Golf Tips

Golfers Wisdom asked:


Golf Tips – 4 Tips Every Golfer Should Abide By

Golf is all about giving yourself the absolute best opportunities to make shots onto the green. This is done by keeping the ball on the fairway, which means that accuracy should be one of the focal points of your game. You can increase your accuracy when playing golf by keeping in mind the following points:

1. No matter where your ball is, you should always be aiming for a target. Developing accuracy and playing with a strategic mindset means choosing a target to shoot at, even if you cannot see the hole.

By choosing a small target, such as an object or a location on the fairway, visualize the ball heading in that exact direction. This technique has been proven to help thousands of golfers to hit more accurate shots in line with their target.

2. Just because you are hitting the ball from the tee, that does not mean that the driver should be used each and every time. Yes, the driver will hit the ball the farthest, but it also has the least accuracy of every club in your bag. You may be facing a shot with a narrow fairway, or perhaps risking advanced hazards on each side of the fairway.

Either way, your driver may not be the best choice. Instead, consider using your woods, preferably a 3-wood or the 5-wood. You could even use an iron when hitting the ball from the tee it deemed necessary.

3. Learn to take your ego out of the game when necessary. Always take the safe shot if you are unsure of what strategy to use. Trying to be the golf hero of the day may ruin your score. Have the mindset to simply keep the ball on the green and finish the job with your putter.

4. Regardless of playing skill level, all golf players who have been involved in this sport for any amount of time have one thing in common: We all have a “lucky club”. Beginner golfers may not have such an experience yet, but in time you will. We like to call it our “go to” club. It is the one club in our bag that we consistently hit the ball well with.

Always use your lucky club whenever you have a very important shot to make. Remember, different clubs are designed to hit the ball in different manners, but any club will work for any shot, most of the time. For example, even if your tee off is on a par-5 hole, but the shot absolutely must go well, and your lucky club is a 5-wood, then use it! Does the 9-iron do the trick for you every time, regardless of the circumstances? Use it!


Alma

Savannah Durbin asked:


With the sport of golf gaining such mainstream popularity, it is no surprise that more and more women are starting to pick up golf clubs and head out to the course. Whether you are a young lady following in the footsteps of your parents, or a wife joining her husband for a few holes, there is no doubt that you will soon become an addict. But before you head out to the tee, keep these few fundamentals in mind.

The first step in swinging a golf club is properly gripping the club. First, rest the club on the ground, and then place your left hand on the club (if you are right handed). Make sure the thumb on your left hand is placed on top of the club’s grip so that it is pointing towards the ground. Your thumb and index finger will make a ‘V’ that should be pointing towards your chin. Then place your right palm on top of the thumb of your left hand. The ‘V’ of the thumb and index finger of the right hand should point towards the right shoulder. Don’t grip the club too tight; in reality you should place relatively little pressure on the club.

One of the most common errors I see women beginners make, is flexing the left elbow on the takeaway. This is wrong! On the takeaway, your left elbow should ALMOST be locked straight, and remain this way until the end of the follow-through.

I also see a lot of women bend their wrists when making contact with the ball; perhaps to try and help the ball into the air. Do not try to use your wrists to help the ball in the air. In reality, swinging DOWN, not up on the ball, is what carries it into the air.

Another thing women should keep in mind is that most of the power in your shot comes from your core. This means that gaining distance can be achieved by generating a good body turn at impact. Do not just use your arms in your swing. Use your whole body. Turn your hips as you are making contact with the ball.

These are just a few tips that I thought would be useful for beginner women golfers. Keep these in mind before teeing off. To really build a strong, fundamentally sound swing, I recommend going to a golf-pro in your area for lessons.

Linda

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

Kris Ruiter asked:


The fashion of golf has certainly evolved over the years hasn’t it? I mean the suit jackets of the Bobby Jones era, the 1970’s (say no more), and those terrible stiff collared shirts of the 80’s. But now…we have Under Armour, Nike Dri-Fit, or Adidas Climacool, amongst a host of others that keep us dryer, cooler, and allow us to swing freer than ever before. Clothes are not fashion anymore…they are equipment.

This article is about turning the oldest golf clothing, or your best suit into reliable golf equipment. I am going to take your suit jacket and turn it into a training aid that will help you improve both your long game and your short game.

