Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Free Golf Tips
We firmly believe we have insisted upon the necessity of keeping your wrist straight / solid / DO NOT FLEX for chips shots. If you find you just can't get the hang of this, then find a pen (or a pencil). Next time you have to keep your right wrist fixed, stick a pen between your watch so that it covers your wrist and part of your palm. You'll get the hang real quick. If you STILL don't, use a pencil sharpened on both ends. OUCH!! You'll get the hang real fast!! :-)
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Free Golf Tips

Did you know that Ben Hogan played ALL of his shots at the same
spot in his stance, from 2 iron up? Well, fact is we will never be
Ben Hogan, but there are lessons to be learned here.
Many of us fail to make good contact on the fairway because of ball
placement relative to our stance. The objective of a good ball
strike is to make contact with the ball while your club is in the
downswing. The perfect divots you see the Pros make are made IN
FRONT of where the ball lies. Which makes sense. You DON'T want to
hit the ground before you hit the ball!! Talk about a loss of
momentum and velocity. Bad.
So, what does this lead us to? The average golfer should play his
low irons in the middle of their stance, and move SLIGHTLY
backwards as you go up a club. Many of us make the mistake of
playing the ball with a 3 or 4 iron off of our left in-step (if you
are a right handed golfer).
If this is new to you, you need to also remember that because the
ball is further back in your stance than normal, it should also be
a tad bit closer to your body.
Try it the next time you are on the course. Remember exactly where
the ball was when you hit it. Adjust your body, not the placement
of the ball relative to the stance, if you miss-hit. When you finally
hit that shot that jumps off your club, you got it right. Practice
that shot until you get it down (Practice doesn't make Perfect,
Perfect Practice makes Perfect).
Bear in mind that your head must be kept down. My favorite method
is too pick out a dimple on the golf ball, and stare at that
through my back and down swing, until my natural momentum lifts my
head up.
Tip of The Week
The key to hitting low, crisp chip shots is keeping your left wrist
(if you are a right hand golfer) straight. Most errant shots occur
because the left wrist bends at impact.
It should remain straight.
By keeping your left wrist solid, the ball will stay on the target
line, and you'll find the ball rolling towards the pin. You do not
have to scoop the ball on a chip shot. Think of it as an extremely
long putt!!!

Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Golf tips on golf swings, golf grips and golf setups.
Bunkers - How to Play Them
Fairway Bunkers
The fairway bunker shot can be an intimidating shot for many inexperienced golfers. For starters, when playing out of fairway bunkers, it is wise to take one to two clubs more than normal. Begin by setting up normally, with your feet slightly dug in for stability and the ball positioned more toward the middle of your stance. Next, grip down slightly on the club for greater control. Right before you begin your backswing, lift your chin off your chest. That raises your center of gravity and increases your ability to hit the ball first, which is crucial in executing the shot.
Swing at 70 percent of your normal speed and there's a good bet you'll hit a clean, solid shot. So, Hitting a shot from a fairway bunker poses no great problem if the ball has a good lie.
(Well, I am really just trying to buildyour confidence. I could say, you are in a bunker, you're score just went up three strokes!!!)
Long or middle irons as well as 3, 4, and 5 woods can be used with confidence in this situation. Take a open stance, wider than normal. Work your feet into the sand for better balance. Play the ball back 1" to 2" to assure that the club hits the ball before the sand. Choke down on the shaft. Close your eyes (just kidding).
From an open stance, aim slightly to the left.
Swing Normal Speed
Pray

On long fairway bunker shots, try a 5 wood in preference to a long iron. Don't try to overpower this shot. Restrict your body turn and swing easy. Now, if it is a BAD lie, then you need to play the course. Grab your club you are confident with, between a 7 and SW. Observe the course. Realize that you are not Tiger Woods. Realize the average golfer will clunk it out about 75 yards. Aim for a safe fairway shot to get you back into play. Shoot for the MIDDLE of the fairway, not left or right, 75 yards 'down bunker'. Most importantly, follow through on your swing. Most weekend golfers, whether near the green or in a fairway bunker, STOP their swing on impact. Golf is simple. You ALWAYS need to follow through. Again, swing easy and follow through.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
The Take Away
We've covered the Golf Grip, The Golf Stance, The Golf Setup and now before we get into the Golf Backswing, I think we should look at a very important aspect of this game. The Take Away:
As you address the golf ball there are some critical parts of the setup that must be in place before you start the backswing.
- If you look down and see the grip-end of the golf club across from your belt buckle there is a good chance you have MOST of the critical parts in place.

