| Golf Tips: Extend Arms for Solid Contact |
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By Jon Ebert
Golf Pro
Question: Lately, I am in the habit of sweeping my irons off the turf, instead of hitting down and through the ground. Even when I move the ball back in my stance, I still catch the ball on the upswing with no divot. Any suggestions? I do the same thing with the woods. -- J.S., Internet. Answer: At address, your arms should be relaxed but fully extended. At impact, your weight should have shifted fully to your left side and your arms should still be fully extended. This will result in contacting the ball slightly on the downswing, which is what you're trying to do. The tendency of many players is to allow the elbows to "buckle" at impact, probably because they're trying to help the ball get into the air by lifting it. Moving the ball back in your stance will not help. Instead, it will cause you to make a reverse weight shift through impact and will tend to make you buckle your elbows through impact even more. Question: How does a weekend golfer go about establishing a USGA Handicap? Many of us are not club members but would still like to establish official handicaps.-- K.S., Naples, Florida Answer: Check with driving ranges or public golf courses in your area. Some of them will have a handicap service available for a yearly charge of $10 to $25. It's a good idea if you want to compete in tournaments where USGA Handicaps are required. (Golf professional Jon Ebert writes for the Naples Daily News in Florida.)
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