The Importance of Timing and What it Means in a Golf Swing

Timing as in almost anything we do is a vital part of peak performance and golf in no exception. In our Golf Academy we always ask the pupils if timing is important. Everyone always nods their head in agreement of says yes. I always then ask the question what is timing. After 25 plus years of coaching I've yet to hear a satisfactory reply to that question.

So let's try and explain. In golf it's about creating the correct sequence of movements in the backswing and them the downswing. So the word that best describes timing is the correct "sequence". This could also be true in other areas such as the timing of a cars' engine or the timing of a comedian telling a joke you have to do the elements of what you are doing in the correct sequence.

Back to golf so what is the correct sequence? Our main objective in a golf swing is creating power in a simple way using what the body has. Stretching and contacting muscles is a key area that helps us generate club head speed.

In the backswing the club moves first by using the hands then arms, upper body (shoulders), hips, legs knee. With the lower body fixed in position by the feet we create a twisting motion that coils our body like a spring.

This however is not quite enough if you look closely in Golf Swing Software you will see that all top players create an extra stretch in the area of the top of the swing commonly called the transition. They achieve this by starting to shift their lower body weight towards the target and starting to unwind their hips as the club is still travelling in the backswing. This movement helps to provide this extra stretch and is the most important timing element in a golf swing. It's a very similar movement you will see in cracking a whip with two elements moving in opposite direction.

Club golfers rarely create this sequence and therefore loose much of their possible power and performance. You will also see the words Kinetic chain been used in golf literature this is the same thing that I have explained above. You can see this clearly by using Golf Swing Software

By Steve Gould

We at GASP Systems try and give tips, tricks and industry best practices to help you improve you golf game for a more enjoyable experience.

For more information and tips on golf please visit our website http://www.gaspsystems.com

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A Beginner's Buying Guide of Used Golf Clubs

If you are just getting into golf, you should not purchase a new set of golf club at once since you may find out later that this sport is not for you. Besides, you still have to find the kind of golf clubs that really suits you while at the learning period. The best option is to begin with inexpensive second hand golf clubs.

Some tips to help you find your first set of used golf club:

1. You can play at a driving range's rental clubs. In this period, you can ask your friends or other golfers to let you test their clubs on the range. This is a good chance for you to evaluate which kind of clubs is fitting for you. After some time and when you think that you are ready to buy your own set, then go ahead.

2. When you set to look for used golf clubs, you should depend on persons who are familiar with golf equipments. You can seek advice from the professionals at the golf shop near you or your friend who knows something about golf clubs.

You can also try looking over the Internet for used golf club. Over-all, it is imperative to ascertain the golf club set that is most fitting to your playing ability.

3. The good way to purchase a used golf clubs is to get a feel for what you really want by holding the clubs in your hand and actually swinging them. But, what can the term "feel" mean? There is no exact phrase that describes it. Generally, feel may be define as the manner a golfer feels a club when she or he swings. It varies on the flexibility of its shaft and on its swing weight.

4. Go for a stainless steel club head and keep away from cheap alloy heads. For the novice, it is advisable that you choose the heel-and-toe club, extra-large golf club and the cavity backed golf club.

You should have larger club heads since they are more lenient with expanded "sweet spot" that can create utmost distance even with off-center contacts.

5. For the beginner, the most perfect to use is the graphite shafts even if it is more costly that steel shafts. It weighs less and that will permit you to swing the club more rapidly, even with over-sized club heads.

6. If you have bought used golf clubs where its grip's condition is less than just right or if the grips don't go well for you, then be sure to change them.

Grips are pretty simple and low-priced to replace by a professional or club repairman. Just make sure that the grips are substituted with the exact design and size as before.

Lastly, if you are just a beginner and still at the learning stage, odds are your swing is more probable to get you down instead of the golf clubs. Over-all, it is still very crucial to test the golf clubs before deciding to buy them, that way you can discover the golf club that fits your own game, body, and swing.

By Sean Matthews

Sean Matthews has been playing golf for about 5 years. His current best score is 78. For more golf tips, visit his blog at http://www.seanmatthewsgolf.com Check it out today!

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Golf Training Aids - Slick Sales Gimmick Or Real Help For Your Game?

The proliferation of golf training aids has skyrocketed along with the exploding popularity of the game itself. From direct response TV to radio, to magazines to the internet - sales presentations for golf training aids come in all shapes and sizes. Sadly - the vast majority of these golf devices fail to address the one true way to enhance the golfer's natural physical ability and golf performance.

