Breed's Blog: Lose the lift and find your tempo

• By Michael Breed
• Aug 20, 2012 8:00 PM ET

BREED’S READS

Monday musings from The Golf Fix host, Michael Breed:

• Many people lift their shoulders and upper body at the beginning of the swing, which causes them to build tension in their arms and makes it difficult to release the club. Your handle lifts higher and drops the toe of your club into the ground, which leaves the face open. This all creates a slice for a right-handed player. Having a "trigger" is not a problem, but lifting at the start of the swing is. What you need to do is start your motion from the position you set up to the ball. Try to feel relaxed, like you’re keeping the club handle low. If you need a trigger you can move the hands forward. Also, feel like you’re rotating but with constant pressure on the inside of your right foot. This will keep the knee braced and help you stop slicing.

• Patriot Golf Day is Labor Day weekend (August 31 - Sept. 3). Nearly 6,000 golf courses nationwide that are public and private donate whatever they can in order to benefit the families of the fallen and disabled across the country.

• Major Dan Rooney puts tempo above mechanics. Consistent tempo is connected to not getting tied up in mechanics. Rooney believes tempo is a 3:1 ratio for everyone. The backswing is going to be three times as long as the downswing. You can have a slow or fast tempo as long as there is a 3:1 ratio. Inhale on the way back, pause, then exhale on the way through. It also helps to control your breathing and keep your mind off mechanics.

• As we get older we lose flexibility, but there are a few things you can do to create speed. First, make sure you hinge your wrist more. Second, you need to move the ball back and narrow your stance because it allows you to become more flexible and turn more. Lastly, you need a lot of shoulder turn and you can get that by rotating your hips more. All of that will give you greater range of motion, and as you create more range of motion, you will get the club to move faster.

In this video segment, Michael shows you how to execute a cool trick shot that you can use to show off in front of your friends.

Popular golf instruction tips:  Setup |  Full Swing | Hit the Ball Further | Long Game

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• Michael breaks down the golf swing and key shots from the winner of the first event in the PGA TOUR Playoffs.

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