Having the grip-end of the golf club across from your belt buckle assures you of having your head in the correct position, not tilted too far to the left side or the right side of the golf ball. The second part is your spine is probably in the correct position, if the grip end is pointing towards you chin, your spine is too long. If the grip end is pointing lower than your belt buckle, your spine is bent over too much. Lastly, the most crucial part is the golf club is soled on the ground with the correct amount of loft.
The golf club being soled correctly on the ground is the sure guarantee that you are in the correct set-up, after you confirm all the positions that we discussed above.
One of the top five most asked questions in the past 25 years has been, “What starts the backswing?” The answer is a bit complex, so grab your Hi-Liter and let’s get started.
- When you are ready to start the backswing, the clubhead, shaft, your hands, arms and right shoulder move in ONE PIECE at the exact same time.
- The clubhead starts back on an arc (we will get to that in the next section). The right shoulder starts turning backwards.


The take-away is one piece all the way until it arrives at the 9:00 o’clock position (we will get to that in two sections).
As you start back, both knees are flexed and during the backswing- the right knee NEVER changes positions. It does not flex more, nor does it straighten out and it does not slide back away from the target.
The left knee also plays a major role in the backswing. It does not move towards the line of flight and it does not straighten out. As the golf club starts back, the left knee moves towards the right knee as a RESULT of the upper body turning and the lower body resisting this turn. The left knee never passes the golf ball in the backswing.
4. As the golf club starts back away from the golf ball the club head must swing back on an arc which is inside the straight line to the target.


4b. Correct Arc
If the golf club travels outside in the backswing the right shoulder will tilt up in the backswing and the golf club will swing vertical to the ground in the downswing. If the golf club travels too much to the inside of the arc in the backswing, the golf club will travel too level to the golf ball in the downswing. If the golf club swings too straight back you will have a tendency to hit the ball in the heel of the club at impact.
Too Much Outside


When the golf club travels back on the correct path the combination of the arms and hands will be able to swing the golf club back to the correct position at the top of the backswing as long as the right shoulder turns out of the way.
When the shaft of the golf club is level to the ground and parallel to your intended target line- we refer to that position as 9 o’clock.
- The first check-point in the backswing is the 9:00 o’clock position.


Right Shoulder Tilted Too Much

If the right shoulder is tilting up the golf club will most likely be outside the path and pointed up. If the right shoulder turns too much in the backswing the golf club will swing around you too much. If you are in the correct position, it is time to head back to the top of the backswing.
- From the 9 o’clock position the golf club must continue up on an arc.
This can only happen if you continue to turn the right shoulder out of the way. As the right shoulder turns out of the way, the arms, hands and golf club will continue to swing inside, however, after the golf club passes the 9 o’clock position, it will have to swing up. This combination is what I believe is the most difficult part of the backswing.
You can not stop turning the shoulder. If you do stop turning the golf club will start to swing up to much. If you continue to swing the golf club around with the shoulders the golf club will swing too much around.
- The proper combination is when the shoulders turn and the golf club swings up. When you reach the top of the backswing with this combination you will be in position to swing the golf club down on the correct path and with clubhead speed.

*-----------Hot Tip----------*
How far should you stand from the ball? Take your regular left hand grip. Hold the club straight out. Slowly lower to the ground. There you go. Set up to shoot. You should have no more than a fist and a half between the end of the club and your body. Feel uncomfortable? GOOD!! You know it must be right.

