Category: Video Tip

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HOW TO DEVELOP ‘F-E-E-L’ IN YOUR PUTTING STROKE BEFORE YOUR ROUND BEGINS

Developing Feel is crucial for Putting (not to mention your overall golf swing for that matter!)

As a young man, I walked onto the putting green at Wilshire CC in Los Angeles to practice my putting.  I immediately walked up to a hole and dropped a few balls around 5 feet from the cup and tried to ‘make them’.  Jerry Barber, the 1961 PGA Champion and the Head Pro at Wilshire, was standing on the green watching me.  Jerry was, without question, one of the greatest putters in PGA Tour history.

Mr. Barber walked over to me, and said, “Whoa – wait a minute, son.  Warming up that way in putting is exactly OPPOSITE of how you should do it”.  He explained that Rhythm and Feel are THE most important aspects of putting – next to envisioning the line of the putt.  He went on to explain that I should be practicing longer puts to gain the feel of a full rhythmic stroke, rather than practice a putt with a shorter stroke.

Ever since that day, I’ve always gone on to the practice putting green before a round and started out with the longest putt on the green.  No doubt, it’s paid dividends over all these years.

Fast forward to 1997, and I was on the practice putting green with my friend, Bruce Summerhays (who had a great career on the Senior Tour), before a round at the Kaanapali Senior Classic in Maui.  Bruce was using a fairly long putter and I asked him what were his thoughts with it.  He said, “Roger, Jerry Barber once gave me the best tip on putting I’ve ever received:  He said when I walked onto the putting green to warm up, to start with a real long putt and take full long strokes to establish rhythm and feel.”  I only chuckled 😉

Give it a try the next time you go to the putting green and I’m sure you’ll develop a much more fluid and rhythmic putting stroke.

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DEVELOP FEEL AND PERCEPTION WITH THE ONE HANDED DRILL

Putting Drill to Improve Your Feel and Perception

One of the most common mistakes people make in putting is putting ‘To the Ball’ and not ‘Through’ to the target. And, the most common reason people do that is Tension. Getting too tense will almost certainly retard your stroke and take away your rhythm. Although there are some great putters who ‘stabbed’ their putts, or as Tom Watson did ‘popped’ it, the majority of great putters all had fluid strokes extending energy towards the hole.

A great way to practice  putting  ‘Through’ the ball towards the target is by practicing putting one handed – preferably with your dominant hand (ie., the right hand for the majority of golfers). Not only will you be forced to putt through to the hole, but you’ll automatically become more focused on the line and target.

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GET TENSION OUT OF YOUR SHOULDERS

GET TENSION OUT OF YOUR SHOULDERS WITH SHOULDER CIRCUMDUCTION

Tension comes in several fashions: Mental, Emotional, Physical – and Nutritional are but a few ways. Regarding physical stress, Sitting Down is probably the most common way that stress develops in our bodies, and especially in our Shoulders. When we sit down and bend over, the shoulders, neck, and upper back are actually carrying the weight of the head – which is designed to be directly on top of the shoulders and the hips. (Imagine carrying a bowling ball around the back of your neck all day!)

In the golf swing, having tight shoulders will absolutely retard the free flowing motion of the upper trunk and rob the golfer of a smooth and powerful golf swing. On that note, one of the things I always remember about Jack Nicklaus, was when he would walk down the fairway shaking his arms and shoulders to get any tension out of his arms.

In today’s video, Tommy Jacobs, Susan, and myself are demonstrating a super easy to do Arm and Shoulder Circumduction exercise to… TAKE A SWING AT TENSION!!

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SINGLE & DOUBLE LEG PELVIC TILTS

SINGLE & DOUBLE LEG PELVIC TILTS (a Short and Simple Way to Stretch your Lower Back)

One thing is for certain: the Sitting Down Forward Bending Culture that we live in, tightens up your hips and lower back muscles something fierce!

Tight hips and tight lower back muscles are usually the cause of most back pain, and especially lower back pain. On top of that, tight hips and lower backs also lead to hip function in the golf swing. The hips and legs are absolutely the Engine of the Golf Swing, and when they get restricted, the golf swing will also be restricted and forcing you to compensate.

When a person has tight hip flexors and lower backs, it usually means that the Front Muscles of the hips have tightened and shortened pulling the upper torso forward, while simultaneously tightening the low back. This condition is called Lower Cross Syndrome, ie., Tight Hip Flexors and Low Back, and weak glutes and abs.

A simple stretch to loosen up the hips and lower back are Single and Double Leg Pelvic Tilts. These simple stretches can be done Actively (holding the stretch for 1-2 seconds), or Statically (holding the stretch for 20-60 seconds).

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GET IN BALANCE IN YOUR PUTTING STANCE TO GET TOP SPIN

Well Balanced Putting Stance

Although there are a lot of ways to stand for Putting, one thing is for sure – we want to get Top Spin on the ball so that it rolls true and won’t be as susceptible to the variances in the grass. Hitting down on it will certainly make the ball ‘hop’ and get out of control.

