Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Golf Techniques - Stretch, Don't Strain

It's that time of year when we start getting out on the course again after the winter layoff, unless you are a sucker for punishment like me and play all year round. Because we have these long breaks it is very easy to injure yourself when you go back out onto the course. It's a lovely Spring day, the sun is shining and you feel great - until you hit that first drive and your back goes. You must add a warm up routine to your armoury of golf techniques. A few minutes spent warming up and stretching your body means you won't have to spend precious weeks recovering when you could be playing.

There are golfers who claim to play their best golf when they are carrying an injury simply because they are not focusing as much on their game as protecting themselves from further injury, so they concentrate and play better. You don't have to be injured to concentrate! An injury will not help your game in the long run, particularly if it is a recurring problem. It will end up with you having to give up the game we all love so much. What should you do to reduce the chance of golfing injuries that might stop you playing the game?

First of all you should try to keep your level of general fitness up over any layoff period. Regular walks and stretching exercises will do that without too much effort or disruption to your lifestyle. The fitter you are the better you will cope with the rigours of a full round on that new monster 7,000 yard plus course you just heard about. Your best fitness regime will promote flexibility and suppleness. It doesn't matter how old or unfit you are, you can easily improve your ease of movement with just a few simple exercises.

It is a wise golfer who warms up and gently stretches his or her muscles before starting a round, and it is equally important to cool down properly after your game. Just a few stretches after a round of golf can help in preventing any injuries, particularly to the back and hamstrings. Walking can tighten your hamstrings and that makes them more susceptible to tearing and injury. A good golf swing also requires a lot of back movement and if you haven't warmed up properly before your first swing, you could do some severe damage.

Even before your practice swings you should start with a few stretches, and when you do those exercises ensure you don't make any sudden movements. All your movements should be smooth and flowing, just like your golf swing. Make sure that you are never tempted to 'bounce' when you are doing your stretches as this can result in a strain or sprain on an overworked or twisted muscle. A few gentle side twists with one of your long irons across your shoulders will help to warm up your lower back and add mobility. Holding a club out in front of you with one hand and just swinging gently from side to side adds a little more rotation to your hips. One of my favourite exercises is just to hold a club parallel to the ground in both hands and just drip gently forward form the waist which really loosens up those big muscles in the top of your legs. I usually follow that with a few lunges to stretch my calf muscles too.

Once you have loosened up make some practice swings before you start hitting the warm up shots on the range. Start with your short irons and work your way up to your driver. That way you won't be pushing those muscles to produce the long swing and big hit until they are properly warmed up.

We all know that this simple golf tip will really help our game so why not set off for the course just that few minutes early and warm up properly. Most of us arrive at the course with ten minutes to Tee Off time and don't take those precious few moments that will make all the difference to the quality of our game.

By BQ Browning

BQ Browning grew up in a Golfing family and has been involved with the game for many years. News views and information are willing shared with fellow addicts at Golf Techniques and Tournament Tips. You will find a treasure trove of golf information written with wit, humour and wisdom.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=BQ_Browning

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Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Everyone Has A Problem With Their Golf Swing - Its Finding A Cure Which Is The Hard Part

If your a golfer like I am, then you'll appreciate the never ending list of problems that one has with their game. You may also appreciate the fact that not everyone has the time or money to go to their golf club and pay their professional to tell them that they have a slice, and need to change their grip. So without any further introduction i give you the online golf school.

The Online Golf School means you can keep your money in your pocket, and fix the problem with only a few clicks.

The Online Golf school is completely new in the online golfing field and breaks down a great deal of barriers when it comes to how much you can improve your game from your own home, without having to spend hours in the driving range.

To put it in to perspective there is absolutely no point in buying an expensive e-book claiming to add an extra eighty yards to your drive when actually the problem with your game is elsewhere, for example your putting isn't up to scratch.

I'm not completely slating off the many golf e-books out there,as many of them do contain highly useful content that will help you. The issue i have with them is that you need to know where your problem is first, then go and buy the appropriate e-book to help fix the issue.

This is where the main difference between the average golfing e-book and the online golf school appears. The other main difference being that whilst an e-book is written only once and is aimed to the masses, the online golf school analyzes your individual needs and problems, then goes about suggesting how you can eradicate those issues in your game.

