Golf Course in Yorkshire

Tiger Woods hits his irons straighter and more accurately than most pros. By swinging the club exactly the same way, he’s able to repeat his golf swing again and again and again. The more he repeats his swing, the more often he generates predictable results. For Tiger, predictable results mean more tournament wins and higher earnings. For the rest of us, it means better scores and lower golf handicaps.

Building a repeatable swing is ultimately the goal of all golf instruction. The secret to producing a repeatable swing with your irons is keeping the clubface square to the swing path. Failing to do so forces you to make compensatory moves to return the clubface square to the ball.

Five other keys to building a repeatable swing are

Staying connected:
One common factor among good players, in addition to low golf handicaps, is “staying connected” during the swing. In other words, good players feature a one-piece takeaway from the ball, which I often stress in my golf tips and golf lessons. Staying connected means that everything—your club hands, arms, and shoulders—moves away from the ball in unison as you start your backswing, ensuring that the clubhead travels on a wide arc away from the ball.

Set the club on the correct plane
A repeatable swing sets the club on the correct plane. To do so, hinge or cock your wrists as you move into the backswing. As your arms continue to swing upward and your body to turn, the wrists point the clubhead skyward while your left shoulder replaces the right shoulder at address. The angle of the shaft to the ball stays the same and the clubhead remains square to the swing’s path.

Swing into the top slot
As the top of the backswing, your club moves into “the slot” position, where the club’s shaft is horizontal to the ground and parallel to the target line. Also, the clubface’s angle matches your arm angle. Known as square or neutral, this is the ideal position to aim for at the top of the backswing. In addition, your original spine angle and your head position remain the same as at address. Your shoulders are turned 90 degrees, while your hips are turned 45 degrees. Most of your weight is over the right foot and you feel resistance in your right knee and right thigh.

Retain the force of the swing
Settle your weight smoothly back on your left side and start to unwind the upper body, as you move into the downswing. Also, drop your right elbow (for right handers) down to your side. This flattens the swing slightly. (This is Herb Pennick’s “Magic Move,” which I’ve previously covered in my golf tips.). As you shift your weight to the left side, your right heel comes off the ground slightly. Try retaining the 90 degree angle between your left wrist and the club’s shaft as long as possible. Your hands lead the club into the ball at impact.

Open your shoulders at impact
It’s a common belief that your shoulders should return to a square position at impact. I always address this point when giving golf lessons. In fact, your shoulders should occupy a slightly open position at impact, ensuring that the club has the room needed to travel on the correct path through the ball. In short, your body has to “get out of the way” for consistent ball striking with your irons. Finish with a balanced follow-through.

Also, important in building a repeatable swing is striking the ball cleanly and crisply. Work on this drill to improve your ballstriking. It’s a staple of my golf instruction.

• Start by assuming the ideal impact position at address with one of your irons. Start by shifting your weight onto the left side (for right-handers) and lift the right heel off the ground a fraction. The hips and shoulders are slightly open with the head over the ball, creating the feeling of a good impact position. Now, move into the back swing, shifting your weight to the right side. Return your weight to the left side, swinging the club down and through at impact. Move through the swing to a balanced position, with your weight on your front foot.

Practice this drill again and again and again until you feel yourself swinging the club the same way. Building that repeatable swing produces accuracy, consistency, and a lower golf handicap. Yours may not look like Tiger’s but it can produce more consistent and better results.

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Better golf solutions is a mystery for the average golfer.  Finding the magic bullet that’s going to cure your game overnight isn’t going to happen.  In looking for better golf solutions, you’ve got to think about what’s the main reason you’re not making a sound, repeatable golf swing that generates power and accuracy?

Common approaches to better golf solutions are taking more lessons; buying new golf equipment that will hopefully make up for your swing faults (such as offset/oversized drivers and irons); purchasing training aids that promise the world, but end up in your garage gathering dust or being sold on ebay; or going to the range with a new level of practice commitment.

The six million dollar question!  Did it help?  Are you happy with your results?

If the answer is yes…congratulations on your success!  If the answer is no, than what in the world is left?  You’ve done everything right?

I want you to think real hard for a second.

What one thing is critical in swinging a club, hitting the ball square and long, and producing results?

YOU!

You dictate your outcome!

Let me explain.

You body has a current level of physical capability.  It is what it is.  Whatever that level is, will be your outcome.  No ifs, ands, or buts about it!  You will never consistently play to what you think your potential is until you improve your “physical capabilities”!

