So often I have golfers come to me saying….
"I can hit my irons well but I greatly lack consistency with my driver. Can you give me some advice on what I need to do to hit my driver like my irons?"
If you resonate with that question then you'll want to read this entire article now. Because in it I'm going to give you some simple tips to improve your driving off the tee. And the first thing we're going to look at is your equipment. More specifically I want you to look at the shaft in your golf driver.
You see, the shaft of any club is the most important aspect of the club that will affect performance. And if you have a shaft in your golf driver that is not suited to you then you'll struggle to hit that club consistently well.
So when a golfer comes to me complaining about great inconsistency with their driver over their irons I routinely ask this question…
"Does your driver have a different shaft than your irons?"
And normally I get an answer back like this…
"Yes, but my irons have steel shafts in themand my golf driver has a graphite shaft in it. Although they are all regular shafts."
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
How To Hit It Long And Straight!
How to Develop a Good Putting Stroke
From Mel Sole
Ritson-Sole Golf Schools
Putts between 4 and 6 feet are ones that we expect to make most of the time. But research tells us that touring pros make only about 50-percent of their 6-foot putts, so the average golfer should not get too frustrated when their percentage is lower. However, with intelligent practice, we can do something to increase our success rate on this length of putt.
How to Practice
Take 10 balls and line up a straight putt of about 4 feet as I am here in picture No. 1:
It is important to practice a straight putt, because then you need only focus on the stroke and not on the break. Obviously, if you miss a straight putt you will know that you made a bad stroke; if you miss a breaking putt, you might have made a good stroke but just had the wrong speed. So it's important to pick a straight putt for this drill.
Now, start putting these putts with two objectives:
1. Make sure the putter head is going straight back as in picture No.
2 ...
... and straight through as in picture No. 3.
Set yourself a goal for the number of putts that you can hole in a row. Gradually increase this goal until you can get up to 50. Remember, if you miss one you have to start at one again!
This teaches you how to putt under pressure, because as you reach 45, 46, 47, 48 - you don't want to start at one again - so you must make a good stroke.
The secondary benefit of this practice method is to your subconscious. As you hole putt after putt at this distance, your confidence escalates and you have less and less fear of these putts.
If you don't have time to go to the course, remember - you can practice this at home on the carpet. This drill is a great way to work on your putting stroke.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Golf tip: Control your wrist, and control your slice
By Chuck Evans,
Special to WorldGolf.com,
Golf Publisher Syndications
You're standing on the tee with water right and think, boy I don't want to hit it right. What usually happens next? The ball doesn't go into the water because it wants to. It go in the water because it has to!
You did everything absolutely perfect to produce this slice and send your golf ball to a watery grave. So how do you fix this abomination of a shot? First, you will need to know what a slice is and what some of its causes are.
A slice can start anywhere but then curves back to the right - for a right-handed player. The amount of this curvature can be small or great depending on the clubface angle when the ball leaves the clubface.
If you are slicing here's a quick check list to narrow down why.
1. Ball location - having the ball too far back in the stance will not allow the clubface to close properly. A player's hand spped also affects ball location. Fast hands need to play the ball back and slow hands more forward.
2. Hinge action (the control of the clubface transmitted through the left hand) - Faulty hinge action can lead to slices, hooks, pushes, and fades. But properly educated hands can even compensate for off plane motions.
3. Right arm action - Not straightening the right arm through impact allows the clubface to remain open. These three are the basic reasons for slices, but there could be more depending on the player.
By..http://www.worldgolf.com
Golf tip: Get to know your swing plane
Professional and low-handicap golfers consider the swing play to be one of the most important concepts in golf. Swing plane directly relates to how straight, high and far you can hit the ball. At the same time, swing plane is one of the most intimating terms for high-handicap women golfers, simply because they're not sure what a swing plane is, let alone what a good one looks like.
To envision a perfect swing plane, imagine a dotted line drawn from the ball, along the clubshaft and up past the grip. This is your swing plane line. As you start your swing, the clubhead goes up the imaginary dotted line and then basically the club turns upside down so that the grip end of club points down to the ground. The club should be parallel to your imaginary dotted line. Your shoulders turn to finish the backswing and then as you start the downswing, the club should drop back on the imaginary dotted line.
