Tip of the Month

February 2007

By John Pallot
Director of Instruction

January tees off with the new year and fervent hopes for health, prosperity, and fun in the exciting days that follow. In the highest echelons of the world of golf the touring pros head west to Hawaii, then California then on to Florida. The pros set high goals and begin the work of winning. As this happens, the focus for club pros and merchants of golfing goods turns to Orlando's one million sq.ft. Orange County Convention Center, site and scene of the annual PGA Merchandise Show. If you're not on the tour it's where you go to see old friends and new products designed to transform the way golfers look and perform. Some samples: Bushnell Rangefinders to Clima Cool Shirts. Power Platform Shoes to a Ben Hogan Swing Sequence. Twelve Hundred exhibitors seeking bigger slices of golf pie. Just out of the oven and hot topic this year is an acronym named MOI which stands for MOMENT OF INERTIA. According to Webster's, MOI is, "the tendency of a body to resist angular acceleration." Callaway Golf explains it as a higher MOI means more resistance to twisting on off-center hits. Less twisting means more forgiveness and more distance. Wow! All the leading companies have introduced 460 cc drivers(the maximum allowance permitted by the USGA and the R&A).The extra large club-head provides more stability and a huge sweetspot that delivers increased ball speed, less sidespin and longer straighter shots. Every golfer on the planet wants distance and accuracy. It's made MOI the primary playability consideration in drivers today. We're even seeing square shaped drivers being marketed now(Callaway FT-i and Nike Sumo). The square shape allows weight to be repositioned from the center of the club-head to the toe and heel, thus enlarging the sweet spot.

This month's tip reveals the importance of turning and shifting for longer, straighter drives. A new driver with a high MOI can only do so much.

Tip #1) Backswing turning. Put the butt of the club in your navel and choke down to the shaft. Now begin turning to the right. Follow the club-head with your eyes. You'll feel your body and arms pivoting in unison and the club-shaft staying between your arms. Rehearse this five times then reproduce the motion on your take-away. 85% of all golfers either shift laterally or have very little turning on their backswing. This almost certainly leads to poor contact and slicing.

Tip #2) Swinging, turning and shifting. This is the proper sequence for straight booming drives. Use the Tap and Step Drill to feel the proper body sequence. It's quite simple. Swing back and let your left foot tap the side of your right foot, then step forward with your left foot and swing through. Now tee up a ball and hit a few shots. You'll feel your body turning to the right then shifting and turning to the left. Remember when buying a new driver its the indian not the arrow. You must learn to swing, turn and shift to get the most out of your high MOI bazooka. So follow directions for best results.