After the patented system has identified the area of your game that needs working on, it then provides you with a number of different exercises to help cure the problem. I can tell you that you won't find any other place on the web that will do that for you.

As I pointed out before, a golfing e-book will usually only help you with one specific area of your game, and most definitely doesn't update itself to cater for your individual requirements like the online golf school does. So in a nutshell you get individual tutorials, with proven exercises and tips to improve your golf. On top of all that personal tutoring, after the problem is fixed you can fill in the patented five step program again, and get regular tips and exercises to actively keep your golfing level as high as possible.

An example of how this system worked for me was when I had a big problem with my drive. I'm sure all you golfers know the feeling of watching your ball slice horribly to the right or left, and disappear into the rough. Well, that was my problem as well. So I went on to the Online Golf Tutorial website, and identified my problem as my drive slicing badly. They sent me loads of different exercises, and recommended that I changed my grip.

The next time I played a round I took these tips into account and it really did make a difference. I was also given aftercare as promised, with general exercises to keep my game at a good standard.

In some ways it seems like they are almost putting themselves out of a job by keeping my us up to scratch with our game. On the other hand, I think I can safely say on behalf of all the less than perfect golfers out there that there is plenty of room for improvement in all our games. The great thing is, you can use it as much as you like, there is no limit.

So there it is,you can see the process in which they analyze your individual golfing needs and get more information by clicking on the link below. Happy Golfing.

By Chris Tucker

http://www.chris9213.com My name's Chris Tucker and I'm an aspiring online entrepreneur and also a terrible golfer. I am however in love with the game, so for me to be able to promote and talk about something i love and maybe earn a bit of money on the side is just brilliant. I have no claims to fame as an online guru or an internet millionaire as i am about as far from both as is possible. I do however have a genuine interest in producing interesting and helpful content that benefits the reader and not just me. I hope this helps anyone who is having trouble with their golf. Kind Regards, Chris. http://www.chris9213.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Tucker

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Monday, March 17, 2008

Magic, Magical - Here in This Shortish Article, You Will Find The Magic of Your Golf Swing, Maybe!

Frankly, I have not decided what to do with what I know. Sometimes I feel like all you wannabee golfers should have every bit of information that is out there so that you can play as well as possible. Yet, I am torn by the knowledge that most golfers, even if they knew, would not take the time or make the effort to use the magic . Why ?

Cause it ain't easy.

When I see a player making an obvious mistake, repeatedly in his or her play, and make mention of the mistake with a suggestion of a fix, you would not believe the excuses I get.

" Oh, I can't do it that way, I have an old injury. " Or .. "I know I do that, but my pro back home said it was ok to do it. " Or the one I love is this. " I used to be a 9 handicap, but I hurt my __________ and can't __________ anymore"

You can fill it in, it won't matter ! It's always something.

Did you ever hear that one? And last, this one. " Oh yeah, I just have not played for a while and that's what I do when I don't play" Ok ... so now that you know what it is ........ stop doing it!

News flash.

It is true that if you don't play much, it will be hard to score well. But trust me on this, if you have a good move you will still have a good move even though it may be a tad rusty.

So you see, I hate to waste good golf instruction on people who are full of excuses and will not use it, or worse, will tell others about it and get it wrong. That scares me.

I have thought about it and have come to the conclusion that it is not my private information. That you should know it all. And that if you don't use it, well that is your bad.

There is no way that I would not give someone help if they were open to it. But you should make a silent promise that you will not share this with anyone until you can do it. Deal?

Once again I am going to jump ahead and assume that you at least are in a good set-up position and that your grip is correct.

Here you must trust what I tell you. If you have not got a good setup and a good grip, it will not matter what I tell you from this point forward. You will not be able to what comes next.

So please, do your work on those two points. Anything short of perfection here is your own doing and will haunt you as you make a move to the ball.

Now take your grip and get into a proper setup, use a 7 iron or a 5 iron, not a driver.

Pick the club up straight in front of you using just your hands and wrists, do not bend your elbows, well, don't bend them much. A little is ok.

The club should be pointing exactly straight up into the air and your arms should be exactly parallel with the ground and be exactly in front of you.

There is no turn at this point.

Make absolutley sure you are in a very good setup position. Knees bent over the top of your shoes, back is reasonable straight and your chin is off your chest.

