# The Golf Place — Steve Sewell articles ## Release URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/release Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-09-07T00:00:00.000Z Written: 2026-09-02T19:31:03.000Z When golfers speak of release during a golf shot, they normally mean one of two moves: either release of hands or transition of weight and uncoiling of muscles. Both moves demonstrate a true commitment to your golf shot. When a golfer releases his hinged wrists the club should be at its address position. It is one of our constant factors; the extension of our arms and hands cannot get longer. As far as the turn being a constant factor, we cannot go any farther than turning down the track of our stance to the target. It cannot get more left than turning to the target. The two releases afford two constants and help us hit the ball straight, and long! ## Swing plane URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/swing-plane Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-09-07T00:00:00.000Z Written: 2026-08-29T14:47:04.000Z Many golfers do not really understand swing plane. I am not going to explain what swing plane is in this blog, but I am going to address what it is and how it effects your golf shots. A flat plane will generally yield solid and lower shots with more anticipated turns right or left. As a swing becomes more upright, solid contact is not as easy, but shots are higher and typically straighter with less movement left and right. Your address dictates your swing plane. In a quality swing the plane never changes. The shaft angle we see at address should ideally be seen throughout the swing. There are elite golf professionals who do change swing paths, and rework the shaft angle. Obviously it can be done successfully, but golf instructors drill their students otherwise. In many cases, top players adjust their swing plane to suit a specific shot: for example a golfer wishing to hit a shot under the breeze might set up a little flatter and play it a bit back in his stance. That same player may decide to set his driver a little more upright if hitting it downwind and wishing to ride the breeze. ## Up, Down, Up, Up! URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/up-down-up-up Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-09-07T00:00:00.000Z Written: 2026-08-27T14:26:08.000Z In terms of swing thoughts, this may be a good one: Up, Down, Up, Up. When the shoulders turn and arms go up on the backswing, that is up one. Down is the horizontal move, when our right heel comes up, for (right handed golfers), the club starts down, we then turn. Obviously our body goes higher, up, when the right heel comes up, number 2. The shoulders, arms and club also swing up with you, thus completing up number 3. There are all types of swing thoughts, and most golfers change them after a while because they feel or find another move that seems to work a little better. The important thing is to embrace a simple thought that encompasses basic swing movements that all quality players implement. ## Patience URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/patience Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-09-07T00:00:00.000Z Written: 2026-08-12T14:11:20.000Z So many of my students do not get it: a good golf swing does not instantly appear. Golf pros work hard and long to hone skills, AFTER they have developed a pretty good swing. During lessons, it's very frustrating when lesson takers cannot wait 30 minutes or two lesson sessions before thinking they should see progress. What physical endeavor did we learn so quickly: baseball, football, hockey, playing a musical instrument? A golfer must first develop the physical moves that are fundamental and basic to golf. AFTER learning to make these moves, we discuss coordination and balance which has to do with ball striking! Many times a golfer tells me he or she has so much to think about during a swing. I don't understand because I NEVER give more than one conscious swing thought at a time or during a drill. A few moments later they tell me that they're trying to do something additional!!!! I don't get it, why are they self teaching and nullifying what they're paying me to do?! Of course they're now confused and bogged down, they just made it so by adding more thoughts and the thoughts are typically incorrect................... The teacher has an obligation to teach but the student has an obligation to learn, not sort it out, not say it doesn't work, but try to learn something new. Isn't that the reason for a lesson??? Give the instructor space and have patience. During the round of golf patience is an extremely important factor too. During the swing patience is important. In other words, calm down and be patient! ## Up down and up-up! URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/up-down-and-up-up Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-09-07T00:00:00.000Z Written: 2026-07-19T13:44:42.000Z The golf swing is simple, coordination is not so simple! We continue to deal with the vertical and horizontal: one we call the merry go round and the other, Ferris wheel. That's pretty simple, right?! In other words, the club and arms on the vertical go UP, (Ferris wheel), the club and arms go down, (again Ferris wheel), with the merry go round, (horizontal), to up and up. The 2 ups are for your body going up on its back toe and the Ferris wheel motion of your arms. They are not difficult. In my first comments what I stated as difficult is the coordination between the two! ## Release, unhinge or rotate, all the same URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/release-unhinge-or-rotate-all-the-same Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-09-07T00:00:00.000Z Written: 2026-07-18T13:42:24.000Z How often have we heard the phrase, release, rotate, supinate and pronate, unhinge etc.? They're all the same. The nice thing is, what we're asking a player to do is not a move! Our club is attached to our hands, then arms, and a shoulder on both sides of our chest. Isn't it nice that all these parts are connected? Since they're all connected, IF WE TURN our bodies: rotate or pivot, those parts go along for the ride! If we leave the vertical plane alone, hands, arms etc., it will coordinate with our horizontal, the turn. Of course this is all literally based on a good turn. Our hands for example want to face right, (open, for a right handed player), then square to the target then closed or left of the target. If you stick you right elbow into your right hip and set your hand out in front of you to shake hands, then turn away from your target, return to the ball then continue to the target, your handshake will stay square to you throughout the swing, and will open, square up and close relative to the target without you doing anything, except turn! It is that simple........... ## Top to top URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/top-to-top Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-09-07T00:00:00.000Z Written: 2026-07-12T14:37:02.000Z You've heard the comment, swing through the ball. It means, do not strike at the ball, rather move from the top of the backswing to the top of the forward swing. This is similar to how blind people play golf; obviously, they don't see it, so they just make a smooth swing from top to top. Assuming you make a good swing, when you're playing golf, don't swing to the ball hoping for good contact, instead focus on making a smooth, round swing to the typical, magazine cover finish. There's a reason it's always shown as the classic pose, because it's the assumed, anticipated finish of a good golf swing! ## Hit it hard! URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/hit-it-hard Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-09-07T00:00:00.000Z Written: 2026-07-11T16:13:25.000Z How many times have I heard people instruct others to hit it easy and it will yield a better golf shot. That's wrong! I understand where the thought process comes from regarding a smooth, non aggressive swing. What those players are saying inadvertently, is to slow the hands so they can match the speed of their core. In a good golf swing the vertical matches the horizontal, or in another way, the hands must move with the core, or belt buckle. Here's the big news: who said the horizontal and vertical must move slowly?! They must move in a coordinated fashion, but fast coordinates as well as slow! If you wish to hit it hard, turn hard and the hands will keep up. Be sure to turn like a champ and the hands will supplement. ## Trap the woods URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/trap-the-woods Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-09-07T00:00:00.000Z Written: 2026-07-08T14:13:41.000Z Most golfers have problems with fairway wood shots. It makes sense since they are the longest clubs we swing without a tee. Of course a good swing helps, but in any case, good or not, trapping the shots becomes the way to play. Trapping means hitting it similar to an iron and taking a little bite of turf. By moving the ball back in your stance a bit, just ahead of the mid point or bottom, you will make contact a little sooner in the swing, basically the bottom, bite a touch of turf, and hit a solid shot. There's a famous golf shot which is attributable to trapping a wood: Gene Sarazen's famed double eagle 4 wood in the 1935 Masters, was such a shot. I am old enough, and was close enough geographically, to meet and play golf with The Squire when he was an old man. He described the famous double eagle shot: his drive was in the fairway, but in a divot hole, up toward the front. He took a 4 wood, strengthened the face and moved it back in his stance. He hit it just as he wanted, and such a shot would roll. It rolled on the green and into the cup! It's worth the change, give it a try and hit better wood shots! ## The golf swing URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/the-golf-swing Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-09-07T00:00:00.000Z Written: 2026-07-05T14:56:47.000Z Folks think the golf swing is difficult, I disagree. It's just physics and all the good players make the same moves. If you watch the best, see the common moves and copy, you have it made! Of course there exist the individual differences, preferences, physical adjustments etc., but all good golf swings comprise the same qualities and components: a good horizontal move, (turn, pivot, rotate, transfer of weight, coil and uncoil) and many other terms that are all the same. All strong, right handed golfers fire the right side, it's just a matter of whether they feel the trigger is the right knee, right hip, turning belt buckle to the target, lifting the right heel or something else. We don't know what they're thinking in terms of swing thought, but we vividly see the strong move past the ball and toward the target. It's called commitment to the shot. The other necessary component you see in high level players is the vertical plane: the backswing, up, down, then up again. The common terms you hear are, hinge, unhinge then hinge, set, release then fold or maintain good extension of the left side, (right handed players), etc. If golfers have a good horizontal and vertical, they can be coordinated, but the goal of all instructors is to first develop those two components. The coordination of the two planes is called: one piece golf swing, a connected swing or vertical coordinating with horizontal. If this is done in a nicely coordinated fashion, balance will be good. On the flip side, if you exhibit good balance, you probably made a coordinated swing. Just be sure that both planes are complete. If they are complete, they are constant factors. If they are incomplete, they become variables. We do not want variables! ## Hit the ball or hit the target? URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/hit-the-ball-or-hit-the-target Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-09-07T00:00:00.000Z Written: 2026-07-05T14:18:11.000Z Which is it, hit the ball or hit the target? Without a doubt, we do not seek to hit the ball, rather hit it to the target which is out there in front of us. As with all sports with balls, it is important, but only a means to an end. Everything we do in golf prior to hitting the ball is focused on the target: we choose a target, select a club to get there, aim at the target, but most golfers then change focus to the ball, (not their target). Good golf swings work through the ball on its way to the target. Strong players swing from top of backswing to top of finish with the club hitting the ball coincidently along the way! Without a doubt, the swing is number one, but there are so many players who have the move, but cannot score. Those who swing to the target, without hesitation, play better golf. ## Quality swing URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/quality-swing Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-09-07T00:00:00.000Z Written: 