By Kim Jeong-kyoo
Korea Times Golf Columnist
Golfers who set up with an erect posture need to get their spine tilted to the right away from the target so the upper body is behind the ball at address.
To do this properly you should step into the ball with the right foot. That not only lowers the right shoulder, but tilts the spine away from the target, which, in turn, helps to place the bodyweight to the right side. Placing the majority of your bodyweight on your right leg facilitates turning around it as you have a solid base.
To establish the correct side tilt of your spine to the right, aim the clubface first at the target, then set your feet and body parallel to the ball-target line. The ball should be positioned directly opposite your left armpit when hitting the driver.
Avoid setting your feet before you aim the clubface squarely to the target. Otherwise, you'll fail to precisely aim at the target.
To aim the clubface correctly at the target, stand behind the ball and pick out a very small target such as the corner of a mountain or a dot of cloud in the sky.
Also critical here is to visualize the shape of the shot you want to play. When the fairway slopes from right to left and favors a draw, for instance, you need to aim your body slightly to the right of the target and draw it back.
Standing too far away from or too close to the ball causes your bodyweight to be on your toes or heels, making it impossible to maintain your balance, without which it's impossible to swing properly.
Correct setup is when the weight is evenly distributed over the balls of the feet and your arms to hang from and directly under the shoulders, not away from the shoulders.
To check the correct distance from the ball, take your normal address position, close your eyes and hover the club off the ground. Now, shift your bodyweight back and forth between your toes and heels until you find a balance on the balls of the feet, then sole the club. When the ball is towards the toe- or heel-side of the clubface, your distance is too far or too close.
To hit the ball far and straight you need to make the biggest circle you can with your arms; to do this properly you need to create the full extension of your arms.
To this end, start the downswing by swinging your right hand away from your right shoulder with your back looking at the target. That facilitates swinging the arms ideally underneath the shoulders so you can hit the ball from inside. That prevents you from swinging your arms, hands and club out toward the ball-target line, ridding your swing of slice and pull to the left.
Crucial to solid impact is good rhythm and balance. Focus on standing tall with the club shaft and your left arm creating an open rectangle and your belt buckle facing the target at the finish. You need to be able to look at the ball flying for several seconds without losing your balance.
Equally crucial to posting a low score is to know, before you play each hole, where the pin is placed and what angle gives you the best approach into the green. That's where you need to try to send your tee shot.
What has to be done first, once you've landed your shot off the tee exactly where you wanted to send, is to check your distance from the ball.
Far more critical than a full swing to posting a low score is the pitching ability that provides you with confidence that you can save par even when you miss the green. The confidence takes a lot of pressure and strokes out of your game.
To pitch the ball well and save par, open your stance, put more weight on your left foot and play the ball back so the clubshaft is leaning slightly forward. That way you can hit the ball cleanly.
The pitch shot needs to be an arm swing going back and a body rotation coming through. Your weight stays left from start to finish, which makes it easier to hit down on the all with a sharp angle of attack.
Start to swing forward by turning your hips and chest through so that your belt buckle points a tad left of the target at the finish.