7/27/2019 The Duffers Guide to Bogey Golf

1/4

7/27/2019 The Duffers Guide to Bogey Golf

2/4

7/27/2019 The Duffers Guide to Bogey Golf

3/4

Because the wrists uncock at this precise mo-ment, the bowed shaft will be forced to straightenout with a vicious snap, which will tremendouslyincrease the speed of the clubhead as it encoun-ters the back of the ball. Because the speed ofthe clubhead is so great, and because there isstill momentum in the body, the clubhead will

shoot out toward the target until it reaches thelimit of the golfers extended arms, eventuallybringing the whole body around into what isknown as the high finish.

The golfers navel will be aimed directly at thetarget, and the ball will go rocketing toward itsgoal as if fired directly from the belly button.

The ball will go straight because the golfersfeet were properly positioned to send it straight,and because the golfers hands brought the faceof the clubhead into the back of the ball in a per-fectly square position.

Hurray! Now, lets see what happens when wedo it wrong.

First the hands grip the club in a position whichmakes it easier to lift the clubhead up rather thanmove the clubhead around the body, they con-tinue to do so by bending the elbows, taking theline of least resistance.

Because the bent arms no longer need the lefthip to help shove the clubhead into its arc, the

hips are left virtually stationary, still at the positionof address.

Because the whole body has not been em-ployed in the big, extended arc of a full back-swing the swing is more of loop than an arc,more of a circle than an ellipse, and the clubheadis sent not around the turned shoulders butover and behind the head.

Because there is almost no turned body to turnback (it remained more or less at the position of

address), the golfer has no other alternative thanto start hitting the ball from the top of the swing,using only his arms and shoulders, producingforce rather than momentum.

Because the clubhead was over and behindthe golfers head at the top of the swing, it returnsalong the same path, finally meeting the ballalong a line known as outside-in whichmeans that the clubhead crossed the down-swing, and then met the ball as it again crossed

the intended line of flight on its way inside.Because this outside-in downswing allowed

the clubface to slide across the back of the balat the moment of impact (rather than meeting theback of the ball squarely), the ball started off witha clockwise spin, on it.

Because the clubface cannot be effectively

kept square with this kind of swing, it was al-lowed to fall open, increasing the loft of the club-face and increasing the clockwise spin, and alsoadding bottom spin.

Because it is spinning up and to the right, theball will go up and to the right.

Because we will probably never see it again, hope you brought plenty of spares.

Putting It All Together

1. Never try to hit the ball as hard as you canBy saving a little something, youre buying a littleextra smoothness, which will make the ball gofurther in the long run.

2. In the first 12 inches of take-away youshould be able (out of the corner of your eye) tosee the clubhead begin to curve inside the in-tended line of flight. If you cant see it by thenits unlikely its going to happen later whichmeans youll be hitting outside-i and thameans a slice.

3. Every once in a while, stop at the top of thebackswing and try to turn the toe of your club to-ward the sky. Its a good check to see if yourekeeping your clubface square throughout theswing (toe up, clubhead square, toe down orback, clubhead open). Your left hand should beon top of the shaft at the top of the backswingand your right hand should be under the shaft.

4. Dont try to cure a slice by aiming left or toe-ing in the clubhead. Correct your grip and your

swing, not the course or the equipment.5. Dont try to get the shaft parallel to the

ground at the top of the backswing at the ex-pense of the proper grip. An overswing is muchworse than a slightly shortened backswing.

6. Strive to achieve a late hit, by getting all ofyour body through the shot before the clubheadgets there. It should help to practice aiming thebutt of the shaft at the ball as long as you can inthe downswing.

7/27/2019 The Duffers Guide to Bogey Golf

4/4

7. Keep your head steady but not rigid over the ball. The shoulders turn under the chin,while the chin remains as stationary as possible.

8. Dont try to swing while youre still worriedabout something else. Confidence is required inconcentration, and concentration is required inevery shot.

Whats So Tough About Bogey?

1. Get your definitions straight. When youre introuble youre in the rough, or the trap, or thewater; when youre in danger, those are theplaces youre going to be in if your present shotgoes wrong. Recognize a dangerous lie whenyou get to it, and then head for safety before youget into more trouble.

2. Use your scorecard to keep a three-wayrunning check on your game: how many strokesyouve played, how many strokes youve lostthrough inexperience, and how many strokesyouve lost because you didnt think. It may takeyou a whole season to stop slicing, but you couldstop making bad decisions today, if you tried.

3. Spend five minutes a day on getting in phys-ical shape for golf. Youll feel better, youll livelonger, and it will speed up the time it takes toget your game in shape.

Those Last Few Yards to Glory1. Theres a big difference between going for

the green and going for the cup. Go for thesmaller target as soon as you can. Often the duf-fer will be well within range for a precision shot,and waste the opportunity by not recognizing it.He fails to hit the target because he failed to try.

2. Take a few practice swings before everyshot, particularly before the precision shots: theapproaches and the putts. You should be able to

trim the grass in practice before you try to hit theball. Dont try to hit it until you can.

3. Never try to hit the ball softly. Every shot inthe repertoire must be crisp and authoratative.

4. When in doubt about distance, over-clubyourself and swing easily, rather than trying tostrain a few extra yards by overswinging.

5. Always be willing to go a shade long. Ac-cording to the old saying, If its not up, it willnever go in. Duffers are notorious for shooting

short.6. If you tend to tense up when faced with a

delicate little chip, start your practice sequenceby hitting it too big, and then systematically re-duce the swing to the right weight. The shorterthe shot, the smoother it must be.

7. If you cant judge weight easily, imagine

youre lobbing the ball underhand, then stroke itwith what feels like the smae amount of effort.8. When you get in the sand, remember that

the first requirement is to get out any way youcan.

9. Remember, the explosion shot from sandis exactly that, an explosion of sand caused byyour club biting in a couple of inches behind theball and then carrying through. Its the follow-through which makes it an explosion; otherwiseits just an earth tremor, and that wont get theball out.

Happiness Is a One-Putt Green

1. Approach each putt with confidence. If youthink you can make it, frequently youre right. Ifyou dont think you can make it, chances are youwont even try.

2. The proper putting stroke sweeps the balinto the cup, it doesnt swoop down and try toknock it in.

3. Follow through with every putt; never jab atthe ball.

4. Adopt any grip or stance or body positionyou want to, as long as it allows you to keep yourbody steady and does not restrict a smoothstraight stroke.

5. At address, position your hands just a triflelow, so that you dont have to consciously lift theclub to free the blade from the grass.

6. Keep your eyes on the ball until you hit it

then keep looking at where the ball was until youhear it drop into the cup. Never lift your headnever look at the cup until the ball completely dis-appears from your field of vision.

7. Learn how to read the green backward, fromthe cup back to the ball. Figure out where yourball has to get to roll into the cup, then worryabout how to get it there.