[Yoda]

What do you think is the most important aspect of the swing that is not commonly emphasized? The 3 imperatives are not eligible for nomination.

Recently, I gave my 5-year-old granddaughter, Annie, her first golf lesson. She grabbed hold of a little U.S. Kids 7-iron I had nabbed from the Pro Shop, and at first I could only laugh: She hit ball-after-ball, as many as possible and as fast as possible. I mean, she was basically swinging continuously with her head down and hardly looking up; right foot planted; and left foot totally losing its place and dropping back 'in the bucket'.

Whack! Whack! Whack! Whack! Whack!

Address? Fuggedaboudit!

Whack! Whack! Whack! Whack! Whack!



I let her whale away -- learning to make contact is important! -- during the first 10 minutes or so of our 'lesson'. Then, I went to work:

First, I fixed her Grip a bit, so she at least had a chance. And she learned that word . . . Grip. Next, I showed her how to align the Clubface to the ball. She learned that word, too -- Clubface -- and she learned to check it before she attacked the next one. And I showed her how to put the ball in the middle of her feet.

Finally, we concentrated on Station 3, and Annie learned its name: the Finish. Let the learning begin now! I showed her my own Finish and had her imitate me. I adjusted hers a little here and there, and without telling her, made sure it incorporated the five alignments of the Mechanical Checklist for All Strokes, Section 12 (12-3-12):

"Look like this, Annie. See my back foot? It's off the ground. And see my head? It's looking here! And my hands and club, they're up here. See?"

"Is this right, Poppy?" she said as she lashed the air vigorously and showed me how she could do it all by herself.

"You bet, Annie. Now hit another ball."

Whack! Whack! Whack! Whack! Whack!



"Slow down, Annie. And hold your Finish, like this."

Whack! Whack! Whack! Whack! Whack!

"Annie, I'll buy you a milkshake at Johnny Rocket's if you hold your Finish until I count to five."



Whack!



"Did I do it, Poppy?"

"You bet you did, Annie. Now let's do it again."

Whack!

Fellows, with God as my witness, Annie was posing in the most beautiful Finish you could imagine. And, she continued to do so on shot-after-shot, all hit after taking her new Grip and aligning the Clubface to the ball. Oh, and putting the ball in the middle of her feet. On many of those swings, she made wonderful contact and sent the ball zipping off into the range. Guys on both sides stopped their own practice to watch. And like me, they were all smiles. It was something special to watch.

So, after the basics, what do I think is the most underestimated (and least taught) aspect of the Stroke?

The Finish.

If you know where you're going, you just might find a way to get there.



Oh, one more thing. Not surprising considering all the balls hit, Annie wore a blister. Where?

Her #3 Pressure Point (right forefinger).

This is going to be fun!