Sunday, February 8, 2009
Fix that Golf Slice
Almost all novice golfers have this same problem. Heck, most golfers have this problem. It takes a lot of practice and concentration to overcome it.
Golfers who slice have no idea of why they do so. Most think it's because their swing path comes from outside in, (the dreaded over-the-top move) while many even blame their equipment. The one area most overlooked is the angle of the clubface as it makes contact with the ball.
The slice is a shot which usually starts off slightly to the left, then swerves to the right in the air. The slice is a common fault that occurs in many beginners game and has to be one of the most frustrating things that can happen to a golfer. In most cases, the slice is uncontrollable and is destructive more often than not resulting in the ball being sent deep into the rough. It is also far more common than the hook which occurs when the ball does the opposite through the air.
Even if your alignment, swing and grip are perfect, the positioning of the ball in the stance can make a good straight shot into a shot that slices wildly out of play. This occurs when the ball is placed too far forward in the stance.
The plain and simple fact is that if the club face is open at impact, the shot will move left to right. The clubface must be square to the target upon impact. An easy way to achieve this is to rotate your left forearm through the impact zone.
To achieve the correct rotation, try this simple drill using a piece of tape or a Band-Aid:
Place a piece of tape or a Band-Aid on the underside of the wrist of your lead arm (the left arm for right-handed golfers, the right arm for left-handed golfers).
Allow your lead elbow to be a couple of inches from your side and rotate your forearm so you can see the tape or Band-Aid as you swing the club through the impact zone. Your left wrist should be flat, (if you are a right-handed golfer). This will help you visualize the proper rotation of the club head during your swing.
During your swing it is important to rotate your forearm, not just your wrist, so you can see the entire piece of tape or Band-Aid as you swing through the hitting area.
Try this drill with your lead arm alone before practicing with both hands on the golf club.
Continue to work on this movement until you see the tape or Band-Aid consistently. If you do this properly your slice will be gone for good. You can practice this drill in your backyard several times a day or in the evening when you get home from work. Then take it out to a driving range and practice some more. Practice – Practice – Practice
Monday, January 26, 2009
The Golf Setup - The Address

The feet have to be just slightly further apart than shoulder width. This distance is far enough apart to maintain a solid base.
As the club begins to build up speed and the left hip makes the first move down the target line before it turns backward, the width of the stance will hold up just fine. If you have a tendency to lose your balance, your stance might be to narrow.

As you address the golf ball your knees will have a slight flex in them.



The second roll the knees play in the swing is when the golf club is in motion. As the golf club swings back, the single most important thing for you to remember is the RIGHT knee never ever moves from the original position. If you think of the two knee caps as head lights shining in front of you as you drive along a road, you might make some twists and turns but the headlights are always in front of you. As you start the backswing the right knee does not slide, bend or straighten out- it stays very quiet and solid during the entire backswing.
Both knees must remain flexed during the entire backswing and until impact.
If your chin is in the correct position, and your spine is long (don't worry we'll talk about these shortly), and your knees are flexed the correct amount, the golf club will not sole correctly on the ground until you tilt or bend over from the hips. You do NOT want to bend at the waist. You ALWAYS want to bend from the hips. The difference is if you bend at the waist your spine will bend (not good).

If you do not bend at the hips, you will not be able to sole the golf club correctly.
When you bend over from the hips you have to make sure you do not straighten out or lock your knees. When you bend at the hips you have to pay close attention to making sure you do not bend at the bottom of the spine.

The hips play another role not related to their position.



When you arrive at the finish of the golf swing your belt and shoulders should be level to the ground. Your belt buckle will aim at the intended target and your hips are level to the ground.
The Shoulders
The shoulders play three major roles in the golf swing. The first two roles are static and the third is a moving role. In the address position the shoulders compliment the spine angle.


