Tag: Golf Hole

Guidelines for Driving a Golf Ball Straight

Guidelines for Driving a Golf Ball Straight

Article by David P.









How to Drive a Golf Ball Straight

In the game of golf, your golf club will be your steering wheel. If you use it properly you will be able to direct the golf ball in the right direction. For long range shots, the hardest part is to drive your golf ball straight and as far as possible. To achieve this, one must have perfect stance, position and grip. A different kind of golf club is also needed for long range shots, which makes it even harder.

To fully achieve this, all you need is practice. You just have to do it over and over again, to get a feel of how it should be done, since golf has just one step: to swing the golf club.

Here are some tips to help you execute the perfect drive:

Using the right golf club. When you start buying your very first golf clubs, they usually come in a set. Each golf club has its own specific use in the golf course, and for this task a golfer should master how to use his driver. The driver is the longest club in the set, and has been proven to be the hardest and toughest to learn. Because of its massive size, it makes hitting the ball a daunting task; even professionals find it difficult to do. Being comfortable with using your driver is the best way when one wants to learn how to drive the ball straight and far. Once you feel comfortable with your equipment everything will follow. For beginners, it is ideal to pick a driver with a longer body and a bigger head, this makes it easier to use. As you master the skill, then you can go to use drivers which are developed for skilled golfers; they usually have slimmer heads.

Accuracy and sense of direction. Getting the best driver is useless if the golfer has no sense of accuracy. You don’t just hit a ball and expect it to go far away. When playing golf, you need to have a destination. The location of the flag and golf hole will determine the strength of your swing: the farther the hole, the stronger your swing should be. This can only be mastered by practice. Doing it over and over again will help the golfer get a feel of how strong or how weak a swing should be, the player should also be accurate when it comes to knowing how weak or strong a swing should be.

Stance. Stance is crucial when hitting the ball. A golfer should have a good feel of the ground, and a good positioning of the body is needed in order to create the perfect swing which will in turn create a straighter and farther drive. For longer shots, a golfer should position his feet farther apart and bending his knees slightly for shorter range shots. Focus on the ball, take a deep breathe, swing your club, and hit that golf ball as far as possible. A good stance is the best base for a longer and straighter drive.

All other external factors. Making a long, straight drive is also affected by other elements other than you. The winds and weather on a specific day can greatly affect your performance. It is always best to go and practice your drives on a sunny, windless day. This way your ball doesn’t slow down while it is in the air. Professionals already know how much harder they should swing or hit the ball on days when the winds are strong. To overcome this, one just needs a lot of practice. You can start playing in different kinds of weather and master the techniques in hitting a ball straight even in the harshest of weathers.

Grip. A good grip on your driver can also help create that perfect drive that we all want to achieve. Since the driver is the longest club, gripping it even tighter is needed. Because of its size, if you don’t get a good grip on it, downswings can become great disasters. Some first timers end up losing grip of the driver and eventually send it flying in the air. The basic rules for gripping still stay the same; a tighter one is just needed for this.



About the Author

Want to learn more about driving a golf ball straight? Visit my website at http://www.golfinginstructionmanual.com for helpful tips and information on how to improve your golf game.










How to Play Golf – The Importance of Your Go-To Shot

How to Play Golf – The Importance of Your Go-To Shot

Article by Stephen Simmons







What Is A Go-To Shot?

Your go-to shot, is a shot you have practiced many times, and because it is repeatable has the greatest probability of success under the circumstances. You’ve seen Tiger hit his “stinger” many times under the stress of tournament conditions. You have seen many examples of the go-to shot when watching a PGA Tour telecast.

Tour players are willing to sacrifice significant distances to increase the odds of hitting the fairway. These players understand that the probability of hitting the green from 200 yards away in the fairway is much greater than hitting the green from 150 yards away in the deep rough, a deep fairway bunker, or behind the trees. They are willing to choose a club, even an iron, that increases the probability of hitting the fairway.

