Kevin Craggs
- Thursday, 15 May 2008
- 0 Comments
Kevin Craggs, Golf Monthly Top 25 Coach
Age: 38
Turned pro: 1986
Years coaching: 22 years
Most notable coaching achievement: Helping one player get down from a handicap of 16 to 4. He had the dedication but he needed the direction to help improve the basic mechanics of his game.
Coaching philosophy: I teach the fundamentals so that my players have a simple and economical movement that's easy to repair when things go wrong in their game. this makes my pupils independant not dependant.
Contact:www.kevincraggsgolf.com
Fault Fixer
How to stop slicing: A quick trick to help improve the path and soften your slice is to focus on keeping the right elbow close to your right hip as you swing down back towards the ball, this keeps the club more behind you allowing you to come form a more inside path. It is also important to mention that you must always focus on turning the arms and body away from the ball together in the takeaway and avoid picking the club up just with the arms.
• Make sure your feet and body are pointing in the right direction and not miles left of your intended target.
• Concentrate on your body and arms turning together in the first part of the swing; avoid moving your arms away from the ball independently.
• Make a conscious effort to hinge the wrists in the backswing don’t get too stiff and wooden.
• During the downswing keep your right elbow close too your side
• Remember to have your right shoulder pointing to the target in the finishing position.
How to stop hooking: A simple way to solve a hook is to focus on keeping the club outside the hands during the takeaway if the club moves too quickly on the inside it will cause the hands to flip over during impact sending the ball curling out of control to the left.
• Make sure the blade is square at address and not slightly toed in.
• Check that you cannot see any more than two knuckles on your left hand.
• Keep the club outside your hands in the first part of the take-away
• Don’t overturn the hips or shoulders in the first part of the take-away.
• Push the club away with your left arm keeping the last three fingers of the left hand firmly closed throughout the swing.
• Concentrate in starting the downswing with the left hip moving first opposed to your left shoulder
Lack of power: All you have to do is take a Household Broom and practice swinging it ten times each day. Because it is heavier than a normal golf club it will encourage you to swing at a more even pace improving your overall timing and club head speed more importantly it develops better awareness of when to accelerate in the downswing resulting in instant power.
How to stop yiping: To help you putt better from that knee knocker range concentrate on keeping your head down for longer and listen for the ball going into the hole opposed to looking up to early. Remember from short range “Listen don’t Look”.
• Create a solid platform with the feet at address by standing wider than normal
• Keep the grip pressure light in both hands
• Place the ball nearer to the left foot at address with more weight leaning on the left leg
• Keep the head perfectly still throughout the stroke and listen for the ball going in.
• Always keep the putter head accelerating through towards the hole.
How to stop fat strikes: A simple way to quickly clean up your strikes is to focus on firing the left knee back on the way down creating a firm left side at impact which keeps the upper half of the body tall preventing the club from hitting the ground first.
• Avoid breaking the wrists quickly and lifting the club up too steeply with your arms in the backswing
• Fire the left leg back on the way down whilst maintaining your height through impact
• Check your ball position is not too far back in your stance
• Apply a bit more grip pressure too your left hand and maintain the pressure throughout the swing
• Make sure you don’t release the club too early with your wrists in the downswing maintain the angle as long as you can
How to prevent thin strikes: The thin often appears when a player is under pressure the grip becomes tighter the arms become stiffer and the body movement is restricted. The easiest way to ensure a positive strike on the ball avoiding a thin is to focus on gripping the club softer allowing your wrists to hinge on the way back and on the way through.
• Keep the grip pressure in both hands very light
• Concentrate on keeping your forearms apart at address don’t squeeze them tightly together
• Make sure your weight is not too much on your heals during the downswing
• Focus on maintaining your spine angle during the backswing and avoid any straightening.
• Allow your wrists to hinge back and forth throughout the swing
Best tip to avoid the shanks: One of the most common causes tends to come from the arms and body separating during impact, this is when the body and arms move in two different directions, as the body continues to rotate round to the left the hands and arms push the club out to the right causing the strike to come from the heal. The easiest way to get things back on track is to place a Golf Glove underneath your left arm pit at address. Make a few swings remembering to keep things nice and short, as you swing the club through the impact area concentrate on keeping your arms and body connected holding the Golf Glove firmly underneath your left armpit. It is important to mention that you don’t try hitting full shots at the start; it’s a question of taking small steps building up the feel of keeping the body and arms connected. You will instantly start to strike the ball from the centre of the club which will install new confidence in your game. Remember if the glove falls from underneath your armpit you have moved the body and arms in two different directions so make sure you focus on making the correct movement every time and the shank will disappear forever.