Ok..good. Now turn the left shoulder so that is over your right foot, keep you head still and make sure you take your arms and hence the club with you, but on the exact same plane as you had it. In other words do not change a thing, just turn.

If you did this right you will now be in the perfect backswing position for your body type, height and flexibility.

Now relax back to normal .. just for second. Ok , now do it again. Pick up the club in front of you. Use your hands and wrists to make the club point to the sky. Your arms are parallel to the ground. Now turn the left shoulder over to the right so that is over the top of the right shoe. Excellent.

Now for some magic. This is two moves done at exactly the same time.

Ready. Bump the left hip to the left and drop the right elbow down to your right hip.

STOP.

Inspect this position. Most important is the position of the clubshaft. It should be parallel to the ground and also parallel to the target line. It should also be 90 degrees to your right arm, right wrist . Your left arm should be close to your chest. And your posture should have remained the same as it was at setup. Mainly your spine angle.

These angles are incredible important. So pay close attention to them. They need to be in tact at impact.

They are your source of power and accuracy.

Do the above drill over and over. Check your position each time. You can do this in your living room.

There are magic results in your future if you will just pay attention to details.

By Paul Macleod

If you want to know if there are any real magic moves in the golf swing the answer is yes, there are four. You can learn the first one here for free and take it to the range for a spin, click here: http://www.ebooksbestbuy.com/golf

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_Macleod

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Dooks Golf Club

Dooks golf club is an ideal golf holiday package destination for the golfer who is seeking a stunning and serene environment to enjoy good golf. You can spend a marvelous time at Dooks. It is a lovely little club with beautiful views which has been thoroughly overshadowed by its more famous neighbors of Ballybunion, Tralee, Killarney and Waterville. It is one of the oldest golf links in Ireland. Opt for Dooks Golf Club when you decide your golf holiday package and get a holiday full of variety, challenge and amusement.

Since 1889, Dooks is set out on one of the stretches of sand dunes just at the head of Dingle bay. In case you have not yet decided on Dooks as your golf holiday package destination, here is a brief look at its magical locale at Dooks. In the foreground are the sand dune peninsulas of Rossbeigh and Inch and in the far distance loom the whitewashed houses of Cromane fishing village. In the South east are the famous McGillycuddy's Reeks, and to the southwest are the cooms and hills of Glenbeigh. Just across the bay to the north are the Slieve Mish and Dingle mountains all this scenery can be part of your golf holiday package once you travel to Ireland.

Earlier Dooks was a 9 hole course, until the members decided to change in 2002, and invited Martin Hawtree, the renowned international Golf Architect to enhance the layout of the course. The project was completed in 2006. Dooks now has 16 redesigned holes, which can challenge and test even the very best of players. The length of this par 71 golf course is 6500 yards.

Dooks Golf Club Cares for the Environment

Dooks is perhaps best known for the Natterjack Toad. The Club is one of the last remaining habitats of the toad. Adult toads are nocturnal and are therefore not seen by the golfers. The toads emerge from hibernation in March. The Natterjack toad has a dry and dull skin. It is olive green in color with yellow and orange spots on its back. It also has a yellow stripe along the spine. In order to encourage the survival of this rare toad species, Dooks has specially constructed the Natterjack ponds at hole 15. This conservation act has been recognized and the Golf Club has been awarded the European Union Environmental award.

The Clubhouse

The clubhouse has been renovated, and the new- look clubhouse still retains its unique friendly atmosphere. After a satisfying day at the green, the golfer can enjoy and relax (yes relaxation , isn't that what a a golf holiday package is about) at the cozy bar and enjoy the delicious quality food available at the restaurant.

Visitors are always welcome to Dooks golf club. However it is better to make advance booking for your session. Timings for the visitors are from 10am to 1pm and from 2.30pm to 5pm. A limited number of caddies are available on request. Societies are welcome with advanced booking.

If you are an Irish Links freak and have not played this beautiful course then don't wait anymore. Select Dooks Golf Club for your golf holiday package and discover the magic of the Dooks golf club.

By Anireju Atie

Anireju Atie is a prolific writer and the author of a various golf articles, for golf ebooks, golf auctions, golf books and golf videos visit http://golfexplored.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anireju_Atie

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Saturday, March 15, 2008

Longer Drivers Mean Longer Distance - Do They Really?