High-handicappers, because of poor swing mechanics or misconceptions regarding swing plane, begin their swings by rolling the club away from their bodies on the takeaway, which immediately puts the club under the swing plane or dotted line. From this position, the player can only lift the club to finish the backswing and then come over the top, or above the swing plane on the downswing. From here, all you can do is hit the ball from an outside path, a major cause of slices and pulls.
The key: Stay on plane as much a possible, especially in the beginning of the backswing. If you're on plane at this critical part of the backswing, you're more likely to remain on plane throughout the entire swing.
No one has a perfect swing plane, but good ballstrikers manage to keep the club on plane throughout their swings more often than not. Here's a drill to help you learn the correct swing plane once and for all.
With a short-iron, grip down on the shaft so that the butt end of the club almost touches your belly button. As you swing back, maintain the triangle formed by your hands and forearms by keeping the butt end of the club pointing at your belly until the clubhead points just outside your right foot. An early body turn or an early break of the wrists will destroy the triangle and move the club under the swing plane. If you keep the club pointed at your belly and your triangle intact, your clubface will remain square and remain on plane. Turn your shoulders and finish your backswing.
As you start the downswing, drop your arms so the butt end of the club points away from your belly. This is the correct delivery position, where the clubhead is on plane and approaches the ball from an inside path.
If you're ever off plane on the backswing, you'll be forced to throw the cluhead from the top and the butt end of the club will point back to your belly button. This is the exact opposite of what you want to do. From this position, you'll slice, pull or top the ball.
To sum up the perfect plane, keep the butt end of the club pointing toward your belly on the takeaway and away from your belly on the downswing. You don't have to be perfect, but don't do the opposite.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
"Hit and Hold" to Become a Better Putter
From Mel Sole
Ritson-Sole Golf Schools
I play most of my golf with friends, students or members of Pawleys Plantation, and the most common cause I see for missed putts is movement. Golfers (including myself sometimes) are too keen to see where the ball is going and thus we "come out" of our original posture.
The small photo to the right clearly demonstrates what I see every week while taping students during the putting class. They are unaware and amazed at how much they move during putting. As you can see by my shoulder position, this "coming out" or "straightening up" makes the shoulders open up too soon, causing the putter head path to move to the left and resulting in a closed clubface. Most putts are missed on the left.
Go to the practice green and consciously be aware of your posture position as you line up your putt.
After you have struck your putt "hold" the follow through (as in the photos to the left) for at least six seconds to give you time to check the following factors:
• 1. Is your body still in its original address position?• 2. Is the putter head path still on line to the target?• 3. Is the putter face still square to your target?
If any of these three things are not present you are losing shots due to missed putts. This "hit and hold" position will help you check if all is well with your putting stroke. Remember: no movement!
(You can see what I'm talking about by paying attention to the professionals next time you watch a pro golf event on television.)
Monday, August 20, 2007
Take This Simple, 2 Minute Golf Swing
To See If You Have This
Serious Swing Fault Or Not
Because if you do have this swing fault it could be costing you...
-
distance (could be up to 50 yards)
-
accuracy (pulls, pushes, hooks and especially a slice)
-
consistency (fat shots, topped shots, thin shots, toe/heel shots, sky shots, shanks etc, etc.)
So if you suffer from any of these problems take this test now....The Golf Swing Test
Step 1: Get your 7-iron and a golf ball and setup to a ball with your bottom just touching a wall like this...
Step 2: Now start your backswing as you normally would and...
So that's the test. But before you do it yourself watch this video to get a good idea of what exactly you need to do.
Thank you " http://www.yourgolfswingtest.com" for detail.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Practice Your Swing the Easy Way
You have the whitest shoes, the priciest clubs, and the most advanced golf balls. But at the end of the day, it don't mean a thing if you ain't got that swing.
A consistent and reliable swing is the key to playing a great game of golf. Not only will a good swing save your game, but it will also save face on the green. Everyone is watching you at the first tee, and they'll all see if you miss the ball or send it careening off course. Save yourself the embarrassment and take the time to practice your swing.
Buying all of the right equipment and reading stacks of golfing books and magazines means nothing if you have a poor swing. In order to make it as a golfer you need to look and act like a golfer. You won't learn how to swing a golf club overnight, so don't let yourself get too frustrated. Practice as often as you can. Many golfers have been practicing for years with the utmost dedication and observation before becoming comfortable with their swings. Even pro golfers don't make a perfect drive every time.