While these various forms of direct response presentations offer insights as to what golfers are looking for and what they are willing spend their money on - they also expose the multitude of companies whose main goal is 'profits without fulfilling on the promise'.

However, it serves no purpose to judge or criticize the companies and people behind these golf product pitches. I think you are intelligent enough to know what you are seeing or hearing when watching these types of 'presentations'. But here's what golf industry insiders do say...

Regardless of the integrity or validity of an infomercial type golf training device (and there are DOZENS of them) - none will ever come close to what the effects of a full-body, golf-specific stretching exercise program will do for your game, your body and your life.

You can try to "groove your swing" 'till you drop, you can try to "change the mechanics of your faulty swing" 'til you collapse, you can swing a weighted club 'til your back cramps up - BUT none of this will enhance to range of motion and recoverability of your muscles and joints - between holes and between rounds.

I'm not against buying new golf clubs or an intriguing new training device - BUT It makes no sense to do any of that until you are properly treating your body to the one thing it needs most: FLEXIBILITY.

Don't be one of the golfers who learns this the hard way. Don't wait 'til a tweak or a muscle twinge starts to turn into a nagging chronic cramp - that develops into an injury "that just happened out of the blue." (physical therapists love golfers like this)

Many golfers - ranging from full time professionals to weekend hackers, have experienced this situation at one time or another. And although it's more prevalent in 'older' golfers - the effects of an 'un-tuned' body can also wreak havoc on a young golfer's body and game as well. In essence, the single-most effective way to improve your game is not with another 'breakthrough' golf training aid - but rather by following a golf specific stretching exercise program.

Improving your body - improves your physical ability in all regards. Power, endurance, recovery time and injury reduction and prevention are just some of the benefits you'll experience. And don't worry about your age... It's never too late to start a golf stretching program.

By Joey Atlas

Joey Atlas, Golf Conditioning Specialist and creator of Golf Stretching Exercise Program - offers several free golf exercise videos at his site - visit to get started.

Joey is also the best selling author of Fatness to Fitness, the Fitness Book.

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Try This 60 Second Golf Swing Experiment to See If You Are Keeping Your Head Behind the Ball

If outdoors, place a coin on level ground where you can set up and take a full golf swing. If indoors, in your living room or garage, make certain the ceiling is high enough and you have ample space in front of and behind you, to allow for a full swing. Place a coin on the floor. With your five iron or hybrid club in your usual grip, take your normal stance and address the coin as if it were a real golf ball.

Now ask a buddy (or your spouse) to reach out and grab you by your hair or hold firmly onto your head or golf hat, so there will be no movement of your head during this experiment. Take a slower than usual but full practice swing from address, to the top of your backswing, down to and over the coin and well into your follow through. Make as complete a follow through as you can while your head is still being held firmly.

Your partner should require little or no force to keep your head steady until after your arms are well past the coin and are parallel to the ground. At that point your partner can allow your head to come up, as it is pushed by your right shoulder (if right handed). But your head should still remain behind the ball.

Here is the feedback:

- If you were comfortably able to watch the path of the clubhead as it moved over the coin,

- If you were comfortably able to follow through with your swing to where your arms were at least parallel to the ground,

- If you executed your swing without straining any part of your body,

- If your partner needed little or no pressure to restrain your head, then

You were keeping your head behind the coin throughout swing. You were maintaining your spine angle. You no doubt already have the ideal feeling that the clubhead is swinging to the ball and not your head. CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE A GOOD GOLF SWING.

On the other hand:

- If you had difficulty at any point executing this experiment; it is probably because these movements or body positions are contrary to your usual swing. Your muscles want to return your body to those positions which they have memorized and to which they are comfortable.

- If your partner had to exert force to hold your head steady; your existing muscle memory was taking over and pushing you up and out of the shot.

Your swing is not allowing you to keep your head behind the ball through the impact zone or to maintain your spine angle. You are probably coming up and out of your shot or coming over the top. You are not swinging around a fixed axis.

The good news is that now you have identified a problem area and you can start developing the muscle memory required to keep your head back and maintain your spine angle. Training aids that provide tactile feedback to the head are most useful in developing the muscle memory required to achieve these two unarguable aspects of the golf swing.

