This process is multi fold

Learn what YOUR neutral grip is The CORRECT ball position for every club The CORRECT swing shape How far back YOU can take club How to play within YOUR style You will have many options to choose from and we'll show you how to find ones that will work for you. Once you have all of your "components" you won't need to experiment any longer!

WHERE TO START - GRIP AND POSTURE

While this may be obvious to some you would be surprised by number of people that work on their swing without starting with their grip. There is a neutral grip for any golfer! That grip is where YOUR arm hangs down from shoulder socket and angle of YOUR target side hand. It makes no difference whether you use an overlapping, interlocking, and ten-finger (baseball) grip. What IS critical is angle club lies in your hand.

To find YOUR neutral grip, first take your address position, but without a club, and let both arms hang downward from shoulder sockets with NO TENSION. Most golfers will find that their target side arm hangs somewhere between middle of target side thigh to inside of thigh (depending on width of stance and/or width of chest). As you look down at your target side hand pay attention to angle it hangs. Some of you will see two knuckles of hand, some will see three, and some may even see four. It doesn't matter how many you see! Whatever number, this is YOUR bodies way of telling you its natural tendency and that is neutral angle for YOUR grip! When you place your target side hand on club it should be at same angle you just saw.

The club then runs diagonally from between first and second joint of index finger to base of pinkie finger. Close fingers and then close hand with heel pad on top of shaft with thumb to backside of shaft. This supplies pressure from heel pad downward and last three fingers exert pressure upward. Then take lifeline of trailing hand, located between thumb and heel pads, and place it on thumb of target side hand. The lifeline against thumb exerts pressure here; right forefinger should be separated, in a "triggering position", but with no pressure. It is important to understand that forefinger and target side thumb both be on same side and angle of shaft for best support. The trailing thumb should be on target side of shaft. You never want thumbs to exert any pressure. Finally, in order for hands to work together, they must be parallel to each other.

POSTURE

Regardless of player's level of golf anyone can get into a posture that looks as good as any Tour Player, it takes no athletic ability to get into a proper posture! For full swing shots, other than a Driver, inside of heels should be as wide as outside of hips (for a Driver inside of heels as wide as outside of shoulders). Push hips sockets back and up so that pelvis is at an angle, not horizontal to ground. As you push hips back, and up, this will lower chest and place weight toward back of arch of foot. Simply unlock your knees, you'll feel a little pressure above kneecaps, and let arms hang limply downward from shoulder socket. There should be NO TENSION in arms or shoulders. Some players like to tilt their upper bodies slightly away from target as final set-up adjustment and just because your trailing hand is lower than target side hand this is acceptable, just don't overdue it. Now you have YOUR grip and posture.

BALL POSITION

Ball position is most misunderstood portion of entire set-up. There have been many opinions about ball position. Some say one position for every shot, others say move it around depending on club. All of guesswork is taken out however if golfer would set club at address as manufacturer designed it. All clubs, except for Driver, are designed so that grip end of club is ahead of clubhead if soled properly, this means shaft leans forward, not vertical or backwards! If you address ball, with say a 5 iron, and shaft is vertical then even before you swing you've added loft and turned it into a seven iron! That same 5 iron is designed to have approximately 8 degrees of forward lean at address. The best players in world, using that same 5 iron, have upwards of 15 degrees at Impact! This turns it into a 3 iron! Having said that you have option of setting up to ball with shaft vertical as long as you can get into proper Impact position…the shaft leans forward at Impact!

The player also has "option" of starting with shaft, and hands, at a mid-body position. We also need to cover where ball is located in relation to player's upper body, not feet. The width of stance changes during course of a round but width of upper body does not. In addition, target side shoulder socket is low point of arc and fulcrum of target side arm swing. Therefore ball with a wedge will be in center of chest, in line with sternum, for full swing shots, 5 iron under target side of chest, and Driver at low point, which is shoulder socket. This could vary depending on whether player has exceptionally wide shoulders, but for most part these locations will be fine for irons but target side shoulder socket IS LOW POINT and Driver MUST be played at this location for straight shots! Back of this location produces a fade, with no manipulation, and forward of this location produces a draw, with no manipulation. You may see some players playing ball back, or forward, of target side shoulder socket but these players must either change shoulder location at Impact, by leaning backward with upper body, or must manipulate clubface to hit a straight shot.

AIM and ALIGNMENT

We spoke with Judy Thomas, production coordinator and artistic talent director with Walt Disney's World on Ice, to learn more about auditioning process. With seven shows currently rotating world, Walt Disney's World On Ice (WWOI) employs about 400 skaters, both men and women. If you're interested in becoming one of next recruits, read on. We'll uncover facts about what it takes to become a professional Disney performer.

6.0 Skate: What should interested skaters do to arrange an audition?

Judy Thomas: We ask that they send a videotape, resume and current photo [see below for address]. Some skaters will just phone, they know that show's coming into, say Boston area at Christmas, and they'll call and enquire about audition time and date. Throughout year, we take names and phone numbers and then contact them when we have an established time and date, and call and let them know.

6.0: Who conducts onsite auditions?

Judy: Performance directors with line captains demonstrating.

6.0: What do you want to see on a video audition?

Judy: Well, what I ask first is that they introduce themselves, and just tell us a bit about themselves. It gives a little more in-person view to video, and also maybe with regards to why they want to perform professionally with Disney on Ice. We request that they perform all elements within a practice session and perform those as though they're performing in front of a house of 18,000 people. Then we ask that they include any competitive programs of their choice as well as any exhibition-type programs. Any time they're able to include a program that's entertaining and shows performing skills, it's really appreciated.

6.0: What don't you want to see?

Judy: I'd say it's best to send a tape of your most current work as opposed to a competition four years ago. It's interesting ... you may receive a tape where someone's falling, and some people think they should edit that out, but it's way they respond to that fall sometimes shows me exactly what I want to see. If they have ability to get up and perform as if it never happened, that's wonderful!

6.0: How many skaters do you hire each year?

Judy: It really depends on our turnover. The amount of auditions vary and it's interesting because you can almost see cycle ....In Toronto four years ago we may have had 45 auditions, where everyone was graduating that year ... and that's usually all seniors in club, and so you almost have to wait until next generation of seniors grow up. So we audition in every city, I'd say we have several hundred auditions a year around world. [It also depends on] how many shows we're building.

6.0: How many shows are currently on road?

Judy: We have seven shows -- five domestic and two foreign tours. The one tour does Japan, Asia, Australia, and then we have a Europe tour, and then one of our domestic shows does part USA and part South America.

6.0: In your opinion, is 17 years of age old enough to travel with a show?