If golfers knew this little secret, they’d save hundreds, if not thousands of dollars a year on lessons, gimmicky training aids, equipment and range fees.

You are an athlete!  A golf athlete!  You’ve got to “prepare your body to perform”.

What other athletic event do you know of where the athlete just shows up without working on his/her physical attributes?

None!

I hate to be so blunt, but it is a fact.  Only until you realize this, and take it to heart will you achieve your golfing goals.  Your BODY determines your outcome.  Your BODY makes your golf swing.  Your BODY physically plays for 18 holes.  Your BODY dictates your confidence.  I hope you’re getting the point here.

I can’t say this strong enough!

Take the approach like an athlete and you will never have to think of better golf solutions.

Tags: golf, golf exercises, Golf Fitness, golf instruction, golf lessons, Golf Swing, golf tips, golf trainer, golf workouts// Category golf tips // Add Comment »

<b>Better Golf… Through Knowledge</b>

It is said that “What you don’t know can’t hurt you”.  In golf, that couldn’t be farther from the truth.  Let’s take a look at a few things the average golfer probably doesn’t know about and how these things are probably costing you strokes.

<b>Practice makes perfect…  Not!</b>

Practice only makes perfect if you are reinforcing proper swing techniques.  For most golfers, a practice session consists of ripping through a bucket of balls on their lunch break or on the way home from work.  A trip to the range will not help you unless you are going to spend the time to “work” on your swing, and not just reinforce those bad habits you’ve already developed.  Use the following suggestions to help you turn that grip it and rip it pit stop at the range into a true practice session.

1. Only bring one club to the range with you at a time.

2. Hit a small bucket of balls and take your time with each swing.

3. Slow down your swing and try to hit the ball straight, not far.

<b>Go ahead, blame your clubs!</b>

There’s a good chance that your clubs could be at fault for all those miss hits, even if they are brand new and cost you over $2000.  The problem is, if they don’t fit you and your swing, then even when you make that perfect swing the ball isn’t going to end up where you wanted it to be.  Club length, shaft flex, lie angle, and grip size will each greatly affect your golf game if they are not properly fitted to you.  Get custom fitted for clubs and see what the difference is compared to what you have now.  You could be losing a lot of strokes because of them.

<b>Get some balls!</b>

But don’t get just any golf balls.  And that doesn’t mean that you should run out and buy the most expensive ball on the market.  You need to get the right kind of ball for your game.  Do you need extra distance?  How about stopping power?  Or soft feel?  With so many different types of balls on the market today it makes it difficult to find a ball that suits your game.  Here are a few tips on what different caliber golfers should look for in a ball.

1. Beginner - Distance, Durability, $

2. Intermediate - Higher Spin, Softer Feel, $$

3. Advanced - Tour Quality, Distance, Spin, Feel, $$$

There are a lot of little things that go into making a great golfer.  Having a great swing helps, but that is the hardest part to get right.  The easiest way to cut strokes is to learn about golf club fitting, ball selection, and practice routines and how they can improve your game.  You’ll be surprised by the results.

Tags: club length, golf, golf balls, golf clubs, grip size, learn about golf, play better golf, shaft flex// Category Golf Equipment // Add Comment »

Hardly any professional worth his name today will dare approach their game without a golf fitness stretch trainer of sorts.

The game of golf has changed tremendously in recent times. No longer is it viewed as the leisure sport of old. Golf is now recognized as an athletic sport where performance depends a lot on your fitness level. Thus the wide introductions of golf fitness stretch trainers and training.

Stretch training plays an important role in improving the flexibility of a golfer and therefore the quality of the swing both in terms of controlled direction and much more power and distance.

A golf stretch training program from a qualified golf fitness stretch trainer will also help in increasing strength in the golf-specific muscles of the golfer.

A golf fitness stretch trainer also helps a professional golfer to recognize the correct warm-up exercises to carry out before any session on the course. This not only improves performance greatly, but it also reduces on the risk of injury.

Golf related injuries can be quite frustrating to a golfer especially when that golfer continues to ignore the possible benefits in quick and permanent recovery that are possible with the help of a golf fitness stretch trainer.

There is one compelling factor about golf that makes the work of a golf fitness stretch trainer so important. In other sports, it is possible to increase fitness level and muscle strength by simply playing the game itself as much as possible. Sadly this is not the case with golf. One of the reasons is that the most common and strenuous activity in the game, the golf swing, usually lasts barely a second.

