Tips for a "hitter"

sergizmo · July 19, 2005

Advice needed

Hello everybody,

I'm 5'6", lacking co-ordination, not very flexible and built like a barrel. I'm pretty strong in the arms and upper body though. As such, I am more of a hitter of the ball than a swinger.

I've noticed that a lot of the Champions Tour guys are built similar to me and are hitters of the golf ball as well. They seem to get awfully good results out of ugly swings (look at Allen Doyle), and it would be nice to do the same.

Just wondering if there is any advice or tips that anyone here can offer me. Are there any books targeted at hitters, rather than swingers? Anything else I should know?

Thanks in advance for any advice/help given.

sergizmo · July 21, 2005

There are even several players on the regular tour who are build large through the chest and hit the ball well, i.e., Craig Parry, Duffy Waldorf, Kevin Stadler, etc.
The main point for a large chested player is to make sure that the club stays in front of your body at all times. By this I mean, the swing will go up rather than around and your weight should be maintained stable (no lateral slide to the rear on the backswing).
Most players of this build will hit a cut because their swing is not coming from the inside as much as a more limber player.
One trap to avoid is the right elbow coming out on the backswing in an effort to get "longer" at the top. This "chicken winging" will lead to poor contact and an even more glancing blow.
Golf Digest did an article many years ago on body type swings--maybe they can get you a back issue--but I think it was more along the lines of "what you've got you've got", vs what you should do. But I don't recall that clearly.
Good Luck.
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Thanks alot for the tips. :D Next time I'm at the range I'll make a conscious effort to keep my hands in front of my chest and keep my lower body stable. I'm a low ball hitter so a cut would be great!