You can have a golf swing which will grind out powerful and accurate shots just like a champion, let me tell you how.

The golf swing of a successful player differs from that of an ordinary player in two main respects; it is both correct and well grooved.

What do I mean by a correct golf swing? I mean that when the player swings the club with maximum power their body moves through a series of linked positions which enble them to control the club and thus achieve accuracy. Conversely, when an ordinary golfer tries to exert power they throw their body into incorrect positions and lose control and power.

A good golf swing is actually made up of a series of movements each of which positions the club correctly. It is this ability to make the correct body movements that allows the player to position the club correctly.

These different positions of the golf swing are not hard to achieve. The difficulty for most players is stringing them together and then keeping them togther when they try to hit the ball hard.

If your golf swing tends to become erratic the moment you try to hit the ball hard you need to go back to basics. No, you don’t have to start learning all over again, but you do have to analyze each position and make sure that it is correct.

Then, once you know that each position is as it should be, you can start to link them together into an entire swing. And that is what I mean by well-grooved. The linked-together golf swing repeats itself time and again, even under the greatest pressure.

When you watch a really successful golfer swing the club you will notice that they all have a routine. The way they set up to the ball is always the same. Their pre-swing routine is always the same. The actual golf swing always looks the same – except when they make a poor shot. Then you will notice that they look off balance and their body is often leaning over as they anxiously watch the flight of their ball.

The easy way for an ordinary golfer to achieve a correct and well-grooved golf swing is to develop a mind movie of their swing. Then, simply by running this mind movie every time you set up to the ball you will set your well grooved swing in motion. This is what Jack Nicklaus always did.

You can learn how to do build your own golf swing mind movie by going to the Google Internet search engine and type in the words ‘golf mind movies’. There you will find a number of sites which will tell you how to develop a powerful and accurate golf swing that repeats even under pressure.

By: David Ferrers

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Would you rather hear what you need to learn from someone who is already an accomplished golfer? Would a few hours with Jack Nicholas REALLY help your game? “Just do what I do, it’s easy!” Or would you rather learn from a beginner, who understands the struggles, the small improvements and remembers those early changes that lead to greater success?

It almost makes sense, doesn’t it? The best coaches are often mediocre players, and the worst coaches were stars, who had everything come easy to them. Natural ability is hard to teach to others! As a beginning golfer, I have noticed some dramatic improvements, though, and wanted to pass them along to other beginning golfers.

First, the drive. To many of us starting out, it seems to be all-important. I have had instructors tell me that if you can hit the ball 150 yards, that you can work your way down any length of hole in about 3 shots, chip on and putt in, and play bogie golf without ever hitting a John Daly type 300 yard plus drive. As beginners, all we see is the big drives, the pressure, people watching us tee off, and understandably we want to be able to pound the ball!

What I’ve learned is that you can cut back on the swing to almost a half swing, hockey slapshot type thing, and increase the accuracy, with a small reduction in distance, until you are more comfortable with the swing. Also, a friend helped me with the description of coming “inside-out” with the swing. While that sounds complicated, imagine holding your back hand (I’m a left handed golfer) tight to your body and swinging through the ball and outwards after contact – straightened out my ball flight and increased distance.

Lessons seemed to boil down to getting into the same position, and swinging smoothly and evenly making sure the club is flat at contact – try swinging at the driving range – not to hammer the ball, but try swinging with virtually NO effort, then 20% 40% 60% etc. Get comfortable with a straight line of whatever distance, and KNOW how far each club will take you. If you need 100 yards, say, it doesn’t matter if you get that with a pitching wedge or a 5-wood, as long as you can get it accurately there!

Pitching (from under 100 yards) and putting are the majority of the strokes, the easiest area to improve your game, and if you’ve ever played with a senior, they can be outdriven from the tee, but play so solidly from there onwards, with straight, accurate shots – you can’t beat them!

Makes you rethink the wisdom of working on that booming drive, huh? The majority of time should be spent practicing the 100 yard and shorter shots – which inadvertently improves the overall stroke and technique, and makes the drives better over time!

Practice shooting 10, 20, 30 etc yards, and have the short chip down pat. Then work on putting – NOT trying to sink the putt, just to get the ball to within a club length of the hole – from ANYWHERE on the green. When you have mastered the ability to get the ball close like that, then work on the short 2 footers – almost from the start you’ll find that you can get the majority in.

