Playing Better Golf 101 Tips – 4
31. The main aim of the golf action is not to swing the club but to swing the club head.
32. A top professional does not have just one successful shot to visualize. He has many shots, each different in their own way and all successful for each and every hole.
33. You do not normally catch a slump; it is something you inadvertently create.
34. Many top professionals claim that working on your technique contributes to about 30% of your success. More important are the mental strategies and how you maximize your shots for every hole. Unfortunately most players devote 100% of their time in just learning techniques.
35. If you are a beginner, you may be learning to generate a particular kind of swing. However, as you play more, you will start to generate swings that will give you the particular shot you are looking for.
36. In golf, as in any major competitive sport, you have to try without trying too hard and win without thinking too hard about winning.
37. It is not important where you practice – whether in your backyard or on a nine-hole course. What is important is that you practice regularly.
38. A good swing is one where you do not end up in confrontation with the ball but which is more like an artistic movement.
39. It is never easy to play under pressure or misguided expectations. Be aware of your strengths and play shots you are sure of.
40. Knowledge can be power but too much knowledge and too little practical experience is never helpful.
… continue from Playing Better Golf 101 Tips – Part 3
Written by GolfSwing on July 3rd, 2009 with no comments.
Read more articles on Golf Swing.
Playing Better Golf 101 Tips – 3
21. The very first lesson you should learn when starting golf is to get really comfortable swinging the club.
22. Any good player learns to identify the characteristics of another good player and will emulate him/her on some aspects.
23. Before you start thinking about your individual game, make sure you understand important details of the game like ball spin or shot patterns.
24. You can analyze your game but that would be useless unless you know how to improve on it and more importantly, start doing it naturally.
25. Do not worry about how many strokes you take at the beginning, concentrate on the quality of them. As the quality of the swing improves, the number of strokes will start coming down.
26. You should never try to completely eliminate your bad shot. It may not be possible to do so or at least in a finite amount of time. Aim to keep improving on it till it gets reasonable.
27. Stop trying for a great shot but aim for shooting your best shot. If it ends up landing close to the hole, it was your best shot. If it ends up winning you a championship, it will be a great shot!
28. If you are a beginner, set the level you want for yourself. If it is too low, you may achieve it very easily and will not have anything to spur you on. Keep it little high just so you have to work hard to get there. Higher goals will bring you greater results.
29. Do not aim for sudden improvements like wanting to turn your handicap of 10 into one of 7 – you may end up going up to 12.
30. While taking a swing at the ball, do not view the ball as your object of conflict. Instead relax, hold the club comfortably in position and with perfect hand-eye co-ordination, let the club take natural swing with the ball just being in the way.
… continue from Playing Better Golf 101 Tips – Part 2
Written by GolfSwing on June 20th, 2009 with 1 comment.
Read more articles on Golf and Golf Training.
11. If you are constantly being told that golf is a difficult game, you may actually end up believing it. Do not listen to anyone who is negative but go out and try it for yourself.
12. Think of some positive associations or mental images that will help you stay positive even when the going gets tough on the course.
13. While practicing your swing action, you may practice without a ball and will concentrate only on the swing. However, on the course, with the ball in front, you may tend to concentrate on the ball. Swing practices are best done with the ball to be hit.
14. Aggression to a limited extent is good if it spurs you on – it can also tend to distract you, destroying your concentration.
15. If you are a beginner, do not be fooled that powerful strokes go the longest distance. Power matters, control of the stroke matters even more.
16. Do not be pressured by a good performance or a bad performance. Every shot should be treated on its own merit.
17. Reading instructional books or following instructional videos is good but only to a certain extent. Just following a constant set of instructions is not going to improve your game – your instinct and the way you follow it will.
18. Practice putting as much as you can from as many positions as you can. You are probably here for the shortest period but it may seem like the longest period of your life.
19. Set hard goals but not unachievable ones. They should make you sweat and at the end of it, your sense of accomplishment will spur you to do better.
20. Too much analysis can cause damage by concentrating too much on bits and pieces of an action instead of concentrating on the end purpose of that one action.
… continue from Playing Better Golf 101 Tips
Written by GolfSwing on June 11th, 2009 with 1 comment.
Read more articles on Golf.
Playing Better Golf 101 Tips – Part 1
1. Your understanding of the concepts of golf should be complete. Most of the time, poor play comes from applying logic to misunderstood concepts.
