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.