The second role the shoulders play is they must be parallel to your intended line you want the golf ball to travel on. When you look down your toes, knees, hips and shoulders must be in line with each other. Parallel means they have to be on the same line going to the left of where you want the golf ball to start. If the shoulders are aiming to the right of the target the golf club will start too much inside the correct path in the backswing. If they are aiming to the left of the target the golf club will start too much to the outside in the backswing. For the golf club to start back on the correct path the shoulders must be parallel from the start.
The shoulders play yet another role in the backswing. As the clubhead, shaft, hands, arms and (shoulders) start moving backwards, the right shoulder has to move out of the way to give the hands, arms and golf club a place to swing to at the top of the backswing. The right shoulder does not slide back. Instead – rotates around your body.
The shoulders play a huge role in distance and direction. The shoulders have to turn as much as possible in the backswing. Once your back is facing the target (this for the 30ish and under crowd) or as much of a turn as possible, you will be in position to swing the club down with maximum club head speed.
The spine has taken on an all important part in the golf swing in the past 10 years. Not many words were written about the spine and its role in the golf swing until then.



There is yet another role the spine plays in the golf swing. At the top of the backswing the spine supports the upper body, the golf club, the arms and most importantly the speed at which we swing the golf club. If the spine maintains its length in the backswing, you will be able to swing the arms at a greater speed in the downswing.
The golf club is at its maximum speed as it nears the golf ball and the spine is supporting the “frame of the golf swing” - your upper body. As the club head passes the impact zone the spine is at its most vulnerable position and from that point to the finish is when the spine is taking a real beating (physically).
Maintaining the correct spine angle will play a major role in club head speed and, the direction the club actually swings (swing path). The spine maintains the same angle from address to one foot past impact and it is critical that it starts from the correct position.
If you are in the correct posture at address no changes are necessary.
If you are standing too tall at address, bending at the hips will solve this problem. If you are bent over too much at the top of the spine or your shoulders are too curved, you will have to take a very serious look into changing your spine angle. Opening your shoulders and lifting your chin will be a great place to start.
The Chin
After you address the golf ball there is a check-list of things you need to go through to make sure you are ready to take off. I am not going to tell you the position of the chin is the most important- however, it ranks up there for sure. The chin controls what happens to the shoulders in the backswing.
If the chin is down in your chest at address, the shoulders will have a tendency to pop up in the backswing. The right shoulder will NOT turn out of the way to make room for the arms to swing around. If you continue to leave your chin down in your chest you might have some success with the shorter clubs, but the long clubs will be very difficult to hit. You can get away with the arms swinging up and down with the short clubs, you might not be so lucky with the longer clubs.
If you have a tendency to top your shots or hit thin, your chin might be up too much.
If you have a tendency to top your shots or hit thin, your chin might be up too much.
So now you want to know how much you should lift your chin up. I have some advice that is not the answer of all answers, but it is a wonderful starting point.
Lift your chin up just enough to get your fist under your chin and touch your throat.
Bob Hope Classic - La Quinta, California
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
The Golf Grip
There are multiple ways to grip a golf club. Although it sounds overwhelming, it truly is not. Once you begin to experiment you will eliminate four or five of them instantly. I will give you a guide to get you started on the right track.
Interlocking Grip

For starters, if you have small hands and fingers, the interlocking grip will probably work best for you. It helps you wrap your fingers and palm around the grip handle.
On the other hand, if you have large hands, the overlapping grip will probably work best for you.
The above-mentioned grips are the proper way to hold a club- however there are three different ways you can apply them to the golf club.


Neutral

You can grip the golf club in a weak position (no knuckles of the left hand showing), neutral (one knuckle of the left hand showing) or the strong position (2 or 3 knuckles of the left hand showing).
During your experimenting, if the golf ball has a tendency to curve to the right, you will want to move BOTH hands to the right (strong). When you move the hands make sure you do it slowly. If the golf ball has a tendency to curve to the left, you will want to move BOTH hands slowly to the left (weak). Now, if the golf ball is flying without a curve, you have the correct grip for you. DO NOT EXPERIMENT WITH ANY OTHER GRIP.
Grip Pressure
OK, you have found the correct grip for you. There is one last item we need to deal with. The amount of pressure you apply to the club plays a major role in how you swing the golf club. The tighter you grip the golf club the slower your arms will swing and the longer the clubface will take to release in the downswing (causing a slice). This is a good thing if you HOOK the golf ball. This will definitely stop the ball from curving from right to left. On the other hand if you have problems SLICING the golf ball this amount of grip pressure will make the ball slice more.
If you are struggling with slicing the golf ball, you will have to hold the golf club like you were holding a baby's hand. Gently, the lighter you grip the golf club the faster the club will swing and the quicker the club will release in the downswing. If you do not have any problems with the ball curving, you have found the correct amount of grip pressure.



