Very good point, but also two of these are things you can consistently set up prior to the shot and then really just focus on shifting your weight forward when you swing to hit the ball first
I got a coach for 3 one hour lessons, and him showing me live worked so fast. It’s hard to translate a video to the game is hard, the lesson make learning way easier
I love Rick's videos - but if I was to be critical -- Rick is quite consistent with his driver. However, he has consistency issues with his irons because he swings his irons at about 90%. He consistently tries to hit an iron 10 or so yards further - instead of clubbing down using a 3/4 swing and maintaining control. I don't know how many videos I've watched of Rick where hes 160 yd out and trying to get there with an 8 iron instead of hitting a 3/4 7 and maintaining control.
if people legitimately practice this they will truly realize how important these three basics are. but you have to build the consistency with practice and play. another huge thing I discovered that helps with this is focusing on one specific dimple on the top of the ball 2-3 rows towards your clubface. if you can stay focus on that one dimple your entire swing you will make better contact. hope this helps! high school golfer been playing 16 years! edit: I am almost 30 lol I am not a 16 year old who has been playing since I was born hahahaha
Need this as confirmation. I’m always striving for that “moving forward motion”. Can only achieve it if I pause for a second. Which has helped so much.
RU-vid has become so dangerous for golfers as it so readily leads them into this Overlearning Trap as identified in the still relevant Viven Saunders book - The Golfing Mind
I been watching your old instructional videos because my game has been suffering recently. It’s so cool that you’ve reiterated some basics! It’s always the basics that trip us up! Thank you Rick!
Phil Mickelson has a video out of never putting the ball in the center of his feet when he chips. He lines the ball up with his front foot. I tried it, and never looked back
@@Mihigo26 why pay for basic tips he can get for free and put in to practice before paying money to get instructions based on his swing, something he probably hasn’t even developed yet
One thing you might notice in Rick’s swing here is a final adjustment he makes before starting his swing? Go back and watch again, did you notice it? The correct answer is shaft lean! Just before his takeaway Rick moved his hands about two inches forward, creating a slight shaft lean! Your shaft should never be perpendicular to the ground at contact. You want your hand just slightly ahead of the ball so that the shaft of your club leans about 12-13 degrees off of being perpendicular. This ensures that you hit your club face square as you un-hinge your wrists and turn through contact.
All good advice Rick on hitting irons consistently! Definitely the way I want to set up! Glad to see you back giving instructions! Good Job Rick! Keep up the good work!
Rick's video on how to grip a putter if you have the yips literally transformed my game. Thanks Rick for all the incredibly useful golf lessons and tips!!
My biggest problem is ball position. I have a tendency to play the ball a little too far forward in my stance. Next time I play I'm going to try to have the ball in the middle of my stance, and we'll see what happens. Good video, Rick. I'm saving it to my Golf Videos folder.
Thanks to tips like this, I’ve gotten better at my swing and hitting my shots more consistently as a beginner. I’ll be taking a lesson or two and finally hit the course this summer 😎
it's better to add more loft by using a more lofted club. the idea is to have every strike hit the ball at the same angle, and let the loft of the club be what gets the ball into the air, instead of trying to scoop it up and fling it.
Great video, absolutely spot on advice. Really easy to follow and short and to the point, I like that as I can have a a quick look on my phone at them before I try and put it into practice on the driving range.
Love the analogy of moving your sternum around the front foot, which I will completely steal off of you for the forehand in Tennis and also the backhand!
Absolutely brilliant. Been struggling with my irons and put this content to good use today around the course. Plenty to work on but this is a great reminder of set up for me. Thankyou
Great video. A teacher I had echoed one of your points years ago. Basically that there are many different types of swings but every good golfer has hands passing the ball before the club, and makes contact with ball first. Still not easy :)
I would NOT like to identify how close I am to the ball by looking at the angle my arms dangle.. you can still be too close and too far from the ball that way cause you can just keep adjusting your hip bend to compensate. But YES the main tip was good, consistent distance from the ball is a must. I go for a balanced consistent set posture with my arms and legs and hip bend, you have to have the muscle memory to feel that position then just get in that position. you should feel balanced at address. Definitely not the hardest thing to do just takes checking what that position feels like a lot so you can engrain it and remember what the position feels like, and eventually you dont have to think about it.
Great lesson Rick. Enjoyed it. Question though these lessons are nice on flat ground. Is there any changes or allowances to be made for things like uphill lies, downhill lies and side hill lies???
I consistently go back to your Complete Golf Swing video series when my iron shots start to miss the target. I watch the videos and head back to the driving range and I can usually find out where I was going wrong. Would recommend those videos
This is exactly the video i needed Rick. As a still new player, I've been struggling being consistent with my iron play. Just a few weeks ago I sent my 7 iron club head flying out on to the range after completely mishitting it. It was pretty embarrassing. I guess no 7 iron play for a while now unfortunately 😅. I need to look back at your older videos and get back to the basics.
Cheers Rick , really struggling to stay consistent,in my 50s and old bad habits are killing me.driving ok but not long, putting ok but my long irons definitely affect my score .Gonna go back to basics and follow your tips , hopefully i can get back to some decent golf play.