2026-07-04T15:50:38.000Z To create and maintain a good golf swing, it certainly takes practice, but quality practice. I'm not talking warm ups. Warm ups are just that; designed to get your muscles warmed up! Practice is a different world all together. Quality practice involves the set up routine of Grip, Alignment, Stance and Position of ball always performed and always the same. The GASP: grip, alignment, stance and ball position should not only be the same each time, they should take the same amount of time. With a system like this, when you're in an anxious situation, and that's generally the environment of golf, you will have a game plan and world to operate in during these times. You, as a player, start the timeclock, and regardless of the difficulty, gallery size or tenseness of the tournament, you religiously go through your 8 - 10 second routine, then pull the trigger. The routine just mentioned helps you maintain a quality swing. Next is the rhythm of your swing. Assuming your golf move is technically strong, your tempo is what makes or breaks the quality of shots. Working on maintaining the tempo of your swing is imperative once you've built the right moves. There are many drills and techniques available toward achieving this goal. ## Dual rotations URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/dual-rotations Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-09-07T00:00:00.000Z Written: 2026-07-01T15:57:21.000Z This is another version of another blog. The rotation parts of the golf swing are so important and so misunderstood, they are worthy of another explanation. The body rotates during a good golf swing. When it turns, rotates, coils, uncoils, pivots or whatever other turn you choose, it moves away from the target then back to the target. It is a horizontal move. When we make the vertical part of the golf swing, it is the arms, hands, shoulders and club moving up, down, then up again in a windmill style motion. These two motions must be in place and in many swings one or both are not. When a golfer has both, the next goal is to coordinate them in a balanced, coordinated and athletic fashion. These two moves are constant factors if the player uses them to their full extent, literally. You cannot over extend the vertical part which golf professionals call extension. You cannot turn too far relative to the target. You can only turn to the target, not beyond, without breaking your left leg, in the case of a righthanded golfer. Realizing the full extent of these two parts during a swing makes the swing repeatable because two constants are being used, not two variables. Big difference! Using these two pieces fully also means the player is fully committed to the swing, not partially. When the vertical moves with the horizontal, the club face opens and closes relative to the target, but not to the player. This is very important. So, during the backswing it is opening and during the forward swing it is closing. THE HANDS DO NOT MAKE THIS OPEN AND CLOSE MOVEMENT, RATHER THE TURN OF YOUR BODY. DOES THE BLADE ROTATE, YES. BUT, THE CLUB FACE ROTATES BECAUSE THE ARMS AND HANDS HOLDING THE CLUB ARE CONNECTED TO YOUR BODY AND IT IS TURNING, NOT BECAUSE THE HANDS TURN! ## 1/2 swings, knockdowns and sawed off shots URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/1-2-swings-knockdowns-and-sawed-off-shots Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-09-07T00:00:00.000Z Written: 2026-06-24T18:54:38.000Z The half swing which never disconnects, and is also called a knockdown or sawed off shot, is a sure fire winner. It is important to note that shots like this are hit at full speed. We are not attempting to hit a half shot at half speed, not at all. It is a half shot because it is a half swing, but with full juice! As I have so often explained in my blogs, the vertical plane must coordinate with the horizontal plane to yield a well struck, coordinated golf shot. Our connection or coordination of these two, only exists while we are turning on the horizontal plane. During that approximately one foot turn, our arms, hands, shoulders and club are moving back and forward to about waist high in the back and front. After waist high on both sides of the swing, we are disconnected! Since there is no disconnect, it is much more accurate; kind of like Tiger's Stinger shots! To play it, you set up the same as all shots, the only difference is your arms do not go much above your waist on the backswing, therefore finish somewhere near the same spot at your waist. The knockdowns are accurate and a touch lower since you're "sawing off" the finish. ## Stance options URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/stance-options Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-09-07T00:00:00.000Z Written: 2026-06-21T17:35:57.000Z Even though all good players follow the same basic setups and moves, there are personal traits and style variations that help a player to move better and accomplish the shot types they seek. Generally only in the tee shot, there is the Reverse K, where the player sets the ball more forward, places his or her weight more on the right side for a righthanded player, thereby tilting the shoulders up to help launch the shot higher. Other than a truly balanced setup there is also the Stack and Tilt style that can be implemented for all shots. In this style, more weight is situated on the left side for a righthanded golfer. This helps to hit a lower type of shot with less body turn and coil. Obviously some players choose to affect the ball flight through various ball positions within their stance. The nice thing about stance setups and ball placements is that they're done before the swing starts so there is no extra concern during the swing. ## Release URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/release-2026-06-21 Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-09-07T00:00:00.000Z Written: 2026-06-21T14:32:51.000Z You will hit the ball more accurately and longer if you decide to commit. Commit and full release are the same. Watch all the Touring pros: they FULLY release the angle of their wrists while they are FULLY releasing their turn to the target. In this way, the club goes all the way down and your body goes all the way around, hopefully in coordination. That's why we practice. Learn to make the moves, (two releases), regardless of what the shots do, when you're practicing. Totally release both while hitting shots: you'll learn to time the releases. When we're learning to play better golf, we're learning to make a better physical move. It may not be athletically comfortable or coordinated, only a physical motion. But after a number of rehearsals, approximately 21 sessions, it should be an athletic move. The 21 practice times can be short and sweet, but should be separate. If you hit 20 balls for example, then take a break, putt, have lunch, then hit another 20, that will be 2 sessions. Soon the new physical move will be coordinated and balanced. ## Review the turn and re turn URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/review-the-turn-and-re-turn Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-09-07T00:00:00.000Z Written: 2026-06-20T15:55:34.000Z All strong players make a backswing turn then a forward swing, re turn. We often call the back turn a coil because that's exactly what it is: lower body barely moves and top does, so to affect a coil of the upper back muscles while the legs resist. Therefore the turn back is small and tight. The forward move is much bigger and freer. Now the legs become alive! When the lower body, legs and core, initiate the downswing, the arms follow. Why do they follow: THEY ARE ATTACHED! So many folks feel they must make the arms go fast and powerfully, but that's backwards. It's the arms that follow the lower body's re turn to the target! Turning and re turning with rhythm and balance, the goal of all good players. This is premier use of the core, the best use of power and coordination. If a golfer can make a good turn, he or she can play terrific golf! When you rotate your shoulders, the turn will automatically take place because it's minimal. It's the resistance of the lower body that makes the coil a short, tight turn. Once you are in the top of your backswing, this tight turn starts its lower body, forward motion, and becomes a fast, furious release of energy to the top of the forward swing, or in other words, the target. ## Simple basics URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/simple-basics Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-09-07T00:00:00.000Z Written: 2026-06-20T15:06:44.000Z Let's get right to the basics of golf swing mechanics. These are the same points I would cover with a Tour player and were addressed by my instructors when I competed. The basics do not change, they only become more refined depending upon the level of player I am instructing. Within an acceptable window, all players do basically the same thing in setup and during a swing. All the differences are merely individual and personal moves or adjustments we all make. Never forego the necessity for a precise pre swing routine: same movements every time, within approximately the same time frame. If you recall one of my blogs dealing with GASP, grip, alignment, stance and position of the ball within the stance. Following the GASP we make a practice swing. This move reviews our turn, (horizontal move), and (vertical), club, arms, hands and shoulders. If we feel good and like the swing, we address and hit the ball. Do not think of the moves, just perform. If we're warming up, (not practicing), or playing for score: do not think of your action, just move in rhythm. Simple basics, that's all we deal with: turn and return while club swings up and down. Feel the up and down move in synch with the turn. Keep it that simple. ## Terminology URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/terminology Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-09-07T00:00:00.000Z Written: 2026-06-20T14:15:29.000Z Years back during a tv interview, they asked me to use Tour terminology. So, for 2 hours it was some of the following. Tees are lifters, divots are pinches, bunkers are cat boxes. Heavy shots equal fat and thin shots equal skulls. Double cross is used when a player is holding a shot to fade and instead, releases it for a pull hook! Clotheslined means straight. Up and down is used when a player pitches a shot and then sinks the putt for a save of par or birdie. Leading a shot means dragging the lead side, and if one chicken wings, it means he meant to lead and did so, but, way too fast and his front arm got way ahead of his belt buckle. There are hundreds of these terms and I'm sure many more than I know, especially since I knew these terms many years back. Terminology in golf can be misleading. For example, when a player says his swing is too fast, remember, we want speed! If the swing is too fast, it means the vertical plane is moving faster than the horizontal. A pull is NOT a hook, far from it, but just a loss of plane or swing path. If someone comes out of a shot or stands up during the swing, it was called losing spine angle. A shot that starts out at the target then veers away, is NOT a slice, but a push. These terms are bastardized all the time and because they are used incorrectly, the fix is often misdirected. Ball flight laws and the related terminology, are irrefutable since they are based in physics. Do not let incorrect terms mess up the fix. As an instructor, I hear golf terms totally misunderstood and the mind set for fixing these presumed errors often wrong. ## It's simple URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/it-s-simple Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-09-07T00:00:00.000Z Written: 2026-06-13T14:46:41.000Z Golf is not complicated! We perform and coordinate tasks such as driving a car which involves many moving parts within seconds of one another the entire time we're going down the road, watching for traffic, changes in speeds, weather, slowing, turning etc. Golf becomes complex through BAD INFORMATION!!! People listen to other people who do not know how to play! Because some person shot a 75, and shot that 75 in a golf tournament, (which means much more), does not mean such a good golfer is also a capable instructor. I have so often watched a well meaning golfer destruct, not instruct, another would be player! The destructor may see a bad move within the swing of the lesson taker, problem is, it may not be a basic problem. A trained eye knows which of the various swing errors require attention first. A good instructor knows the basic requirements; then addresses those basics not in play. If the basics are in place, he or she then seeks out the few smaller issues. Invariably, focusing on and fixing the next more important problem with a fix or drill, also resolves, repairs or removes the next error which existed because of the bigger problem. ## Spine angle URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/spine-angle Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-09-07T00:00:00.000Z Written: 2026-06-11T14:34:21.000Z What is spine angle: the line formed between your tail bone and the top of your head. It is almost truly vertical because our correct stance is close to full height. To assume a correct stance, (spine angle), stand at full height, then push your butt out just a bit by tilting your hips back a touch. This is where the statement comes from; "prepare to sit on a barstool". Please note the phrase is not to SIT on the barstool, rather, PREPARE to sit on the stool. There is a big difference! In this stance there remains a space between our chin and chest. Do not lower your head thereby creating the turtle back look good players do not want. During our backswing the spine angle remains intact. It also remains in place until we hit the ball. As we make contact our body starts to go up as our right heel, (for righhanded golfers), comes up fully. When a player loses spine angle, we mean the slightly tilted back bone straightens to fully erect too soon, just before impact. Staying in our tilted angle through impact is where, "keep your head down" probably was born! It isn't that the head is down, it just has not gone up yet. ## Question: during the swing, is the clubface square to the player 100 percent of the time, or to the target? URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/question-during-the-swing-is-the-clubface-square-to-the-player-100-percent-of-the-time-or-to-the-target Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-09-07T00:00:00.000Z Written: 2026-06-10T14:22:32.000Z You didn't know there'd be a quiz!? Answer: During a swing, the clubface remains square to the player 100 percent of the time, not the target. As a matter of fact, we do not seek to have the clubface square at impact! If you ask a big time golfer, meaning a golfer who plays golf for his income, what his hands do during a golf swing, he will probably say, "after I grip the club, nothing." This is very important, because over the course of many lessons, I have experienced a big number of players make moves with their hands. The moves are unwarranted and usually create the need for another bad move to resolve the first bad move. Once you have implemented a proper pre swing program, change nothing. All we need to do is turn away from the ball, then turn forward to the target. There are other moves associated with the swing, but none of them involve additional, independent hand movement or effort. The statement advising a golfer to keep hands passive is overwhelmingly worthwhile. The wrists set to create angle, the player will release that angle during impact. There are moves that occur, but they are naturally occurring, such as supinate and pronate. But, you do not need to do anything once the hands are properly set on the club. Pretty easy stuff. ## Tempo URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/tempo Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-09-07T00:00:00.000Z Written: 2026-06-08T16:30:09.000Z Hi everyone. Let's talk about tempo. We all have a tempo, pace or speed at which we conduct our daily activities, including walking, talking, eating and performing our work and school routines. If there is a change, it's usually due to anxiety, stress, too much coffee, no coffee, adrenaline etc. Tempo in golf is VERY important! It is not number one: number one s building a sound, fundamentally strong golf swing. Following a physically proper swing, we seek coordination, balance, tempo and so on. Good tempo not only produces more accurate shots, but longer! Usually, when watching top players swing, the picture we see, and the comments we hear, are relative to their tempo. Whether fairly quick or lethargically slow, we see the beauty, grace and athleticism that is our personal golf swing goal. There are ways to achieve a better tempo; here are a few. Make a full swing and attempt, truly and realistically, to hit the ball well short of that club's usual distance. Be careful. Cutting the swing short is not a change of tempo. You must make the same size swing you always do, but with a slower arm speed. Hit a selected club, for example a 6 iron that routinely travels 165. Hit that club to the green, but from the 150 yard marker. Again, do not shorten the swing, just slow the tempo. Shortening up on the grip, going down 2 inches and swinging the club helps us get smoother. You might get a pleasant result: a solid shot with the same distance. Even if it's a bit shorter, you've lowered your pace. You often hear good players make a comment, "I need to slow down my swing or hands". I generally do not subscribe to such comments because we need speed to cover a 5 mile golf course in a set number of strokes. But in this context, I like the thought. Feeling as if hands are slower, helps create the hand and core connection we seek in good shots. Commonly our club, arms and hands, (vertical plane), outrun our core, turn, (horizontal plane), which causes a disconnect. That's an example of poor tempo. Of course when anxiety strikes, and that's almost always in golf, we tend to lose tempo. When we hear a tv announcer say a player is tensing up; the golfer's tempo is deteriorating. In an effort to fight anxiety; grab the problem by the neck and focus on hands, arms and club moving comfortably with your turn. There is no need to think about actually hitting the ball. Just picture moving the club up to the swing top in back, then comfortably moving it to the swing top at the finish, without considering hitting a ball. Practice doing this on the range first! There is no substitute for rehearsing whether on the range or course. Repetition in the form of practice, yields repetition on the course. The repetition should be to work on TEMPO with one of these drills. There are countless other tempo drills, look them up on-line, but try one. ## Arms are supplemental power URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/arms-are-supplemental-power Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-09-07T00:00:00.000Z Written: 2026-06-07T17:42:08.000Z Arms are not the main source of power in a golf shot. They can supplement the power in a big way, but they are not the main power source. If you're seeking to hit the ball farther, arm strength is a source, but before arms, comes legs, core, coil, retaining angle, (the lever), uncoiling and more. The length of a backswing and it's full release forward, is a big factor. Try turning your shoulders farther back before releasing your swing. Certainly attempt to make a tighter turn in an effort to coil effectively and supply a bigger release or uncoil. Be sure to turn fully to your target, not passively, but aggressively. To retain angle effectively, be sure to initiate the forward motion with your core, not your arms! Whether you feel your hips start it, your back knee, or the belt buckle turn in front of the ball, these all are turn oriented thoughts which bring or carry the arms to the ball. The arms will release into the ball secondarily. ## Practice URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/practice Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-09-07T00:00:00.000Z Written: 2026-06-07T15:10:56.000Z Not word people like to think about; practice. It's kind of like homework, staying late at work or in high school, doing our before practice workouts. It doesn't need to be that way though. According to educators, it takes 21 applications of whatever we were engaged in, for it to become a routine, or habit. That does not mean a serious golfer was required to hit 500 balls for each application. It does not involve an inordinate amount of ball striking. Hitting 20 balls patiently and with your swing thought in mind, was worthwhile and counted as one application. Take a break, drink a cup of water, think about what you just did on the range, then go after it again; maybe play 9; that's another application. As long as you are following a good swing system and paying attention, the practice was worthwhile. When you practice, there is more to consider than swing mechanics. You need to be aware of attitude in terms of mental standing. What works for you, talking, not talking, implementing a long, or a fast pre swing routine? Should you practice more or play more? Should you be more specific about swing mechanics or rely on basic mechanics and natural instincts? Do you prefer to play your natural draw all the time, or occasionally hit a hold shot to negate the draw? All players must deal with these factors. When you learn your style, practice it, and attempt to maintain that level. I have given many lessons and have seen many golfers with good golf swings lose their games because they decided to change their systems, standards and their styles. Don't be swayed, stay the course. Success in golf is fleeting as in everything else, but let's not shorten the ride. Good golf is repetition and that mantra will win for you. ## Anxiety URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/anxiety Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-09-07T00:00:00.000Z Written: 2026-06-06T16:21:26.000Z Is anxiety a big factor in golf: yes! Often, we hear golfers say, "I make a great practice swing, but when the ball is there, I make a different move!" That's one of the most accurate golf comments of all time. Normally, golf phrases developed over time, are not worth the breath to speak them, but that one is accurate What changes when the ball is set in front of you? The anxiety level appears and we tighten up. Another accurate phrase; "tighten up", thereby topping the ball! One way to fight anxiety AND hit better shots is to rethink your focus. It's logical to look at the ball, you're already facing it at address. It's logical to then swing at that ball you're facing. It's logical to swing AT it, not through it, since it's your target. BUT, IT"S NOT YOUR TARGET!!! For righthanded golfers the target; flag, fairway whatever, is on our left and we must move to our left as we do throwing a ball or punch. I always mention to golfers my experience with blind golfers. They have an edge over those of us who can see the ball. They are target, not ball focused!!! They play great golf............! Everything you do in the pre shot routine is target oriented; club selection, target determination, grip, alignment, stance and ball position, then we change our focus to hitting the ball rather than the target we just were engaged with. After we get adept at focusing on target and hitting quality shots in normal play, we attempt tournament golf. Moving from swinging with no ball to ball, then with ball on the range to ball on the golf course, are anxiety fraught arenas. Once we enter the world of tournament golf, the level intensifies big time. Even scramble style events make folks very nervous. Once you add level of play demands, people watching, scoreboards and official scorecards, the world becomes a dizzying place for many competitors and they often end the round by telling the scorekeeper it's the highest score they've ever shot. I have arrived at big pro ams which are to be locally televised and had my playing partner amateurs see the tv trucks, crowds of spectators etc. and tell me they're not getting out of the car! The stories go on, too many to share here and now. This is why we need a timed out, short routine that is the game plan for every swing you make. Routine, as in military training, breeds confidence while keeping you focused. As with most obstacles in life, if we continue to deal with them positively, there is success at the end. We can learn to handle anxiety through repetition of practicing, playing and competing. I usually end my commentary with the recommendation of a lesson, but this time I recommend you play in golf tournaments. As with all the sports we've played, the tension sometimes yields to victory and the resulting relief, sense of pride and accomplishment is enormous. Keep, playing, continue competing. ## Two ingredients decide where the ball goes URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/two-ingredients-decide-where-the-ball-goes Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-09-07T00:00:00.000Z Written: 2026-06-06T14:23:21.000Z Only two factors decide where your golf ball is destined to travel: the road on which your club is traveling and the clubface angle on that roadway. You constantly hear golf analysts mentioning swing plane or swing path. You also are very aware of whether your clubface is open closed, square, shut, laid-off or other position. Your clubface should be on the railroad track line that aims at your target. Your hands should be hanging above the other railroad track located at your feet. You see Tour players using these directional sticks, which we call railroad tracks, all the time. When you start your backswing, stopping at waist high, (or when the shaft is parallel to the ground), the