Sunday, January 18, 2009
2009 Sony Open
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
The Golf Grip

The Golf Grip:
There are many different opinions on how to grip a golf club, but very few instructors tell you WHY you should grip the club a certain way. The reason that the grip is SO important is because it is the only part of your body that controls the clubface, your hands.
Gripping the Golf Club with the Left Hand:
We're going to start with the grip!
When you pick up a golf club your hands are the only part of your body that touches the club. For many years the hands (grip) have often been referred to as the steering wheel of the golf swing. I don't believe this could be more true. Gripping the golf club correctly makes playing this game a much better experience.
Gripping the golf club at first glance does not seem like a very difficult thing to do, however, it can take a lot of trial and error to figure out the correct grip for you. This is a very interesting aspect to the game of golf. Gripping the golf club is a VERY INDIVIDUAL thing for everyone that plays golf. There are no two grips alike.
During the time you spend experimenting on finding the correct grip for yourself, you will have to record in a journal what grip you were trying and the results of the shots you hit. You can only find what works for you through hitting golf balls. I can and will guide you, but ultimately, results on the golf course speak louder than me.
Here is a guide, on the way I have taught my students since I began teaching this game over 30 years ago. I haven't changed my theory of the grip in that time span, so I hope you can take this and learn from it.

Golf Grip Mechanics:
As you pick the golf club up in your left hand, the golf club goes across the left palm - from the base of the forefinger to the pad above the pinky. The more you grip the golf club in the fingers, the faster you can swing the golf club and the quicker the clubface will close (causing a hook or draw ball flight).

If you grip the golf club further up in the palm,

the slower the golf club will travel and the longer it takes for the clubface to close (causing a slice or a fade). If you are slicing the golf ball, you will want to move the grip more into the fingers (the base of the fingers), if you are hooking the golf ball, you will want to move the grip more into the palm area (higher up in the left hand).
Golf Grip - Effects on Ball Flight :
The grip does more to effect actual ball flight than anything else in the game. That's why we've started with the grip. It's the foundation of the swing, and a quick fix for those of you that have undesirable ball flight patterns.
Once you have placed the left hand on the golf club you can close your hand around the grip.



Golf Swing – Gripping the club with the Right Hand:
Golf Grip - How to Grip the Club with the Right Hand -
The left hand is in place and now you are going to place the right hand on the golf club. With your right hand on the side of your right leg, slowly bring it towards the bottom of the golf club. The right hand will be placed on the golf club more in the fingers than the palm. You will simply fold the right hand around the fingers of the left.
Golf Grip - Palms Must Face Each Other :
No matter which grip you choose, BOTH PALMS MUST ALWAYS FACE EACH OTHER .
It is not a difficult thing to do but it is mandatory, no grey area.
You have now GRIPPED the golf club. There is a good chance you have NOT gripped it properly for you, so you will have to experiment.
However, I have given you a great starting point. The placement of the hands on the golf club controls what the clubface will do during the golf swing and ultimately what the clubface will look like at impact.
A side note:
** Most golf clubs either have a "ladies" grip or a "men's" grip on the golf club. If you have small hands it is very important to make sure you have your clubs gripped with a ladies grip, it doesn't matter if you own men's clubs. If you have large hands you should have your clubs gripped with men's grips. There are a couple more options, if your hands are really small you can have "junior" grips placed on your clubs or if you have x-large hands or arthritis you can have "jumbo" grips placed on your clubs. The grip size also effects ball flight. Large grips tend to make a person fade the ball and small grips tend to make a person draw the ball.**
An article by: Bobby Eldridge on 12-03-2007
Bobby Eldridge is a teaching pro and one of the best we've ever seen. He has over 30 years experience teaching people to play better. No wonder he's taught the best of the best.
Next week, we'll talk about the seven different grip types. Stay tuned.
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