What is the number one complaint we have when we put on a suit?

It’s too restrictive.

I can’t move.

What is the number one thing you hear on TV and in golf magazines about a consistent golf swing?

You must stay connected.

Your arms must stay connected to your body.

Well what does that mean…stay connected? It basically means that your arms won’t outrace your body. Another way to think about it is that we don’t want to let air into our armpits. It is a very hard thing to feel unless you work on it in a drill. So the irony is that a restrictive suit will help your game by keeping you connected.

There are several different drills out there that will help get this feeling. However, I like to provide tips that you can work on from the comfort of your home or office. That way you can practice everyday, even if you don’t have time to get to the range.

This drill is so simple because it is about getting a feeling for how your arms should stay with your body.

Put on your suit jacket.

Take your golf stance.

Make your back swing until you get to the set swing position. (Left arm parallel to the ground.) For a full lesson on the set swing please click here.

Make your downswing and stop when your right arm is parallel to the ground on your follow through.

Repeat as often as you like.

The reason this drill helps get the proper feeling is that we don’t want our arms to stray away from our body. If they do they won’t work together and it makes it much harder to have great timing. Great timing is very important for any player trying to have a consistent golf swing.

This also helps your short game because staying connected is very important when you are playing pitch shots. Your suit will not let your arms move away from your body, which makes it easier to for your arms and body to travel at the same speed. This makes a huge difference in the crispness of your pitches. For a full lesson series on pitch shots please click here.

Thank you for taking the time to read this tip. If you would like to see this tip in picture format please click here.

Good luck with your practicing and playing. May you “Play Your Golf Dreams” sooner with the help of FREE-GOLF-LESSONS.COM.

Troy

Victor Lensora asked:


The alignment is an absolutely crucial and vital part to any golfer’s game. You swing round your body, therefore if your body is offline, your swing in turn will be off line and out of sync, resulting in a poor swing and a poor shot, usually ending up deep in the rough.
When setting up to the ball, firstly ensure the clubface is square to the ‘ball to pin line’ (the line between the ball and the pin), and ensure that your shoulders, hips and feet are all parallel to the ‘ball to pin line’, if these 3 are not aligned and one is out, a good body turn is ruined with a poor swing resulting.
When training, on the driving range or wherever you can practise, a useful technique for lining up is to place a club on the floor and check that you’re your feet, hips and shoulders line up with each other, the shoulder alignment is particularly crucial because your body turn starts with your shoulders.
Ideally, you should be lining your body up slightly to the left of the target (slightly to the right for left hand players), as opposed to trying to line your body up with the target itself.
On the course a simple test to see if this is the case, is to look at the target, if you can see your left shoulder, then you are lined up to too far to the right (visa versa for lefthanders), your shoulder should be just out of sight.
Poor Alignment can have several affects, these are all negative. Aligning too far to the left most commonly leads to the slicing of the ball, this occurs because you are not parallel to the line running from ball to pin. As a result the backswing is limited so an ‘out to in’ swing results. As a consequence the club face is slightly open on impact which generates side spin on the ball. This leads to the common problem which is the slice which I will explain in another article.
If you align too far to the right, the opposite will take place and a hook will occur due to the ‘in to out’ swing of the club, although quite common with beginners and inexperienced players.
Often they will subconsciously become aware of this and try to adjust mid-swing, over adjusting by opening up the clubface as impact approaches. This again results in the slicing of the ball, which is very difficult to control and usually leads to ‘the rough’.
Alignment is an often overlooked and crucial part to any golfer’s game and therefore must be addressed for you to succeed at any level of golf. For as long as you’re alignment is out, you will never be able to consistently hit straight accurate shots and will increasingly find yourself hooking or slicing into the rough, turning those pars into bogies and taking your round from a 75 to 85.
So get that alignment sorted and go shoot some birdies.

Gregory

Stacy Solomon asked:


Michelle Wie has finally slipped below the top-fifty golfers on the official Rolex Rankings.

Obviously, Samsung World Championship officials have not had the opportunity to view the latest rankings because, if they had done their homework, I’m sure they might have discussed an alternate approach to the teenager who was given this special exemption.

