Crazy Golf Tips from the Sand Trap

Blaming your moves, shots and swings for your golf miss hits and miss-haps? Well, no matter how much time and effort you have been spending over practicing your moves to perfect your game, you still won’t achieve your goal if you use unsuitable or defective types of golf equipment, will you? Now is high time for you to consider the following golf tips that involve checking on your equipment’s quality.

If you plan to choose used golf clubs as beginner’s tools, scrutinizing before purchasing is a must. The club heads, the shafts, and the grips are golf club parts that should pass inspection first before landing a decent spot in your golf equipment cabinet. Another excellent golf tip that will get you through the game is making sure that the set of used golf clubs you’re eyeing have set consistency. It will also help a lot if you check first the price of new clubs vs. used. A golf tip for a golfer that plans to re-grip his clubs: Be cautious. This is because the grips are the only contact points one can access to affect the shot. Before carrying out the re-gripping, know the core grip of the club and your hands grip size.

To determine your core size grip, measure the diameter of the butt of the shaft you’re going to re-grip. The shaft’s diameter should match the grip’s core diameter. In determining your hands grip, the available size grips are regular, mid-size, oversize and jumbo. Use only the best re-gripping materials that will provide optimum performance for your golf clubs.

Another golf tip or advice is that using ill-fitted clubs will be an obstacle to your golf playing success. A golfer must consider his or her body type in choosing the best-fitting equipment to support and deliver his back swings efficiently. Too steep angles in carrying out back swings may be avoided if one selects the perfect fitting equipment available. Custom golf club fitting makes a better option than just buying new golf clubs. Getting custom fitting golf clubs is a golf tip that translates to a very worthy investment.

The uniqueness of each person is attributed to the need of this way of buying new golf clubs. A custom fitting produces golf clubs that specifically suit the height, strength, swing characteristics and clubhead speed of the golfer. The type of club shaft also helps in predicting whether you’ll do good in a game or you won’t. There’s a choice between a steel club shaft and a graphite-made club shaft. This golf tip aims to make you realize which type of golf club shaft will benefit your game. Observations tell that the steel club shafts are more preferred by professional golfers while graphite shafts become more popular with women, senior players and beginners. Steel shafts are less expensive than graphite shafts though.

One more golf tip that could help you is that the golf clubs that must be the main content of your bag must suit your skill level. Since various skill levels need various golf clubs, it won’t be wise to just use or bring a golf club that is just lying around. And, don’t ever forget about the maximum golf club load your bag is allowed to hold. You can only bring 14 golf clubs in your bag. No more. No less. Aside from your skill level contemplation, your mastery of a certain golf club and your being comfortable with using it must also be put into consideration in deciding which golf club to hit. A good combination of the right moves and good choice of equipment will better arm you to become the best golfer you could ever be.

Picking the Right Golf Bag

You might be a golf beginner looking for your first set of golf clubs and equipment or a pro shopping for upgrades, but all will agree that golf bags are essential in the game. Next to golf clubs, a golf bag is one of the most important golfing equipment there is.

It is considered a necessity. A good golf bag will lessen your worries on the golf course, (i.e. all your clubs are in their proper place) and you can focus on your teeing.

If you’re a beginner golfer, then golf bags are definitely a must. However, there are things that you should know before going to the nearest golf store and buying a golf bag on impulse. First, there are two types of golf bags? carry bags and cart bags.

Carry bags are golf bags that are used when you are planning to have a lot of walking on the golf course. Cart golf bags are those that you use when walking is not possible (as some golf courses prohibit walking), and riding a golf cart is your option. A beginner golfer will most definitely buy a walking bag at first, although if you are a serious beginner of the game, then you will eventually buy both types of golf bags.

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If you are a newbie in the game, you might ask “What is a golf bag for? I only have four golf clubs.” A golf bag is a functional equipment rather than a fashion statement. It is not just for your golf clubs, but it can also hold your other golf equipment and accessories. Some advanced golf bags even have pocket coolers that can keep your drink ice-cold even for hours! You might want to consider that, especially when you will buy a carry golf bag.

When buying a golf bag, especially a carry golf bag, find a comfortable one. One should check the straps to see if it fits comfortably and whether it can be carried easily. Remember that your golf bag will be one of your trusted companions on the greens, and that you will spend hours with it. So choose wisely. Don’t buy low quality bags, because you will end up purchasing another bag in the next few months if your old golf bag tears up. You should also buy your golf bag depending on the number of golf clubs that you have. Most golf bags can carry up to 15 golf clubs. A tournament however limits the number of golf clubs in your golf bag.

