A Flare for the game
By T. J. Tomasi
Here’s a question for you: Do you need a complete swing reconstruction or just a
custom re-matching?
If your swing is really bad and you have the time and dedication for a complete overhaul, find a teacher who’s going to be around for at least the next year, agree on a blueprint and stick with it. It took Tiger a year plus each time he retooled his swing.
But if a complete overhaul is more than you need, you can also improve dramatically by understanding how to customize your golf swing.
There are some combinations of swing elements (ball position, grip, clubface position, etc.) that match up well and some that don’t. The problem is that being mismatched creates a “golfing Frankenstein” by combining swing parts that just don’t fit together. For example,
a forward ball position and a shut clubface don’t match well, and neither do a weak grip and quiet hands.
Playing with mismatched elements makes golf hard, so you and your teacher need to scout your swing to make sure you have the correct matchups.
Foot Flare/Release Match
One of the most important matchups is foot flare and release. If you’re hooking the ball, your clubface is too closed at impact, so flare your front foot out to delay the release and keep the clubface open longer.
If you’re slicing, do the opposite: Decreasing the flare of your target foot makes the toe of the club rotate over the heel sooner, something a slicer can use to square the face at impact.