A vast majority of the golfers that I run into believe that the only way to increase their distance off the tee is to use a longer driver. After all, a longer driver automatically means longer distance, right? I mean, that's what all the advertising and conventional logic tells us - so it must be true.

The facts tell an entirely different story.

Longer length drivers usually spell disaster for most golfer's distance. While it's true you may be able to generate a little more clubhead speed with a longer driver, distance and accuracy suffer for one crucial reason.

Most golfers, even the pros, aren't able to hit longer length drivers "on center" a majority of the time. A majority of the time is 4/5 shots hit on center.

When you miss the sweet spot on the face of any golf club, you lose distance. That's a cold hard fact. When you increase the length of any given golf club for a golfer, you will get to a point where they will not be able to hit shots "on center" a majority of the time. That's another fact.

Now, here's the rub with longer length woods - drivers in particular.

As you increase the length, a golfer may be able to pick up a little bit more clubhead speed. However, the longer club also makes it harder to hit the ball "on center" more often. So, what essentially happens is this: any distance increase from clubhead speed is offset by the distance loss from not being able to hit the ball on center.

In fact, the distance loss from off-center hits is more than the distance gained from the increased clubhead speed. Overall, you are losing distance - even if you can swing the longer driver faster!

Furthermore, when you start hitting shots off the toe or heel of your driver - you are going to have some serious accuracy problems.

The guy at the retail store isn't going to tell you that. He is going to tell you that 45" or 46" driver will increase your distance and improve your game. His goal is to get you to take that overpriced, ill-fitted driver up to the cash register and open up your wallet!

Here's another fact for you. The PGA Tour average length for drivers is 44.5". That's significantly shorter than many of the drivers that come into my shop!

Wouldn't you think that the best players in the world would use a 45"-46" driver, just like the ones you have access to in the stores? The reason they don't is because they can't hit them on-center and straight! If they could, the average PGA length would be longer than 44.5".

It's hard to argue with that statistic.

Every golfer on the planet is subject to these clubfitting principles. Length becomes a detriment at a certain point, and most of you are playing with drivers that are well past this point.

Since most golfers are obsessed with distance, I don't see the major club companies shortening their clubs anytime soon. Distance sells, but it sure doesn't improve your overall game.

In fact, all these longer clubs are causing all kinds of frustration by hurting your game.

One final fact to illustrate why driver length is not as important as you think.......

The distance gained from using a 45" driver vs. a 43" driver? 1 yard.

Think about that for a few minutes.........1 yard.

By Deron Frederickson

Looking for information on custom fitted golf clubs? Check out Deron's series of guides that cover numerous areas of custom clubmaking and how to improve your game. These guides are written to give you the no-nonsense information you need to find the right golf clubs for your game. The guides are available at http://www.ClubCustomFitGolf.com

Deron Frederickson is owner of Frederickson Custom Clubs (http://www.fccgolf.com) and a Professional Clubmakers Society (PCS) Certified "Class A" clubmaker with 8 years experience. He is also a USGTF Associate Teaching Professional with 3 years teaching experience.

Contact Deron Frederickson for more on this topic. Direct line: (702) 374-7232 Email: deronf@fccgolf.com Other helpful information regarding custom golf clubs can be found at: http://www.ClubCustomFitGolf.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Deron_Frederickson

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How to Break 90

Did you know that the average distance per stroke from tee to green that you require to break 90 on the average course measuring 6,200 yards is less than 120 yards if you can 2 putt every green?

Even if you three putt half the greens in your round it is still only 140 yards/ shot....

Yet, why are more than 65% of all people who play golf who can easily exceed these distances not able to break 90?

It all comes down to the fact that they are not using a golf strategy that matches their skill level and scoring goal for each hole, or one that promotes "consistency" with their swing.

Lack of swing consistency is the score killer - throw in a few miss hits during the round and the average distances/stroke ramp up considerably.

It also comes down to the fact that they are not playing their round to "avoid the short game. What I mean by this is that they are wasting valuable strokes around the green, when a simple change to their "approach shot strategy" to the green would eliminate these problems all together.

Distance versus Consistency

The figures above clearly show that you do not need distance to break 90- what you need is swing consistency.

