Instruction

The eight swing flaws holding older golfers back

Published

12 years ago

Aug 21, 2013

Golf power and distance is affected by several factors including the brand of driver you are using, the settings and shaft of the driver and how they affect your ball flight/launch angle, your height/arm length, strength and most importantly, your golf mechanics.

Most of the time, your mechanics can be corrected with a golf lesson and some drills. However, for golfers over 50, physical limitations can also determine whether or not you can fix your mechanics at all! We will take a quick look at eight issues that we consistently address in our programs. We call these the “power points.”

The power points are specific golf mechanics that deal with the various influencers of golf power including golf physics, purity and consistency of ball-centered contact and swing plane. In other words, understanding the power affectors will give you all the information you will ever need to maximize your golf power potential.

The Power Points

Swing Center Movement Factor: Is your spine angle consistent throughout your swing?
Weight Distribution at Impact
Primary Spine Angle (down the line view)
Secondary Spine Angle (frontal view)
Right foot position in the backswing
The X Factor
Left wrist position at impact
Does the pelvis rotate in place or shift toward the ball during the swing?

Here is a brief description of each factor:

1. Swing Center Movement Factor

We use an evaluation tool that was developed by William Breland that gives us a tangle score to compare against. We found a direct correlation between this score and the consistency of hitting the golf ball squarely in the sweet spot. The lower the score, the better.

For evaluation, we measure the changes in your spine angle and the changes in the curves of the back/neck to determine if you are moving too much to be hit the ball consistently. Your spine motion should largely be rotational. However, if you have excessive movements in other directions, your accuracy and ball contact will be inconsistent.

The quick and dirty method is to videotape your golf swing and determine if your head is moving up and down during your swing.

2. Weight Distribution at the Point of Impact with the Ball

Weight distribution is important in all aspects of the golf swing, but we found that weight distribution specifically at the point of impact dramatically affects golf power. Having little to no weight on your back heel is an indication of weight transfer forward, which is a big power factor.

3. Spine Angle from the Down the Line View

This spine angle is essentially your golf posture. Do you have the desired flattish back posture? If you are a golfer over 50, you will have a greater chance of having a “C”-shaped posture characterized by slumped shoulders and a more pronounced mid-back hump. Take a look:

(When we are looking at this spine angle, we are looking at the lower back to the mid back. The upper back and neck should be inclined forward moderately).

Women golfers are more at risk of having an “S” shaped posture, which is characterized as excessive spinal curves. This is an indication of abdominal and core weakness.

These postures will cost you golf distance and rhythm because they limit your back’s capacity to turn. If your back cannot rotate, you are essentially swinging with just your arms and have lost the potential power from your torso and hips.

4. Spine Angle from the Face On

This is the angle of the spine that indicates how well you are loading your back leg in the backswing. Most golfers will see an immediate increase in swing speed by 5 mph with this change. That could add up to 10 yards to your drives.

The black line is parallel. The yellow line mirrors the angle of the spine. 10-20 deg is optimum for golf power

The black line is parallel. The yellow line mirrors the angle of the spine. 10 to 20 degrees is optimum for golf power.

5. Right Foot Position in the Backswing

The key measure here is if you are able to keep your body weight on the INSIDE of your back foot. If your weight rotates to the outside of your foot, or worse, if your foot visibly rotates outward, you are going to lose all the power your back leg can offer. This mistake affects both swing speed and consistency of hitting the sweet spot of the golf club.

6. The X-Factor

The X-factor, coined by Jim Mclean, is the difference between how much more your shoulders can rotate compared to your hips. The greater the difference, the greater the potential swing speed. For the golfer over 50, this is primarily an issue of golf flexibility.

However, the real key to the X-Factor is how much separation you have at the point of impacting the ball. In addition to flexibility, you also need to have good timing and make sure your hips begin the downswing before the shoulder and arms to maximize your X-Factor at impact.

You can tell if a golfer has a good X-Factor at impact if they achieve the “two cheeks” position. In the picture above (left side), you can only see one butt cheek at impact, which indicates a lack of hip turn. Compare that to the picture of Tiger Woods on the right, who achieves the full two-cheek position that indicates full hip turn.

7. Left Wrist Position at Impact

Basically, the left wrist needs to be flat (instead of cupped) at impact. Many golfers release the wrists too early in the downswing and this can result in the loss of swing speed and consistency of hitting the sweet spot on the golf club.

8. Does the Pelvis Rotate in Place or Shift Toward the Ball?

Of the eight points identified here, this is the most difficult to change. But it is worth it. The difference is similar to the difference in power between a person who “shot puts” a baseball vs. someone who throws it using their arm as a whip.

If you can do this correctly, you are using your body like a whip which is infinitely more powerful.

To test yourself, place a golf shaft in the ground with the end 1 to 2 inches in front of your belly button. The goal of the drill is to swing without your body touching the shaft. If your body translates forward, touching the shaft, you losing the “whip” aspect of a powerful swing.