THAT’s the secret – the drive doesn’t matter, the next shot is OK, but the one that gets the ball TO the green is crucial! Then if you can putt to withing a very close area of the pin, and make THOSE easy putts – you’re a bogie golfer – TA DAAA!

Wait, there’s one more thing – the mental part of golf. If you have a certain ability, how come you see flashes fo greatness on some days, and flashes of needing to break your clubs on others? Same guy, same equipment, different results? THAT is the mental part of golf – and it becomes more and moe important as you master the basic strokes and techniques.

At the beginning stages of golf, you are thrown off by worrying about what others think – it feels like people are watching your drive, partners are evaluating your game, people are seeing if you can play golf well, etc. The answer to this is that everyone started off as a beginner, and VERY few people can play below 90s golf. Basically, we all suck! Take the pressure off of yourself for the first 20-50 games, and you will have the routine ingrained, the swing will be solid, all will work fairly well – under pressure or not.

Relaxation, and realizing that golf is a game against YOURSELF, are the keys. You can’t play a real tournament against another golfer until you shoot in the 70s – so don’t let that enter your head – try playing alone – you can – very early or very late – or with total strangers as a walk on.

Over time, you WILL get better – visibly, noticeably. Try playing a few days in a row, or a series of days either playing golf or practicing. Practice makes perfect – especially the short game that is ignored by the majority pounding shots into the darkness at driving ranges – work on the touch, the feel, the magic ability to get 25%, 50% or 75% shots, to control the distance.

Most of all, relax and enjoy the walk, the scenery, remember the things that went WELL – and move on from the ones that were duffed, hooked into the trees, or when you putted back and forth across the green like a madman – they all happen – to ALL of us – even Tiger Woods (every now and then). The trick is to concentrate on making the NEXT shot, the NEXT hole, the NEXT practice or game – be your very best. There’s no going back and reshooting that shot that went into the water! Forget about it and calmly, confidently move on.

Your best games, your best shots will occur when you have a calm, confident feeling, feeling that you are just repeating what you’ve practiced, and easily accomplished in the past. Look at the grin on Tiger’s face as he sinks a putt and pumps his fist – this game can be FUN!!

By: Andrew Larder

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Each set of clubs in the bag is different, yet with similar uses. It’s vital that golfers get a clear understanding of the purpose of each club. After all, it would take you a bit of effort and time to get round just using a putter now, wouldn’t it.

Driving Down The Fairway (The Long Bit!)

First, you have to know that there are the woods. These are called the driver, the two wood, three wood, four wood, and the five wood. There is a six wood and seven wood but they are rare.

The number describes the angle of the face of the head, with driver being the most upright and the lower numbers angled more, to give loft to the ball when it is hit.

Woods are used for getting the golf ball the farthest distance possible and do so by the weight they have behind the head. It’s shape is bulky and weighty, so that when you swing you have all the meat of that weight built into the momentum of the swing, then POW – down the fairway you go!

If you want to hit the golf ball over two hundred yards off the tee then you may well use a wood. Incidentally and confusingly, they are nowadays made of metal!

Distance With Control

Second, you have to understand that there are the irons. These clubs are meant for greater accuracy and are most commonly, though not exclusively, used for short distance shots.

You see, you can use irons for distance too and especially with a tricky hole, or when the weather is a bit challenging, you will see pros using irons

There are several types of irons. These are numbered one to nine, with an increasing loft, which also reduces the distance possible. These standard iron golf clubs are essential in getting the golf ball as close as possible to the pin, using loft and flight as the main tools.

Special Golf Clubs

Third, there are the special golf clubs, most of which are very specific in nature.

The first of the special golf clubs that you have to understand is the wedge. The wedge is used to get the golf ball as high as possible. If you want to go over a tree, or if you want the ball to drop like a stone with little forward bounce, like on the green, then this may be the golf club of choice.

The second of the special golf clubs is the sand wedge. Do you see the sand bunkers all over the golf course? When you get stuck in these sand bunkers, you need to use the sand wedge to get out of them.

Due to the loft this club will, when used with the right technique, slice through the sand beneath the ball and lift it onto the grass.

The fourth of the special golf clubs is the pitching wedge. This pitching wedge is used so that you can get an accurate shot to the green. The pitching wedge is the second most accurate golf club in your golf bag.

