Tips to help you swing
into the spring golf season

By Shane Sharp,
Contributing Writer

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (March 3, 2003) -- That sound is ice cracking on ponds. That sight is the sun emerging from a seemingly three-month-long cloud. That feeling is the insatiable desire that envelopes golfers in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic this time every year.

The first blooms have appeared on the Eastern Redbud trees and Camelia bushes in North Carolina, and temperatures could hit the mid-60s by week's end. So what are you waiting for -- make that Friday afternoon tee time, and make it now.

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Oh, you say your swing is little rusty? Take-away feels awkward? Swing plane flatter than a three-week-old Cheerwine soda? Let's get you straight. Better yet, let's have Jason Sutton of the award-winning Dana Rader Golf School get you straight. This West Virginia native is one of the Piedmont's foremost authorities on swing aids and golf gadgetry.

Just don't ask him about the Mountaineer's whipping at the hands of the Virginia Cavaliers in the inaugural Continental Tire Bowl last December and you'll be fine. Time's a wasting, so let's get down to it.

Jason, I have been watching golf instruction "infomercials" all winter long. There are so many choices. What should I order to get my swing up to speed for the upcoming season?

None. At least not until you visit a PGA certified instructor. There are literally hundreds of things that can go wrong with a swing, regardless of the amount of time you've taken off. Swing aids are typically targeted at one facet of the golf swing. Would you rush out to the automotive store and pick up an oil filter if you actually needed a timing belt? No. Your golf game is not different. If you go out and buy a new swing aid, you better make sure it can cure what ails you. If not, you could damage your game even more.

OK, that is all well and fine, but there have to be some gadgets worth considering, right?

No argument there. One thing I like to use is an impact bag. When golfers haven't hit the ball in weeks or even months, they tend to forget the important of exploding through the ball. I also use it to teach swing path by placing it either inside or outside the ball. If you come over the top, you'll hit the bag before the ball if the bag is outside. If you are too far inside, you'll hit the bag first if it is inside the ball. I also like the Plane Stick and the Swing Gyde. Both are no nonsense ways to get a feel for the path of the club. As you can tell, I am pretty big on the path of the club.

What else are you "big on" in terms of "gearing" up for the spring season?

The biggest problem golfers have coming back to play after some time off is getting the face of the club square at impact. Swing aids are a great way to get this point across, but so are drills. Before teeing off this spring, every semi-serious golfer should get their fundamentals checked. Are the grip, set-up and posture correct? If not, they are doomed from the start.

Who makes the PVC-looking swing aid that you use, and what exactly does it do?

I actually made it, and I call it the Noodle. I can't claim to have invented it, because I got the idea from a couple products that are already out there. But I find that it is a valuable tool. If your swing path is off, you will hit the padding on the Noodle.

So this is a series, right? Because I need more information than this before I take my game from the range to the first tee.

You got that right. In our next installment, we'll take a look at your clubs, shoes and other equipment, as well as fitness. It is vital that you have yourself and your equipment in the proper condition before you take the next steps. From there, we'll size up the short game, getting off the tee, and mid-iron play.

This is part one of a four part series. For more information on the Dana Rader Golf School, call 877-99-Rader or log on to www.danarader.com.