Does Michelle Wie deserve an accolade designed for an elite field consisting of the defending champ, the LET money leader, the four major championship winners and the balance of the top-twenty on the money list?

But, then again, put yourself in her position. Would you give up your spot in a tournament so that Natalie Gulbis can have a shot at $250k? Not likely.

Gulbis would have been the twentieth entrant, if not for Michelle Wie’s special exemption. Annika Sorenstam recently turned down a special invitation given to an active World Golf Hall of Fame member (and five-time winner of this event) because she didn’t want to take a spot from a deserving golfer.

Hopefully, Michelle Wie will not disappoint, but, as Barry mentions when asked about his thoughts on the teenager, his answer is always the same. “Want to see Michelle Wie’s name on top of the leaderboard? Just flip it upside down!”

Other features in this week’s Golf for Beginners podcast include golf tips from the latest Golf Digest magazine. We talk about Bobby Clampett’s basics which include achieving proper impact and taking a divot. Barry also discusses his round and how tips from last week’s podcast helped reduce the amount lost in his weekly Nassau.

Send your golf questions and comments to golfforbeginners@worldgolf.com.

Subscribe to our weekly podcast through this RSS feed: http://feeds.worldgolf.com/stacy_solomon or through iTunes.

Josephine

Jason Hobbs asked:


If you have decided to learn how to play golf, you will most likely be interested in some golf tips for beginners. These can be found in many places on the internet as well as in how to books and instructional DVDs. There will be many of these handy tips you can use once you have actually begun learning the game.

The first thing you will need to learn to play a decent game of golf is motion. There are 5 basic actions to this. They are the Foot Action, Leg and Knee Action, Hip and Shoulder Action, Arm Action and Hand and Wrist Action. Except for your head, these incorporate your whole body. You will need to learn about how these actions work together to make for a successful golf game. A great place to pick up some extensive golf tips for beginners is at www.golflink.com. There are many great free “lessons” presented by Tom Ward, who is a PGA Tour Instructor.

Another great site to visit for free golf tips is www.learnaboutgolf.com. There are not only instructional texts here, but pictures and video clips, as well. This is very helpful because most of the time it is just easier to understand something when you can see it in action. You will also be given the chance to sign up for a free newsletter from this site. It is a highly informative site with many golf tips for beginners.

If you are a true beginner when it comes to learning how to play golf, one of the best sites on the internet for you to visit is http://beginnersgolftips.com/. There are actual instructions here for the person who has never picked up a golf club before. Things covered here are Balance, Golf Power, Addressing the Ball, Golf Swing Basics, Golf Posture, Golf Shots, and Putting Tips. These are all things that everyone who wants to play a good game of golf needs to know. You can put these golf tips for beginners to use immediately.

By visiting http://www.absolutebeginnersguidetobettergolf.com/, you can sign up to get a free ebook of 25 golf lessons for the beginning golfer. This one shows you everything a beginner needs to know before hitting the golf course for the first time. It also states on the site that it is written so that even a 5th grade student can comprehend it. At no charge, there is no way you can lose by getting it.

Any of these sites are great to visit if you are looking for golf tips for beginners. By doing your own searching, you will most likely find even more of them. But this is a good start, especially if you are impatient to learn more and get out on the golf course.

Jacob

Josh Neumann asked:


Today, golf tips and lessons on the Web are extremely popular, as just about everybody is putting their two cents in how to improve your golf game. Quite simply, there are literally thousands of different tips that you can find on the Internet; some of them are helpful and some of them are. Here are some important tips and information to help you to sort through the clutter and find the best tips that will really improve your game.

Be very wary when searching for golf tips and lessons on the web. Remember, these tips can only be very general, because they are dealing with just about every type of golf swing imaginable. The owners of the sites don’t know who will be visiting, and therefore can’t offer customized instruction for you. While some of their tips might be useful for some golfers depending on their specific swings, some of it might actually hurt another golfer.

In fact, finding golf tips on the Web might not necessarily be a good idea for you, as there are literally thousands tips that you can search for four. Therefore, it is very easily to get information overloaded after doing a search on the Web, because you might have 10 or 15 different tips right to your head.

Remember, don’t simply blindly believe everybody you hear; when a tip is written for thousands of golfers, it probably won’t great for you unless you have just the right type of swing.