The last of the special golf clubs is the putter. The putter is the most accurate of the golf clubs because this is what you use in order to get the golf ball into the hole. It’s a very specialized club that you use nowhere else on the course.

What Golf Clubs To Buy?

Now that you are familiar with all these types of golf club in your bag, you have to understand that aside from the types of golf clubs, there are also many, many brands out there. This is where your headaches really begin!

From used golf clubs to new ones, from clones to personalized fit clubs, you have the world of a choice to make. Whilst it’s true to say that your performance should only be about your swing and skill, most manufacturers will say that their clubs make the difference.

It’s for you to decide which golf clubs you buy and use. The fun begins!

By: Martin Haworth

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Nobody likes to slice the golf ball as it results in both loss of distance and accuracy which in turn costs you strokes on the golf course. The way to get rid of that nasty slice is not really difficult but will require you to analyze your current swing and fix some of those mechanical errors that are causing the slice. Here are a few tips that can help you hit straighter shots more often:

Tip 1: Keep the right hand passive (right handed players)

Many players in their efforts to hit the ball far use their dominant right hand to try to muscle the club through the hitting zone. The problem with this strategy is that it usually results in poor shots since using the right hand tends to cause a problem known as casting.

Casting is simply releasing the club too early which result in an outside to in club path that imparts slice spin on the golf ball. One good way to eliminate this is to focus instead on pulling the club with your left hand on the downswing. This will help to almost naturally cause the clubhead to move in an inside to out swing path which is ideal for straight golf shots.

Tip 2: Use less wrists during the swing

It is best to avoid using the wrist too much during the golf swing. Think of your wrists as simply a support mechanism. Focus on making good shoulder turns and hip movements that produce an inside to out swing path. Using the wrists too much during the downswing will cause the club to usually release early which results in loss of power and slices.

Tip 3: Move the hips laterally rather than turning them during the downswing

Turning the hips too much on the downswing can cause a slice shot since it throws the club head to an outside to in path. Your hips should slide slightly towards the target through impact so avoid turning them too early. The hips should turn after impact when the momentum of the follow through naturally causes them to rotate.

Tip 4: Keep the head down through impact

This is a common tip given to all new players but it is important nonetheless. Raising the head up too early can cause the club to come from the outside and cause a slice shot. Make sure your head stays down through impact and comes up naturally with the right shoulder as the follow through completes.

Tip 5: Be sure the club is square at the address position

If the club head is open (pointing to the right of the target) at address then this will cause slice spin. Check the club head during address and make sure that it is facing the target.

Tip 6: Slow down your tempo

Tempo is unique to every player. Some players will naturally have a fast tempo and others a slower one. However, if you are always slicing the ball then try to slow down your tempo slightly especially on the downswing. Swinging too fast can throw off your mechanics in many areas that can result in slices so slow things up a little to help in your efforts to hit the ball straighter. Try some of these tips to help you reduce slicing the golf ball and shoot lower golf scores.

By: Marla Paulsone

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Have you ever wished you had a checklist that you could mentally run through in your head to ensure you’ll hit the ball 350 yards every time you teed off? Here it is…

1) Line up with your shoulders, knees, and hips parallel to the line you want to hit the ball. By doing this, you are setting yourself up to hit the ball down the line. if you slice, do not aim left. Your body will automatically try to compensate, leaving you will drastic consequences.

2) Bend your knees and keep your feet about shoulder width apart. In addition, place the weight of your body even spread on your feet. Don’t put it on the balls of your feet or the heels. You’ll lose balance if you do.

3) Keep your head down and always look at the ball. The minute you take your eyes off the ball, you’ll hit it off-center, leading to less distance.

4) Turn your shoulders and your hips, allowing yourself to use the maximum amount of momentum stored in your body to transfer to the golf ball.

5) Keep your left arm straight. Always, always keep your left arm straight (for right handers). If you bend your left arm, you will give yourself and outside-in swing, leading to a wicked slice.

6) Snap your wrists halfway through the downswing. Snapping your wrists makes your clubface close, taking out the possibility of slicing the ball.

7) Extend your arms and turn your hips when you strike the ball. Once again, this will impart the maximum amount of momentum on the ball.

Swing through the ball, visualizing the perfect swing. By doing this, your mind will automatically manifest body swinging through the ball instead of stopping short. This will give you a good, fluid, swing that will impart the maximum amount of power.