By Bob Doyle

Bob Doyle is the founder and president of Forever Better Golf Inc. a golf equipment and training aid company dedicated to helping all golfers improve their swings and lower their scores. Their flagship product is the PRO-HEAD Trainer, a full swing training aid that helps golfers maintain their spine angles and keep their heads back and behind the ball through impact. To see the PRO-HEAD Trainer in use and take the 60 second challenge, visit http://www.foreverbettergolf.com/

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Short Game Tips, 9-Iron Made Easy

For many of us, hitting a great tee-shot is somewhat easy but the approach to the green can often throw us off our game. I have an easy tip that will shave several strokes off of your score the next time you play golf.

A lot of the problem lies in uncertainty in our mental approach, not being 100 percent confident on what to do. If you're like me, you to try and place the ball on a dime next to the pin which is nearly impossible to do unless you get extremely lucky or are a professional golfer with tons of hours to spend practicing.

Usually, my approach shot would often end up nowhere near where I intended it to and I often had to struggle to recover. As soon as I began to work the method I'm about to explain, life on the golf course got much easier.

The first thing you should do is think about widening your target area. It's hard to swing freely when you're aiming for a tiny spot (the cup) - it freezes you! Focusing on too small of a target on the green tightens the muscles in your hands, arms and shoulders and completely prevents you from making a nice, easy swing.

This is a very good way to get over this common mistake - give yourself some grace and space, baby. Widen your target area to a 10-yard circumference around the pin instead of right "on" the pin. At the practice range, find a target you can reach with your 8 or 9 iron, draw a circle with your mind's eye and hit 10 balls in a row at it.

When you can hit 5+ balls into that area, start narrowing it down closer to the pin and bring this target zone to the course the next time you play.

Mentally lay this "red zone" over the pin on each and every approach shot you advance on during your round. This will relax you and give you a realistic landing spot and allow you to remain loose.

There's no doubt you feel much more confident knowing that as long as you land inside your zone, you'll have a reasonable shot at holing the next stroke instead of feeling the pressure to be right next to the pin on every approach shot.

Give this drill a try and also try to relax, will you?

Thanks for reading. Good luck, good hustling.

Freddy Kaboot

By Freddy Kaboot

Golfing finally turned on its head and made easier. Learn the real tricks to golfing that anyone can use, get lessons, drills as well as the most popular golf hustling games in a free report at http://www.thegolfhustler.net

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Correcting Your Backswing Golf Shot - Hunting Down Tips That Truly Work

Correcting your backswing golf shot is is a vital step in the process of improving your overall game. The hard part about finding good ways to do it online is that there is simply so much conflicting information on the subject. How do you even pick out which ones work? How do you pin point the ones that will just waste your time? Here's how to get past the fluff when finding ways to correct your backswing golf shot.

I sincerely felt the need to bring this subject up, because I have witnessed many, many golfers struggle to find good tips, techniques and guides online. It seems like every single website you go to has a different set of conflicting knowledge. You can randomly try all of the ways to fix your backswing golf shot, but it's a shot in the dark. This is especially true when you try to use a search engine to find this info.

It's the number one reason so many golfers run into such a huge amount of conflicting knowledge, even when looking for simple tips on correcting a backswing golf shot. There is a better way to find this kind of stuff. It will take a lot of the guess work out of it for you. You do it by using golfing forums. It's such an underused tool, yet it is a vital place, where you can find out the "Exact: things other golfers have used and done to fix their backswing golf shot. There are tons and tons of topics on this very subject there.

Like I said before, this can take a lot of the guess work out of it. You can see the tried and true ways that work on the course and you can see the ways that have made golfers fall flat on their face. It's an excellent way to weed out the useless fluff that you are bound to run into on the internet.

There is a huge different between implementing tried and true techniques to correct your backswing golf shot and implementing ones that you are blindly picking out of a pile.

By Adam Woodham

Here is the revolutionary, most original tutorial/guide which includes step-by-step ways to instantly correct your backswing golf shot.

Adam Woodham is the author of this article and always uses his site to tell people about the Online Golf Tips that truly work for improving your game. Learning to golf like a pro has never been easier.

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Correcting Your Backswing Golf Shot - Hunting Down Tips That Will Truly Work

Correcting your backswing golf shot is a sensational way to shave those much needed strokes off of your score. The hard part is finding the reliable and tried and true ways to accomplish it. The web is filled with an insane amount of conflicting info on the subject, with no real way to tell which ones are better than the others. Here's how to weed past the fluff, while finding the tried and true ways to correct your backswing golf shot.

The reason I want to bring this golfing subject up is because I have seen so many golfers struggle when looking for good information about how to improve various parts of their game. The average golfers is going to try to use some kind of search engines to find out how to correct a bad backswing golf shot. Long story short, search engines don't work very well, because it's the number one reason people get pounded with conflicting ways to go about it.