shaft should also be parallel to the outside railroad track and simultaneously above the inside track. At this point the clubface should be ALMOST toe up, slightly closed about a degree. If you've accomplished these two positions, you're set to deliver a good golf swing. This stage is literally called, "the delivery position". All good players pass through this zone during their swing two times, going back and going forward. Pretty simple stuff, but commonly violated. ## Drop in the Slot: Maintaining the Angle URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/drop-in-the-slot-maintaining-the-angle Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-06-05T13:55:38.887Z Many of you know the term: the slot. How do we maintain the slot or angle of attack ? Assuming you are in the proper position at the top of the swing, the next obvious move is the downswing. Just as obvious: we must maintain the connection, coordination and one-piece integrity of the swing by initiating the downswing through the core. When the core (lower body and hips) begins moving toward the target, your upper body (vertical plane, shoulders, club, arms and hands) drops at the same time. You have no choice. With the core beginning the downswing, the vertical swing drops in line, literally, and in coordination with the core. If your arms do not take over and attempt to hit the ball, you will retain angle and therefore speed, alignment and more. It is that simple. The lower body movement drives the swing, literally. When I get a new student, even if that student is an accomplished player, I assess grip, alignment, stance and ball position , all the pre-swing priorities. Following that inspection comes the turn . If the turn is good, then the vertical swing. If that is good, then comes the coordination of these two parts. It was the same for me when I competed for my livelihood. As I received instruction, I moved up the line from money winner to tournament winner. My instructor never changed the points I just mentioned; we only became more refined. No matter who arrives at my range to take a lesson, the system is the same. Barring physical issues that are common and require adjustment, the good golf swing basics do not go away. Physics does not change. New lesson bookings at The Golf Place are currently paused. ## Finish Tall URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/finish-tall Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-06-04T16:07:41.525Z So many golf terms are synonymous with other terms. In addition, if you deal with basic tenets of the swing, one good move often forces other good moves to take place. For example, if you turn hard left toward your target , for right-handed golfers, you should finish with all the following included: all your weight on the left, facing the target, all weight off the right, standing tall, belt buckle to the target, weight on the outside of the left foot, and body totally upright with head high. All these things happen if you go to a high, balanced finish. Finishing tall and in balance means you have totally uncoiled the tightened back muscles and helped retain the angle of attack that is crucial to big distance. Note that I mentioned, "in balance." Good balance helps you coordinate and, in reverse, good coordination helps you keep balance. All athletes perform better in balance. This is obvious, yet it is not, because so many of the golfers I instruct do not demonstrate good balance. Obviously they have balance or they would not be standing in front of me without a cane, but they have chosen to swing a club and forego the thought of good balance. New lesson bookings at The Golf Place are currently paused. ## Hitting it solid repeatedly URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/hitting-it-solid-repeatedly Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-09-07T00:00:00.000Z Written: 2026-06-04T13:52:26.000Z Once a golfer has built a solid swing with good balance, we're ready to go after the ball and expect a pretty solid hit most of the time. None of us is Iron Byron, but we can be close! The connection between the vertical and horizontal pieces of the swing is crucial. The only area in which these two planes co-exist is from approximately waist high to waist high. It is the only space where golfers are connected. Beyond that zone, all golfers become disconnected. That's why knock down, half shots etc. are so popular, the clubs do not travel beyond that length. As a drill, hit shots from waist high. Feel your arms and hands move in concert with your turn. If the turn dominates, the vertical, (arms, hands, club and shoulders), must follow that turn. That feeling is connection, or what is called a one piece swing. ## Order of Instruction URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/order-of-instruction Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-09-07T00:00:00.000Z Written: 2026-06-03T15:03:34.000Z Golf lessons in person are preferred. Blogs, written instruction, tv or video lessons, all are worthwhile; but the Order of Instruction is absolutely crucial! So many times I have watched golfers helping other golfers with their swings; sometimes the self appointed instructor is correct in what he or she sees as a problem, BUT, it isn't a basic problem. If a struggling player has 3 deficiencies, let's say A, B and C, a good teacher would discern which was most basic and address that problem, often fixing the other 2 swing errors during the process! When a student arrives for a lesson, teachers assess the pre swing and the two planes of the swing, after asking a few important pre lesson questions. The pre swing is GASP, or Grip, Alignment, Stance and Position of the ball within that stance. The next stage is horizontal or turn, pivot, coil-uncoil, rotation and many more terms. If that is ok, the vertical plane is reviewed. If that's good, we work on coordinating the horizontal with the vertical. These are the big and incontrovertible basics. As a golfer progresses, the details of these bigger moves become our focus. DO NOT address the details if there are gaps in the GASP, horizontal or vertical! So many well intentioned golf swing helpers do not fix the basics and go right to the details, and that will not work. In fact it often makes the swing worse! ## Accelerate URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/accelerate Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-09-07T00:00:00.000Z Written: 2026-05-31T16:57:10.000Z This is the easiest instruction to share. Should golfers accelerate on short game shots? No! Years ago I wrote Pro Pointers for Golf Magazine. Often, as writers, we would mention that deceleration was a killer to any golf shot. That was, and is, positively true. In short game, meaning, putts, chips and pitches, we do not seek to accelerate the club, merely look for maintaining or NOT SLOWING the club. Usually I see that the backswing is way too big for the desired shot distance. When it's too long, you MUST slow down, stop or else hit it too far; disaster in all cases! Good short game players seek to keep an even pace and an even distance between backswing height and height of swing finish. Don't get me wrong: of course the club does gain speed, (it is not in truth, a pendulum), but we do not need to make it faster, only feel that it is a one speed move. By maintaining speed and matching swing heights you have a good chance of hitting the shot the distance you desire. We always need proper technique, but remaining even in both parts is a big help toward distance and shot control. Picture the best players on Tour and their evenly paced short game action. Follow their example and see the positive results. Don't be one of those short game players who makes a pretty, smooth and technically correct practice stroke, then when it's time to hit the ball abruptly stops the club at impact! ## Let's get right down to it now! URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/let-s-get-right-down-to-it-now Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-09-07T00:00:00.000Z Written: 2026-05-31T13:18:31.000Z Let's get to the true goal of our golf swing efforts: to make a proper swing which yields a repeatable, good golf shot. For all the best, from Bobby Jones, to Ben Hogan to Arnold Palmer to Tiger Woods and now Scottie Scheffler; the basics have been the basics and each one of these very successful players has made the same moves from a fundamentals standpoint. All of them and all their competition did the same things in their swings because sports are based in physics. They all did a similar pre swing routine, then implemented a good turn with their core and coordinated it with a compatible vertical swing component. Did these golfers individualize, personalize, make little adjustments, yes. We all make our grips a touch stronger, then a week later weaken them if necessary, try fading the ball, then deciding to allow our natural draw become our routine shot strategy. We decide to move the ball back in our stance, then put a little more weight on the left or right, pre swing. We focus on driving our back knee into the ball, then reconsider and prefer to feel our hip fire forward for bigger distance. These are all personal adjustments of the basic swing. Do not get swayed or hung up on these personal aspects. You need to focus on fundamental components, then make it personal. Whether I am instructing a true beginner to golf or a budding Tour pro who has already won events at a regional level and is looking to go big time: I review the basics, then address the details of those basics. First I review or teach the pre swing, GASP, Grip, Alignment, Stance and Position of the ball within that stance. Once that's good we move to horizontal: core, turn, pivot, delivery, coil - uncoil, weight transfer and many other terms used to describe this move. When that's good, the vertical plane is addressed. Vertical plane is the swing plane, path, hands, club, shoulders and chest moving in a fairly vertical, up and down motion. If that's good I work toward coordinating those two planes; horizontal and vertical. That's the complete system whether you're great or seeking to be great. That's what I call getting right down to it! ## Tired of hearing the stupid stuff! URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/tired-of-hearing-the-stupid-stuff Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-09-07T00:00:00.000Z Written: 2026-05-30T14:26:27.000Z For 65 years I have been playing golf tournaments; won my first at 13, won my last in the early 90s. I have held competitive course records, won in the US and several countries beyond, taken lessons from famous instructors and given lessons to famous players. I write all this because, with all this history, I've pretty much heard it all, and it's humorous. People come to me with their swing assessments and they are ludicrous, not based in fundamentals and typically so firmly entrenched in their psyches and golf swings, that change is difficult at best. I am so tired of hearing uninformed golfers assess golf swings! I've even listened to these, "self righteous, golf knowledgeable, self taught", golfers negatively explain why a famous, Hall of Fame, former Tour star had a bad swing! When I ask on what golf swing fundamentals they base their comments; they offer some half baked, ignorance based phrases they heard from another 100 shooter who never competed in an event, or if they did, played poorly! I'm not against poor players, or those who struggle with the game, but if you are one of those folks, take a lesson and learn, or be content with your lack of knowledge and keep swinging! I apologize for venting, and now wish to deal with the reality of today and building a good swing. I've taught blind golfers who excelled. I've instructed golfers missing a limb or multiple limbs, players following major strokes and on and on. Everyone can learn and grow. When you take a lesson from a qualified golf pro, listen and practice. It does not require an inordinately long amount of practice, but of course you must rehearse the new position, or move, so to progress from mechanical to athletic. I beg golfers who truly wish to improve, try a lesson and put it in play. When you come to the lesson, don't tell the instructor how good you are, or how you played 10 years ago or that you were a good baseball player so golf is difficult. We all played baseball, basketball, tennis, football, hockey, boxed etc. and guess what, it's better for the instructor since all athletic efforts require the ingredients of core and its coordination with the arms. I'm imploring all prospectively good golfers to seek golf education and get better! Folks do not need to seek the "secret". There is no secret, qualified golf pros KNOW how the swing works! Watch the Tour players, male and female, they're terrific and they all implement the same "secrets"! I truly hope this outrageous blog commentary has induced golfers who think they know, to seek