Playing Better Golf 101 Tips – 9
81. Position and mould yourself to suit the golf club. Do not try to hold the club so as to fit your position.
82. There is no such thing as a perfect shot – it all depends on the context. A perfect shot if it lands in water is ruined. A bad shot if it turns out to be a hole in one is a perfect shot.
83. More important than the time you spend on the course, is the time you spend on it outside. Try to understand the overall game and more importantly try and understand your game.
84. The swing you presently have is not something you have created today but is the result of all those swings and the time you have spent analyzing them.
85. For many new players, getting the correct grip position is never easy because it tends to be awkward for many body actions.
86. A professional never visualizes himself failing and as such success does not surprise him. An occasional miscued shot does but then he takes that as a chance to improve further on his mental game.
87. If you try to avoid bad shots, you will probably end up hitting more of them. Instead concentrate on trying to hit better shots.
88. Some professionals claim that for them the club head is almost like an extension of their arms and hands, it feels so natural to them.
89. If you would like to improve your iron shots, then practice more on getting out of bunkers. If you are able to achieve a fair degree of proficiency in this, it will help you mentally as for many players; the bunkers cause great anxiety and force them to lose focus.
90. At times, for a very meticulous golf player, it becomes very difficult to let go of mentally planning his swing and just letting his body take over. However, the transition has to be made at the right moment.
… continue from Playing Better Golf 101 Tips – Part 8
Written by GolfSwing on September 6th, 2009 with 1 comment.
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Playing Better Golf 101 Tips – 8
71. While it is good to have a positive attitude, you should also motivate yourself to win every time. Else all the players even those who are at the bottom of their leagues but who have been playing for well over five years should have been at the top. Getting beaten should be treated as a learning experience but the next time, aim to win.
72. Do not impose anything on your natural style or position. Learn to just relax, stand back, and allow your natural abilities to take charge.
73. Most top professionals will vary in their swing actions but there will still be significant, noteworthy similarities. Most of them will retain the club head position behind the ball even after impact.
74. The club head decides the distance to which the ball will travel but a heavy club head may end up slowing the ball down.
75. Do not go for quick fixes for your strokes. You will not go very far and in fact, may end up messing with good aspects of your game putting you even further behind than you were before.
76. It is very essential that you make very careful and well researched choice of clubs. Some will suit you perfectly while you will be uncomfortable with some. Take professional help in picking out the perfect set for you.
77. Trying very hard to perfect a stroke can cost you your concentration and your co-ordination.
78. One of the often-told tales around the course is the story of a beginner and a professional. The professional and beginner both hit a hundred balls, 99 badly, one well. The professional goes home with the lessons of the 99 bad balls. The beginner goes home with the satisfaction of the one good ball. Who do you think got to learn more?
79. Remember that by the time you actually feel the impact of the ball on your club head, the ball has been in flight for about fifteen yards.
80. Very often, slicers struggle because they are trying hard to square their position with that of the club head.
… continue from Playing Better Golf 101 Tips – Part 7
Written by GolfSwing on August 25th, 2009 with 1 comment.
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Playing Better Golf 101 Tips – 7
61. Do not be obsessed with mere technique. At times, great looking swings lead to bad shots and good shots can come out of bad swings.
62. Do not worry if you do not always understand the experts analyzing a game on TV. Just follow the game of the players and you will learn a lot more.
63. Understand what is leading to your bad shots. In fact practicing your bad shot will help you understand it better so that you can then try the exact opposite to come up with a good shot.
64. Using sheer brute strength is often a sign of weakness while being able to control your shot reveals your strength.
65. Do not focus too much on your faults, instead identify specific aspects that you can work on to improve your game.
66. At times, you are your worst enemy. You first start off with misguided expectations about your game, you over-obsess about technique, try too hard to make perfect shots and then end up completely depressed at not performing up to your expectations.
67. The body plays a secondary role to the mental instructions that you shout out to it.
68. Thinking is good but too much thinking will kill any actions you may take based on instinct and what you are feeling on the course.
69. It may be great if you are naturally gifted but for most of us, working constantly on our physical and mental game is the only way of achieving excellence.
70. To get comfortable with the feel of the club in your hand, you need to practice having the club in your hand. Before you even start hitting the ball, make sure you have enough practice with the club in your hand, that you are comfortable with its weight and that suddenly on the course; it does not feel like something alien is thrust in your hands.
… continue from Playing Better Golf 101 Tips – Part 6
Written by GolfSwing on August 16th, 2009 with 2 comments.
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Playing Better Golf 101 Tips – 6
51. Beginners are always advised to work on their hand action and their hand-eye co-ordination first so that the body action will follow naturally.
52. During the swing action, you do not have to look directly at the ball. Just be aware of it as you take your swing and as you let go, just be aware of the contact instead of trying to hit it directly.
53. Many of the ideas and concepts about golf still persist from the olden days. Understanding the ideas may help you understand the game better.
54. During your swing movement, the most important part of the action is not the actual point of impact but some five or six feet before impact.
55. Most players are not surprised when they miss a simple putt. They are aware that it is the trickiest part of the course.
56. The more you can swing your club under pressure in a game as you can during practice, the better player you will be.
57. Forget about short-term results for a while. Concentrate on long-term goals, but one goal at a time.
58. Your club has to truly feel comfortable in your hands. Golfers call these educated hands. Practice till they feel absolutely part of your hands.
59. Make sure that as you try to improve on your techniques, you also improve your fitness levels. You need to be mentally and physically fit to succeed in this game.
60. Thinking positive thoughts on the course, after every stroke should come naturally to you.
… continue from Playing Better Golf 101 Tips – Part 5
Written by GolfSwing on August 6th, 2009 with 1 comment.
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Playing Better Golf 101 Tips – 5
41. Learn about how you can control the spin on the ball and you would have mastered one of the most difficult aspects of the game.
42. A complete golf player is one who knows not only his shots but is proficient in course management, has a strong mental game and constant positive attitude.
43. Always learn to maximize the shots you can play best. The best professionals are not just those who know all the shots; they are the ones who know how to play their best shots to their advantage.
44. There are not many ways in which you can hit the ball – there are many ways in which you can control it to go the way you want it to.
45. Do not worry too much about perfecting techniques. Even a faulty swing can give you some very good shots at times while a reasonable one can only go so far.
46. At times, we make last minute adjustments to our swing to get to connect to the ball. This will not take some pace off your club, you will also lose control.
47. When you are taking you next lesson, remember not just what makes a successful shot but also what the feeling of accomplishment felt like.
48. It is very difficult to know what is going on in the mind of a player but their body language can give you many clues to their thinking.
49. A good golf swing is not one that ends abruptly once the club hits the ball. A good golf swing is one that is a smooth, flowing action involving great hand and eye co-ordination and has a wonderful ending, with the ball just being in the way.
50. It is true that even if you have perfect position but poor hand-eye co-ordination, it will not amount to much. On the other hand, even if you do not have a great position, with good hand-eye-co-ordination, you can end up with a great shot.
… continue from Playing Better Golf 101 Tips – Part 4
Written by GolfSwing on July 25th, 2009 with 1 comment.
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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 1 comment.
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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.
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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.
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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 2 comments.
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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.
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