Yet many high handicap players feel that a lack of distance is the biggest problem with their game.

It is this "belief" of inadequacy that drives the whole golf industry in new equipment sales.

Before you rush out and buy the next new driver that is going to add another 20 yards to your game, I am going ask you to use your "golfing mind" instead of your hard earned cash to lower your scores. Consider this:

To break 90 on a par 72, you need to shoot a 17 over par. That means you have a scoring goal of 1 over par on 17 holes and you need to get a single par on any one hole.

The biggest cause of wasted strokes around the green is due to a missed approach shot. That is usually because each approach shot is coming from too far out to guarantee any accuracy.

That being the case, design your game around a short approach shot to improve you chances of getting on the green. This cuts down on the need for a good short game which is where most people scoring in the 90/100's have a difficult time.

How can you afford to have a short approach shot? Quite simple. You have a scoring goal of 1 over par on every hole but one. Design your game around taking 3 shots to get to the green on the par fours and four shots to get onto a par five - which still leaves you with two putts to get down to meet your goal.

Design your strategy from the green back to the tee rather than tee to green. Start with the approach shot. Select say a 65 yard wedge shot that you know you have a good chance of executing with a high degree of accuracy.

Now select your "set up" shot which is the 2nd shot that will put your ball in position for the 65 yard approach shot - that may only need to be about 155-165 yards. The yards that remain to the tee are for your drive.

What you will find is that your drives will need only be in the 170-190 yards distance range -even on long par 4's using this strategy.

On the par 5's you obviously have an extra shot from tee to green. Again, use the same short approach shot and work back from the green to the tee selecting shots that you know you can execute well.

The net result of this thinking is that the distances you require for every shot from tee to green are "shortened" considerably. This makes each shot easier to execute which improves your swing consistency and reduces miss hits.

The short approach shot also has a much greater chance of getting safely on the green, which eliminates the short game and the wasted strokes that normally come with it.

Here's the big factor though. If you can reach the green safely in 3 and 4 for the par 4 and 5's respectively with this strategy, your first putt on every hole is going to be for a par!

Not only do you simplify your game from tee to green, you will also give yourself at least 14 chances at par.

Compare that to how you are currently strategizing your game...

Good luck!

By Les Ross

Les Ross is author of "Breaking the Distance Barrier" http://www.breakingthedistancebarrier.com and owner of "Highlander School of Golf" http://www.highlanderschoolofgolf.com

Highlander School of Golf specializes in providing personal "live" online technical information that is flexible for the student and cost effective. If you would like learn more about the techniques to break 90 and to try out the online seminar experience. Register for our seminar "How to Break 90" at: http://www.highlanderschoolofgolf.com/Howtobreak90reg.htm

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Les_Ross

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Friday, March 14, 2008

How to Eliminate Lower Body Movement in Golf

You might think that to eliminate lower body movement in golf is somewhat of an anachronism to good golfers, yet instability in the lower body can lead to a loss of control in the muscles of the lower back, the hips and the knees. Your lower body is the base from which your most powerful shots are made, and you don't want it wobbling about!

There are many muscles used in a golf swing, from the feet to the neck, and each must play its part in ensuring that your swing is not only effective, bit consistent for shot after shot. This involves good control of all parts of your body, and lower body movement is not necessarily a good thing even though lower body muscles and joints are used in your swing.

In fact, the lower body is of extreme importance in your golf swing because that is where most of it originates. Your upper body is all show: it is the lower body that does the work. There was a time when most golf exercises concentrated on building up the muscles in your shoulders, chest and arms, but is now recognized that these have only a small part to play in the swings of the better golfers, whether they are simply good amateurs or top tour professionals.

Golf exercise and training is now more of a science than it ever was before, and it is science that dictates which muscles and joints are responsible for each element of your swing. Stability of your lower body during your swing is just as essential as is the rotational strength and speed of your abdominal and lower back muscles that provide the power. Each of these can only be developed by the adoption of exercises designed to develop the flexibility and strength in your upper body and abdomen that enable you to keep your body static throughout your swing up to the point of the follow through.

Each muscle group should be able to rotate and move independently. You do not want your whole lower body moving when the rotation should start and end at your waist, with only the necessary movement of your legs and feet. You have to keep a stable base that your spine and upper body can coil against, ready to unleash all that potential energy in one explosive rotational movement.

