
Just Joking: Some golfers are easier to caddie for than others. For instance:
The group had reached the second green at Pinehurst No. 2 and the caddie had already noticed that his “bag” for the day was one meticulous player. The player had about a 20-foot putt and was studying every angle.
He walked to the cup and flicked aside a loose piece of grass, plumb-bobbed from behind the ball and again from behind the hole, and finally wet his index finger and poked it in the air to test the wind direction.
Finally, he turned to his caddie and asked, “Were these greens mowed this morning?”
“Yes, sir,” the bored but patient caddie answered.
“Well, what do you see here? Is it left to right or right to left?”
“The grain grows right to left, sir.”
At last the golfer gets over the ball and strokes it toward the cup, only to have it miss badly.
“What TIME was this green mowed?” he yelled.
Did You Know?: David Duval won the Mercedes Champion-ships, Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, The Players Champion-ship and the BellSouth Classic in 1999, becoming the first player since Johnny Miller to win four PGA tournaments before the Masters.
He eagled the final hole in the Hope Classic to shoot 59, joining Al Geiberger and Chip Beck as the only three players to score that low in an official PGA Tour event.
The win in The Players Championship moved him to No. 1 in the World Golf Rankings at the time.
