Andrew Corthing Golf Academy

  Set the Shaft at 45° Studies show that your clubshaft should sit at an angle between 45 to 47 degrees as you swing into impact ( very similar to the ideal shaft angle at address). Since it's hard to know for sure what 45° feels like, set up using a square box as a guide. Set the heel of your driver against the far lower corner of the box, then adjust your stance so that the shaft crosses the high near corner. Now you are set. Golf Greetings ⛳ 

 One of the intriguing facts of the golf swing is that a player will usually duplicate at impact the position he was in at address. Linked with this is the fundamental idea that the hands should be slightly ahead of the ball at impact, thus leading the clubhead through the ball and out toward the target.  The obvious conclusion? At address you should set yourself up so that your hands are ahead of the ball, not opposite it or behind it. This will not only aid in achieving good position at impact, it will make it possible to start the club, the hands and the arms back simultaneously in a firm, controlled swing. A good way to make sure that you can consistently be in the proper address position is to take your stance and then place your hands in such a way that a straight line could be drawn from the clubhead, up through the left hand and to the left shoulder. Golf Greetings ⛳ 

 ".... but lizards breath mostly as if their lives depended." Douglas Livingston  One greatly neglected aspect of life is the most important of them all: breathing. You do it automatically, so what's the fuss about, right? Well, focused breathing is a little something that can relax you, energise you and add power to your swing. To relax yourself, before you even set up, take two or three slow, deep breaths that fill your stomach. Exhale slowly. This will free your shoulders of tension and clear your mind. Now you are ready to focus on the shot. Take deep breaths and exhale slowly before each shot. You will soon begin to notice the improvement in the quality of your game...simply because, relaxed, you will enjoy the round more! Enjoy!!! To relax yourself, before you set up, take two or three slow, deep breaths that fill your stomach. Exhale slowly.

 You have driven into a fairway sand trap and are not only some distance from the green, but also have a poor lie. What can be done? Well firstly stay calm, for you have not necessarily lost a stroke. Assume that you are a seven-iron distance from the green, but the difficult lie indicates that it would be impossible to reach it with that club. Provided the lip of the trap will not interfere, use a five-iron and hit what amounts to a long explosion shot. Play the ball in its normal position between the feet, making sure you have a good firm stance in the sand so that you will not slip during the Swing. Open the face of the club and take it back slightly to the outside, using a full backswing. Aim toward the left of the target, because you will be hitting a fading shot, and hit just as close behind the ball as the sand will permit. Hit hard with the right hand, but do not let the wrists turn over at or just after impact. A five-iron explosion hit in this fashion is going to carry ap...

 If despite a smooth, strong swing you are not getting the distance you feel you deserve, it may well be because your hip-turn through the hitting zone is too restricted. Here is two adjustments at address to overcome this restriction. I think the changes have given me freedom to move my hips faster on the downswing, increasing my distance as much as 10%, and I recommend them. At address most golfers will turn the left foot about 30° to the left. When i tried this particular stance i always felt that my hip turn was being checked too soon and that as a consequence I was losing power. My left foot is now turned out 45°. In addition, I have moved my right foot forward just a little so that my stance is a slightly open one, rather than closed as is more conventional. Thus I set up like a boxer who is about to throw a long right hand punch and who must get his body completely out of the way if he expects to hit his opponent hard. On the downswing  i am able, like the boxer, to ach...

 Every time you play golf you are going to encounter narrow holes, where accuracy off the tee is far more important than distance. Since a dead-straight shot is one of the hardest to hit and a hook can often get completely out of control, accuracy is best achieved with a controlled fade.  Such a shot can be hit by doing what is called blocking out. The phrase refers to the right side and the right hand, which are blocked from dominating the shot, making a hook impossible. The Swing for the controlled fade should be made primarily with the arms.  The backswing must be all arms, compact and smooth,  with very little wrist action. The downswing must be forced. At impact it is necessary that the left side remain rigid and that the right hand move straight out toward the target, The follow-through should be high and upright. Enjoy!!

One of the overlooked sources of power in a golf swing is the knees, especially the right knee. The hips, knees and feet all work together in creating power, but the knees serve as the focal point.   For every shot except the very short ones, a line extending across the kneecaps should point at the target. As the club comes back, the left knee should turn in toward the right. Now the right knee becomes the critical point of the entire swing. When it is braced in this fashion, the body is coiling like a spring around the knee.  This firmness builds up power by swaying away from the ball. As the downswing starts, the strength contained by the right knee is abruptly released by pushing off the inside of the right foot.This will cause the right knee to turn directly toward the target, which helps push the whole body, and the power in it, in the direction the ball is being hit.  Before you look for such a source of additional power,  you must have a well-diciplined b...

One of the intriguing facts of the golf swing is that a player will usually duplicate at impact the position he was in at address. Linked with this is the fundamental idea that the hands should be slightly ahead of the ball at impact, thus leading the clubhead through the ball and out toward the target. The obvious conclusion? At address you should set yourself up so that your hands are ahead of the ball,  not opposite or behind it.  This will not only aid in achieving good Position at impact,  it will make it possible to start the club, the hands and the arms back simultaneously in a firm, controlled swing. 

There are two basic principles to keep in mind on those days when the wind is threatening to destroy your poise and your game.  If the wind is in your face you should hit a shot that imparts very little backspin to the ball. If the wind is at your back you should concentrate on getting the ball up into the air as fast as you possibly can.  The best way to reduce backspin on a shot directly into the wind is to play the ball back nearer the right foot than usual , while keeping the hands in the same relative position to the ball that they would normally be at address-if the ball has been moved back 2 inches,  move the hands back 2 inches. The result will be a shot that will start low, stay low and have little backspin. The same technique should be imployed regardless of what club been used.  Golfluv