Finding Your Go-To Shot

Finding your go-to shot happens during a practice session on the range. This practice session needs to have your full attention and should not be part of your normal range practice.

Start by analyzing the range for structures that can be used as imaginary boundaries. Two greens or flag positions would be an example. The structures need to be the approximate width of a typical fairway on your course. One flag will mark the left rough, the left most position you can hit the ball without going into the rough. The right flag defines the right most fairway position. Your goal is to imagine a golf hole on the range that can be used to evaluate the success of several shots.

The next step is to select the longest club you think will be used on the greatest number of tee shots during a typical round of golf. Most golfers start with the driver. If you are a beginner golfer you can save yourself some time by starting with a three or five wood. Most golfers do not have the fundamentals to use the driver as their go-to shot. Even Tiger Woods has a go-to shot other than a driver. For 99% of us, the driver serves as a starting point that will not end up as our go-to shot.

Hit ten balls at your imaginary hole. Measure the results of the ten shots. How many shots stayed on the fairway and did not roll into the rough? If you hit more than 7 drives that stayed in the fairway you can congratulate yourself and then re-evaluate your imaginary hole to make sure that it is not too wide. You want this test to be difficult enough to really help you find a shot that you can rely on when the pressure is on. Your go-to shot should have a success percentage of at least 70 percent. Chances are that your success percentage with the driver was less than 70 percent, so go to the next club in your test, the three wood. Hit ten more balls using the three wood and measure the results.

Continue this process until you find a club that you can use that will get the ball into the fairway at least 70 percent of the time. You may find that you can only keep short irons in the fairway because your shot dispersion is to wide.

Identifying Your Ball Flight Tendency

The first time you try this test you may find that your shot dispersion is all over the range, some right and some left. The success of your go-to shot will be higher if you can identify your most natural ball flight tendency.

For Kenny Perry, his natural ball flight tendency is a right to left draw. The process of finding his go-to shot would be to aim down the right side of the hole and rely on his natural shot shape to curve the ball to the left and into the middle of the fairway. For a left to right player that hits a fade, the process would be the opposite.

In both of these cases the player is maximizing the space the ball can curve in the air, roll after landing, while staying in the fairway. All great players learn how to eliminate one half of the course or the other. It might seem that aiming down the middle of the fairway is your best option, however, that only gives you half of the golf hole to work with. Ben Hogan learned how to eliminate the left side of the hole which gave him the entire width of the fairway to work with. Jack Nicklaus also hit most of his shots with a left to right ball flight.

It will be much easier for you to find and practice a go-to shot if you can find your natural shot shape. If you hit a slice because you have an over the top club path, play your slice until you can straighten your shots.

Practicing Your Go-To Shot

For beginner golfers it is important to work with your PGA Professional to find your most natural ball flight pattern. Your goal should be to find a simple golf swing that repeats itself with reasonable certainty. If you want to change your pattern over time, work on that change during your practice sessions. Learn how to play golf by maximizing your opportunities for success. Learn how to play golf with your most natural ball flight tendency; right to left, or left to right.

For more accomplished players find the shot that has the highest probability for success. Your go-to shot will save you many dollars if you gamble or will help you win more competitions as a tournament golfer. Your biggest challenge will be learning a second go-to shot; the shot you can rely on if your primary go-to shot is not an option. What are you going to do if your primary right to left shot is blocked by a very large tree guarding the right side of the hole? Have you found a go-to left to right shot that can be played under these circumstances? If you can’t hit a left to right shot with any level of reasonable accuracy, what are your options for shooting the lowest number on the hole?

Regardless of your skill level, you need to practice your go-to shots during every practice session. You don’t have to hit a lot of go-to practice balls but you need to hit enough that keeps your confidence as high as possible so when it comes time to use the shot your ready.

You will also want to keep searching for the longest possible shot that you can rely on from the tee box. You may start out with a 2 iron as your go-to shot from the tee and then club up to a three wood with practice.