Most people are on the right track as they initially approach the swing. The problem is, they tend to stray because they suddenly change their stance or lose their grip.
The first step to learning how to swing a golf club is finding a club that feels good to you. You need to have the right grip, and the length of your club must be perfect. Make sure that you're relaxed while approaching the tee. Don't tense up. When you feel calm, you are ready to take your stance. If the position of your body isn't just right, you'll have a poor back swing, a poor downswing and a poor follow through. Basically, stance is everything in performing a great swing. Keep your body strong throughout the back swing, downswing and follow through. Practice is the key to a becoming a great golfer.
Start with the backswing. Take the club and raise it to the proper height behind you. Swing the club downward until you are in the downswing position. At this point, you will hit the ball. Next, be sure to complete your follow through or you will send the ball flying off-course. Those boxes of golf balls can get pricey to replace, so keep your balls on the green by practicing your swing.
If you need extra help with your swing, you can rent instructional videos or DVDs, or you can hire a professional instructor. Taking lessons can be expensive, but the one-on-one instruction and hands-on experience is usually worth the money. If cash is a concern, it's probably best to just get out on the course and practice. Visit a driving range and practice your swing by driving a few buckets of balls. Use trial and error to perfect your swing.
The difference between good golfers and great golfers is huge. That difference usually lies in the swing. Try practicing your swing and you'll be pleasantly surprised at how much your game will improve.
Article Source: http://www.superfeature.com
Writer Farrell Harber is a frequent contributor to a variety of well-known Internet sites, on outdoor recreation and creative recreation themes.
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How to Perfect Your Golf Swing and Golf Like a Pro
The perfect golf swing should occur by habit, after hands-on training to correct bad habits and sloppiness. A good golfer should be able to correct themselves. The perfect golf swing should be able to encompass variables of distance, wind, turf, angle to the tee and length of the fairway in all wind conditions.
Golfers who experiment with their tee shots often discover that an automatic generation of a swing can be a great starting point for a great swing. But a perfect golf swing comes about after enough positive experience with a certain rhythm that occurs again and again, until the body can tell better than the mind how to do it. Then a perfect golf swing can be employed as a function of the golf game anywhere from tee to green to rough to fairway.
Many players will grind away at the perfect swing, using manuals, videotapes, books and even coaches to get the best whack at the ball. Consistent accuracy is more than mere mechanics. The perfect golf swing tempers a determined player’s concentration with effort that limits exertion.
The perfect golf swing has a methodology that is different for each player. Golf takes repetition and concentration, especially when problem areas need extra attention. The intense skill and methodologies necessary for the perfect golf swing can be discarded and focused upon depending on their effectiveness.
Little by little, the perfect golf swing can adjust a player’s handicap and show him or her how to map the perfect stroke for every part of the course.
Article Source: http://www.superfeature.com
Dr. Richard Myers provides the avid golfer with video instruction to improve his or her golf swing. If the perfect golf swing or golf grip eludes you, visit ThinkandReachPar.com
Golf Putting Tips
Golf putting tips also revolve around the artificial mats and cups you can order for your backyard to be able to practice. And, this is by far a very good idea, particularly if you have a friend to join you and increase the competitive feeling. Remember that part of the golf putting tip here is to recreate a slightly pressing atmosphere as if you were in a regular game. Many of the golf putting tips beginners use are available in instructional books and videos, not to mention the richness of Internet sources that can assist you in the attempt to improve your golf performance.
A very informational site can be visited at The Simple Golf Swing don’t hesitate to have a look around and see what’s new. You may ask for golf putting tips from your friends or some professional players. If they watch you play it would be really educational and useful for you if they analyzed your style and suggested golf putting tips for an increased game level. Don’t be too proud or too shy to ask or listen, after all, you turn to someone who could set you with a clear example of a well-controlled game and provide some great golf putting tips.
On all golf sites, the request for golf putting tips is often lower than that for distance shots instructions for instance. Up to a point, this preoccupation is normal, since it gets more time to improve the golf swing than to apply some golf putting tips. However, though involving different levels of difficulty and mastery, the golf putting tips and the basic beginner knowledge are equally important for various groups of players. For an obvious increased game quality it is good to put into practice any golf putting tips learnt from regardless what source.
golf swing tips
By: http://golfswingtrainer.blogspot.com/