Perfecting Your Golf Swing – Improve Your Drives with Dan Davis & Celebrity Guest, Marty Haggard
By: Dan Davis, PGA Professional, Thousand Hills Golf Course
For his latest Missouri Golf Insruction video, Dan will show you tips for perfecting your golf swing. With him is special celebrity guest, Marty Haggard. Marty is not only the son of a country music legend Merle Haggard, he is also a headliner in his own right at the Oak Ridge Boys Theatre in Branson, Missouri.
Among the tips Dan gives for perfecting your golf swing are showing the right angle for holding the club to get maximum power and distance, as well as tips for having a consistent shot which is just as important. Watch the free golf lesson video below to get the details so you can perfect your golf swing too!
DAN DAVIS, PGA PROFESSIONAL>> Hi, I’m Dan Davis and I’m the golf pro here at Thousand Hills Resort in Branson, Missouri and today we’ve got a special guest with us–Marty Haggard is here. We’re going to talk about the full swing and particularly working on the driver today. A couple things we’ll work on is basically how to keep a little more consistent golf swing and also maintaining or gaining a little more power in your swing.
Marty here is just a little guy but he hits it a long way. I’m gonna have Marty demonstrate just a couple shots here. Marty, go ahead & hit one and then we’ll talk about a few points that everybody can look at in their own swing and try to make sure they follow through with.
*Marty sets up and swings*
Great shot! Awesome!
Ok, Marty, go ahead & fix the tee and get another ball. What we’re talking about is not taking a huge backswing, just a couple positions that you can make sure that you get your body into.
Marty does a very good job of what we’re about to discuss here, go ahead.
*Marty brings his swing back*
Ok, right there. Here’s what we’re talking about, what we don’t want to see is a whole lot of bend in this elbow. What we do want to see is a nice 90 degree angle between the shaft and the driver and his left arm. As long as you’ve got a 90 degree angle we know that you’ve got the club loaded and you’ve got maximum potential here to gain some distance. What I see a lot of beginner’s do is that they go to about here. At this point we’ve lost a hinge in our golf swing and we’re not going to create the power needed to create a decent drive. So with Marty being a little bit shorter he can get the club in this position and he hits it, folks I guarantee it, just every bit as far as I do out here. He’s got that nice 90 degree angle and that’s what we’re looking for as far as gaining some distance in your swing.
The other thing is that this is repeatable. So this is going to also add some consistency to Marty’s game. When Marty comes back down into the ball he starts with his hips and now, just go to the release–
*Marty brings the swing forward*
Right there. This is another point we’re going to look at. We do not want to release the club up in here. We want to maintain that 90 degree angle as long as possible. He’s going to release the club at the last possible second, keeping his head behind the ball. That is going to transfer that power to the golf ball and create a nice shot with a lot of good distance on it.
Marty, you’ve been here for how long now, in Branson?
>>MARTY HAGGARD: This is my first spring.
>>DAN: Your first spring here and you’ve got your own show. It’s up at the Oak Ridge Boys Theater?
>>MARTY: With the Country Tonite Show.
>>DAN: Country Tonite opens for you?
>>MARTY: They open and I do the last hour.
>>DAN: And if everybody–I’m sure you know, but if you don’t know–Marty here is actually Merle Haggard’s son and I know everybody knows Merle. And you basically do a tribute to your dad.
>>MARTY: Yeah, it’s a tribute to my dad’s music which is hard to do in an hour! But it’s country, if you like country music. It’s as country as this place is hilly!
*laughing*
>>DAN: Marty’s been playing a little bit of golf with us here at Thousand Hills while he’s been here and we really enjoy having him. Show times?
>>MARTY: Show times are Tuesday through Sunday, 8:00 is starting show time and on Wednesdays and Saturdays there are 2 shows: matinee at 3, and regular show at 8.
>>DAN: And then if anybody’s interested you can purchase those tickets up there at the Thousand Hills concierge. She can get you those tickets to go out & see Marty. It’s really a tribute to one of country music’s legends and Marty does a great job! I’ve got the CD out in my truck right now and he does a nice job with it. Thanks Marty, I’ve enjoyed having you!
>>MARTY: Thanks buddy!
Now the you’ve improved your golf swing, go to Dan’s Missouri golf instruction page to get more golf lessons and tips from a PGA pro, including more celebrities that play at Thousand Hills!
