Golf 101

First, I encourage you to seek out and research golf instruction. It is an illusion to think that you can improve your swing just by hitting more balls at the range.

Practice only improves in any sport if the skills to be achieved are being practiced properly. Practice is detrimental if it reinforces bad habits. The best practice involves a knowledge of the fundamentals of golf, a knowledge of individual swing flaws, and practicing with specific goals in mind.

Also beware of simplistic instruction and don't look for instant answers or instant results. It will take knowledge, patience, time, and proper practice to improve your game.

Use Your Body

The most common fault of most beginners is over use of the arms and wrists.

I recently heard Doug Flutie, quarterback of the Buffalo Bills, explain that though he was smaller than all other NFL quarterbacks, he generates tremendous throwing power from his legs. Hall of Fame baseball pitcher Nolan Ryan, who's fast balls were perhaps faster than any other pitcher in baseball history, was famous for the use of his legs when throwing the ball.

The best advice I have heard on getting power out of the golf swing is the metaphor of swinging an ax to cut down a tree or chop wood. In thinking about actually swing an ax, it is obvious that power needs to come from the shoulders and legs, not wrists.

Use Your Head

I'm referring to the mental part of the game here. Golf is difficult. It wouldn't be enjoyable if it were easy. Don't expect overnight success.

Avoid getting emotional. Your swing will not be improved with anger fits.

Instead, calm down and think. Analyze what happened. This is not sorcery. There is an explanation as to why the ball went where it did. The ball's distance and direction was the direct result of being struck by the club head on a certain arc and which was at a specific speed and angle.

Don't get mad, get wise. Think about the angle of the club head at impact, how it got there, what the body was doing, and what could be done to change the club head angle or arc of the swing.

More importantly, think about the whole golf swing--from setup to follow through--in analyzing where changes could be made. Unless you are a touring pro, you probably didn't make just one tiny mistake in the swing.

You can improve your golf game with patience and determination. Train yourself to react to bad shots by thinking analytically and logically, not emotionally.

I knew the Golf Channel was available on cable, but I didn't subscribe because I thought it was filled with coverage of golf tournaments that I didn't care about and endless pitches for golf equipment. Then I accidently had a chance to actually watch the channel for an extended time while on vacation.

There was truth to my assumptions, but I didn't realize that the Golf Channel also broadcasts numerous instructional programs--under the name Golf Academy. I have found the instructional programs to be very valuable and well worth the not inexpensive additional costs.

The Golf Channel offers many equipment sales programs, but there are also programs that educate the viewer on golf equipment. Again, these have been very useful.

There are also a number of interview programs. Some are interesting just because of the personalities being interviewed, but even these sometimes provide insight to golf instruction.

Again, it isn't cheap, but a month of the Golf Channel is worth a personal lesson or quality video.

The paradox is that though it is important to read books or view videos for knowledge, implementing what you read or saw into your swing is always the hard part. The key is that knowledge from reading or viewing videos is valuable, just don't expect instant success.

With that in mind, I have been satisfied with David Leadbetter's videos and books. I'm especially pleased with the videos; I've purchased many golf instruction videos and the usefulness varies greatly.

The two videos that I recommend are "The Full Golf Swing" and "The Short Game." The videos are not cheap. But I believe they are worth the price, especially for the beginning golfer.

Leadbetter has a winsome speaking style. His videos impart hope as much as wisdom. Yet the presentations cover the fundamentals well.

The book "David Leadbetter's Faults and Fixes" has been helpful for me to better understand my swing faults. It also covers a number of common swing faults.

James Smith

At first, I was reluctant to take golf lessons. The main reason is that there is plenty of golf instruction information out there-much of it conflicting-that I wasn't sure I how valuable it would be.

Yet, self-analysis is difficult in golf. It would be invaluable for anyone, especially a golf teacher, to give me feedback on my swing.

I have taken two lessons from James Smith, at the Fair Oaks Golf Park on Route 50 near the Fairfax County Parkway. Both sessions have been extremely beneficial and well worth the time and money.

Jim was able to quickly point out major swing flaws that I had no idea I was committing. His analysis was right to the point, and his recommendations for change were helpful. My only regret is that I didn't take lessons sooner. I had been practicing often, but the best practice occurs when it is focused on specific swing goals.

Moreover, I believe that regular visits to a teacher are very much worth the cost. My experience with James Smith illustrates the fact that you can spend a lot of time and money on the range trying to diagnose problems that an observer can identify in a few minutes.

However, it is important to add some qualifications on how to make golf lessons successful. First, I'm not looking for quick fixes and instant success. I'm working on building a golf swing from the fundamentals, and I'm primarily looking for help on major swing problems, especially those flaws that I just don't have a clue that I'm committing.

Also, it is important to be willing to make changes. The tendency for golfers is to believe that their swings are basically fine but need just one minor tweak to start winning big on the tour. The reality is that if you like your results, don't take lessons. But if you take lessons, be prepared to listen, learn, and make changes.

Finally, I can't emphasize enough the importance of patience. It will take time and effort to develop a stable, repetitive golf swing. Lessons can be valuable, but only if they are just part of a regular golfing regimen.

Momentus Swing Trainers

I used to think that better golf was just a matter of learning the mechanics of the swing. But golf also involves training the muscles and body, and here is where training aids such as weighted clubs can help.

I have been using the men's Momentus Driver on a daily basis. I also swing the men's Momentus Iron. Swinging the clubs indoors has improved my swing significantly.

At 40", the men's driver was shorter than I expected it to be. But not to worry, it works just fine for developing your driver swing.

There are two major caveats to using weighted clubs. First, swinging weighted clubs should be used in conjunction with lessons from a golf instructor. You would be going backwards if the weighted clubs only reinforces bad habits. In fact, I would recommend that you take at least two lessons before swinging the clubs at all.

Second, a transition is needed to switch back to the regular clubs. When I go to the range after swinging weighted clubs, my arms get ahead of my body, and I have to consciously work to slow them down. Actually, for me this is a benefit in disguise because I have to work to slow the arms down anyway. In any case, just beware of unintended consequences when using the clubs.

Web site: Momentus Swing Trainers