Let me clarify what I meant by being a 'Bubba" on the golf course. What I want you to do is
emulate what I taught my friend actor Burton "Bubba" Gilliam to do as he's readying himself to
make his swing on the ball towards his target.
Most everyone remembers local north Texas actor/boxer "Bubba" Gilliam from his many
diverse roles in movies like Paper Moon, the Getaway, Gator, Honeymoon in Vegas, and
the classic Blazing Saddles. He also has the distinction of winning more golden gloves
boxing titles in Texas than anyone in history. Bubba is a colorful character that
participates in numerous charity golf events throughout the country so he gets to
play a lot of golf. He told me that during filming on movies sets there is a lot of
down time so he likes to get out to practice and play whenever the opportunity arises.
With a hectic schedule and playing different courses as a guest celebrity he needs to
have a repeatable swing that he can depend upon day after day. The last thing any of us
want to do is to go out an embarrass ourselves in front of our friends and co-workers.
Here's how I showed Bubba how to get into the same setup each and every time over the ball
taking a lot of the guess work out of your game. First, after you gripped your club I
want you to raise the club up to nearly shoulder eye level. Let's go to extremes here
to really drive home this point about measuring yourself to the ball. So I want you to
extend your arms outward from your body as far as you can. This of course is too much
and uncomfortable. Next, bring your arms in as close to your chest as your able. This
in turn is the opposite and would be near impossible to swing from this position as your
jammed. Now with your arms comfortably extended out you'll find your own natural comfort zone.
Then after you have reached this point correctly I want you to hinge(or cock) your wrists
straight upward as your arms are extended. This would be too much wrist hinging. Then go
the opposite direction and try to unhinge your wrists in a downward motion which I think
you'll quickly find quite awardward and painfully uncomfortable. Now you have basically
anywhere in between those two extremes to operate from in order to properly measure yourself
based upon your own height and arm length. By having these dramatic examples of the good
and bad ways to preset your arm & wrist angles there will be no longer any grey area
along the lines of what's the right way and wrong way to measuring yourself to the ball
will be in the future.
After you have this down which shouldn't take anytime to master your ready to lower
the club downward towards the ball. The key to doing this properly is to bend from the
waist as this establishes the proper spine angle tilt. As you lower the club to the ground
by bending from your waist this will allow your legs to have the necessary and correct
knee flex. Your setup and measuring yourself with your club to the ball is the last
variable outside of your initial takeway that you can control because the golf swing
is moving at an incredibly high rate of speed. Establsihing how your body is aligned
to hit the ball is crucial because you could have the best swing in the world and if
your too close or too far from the ball your going to hit a less than great shot this
I promise. To play any sport and particularly a sport like golf you want to do everything
in your power to be prepared and be in the best possible stance your stabilize a sturdy
foundation upon which to swing.
So start acting up and get your dress rehearsal down like Bubba does and your going to
deliver a 'Knockout" performance. Bubba will tell you that whether your boxing to deliver
a punch to your opponent or hitting your marks for a movie role rehearsing is an essential
ingredigent for success. The same thing applies for a golfer as your making your final
preparations to addressing the ball. This attention to detail can make all the difference
whether or not your going to be able to consistently pull of the desired shots your require.
Establishing the proper angles by measuring yourself to the ball correctly each and every
time regardless of what club you might be swinging is the last component you can control
before pulling the trigger. You want one swing to match all your 14 clubs, not 14
different swings. So let out your inner 'Bubba"next time your practicing or playing.