Instruction

The Wedge Guy: Beating the yips into submission

Published

3 weeks ago

Aug 1, 2025

Terry Koehler

There may be no more painful affliction in golf than the “yips” – those uncontrollable and maddening little nervous twitches that prevent you from making a decent stroke on short putts. If you’ve never had them, consider yourself very fortunate (or possibly just very young). But I can assure you that when your most treacherous and feared golf shot is not the 195 yard approach over water with a quartering headwind…not the extra tight fairway with water left and sand right…not the soft bunker shot to a downhill pin with water on the other side…No, when your most feared shot is the remaining 2- 4-foot putt after hitting a great approach, recovery or lag putt, it makes the game almost painful.

And I’ve been fighting the yips (again) for a while now. It’s a recurring nightmare that has haunted me most of my adult life. I even had the yips when I was in my 20s, but I’ve beat them into submission off and on most of my adult life. But just recently, that nasty virus came to life once again. My lag putting has been very good, but when I get over one of those “you should make this” length putts, the entire nervous system seems to go haywire. I make great practice strokes, and then the most pitiful short-stroke or jab at the ball you can imagine. Sheesh.

But I’m a traditionalist, and do not look toward the long putter, belly putter, cross-hand, claw or other variation as the solution. My approach is to beat those damn yips into submission some other way. Here’s what I’m doing that is working pretty well, and I offer it to all of you who might have a similar affliction on the greens.

When you are over a short putt, forget the practice strokes…you want your natural eye-hand coordination to be unhindered by mechanics. Address your putt and take a good look at the hole, and back to the putter to ensure good alignment. Lighten your right hand grip on the putter and make sure that only the fingertips are in contact with the grip, to prevent you from getting to tight.

Then, take a long, long look at the hole to fill your entire mind and senses with the target. When you bring your head/eyes back to the ball, try to make a smooth, immediate move right into your backstroke — not even a second pause — and then let your hands and putter track right back together right back to where you were looking — the HOLE! Seeing the putter make contact with the ball, preferably even the forward edge of the ball – the side near the hole.

For me, this is working, but I am asking all of you to chime in with your own “home remedies” for the most aggravating and senseless of all golf maladies. It never hurts to have more to fall back on!

Instruction

Looking for a good golf instructor? Use this checklist

Published

4 weeks ago

Jul 31, 2025

Sue Shapcott

Over the last couple of decades, golf has become much more science-based. We measure swing speed, smash factor, angle of attack, strokes gained, and many other metrics that can really help golfers improve. But I often wonder if the advancement of golf’s “hard” sciences comes at the expense of the “soft” sciences.

Take, for example, golf instruction. Good golf instruction requires understanding swing mechanics and ball flight. But let’s take that as a given for PGA instructors. The other factors that make an instructor effective can be evaluated by social science, rather than launch monitors.

If you are a recreational golfer looking for a golf instructor, here are my top three points to consider.

1. Cultural mindset

What is “cultural mindset? To social scientists, it means whether a culture of genius or a culture of learning exists. In a golf instruction context, that may mean whether the teacher communicates a message that golf ability is something innate (you either have it or you don’t), or whether golf ability is something that can be learned. You want the latter!

It may sound obvious to suggest that you find a golf instructor who thinks you can improve, but my research suggests that it isn’t a given. In a large sample study of golf instructors, I found that when it came to recreational golfers, there was a wide range of belief systems. Some instructors strongly believed recreational golfers could improve through lessons. while others strongly believed they could not. And those beliefs manifested in the instructor’s feedback given to a student and the culture created for players.

2. Coping and self-modeling can beat role-modeling

Swing analysis technology is often preloaded with swings of PGA and LPGA Tour players. The swings of elite players are intended to be used for comparative purposes with golfers taking lessons. What social science tells us is that for novice and non-expert golfers, comparing swings to tour professionals can have the opposite effect of that intended. If you fit into the novice or non-expert category of golfer, you will learn more and be more motivated to change if you see yourself making a ‘better’ swing (self-modeling) or seeing your swing compared to a similar other (a coping model). Stay away from instructors who want to compare your swing with that of a tour player.

3. Learning theory basics

It is not a sexy selling point, but learning is a process, and that process is incremental – particularly for recreational adult players. Social science helps us understand this element of golf instruction. A good instructor will take learning slowly. He or she will give you just about enough information that challenges you, but is still manageable. The artful instructor will take time to decide what that one or two learning points are before jumping in to make full-scale swing changes. If the instructor moves too fast, you will probably leave the lesson with an arm’s length of swing thoughts and not really know which to focus on.

As an instructor, I develop a priority list of changes I want to make in a player’s technique. We then patiently and gradually work through that list. Beware of instructors who give you more than you can chew.

So if you are in the market for golf instruction, I encourage you to look beyond the X’s and O’s to find the right match!

