Last week, Eddie Merrins was inducted into the World Golf Teachers Hall of Fame, joining 14 of the most accomplished instructors in the game. Here is a collection of the best tips from this esteemed group of teachers.
Percy Boomer (1874-1949)
Class of 1998
Turn in a Barrel
Percy Boomer's classic tip is designed to create the sensation of a proper turn. He would ask students to imagine being inside a barrel that extended from the chest to the knees, big enough around to allow the hips to turn freely but not so big as to allow any sway, either forward or back.
With this image in mind, a student can start making the proper turn and develop muscle memory without having to remember many complex technical points.
Harvey Penick (1904-1995)
Class of 1998
How to Take Dead Aim
At address, hitting the ball has to be the most important thing in your life. Shut out all other thoughts, pick a target and take dead aim. Forget about how your swing looks and concentrate on where you want the ball to go.
In his famous Little Red Book, Penick said to "take dead aim at a spot on the fairway or the green, refuse to allow any negative thought to enter your head, and swing away. ... Make it a point to do it every time on every shot. Don't just do it when you happen to remember."
Class of 1998
Hammer Time
Hitting a golf ball is very similar to driving a nail into a plank in that both involve the control of a swinging implement. Watch a carpenter as he swings his hammer, and you'll see that the head acquires its maximum speed at the moment of impact with the nail. You can be sure that his mind is not cluttered with thoughts of wrist cocking, pausing at the top of the swing, correct hand action, or 101 other individual motions that make up the complete action of driving a nail into a board.
If it were, he would seldom, if ever, hit the nail at all. He has one thought in mind: Hitting the nail by swinging the head of the hammer in the most efficient manner possible. The rest takes care of itself.
Tommy Armour (1895-1968)
Class of 1998
Stop at the top
One easy tip will infinitely improve the timing of most golfers. Simply pause briefly at the top of the backswing. This cures the worst fault, that of starting to hit from the top of the swing, which creates an outside-in path through impact, which causes a pull or a slice. The hacker does this invariably.
In practice, count as you swing "One-Two-Wait-Three." "One" and "Two" are counted as you swing back. "Wait" at the top. Then, on the count of "Three," start your downswing.
