John Marshall Golf

If you want to hit the golf ball where you’re aiming take a look at Collin Morikawa’s swing. There is minimal clubface rotation from beginning to end. The more the clubface opens and closes during the swing the harder it is to play the game with any level of consistency.

Send me your picks for all four of this year’s major championships (Masters, PGA Championship, US Open and Open Championship). If you correctly guess all four you’ll win a free five lesson package which includes at least one session on the golf course. Your entry must be emailed to me at [email protected].

During the month of January send me any golf-related questions that you might have and I promise I will respond within 24 hours but usually sooner.

This Christmas give the gift of better golf. Visit my web site (jmlongdrive.com) to see lesson prices and packages. I can email a custom gift certificate to you within minutes. Happy holidays!

My nine-hole playing lessons at Steel Canyon Golf Club in Sandy Springs have become increasingly popular with new students and regulars as well. During what is typically a two-hour session we work not only on full swing and short game fundamentals but course management and learning how to properly play percentage golf from the opening tee shot to the final tap in. In other words, knowing when to play aggressively and when to back off the accelerator a little. During the months of January and February, I will be offering these at a special price of $100 which includes the green fee as well as warm-up range balls. Call or email me to book a session. 404-405-1403 or [email protected]

Perfect Posture Leads to Quality Shots! I remember someone asking Tiger (yes, that Tiger) what he thought was the most important fundamental. His response? "Posture." Proper posture allows your arms to swing freely and also enables your body to rotate at maximum speed. The general rule of thumb is that you should bend from the hips approximately 25-30 degrees. When you do this properly, the shoulders and knees are aligned directly over the insteps of your feet. The lower back... is flat in what is referred to as neutral posture. To understand what neutral posture feels like get into your normal set-up. First, arch your lower back as much as possible. Then round your lower back as much as you can. Neutral posture is the mid-point between those two extremes. This puts you in a solid position in good balance with your arms hanging softly and ready to swing the club back and through on the proper plane. Always remember that you must remain in this posture until well after impact. If you are moving up or down during the swing you will have to make compensation moves which will always result in inconsistency. See more

Three times over the past month I’ve had students tell me that it takes them three of four holes to get into the flow of the round and by then they are several strokes over par and wondering what happened. My first question is to ask them if they warmed up properly. In all three cases the answer was no. Yanking the clubs out of the trunk and rushing to the first tee is not a recipe for playing your best. A proper warm-up will have you fully prepared to smoke your opening tee shot. You may have seen this rather unique pre-round routine employed by Migel Angel Jimenez on Youtube. If not, here it is. Do this each time before you play and I guarantee that you’ll be ready to play your best on the first hole. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGiGEDnU6Tg

This is me demonstrating a balance trainer device. Balance is a huge ingredient for success in golf. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzDGC2dX3dM

I had a great time over the past few days taking advance instructor training for the First Tee program in Connecticut.

What Causes Curvature? Side spin on the golf ball is responsible for curving it right or left during its flight. The club face angle in relation to the line of the swing path is what determines side spin and the amount of it. A club face angle that is open relative to the swing path line places clockwise spin on the ball. The more open the club face is relative to the swing path line, the more side spin it places on the ball. And it’s vice versa for a club face angle that is closed relative to the swing path. It places counter-clockwise spin on the golf ball and the bigger the angle between club face and swing path line, the more counter-clockwise spin it creates.