Michael Kim in July at the Barracuda Championship.
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Ateur swings, Michael Kim says, come in all shapes and sizes, with various bombs and flushes, hooks and pieces, tops and pieces.
But they also tend to repeat themselves.
The 31-year-old PGA Tour pro is speaking on his X social media account (and worth a follow, if knowing about golf is your thing), and, in a way, he has noted the definition of insanity, which tells us that. one can go crazy expecting different results — from doing the same things over and over again. In this case, the novices continue to make the same mistakes, but they seem to be hoping for a lower score.
Kim is here to help. During his nine-year professional career, he figures he’s played about 1,000 ams — and narrowed down the “common mistakes” he’s seen to five spots, below, and some thoughts.
Also, his X account is worth following, and you can do so by clicking here.
A full turn
An amateur mistake, according to Kim: “95 percent of the ams go over the top and chop the ball like they are chopping wood. The reason it looks this way is because the hips and shoulders don’t turn nearly enough in the backswing. You can go up from the top if you have a good chance to go back. It’s a little scary to swing a big turn, but it has to be done.”
Answer from Kim: “Many ams are set up in a way that makes it difficult. You don’t have to look like a robot. [Set up] you are so comfortable your feet are burning a little. Think about throwing a heavy ball. Use your whole body to go back and forth. If you can get a better chance on your right side, you can switch to your left side better (side bend) and make the club not go too high. “
Pitch shots
An amateur mistake, according to Kim: “I often see a player going down like it’s a full shot.”
Answer from Kim: “With the setup, it should look like you’re trying to hit a short shot. The weight is on the left, the feet are a little closer, a little closer to the ball, the position of the ball is in the middle to the back, the hands are a little in front. … You really have to use your body to turn better to create a little way out that makes these shots easier. Think Steve Stricker – no hand set, whole body turns. If you want the hands to go forward to create that nice downstroke, you need body rotation throughout the swing. “
Analyst question: “Michael, I don’t get the ‘mid to back ball’ thing. With a pitch, wouldn’t you want to put your ball forward to get a higher trajectory, not the other way around?”
Answer from Kim: “It depends on the situation, but the most important thing about fairway shots is good communication. If you play it forward, you won’t get a clean connection unless you do other things. If you open the club a little and get good contact, you should get spin to help you stop the ball. If you need to lift it more for any reason, I prefer to play it in the middle and open the club more. “
Chipping
An amateur mistake, according to Kim: “The scoop action happens because you’re trying to add loft from a bad position and it leads to parts and mishits.”
Answer from Kim: “Use your putter. If it’s the fairway and it’s less than 30 yards from the hole, just use the putter. Putter until you’re forced not to. At worst, open the club in correction.”
More help: A few months ago, Kim shared a video as well as a series of shots from the ground and the hills, and that can be found by clicking here.
Bunker play
An amateur mistake, according to Kim: “Don’t try to hit from behind it. Let your setup decide that. ”
Answer from Kim: “Slow swing with your feet, ball forward slightly, open club face, 60/40 weight left. A little wrist cock on the way back and reverse that wrist cock on the way through. If you can do it without screwing us up too much, even better
Analyst question: “Thoughts on removing bunkers if there is no or a small lip?”
Answer from Kim: “Haha! You have to do what you have to do, but I would never advise that. Go and study. I find a bunker to be a very forgiving golf course (as long as it’s not a putting green).”
To put
An amateur mistake, according to Kim: “95 percent of you don’t start your putts online and you don’t know what you’re aiming for. I can’t count the number of times I have learned, someone who goes to school intends to look at you badly, to start from what I have learned and then when he misses, he tells me, it is more or less broken than what I have learned.”
Answer from Kim: “If you’re serious about getting better with the greens, find something that tells you whether you’re pushing or pulling and adjust your setup. You can do it with tees and a stick, but it’s easier to just buy something like a Pelz Tutor or something similar for the gate.”
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