Golf Tips

Wade Robins asked:


Tiger Woods is the undisputed king of professional golf. With a smooth technique you could set your watch by, he makes winning those championships look like a walk in the park.

Imagine if you could sit with Tiger for a few minutes and pick his brain to help improve your game. Here are some great golf tips from Tiger Woods.

It’s All About Rhythm

Every player has their own natural rhythm. Some players are energetic and full of motion; others are stoic and deep in concentration.

Tiger says that when he’s playing his best, everything he does is just second nature. He just goes with the flow, and there’s little else involved. That’s because he’s found just the right groove that suits his natural rhythm.

If the rhythm’s off, Tiger misses a swing or two. When things are flowing for him, he has to work a little to get it back into a natural rhythm.

So, how do you learn to keep your natural rhythm? There are a few ways Tiger suggests to help you find your groove and keep it.

Stick To Your Routine

Rhythm and consistency are important, so how you get ready both physically and mentally for the game is essential. Tiger has a practice routine that he does before every single game. He uses the same clubs, and the last club he uses for his pre-game warm-up is the one he plans to use for the first hole.

The point isn’t to practice swinging, but to get into your groove.

The First Hole Is The Most Important

Long before he swings for that first hole, Tiger plans the whole game ahead. He prepares himself for the game mentally and emotionally. This involves relaxation, and deciding his game plan beforehand.

An awkward, uncertain first shot is a sure-fire rhythm-killer.

Keep Things Steady

To keep your rhythm going, you have to keep the tempo steady. When you get stressed, you start to speed things up. All that nervous energy makes you hurry to the next hole, and you end up making silly mistakes you wouldn’t have made otherwise.

The next time you watch Tiger play, pay attention to the way he walks to the next hole. Even after a great shot, you’ll never see him rush on to the next one. He’ll pump his fist, smile, and stroll to the next hole with the same leisurely pace.

Tiger recommends a good pre-routine warm-up that helps you get into a relaxed frame of mind. This will get you started on the right foot. For more info see http://www.getgoodatgolf.com/ on golf course.

Posture Means Perfect

When asked for practical golf tips, Tiger Woods always mentions posture. Tiger always stands straight and tall, a decent distance from the ball so that he can keep his chin up. Lots of golfers (including Tiger when he was a beginner) put their address position too close to the ball, and end up having to bow their head down too much. Tiger says to keep a good distance away so you don’t have to lean over the ball.

Tiger Woods is not only one of the best players, he’s also one of the most reflective. Perhaps the key to his success is his ability to look at his mistakes and shortcomings, and work to improve them, instead of getting frustrated. This is why his golf tips are so helpful to his fans. When you blow it, think about why you did it. Then, correct it next time, and you’ll see improvement.

Judy

Savannah Durbin asked:


The short game can be the most tedious part of golf. It requires the greatest amount of accuracy and precision. The drive can be a good hit as long as it lands a decent distance anywhere on the fairway. On the other hand, a chip is only good if it lands within a five foot radius of the pin. A putt is usually only good if it goes in the hole, or on a far putt, stops within a one foot radius of the pin. Gain more precision on your short game by avoiding these common mistakes made by beginner golfers:

1.) The bunker: hitting the ball; not the sand

The shot out of the bunker is different than any other shot on the golf course. With every other shot, the club should strike the ball. Many beginners attempt to hit the ball out of the sand the way that the ball would be hit from the fairway. This is wrong. To hit the ball out of the sand, the club head should hit the sand behind the ball, and continue to pass through the sand, under the ball. In this shot, the club displaces the sand, which forces the ball to fly out.

2.) Chipping: wrists behind club face at contact

Many beginner golfers have the tendency to make contact with the ball with their wrists behind the clubface, in an attempt to “scoop” the ball, and help it into the air. In a correct chip, the wrists should be cocked on the downswing. They should travel ahead of the clubface. At contact, the hands should be ahead of the clubface. The club should strike down on the ball, hitting the ball first, and then the ground.

3.) Chipping: not accelerating the club on the downswing

A lot of times golfers will hesitate on the downswing of their chip shots, trying not to send the ball flying past the green. Usually, a deceleration of the clubface on the downswing will cause the ball to be chunked. The ball will fall very short of the green. In order to correctly chip the ball, have confidence in your swing. Remember to accelerate the clubface all the way through impact, and into the follow through.

4.) Putting: breaking the wrists

There are so many variations of putting that it is impossible to say that only one way is right. One common error though, is when golfers “break their wrists” while putting. In this case, instead of the putter making square contact with the ball, the putter strikes the ball at an angle. The ball will not travel where it was aimed. It is therefore crucial to keep your wrists locked while putting.

Tony