2. Only practice can make you perfect. You may have to hit a lot of bad shots before you can master one reasonable one.
3. Do not try very hard to understand the game. Just play it naturally and the understanding will come to you.
4. When you see a top professional hit a perfect shot, he is turning into reality what he had visualized in his mind a few minutes back.
5. When you are told that you have acquired a good swing, you may not even realize it. Constant practice has just improved it so much.
6. Do not just read what top professionals or coaches are saying but try to understand it by implementing it.
7. Do not underestimate the effort required to play good golf – you may end up finding the game difficult and even quit it.
8. Take time when you are not playing to work on your mental strategy by analyzing every shot you played on the course. Maximize the shots you can play well so that you can play better under pressure next time.
9. Improving your play involves not only knowing what to learn but how to learn it.
10. Merely powering the club will not help you hit longer. Try hitting with long clubs but with quiet swings.
Written by GolfSwing on June 4th, 2009 with 1 comment.
Read more articles on Golf.
If you look at any of the top golfers like Tiger Woods, you will not only notice the quality of their golf games but also marvel at their fantastic fitness levels. It is just proof of the fact that golf fitness not is very much part of the games just like mastering your swing or your putting is. If you would like to participate competitively at the highest levels of the game, you have to have a regular workout routine, watch what you eat and focus completely on the game. You also need to look at different angles of playing the game, develop golf strategies, pursue it on the golf course and then see how you polish it up before your next game.
Many of your friends may still snicker at golf being called a tough game, both physically and mentally. However, there have been considerable changes in the game since the old days. While there may not be much physical running around or physical contact, you do need to have tremendous physical stamina to be able to hit the ball regularly to distances of 300 or more yards. Further, if you are playing on big golf courses that easily cover over 7000 yards, you can see the level of fitness you need to reach in order to be able to complete the course in reasonable time.
While you do need to work on your stroke-play, one also needs to plan on how to play the game strategically. If you watch any game closely especially the top level ones, you will notice that the difference between the top three is usually not more than a stroke per round. Although this may not seem like much but in the final analysis, this makes a difference between the winner and the losers, not to mention the cash-prize, the headlines and endorsements that usually follow the winner.
Therefore, you will often hear professional golfers talking, not just about improving their swing or their driving but more importantly on how they try to stick to their plan and focus on various tactics for each hole. You will find them playing for every position, attacking certain holes while for some, you will find them backing off. This helps them maximize whatever advantages they have in terms of their strokes. If you do not have a well-thought out strategy, you may find yourself just one stroke behind at the beginning of the round but will soon start falling behind even more.
Get in to the habit of planning a strategy for every hole before you get on to the course. Knowing your game well helps, as you are aware of what your strengths and weaknesses are. Use this and try to maximize your strengths and minimize your weaknesses. Try and understand which hole offers you the best chance considering your stroke play – play attacking golf for that hole. Some may offer trickier positions for you – learn to play defense there and do not let go of any advantages that you have derived so far.
You may feel that since it is highly unlikely that you will be competing for the US Open, mental strategy may not matter as much. However, giving a little more thought to how you should approach each hole, for example, the way you play various strokes will help you be prepared when you are to take the stroke. You will be able to successfully visualize yourself making a good stroke and that will translate into reality. In fact, it has also been noticed that people with a high handicap will benefit from more mental strategies than professionals for whom such thinking may come more naturally. You could easily pick up two to three strokes in each round and that will make enormous difference in your confidence and in your enjoyment of the golf game.
As we mentioned earlier, the key tactic in your mental strategy should be visualization. Visualization is a key to having a positive mental attitude when you start off on any round. Close your eyes and try to see in your mind, a perfect picture of the ball going the distance you want it to or falling gently into the hole. Do not dwell too much on your drawbacks at this time. See the ball going in the exact direction and to the exact spot you want it to.
This way you are trying to train your mind to see only positive results. Your mind will then will your body to mimic the same result. This is why it is very important that you focus only the positive aspects of your game and not the negative. When you have the mental image of a successful shot, you will also experience a sense of accomplishment. This is the key to your being able to convert this mental image into reality. Keep this feeling of accomplishment and focus on the mental image till you have completed your shot.
Of course, your shot is not going to go to the spot you intended to every time. There will be hits and misses. If you have had one bad shot, just forget about it for the time being and move on to the next shot in a positive mindset and with a positive attitude. Repeat the same process for this shot.
