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Swing Keys Help Trim Golf Handicap

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Published: 08Jul2009
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Adam Scott ranks is among the best young players on the PGA Tour. He gets numerous compliments on his swing from other golfers and golfing fans. He should. He has a great swing. And like most PGA pros, he works hard on it. He spends hours and hours ironing out swing flaws and plugging power leaks. And while his swing isn't perfect, it's close. But he still wants to improve it. Adam's work ethic is a model for golfers who want to dramatically cut their golf handicaps.

These days Adam is working on increasing consistency by taking golf lessons from his swing coach, Butch Harmon. He has Adam working on five keys that enable him to strike a ball solidly time after time after time. While you must develop your own swing keys to improve, you can learn something from reviewing Adam's. Determining your keys may not help you achieve the consistency of a PGA pro like Adam, but they'll help you hit better shots and cut strokes from your golf handicap.

Below are Adam's five keys:

1. Posture Good posture is critical to achieving consistency. That's why Adam checks his posture constantly. Good posture at address leads to a full shoulder turn and increased power. Adam keeps his back flat at address by bending from the waist and sticking out his rear—just like they teach in golf instruction sessions. Good posture enables him to turn around his spine more easily. If he's hunched over at address, Adam can't make a full shoulder turn and he'll lose power.

2. Backswing Adams has two problems with his back swing: (1) he tends to take the club back outside the target line and (2) he also tends to get his club in a "laid off" position going back. In other words, his shaft is pointing well left of the target at the top of the right-hander's backswing. From there, he tends to drop the club too far to the inside and hit the ball off line. He hits the ball straighter and more solidly when the shaft is pointing parallel to the target line and the club is parallel to his left forearm.

3. Stance While speed is critical in a swing, so is control. To boost control, Adam widens his stance, creating a stable base. That allows him to attack the ball a little harder. It also tilts his spine back a bit more at address, helping him stay behind the ball at impact. Many players with high golf handicaps get too aggressive with their hips, which drops the club behind them and resulting in hooks or blocks. Adam strives to keep hips quiet so his arms can swing past his body through impact. Keeping his hips quiet also helps him stay in sync and prevents his lower body from outracing his upper body on the downswing.

4. Tempo Tempo is a hard to learn. It's all feel. And the key for Adam to finding the right tempo is to think smooth and slow. The ball is not going anywhere until he hits it, so why rush the swing. To set his tempo, Adam takes a couple of easy practice swings, then tries to repeat that tempo when he steps up to the ball. His model in this respect is Ernie Els. His swing looks effortless, yet he still drives the ball long and straight.

5. Balance Good balance comes from a smooth tempo. It also comes from a nice weight shift, starting from the top of your backswing down and through the ball. Adam's key to achieving balance is maintaining a nice rhythm throughout his swing. He tries to stay deliberate going back, so he can finish his turn. Coming down his lower body leads but never gets way out in front. At the finish, he's on the toe of his back foot and leaning on the outside of the front foot. And he holds that position until the ball hits the ground.

Posture. Backswing. Stance. Tempo. Balance. These are Adam's Scott's keys to consistency. Weekend golfers who want low golf handicaps need their own keys to consistency. Once they have them, they can hone them by hitting balls at the practice range, taking golf lessons from the local pros, and/or by reading golf tips in newsletters and magazines. Discover your keys to consistency and some day you may find your friends copying your swing.

Jack Moorehouse is the author of the best-selling book "How To Break 80 And Shoot Like The Pros." He is NOT a golf pro, rather a working man that has helped thousands of golfers from all seven continents lower their handicap immediately. He has a free weekly newsletter with the latest golf tips, golf lessons and golf instruction.

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