Area Sports by Michael Dashiell

Last time in the basic fundamentals, we discussed the grip, so on to posture and alignment. Proper posture actually determines the proper motion, the best medicine for correcting swing faults.

We need to set up in an athletic manner much like a quarterback or infielders in baseball anticipating a hit ball. We need to lean forward with our body out over the ball. Our weight should be over the arches, not on the heels. Knees flexed, not bent. Bending the knees too much will change your weight distribution. Approximately 60 percent of your weight on your right foot.

Now for correct posture. Our spine must be straight from its base to the head. Bend from the waist. Now a good way to keep one's spine straight while bending is to make a fist and put your little finger on your breastbone and your thumb against your chin. This will keep your shoulders from slumping, the major cause of coming over the top in the forward swing. Let your arms hang freely.

Now how to attain proper alignment. Stand directly behind the ball and draw an imaginary line in your mind, from the ball to the target you want the ball to start on. Pick a piece of grass, dirt, anything that is visible, about 2-3 feet in front of the ball. Now the imaginary line is very short so you can approach the ball and stand parallel to that line.



Rules teaser:

A player strikes his ball from a bunker onto a tee box. A player on the tee box accidentally strikes the moving ball with a practice swing and it goes into a water hazard. Ruling?



Answer to last teaser:

A player takes relief from a water hazard and drops his ball and it comes to rest outside of two club lengths and he plays the next shot from there. Ruling? A one-stroke penalty for the water hazard relief and another two-stroke penalty for playing from a wrong place.



John Lucas is the golf professional at Sky Ridge Golf Course and can be reached at john98382@olypen.com.