Are Lady Golfers Better Than the Guys?

Well, in some ways they have an advantage. Most lady golfers are generally more flexible and are more willing to rotate their body for power rather then using their arms or upper body exclusively.

Looking at several of them like I have, I definitely notice more shoulder turn among the lady pros. I've attached a sample video below of a lady pro golfer. The sad reality is that many of the recreational lady golfers do NOT take advantage of their flexibility because on day one, a well meaning golfer tells them to "keep your head down". Probably the most mis-understood statement in golf!

The true statement should be, "maintain your spine angle constant". The spine must remain steady as you turn your body however your head can move away from the ball...just stay level.

The back swing should feel somewhat like the coiling of a shot put thrower or discus throw. When you throw the shot put your head actually goes down because of the TILT!! Funny enough not many ladies do either sport! However, they instinctively realize that their arms can NOT carry the entire load so they will turn their body if instructed to do so.

One negative is they seem to have trouble hinging the golf club back for the same reason that their arms and wrists are not strong enough to take the load. Lighter graphite shafts might help.

Take a look at the video and send me your opinion, bobbylopez@bobbylopezgolf.com

Sometimes Little Minor Chages In Your Golf Swing Can Make A HUGE Difference!

Of course I've hit about a trillion golf balls in my lifetime, (Wow that sound like Congress.....A Trillion!) but it never ceases to amaze me how the very slightest of adjustments can make such an enormous effect on your entire golf swing.

For instance, I went out to a driving range in Tampa yesterday to make sure I get my practice in even though I'm away, (liar....I couldn't stand a minute longer with the out-laws, I mean In-Laws) and even though I was hitting the ball very respectable and acceptable to me something just didn't feel quite right. I felt like I could do something better to explode at the ball and pick up additional club head speed.

Well, I took a look at my right hand grip after I hit a shot and noticed it was not in it's original position. I positioned my right hand just a little more to the center or turned it counter clockwise. I hung on a little tighter with my last three fingers of my right hand. Then at the ball I let the right hand explode and I was knocking the snot out of it!

I also noticed another benefit. The grip adjustment lowered my hands slightly at address and put me on a better plane on the back swing which allowed me to swing as hard as I wanted without fear of the ball hooking left! The golf club and my hands were in a better position at the top of the back swing.

In case you want to try this for yourself, I suggest you first take a look at the grip drill and make sure your grip is proper to begin with. Watch the grip drill here. If your right hand grip is too strong, (the V or crease points towards your right shoulder rather than maybe off your right ear) you might hook the ball when you unload your right hand at impact.

When you get to impact, feel like your right hand rolls over the left as hard as you want. If you hook the ball you need to take a second look at your grip. See what your grip looks like AFTER you hit the shot. Did your hands move? Hogan was famous for hitting some 24 shots in a row without his hands moving at all. He would hit a shot and then hit another without re-gripping!

Good luck and let me know if you have some success with this and also let me know if you don't.

Bubba Watson Swing Analysis

Boy these new young players can knock the snot out of it! Bubba is one of those long knockers. According to the PGA Tour Stats Bubba is rated 5th in drives over 300 yards. Tiger mentions how long Dustin Johnson is but he's only number 3. You probably never heard of the first place driver...Robert Garrigus?

Ernie Els is rated 71st. Tiger is not even rated in this category. I guess you have to hit the fairway for it to count.

Anyway, the asset Bubba has is his very high back swing with a very wide arc. Very similar to David Love III. A word of caution here. This doesn't mean you should stretch back and give it all you have and end up at your local Chiropractor! The high stretching back swing Bubba has might not be the best for your swing or coordination characteristics.

There are a lot of ways to speed the golf club up for additional distance. A big stretch could make you wild and off in the woods. The best way I think is to improve your hand action through the hitting area. Learn to rotate your forearms faster and you'll increase your distance. Yea, by the way, Bubba does that too! Take a look at the video analysis I did for this Blog entry.