Tip of the Month

January 2005

By John Pallot
Director of Instruction

40th annual Junior Orange Bowl International Junior Championship

Last month the Biltmore hosted the 40th annual Junior Orange Bowl International Junior Championship. One hundred twenty boys and girls representing 20 countries and the U.S. competed. These young golfers have immense talent and they played beautifully long towering drives, accurate iron shots, great bunker shots and deadly putting. As unofficial videographer of the JOB golf tournament for the last 15 years, I've seen many great players and swings including this year's winners, Chris Ward and Julieta Granada. With all the top youngsters, this years field was as good as advertised. Although no two swings were identical, I noticed a trend amongst the top juniors. The left hand is a touch stronger, meaning three knuckles are visible on top of hand. The club-head is outside the hands on the takeaway (this promotes a wide, on plane backswing) and the wrists are fully cocked when the left arm is parallel to the ground. Light grip pressure is essential at address for this to happen. These fundamentals allow them to create maximum club-head speed and a square club-face at impact. Look at the pictures - Try this the next time you practice. It will help you hit like tomorrow's stars.