If you can keep your lower body stable, you will tend to rotate it along with your upper body, or to lock your right knee to keep you from moving excessively, or even falling over! Your feet should keep contact with the ground while your upper body pivots at the waist, and for this you need a degree of leg strength that will only come from exercise designed to promote it. You can do this using closed-chain exercises that involve your feet being in contact with the floor while you carry out twisting exercises.

For example, take a golf club and hold it with both arms over your shoulders. Keeping your feet, legs and the rest of your lower body absolutely still, twist to one side and hold for about three second. Then do the same to the other side. Start with three of four repetitions and build up to about a dozen. This will not only strengthen the muscles you use to rotate your body, but will also do so without any lower body movement.

You can to the same thing while sitting on a chair with a weight held out in front of you. What this type of exercise does is to train your body to twist your upper body without moving below the waist, and also to build up flexibility and strength in the joints and muscles you use to achieve that.

The elimination of lower body movement in your swing will enable you to use your energy during the downswing where it is most needed. After the strike you can then transfer that energy farther down to your hips and legs in a full follow through. However, complete lack of movement up until the point of strike is essential for a grooved swing with maximum power.

The way to eliminate lower body movement in golf is to train using exercise routines designed to strengthen the muscles you use in your swing, and maintain a stable lower body base. There are many ways in which to achieve that, though the important factor is that you must have a stable base from which to swing.

By Andre Sanchez

How to Eliminate Lower Body Movement in Golf was originally published at http://www.golfplayernow.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andre_Sanchez

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How To Correct A Slice In A Golf Swing - Tips For Correcting A Golf Swing Slice

If you are a golfer that has a natural slice or even just slice the odd time, you will know just how frustrating it can be, in fact, it can be the part of your game that has the biggest negative affect on your overall performance, a bad golf slice really can ruin your game.

In this article I am going to be writing about how to correct a slice in a golf swing and give you some tips for correcting a golf slice, I hope you find the information useful and helpful to the development of your game and good luck.

The first tip I would give you is to make sure that you have the proper stance when swinging, this may seem like a very obvious point, however, it is actually quite a common problem and not just for people who are completely new to the game, if you're slicing quite often then make sure that your stance is correct and if not, work on it. Again, this may seem obvious and pretty insignificant but just think about it, you may be surprised at what a few changes can do for your swing.

The second tip for you is to simply study the experts and follow their advice, there's a simple reason why certain golfers are so successful, it's because they know what they're doing, yeah it's another obvious point but so many golfers don't regularly learn from other golfers, they try to improve their game on their own and it often is a much slower process this way, read, learn and study other golfers to improve your own game and especially your swing, if you're slicing.

The third tip is how you grip the club, this can be very important when it comes to getting the best swing possible and avoiding a slice, this is another very simple thing that you can work on and practise improving, you should eventually end up with a grip that is best suited for you and that usually gives you an excellent swing, just work on it and make minor changes every so often to test and tweak.

The last tip I would give you is to constantly learn and improve your swing, this is , in my opinion, one of the most important points, if you are constantly improving your game then you should find yourself progressing at a very fast level and your scores will just get better and better, things like slicing will become a thing of the past, just never stop learning and improving.

These are just some tips that I thought might be helpful to you if you are having problems with your golf swing, as mentioned above, a slice can be extremely frustrating, especially if it happens often, so hopefully these tips will help you to overcome that problem and get to the top for your game.

By Philip S.

Want To Know How To Master Your Swing And Eliminate Your Slice?

Click Here Then => http://www.HowToCureAGolfSlice.com

You Could Be Playing The Best Golf Of Your Life Very Soon!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Philip_S.

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Simple Golf Instruction

Many a new golfer needs professional help to learn how to swing properly. If you are a beginner who have just started taking simple golf instruction in order to learn how to swing the golf club correctly, your PGA Golf instructor could really help you with any questions or problems you may have regarding simple golf instruction.

If you're seriously considering taking simple golf instruction , make sure you choose a PGA Qualified Professional Golf Instructor to help you with the initial steps. All PGA qualified professional golfers, go through a very hard and disciplined training. Generally it takes around three to four years of arduous training before they actually qualify to carry the title of Professional Golfer or Professional Golf Instructor. Under their guidance you will be introduced to a system of learning how to play the game properly right from the beginning.