Even if you did try the random things you find through search engines, how do you know which ones work the best? How do you know which ones will be useless and just waste your time? They all can't be equal. Some of them are going to be far better than the rest. That's the problem many golfers face when looking for tips, techniques and guides to correct their backswing golf shot.

So, what can you do about it? Well, your best bet is to start using the wealth of info available to you inside of the various golfing forums. It's a sensational way to find out the "exact" things, tips, techniques, websites and guides that other golfers have successfully use to fix their backswing golf shot. It's your way to get informed on what truly works and which ones are complete duds. You get real life opinions and thoughts from people who have gone through the exact same things you are trying to accomplish right now. It just makes sense and it works.

Correcting a bad backswing golf shot can be a bit trying, but this can help you weed past so much of the conflicting junk that you might run into.

Here is the revolutionary, most original tutorial/guide which includes step-by-step ways to instantly correct your backswing golf shot.

Adam Woodham is the author of this article and always uses his site to tell people about the Online Golf Tips that truly work for improving your game. Learning to golf like a pro has never been easier.

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

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How to Hit a Golf Ball

The primary goal of a golfer is to learn how to hit a golf ball as far and straight as possible. The way to do this is to hit the golf ball solidly with the middle of the club. The more solidly a golfer can hit the ball, the better game they will play. Unfortunately, hitting the ball with the middle of the club is not nearly as easy as it sounds.

PROPER SWING TECHNIQUE

First of all, many people put too much effort into their swing. Though it is a natural inclination to hit the ball as hard as possible, your goal should be to let the golf club do the work. This results in a ball that flies straighter and farther. If you put too much power into the swing, your results will not live up to your expectations.

PROPER BODY FORM

Make sure you work on developing the muscles in your back and arms. When you swing a golf club, all the power is coming from those areas. The more flexible and fit you are, the better it will be for your game. Before you walk out onto the greens, do some stretching exercises.

PROPER STANCE

A very important part of learning how to hit a golf ball is your stance. The way you swing is determined by your stance and body placement. Your feet should be parallel with the ground and shoulder-width apart with your weight on the inside of your right knee and foot. The knees should be bent slightly.

GOLF CLUBS

Another main factor in your quest to make a perfect golf shot is to have the right equipment to work with. If you are a golf beginner, you should probably choose an over-sized golf club. The sweet spot is large, making it much easier for a newbie to hit the ball.

PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE

Once you feel that you have mastered the basics, determine what mistakes you are making and rectify them by practicing your swing over and over. When you reach the point that you feel you have finally mastered your swing, practice some more.

To learn how to hit a golf ball effectively you must learn how to hit the ball solidly, have good muscle tone in your arms and back, be able to assume the proper stance and body placement, and work on any areas that need improvement. Of course, the primary ingredient for becoming a better golfer is to practice, and practice some more!

By Debra Gropp

Debra Gropp enjoys working on the Internet by doing everything from paid surveys and working for affiliate programs to blogging about her interests. Her articles pertain to some of the subjects she is most interested in, ways to save money, hobbies, work from home information, and diet, fitness, and health-related information.

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4 Golf Putting Tips For All Golfers

Nothing is more critical to your score than putting. And really, no other shot in golf is easier to play physically. Here are four golf putting tips for all golfers.

1) Line up your golf ball when you putt. This is one of the easiest and best ways to improve your putting from both long and short range. A line made with a Sharpie works better than using the logo or other less apparent marking. Lining up your golf ball to putt will take the guesswork out of the rest of the game.

2) Focus on speed. In putting, it is often said speed is king. Proper speed leaves a tap in even if the line is off a bit. A tap in should be your goal for any putt outside of 15 feet. Focus on the speed until you are 100% confident when you stroke the putt. But speed is even more important on short putts when the ball is expected to go in the hole.

3) Strive for stress free putting. When you are chipping, try to put your ball below the hole so you have an uphill and relatively straight putt. Same with lag putting, which I consider to be anything outside 15 feet.

4) Always have a positive attitude. Don't stand over the ball thinking of ways to miss a putt. Make the putt in your mind before you ever address the ball.

Even though these golf putting tips are for all golfers, they will only help the ones who use them. Better putting is about making your life easier on the greens. Often that comes down to the choices you make.

