Friends and players,
By now many of you know that The Club Caddy is a great tool makes the game easier while on the course. It does so much for players, all at the same time, and saves Time, Effort and Money (http://clubcaddygolf.blogspot.com/).
However, The Club Caddy is also a device that players can use for TRAINING!
SWING PLANE: Proper swing arc
Many of us have heard of a Swing Plane teaching tool. Most instructors and players I’ve seen use a golf club shaft with the head removed, that is inserted (pushed) into the ground, out to the right (for righties/left for lefties) at the same angle as the players practice club at address. This simulates the proper shaft angle of the club at address in relation to the ground. The players takeaway and back swing will carry the club head up along the same plane as the swing plane, to the top and back down again, thereby teaching muscle memory for our swing and the proper plane for the swing.
The Club Caddy was designed to hold a club up just as if the player were holding it at address–that is Properly Soled, which automatically puts it at the proper plane. By clipping your Caddy to a club (I use a 5 iron but a 3, 4, or fairway club works just as well) so that the club is soled correctly, you have created a SWING PLANE. Set outside the swing path, far enough out that you won’t hit it during the swing, and so that you can see it peripherally. You now have a swing plane in your bag, using only your club and a Club Caddy. No need to carry something else to the range. With a Club Caddy you already have your own Swing Plane whenever you want it. It’s EASY and it WORKS!
CLUB FACE ALIGNMENT: Chipping & Pitching
Any competent golf instructor will tell you that your clubface should be aligned square to the target in order to hit that target. An unsquare clubface will create spin and throw your shot off-line (unless of course you intend to create side-spin).
Chipping and pitching are very Target Specific. A player must strike the ball squarely and on-line to have any hope of landing on a specific target and achieving the desired result. My problem is that I have a tendency to align right of my target, probably because of my right-eye-dominance. So I practice clubface alignment (if my clubface is aligned properly, I can set up using that alignment). By clipping my Club Caddy to my practice club, I can set-up to the ball, set my alignment and then gently release the club (it will stay where you set it), step back and behind the ball, and look down the target line and see where I am really lining the face. There are tools on the market that help with this but you can’t get two different perspectives with them because you can’t let go of the club and look down the line (the club won’t hold itself up).
This technique has greatly improved my game. Now I feel confident that I am on-line and have a chance to make that shot! I use this whenever I seem to be getting offline and it does help me. All possible because I can release my club, step back and look at it from another angle while my club is standing up where I left it. You have to remove the Caddy in order to actually hit shots but you can train-your-eye to be on target.
Do not try to hit shots with the Caddy on the club (something will get broken or someone could get hurt) but you sure can use two different viewpoints for setting up to HOLE IT OUT!
I have a couple of more uses but I’ll save those for the next post.
Until next time:
May your drives be in the fairway and your clubs in the air!
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