This means that the only way to improve golf fitness and the strength of muscles is by exercising away from the course and generally making use of the services of a golf fitness stretch trainer.

Tags: golf, golf exercises, Golf Fitness, golf instruction, golf lessons, Golf Swing, golf tips, golf trainer, golf workouts// Category Golf Fitness // Add Comment »

Joining a golf club has many advantages and benefits, compared to playing at different golf clubs. Lets take a look at some of the benefits and reasons to join a local country club.

(1) Most golf clubs, if not all golf clubs have a handicap tracking system, to keep track of your scores. You do not have to send your scorecard to a golf association for a legitimate handicap, to play in golf tournaments.

(2) Golf clubs have a facility with a locker room and restaurant as a meeting place. Therefore you get to know more fellow members, which make it a lot easier for you to find players to team up with.

(3) You’re more likely to drive down to your local country club to practice, than you would at an unfamiliar golf course. More practice, means playing better golf.

(4) Belonging to a golf club makes you play with a better game plan approach, because of the familiarity of the golf course. Being familiar with a golf course and knowing what lies ahead, tends to make you think about your club selection.

(5) The yardage at the golf course on most golf holes becomes embedded in memory, which in turn gives you a better understanding of your golf club yardage capabilities.

(6) A lot of golf clubs have a trade off system, which allows you to play at different golf courses in return for other members from other clubs, to play your golf course.

(7) You are more likely to play in more golf tournaments. Golf clubs have a member’s bulletin board, keeping you informed on what upcoming events are coming up.

(8) Once you pay a yearly green fee at a country club, you get to play unlimited golf. Certain days may be restricted for after certain hours.

(9) If you join a golf club that has shares, the shares typically go up on the majority. It may have something to do with the golf frenzy.

(10) Last minute tee times are a lot easier to book, if the pro knows you belong to the golf club. The pro will simply find you other members to join up with. Members enjoy meeting other members of the club.

(11) If you play golf a lot. Belonging to a golf club will save you a lot of money in the long run.

There are numerous advantages and benefits in joining a nearby country club. Check out the phone book, for some local golf courses, or browse the Internet for courses near your hometown. Play a few golf courses first; to see which golf challenge you would enjoy the best.

Tags: country club, golf, golf club, golf course, member// Category golf tips // Add Comment »

Golf is a great way to enjoy time with your family and friends. Whether you play a leisure round of nine holes or are able to enjoy a full round of eighteen holes, the game of golf is rewarding on many levels. The best news is every beginning golfer can shoot a resonable score.

A beginner only needs a handful of items to get started. A few lofted golf clubs, say a nine and seven iron, and a putter. If you want, grab a metal wood, but no more than a five wood. Gather some golf balls, tees, a towel, and throw your stuff in a golf bag. You are ready to play some golf!

You are probably wondering about all the other clubs and why they were left out. They are for the golfer who is ready to mix playing golf with practicing golf. If it makes you feel less awkward, take the full set of clubs with you, just use the ones mentioned until you are comfortable with your golfing abilities. Let me explain myself.

Golf is a sport. Like all other sports a score determines the winner. In golf the lowest score or fewest strokes win. Most people who play sports enjoy competition. Why not learn how to play golf to win from the very beginning. After all an early success will bring you back to the golf course sooner. And I don’t know of a better place to be than on a golf course.

If you are playing with others of your same ability you need to learn how to score the lowest. This is why you are only using a few clubs for now. If you can keep the ball moving forward towards the target (the flag) instead of sideways (the direction most beginners hit towards) you will always score lower than you opponent. The clubs that are easiest to hit are the ones with the most loft, your seven and nine iron. These will never travel as far as your opponent’s big dog, (their driver or 1 metal) but they have a greater chance of moving the ball in the direction of your target. So it may take you six or seven shots down the fairway to reach the green, chances are your score will be less than your playing opponent when totaled.

Making solid contact with the golf ball will always win the game. Using the higher lofted clubs will have you hitting the ball with precise contact faster than any other club in the bag, except your putter. When you can stand at address over a golf ball with a seven or nine iron and hit a good shot seven out of nine times you can expand your club selection to any other club. I use this technique when teaching beginners to play and they are my proof that it works. The confidence you gain from hitting good shots by making solid contact will show up with every other club once you master the higher lofted irons.