Let us first discuss simple golf instruction about the swing . The basic fundamentals of golf swing normally include the following points- posture, grip, ball positioning and the distance you stand from the ball. Golf swing instruction will be much easier for you to enjoy, once you understood the importance of these four major points. Ideally, you should adopt a positioning of the left hand on the club with the left thumb placed slightly right of the centre of the grip. This allows the under arms to rotate naturally without disturbing the original position of the club face. You should not hold the club in the palm of your right hand. Rather, you make sure that the club is held in the fingers of your Right hand. Always be careful of putting your left thumb down the middle of the grip, because you may find your ball starts flying off to the right of your target. This happens because the under arms and the clubface are not aligned with each other. The ideal grip or hand placement is when the thumbs are positioned on opposite sides of the clubs grip. Once you have got your hands placed correctly on the club, you will have to follow the simple golf instruction on how to move your hands, so that you can create correct angles to hit the ball properly. The hands work just like "hinges". Basically, the left hand moves in vertical manner and the right hand moves more in a horizontal manner.

When it comes to golf swing, remember that the hands are the most important parts of the body. You really need to know how the hands work if you want to be good at this game. In general, the arms should control the shaft of the club while the hands should control the club head. Now, lets discuss simple golf instruction about putting. As we know, putting is the final step in completing a hole in golf. Putting can make a lot of difference between a good round and a horrible round of golf. The right golf putting grip is very important. You may grip your club using a overlapping grip or a cross handed grip. Many golfers whose wrists usually bend as they hit the ball prefer the cross handed grip. Young golfers who have difficulty in keeping their hands and wrists steady during Putting will profit by using a long shafted Putter. While putting use your judgment to determine the force that with which you will putt your shot. Place your Putter about ten inches away from the ball. Take the Putter straight back from the ball and swing it straight through. Golf experts say this increases the chance of the Putt heading in the right direction.

Simple golf instruction , like any other golf instruction must be practiced , so get out there and have some fun practicing

By Anireju Atie

Anireju Atie is a prolific writer and the author of a various golf articles , for golf ebooks , golf auctions, golf books and golf videos visit http://golfexplored.com

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The Basics Of Learning How To Play Golf

Learning how to play golf can be very difficult to say the least. If you have always wanted to learn how to play golf yourself, the basics that I am going to cover for you here will well and truly get you on your way to becoming a real keen and developed golfer.

First of all, if you're planning on learning how to play golf, there are a few very important things I think any beginner needs to know before they start on the fun journey of learning how to play golf.

You should always plan ahead in your learning experience. What and how much do you currently know about golf? How much do you think you need to learn? What exactly would you like to know? What kind of learning environment suits you best? Do you have any friends or do you know anyone who has more experience than you at golf, who can teach you the basics? You should think about these questions before you begin to learn how to play golf.

If you're a complete beginner and you're not familiar with holding and swinging a club correctly, the first thing you should do is learn how to grip a club correctly and which way is best for you. You should also practice your swing a lot, so get your butt down the driving range. You can also rent clubs at your local driving range if you haven't any clubs of your own. This will give you a good idea of what type of clubs would be best for you too. When learning how to play golf, this can help you in many ways.

Secondly you should always get on the course as soon as possible so you can get used with the setup of a golf course and get used to hitting out of and around obstacles. You can also learn the mentality and etiquette needed on the course to be a good humble golfer, which is the main characteristic of any golfer worth their salt.

Now, when you have become more confident with what is involved in the game of golf, you can then move onto the more advanced stages of learning how to play golf. You will soon notice that your swing is a not as natural as it could be, and when compared to those more experienced around you it could seem that you're not in complete control of your swing and the club.

One of the biggest challengers for beginners is learning how to obtain control of the swing and the club so you can develop a smooth and natural feel, resulting in more consistent, longer shots. There are many mistakes that beginners need to overcome before they can call themselves seasoned golfers. One of the many mistakes I see with beginners is they tend to hold the club too hard. They think that it will somehow give them more distance and more control in their shots, in fact they couldn't be more father from the truth.

