Protip
with Louis Melanson
The Moment of Truth – Impact!
For every golfer, this game can be a mysterious sport! Some days you have it
and some days you don’t. On those quirky and off days, people will try all
sorts of stuff to get back on the bus. They will try different things and,
believe me, they would try and pay anything to find the instant moment of
glory. The sad part is, it doesn’t happen overnight.
Last year I had the chance to caddy for one of my students at the Bell
Canadian Open, a prominent stop on the PGA Tour, at the famous Glen Abbey
Golf Club. We had the chance to rub shoulders with some of the best players
in the world. After that week of a lifetime, it made me realize a lot of
stuff about golf. These guys are human; they miss shots, and some easy ones,
sometimes. But what impressed me the most was their work ethic. They hit
hundreds of balls and some players hit over a thousand balls a day. Vijay
was one of them. We saw him at 5:30 am under the lights hitting balls for a
couple of hours before his round, then after his round for a couple of hours
and again after supper for another couple of hours He hit balls for 6 hours,
plus he played 18 holes. And you can add 2 full-blown physical workouts on
top of that. Wow! After that show, I realized that we should not get mad or
throw clubs if we miss a shot. Perhaps, by lowering our expectations we will
enjoy the game a lot more and our scores should reflect our new positive
attitude.
On the technical side
One observation of the tour players is that their fundamentals are sound -
grip, posture etc…
Another thing that was identical with every tour player was the impact
position. The sound and the flight of the ball were incredibly awesome.
Impact position;
85 to 90 % of their weight is on the left side ( Right handed golfer)
Head is slightly behind the ball
Hands or handle of club(Grip) is ahead of the club head at impact (see top
picture)
1-To attain these ideal positions practice in front of a mirror and hold the
impact position for at least 20 seconds.
2- Another exercise - try hitting an old tire or impact bag and try to
attain those 3 key positions.
3- One of my favourite practice drills is to hit 7 iron shots from under a
6-foot high imaginary branch that is 10 yards in front of you. When you are
able to hit it under the branch, you will have successfully attained all 3
positions.
For more information on proper impact or any issues about golf please
contact your local CPGA professional.
Louis Melanson, BEP, CPGA
Top 50 instructors in Canada- National Post- 2005
Atlantic Teacher of the year – 2002 and 2004
RCGA Regional Coach for NB
Owner and founder of the Louis Melanson Golf Academy
www.louismelansongolf.com
(506) 871-4938