Tags: beginning golfer, beginning golfer shoots lower score, golf// Category Golf Equipment // Add Comment »

After mastering the concept of the tee shot, the next step as a golf instruction beginner is to move on to the short game and what are known as approach shots. For most people, these shots will be increasingly more difficult because they require more skill & patience than a simple tee shot.

There are a variety of approach shots, all of which are used in different situations depending on where your initial shot lands on the course. However, your intention with these shots is always to land on the green.

The pitch shot is an approach shot that is played from farther away than the other shots. Using a wedge, the ideal pitch shot is the perfect combination of enough swing momentum to carry your shot through, but not enough to send it sailing over the green. Trajectory will be low to average depending on how far you are from the cup and you want to make sure the ball doesn’t roll too far.

You must start off with a slightly open stance, positioning your right foot directly across from the ball. When following through on a pitch shot, always make sure to keep your backswing as short as you possibly can. Failure to keep your backswing in check will usually cause you to instinctively put the brakes on your shot while accelerating, which is a definite no-no. You want to have enough confidence in your wedge to let the club do the work for you: don’t think you have to assist the ball through the air.

Another approach shot is known as the chip shot. You’ll need to use a chip shot once you’re within about 30 yards from the green, usually after a fairway drive or tee shot. The idea is for this shot to have a much shorter trajectory, so you will need to use a less lofted club. Proper weight distribution is paramount to getting off a decent chip shot. If you’re a right handed golfer, you want to put the majority of your weight on the left side and hold this position through the duration of your shot.

There are generally two kinds of chip shots that we want to concern ourselves with. The first one is what’s known as the bump-and-run shot, and the second is a flop shot. The Bump And Run is usually taken with an 8, 7 or 6 iron club and with the clubface hooded. That way your shot will have have less loft. You also want to have just enough power in your backswing to follow through. The flop shot is used when you want to get over an obstacle like a rough patch or a sand trap, so you’re going to want to have a much higher trajectory in order to push the ball over. Open up your stance and follow through as far under the ball as possible to try and pop it up, and you’ll keep your ball away from the danger zones with a good position for a subsequent shot.

Tags: beginning golf, golf, golf instruction// Category Golf Equipment // Add Comment »

It should be rather clear to everybody that the gift a golfer will ordinarily appreciate the most, is the one that improves their game. Most golfers are constantly looking for ways to improve on their game. It usually dominates their every thought when they are on the course and many times when they are off it.

Before selecting a gift for a golfer, it is useful to ask yourself the following 3 questions and to get adequate answers for them. Remember that this is a task that is much more complicated than it may seem at first sight.

A) What is their particular golf weakness? What is the particular weakness of the golfer who you are seeking a gift for? The fact that they have a problem with their golf swing is not goof enough. What particular aspect of the swing? Do they tend to slice the ball or does their swing weakness have to do with a nagging back problem that doctors do not seem able to deal with? This is very important information that you should have long before you even start considering the gift options for a golfer.

B) What are they using currently? Chances are that the golfer has already taken some action to deal with their weakness. It is important to know what they have done so far because you do not want to get a gift for the golfer that they already have.

C) What do the experts think? Expert advice always makes a difference. We have golf exercise experts who can be of great help when you are selecting a gift for as golfer. They will be able to advice you on the best way and therefore the best equipment to correct the particular golfer who you purchasing a gift for.

You will be much better off with them than with the shop assistant or store salesperson whose job is to sell as much merchandise as possible. Their golf knowledge is also bound to be limited and even if it is not, it cannot be compared to that of the golf exercise experts. It will certainly help if you seek expert advice before settling on your gift for the golfer you have in mind.

Tags: golf, golf exercises, Golf Fitness, golf instruction, golf lessons, Golf Swing, golf tips, golf trainer, golf workouts// Category Golf Equipment // Add Comment »

Golf swing instruction starts with an understanding of the different segments of the golf swing. Understanding the golf swing segments will give anybody a firm foundation to learn all the tricks of the trade from others and thus be able to understand any golf swing instruction aimed at helping them improve their game.

There are actually three segments to the golf swing. The segments are the backswing, the downswing and finally the impact and follow through.

Dividing the swing into these 3 segments helps to apply every individual golf swing instruction or tip to the particular segments where they apply. It also helps the golfer focus on one segment at a time in their golf swing instruction making it easier for them to remember what they learn and also to be able to work on improving their game systematically.