I was looking for foot position today Read a few articles on the subject but this video comes at the right time to help foot placement. Thanks for the help. I've been playing for a year and I'm still a 105 120 player. I'm trying to learn all I can to improve
I’ve watched this video many times now. The third tip has made a tremendous difference in helping me with more consistent strikes. I used to top the ball on most every hit.
Rick, thank you! I have focused on these 3 iron tips and it has helped me so much! I'm hitting the ball consistently in the middle of the face with more accuracy and better ball flight. Awesome 🎉
This takes me back to my swing lessons. I was taught to put my irons in slightly different spots in my stance than you do, but I also don't have fitted clubs either so finding the effective angles is a bit less natural. That part of it goes hand in hand with distance from the ball too. Swing coaching really helped me. Not just with my swing but my attitude too. Golfers are waaaay cockier than we tend to think we are. I went in thinking I knew the general issues with my swing but I wasn't even close. Had to do a lot of rebuilding and lost a lot of distance in the first month or so, but since then I've shot my 2 best scores (a 2-over 9-hole round with 2 birdies last summer, and a 10-over 18-hole round with 6 one-putts and a hole-out birdie 2 weeks ago; and my handicap is 21). I also noticed a huge difference between safe swings and risky swings. Wedges and mid-irons I'll usually club up and stay safe unless I need the spin, and I almost never hit driver at full swing. Once in a while on a long par 3 you just need to pure the loftiest club you can to make it stick, but that type of shot shouldn't be most people's first choice in normal situations if at all possible. No need to choose a gap wedge over a pitching wedge from 130yds solely for ego.
But don't move your head forward as you transition into the downswing, keep looking at the back of the ball as your hips move forward and back at impact. Great tips, Rick!
My problem is releasing at impact rather than just after. Apex at the bottom which causes a pretty high ball flight and no roll afterwards. Really trying to practice hitting forward more by contacting the ball first.
Just to be clear, you’re saying to hit the ball THEN the ground?! I feel like such an idiot . I’ve been doing it backward. No wonder your a professional 💪🤙⛳️🏌️♂️
Well Rick, after 46 years of golfing and having hovered around a 7 hc for 44 of them, my fundamentals are solid and re-check regularly. Yet I have never been under a 5. I’ve been writing “Penguins don’t Fly,” an instructional book based on gems that made my mediocre golf into one that rarely shoots over 79. That’s about a 3 hc or better. I never got there nor do I think I ever will (69 today.) An Eagle, the pro, any pro from the ranks of shop manager (or youtuber) to tour stars have something that we amateurs, the Penguins don’t. Take your video here. Eagle says just flap your wings like this and fly. Flap ‘till we faint, we Penguins don’t fly. Hogan said that anyone can break 80. But less than 10% of the golfing world ever do. Tommy Armour said that anyone shooting mid seventies is an expert. That’s 3 or better. With that, I was awaiting releasing my book as a 3 hc and a 67 year old that can carry 280+ for customary 300+ drives. The drives happened but I couldn’t break that 5 barrier. My putting. Not the stroke or technique but the sharp eyes to read greens faded - Tom Watson said the same, that he was a better ball striker after 60 but had trouble reading greens. At 69 today and NDE at 68, I hit nearly all fairways with 230-40 carry, 12/18 gir, and my short game is better than ever but I’m well over 30 putts. An easy bunker shot I’m confident in getting within 6 feet but I’m missing four footers with bad reads. What is it that pros like you, Rick have that we amateurs just can’t get? I’d like to think that any enthusiast from the proper tees should be able to occasionally shoot a par round. After all, par means average, normal, typical, customary. Good fundamental advice, Rick but penguins still won’t fly. PenguinGolf
Tip that helped me together with this video. Dirty golfballs so you see where they imprint on your club and adjust accordingly. Thanks Rick, your the man!
Shot 9 after work last week. Some of the worst golf I’ve played in a long time. Everything iron was thin and short. Couldn’t figure out what was wrong. Got home and told my wife and she goes, “You’re wearing your work boots. You’re like a full inch taller.” Learned a couple lessons that day. 😂
Towel drill for that last one is a blessing....freaks me out though as always think i'm gonna hit the towel.....which I dont. Just need to translate practice to course. Thanks for the reminders!!!
I’m afraid I can’t watch insruction from a guy who can’t break 82 and has a backswing tempo at lightning speed. Slooow your swing down and the hooks will go away.
I've been told by a teaching pro at my club, I drive the ball like a single digit handicap and my short game/putting is single digit...but my iron game is like a 30 handicap. I don't think even you could fix me haha
Mu current issue is that I seem to keep slicing my shots. I went 3 round where every iron and wedge sliced massively right immediately. I'd been hitting all of them well, shot a new best round of 86, and then started doing that. Confidence disappeared. Now I can hit most of my shots okay again but once or twice a round my 52 and 56 shots do this and it's killing my confidence with these clubs again. Not sure if it's a shank or wide open face on impact. Does anyone have any suggestions that may help me please?