Keep practicing this visualization technique every time, before you start the game and before every shot. Gradually, this will become second nature to you and the number of good strokes will soon start to outnumber the bad ones.
Written by GolfSwing on May 26th, 2009 with no comments.
Read more articles on Golf.
Golf now is as well known for the excitement it generates as for the accessories that are turning into style statements themselves. A golfer has lot to choose from – little novelty toys to sophisticated organizational tools, which may range from a few dollars to a few hundred dollars. These can be found in many places including in stores and on the Internet.
You can probably find suitable accessories for every aspect of the game. For example, there is a huge variety of golf clubs from various brands. Again, the golf clubs require various accessories for cleaning, protection or for enhancing them. Some of these accessories include cleaning kits, club grips and also protective covers for the club heads. You can find head covers to suit your taste. If you prefer something stylish, you may get ones that can be labeled with your family crest or even a monogram. On the other hand, if you prefer a causal look, you can get one with animal shapes or just plain shapes. There are a large number of golf club grips as well for you to make your choice. There are standard universal grips but one can get customized golf grips as well.
Similarly, all golf balls and tees may look the same to you. However, if you look carefully, you will be surprised at the amazing variety in them as well. You can pick up a bag full of absolutely generic tees without giving it a second thought or you could invest in some fancy personalized tees, which can be made in any color that you like. Though traditionally, one always went in for wooden tees, you can now get rubber or brush tees which are claimed to possess more accuracy and are supposed to last longer than the traditional ones. Similarly, golf balls also come in various colors and various brands claim that theirs is more accurate than the others.
A sunglass is very much a part of a golfer’s personality. You can choose between sunglasses or caps or visors or combinations of both. If you live and play in a sunny climate, you will certainly need one on you all the time. Even otherwise, one is hard pressed to find a golfer without at least a golfing cap on. It may be helpful to pick up one of those wrap-around sunglasses that come with special lenses that protect against harmful UV radiation. Of course, one should be careful that these sunglasses have a clear view of the ball and the course. An umbrella is another useful accessory that you may find many carrying around since it provides protection against both the sun and the rain.
Golf towels are another essential part of golfers’ equipment. In fact, many golfers have their ‘lucky’ towels with them for years together. Towels of course, have their utility value but more importantly it allows many to personalize some aspects of their game by having their names or company names on them.
Some of the other miscellaneous golf accessories include ball cleaners, ball retrievers and other maintenance products that go a long way in keeping you golfing equipment in shape for years to come.
As we mentioned earlier, golf accessories can be found in any professional golf shop at any course. However, you can also take a look at some of the online golf shops that offer better varieties, state-of-the-art brands and great bargains.
Written by GolfSwing on May 22nd, 2009 with no comments.
Read more articles on Golf and Golf Product.
Taylor Made Golf is one of the largest companies that manufacturers golf club, balls, and accessories for the serious golfer. Founded in 1979 by Gary Adams, an entrepreneur who also started Founders Club and McHenry metals, Taylor Made has grown into a name synonymous with golf greatness.
While working as a salesman for Witteck Golf, Adams noticed that the new two piece balls performed better on irons than on true woods. This led him to develop the Taylor Made metal wood. The driver caught on quickly and Taylor Made has been a leader in hollow metal woods ever since.
Taylor Made continues to make innovations in the area of golf club design. They have come out with new hybrid golf clubs that are lighter and easier to swing. The drivers that Taylor Made produces are made of materials that make them easier to hit and as the club faces get larger and larger, Taylor Made has also joined in on the craze.
Many golfers, amateurs and professionals alike, swear by Taylor Made clubs. Their constantly improving design and performance have made them favorites on the pro circuit. Golfers are finding that they can get some real distance with Taylor Made drivers and their irons perform very well too.
Besides some of the greatest golf clubs in the world, Taylor Made also manufactures its own line of golf balls as well as producing Maxfli golf balls. Their two-piece balls come in a variety of specialized weights and compressions which can help you hit the ball farther and with more accuracy. Of course, that does depend somewhat on your swing as well!
Recently, Taylor Made acquired the Adidas corporation and are now adding golf shoes to their lineup of products. Their bags are durable and are a favorite among many golfers today. The present company is known as Taylor Made-Adidas Golf.
