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Good fundamentals will make your mis-hits more like your good shots–the secret to lower scores

It seems like every student who comes to me for a lesson wants to be “more consistent.” A noble aim. But what is consistency in golf terms? Years ago, Ben Hogan used to say that on a good day he would be happy with the way he hit maybe only three or four shots. That means he hit 10 times that many less than perfectly. On the face of it, that isn’t very consistent. Yet, as we know, Hogan was one of the greatest ball-strikers of all time. In fact, players paired with Hogan would swear he never missed a single shot! Is consistency, then, in the eye of the beholder? Perhaps.

Hogan’s mis-hits were so close to his perfect shots that only he knew when it was a miss. And that’s the main point: Consistency is all about getting the quality of your mis-hits as close as possible to the quality of your good shots.

The key to that kind of consistency is in your fundamentals. You have to improve them to be able to hit enough good shots and to improve your mis-hits so you achieve a higher degree of consistency. The five most important fundamentals that lead to consistency are: (1) your grip, (2) your ball position, (3) your alignment, (4) your tension level and (5) your balance from address to the end of the follow-through. To understand them better, turn the page.

1. Have a consistent GRIP

You have to hold the club so you can cock your wrists properly, maintain a square clubface and keep the club from flying out of your fingers–but not so firmly that any tension goes past your elbows.

That said, you are far better with your lead hand in a stronger position than a weaker one. That’s why I like to see the back of the top hand angled at roughly 45 degrees to where you want the ball to go. A pencil stuck in the back of your glove, as shown here, will tell you if your hand is in the right position.

To prove my point, try the exercise shown on the next page. Put the back of your left hand flat against, say, the side of a golf cart. Now push.

Try it again with your left hand turned into a stronger position. Push again. Big difference. The stronger grip allows you to generate a lot more power. And the more power you have, the less you have to use, so any tension in your grip can safely be reduced.

2. Find consistent ball position

High-handicap golfers don’t always understand that you have to hit down on the ball to get it up in the air. I see them trying to scoop or lift it up. They then place the ball forward in their stances to facilitate that scooping motion. But the ball shouldn’t be played that far forward.

Good players hit down on the ball with the shaft leaning toward the target approaching impact (above), so they trap the ball between club and ground and trust that the ball will spin up into the air. Practice on the range to find the ball position that allows you to do this.

When you have developed confidence in that position on the range, the problem of ball position still isn’t over. You still have to contend with uneven lies on the course. The solution, however, is simple. All you have to do is make a practice swing (right), find the bottom of your clubhead arc, then stand so the ball is there when you actually come to hit it.

3. Aim and ALIGN consistently

When it comes to aim and alignment, most people don’t even know what to aim! They aim their body at the target, then align the clubhead to the body. That’s backward. You should aim the clubface, then position your body to the clubface.

Try this: Take your right forefinger (the clubface) and aim it straight at your target. Then take your left forefinger (your body) and aim it parallel to your right finger (above). See how far left of the target your body should aim? Imagine if your left finger (body) were pointed at the target. Your right finger (clubface) would be pointed way to the right of where you want the ball to go. That problem, of course, leads to another: If you are aligned to the right, your instincts to make the ball go where you want it to will override your desire to make a correct swing. You’ll end up trying to pull the ball back to the left–a recipe for pulls, slices and a variety of other problems.

4. Maintain consistenT TENSION

Physical tension is not necessarily bad. For example, you want to have a sense of lively tension in your feet and legs at address. But–and here is the key–you don’t want that tension spreading into your hips. You also want some tension in your arms and fingers. But, again, you don’t want that tension to get past your elbows. And that’s the problem: Too many golfers have tension in their necks, chest and shoulders. They can’t turn. They can’t swing their arms.

It is important to get your tension level correct at address. Too much at the start will cause it to “evaporate” during your swing. Too little and you’ll seize up at some point in the swing. What you want is an even flow to your tension. You want it to be relatively constant from beginning to end.