Check the facts about the golf instruction articles in Golf Digest and Golf Magazine.

Because there is an infinite variety of ways shoulders, arms, hips, and every other body part may move during a golf swing, learning or perfecting a swing by learning these body movements ( body-focused instruction ) can seem a daunting and confusing endeavor.  This explains the endless variations in instructional articles and videos many of which seem contradictory.

Ball flight is a matter of physics and therefore is not subject to opinion or personal preference.  While there is such a large variation in the prescribed body motions, there is no variation in how the club should move to produce straight ball flight at the correct trajectory:

• the clubface should be square to the target line at impact
• the shaft should be perpendicular to the target line at impact
• the ball should be contacted by the center of the clubface
• the shaft of the club should be swung along the target line

Because golf is a game of sending the ball to a target and since ball flight is solely determined by the movement of the club, and because the club’s movements are defined by physics, we propose that a player should learn this movement and apply it in their swing.  We suggest that golf instruction therefore should be club-focused instead of body-focused.

These reviews of golf instruction articles are from a club-focused perspective.  Click the Subscribe tab to receive monthly updates.

Ed LeBeau / Heartland Golf Schools