If you want to own a set of Taylor Made golf clubs, be prepared to pay quite a price for them – especially if you are buying them new. But know that you are making an investment in your golf game and will be paying for quality clubs that can last you for a very, very long time.
Taylor Made’s drivers, hybrids, and fairway woods are used by more professionals than any other brand. There’s a reason why the pros choose Taylor Made for their club selections.
Written by GolfSwing on May 16th, 2009 with no comments.
Read more articles on Golf Product.
Did you know that many senior golf pros started their careers with senior golf mini tours? These tours are for the amateurs and the professionals alike. Both men and women stat their careers with mini tours, which in some cases have payouts up to twenty-five thousand dollars. This is not a bad purse for a mini tour. If you are considering joining the ranks of the PGA or the LPGA, you might consider gaining some experience with a few mini tours to see how you stand up the rest. This is a fascinating way to life the life of a pro without all the hype right away.
You might sign up for the Cadillac Classic Series or the Sunbelt Senior Golf Tour. You can participate just as the pros do, but with less stress in winning. You can gain pointers on how to make the grade as you travel on your way to the PGA or LPGA. This is great experience for senior golf amateurs trying their hand at joining the ranks of Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player. You compete for a title, but without the pressure of the PGA. You can use the min tours as a way to brush up on your swing, chipping, long drives and short games as well as your putt.
Once have tried your hand at the senior golf mini tours, have succeeded in obtaining a good score, and are confident about your overall golf ranking, you might think about moving onto the PGA or LPGA. You must of course, qualify to join the PGA, but there are people to help you with every step needed to be taken to join the circuit. The min tours are just a step in the right direction. Your winning games could even add up to pocket change if you play the game well.
Many senior golf mini tour players stay with the mini tours for their entire golfing career. They like the mini tours because they are affordable and they can travel less then what you do with the PGA. When you join the PGA, you travel away from home for long periods of time where as a mini tour is scheduled a few times a year and you do not have to participate in everyone if you do not wish. You gain experience, but at your own speed. You have no commitment to any other tours if you do not feel it is the time.
A senior golf mini tour can benefit anyone who is an amateur golfer trying to gain recognition into the golfing circuit. Although you are playing for a purse, you so not have all the expenses that come with being in the PGA or LPGA. Men and women both participate in mini tours as a way of enhancing their experience and never move up into the rankings of the PGA. There many organizations that can help you register for the min tours and will give you all the information you need to get started.
Written by GolfSwing on May 13th, 2009 with no comments.
Read more articles on Senior Golf.
DRIVING
One of the biggest challenges of a golf game is getting the driving spot on. The driver is considered to be the hardest club to hit and requires a great degree of skill and lots of practice to master it completely. To drive the ball well, you have to learn to swing the club well within yourself. This essentially means you do not use mere brute force to hit hard at the golf club and then try to make it go a long distance. Many players, especially beginners often make this mistake, thinking that more muscle in turn means more distance covered.
This is a common misunderstanding and it is difficult to see why when you often see may people with small builds power the ball through long distances. How is that possible? Well, the simple reason is this – the distance the ball travels does not have much to do with just the sheer power behind your stroke, it has do more with the accuracy of the golf swing combined with the speed of the club head. And the best way to maximize this combination is to swing well within yourself so that you can control both better.
To generate more club head speed, you may need to create more leverage or as it is called, lag. Lag is essentially the angle between your left hand and the club. It is recommended that this angle be as small as possible and that it is held in that position for as long as possible before the club can hit the ball. This permits a lot of energy to be released to the ball through the hitting area and in turn frees the ball to travel through a long distance. You could think of the club as a whip and hold the club as a whip. When you need to hit the ball, bring down the club in one smooth shipping motion through the hitting area and release the energy to the ball. One more tip you could try attempting – when you start your downswing, your left shoulder should be driving heavenwards. This will help you keep your club in the hitting place and give full power to the ball.
It is very important that you stay focused and fully under control when you are executing your swing. The best way to determine whether or not you are under control is to see what your balance is like at the end of the swing. If you stay well balanced even at the end of the swing, then you are well under control. However, if you are losing balance, then you may need to make a few adjustments, either to your posture or your speed so that you stay in balance. Do not try very hard – it is important that you stay relaxed and that your club moves freely.
Before you start working on your driving, you may want to make sure that you are using your wedges and short irons effectively. The driver swing is just an extension of the swings that you get from the wedges or short irons. If you are having problems with the wedges or irons, you will also face difficulty in the driving. Therefore, it’s best to start with the shorter clubs first and the move on the driver.