Go-to shots should not be limited to tee shots. You need to have a go-to fairway approach shot. and you need to have a go-to short game shot. Your golf scores will be lower, if during a round of golf, you only play golf shots that have been practiced on the range. Play golf like a pro. Find and practice your go-to shot.



About the Author

Stephen Simmons is the author and publisher of the Strategic Golfer Instruction Series. Steve is a single digit golfer living in San Antonio, Texas. Find more golf tips for beginners, proper golf swing, and how to play golf lessons located in how to play golf at http://www.strategicgolfer.com. Please feel free to leave your comments or inquiries on our Contact Us page at http://www.strategicgolfer.com/contact-us.

School For Golf

School For Golf

Article by Gary Wells







Lets Talk Golf Etiquette

Another beautiful day, out on the golf course, and I’m feeling like a million bucks wearing my bright yellow golf shirt, plus the girl I want to meet, is just a golf hole before me.

There she goes, off the tee box. Right down the center of the fairway on number 2 hole. The last time I was out here, she faded it right into the bunker, just next to my favorite ball placement. I missed my golden opportunity to meet her at that time. I pull hooked the ball on the opposite side of this fairway.

Maybe we’ll meet a couple holes down. She has to return back down number 3, and I ought to be teeing off number 2-tee box at the exact same time. Maybe I’ll impress her with a wonderful drive, straight and long down the fairway. Worst-case scenario will be another long hook out into her fairway this time. I wonder if she’ll stop and watch me fly the trees, hitting back at the green?

Anyway, enough day dreaming. We are here to talk about golf etiquette.

Many people recall old movie images of golfers in plaid pants, sweater vests, billed caps, and other stereotypical apparel of golfing lore. While clothing on golf courses has changed over the years, proper golf apparel continues to be expected. As well as greater the prestige in the golf club, the greater the expectation you can abide by their dress code.

Most clubs and courses, even the public ones, require that golfers follow a dress code. The most common rule is the collared shirt. Many courses require long pants, not jeans, and golf shoes.

5 Minutes Early Is Late

On the subject of actually starting your game, the primary rule of etiquette is to show up on schedule for your tee time. Meaning you’ll have already done everything else in preparation for the start of starting a golf game. You’ll need time to park your car, warm up, practice, buy balls, change, and grab a cart. Being early is a matter of consideration for others.

Leave Cell Phones In The Real World

The exclusion of cell phones from golf apparel is another common courtesy on the links. Cell phones is required to be left in your car or locker. If you do must bring 1 onto the course for emergencies, keep it turned off.

When you’re on the course, you will need to understand how the other golfers within your group will wish to play. Some let the best score tee off on the following hole, while others let whoever is prepared tee off first. You can offend players by not following their rules, even if their rules are, from your perspective, wrong.

Time-Honored Conventions Make Golfing Unique

An obsession with quiet is another characteristic for which golfers are known. Like most traditions, this one is according to necessity. When your object would be to hit a small object with an extended pole, you will need all of your concentration. Even when golfing with friends, respect the basic rule of keeping quiet during shots, and standing out of the direct line of vision.

Today’s golfing rules of etiquette can seem archaic — a throwback to days of old. They harken back to a slower paced time when consideration for others was perhaps easier. While in the 21st century, golfing provides us some time away from the bustle of everyday living. Though golf is highly competitive, it’s, nonetheless, a gentleman’s — and gentlewoman’s — game.

Thanks for listening.Cash

Quote:

I guess there is nothing that will get your mind off everything like golf. I have never been depressed enough to take up the game, but they say you get so sore at yourself you forget to hate your enemies. ~Will Rogers



About the Author

I just purchased this ebook and found it very informitive for the golf nuts out there like me.I enjoy finding new tips having to do with golf and passing along the information I gather from the articles I read.

For more information visit our site: http://SchoolForGolf.blogspot.com