Another important thing to consider when purchasing a golf bag is its weight. This is one of the most important things to know. Golf bags should be light enough to be carried or carted easily, but sturdy enough to hold your clubs and protect them. Some golf bags are even water resistant, and are rain proofed for the protection of your clubs. Most of these golf bags have 8 or 9 dividers or pockets. Again, the number of dividers that you will need depend on the amount of clubs and accessories you will carry. If you have many golf clubs then choose a golf bag with many dividers. However, these types of golf bags have the tendency to be heavier. Some bags can weigh less than 5 pounds! These types of bags are made up of space-age materials such as graphite, however, they more expensive.

Remember that when buying golf bags, the lighter it is, the better and more comfortable it will be.

Easy Tips on Hitting a Draw Like the Professionals

Hitting a draw shot is easier than you might think. Managing your ball’s flight path is necessary to lowering your scores and enjoying the course.

Hitting a draw means the ball will go from right to left, similar to a hook shot but with control. Countless pros spend hundreds of hours perfecting this shot, as it can add considerable distance to their drives. When conducted correctly, hitting a draw allows the ball to soar lower and to roll way more on the fairway. As you perfect this shot, you can expect to see a marked progress in your game.

A professional draw can be attained as long a a few things are happening with your golf swing. The first key to hitting a draw is the correct grip. Your golf grip should be a strong grip. To achieve a strong golf grip rotate your hands slightly to the right on the club shaft. Do not turn the shaft, just your hands.

Second, close your golf stance a little bit. This lets your body the room it needs to turn fully and achieve the proper inside to outside swing path. As the club head comes into contact with the ball, let your hands do the work. Your right hand will naturally roll back to a neutral position, allowing the club face to barly close. This is where the strong grip comes in handy.

When professionally hitting a draw, keep your head down when completing your follow through. If specific form is used, the ball will easily begin a path to the right; once it reaches its apex, it will begin to come back to the left, stopping its curve around the center line.

If you notice the ball is curving immediately to the left, you are executing a shot that is closer to a hook, and you need to continue practicing. A useful tip is to look down at the divot you leave. When hitting with an iron, your divot should be barely to the left of the target line or straight in-line with the target line. It should not be aiming to the right.

Hitting a professional draw properly commands practice, and the best club to use is a mid-iron. The 6 is a good option for most players. If you’re still having a tough time perfecting the golf shot, examine your grips. Larger, softer grips will make it more difficult to get the desired action on the ball.

Try not to get angry if you see a lot of hook shots at first. This is to be expected. The skill of rotating your hands to the right as you take your golf grip takes steady, continual practice. It is best to make small modifications, hit a few balls, observe what happens, and make further adjustments as needed.

As you begin to perfect the golf shot draw with your mid-irons, move up toward the driver. The Driver and woods are most often the most difficult club to master when it comes to hitting a draw, but learning with one of the mid-range clubs first will make it greatly easier to perfect the driver. Don’t give up. Once you have the workings down, you’ll be able to control this shot and your game much better.

Hit a Golf Ball Straigt Down the Fareway

How to Drive a Golf Ball Straight

It’s a given that every golfer wants to know how to drive a golf ball straight. The challenge is the driver is one of the most difficult clubs to master. A simple rule of thumb is the longer the club, the harder it is to use properly. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to learn how to drive a golf ball straight; you’ll just need a few tips and some consistent practice.

The very best shot off the tee is one that does not impart a lot of backspin to the ball, travels low, and has enough power to add yards by rolling once it lands. If you can achieve all of these elements, your game will improve significantly.

One of the first steps to learning how to drive a golf ball straight is understanding the importance of leverage throughout the entire swing. To achieve proper leverage, keep your head behind the golf ball from address to impact.

The second most important issue is that distance comes more from club head speed than arm strength. Golfers who try to muscle their way through the shot will almost always end up with a poorly hit ball. It is the hips and legs that generate speed and power, so use them.

Other clubs may be somewhat flexible when it comes to swing path, but not the driver. As you begin your backswing, keep the swing plane low (or shallow). Another factor to keep in mind when learning how to drive a golf ball straight is to have your hands lead the club head at impact. This is what people mean when they say to “let your wrists break”.

A common mistake some golfers make is to try to suddenly stop their swing once they hit the ball. To avoid that, let your arms and body move all the way through the swing, including the follow through.Another key to learning how to drive a golf ball straight is to not grip the club too tightly. Concentrate on whipping the golf ball with the club rather than chopping at it.

