By Matthew Brookes
The final piece of the puzzle for chipping is regarding the short game sequence. Do look back at the first video on the Golf Digest Middle East website, where we covered gym exercises that’ll help improve your body’s ability to move in the correct manner and the second shoot on pressure points and head movement in the swing using the ‘Swing Catalyst’ motion plate to help master this technique.

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This month’s edition is about having the correct sequence when chipping. This sequence is very different to the ‘Kinematic Sequence’ used in the full swing and is called the ‘Finesse Sequence’.

This sequence is vital to help produce enough bounce and to help deliver the club at the correct angle at impact. Where in the full swing we start with the hips turning in the downswing, when chipping we should actually reverse this sequence and have the hips move last or certainly move a lot less.

Stability and control of the lower body is key to help with this movement. A good drill to help you get this feeling and take it into the shot itself is the single leg chip. For a right-handed player stand on your lead leg and have the ball opposite the foot. Your trail foot should be on its tip toe slightly behind you. Once in position and balanced, chip the ball no further than five yards in the air and feel how the low body is limited in rotation. This is the feeling you want to take into the normal chip and once the swing gets any longer than this the lower body should start to rotate that little more towards the target.

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Matthew Brookes is a PGA teaching professional and golf-specific fitness trainer at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club’s Peter Cowen Academy Dubai.

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The post WATCH: The chips are down if the hips are right appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Matthew Brookes
It is not only the full swing that can be improved by an understanding of ground forces and pressures. They’re facets of utmost importance in the short game as well although should be viewed, and the moves implemented, differently to the long game. In a nutshell, the shorter the shot, the smaller forces and movements we should see.

When amateurs approach me with inconsistent ball striking with their chipping, we head straight to the Swing Catalyst force plate. A lot of the time the issue can be linked to their interaction with the ground and with the Swing Catalyst technology at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, it’s easier than ever to show them what changes need to be made.

The low point of the swing is a big factor and this can be affected by the pressure trace reading. The reading should favour and stay the majority of the time on the lead leg during the shot and have very little lateral movement compared to a full swing.

The pressure trace pattern I see in amateurs who struggle with chipping tend to have too much lateral movement on to the trail and then back onto the lead leg during the shot. Something that can be visually checked is the head movement of the player.That is achieved by drawing a line on the lead side of the head at set up (see below, right) and can be used as a cross reference during the swing. But this is not a 100 percent cure.

Other aspects that are vital to consistent chipping are mobility, stability and strength – all influences that can impact short game ability. A “TPI” (Titleist Performance Institute) physical screen assessment is something I always take my students through as there may be a single leg balance, glute strength or even a disassociation issue between the upper and lower body that may have some influence in the swing characteristics. If you have having issues getting up and down consistently around the greens, consider a visit to DCGYC’s Peter Cowen Golf Academy to add the latest technology to your game improvement ambitions.  You won’t be disappointed.

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Matthew Brookes is a PGA teaching professional and golf specific fitness trainer at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club’s Peter Cowen Academy Dubai.

The post Fatting or thinning your chips? Both? Watch this! appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Euan Bowden
At the Peter Cowen Golf Academy at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club we promote, teach and hone golf swings controlled by the body. It is important to rotate the body – the catalyst of the entire movement – well in order to unwind in a free flowing manner through the ball. 

Over the summer, we have installed a brand new swing studio, equipped with Trackman and new Ground Reaction Force Plates from Swing Catalyst, to highlight the correct sequencing of the golf swing.

The fluid and powerful sequencing of the swing is often best achieved through correct rotation of the body in the backswing. Here’s how to picture that rotation.

Imagine a spiral staircase, the type that typically goes around and up. That is how we want to think of the body rotating in the backswing, around and up. When you do this it is crucial to keep your balance points (top and bottom of your spine) aligned on top of each other through the rotation, to remain centred. As you do this, you want your pressure to favour your right side throughout the movement of the backswing to set you well to move forward and through the shot from there.

If you misalign these balance points and do not rotate well in the backswing, your body will react in the downswing which can often jeopardise your club path and strike through impact. Typically, this ‘reaction’ in the downswing will lead to the sequence of the downswing being mistimed and not allow you to maximise your ground reaction forces. By not utilising your ground reaction forces you are missing out on the distance that your body is naturally able to generate.

Aligning the balance points by rotating well and loading pressure into your trail side in the backswing, you are then well set to unload into a free flow through the ball with little manipulation. This will help you maximise your ground reaction forces, allowing you to create distance as well as controlling the club path and strike through impact.

Visit the Peter Cowen Golf Academy for check-up in our Swing Catalyst. A session with one of our Swing Catalyst Certified Instructors will make sure you are getting the most out of your swing and ensure your body is allowing you to maximise the forces available to you.

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Euan Bowden is PGA teaching professional at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club’s Peter Cowen Academy Dubai.

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