How to be a better golfer

Stephen Moriarty first swung a golf club when he was 10. Thirty years later, he’s now the director of Leadbetter Golf Academies (LGA) Southeast Asia and oversees the school’s operations in Indonesia, Vietnam and Singapore. We picked the golfing mind of the senior instructor, who is now based at Laguna National, to find out what are the four most important things to take note of during the driver swing, chipping around the greens, and playing in the bunker.

Chipping

Improving your short game

01 SETUP STANCE
Your feet should be about a clubhead apart at the heels and your arms should be bent and soft. Your shaft should also be pointing straight down with no tilt. If you need the ball to go higher, it should be positioned towards the front of your stance. If you want it to go lower, then it should be closer to the back instead.
02 BACKSWING POSITION
There should be minimal to zero wrist tilt during your backswing. The idea is to let your clubhead bounce off instead of digging into the ground. Moriarty also recommends that you just use one club with more loft (his favourite is the 58-degree) for your chips and vary your backswing based on how far you are away from your target.
03 POINT OF IMPACT
Some golfers would have learned to use a chipping swing that mimics the putting swing. Moriarty isn’t a fan as “it gives very little control of where you want the ball to go”. Instead, he emphasises that varying the length of your backswing is the key to distance while affording control.
04 FOLLOW THROUGH
The shaft and arms remain in one straight line after the point of impact, as shown in the photo. Your body will also hardly move from the setup stance with the only difference being your head and shoulders turning slightly to face the target. Weight distribution remains even across both legs.

Driver swing

Add more yards to your big stick.

01 SETUP STANCE
While the golf ball should be positioned inside of your left heel, it’s fine to place it slightly forward or back, depending on your preference. The key is the slight right tilt in your upper body, which ensures that your shaft is slightly tilted so that your angle of attack is upward. The right tilt is also important to transfer power to your left leg.
02 TOP OF BACKSWING
Contrary to popular opinion, it’s perfectly fine that your head moves away from the centre position. “In fact, your head should move when you twist your body,” says Moriarty. Your arms can also be slightly bent and soft instead of being stiff throughout the swing, as it allows you to generate more power.
03 DOWNWARDS MOTION
When you swing the club downwards, Moriarty recommends thinking about transferring the weight in your legs from right to left. The right tilt should still be present when you are swinging your club downward to create more power in your shot.
04 POINT OF IMPACT
When your club hits the ball, the weight should be evenly distributed across both legs. At this moment, your head, which would have moved backwards during the backswing, is still behind the centreline of the body. Your hips should already have started turning outwards to face the target.

Bunker play

Get out of trouble with ease.

01 SETUP STANCE
The first thing to note is the sand’s softness. The harder the sand, the easier it is to play out of the bunker, as that means that your club won’t dig into the sand. A stable base is key, so if you must, dig your feet into the sand so that you won’t slip while swinging the club.
02 TOP OF BACKSWING
While swinging, remember that the weight distribution on your legs should be 60 per cent on your front foot and 40 per cent at the back. Also, focus on squarely striking, or sliding under the ball, instead of aiming for a spot about 10cm behind it, as most of us were taught.
03 DELIVERY OF POWER
As your club accelerates downward, your body should also be slightly leaning forward. Keep the pressure on your left leg so that you can generate power through your hips while striking the ball. Most golfers don’t keep the power consistent, leading to weak bunker shots.
04 DELIVERY OF POWER (CONT.)
Notice how the ball is just slightly in front of Moriarty’s head. This enables him to consistently strike or slide under the ball instead of topping it, which is quite common among many beginner golfers. Bunker play is a lot like your iron swing, only that you’re using a club with a higher loft.

There so many things to take note of when you’re getting ready to swing your club that it can be crippling. So, we’ve simplified them for you.

Chipping

01 SETUP STANCE

02 BACKSWING POSITION

03 POINT OF IMPACT

04 FOLLOW THROUGH

Driver swing

01 SETUP STANCE

02 TOP OF BACKSWING

03 DOWNWARDS MOTION

04 POINT OF IMPACT

Bunker play

01 SETUP STANCE

02 TOP OF BACKSWING

03 DELIVERY OF POWER

04 DELIVERY OF POWER (CONT.)

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