If you have a tendency to slice the ball, try slowing your downswing. You may be coming down too fast or too hard, causing you to come out of the proper swing path. Another tip for avoiding the slice is to examine your grip. If you cannot see two or three knuckles when looking down at your grip, you are setting yourself up for a slice. This same grip tip applies to those who hook the ball. If you look down at your grip and see more than two or three knuckles, your grip is going to change at impact and cause a severe hook.

One last tip for learning how to drive a golf ball straight is to make sure you are not pulling or pushing the ball. This can happen whether you are coming off the tee or hitting off the fairway. You can tell if you are pushing or pulling the ball by looking at the divot that’s left behind. If the divot is pointing to the left or right of your target line, your body is not properly aligned.

Try implementing some of these tips and see if your game improves. Remember, the best tip for learning how to drive a golf ball straight is to keep at it.

How to Prevent a Hook in Golf

How to Fix a Hook

Learning to fix a hook golf shot is not as complicated as you might think. The trick to overcoming this wacky shot is to first determine the cause. There are several reasons a ball may travel wildly to the left. Here are some tips for those who want to learn how to fix a hook once and for all.

1. This particular shot is caused by the ball spinning in a counter-clockwise direction as it takes flight. The faster the ball is spinning, the more severe the left curve will be.

This counter-clockwise spin is created when the ball is hit with a closed club face. For right-handed golfers, a closed face points to the left; for left-handed golfers, the face points to the right. The ideal position for the club face is square and neutral, pointing neither to the left nor to the right at impact.

2. Most experts agree that for those who want to know how to fix a hook, the best place to start is the grip. Here is an easy way to check your golf grip.

Take your driver and set up as you normally would. Now, look down at your hands. If you are right-handed, you should see at least two knuckles on your left hand. This is considered a neutral grip—not too weak and not too strong. If you see three or more knuckles, you are not gripping the club properly.

Now, here is the tricky part. Let your gaze travel down the shaft of the club and look at the face. Is it square? Chances are it is. But even if you think you are square and lined up, you may not be when you bring the club down toward impact with the ball. As the club moves toward the ball, your hands will assume a neutral grip, which means the club face has no choice but to close at impact.

Anyone who wants to learn how to fix a hook should start with a close inspection and honest assessment of his or her grip on the club. Many golfers will simply refuse to modify their grip or will not spend the necessary time to get used to the new grip, eventually falling back into their old habits.

3. If your grip is fine, the next step to learning how to fix a hook is to check your balance. Your weight should be on the balls of your feet, not on the heels. This will allow your hips to turn smoothly and stay balanced. Being off-balance at impact is another main reason players see the ball flying off to the left.

4. Your left arm (for right-handed golfers) must be straight as the club impacts the ball. Ask a friend to watch you hit a few balls and let you know if your arm is bending. Remember, anything that causes the club face to close will result in a hooked golf ball.

One of the above tips will most likely solve your problem. Go through them, one at a time, hitting several practice balls as you go. Make minor adjustments until you are able to hit the ball straight. This will take some time and effort on your part, but learning how to fix a hook is a process is essentially a process of elimination.

Golf. 5 Top Bunker Shot Tips To Help Lower Your Handicap

Golf. 5 Top Bunker Shot Tips To Help Lower Your Handicap In 2009

Article by Roger Carter

Greenside Bunker Shots – Bunker Shot Tips

Top Tip No.1

Good Lie in Bunker – Bunker Shot

Open your stance a little by keeping your left foot back ( right handers) and also open the clubface slightly. Swing the club parallel with your feet with an out to in action causing a steeper swing which makes the ball rise quicker and also produces backspin which means the ball will stop quickly on the green. Aim slightly left of target as the ball should tend to fly to the right.

Top Tip No.2

Plugged Lie in Bunker – Bunker Shot Tips

Instead of opening the face of the club you should keep the club face square.This shot should be approached with reasonable speed following through keeping the clubface square and therefore digging into the sand behind the ball with the sand and the ball coming out of the bunker together. The very action required to come out of the bunker from a plugged lie means that there will not be any backspin and the ball will roll on some distance.

Top Tip No.3

Downhill Lie In Bunker – Bunker Shot Tips

If the ball finishes on a downhill lie in the bunker open the clubface and adopt an open stance with the weight on your left foot. The shot should be played near to your left foot trying to follow the slope of the bunker. At impact the weight should be focused on your left foot allowing the ball to be sliced out of the bunker providing you complete a full follow through.