Your balance and stance actually make a major factor in this, as standing too far away from the ball can promote a Breaking Down of the Wrists which will alter the face of the putter usually adding too much loft, and again – lose control. However, standing closer to the ball with your weight balanced, will automatically help connect your arms and shoulders and allow the stroke to be more of a pendulum type of action by the Big Muscles.

In today’s video, I’ll demonstrate how to get into a proper balanced stance to get that ball ‘Top Spinning’ right into the hole!

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IS YOUR BACKSWING GETTING SHORTER AS YOU AGE?

If you’re like most people, you’ve probably noticed that as you’ve gotten older (and played deeper onto the Back Nine of Life), your backswing  and drives have both gotten shorter.

One way to see if your lack of flexibility is causing this, is to check out your lat muscles.  If your lats and pecs are tight, the odds are your backswing will be restricted.  Keeping the lats flexible is crucial to maintaining a long and free-flowing swing for a lifetime.

THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT YOU CAN ACTUALLY RETARD THE AGING PROCESS AND KEEP YOUR SWING LONG AND FREE-FLOWING BY DOING THE PROPER FLEXIBLITY PROTOCOLS!

However, I also want to emphasize – It’s not just doing one stretch that will cure you, it’s the whole combination.  All these muscles work together.  After you find out just how much your lats are restricting your backswing, don’t just do an overhead extension stretch to try and cure your lat muscles.  Make sure you get on an all-encompassing flexibility program that especially targets your lower body, core, and upper torso.

If you do the right stretches in the right order, and especially ‘BREATHE’ properly, you don’t have to lose your flexibility and distance!

With consistency and diligence you’ll start to achieve radical improvement in your flexibility and in your swing.

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A GREAT DRILL TO GET YOUR SHOULDERS ON PLANE


If you’re like most people, who spend their life sitting behind a desk, in a car, or in front of the TV, you probably have tight pecs and shoulder – which in turn, create forward head posture. Having a tight and restricted upper torso (accompanied with forward head posture) makes it harder to open up your chest and rotate your shoulders through the shot.

Controlling your shoulders means controlling your swing. Remember, big muscles control little muscles. Try the flagstick drill and you’ll begin to feel the proper rotation of your shoulders, as well as all of your body parts moving in unison.

In the video I demonstrate a drill for keeping the shoulders “on plane” but it’s a lot harder if you can’t open up and expand your chest. The best way to get more flexibility in your shoulders might surprise you… It starts with stretching your lower body.

In Roger Fredericks Reveals Secrets to Golf Swing Flexibility™ DVD Set, I show you not just which parts of your body to stretch but the right way to stretch, which includes which order to stretch in. Like tiles on the roof of your house, each muscle in your body is independent but only works when they all work together in the right direction.

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The RIGHT ARM ONLY DRILL


Learn How to Clear Your Left Side and Develop More Speed and Power with the RIGHT ARM ONLY DRILL

Take the ball away and just about everyone makes a fairly smooth, natural swing. However, when you put that little white ball down, it’s often a different story! (ie. ‘Same Face – different Swing 🙂

Every golfer has heard how important it is to have the Left Arm and Side in control during the swing. HOWEVER, the left side will often ‘get stuck’ and prevent the golfer from moving into the ball with speed and power! Moving into the ball properly is what it’s all about. No matter how you take it back, if your body starts down properly, your odds of hitting a good shot are pretty good. The Right Arm Only Drill will help you do just that by not only making it easy to shift onto your front foot, but also get your left side out of the way. This drill will help you swing through the ball – not to it.

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Your Grip Could be Holding You Back and Costing You Distance

Although there are a lot of ways to grip the club, one thing is certain: You must have the club held SECURELY in your hands! After all, your hands are the only direct communication you have with the club. Whether you have an interlock, overlap, or 10 finger grip, the club must be held securely in the last 3 fingers of the left hand ‘pressing’ up against the pad of the hand, and primarily with the middle two fingers of the right. Again, if the club isn’t held securely, there’s a good chance your shots won’t be solid and consistent.

Whether you’re hitting irons or woods, I recommend that you grip the club the same way for all shots. Overall, I prefer a Stronger Grip for the average golfer where the ‘V’ of the left forefinger and thumb is pointing towards the right shoulder. This automatically allows the wrists to hinge the club naturally.

Watch this video and learn a sure way to hold the club properly.

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Watch This Video And Test Your Shoulder Turn


TAKE THIS TEST AND SEE HOW FAR YOU CAN ACTUALLY TURN YOUR SHOULDERS.

(Can you get your shoulders ‘In Line with your extended leg? If not, don’t try to make THE BIG TURN!)

I’ve been saying for years, that ‘just because you get older, doesn’t mean you have to lose your flexibility’ – at least to the to the degree that our society has brain washed us into believing,  i.e. that once you get on ‘The Back Nine of Life’, it’s all over.

The SECRET is maintaining your flexibility, strength, and function, which can be done with a ‘Proper’ Flexibility Program. I’ve seen A LOT of people during my career who maintained their flexibility – and many who have actually INCREASED  IT as they got older!

To see  where your shoulder turn is – or isn’t, try the Pretzel Test again.  If you’ve regressed, I highly suggest that you get back on my Flexibility Programs – especially with the Holiday Season coming up.