Instruction

What Lottie Woad’s stunning debut win teaches every golfer

Published

4 weeks ago

Jul 29, 2025

Brendon Elliott

Most pros take months, even years, to win their first tournament. Lottie Woad needed exactly four days.

The 21-year-old from Surrey shot 21-under 267 at Dundonald Links to win the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open by three shots — in her very first event as a professional. She’s only the third player in LPGA history to accomplish this feat, joining Rose Zhang (2023) and Beverly Hanson (1951).

But here’s what caught my attention as a coach: Woad didn’t win through miraculous putting or bombing 300-yard drives. She won through relentless precision and unshakeable composure. After watching her performance unfold, I’m convinced every golfer — from weekend warriors to scratch players — can steal pages from her playbook.

Precision Beats Power (And It’s Not Even Close)

Forget the driving contests. Woad proved that finding greens matters more than finding distance.

What Woad did:

• Hit it straight, hit it solid, give yourself chances

• Aimed for the fat parts of greens instead of chasing pins

• Let her putting do the talking after hitting safe targets

• As she said, “Everyone was chasing me today, and managed to maintain the lead and played really nicely down the stretch and hit a lot of good shots”

Why most golfers mess this up:

• They see a pin tucked behind a bunker and grab one more club to “go right at it”

• Distance becomes more important than accuracy

• They try to be heroic instead of smart

ACTION ITEM: For your next 10 rounds, aim for the center of every green regardless of pin position. Track your greens in regulation and watch your scores drop before your swing changes.

The Putter That Stayed Cool Under Fire

Woad started the final round two shots clear and immediately applied pressure with birdies at the 2nd and 3rd holes. When South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim mounted a charge and reached 20-under with a birdie at the 14th, Woad didn’t panic.

How she responded to pressure:

• Fired back with consecutive birdies at the 13th and 14th

• Watched Kim stumble with back-to-back bogeys

• Capped it with her fifth birdie of the day at the par-5 18th

• Stayed patient when others pressed, pressed when others cracked

What amateurs do wrong:

• Get conservative when they should be aggressive

• Try to force magic when steady play would win

• Panic when someone else makes a move

ACTION ITEM: Practice your 3-6 foot putts for 15 minutes after every range session. Woad’s putting wasn’t spectacular—it was reliable. Make the putts you should make.

Course Management 101: Play Your Game, Not the Course’s Game

Woad admitted she couldn’t see many scoreboards during the final round, but it didn’t matter. She stuck to her game plan regardless of what others were doing.

Her mental approach:

• Focused on her process, not the competition

• Drew on past pressure situations (Augusta National Women’s Amateur win)

• As she said, “That was the biggest tournament I played in at the time and was kind of my big win. So definitely felt the pressure of it more there, and I felt like all those experiences helped me with this”

Her physical execution:

• 270-yard drives (nothing flashy)

• Methodical iron play

• Steady putting

• Everything effective, nothing spectacular

ACTION ITEM: Create a yardage book for your home course. Know your distances to every pin, every hazard, every landing area. Stick to your plan no matter what your playing partners are doing.

Mental Toughness Isn’t Born, It’s Built

The most impressive part of Woad’s win? She genuinely didn’t expect it: “I definitely wasn’t expecting to win my first event as a pro, but I knew I was playing well, and I was hoping to contend.”

Her winning mindset:

• Didn’t put winning pressure on herself

• Focused on playing well and contending

• Made winning a byproduct of a good process

• Built confidence through recent experiences:

Won the Women’s Irish Open as an amateur
Missed a playoff by one shot at the Evian Championship
Each experience prepared her for the next

What this means for you:

• Stop trying to shoot career rounds every time you tee up

• Focus on executing your pre-shot routine

• Commit to every shot

• Stay present in the moment

ACTION ITEM: Before each round, set process goals instead of score goals. Example: “I will take three practice swings before every shot” or “I will pick a specific target for every shot.” Let your score be the result, not the focus.

The Real Lesson

Woad collected $300,000 for her first professional victory, but the real prize was proving that fundamentals still work at golf’s highest level. She didn’t reinvent the game — she simply executed the basics better than everyone else that week.

The fundamentals that won:

• Hit more fairways

• Find more greens

• Make the putts you should make

• Stay patient under pressure

That’s something every golfer can do, regardless of handicap. Lottie Woad just showed us it’s still the winning formula.

FINAL ACTION ITEM: Pick one of the four action items above and commit to it for the next month. Master one fundamental before moving to the next. That’s how champions are built.

PGA Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer. You can check out his writing work and learn more about him by visiting BEAGOLFER.golf and OneMoreRollGolf.com. Also, check out “The Starter” on RG.org each Monday.

Editor’s note: Brendon shares his nearly 30 years of experience in the game with GolfWRX readers through his ongoing tip series. He looks forward to providing valuable insights and advice to help golfers improve their game. Stay tuned for more Tips!