Top Tip No. 4

Uphill Lie In Bunker – Bunker Shot Tips

For this type of shot you do not need to adopt an open stance or open up the face of the golf club. Instead follow the uphill slope of the bunker and position your body parallel to the slope and swing solidly also parallel to the slope.The golf ball should come out of the bunker with a higher trajectory and therefore not run on too far

Top Tip No.5

Stating The Obvious! – Bunker Shot Tips

Whether you are playing out of a greenside bunker from a good lie, a plugged lie, on a downslope or on an upslope or however you are placed in the sand one of THE most important tips is to keep your head still, eye on the sand 1 or 2 inches behind the ball, until the shot is executed.You could otherwise have an excellent technique but it will probably go wrong if you come up to look for your golf ball too quickly.This may sound like stating the obvious but it is a very common error made by many mid to high handicap golfers and is often brought about because the player is anxious and nervous about playing bunker shots.Have you ever said

Putting Drills – Lower Your Score in One Round

Developing putting drills that work is one of the fastest ways to lower your score. Many golfers lose a significant number of strokes once they get onto the green. By utilizing putting drills, you can learn to get the ball into the hole in fewer strokes.

Any seasoned golfer will tell you that the short game can be stroke-hungry, and that what happens on the green can wreak havoc on an otherwise good score. 3-putts, 4-putts, and even 5-putts are more common than you might think—but there is good news. Putting drills can dramatically help golfers hone their skills on the green, resulting in fewer total strokes.

When it comes to putting drills, spend time concentrating on the three essentials:

Keeping the face square
Maintaining a smooth swing
Achieving distance control

Putting Drills – Keeping the Face Square:

If you are in the habit of hitting the ball with your blade open or closed, try this:

Place a ball on the practice green and put a tee in the ground about twelve inches behind the ball. Put a silver coin on the ground about six inches in front of the ball. Bring your putter back until it taps the tee and then swing it forward, watching to ensure that the face stays square as it passes over the coin.

Putting Drills – Maintaining a Smooth Swing

Putting drills should have a specific purpose and specific goal. With this next tip, you can learn to swing the club smoothly, which is key to maintaining your tempo and striking the ball solidly.

Again, place a ball on the practice green and stick a tee into the ground about 12 inches behind the ball. Bring the club back until it just barely nicks the tee and then immediately go into your fore-swing.

Keep your arms moving in a pendulum fashion and keep your hands still.

Putting Drills – Achieving distance control

One of the most crucial putting drills is learning distance control. The only way to master distance control is through your own touch or feel. Nothing else can replace hands-on practice time when it comes to honing your skills on the green.

There are dozens of practice exercises for distance control, but one of the best is to simply stake out five tees, four feet apart, with the last tee being 20 feet away. Then, concentrate on getting the ball to each of the tees consistently.

If the ball rolls a few inches past the tee, that’s fine. What you don’t want to see is the ball stopping short of or rolling well beyond the target tee.

Notice that you are not aiming at a flag or a cup with this exercise, as this could distract you and cause you to focus more on accuracy than distance. While it’s true that distance and accuracy must work together, there are times when they should not be learned together.

These are only a few of the many putting drills that are available from golf pros and golfing websites. To master your skill on the green, you will need to invest time and energy. Learn to read the green and how to lag a putt, but most of all, learn to love putting drills. They really do work.

Golf Tips From The Pros

Golf Tips From The Pros

Article by Jack Moorehouse

When weekend golfers watch the pros hit unbelievable shots their amazed. The typical reaction is often “How do they do that?” It’s not magic. It’s solid fundamentals, plus hours and hours of practice and constant attention to their swings. Or course, the fact that most of the pros have been honing their swings since they were kids doesn’t hurt either.

Weekend golfers can learn a lot by studying the pros. They just need to look closely. Below we describe some golf tips derived from watching various players over the years. These mini golf lessons may not help you hit the long, straight drives, towering long irons, and delicate wedge shots the pros do. But they will improve your swing and cut strokes from your golf handicap.

Power and Accuracy In The Swing – Golf Tips from the Pros

Chip Beck isn’t nearly as famous as Tiger Woods. But he is a respected member of the Tour. Beck’s known for his accuracy off the tee. It stems primarily from an on-plane swing. He swings his arm up the plane rather than around his body. That keeps the club moving toward the target, generating accuracy. If you were to draw a line from his hands to the ground when he’s in his finish position, it would point exactly where the ball was at address-a sign that he swung up the plane.

Mark O’Meara is known for his power. He generates it by making a complete shoulder turn at the top of his swing. A right-hander, he keeps his back pointing at the target as long as he can before committing to his downswing. Keeping his back facing the target allows his right elbow to stay close to his body, dropping the club inside. This starts his shots to the target’s right. When combined with the proper clubhead release, this swing draws the ball back to the left. It’s a good way to eliminate a slice.

