Every hole of golf requires a tee shot first. I would have thought that would make tee shots rather important! I think in terms of the 80-20 rule they are.
Now as far as the long game is concerned I’m going to loosely say it covers shots from your driver through to your 9 iron. Although there is some carry over to the short game.
OK, so what are we trying to achieve with the long game? Well, here is the goal of the long game I believe:
To hit each club as long, accurately and consistently as possible.
So what is important and needed to do this?
Well let’s look at the setup first because you can’t hit ANY golf shot without first setting up to the golf ball. And to do this I’m going to quickly cover the major elements of the setup.
The Long Game Setup
Grip – I’ve heard a number of different golf teachers say that the golf grip is not important. I can’t believe how anyone can say that because without gripping the golf club you can’t hit the golf ball. So logic would dictate that your golf grip has some importance. But I think the best thing as far as the grip is concerned is to find the best golf grip for you and repeat it consistently. The best starting point for this is the vardon grip. It’s the most commonly used golf grip on any golf tour. So the 80-20 rule tells us that’s the best place for all golfers to start with.
Alignment – Again, I’ve heard golf teachers saying that alignment is not that important. But like the golf grip, you can’t hit a golf ball without aligning yourself so you may as well make this as easy as possible. The most logical and easiest way to align yourself is to have all parts of your body i.e. feet, knees, hips, shoulders etc., parallel with your target line.
Posture – Getting into an athletic posture position is a must if you want to hit the golf ball as far as possible. Luckily it’s very easy to do as I show you in this video.
Ball Position – Positioning the ball in a good place in your stance is critical to making the golf swing easier and more consistent. As a general rule…having the ball positioned just inside your left heel will serve you pretty well for most golf shots.
OK, with all of these setup elements I’ve outlined you must understand that you are fully capable of still hitting great golf shots if you don’t have these things “perfect”. But you’ll make golf easier and simpler the better you setup to the ball and a great way of getting close to perfect is to have a….
Physical Pre-Shot Routine
To improve your ball striking you must create a physical pre-shot routine that you use every long golf shot you play. And that routine must include all the critical setup elements I’ve covered so far, i.e. the grip, alignment, posture and ball position. OK, finally for today I think it’s important that I say if at any time in your golfing career you start hitting the ball badly…the very first place you should look to for fixing it is the setup. Make sure your setup is sound by making sure you’ve got your vardon grip, parallel alignment, athletic posture and ball position correct.
That’s a summary of the 80-20 setup. If you would like more information about how to make an 80-20 pre-shot routine let me know.
April 28th, 2009 at 1:28 am
Very sensible advice thank you Nick. Currently I am making things far too complicated. I would very much like to learn how to make an 80-20 pre-shot routine. At the moment my pre-shot routine is inconsistent at best. Much like my golf game!!
April 28th, 2009 at 1:41 am
Love the 80-20 stuff! Learned about it years ago. It never occurred to me that I could use it on my golf game. Being technically minded I tend to make the game much more complicated than it needs to be. Like Jerry I would be very keen to find out more about making an 80-20 pre-shot routine. It’s starting to get warmer now and my golf clubs will be getting a dusting off soon. Appreciate your information and effort Nick.
April 28th, 2009 at 1:45 am
Keepin it nice and simple…like it.
April 28th, 2009 at 1:53 am
Like the concept. Yes, I would like more information about how to make an 80-20 pre-shot routine. Cheers Nick.
April 28th, 2009 at 2:14 am
Never heard of the 80-20 rule until your last email Nick. But it sure does make a lot of sense as far as making the golf swing more simple. Like a lot of other golfers I over think my way through the golf swing. I sure do wish I could keep my swing simple so I’ll keep a close look out for more details from you. Like others, I am keen to learn more about how to create an 80-20 pre-shot routine.
April 28th, 2009 at 2:41 am
Love the goal of the long game statement. I often get so sidetracked with playing golf swing instead of playing golf. I already have a pre-shot routine but I think it’s too complicated. Would be very interested to learn more about your 80-20 pre-shot routine. Thanks for all your advice so far Nick. It has been very helpful to me.
April 28th, 2009 at 2:49 am
Hey Nick. Enjoying your spin on the 80-20 rule for us golfers. Keep up the good work bro.
April 28th, 2009 at 6:34 am
Nick,
Sounds good soon far. Can not wait to see what is next.
April 28th, 2009 at 6:40 am
Hello Nick: Really interested in an 80-20 approach to pre-shot routine. I’m certain it will improve my game as the only thing consistant with it now is my inconsistancy!! Always enjoy your emails.
Thanx
April 28th, 2009 at 7:27 am
80-20 rule is great. You may have been called crazy, but in this day and age what isn’t. 80-20 has taken 4 strocks off my game so far. Will watch for the 80-20 pre-shot routine Keep up the great work. Has helped me a lot.
April 28th, 2009 at 8:17 am
I am sorry about someone thinking you were crazy, but maybe they are the ones that are that way. thank you so much for even caring to teach us duffers something. I do have a routine that I pickup off a instructional video. It takes in all the above you mentioned on 80-20 setup. But I still am open to any advice you have on the 80-20 routine. So keep up the great work with us needy golfers.
April 28th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
Very interesting re 80-20. I have been taught to hit the ball at 80% strength all of the time. It helps with consistency as trying to hit a ball at 100% all of the time leads to only 20% of your shots being solid. My pro says that ‘it is better to have an 80% swing and hit 100% of the ball than have a 100% swing and only hit 80% of the ball’. Recently I have been experimenting with a half swing, 3/4 swing and found that I am hitting it solid consistently.
Paul
April 29th, 2009 at 6:00 am
Hi Nick
Would love to hear more on the 80-20 set up routine.Anything that helps start off in the correct manner is much appreciated.
Glen.
May 7th, 2009 at 1:03 am
Hi Nick,
Paul B and yourself have hit the nail on the head as we beginners are guilty of ‘hitting’ the ball at 100% and sometimes more. The experience that Paul describes in his 100 – 80 rule in the golf swing should be called Paul B’s Law as this is what we must learn to keep the ball on the faiways, rather than chase for distance.