out someone who DOES know and play better golf. ## You are the center URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/you-are-the-center Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-09-07T00:00:00.000Z Written: 2026-05-29T15:07:16.000Z In terms of the golf swing, whether you're a left or right handed player, you are the center. We all use terms such as core, center, hub, turn, axis and more. Since we are the hub, we control everything that happens which is in connection with us: club, arms, hands, shoulders etc. Because this turn is so important, we often say it is the priority. If you can perform a strong, efficient and balanced turn, you will probably play good golf. After a golfer performs their pre swing routine the turning of the core is THE SWING! During a lesson other parts of a good swing are addressed, but only after the pre swing routine is assessed and I see that the student makes a good, balanced finish to the target and standing with almost all their weight on the front foot. Good players will tell you their hands do nothing during a golf swing and I agree. It's the turn which performs the magic! In an effort to make a better golf swing, try working on stretches, especially with the golf club, making swings. After all, the muscles you are using to swing are the muscles you'll stretch. ## Left heel down then right foot up URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/left-heel-down-then-right-foot-up Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-09-07T00:00:00.000Z Written: 2026-05-28T15:21:24.000Z Let's talk footwork. In so many sports footwork is a big part of good performance. It is definitely true in golf. From the righthanded golfer's perspective it's left heel down on the backswing and to begin the downswing, lift the right heel all the way to your right toe. I always recommend that golfers watch the Tour Players. When you watch them, the basic and fundamental swing is ALWAYS the same. Yes, there are individual traits, characteristics and moves that identify each player's style, but the physics, the bottom line and their moves are identical. Most strong players do not lift their left heel at all during the backswing. If they do, it's minimal. Some players do lift it a touch, some only during a drive. When the left heel remains down, it is easier to coil more effectively. Our upper left back gets tight, coils, sooner and better when the heel stays down. Players who do lift the left foot, do so in an effort to increase their backswing. To initiate the forward swing, the core turns toward the target and one of the moves involved is lifting the right heel fully so that almost every pound of you is on the left side, with the player facing the target. As I said, watch the men and women on TV, they do it every shot, all the time! Copy them. Good, smooth footwork helps you to maintain a good and even swing tempo with a strong and efficient delivery of power. ## The Divot URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/the-divot Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-09-07T00:00:00.000Z Written: 2026-05-27T13:55:43.000Z When lessons begin, folks like to share, and that's good: information is always worthwhile. Many folks ask about backspin which I explained in an earlier blog is the result of a proper golf swing, nothing you must add. The same is true for divots. Some golfers take slight divots, others deep, but in all cases good golf swings produce some sort of residual grass rippage due to the club's aggressive action during the downswing, just prior to beginning it's upswing. Where is the divot, for right handed golfers it's under the left shoulder, the bottom of your swing, just ahead of the golf ball. I am not talking about tee shots where we use a lifter, (tee). In that case we choose to hit the ball on our upswing. Of course we cannot do that with a ball sitting on the grass, there's dirt underneath! That's why we hit on the downswing, to "cover" the ball on the turf: doing so forces the ball to work it's way up the blade of the club a little bit, and the scoring helps spin the ball. This is why divots and backspin are closely connected, one gives the other. If you're taking turf you will realize backspin. If you're seeing backspin, you're probably taking a little bite of dirt! Please do not construe the downswing to appear as a chop or hatchet move. The club is coming down to be sure, but on an angle. The club, depending on its length, is traveling forward and down simultaneously. This angle determines ball flight, (launch angle), and depth of divot etc. You do not need to be concerned with these factors: the club you've selected to hit the shot determines what happens. Hopefully you make the same move with each swing, only changing clubs to alter shot arc and yardage. ## Left side dominance URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/left-side-dominance Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-09-07T00:00:00.000Z Written: 2026-05-24T17:12:24.000Z Writing the blog is a great way to share information and offer information about the golf swing, but nothing replaces a lesson on site. For right handed golfers, the golf swing and game is left sided. Allow me to explain why this is true. Despite many right handed players being right side dominant, which is not always the case of course, the left side is the lead side. If we view our vertical swing as a ferris wheel, then the left shoulder is the center, certainly not the right shoulder! Therefore the left side is the leader, I call it the form. The right side is the follower, which is what makes it the lever and the fuel. If the left side, spoke to the wheel, breaks down, which means it loses full extension, the constant factor spoke becomes a broken spoke, and thus a variable. Golfers do not like variables! We have many variables in golf; the course design, trees, wind, water, hazards, sand, uphill, downhill etc. and additional variables are not welcome. A strong left side lead is imperative and will produce the same shots with regularity. Unless we, as right handers, strap our right hands to our sides, the right side will be used. It's very difficult to rein in the right side, which is part of the reason for a weak right hand grip. If we can put the left side in position, the right side WILL FIRE! Part of the reason for focusing on the left side, is to feel it coordinate with our core. The left hand and arm segment should work with the horizontal plane, (the core and the turn). When these two coordinate, we have a connected, one piece or coordinated swing! When we address the ball, our body faces 90 degrees right of our intended target. In order to turn to our target, EVERYTHING we own, including the club we're swinging, moves over 90 degrees from right to left. It's very similar to a right footed soccer player kicking a ball. They always kick the ball with a draw, or right to left spin. We don't tell the kicker to do this, it's physics. Same physics apply to the golf swing. Tee it up and hit it hard, but with the left side! ## Putting URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/putting Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-09-07T00:00:00.000Z Written: 2026-05-24T14:18:13.000Z Despite my earlier blog regarding putting and stressing distance as the overriding factor versus direction; direction is a factor to be addressed. Determining line or direction is not obvious. Always walk to the low side of the green and view the horizon, line, slope from that position. Learn how to read grain. Putts on Bermuda variant greens are WAY different than putting on Bent grass style greens. The grain of Bermuda is easy to figure: look at the cup edge and you'll see one edge that reveals roots and the opposite cup side showing a very slight line of blades growing over the edge. You'll easily determine the grass grain. Obviously, the grain will resist or aide the ball's distance. It of course affects the line and the ball's slide, or unwillingness to slide, with or against the grain. When determining the amount of break on a putt, remember, the break occurs at the end. Do not be overly concerned with early break in a putt unless it's a huge slope that carries from ball to cup. Using your dominant eye is important. There is a simple test to determine dominant eye and it takes 1 minute. Learn which it is and then use it for putting just as you do in firing a rifle. When using your putter shaft as a directional guide or alignment tool, viewing the side of the shaft along the hole edge, be sure to use ONLY the dominant eye: it makes a huge difference!!! This is a great way to gauge the degree of slope. Your stroke, as always in a golf stroke of any type, must remain consistent. How do we achieve this consistency; we never break our left side if we're right handed golfers. If the left side cracks, we lose the constant spoke to the stroke, a hinging left side and the constant becomes a variable, so there goes repeatability! When the left side caves in, even slightly, we lose 4 things: line, club face angle, speed and contact due to changing putter height! Wow, 4 variables versus one constant. Easy decision there! Good luck, these points when addressed and improved, will absolutely yield fewer putts. ## Play half or one quarter of the course! URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/play-half-or-one-quarter-of-the-course Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-09-07T00:00:00.000Z Written: 2026-05-23T14:46:37.000Z If you're a strong player, there are ways to become better, not only through swing refinements, but strategy and specialty shot capabilities. Most accomplished players understand the benefits of holding a shot or releasing. This type of shot selection basically takes half the golf course out of play. We can go a step higher than cutting the course in half, let's get real specific and cut it into quadrants! It's obvious, I'm writing about high, low, left and right shot quadrants. Low scoring golfers choose shot types like these ALL THE TIME! If you are aware of the hold and release, you're already there, (they were addressed in an earlier blog). To hit the lower versions of hold or release, I recommend selecting a club or two lower, then gripping down on that club one or two inches. For every inch you drop, you lose a club's distance. In other words if you were looking to hit an especially low 7 iron, select a 5 iron then drop your grip two inches so to move past the 6 iron equivalent distance and on to the 7 iron distance you want. For a higher shot we cannot of course extend the club! To affect a higher trajectory the club is placed farther forward in the stance AND we make a much higher finish to the swing! I recommend trying these shots on the range to gain comfort and confidence. Sometimes they don't work, as with all shot types, but the lack of success usually does not mean a bad shot, not at all. It just means you did not get the exact shot you envisioned, but still pulled off a good shot. ## Full Shots: Direction Over Distance URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/full-shots-direction-over-distance Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-05-20T19:33:58.631Z Last blog I addressed distance and direction in regards to the short game. Now I discuss distance and direction relative to full golf shots. The Ds are reversed! Quality players are very concerned about direction, much more than distance. Unless you need to carry 100 yards over a jungle valley or water, the distance is normally less of a concern than the direction in which the ball is travelling. Logically we would prefer a shot be short and safe rather than long, errant and ending in a difficult or unplayable area. Because our focus or priorities change dependent upon whether the shot is short game or long game, it is important to know these important issues and focus on them before hitting a ball on course, or when we are practicing. During lessons I hear comments regarding score. Great, score is important. But so often the conversation includes statements such as, "except for 5, 6 and 7 where I made triple bogies, the day was great!". Except for! Let's remove those! Paying attention to direction first regarding full shots, is a big step toward improving. Remember, if you misalign a shot, you must make a bad shot to hit the actual target you wish to hit!!! If you hit where you're aimed, it will be offline, so you are demanding a bad swing to achieve other than where you are aiming your club. New lesson bookings at The Golf Place are currently paused. ## Short Game: Distance Over Direction URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/short-game-distance-over-direction Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-05-19T10:45:31.785Z When dealing with golf shots there are only two concerns: distance and direction. In short game shots the distance factor is way more important. When golf professionals speak of short game distance, they often