Brad Faxon is known for his putting. But he also excels at getting off the tee. The secret to his swing’s success is in his right elbow. A right-hander, he keeps the elbow bent and close to his right hip as he approaches impact. This delivers the club to the ball from the inside, eliminating pulls, pull-slices, and pop ups. In addition, Faxon keeps his right shoulder markedly lower than his left before impact. That keeps his head behind the ball. It also produces more leverage, which in turn increases clubhead speed.

Tips On The Downswing – Golf Tips from the Pros

Vijay Sing is among the world’s best golfers. He’s also among the world’s highest money winners annually. His classic swing combines precision and accuracy. It includes a narrow downswing with the clubface close to his left shoulder. A wide follow-through with the club and arms launched from his shoulder sockets also contributes to his classic swing. To create this swing, he keeps his arm and hands relaxed. His legs and hips power the downswing as the club’s weight lags behind until impact. Once the club is released, his arms follow the club’s wieght into the finish. This creates a free flowing swing.

Don’t have to be large in stature – Golf Tips from the Pros

Although he’s small, Shigeki Maruyama generates enough power to play with the big boys. How does he do it? He does it with solid mechanics. Most notably, he keeps his hands high at the top of his backswing. High hands expand the swing arc and increase clubhead speed. Meanwhile, a massive shoulder turn allows him to keep his head behind the ball. It also allows him to shift his weight properly and sets up a more powerful and athletic downswing. To better rotate his hips, Maruyama flares his right toe out at address.

Watch the pros whenever you can. It’s like getting a free golf instruction session. So use the opportunity wisely. It can provide valuable golf tips, like those discussed above, that can cut strokes from your golf handicap. They might even transform your game. So keep a close eye on the pros on Sundays.

About the Author

Jack Moorehouse is the author of the best-selling book How To Break 80 And Shoot Like The Pros. He is NOT a golf pro, rather a working man that has helped thousands of golfers from all seven continents lower their handicap immediately. Free weekly newsletter with the latest golf tips, lessons and instructions.

Square the Shoulders for Longer Distance

square the shoulders

Article by Cheapgolf

The Right Equipment to Achieve Longer Distance in Your Golf Game

When you go for a custom-fitting session, as I did yesterday, at Titleist’s state-of-the art facility at St Ives Golf Club, it’s important to ideally bring your ‘A game’ to the bay (or as near as possible) so the clubs you’re planning to use, can compliment your current swing.

Obviously Srixon XX10 impact Driver can creep in but PGA-trained fitter Richard Harries gave me a tip he always used in the early part of his amateur career which helps to square the shoulders at address and reduces the risk of them opening up to the target as you grip the club, forcing a tendency to slice.

He recommends: “As a right-hander I was always encouraged to grip the club with the left hand and place the clubhead behind the ball, with my right hand behind my back.

Correct Positioning of Your Elbow and Shoulders for Longer Distance

“This way, the teaching pro watching from down the line, could see the correct position of the inside of my left elbow with my shoulders square to the target. Step two is to then bring in the right hand on to the grip from underneath the Srixon XX10 Prime Driver and into position.

“This helps retain the shoulders in a square position, as opposed to immediately putting the right hand on top of the grip and tending to force the shoulders open.”

Use these helpful tips for longer distance in your golf game

Hopefully it’s a tip that will work for you, too and immediately reduce the chances of that destructive out-to-in swingpath which can cause the dreaded slice.

Srixon XX10 Iron Set Cast stainless steel body with precision welded titanium face – an oversized iron to improve performance for golfers of all abilities. One of the key aspects of TPL

Golf: Shooting in the 70’s

Article by Victor Aragon

I remember when I first attempted to play a round of golf, how frustrating it was and how much I disliked it. The only reason for my ill feelings were because I was very bad at it. I could not understand that, because I was very good in all other sports, like football, basketball and baseball. Why was I so bad at golf? So I decided to actually practice this sport and before long, I was getting better. I learned quickly that becoming frustrated when I hit a bad shot was a very big nono. So I then read a book and put these suggestions to practice.

7 Golf tips on how to improve your next round of golf!

1. PREPARE LIKE A PRO: Show up an hour before your tee time so you can check your golf equipment. Are your golf clubs, golf balls, golf shoes clean? STRETCH! Warm up, then check your golf swing mechanics. Hit the putting green,then head over to the Continue reading “Golf: Shooting in the 70’s”