Probably the best way to get golf tips and lessons is to go to your local country club, where you can take lessons from your pro. This is definitely the quickest and easiest way to see improvement in your golf game, because you will be taking lessons from a proven golfer who knows how to help other people improve their games.

Also, you might consider purchasing a swing trainer, because these incredible machines can teach you the best swing simply by using them on a regular basis. With these devices, you get the feel of the right golf swing, and the more you use it, the more natural it will become. Remember, many PGA pros utilize these swings for their games, and they would certainly benefit you as well.

However, finding golf tips and lessons on the Web is not futile; in fact, the Web can be very helpful in helping you to find the best golf gloves, shoes, and other primitive or your golf game. Yes, your swing is the most important thing, but these other equipment factors can certainly play a huge role in improving your golf game.

For these, simply read reviews on different websites that have gone over the different golf clubs, and find the top clubs that will improve your game as quickly as possible. These are great sources of golf advice to help get you a lower handicap through better equipment.

Once you find the one that the majority of sites like best, just head down to your local country club and test them out. if you like them and hit the ball well, you’ve found yourself a winner. Hopefully these tips and information will help you to benefit from golf tips and lessons on the web, and start to golf better as quickly as possible.

Diane

Victor Lensora asked:


If you are seriously considering lowering your scores, then you must take your putting seriously, as roughly half the strokes you play in a round of golf are likely to be on the putting green. However good you are at driving, pitching and chipping, if your putting is not up to standard, you will never make the next level. My Dad told me the famous quote when I was probably about 12 or 13, ‘Drive for show putt for dough’, this says it all! That is why it is quite incredible that putting is not often concentrated on.
Tips for setup:
First of all I’d just like to say that there is no one correct putting grip/posture/stroke, there are wide variations, so if your technique is different, don’t worry, some of the top golfers have very different putting actions e.g. Bernhard Langer, Ben Crenshaw and Tom Watson all have very different techniques. These are basic tips that can be applied to most techniques to help improve your game.
An ideal putting stroke should strike the ball on the up, to do this the ball should be placed opposite the inside of the left heal (for a right hander), this results in the ball being hit on the up and top spin is generated.
In relation to setup, the hands should be either inline with the ball or ahead of the ball, if the hands are behind the ball, then a clean consistent strike of the ball is not likely, and the common result is the ball popping up in the air.
Tension on the green is one the most destructive things that can happen to your putting, especially with the short putts, this is known as getting the ‘yips’, this is caused by moving during the stroke. This causes you to ‘fluff’ your shot and miss your putt. To avoid this happening, concentrate on the spot where the ball was after impact rather than following the ball. This ensures that you do not move your head during impact and will help give you the clean smooth impact you require.
A simple technique to reduce the tension in the body and the stroke is simply to let your arms dangle in front of you before you putt and gently shake them. This should relax your muscles enabling an enhanced sensation of feel and touch, both vital for reliable consistent putting.
Tips for the swing
Your grip should not be too tight, and your arms should be relaxed. Gently and smoothly in a one piece action, sweep the putter backwards. It is important to keep the triangle formed between your arms and the line joining your shoulders consistent through the whole shot and the shape should not change. The move backwards should be like a pendulum movement with your arms, while your wrists remain stiff. A good tip for making sure that this is correct is by starting the action by dropping your left shoulder; this will get the pendulum motion started.
Keeping the triangle mentioned before in tact, in a pendulum motion, accelerate the putter smoothly through the ball; the ball should be hit on the up. Throughout this whole period, keep your eyes fixed on the ball to avoid fluffing the putt and keep the eyes fixed on that spot after impact.
It is vital after impact that the left wrist remains firm and does not break; the follow-through should go inline with the direction you were aiming and should be the same length as the backswing.
Key points:
Try and relax before playing the stroke, this will help enhance your feel and touch and help avoid the yips due to excess tension
The stroke should be a pendulum action swinging with your shoulders and arms while the wrists remain stiff.
Don’t move your head during the swing.
Swing in a relaxed smooth fashion with a smooth and constant rhythm.
Keep the wrists firm throughout the stroke.
Play the ball from underneath the eyes.
Have the ball in the front of the stance to ensure that the ball is hit on the up.

Rosemary