George Danielson began playing golf at the age of 12 in an unlikely place: Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where his dad was stationed as a Marine Corps officer. “My initial lessons were from this Cuban golf professional who didn’t speak a word of English, so I’m not sure how much I learned,” Danielson says. “But I did notice I developed a love of the game very early on.”
Fifty years later, Danielson continues to enjoy the sport, working as the head golf instructor at Every Body Golf School at Oak Marr Golf Course. “I can’t say I’ve gone through a burnout like many people do in various professions,” he says. Danielson is also a member of the PGA and has appeared on local golf instructional television programs. In 2007, Golf Digest named him as one of the Best Eight Instructors in Virginia.
Danielson, who studied human biomechanics related to golf at the University of Florida, believes taking lessons is essential to improving your golf game. Most professionals, including Tiger Woods, take multiple lessons from various different instructors to find a technique that works for them.
In his 35 years of teaching experience, Danielson has helped numerous students improve their golf game. The top mistakes he sees students make are incorrect club and body alignment and incorrect head positioning.
Aim your club where you want the ball to go.
Do you find yourself hitting the ball to the right of your target? If so, you’re not alone. Most golf students Danielson coaches have the same issue. The solution is quite simple, he says. Your ball sails to the right because the head of your golf club is aimed to the right of your target. Just like in tennis and many other sports, Danielson says, the face of the racket (or club, in this case) must be directed at the target.
To fix this issue, you need to take a stronger grip. In other words, you need to adjust your left hand if you’re right-handed by turning it clockwise on the grip so you can see your knuckles. “That sometimes works miracles, to tell you the truth,” Danielson says.
Reposition your feet.
“A lot of the time we ask a student where they think they’re aimed in preparation to hit a ball, and in most cases, they feel like they’re aimed toward the target, but in most cases, they’re not,” Danielson says.
Luckily, there is a quick fix to this problem: Put a club down at your toes and see where it points. If it isn’t aimed at your target, adjust your positioning. The pros use this trick when they’re practicing on the driving range before a tournament, Danielson says.
Keep your head stationary during your swing.
Many students lift or dip their heads during the back swing, Danielson says.
To fix this mistake, keep your head perfectly level. Imagine your chin sitting on a shelf as you swing. A piece of golf community folklore is that even golf pro Jack Nicklaus used to make this mistake, and his coach would grab him by the hair to keep his head level during his swing.
Once you make contact with the ball, Danielson says, you can lift your head to continue eye contact with the ball as it moves through the air. While practicing, you should focus on maintaining eye contact with the ball at all times. But when it comes time to play a round, eye contact should come naturally.
“It’s not necessarily something you want to be conscious of when you’re out playing golf; you want it to be happening automatically,” Danielson says.