talk about pace, feel, perception, touch, distance control and more. Speed is SO important that it also affects your direction. If you give it some thought, whenever you putt, chip or pitch and the shot is not good, it is because the ball is way too short of the cup or way too long: rarely too far left or right. You may hear a TV announcer mention something about a player who's walking to the green to make a short game short and the commentator will say, this player has good distance control or touch, not that he's good at aiming! Assuming you have a good putting stroke as well as chipping and pitching swing , let's focus on distance. Try drills with each type of shot by hitting one very short, maybe 10 feet, then the next at 11 feet, then 12 feet. The first attempt most golfers are not too good, but on time two, they are vastly improved and on the third, they've found their stride. It's not only good for practice, but a good warmup while waiting to tee off and it gives you a good feel for the greens of that particular golf course. New lesson bookings at The Golf Place are currently paused. ## Variations on the Theme URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/variations-on-the-theme Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-09-07T00:00:00.000Z Written: 2026-05-17T16:30:03.000Z With all I've shared, which is basic, very fundamental golf, you can play terrific golf! If you wish to move on to a higher level, read below. Ball placement within your stance, golf club blade open or closed, swing path-angle and shortening of club length all affect golf shot outcome. These are variants that shape shots by virtue of pre sing set up not swing changes. Ball placement, farther back or forward will of course alter launch angle AND the type or amount of spin the ball demonstrates. Be careful because moving the ball back will hit it lower, but can backfire and jump higher with more spin which makes it climb even more. Try using a club or two stronger and going down on the grip a notch or two. With this setup the ball is played from the same place as always, and will of course fly lower because the loft is one or two clubs lower. It will fly the prescribed distance of the club you intended to hit from the back because even though it's stronger, it's shorter! Blade of club slightly open at address, or closed at address. Without further change, ball flight will be slightly lower with a draw if it's the closed version and open at address will yield a shot just a bit higher will a little slide to the right. Swing the club with a flatter plane and it will fly with the shot shape of your regular swing, but in a wider pattern. Play a shot with a more vertical attack plane and will help it go straighter, higher and is more difficult to hit solid by comparison to the flatter swing plane. ## Hold vs. Release URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/hold-vs-release Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-09-07T00:00:00.000Z Written: 2026-05-16T18:46:06.000Z When we watch the pros on TV the ball tracking system clearly shows line, trajectory and rotation of the ball flight. In most cases it is reflecting the player's intended shot results. Naturally, right handed golfers draw shots right to left just as a soccer style kicks yields a soccer ball shot. It's natural because we're standing on the side of the ball and following an in to out track. If a player is not seeing such results, they have a swing error that is resisting physics. When you hear a golf commentator make the comment, "here is Joe Pro, a player hitting his "natural" fade", he is incorrect. His natural swing is a draw, or he would not be on the Tour. What the announcer really means is; that player is hitting his "chosen" shot which is a fade. Some top players choose to generally strike shots that fade because they elect to "hold", the shot. Other players determine to play their natural action, which is a draw, as their routine. Often, players change their normal shot to fit what the course and its conditions demand. Golfers who draw the ball are "releasing" the club and shot. If you have heard the terms supinate and pronate, then you have heard the technical terms for hold and release. High level players need to change nothing in their swings, just determine whether they're going to hold or release if they want a draw or fade. In both cases the ball begins down the line and turns one side or the other. Competitive right handed golfers often choose to hold a shot that drops casually to the right. They do so because to not release a club basically removes a link from the chain. One less move means one less chance to make a mistake! A right to left shot which is a draw, is full of power and if that power gets a little out of hand, it becomes a hook which is usually hot and hard to handle! ## Bunker shots: poor golfers find this shot easy! URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/bunker-shots-poor-golfers-find-this-shot-easy Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-09-07T00:00:00.000Z Written: 2026-05-16T14:20:22.000Z Bunker shots: if you think the golf swing is difficult, then the sand shot will be easy. By the way, the bunkers are not called sand traps. Traps catch animals, and the original bunkers were actually that, because they were carved out of the sandy Scottish landscape by the seaside winds and gave the sheep bunkers in which to sleep secure from the wind. In PGA School if we mistakenly used the word "sand trap", it cost us $100.00 each time and it was not returned. That was in the 70s so $100.00 was a lot!!! Enough history; let's talk how to get out of bunkers easily and with accuracy. In proper right handed golf swings, we move left, (forward), and slightly down on the ball. The bunker shot is almost the opposite dependent upon the type of blast bunker shot we choose to hit. In all cases relative to greenside shots, not full golf shots from sand, we seek to hit sand, slide under the ball, never making ball contact with the ball. Execution of the shot: first, do not touch the sand with the club, it is a hazard, not rough, or regular playing area. Set the ball forward in your stance with hands slightly behind the ball. Lean on your left side a bit more than the right. Aim a little left of your intended target because you will be opening the sand wedge face which will aim it to the right, in other words, at your target. You merely swing the club along its left aimed track, sliding under the ball to a finish representative of the backswing. The backswing and finish should be close to equal. The ball will gently sail slightly right of your left aimed track since the club face has remained open. Often, golfers are told to accelerate the club head speed as we move to and through the ball, but that is not the case. In all short game shots: putts, pitches and chips, we attempt to move at one steady speed. Watch the big boys on TV, they seemingly do not accelerate. There are times we do accelerate, but that's not the norm. Of course the club does picks up speed, it must, but we FEEL it does not increase. The reason instructors commonly say or write that the golfer should accelerate is due to the typical golfer's tendency to stop, or decelerate, the shot rather than complete the swing. So, rather than decelerate we say, accelerate. Since sand is abrasive, the shot will necessarily have backspin. If you choose to add more backspin to a shot we hit the sand a bit closer to the ball. Normally players attempt to strike the sand 2" behind the ball, and move a touch closer to make it spin more. The size of backswing decides how far it will travel. Remember, the forward swing, finish, should correspond to the backswing! I continue to feel passionate about golf instruction because I'm tired of watching poor golf swings and those who make them, instruct others!!! When we attended high school and college, the sports we played required daily attendance to practice. However, most golfers have not received instruction, they merely bought a tool kit, a tool box and commenced playing. They often, proudly announce, "I'm self taught", and their swings clearly demonstrate the lack of good golf swing fundamentals. Lessons are a low cost, fairly quick way to improve if the golfer is willing to make changes or start with instruction prior to developing bad swing habits. ## Backspin URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/backspin Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-09-07T00:00:00.000Z Written: 2026-05-15T23:30:36.000Z Often, golfers ask me how to generate backspin on a golf shot. It reminds me of the famous Arnold Palmer golf story in which he's giving a swing clinic and hitting 3 irons. During the Q & A session following the clinic, a fellow in the gallery asked Arnie how to get backspin on the 3 iron. Arnie's reply: "What's your name? Bill. Great, how far do you hit the 3 iron Bill? I hit it about 160 yards. Bill, why do you want to put backspin on a 3 iron that's only flying 160 yards?!" Even if it's not funny, it makes a few points: number one, no need to stop a shot that's underutilized and number two, backspin is the result of a good golf swing; it's like asking how gravity works! Sometimes backspin is not a help; you've all seen that happen, shots seemingly close to the hole, backing off a green! It's a matter of utilizing both sides of the vise. The ground and clubface compress the ball and it climbs up the scoring, (grooves) of the clubface to create backspin. By the way, dirty clubfaces, filled with dirt and grass, deter backspin. Remember, grass is chlorophyl and water which is the formula for slime. Slime is not good for backspin! If you're not hitting the ball on a slight downswing, you will not compress it, you will fly it without spin and with less distance. There are more dynamics involved relative to swing and ball that greatly affect spinnage. I am only addressing in this article how the blade of the club, its angle of descent, and speed of swing interact to create spin. The main thought is to understand, backspin is a direct result of a proper swing and there are ways to enhance or minimize that action. ## Keep the Club in Front of You! URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/keep-the-club-in-front-of-you Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-09-07T00:00:00.000Z Written: 2026-05-14T16:51:19.000Z When I give a lesson it's a learning experience for me as well. Anyone can learn a new way to communicate, a new drill, a better way to make a specific move. Today I'm going to share how to maintain the vertical plane, several ways! To quote my long time, famous golf instructor, Bill Strausbaugh: "for those of us who dare to teach, we should never cease to learn". When we set up in the address position, our arms form a V in front of our chest. If we make a proper shoulder turn, staying on plane, the V stays in front of our chest ALWAYS! When we pause at the top of our backswing, then complete the swing, and at the end, the V is still there in front of you. This move means the club remains in front of you rather than going horizontal, under your shoulders, off plane, laid off and so on. If the club stays on plane you have an excellent chance of coordinating it with your fabulous pivot! Many people do not truly understand the commonly used golf phrases. One of those phrases is: hit the ball from inside to out. That's true but only halfway stated. Part B to that statement is: inside and PARALLEL! The club remains in front of you and does not go around, but up. Since it goes up, (the ferris wheel, windmill), it obviously does not go around, and the club will remain on, or parallel, to our intended shot line. ## Playing Hurt.... URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/playing-hurt Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-05-13T17:36:02.731Z Very often folks who come to me for lesson one, answer my question regarding their physical situation, with a long list of past and present concerns. I need to understand if they have any limitations, but beyond that knowledge, I begin, I do not continue down the injury road. So many lesson takers speak on and on about their physical or overall health issues. I don't think they truly understand that pretty much everyone has a multitude of issues. We've all lived life, have learned that it's rare to experience a perfect golf day: weather great, health at its peak, golf course in great condition and our swing at the apex of shot making capabilities. Most golfers and especially Tour Players, rarely have a day that is not dealing with pain or discomfort. There are ways to deal with health concerns. By adjusting swing path from upright to a little flatter or the reverse, trying to hold the shot rather than release, adjusting stance and or footwork. These swing adjustments can truly alleviate pain and help us to make a good swing. I have worked with blind golfers, another earlier blog, players minus one or