There is another bigger advantage to this approach. And that is the ability to be able to draw ones attention to the many different parts of the body and the many muscles involved in a proper golf swing.

This is important in helping a golfer involved in a golf exercise program to be able to appreciate the different exercises they do in the program and what particular muscles the exercises focus on.

All this makes it a lot easier for any golfer to link their exercises to golf swing instructions they receive as they seek to improve on their game.

Actually it is not possible to divorce the basics of golf swing instruction from golf specific exercises. The two go together and chances of improving your game improve dramatically when you combine the two. On the other hand progress is bound to be much slower when you work on golf swing instruction only.

Tags: golf, golf exercises, Golf Fitness, golf instruction, golf lessons, Golf Swing, golf tips, golf trainer, golf workouts// Category Golf Swing // Add Comment »

Ball position is a critical component that’s often overlooked by players with high golf handicaps. Ball position decides a shot’s initial direction. While theories on ball position abound, you need to find one that’s right for you.

Ball position affects a clubhead’s swing path, as I explain in my golf lessons. If the ball is too far back, the clubhead moves on an in-to-out swing path at impact, sending the ball to the target’s right. If the ball is too far forward, the clubhead moves on an out-to-in swing path at impact, sending the ball to the target’s left.

Correctly positioning the ball increases the clubhead’s chances of meeting the ball at the correct angle of attack and on the right target path. It also helps eliminate a fade or hook, along with other swing adjustments.

Most teaching pros subscribe to the standard ball position theory as do most players and most professional golfers. This theory advocates changing the ball’s position depending on the club used. If you’ve taken golf lessons or read my golf tips, you’re probably familiar with this theory.

For example, the ideal ball position for the driver is just inside the heel of your front foot. Placing the ball there ensures that the clubhead makes impact just beyond the swing’s lowest point, with an upward, sweeping motion of the club—the perfect swing for the being used.

The ideal position for long irons, on the other hand, is slightly back from the driver’s position. The ideal position for mid-irons is one or two balls back from this position. And the ideal position for short irons is in the middle of your stance.

These positions place the ball at the lowest point in your swing, given the length of the club used and the type of swing taken. In addition, placing the ball at these positions enable the golfer to make clean contact with a crisp descending blow—the key to hitting iron shots well.

Much golf instruction is built around the standard theory. But not every teaching pro advocates it. David Leadbetter, who’s taught numerous pro golfers, like Nick Price, and written several books, offers another approach. It’s one he stresses in his golf instruction books. Like the standard theory, it makes sense.

Leadbetter suggests that players with lower golf handicaps position the ball (1) just inside the left heel for woods and (2) two balls back for irons. For players with high golf handicaps, he suggests positioning the ball (1) in the middle of their stances for irons and (2) a ball or two forward from that position for woods.

His reasoning is logical. Players with low golf handicaps use their lower bodies more aggressively than players with high handicaps. Players with low golf handicaps are capable of taking advantage of a forward ball position. Players with high handicaps are not.

Golf legend Jack Nicklaus also offers a ball position theory, which he explains in his golf instruction books. It, too, make sense.

Nicklaus advocates a constant ball position, regardless of the club used. He believes that the ball opposite the left heel is the only spot where the club ever travels parallel to the target line. Any other position towards the back foot means the ball is struck too early in the downswing.

Instead of re-positioning the ball, Nicholas favors changing your stance, depending on the club. Open your stance for the shorter irons, and pull the right foot back, to make the stance wider and squarer, as the club’s shaft length increases. Winner of 18 majors, Nicholas has a theory that seems to work for him at least.

Another consideration with ball position is tee height. I tell players taking my golf lessons that the ball’s equator should be even with the top of the driver when the ball is on the tee. Placing the ball higher enables the player to hit the ball on the upward arc of his/her swing. Players with oversize clubheads, then, need longer tees to reach the right height.

A third consideration with ball position is weather. If it’s windy, tee the ball higher if you’re hitting with the wind to generate loft. The added loft enables the wind can carry the ball farther. Tee the ball lower if you’re hitting against the wind to produce a low shot, like a line drive in baseball. This type of shot cuts through the wind and rolls farther than a shot with loft.

Regardless of which theory it is, find one that’s right for you, just like Jack Nicklaus did. Test each theory out while on the practice range and under game conditions. Work on it until you find the ball position that’s right for you. Then, use it every time you play.

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