Henry Brunton is the Canadian National Team head coach and one of the Top-100 North American Teachers for 2005-2006 as recognized by GOLF Magazine. Henry becomes the first and only Canadian to be named to the prestigious list
‘Three Bad Lies’
At present, the ‘golf culture’ is riddled with many myths and widespread misinformation. As a result, many golfers inadvertently develop beliefs and ideas that severely limit their ability to acquire skills and perform. For the uninitiated, a ‘bad lie’ in golf occurs when the ball comes to rest is a less than desirable position that makes the ensuing shot extremely difficult if not impossible to execute well. When a golfer’s ball ends up a divot hole on the fairway, very deep grass in the rough, or ‘plugged’ (semi- buried) in the sand bunker – he has a ‘bad lie’. ‘Bad lies’ are frustrating. From a coach’s standpoint, a ‘bad lie’ is a generally accepted truth that limits possibilities for enthusiasts- enjoyment, skill development, and score. Be keenly aware of the following ‘bad lies’. Don’t let them impede your progress and enjoyment of the game.
(I) Keep Your Head Down’ – This is perhaps the most common ‘tip’ given to novice golfers. What a shame! Consciously keeping your head down severely limits an individual’s capacity to develop an efficient and athletic swing motion. The head is a very heavy part of the human anatomy- it weighs almost one- fifth of our total body weight. If we consciously ‘hold’ it down, it impedes our ability to shift weight, rotate, create force, and move gracefully into a balanced finishing position. Proficient golfers do not ‘hold’ their heads down. There are no exceptions. Annika Sorenstam, the first female to ever shoot 59 is an obvious example of this. Knowingly or not, an expert golfer allows his head to naturally follow the movement of the swinging club. The ball has already traveled over fifteen yards on full shots before we can actually sense where it is heading. ‘Keeping your head down’ leads to poor posture – ‘chin in the chest syndrome’-, an inactive lower body, and places undue stress on the back. All of these things are very undesirable. Please don’t ever hold your head down on purpose when hitting a golf shot. Be natural. Let your head and eyes follow the ball to the target in a balanced position.
(II) ‘Slow Your Swing Down’ – Contrary to popular belief, you should never intentionally try to slow your swing down. Slowing down the swing does not give you more control as you may think. Please do not misinterpret my message here. It is strongly advisable for golfers to be ever aware of smooth tempo and rhythm when swinging. Experiment to find your optimal swing cadence that enables you to create power without jeopardizing balance. Optimal swing tempo is a slightly different for everyone. A smooth back swing is ideal; however, you should never consciously endeavor to slow your swing down in the ‘hitting zone’. This is disastrous. It leads to weak and crooked shots. The overall objective when making a full swing is to deliver the club head squarely to the ball at impact with ultra high velocity. Whenever we achieve this the results tend to be ideal, accurate and powerful shots. If you slow the club head down through the hitting zone, you will be decelerating thereby interfering with the balance and natural rotation of the club. Both distance and direction will be compromised. The clubface will return to the ball in an ‘open’ position thereby encouraging a ’slice’. Never consciously slow your golf swing down. Strive to find your ideal swing tempo. Let the club swing and accelerate naturally without interference. There is no question that you will get what you want when you learn this - straight and powerful shots.
(III) Muscle Memory Does Not Exist’- Contrary to popular belief, ‘muscle memory’ does not exist. ‘Muscle memory’ as people commonly refer to it is a myth. The brain has capacity to remember. Muscles do not. Technically speaking, the physiologists tell us that muscles do indeed have intelligence of sorts, but not in the way in which that people generally think. Despite what you may hear people say (fellow golfers, instructors, and infomercial emcees) muscles have no capacity to ‘memorize’ or recall your golf swing. The muscles do only as they are ‘told’ by the brain. Many golfers practice diligently endeavoring to ‘groove’ their swings in their muscle memory. This is well intentioned and understandable; however, it is a futile approach. A golf swing begins when the mind ‘commands’ the body to move. In golf, there is no reaction or anticipation as is the case with most other sports. We begin from a static starting position. We only swing when we command ourselves to do so. The muscles are ‘dumb’. They do as directed by the mind without fail. Thus, it is critical for us to formulate vivid conceptual pictures in our mind’s eye of the desired motion and flight of the ball before we swing. Being aware of the mind’s role in golf and learning effective mental skills is critical in order to perform optimally. We must learn how to effectively ‘cue’ ourselves and send the right messages from our mind’s to our muscles in order to perform well. Muscle memory does not exist. The mind has capacity to remember. The mind controls the body. Control your mind and your body will follow.
Give yourself your best chance to play your best golf. Don’t let ‘bad lies’ impede your learning or take away from your enjoyment of the game.