two limbs, stroke victims and much more. It's always uplifting and heartwarming to experience these sessions, and it always proves to me that the human experience certainly contains victory over obstacles! As I mentioned earlier, even for a simple "golfer's elbow injury", try adjusting your swing plane. It's allowed, and you can do so while maintaining proper swing mechanics. If it isn't plane or path, maybe it's ball flight laws, making the ball turn right to left rather than left to right. Blade angle at impact, width of stance, ball placement within that stance, they all move the "hurt" points; the moments where the pain says hello and we jump. If we can mitigate those spots, you win! New lesson bookings at The Golf Place are currently paused. ## The Core, once again! URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/the-core-once-again Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-05-12T15:56:08.483Z Are you ready to be a longer hitting, more accurate ball striker?! I'm going to address, once again , the turn. It is commonly called the turn, horizontal move, transition, weight shift, coil, rotation, pivot and many other terms. In ALL cases, it is the main source of power, it is a constant factor and the plane with which the vertical portion of the swing coordinates. As a right handed golfer, we turn from right to left, which forces everything we own: hands, arms, body, club, chest, legs etc. to also move right to left thus making the golf ball draw from right to left. Watch kids kick a soccer ball with their right foot, it is exactly the same motion!!! In another visual or physical move we see that during a proper golf swing, our belt buckle turns back 3" then returns to the target by turning approximately 9" to the left. When we achieve that finish, we have our full weight on the left side, we are at full height and cannot turn additionally left, which means we have completed the swing directly to the target. We CANNOT go beyond that point without breaking our left knee, so it is complete, full and constant. When we make the 9" move past the ball and on the way to your target, our belt buckle moves ahead of the ball. It should be aimed slightly ahead of the ball at impact, dependent upon timing. If your belt buckle is in that position, you are already solidly on your left side, ready to cover the ball and take a divot. New lesson bookings at The Golf Place are currently paused. ## So many UNtruths! URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/so-many-untruths Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-09-07T00:00:00.000Z Written: 2026-05-10T14:34:48.000Z So Many Falsehoods! Over my many years as a successful competitive player, instructor and also student of great instructors, I've heard a big number of false comments or untruths. When I watch unqualified golfers attempt to teach others, or hear what students share with me in terms of "supposed golf knowledge", I shudder. Many of these folks are terrific athletes because they actually get around the golf course and shoot a half decent score with terrible golf swings. Good for them! It frustrates me because they could do so much better, and would have more fun if they had better swings. Golf is an extension of the entertainment business, same as NFL, MLB and NBA. The idea is to enjoy the exercise, companionship, competition and much more. If golfers are failing in their minds, and wasting precious time, while spending money to do so, eventually they quit. As I said, we are an extension of the entertainment world so we grow in spite of the attrition. But why allow those who currently play, leave, let's make them better! The first falsehood is to keep your head down. Your head is on top of your shoulders, not in front of them. Keep your head up, just as we do in all other sports. The better phrase would be to keep your eye on the ball. Stiff left arm for right handed golfers. Not true! Athletes do not LOCK joints unless they want pain. The left arm is to remain taut, affording us good extension. Sit down at address. No. We assume the position of ABOUT TO SIT. Just bend slightly at the hips and you're pretty much done. Snap wrists. Not so. The wrists do not flip or slap. Our left wrist, for right handed golfers, never loses it's full extension; it rotates or does not rotate, (you're choice), hinges like a hammer on the way up, down and up again, but never flips! Shoulders face the target when swing is finished: partially true. If it is only shoulders minus leg and hip rotation, it's incomplete. The entire body turns left, or in other words, fully to the target, not just shoulders. Club face remains square to the target, absolutely wrong! In a good swing the club's face remains square to the player 100 per cent of the time. The face is only square to the target for a nano second and it's not important. The combination of clubface and swing path make the clubface move from in to out forcing the ball to the right then returning slightly left to the target. Now you know WHAT to do and WHAT NOT to do! Just focus on the positive things and the negatives can't find space. We always replace poor moves with quality moves to realize success! ## Putting and Chip Putting URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/putting-and-chip-putting Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-05-10T14:01:58.478Z Putting and chip putting are not coordinated strokes, they involve only the vertical plane , no horizontal movement or turning. We only need use our terrific capacity to perceive distance. When dealing with short game shots, the two Ds, distance and direction, we are most focused on distance. As golfers, when our putts or chip putts are not near the hole, it's because they are too short or long, almost never a good distance away from the left or right. Speed, distance, feel, perception, all these, not only affect distance to hole, but also direction. The speed we strike a putt or chip putt drastically determines the line. To be sure our putts and chip putts are accurate we need to remove two common variables and replace them with two constant factors. We can gain the two constants by not letting our lead arm, left for right handed players, break at the wrist. When we maintain extension, which means not bend our left wrist at all, the grip and shaft of the putter stay in line with the left arm like a splint. Now we have the two repeating factors. Our putter face will not go off track, change club face direction, change elevation or open and close! It will also remain on track. Isn't that great!? Often you hear instructors say the putting or chip putting stroke is a pendulum: not true. It is similar except, we are standing to the side of the shot, not over or straddling the line, so how can we approximate a pendulum? The putter head will absolutely demonstrate a small amount loft change, path inside to out movement and speed adjustment, that's the sport of it, but it remains a constant. When we decide to chip putt rather than putt, we merely change clubs. The stroke is the same. Whether you choose a 7 iron, 3 wood or other club, we stroke. A big hint is to feel that you stroke the ball and truly attempt to putt, NOT LIFT , the shot. Don't worry, the ball will go up slightly and carry over the green's collar because the club you've chosen has loft versus the putter which has close to zero. This putting technique is only for putt chips, not regular or longer distance conventional style chips. New lesson bookings at The Golf Place are currently paused. ## The 5 Ls of Short Game URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/5-ls-of-short-game Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-05-09T15:09:21.812Z From a right handed golfer's perspective I have an easy mantra to follow relative to a short game pre swing set up and swing: LLLLL . Let me explain! First, let's focus on the goal. In full swings we are faced with the only two important factors: distance and direction. With full shots, high quality players will agree, direction, keeping the ball on the course and in a playable location, is paramount. Certainly distance is a concern, maybe carrying 100 yards of water, but generally it is keeping the ball moving toward our target. When we get into the realm of short game, we reverse the Ds and no longer is direction our primary goal, but distance. If we pitch, chip or putt and the ball is not near the hole, it is because we are too short or too long, not too far left or right. Speed, distance control, feel, perception, all these are number one and actually, I'm sure you'll agree, directly affect direction as well! In other words, the speed or distance you strike the ball is the focus. When you hear TV commentators speaking about a particular golfer as he or she approaches a short game shot, you often hear, "This player has good feel, touch, speed control, perception etc.", NEVER, "boy does she or he have good directional skills!!!" Whenever a shot requires that we strike it with less than full speed, it is a short game shot and the 5 Ls should be implemented. Here they are: a right handed golfer starts out by turning left of the target, what we call open. Then place about 60-70 percent of your weight on the left side, thereby creating the feel of hitting down, rather than a right sided weight distribution and an upswing move. Now the player is much closer to a necessarily finished swing by starting out in the pre swing close to finished two ways, weight and turn. During the swing the remaining 3 Ls are; left arm goes up, or back, then down, or forward, with the compulsory finish of a high pose to your body with left arm coming up. This motion is what brings me to a phrase I repeat to lesson takers all the time. Once they are in position, LS 1 and 2, the next 3 are: left arm up, down and then turn, turn where, LEFT! How do we control distance, whether chip or pitch? It is determined by length and speed of swing, as in a putt or a chip putt. Putts obviously do not fit into the 5 LS since there is no horizontal plane. How do we control height, really simple, use a low lofted club for low shots and high lofted for high shots. I'm not being a wise guy, just demonstrating the simplicity. The swing remains the same, we just change tools. Same system for ball placement whether slightly forward or back, we move the same! New lesson bookings at The Golf Place are currently paused. ## Swinging Too Fast? URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/Swinging-too-fast Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-05-08T14:31:25.000Z SWINGING TOO FAST?! No such thing!!! How can there be too much speed when we're trying to play a 5 mile golf course? Immediately, following someone's comment that a golfer friend's swing is too fast, comes the predictable next comment: "Well then, I'll slow it down". That's the answer, swing slower and realize even SHORTER golf shots! When an instructor says your swing is too fast, IF they know what they're speaking about, they mean the vertical plane is not coordinating with the horizontal plane, and usually that means hands are faster than the belt buckle, for example. The horizontal is our turn, core pivot, rotation or whatever term you choose. The vertical is our ferris wheel, windmill, arms, hands, shoulders and club working their way up, down and up. I usually use the hands as representatives of the vertical, and belt buckle for horizontal due to proximity. They work as one which is where we get the term one piece golf swing, connected swing or coordinated swing. Rather than slow your hands, why not improve your turn speed? You are the axis, center and power all in one. The faster the center moves, the faster the rest of the swing moves. Pretty simple. Hands can easily keep pace with the turn, but a weak or slow turn cannot catch fast hands. I can show you many ways to affect a better, more complete, more efficient, more powerful turn thereby adding a power source as well as a pivot with which to coordinate. New lesson bookings at The Golf Place are currently paused. ## THE TWO FACTORS OF THE GOLF BALL'S FLIGHT URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/two-factors Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-05-07T14:31:49.000Z THE TWO FACTORS WHICH CONTROL WHERE A GOLF BALL WILL FLY. The golf swing is simple. I will continue to state this obvious fact by addressing the two points which decide a golf ball's direction. The plane of your swing, it's road so to speak, and what the clubface is doing on that road, are the sole determinators of ball flight. It's vertical and horizontal angles combined with square, opened or closed face, combined with the inevitable coordination of both, comprise ball flight laws. They are based in physics. All golf pros understand and yield to them, poor players either do not understand them, attempt to disprove or fight them! If you are not familiar with the famous directional sticks often seen on TV and used by the pros, I will