Now, golfers tend to witness a lot of mistakes when they are learning how to play golf, and they often wish they had read up on and learned a lot more about golf before they started playing. Something I would recommend would be to invest in some training books, videos, magazines, and even training aids so that you can stay away from these mistakes and develop your golf game much faster. Only fools don't learn by other peoples mistakes.

By Robert J. Green

Robert is an avid golf enthusiast and a private golf coach. He has helped thousands of beginner's learn how to play golf. He has a site dedicated to beginner's learning how to play golf and has a free newsletter course also available for the beginner golfer.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_J._Green

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Thursday, March 13, 2008

Never Slice Again! Incredible Teaching Tips Revealed that Guarantee Straighter Ball Flight

Never Slice Again! Did you know there are 3 types of slices in golf. You need to know which one you do in order to fix it. Maybe you've been trying to fix the wrong type of slice all this time. The secret move that will help you stop from coming over the top of the ball. I'll teach you the anti-sidespin setup and three incredible drills that will have you on your way to hitting the ball straighter and further than you ever have in your life.

Let's start with the 3 types of slices. Chances are you are hitting the golf ball in one of these 3 ways if your a "slicer".

1. The Straight Slice- this happens when you path is straight and in alignment, but you leave you club face open just a little bit. The result- the ball starts off straight, it's looking good for the fist 150 yards, and then it slowly starts to fade down the right side of the fairway.

2. The Pull Slice- Your swing path is outside-in and your club face is open- Double whammy! The result you start off left to over compensate and then your ball takes a right turn down the fairway and ends up way right.

3. The Push Slice- Your swing path is inside-out and your club face is open. Ouch! The result- Your start going right, right off the bat (I mean club) and keep going right, and keep going right, and keep going right. You get my point.

Why is it important to know which slice you hit? Well, the reason is, in order to fix it you need to know if it a swing path problem, a an open faced club problem or both. Once you know that, you can work on these drills I'll explain later to help you fix them.

The #1 slice causing problem is improper swing path. You hit the ball square but it's the angle your club hits the ball the causes the slice. This would result in a straight ball off the tee, but one that fades down the right side of the fairway after it's out there a ways.

Here is a very simple but very effective drill that will help you alleviate the problem. Setup in your normal position, feet just past shoulder width, knees slightly bent, only this time take your back foot and move it so it is just about in line with your heal of your front foot. Now take some practice swings. This will force you to hit the ball with an inside-out path and make your balls go much straighter off the tee, and stay straighter down the fairway.

The next most common slice is the open club face. Even if the club face is open just one measly little degree, it can send your ball off by more than 10 yards. For this next drill you may want someone to video tape your or at least watch what you are doing to tell you the results. Take your normal backswing with say 5 or 6 iron. Now stop at the top of your swing, just before you would begin your downswing. (This is where you'll need some help). Where is your club head pointing? If it's pointing down you will have an open club face at impact. If it's pointing right, your too closed. In the correct position you shouldn't even see the club face from behind, it should be perfectly parallel with the shaft at 45 degrees. Work on various grips and setup's until you can get the correct position at the top of your swing. Just a minor little tweak will make a big difference. Don't over due it.

And finally stop trying to kill it! You'll get more power from a centered contact than you would from an open faced hit or a swing with an improper plane. There is just too much that has to happen at the exact pin-point second in a golf swing to hit the ball properly. If your coming out of your shoes and your balance is off, forget about it. You can swing as hard as you can and it still won't go as far as a 3/4 swing that is squared up and right in the center of the club head. Don't go too far back in your backswing, if your not that flexible, your balance will be off and so will your swing path. Just take a nice slow backswing until you feel the tension and then begin your downswing.

And finally stop trying to kill it! You'll get more power from a centered contact than you would from an open faced hit or a swing with an improper plane. There is just too much that has to happen at the exact pin-point second in a golf swing to hit the ball properly. If your coming out of your shoes and your balance is off, forget about it. You can swing as hard as you can and it still won't go as far as a 3/4 swing that is squared up and right in the center of the club head. Don't go too far back in your backswing, if your not that flexible, your balance will be off and so will your swing path. Just take a nice slow backswing until you feel the tension and then begin your downswing.

By Chris Mccann

Chris McCann is a successfull entreprenuer who enjoys helping golfers improve their golf game by using very simple techniques that golfers of all skill levels can implement and start using right away. Register Here for a free 54 guide to better golf.

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