By Darell Mckissick

Let me show you a better way to putt

http://www.targetputting.com

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Finding Great Tips For Better Golf

Finding tips for better golf on the internet is not such a difficult thing to do. It's locating the "quality" ones that can be pretty hard to accomplish. Actually, you can probably use a search-engine to find tons of great ones on the web, but you just don't know which pages that will do the best job are. Let me share a secret with you that will help you easily located the exact things that have worked for so many other golfers.

Like I said, you can easily use a search engine to pull p thousands of websites with tips for better golf. How do you know exactly which hones are worth your time and which ones are just a waste? That's the problem many golfers have when trying to improve their game, but the truth is that it doesn't have to be that way. The next tip should help you find tips for better golf and any other things you might want to improve on your game.

There are no hoops to jump through and no hurdles to jump over to find great tips for better golf. You can simple find them inside of the various golfing forums on the net. What you have to realize is for every golfer looking for tips for better golf (which his you) there are thirty who have already found a bunch of the ways to accomplish it. Most of them post extensively about it inside of these forums, which is a great way for you to find it. What faster way is there to improve your game than by seeing the exact ways that other men and women have do it? Exactly. This is why forums are highly recommended, if only to read about what other golfers are doing to shave strokes off of their game.

Whether it is links to great websites, or a ton of print worthy tips for better golf, forums are a one-stop-shop for finding the true ways that work.

By Adam Woodham

Want to know where to find the revolutionary, most original tutorial/program that provides you with simple, step-by-step tips for better golf? Keep reading...

Adam Woodham is the author of this article and runs the informative golf blog Online Golf Tips, which features a personal review of the true leader in learning how to perfect your golf game. Improving your golf swing, and everything in between, has never been easier.

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Keys To Golf Driver Reviews

Introduction

There is an overabundance of golf driver reviews on the internet. Many people are not familiar with the technological advancements of modern-day drivers. In addition to that, many of the online reviews can be misleading or misinformed. By educating yourself, you will know what kind of driver will suit you. The first thing to consider is the clubhead size. Most manufacturers offer clubheads today at the USGA limit of 460cc volume. This volume became common with the introduction of titanium clubheads. Titanium is much lighter than steel and therefore can have a larger size while maintaining traditional weight. This volume is preferred by the majority of golfers simply due to the fact that a larger head size corresponds to a larger "sweet spot". This is very important to average golfers because it is easier for them to make good contact with the ball. Some low-handicap golfers might prefer a smaller clubhead volume (less than 400cc) because they don't need the larger sweetspot.

Launch Angle

Launch angle is a common term contained in golf driver reviews. This angle refers to the initial angle of the golf ball at impact. Loft angle is important simply due to the fact that higher loft gives a higher launch angle which equates to greater distance. Professional golfers generally prefer lower loft angles (9 degrees or less) while mid-handicap golfers are more comfortable with loft angles between 9 and 11 degrees. In contrast, beginners and high-handicap golfers typically have trouble getting the ball to have a high trajectory. They should be looking to buy drivers with loft angles greater than 11 degrees.

Adjustable Weights

When reading golf driver reviews, you might hear the term "adjustable weights". Some modern-day drivers have adjustable weights in the sole or internal weighting to help golfers reduce a slice or hook. For the most part, this feature is pretty limited to a small percentage of new golf drivers. If an adjustable weight system does not sound like a desirable feature, slice golfers should choose a driver with a draw bias while hook golfers should choose a driver with a slice bias.

Additional Technological Advancements

Most manufacturers today are continuously pushing the envelope with regards to USGA limits. There is a limitation of 5900 gram-centimeter squared with regards to Moment of Inertia (MOI). This term refers to the clubhead's resistance to twisting when off-center shots are made. The greater the MOI rating, the more forgiveness that golfers will receive from off-center shots. Therefore, beginner golfers should look for drivers with a very high MOI (5800-5900). Another common term seen when reading golf driver reviews is Center of Gravity (CG). Basically, beginners should focus on drivers that have a low CG. This allows balls to have a higher flight path when compared to drivers with a higher CG. One more term used in some golf driver reviews is what is known as Coefficient of Restitution (COR). This refers to a spring-like attribute that a ball has at impact. At a higher COR, the golf ball will be leaving the clubhead faster (i.e. higher momentum) for a fixed impact speed. The USGA legal limit for COR is 0.830 presently. Now you are aimed with proper knowledge when reading golf driver reviews.

By Cory Cress

Cory has a golf website that contains many beneficialgolf resources. The information provided includes discounted tee times, golf tips, instructional videos, golf club reviews and additional golf information.

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