acquaint you. These are the railroad tracks often referred to by instructors. All golf swings should start on those tracks and remain there throughout the swing. The clubface rotates along those railroad tracks by doing NOTHING! After placing your hands in the correct gripping position, you should never do another thing with them; just rotate your torso and shoulders back and forward. Your clubface will open and close naturally along the chosen plane unless you exert s force to the contrary! In terms of the tracks themselves, the outside track where the clubface sits, is aimed at your target. The left, inside, track should sit at your toes. In the proper setup, a righthanded golfer should feel they are set up a touch left of the target because they are in fact slightly left. As club length increases so does the railroad track width or gauge. New lesson bookings at The Golf Place are currently paused. ## Do Wrists Break? Yes and No! URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/do-wrists-break Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-05-07T01:19:46.000Z DO WRISTS BREAK? YES AND NO! A very common question and misunderstood part of the golf swing is what wrists should or should not do. They can move in two directions; flipping like a weak slap, and hinge as in a hammering motion. We do want the hinge which is the angle creating move we all hear about and strive for in good swings. The flip is a deal and swing breaker. It is weak, and a variable. Golfers do not want variables: we have enough variables with hole designs, lie types, wind, temperature and more! If you recall my blog focusing on the three constant factors in a golf swing, one of them was our extension. Our arm extension cannot grow, only diminish. A golfer exhibiting and maintaining good extension of his arms will have one constant factor on his side. For righthanded golfers we usually focus on the left arm, but in reality it is both arms. Since the left is our lead arm, and the left shoulder represents the center of our circle or arc it is imperative that this side remain extended, (NOT LOCKED). ## YOU NEED NOT SEE THE GOLF BALL! URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/you-need-not-see-the-ball Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-05-07T01:19:45.000Z YOU NEED NOT SEE THE GOLF BALL! Many years ago, I represented a very exclusive country club in New England. When I was in town, it was a pleasure to be associated with a club with such a strong competitive history: members who were past or current National Amateur Champions, US Open Champions, National Blind Golfers' Champions and more! The tale of two blind golfers at that club is further proof of what we can achieve though SEEMINGLY handicapped, and what is involved with a good golf swing where the ball is no longer your target, rather the true target, the ball's eventual resting place. One of the champions was many times national blind golf champion. He would routinely shoot even par on a tournament tested golf course. He was born without sight. This man had learned to move from the top of his arc, backswing, to the top of his forward swing, finish, in solid balance. Believe me, folks without the benefit of sight are very concerned with maintaining balance. Good balance generally is the feedback we need to validate coordination; and in reverse as well. The second part of this story is even more enlightening: another man at this club was legally blind. Unfortunately, a pharmacist's error caused him to become totally blind. This poor fellow went from a not so good player when he was partially sighted, to vastly improved without sight! I wonder why?! The answer is: he stopped trying to hit a golf ball and became a swinger of the club from top of back swing to the top of his forward swing, including balance. So often we see golfers become better through limitations. We're all familiar with the phrase; beware of the sick or injured golfer. Why has that statement become a truism? Golfers who are less anxious, display less overall tension, play better. Ill or injured golfers are not overly consumed with a good shot, they just go through the motions, literally, just getting through the round. I recall playing a competitive round of golf at one of the longest curses in the world. The day before, I'd had a Tetnus shot! We all know there's no injury from the shot, but on day two it hurts a good bit. Despite knowing nothing was wrong, I obviously swung the club with less gusto!!! I hit the ball longer and staighter than ever, including winning the one day event against some brother golf pros who would usually have the edge on me with the distance demands of the course. New lesson bookings at The Golf Place are currently paused. ## Gasp URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/gasp Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-05-04T11:54:15.730Z GASP! The easiest part of the golf game; the pre swing, and it's very important. You don't need to be athletic for this part. Piece 1 is GASP, Piece 2 is the horizontal move of our core and Piece 3 is the vertical portion, or top, of the swing. We've covered the 2 and 3 portions in earlier blogs to direct golfers as to what they must do physically to perform a basic and proper golf swing. Let's get going with GASP. G is for the grip, A is for alignment, S is for stance and P is for position of the ball within the stance. This is my acronym, all successful golfers have a similar pre swing system for their pre swing routine. Grip is probably the most difficult. If you are a right handed golfer, the left hand sets on the grip top and right hand under the left. The left fits on top of the grip in a position that will expose at least two knuckles. Depending on personal style and ball flight shape, some players show three or even four knuckles. Palm of the right hand faces that of the left which places it in a "hand shake" position. The reason I earlier stated the grip is the difficult part of GASP is that it is uncomfortable, giving a golfer the feeling of insecurity and lack of control. That's the plan! We do not control the club, we release the club as we do when throwing a ball. Without release, there is no solid contact and certainly no true power. Alignment is next. The club, your rifle, must aim down the anticipated ball flight line. As golf professionals we literally set up directional sticks, (railroad tracks) when we practice. You'll see golf pros routinely using them at the practice range on TV. Simply stated, the club aims down that line and the players stands on the left track. Obviously the track gauge widens as the club gets longer. Many golfers do not like the feeling of aligning themselves left of the target, but that is the proper setup. Stance is easy: stand at full height with an erect spine, a straight line from tail bone to top of the head. Now you bend forward slightly at hips which pushes your butt out just a little. Keep your head up, it does not bend over eliminating the straight back and causing what golf pros call turtle back. When you tilt slightly forward, your arms swing out a touch from your body. Now you have created the spine angle often referred to by pros. Your hands should be situated about one hand's width from your hips. Position of the ball within your stance. Most golfers have been instructed to position the ball opposite your left heel. Often that is correct, but not always! We like constant factors in golf, not variables. Good players implement the constant factors of which there are 3. Poor players do not avail themselves of the constants and unknowingly choose the variables. One of the constants is ball positioning in the pre swing. Rather than left heel, choose left groin, heart or head behind ball, over the clubhead. These are repeatable positions. Of course if the lie is unusual, obstacles force radical shot shaping or other conditions prevail, we must adjust the ball position. Employing these four pre swing ingredients into your setup will guarantee better accuracy and shot predictability, which is the essence of good golf. New lesson bookings at The Golf Place are currently paused. ## The Vertical Plane URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/theverticalplane Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-04-24T16:35:29.000Z THE VERTICAL PLANE Welcome to our blog golf lesson titled, The Vertical Plane. Following Wednesday's lesson concerning the core , or horizontal plane, this one, the vertical, literally connects the two. This is why one lesson does not usually do the trick; players must create a strong horizontal plane, the turn, combined with a good vertical plane with which to coordinate. ALL GOOD GOLFERS implement a good turn of the core and have a consistent vertical swing of the arms & hands, shoulders, chest and club. Whether instructing at Taberna Country Club or The Golf Place simulators , I start with a review of pre swing set up and routine which I will address in another lesson, then move directly on to horizontal, and once that is in place, the vertical. In a strong, backswing, our shoulders turn until we coil our upper back. From the right handed golfer's perspective that usually means we see and feel our left shoulder under our chin. If you've ever heard of The X Factor, it is achieved when the shoulder turn goes well beyond our hip turn, thereby creating the tension and coil we seek while forming an X between the hip and shoulder lines. It's simple to do, but requires a little repetition so to stretch out the shoulder muscle extension. This is a great way to gain distance. High level golfers often feel this vertical move, also called the ferris wheel or windmill, is the essence of the backswing, and the turn of the core, the merry go round, as the driving force which carries the vertical, (golf club), to the target with coordination, force and balance. If viewed in pieces, the pre swing is seen as piece 1, which requires no athletic ability, only the effort to follow the procedure of good grip, proper alignment, solid stance and consistent ball positioning within that stance. Piece one will be our next blog topic. Piece two is the vertical coil and piece three is the core delivery of the swing. Pretty simple when viewed in 3 stages, right?! New lesson bookings at The Golf Place are currently paused. ## The Core URL: https://thegolfplacenb.com/blog/thecore Author: Steve Sewell Published: 2026-04-22T17:57:20.000Z THE CORE Welcome to our new blog! I'm Steve Sewell, PGA Golf Professional and instructor at The Golf Place golf simulators in New Bern and Taberna Country Club also located in New Bern. I hope you are as excited as we are toward educating golfers: beginners, veterans, seniors, men, ladies, kids, those of us who are physically challenged, or anyone who has an interest toward playing golf. Golf is not the most difficult thing you've ever learned; it often seems that way to those who have struggled with this wonderful sport, but the struggle is usually due to a lack of professional instruction! In high school and college so many of us played sports, went to daily practices and games, and improved, but when it came to golf, we bought clubs and started without the benefit of any professional input. How often have I instructed students who demonstrated poor golf habits and required more time than the beginning student who has the advantage of no bad or preconceived swing thoughts? On to instruction regarding the core: the turn, pivot, transition, horizontal plane, merry go round or coil & uncoil, these all suggest our body turn, or use of the core. Activation of the core is often compared to throwing a medicine ball, and rightly so. If we envision an athlete throwing a ball, boxer delivering a punch or tennis player hitting a shot, we're thinking of the core and its use as a source of power while acting as the anchor to the vertical plane , which I will address in another article soon. The following instruction is offered from the right handed golfer's perspective. Specifically, to begin the backswing, we rotate our right hip approximately 3 inches back, thereby activating the core. By doing so, we feel the bulk of our weight transfer to the right foot. Weight should be ON the right foot, not forcing it out over the outside of the foot; we want a strong position that is athletically prepared to deliver part two of the core movement forward. Next we initiate our swing toward the target by turning the right hip completely forward toward the target about 9 inches, which should result in almost all our weight transferring onto our left foot, with right knee under our hip and right hip under our shoulder, same as we stand in everyday life. The 9 inch move from back to target is often called the "delivery or transition". By ending in this "pose" position we are exhibiting a full transition of weight down the target line, full release of two large power sources and commitment to balance. Good balance usually reflects good coordination!