It goes without saying, that to achieve consistency and efficiency in part of your game, you need to practice and practice constantly. You could of course, go to the range and practice on the course as many times as you can. However, you could also spend some time in your backyard when time permits to improve some of your stroke making. There are many home golf simulators that are now available at reasonable prices that will allow you to practice at home at your convenience.
PUTTING
It is not surprising that the putter is the most used club in the game and that most people seeking golf advice ask about improving their putting. It takes a long time to reach the green but that is where you have to make your most important move.
One of the major questions asked is about the distance for the putt back swing. Most professionals and coaches would advise you to hold the right toe as the standard point. From then on, speed up the club-head to hit the ball.
You can order many artificial mats and cups, which you could place in your backyard or any open space in your house to practice your putting. You have to focus as if you were actually in the middle of a round to be able to practice under pressure. Probably, playing with a friend in a competitive spirit may help.
People spend a lot of time improving their long distance shots as in a game it takes a long distance to reach the greens. However, practicing your putting also is equally important. Not just by gathering tips but also by actually trying your hand at putting from various angles and positions. It does take a long time to improve ones swing and you may forgiven for thinking that putting is far simpler or may take less time to master. However, you never know what kind of problems you may have to face during your game and so it is best to be prepared in all aspects.
Written by GolfSwing on May 9th, 2009 with no comments.
Read more articles on Golf.
Starting with the Swing
1. THE GRIP
The two most important techniques of golf are the grip and the swing. The quicker you get these two right, the faster you will move forward in your game.
Here are some very basic tips for getting your golf grip right:
• Stand very firm and let your arms just hang freely and naturally by your sides. Relax and let there be no tensions in any muscles. Let your hands and palms be turned slightly inwards, facing your thighs.
• Next you have to learn to form your golf grip. Open your left hand and place the grip of the golf club at the base of the fingers. Close your left hand round the golf club firmly, with the left thumb naturally pointing downwards to the ground.
• With the left hand firmly in position, bring the right hand over the golf club and similar to the left hand, place the golf club such that the grip is at the base of the right fingers. Again, close your right hand firmly around the golf club. If you can see just two knuckles on the right hand, then you can be certain that you have the right grip position.
• You have to keep checking your grip as well as your positions regularly.
• You should also be careful about the grip pressure. If there is too much pressure on the grip (that is you are squeezing the club too much) then chances are there will not be much freedom in your stroke and your wrist-play will restricted. On the other hand, if there is very little pressure, you may not be able to control your shots to your liking. The grip pressure should be equal from both hands and should be just enough to control the club while not putting any restrictions either on the natural movement of the club or its tempo.
2. THE POSTURE
Once you have your grip in place, the next thing you should work on is your posture as you prepare for the first stroke.
• Always aim the clubface toward the distant target as accurately as possible. Then align your body to square to the target so that you can consistently come up with straight shots.
• To achieve this, start by laying your club on the ground as parallel as possible to the intended target. Now, aim the clubface toward the target and stand with your shoulders in line with the target. This will help you direct your swing path better.
• Keep your feet spread comfortably and place them facing the target squarely.
• Now, in your mind, visualize where you intend your shot to go. Form a mental picture of the exact graph you would like your ball to follow. Keep working on your instincts and build up your confidence in them and their ability to understand exactly what angle, speed and power will take the ball how far.
• Keep working on your posture, first to get it right and then to keep improving on the accuracy of your shots. Having a good posture and right target alignment are very important to your success as a good golf player.
3. THE GOLF SWING
It is absolutely essential that you maintain a square clubface in order to get the most out of your swing. When you hit the ball with a square clubface, you ensure that the ball goes straight and for a fairly long distance. To maintain a square clubface, you need to have a steady swing plane. Keep practicing on what is the most effective swing plane for you so that you get the club-face square against the ball every time.
The other aspect to remember while you work on your swing is the timing. It is best to maintain a steady speed throughout your whole swing. Your ball may not move smoothly if you bring in the club in slowly first and then speed it up as it approaches the ball.
Keep practicing to get these three essentials right – correct grip, right posture and good golf swing.
Written by GolfSwing on May 2nd, 2009 with no comments.
Read more articles on Golf Swing.
« Older articles
No newer articles