Women’s Myth Busters

In my experience running women's golf clinics and camps, and conducting hundreds of individual I've accumulated the top common myths women have picked up while learning the game. I've encountered these notions from women who are just beginning the game to advanced players, so it's time to bust those myths and set the record straight!

Myth 1 The more you turn, the farther you'll hit it. More distance is the number-one request I hear from women who I work with on the lesson tee, and that many of their clubs fly the same distance. There's a myth that the more you turn, the farther you can hit the ball, which ends up turning the hips back just as far as the shoulders in the backswing. This is a distance-killer! Many times, I see the lead foot lift off the ground to aid in rotation.

The key for more distance is to turn correctly in the backswing and keep both feet planted. The upper body should strive to turn twice as far as the lower body in the backswing. A good rule of thumb is to turn the hips 45 degrees back and the torso 90 degrees back.

Myth 2 The face points to the ball the entire time throughout the swing.

Many times, I work with women who think the face of the club should point to the ball the entire time through the backswing and forwardswing to straighten out their shots. Keeping the face pointing at the ball is considered "closed" and will make the ball fly lower and many times to the left. This myth is detrimental, particularly when attempting to hit fairway woods in the air.

In the backswing, the torso and arms should allow the clubface to rotate open, return to square at impact, and then rotate closed in the followthrough. Learn how to rotate the club properly in the swing, and you'll see more shots fly straighter with better trajectory.

Myth 3 My arms and club should be in a straight line at address.

I'm asked all the time about the best way to position the arms at the address position. Women's torso anatomy is significantly different than men's, and it's often confusing for women on how to comfortably position the arms to work in tandem with the torso. The myth is having your arms straight out in line with the club. This creates tension in the arms and eliminates the opportunity to generate power and fluidity throughout the swing motion. The best way to bust this myth is to improve the posture by following these three simple steps: 1) Bend forward from the waist; 2) Let the arms hang down from the shoulders and to the sides of the chest; and 3) Let the club extend out so the head is soled.

Alison Curdt, PGA, LPGA, is a Master PGA Professional and Class-A LPGA Professional, and currently teaches at Wood Ranch Golf Club in the Los Angeles area. Visit alisoncurdtgolf.com.