By: Brad Jeffreys

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Are you looking to become an amateur golfer or do you want to join the PGA? You can go to a golf course and hit balls for hours at a time, which you pretty much have to, but what will put you above the rest of the competition? Golf weight training is being practiced by many of the top golfers in the world and is the difference in driving the ball 300 yards.

You may be thinking that golf weight training would require you to go to the gym for hours lifting heavy weights but that is not correct. When lifting weights for golf you will be doing exercises that are made specifically to help you golf game.

Golf is a game that will require you to be on your feet all day and in your golf form for many hours. When working out you should try to do as many exercises as possible on your feet and in your golf form to prepare you for those long days. If you have practiced golf for many years you probably also understand how much balance and stabilization is need in golf so you should try to work on core muscles and do balance exercises such as one-legged exercises.

The most popular exercises that golfers use are done with stability balls, exercise tubing, weighted medicine balls, or even hand weights. What these forms of exercises allow you to do is do dynamic movements that are going to be similar to your golf swing helping you to build power, accuracy, and distance.

You should not worry about the cost of the equipment because it is inexpensive, costing about $100 for the entire golf weight training equipment. For instance, the exercise tubing will cost you about $20 and will allow you to work on your golf swing with resistance which will help your power output on the course.

The one problem that many Americans have is they do the workouts but they quit after a few weeks because they are not seeing the results they want. This is not true with a weight training program for golf because you will not only see the results you want on the course but you will also feel better about yourself as a golfer. Doing weight training for golf is the difference between you being the best golfer you can and being just an average golfer.

If you are looking to improve your golf swing’s power, accuracy, or distance doing a golf weight training program is the thing for you.

By: Michael Parker

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Everyone loves free golf tips, and I’ve got some great advice on how to play better golf overnight by simply changing your grip. One of the most common (and easy to fix) mistakes that golfers make is with their golf grip, and this short article is going to give you some great tips on how to change that once and for all.

Everybody knows that good golfers possess great golf swings. A solid golf swing can take years to master, and it’s one of the most important factors that can contribute to your overall success or failure on the golf course.

Did you know that you can greatly improve the effectiveness of your golf swing by simply adjusting your grip? It’s true. Your hands need to be one with the golf club as you’re swinging through the ball, and perfecting your golf grip will improve both the smoothness and accuracy of your swing.

Having said that, there is more than one way to properly grip a golf club. One of the things that is consistent regardless of the grip you use, is not to grip the club too tightly. A grip that is too tight will rob your swing of the power potential it has. A lighter, more relaxed grip will give you added flexibility which will result in a better shot.

Also, remember to use your wrists as you swing the club. The wrist hinge is a great source of power and will help you to hit longer, more consistent drives.

Hopefully these free golf grip tips have given you some ideas on how to improve your swing and have more fun on the golf course as a result.

By: Dave M. Johnson

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The golf swing release can be described as the releasing of power in the down swing at the right moment to get the best possible result. This power is stored in the back swing through the correct hinging of the right wrist. Let us take a look at how you can improve your release and achieve more accuracy and distance.

It all starts with your grip pressure. Most golfers grip incorrectly with their left hand too much in the palm of the hand. This forces you to hold the club tighter than needed and tension spreads to your arms. It now becomes very difficult to let the right wrist hinge naturally on the back swing and create power through the ball.

The feeling that is being created here is locking the wrists on the back swing. Subconsciously you want to be in control of the club and unfortunately you end up restricting the most important move to power and consistency. Release means to “let go,” not of the golf club, but of the stored energy you have created in the back swing.

I am a firm believer in a natural or passive release of the club through the ball. If you do certain things correctly then you will not have to “think” of how and when to release the power. It will happen automatically at the right time.

The best place to start working on achieving a natural release is to have your left hand grip holding the club across the base of the fingers, with a feeling of pressure on the last three fingers. You will discover that not much pressure is actually needed to hold the club and feel control. The feeling of pressure in the right hand is on the middle two fingers only. The role of the pressure in these middle two fingers is to simply hold the left thumb and unite the hands in order that they can work as one.

The correct grip pressure now gives you greater feel for the club head when it is set in motion, allowing the right wrist to hinge back on itself automatically in the back swing. Please understand that there is no need to consciously cock the wrists, as this will throw the club off the natural swing path you started it on.

When you left arm is about parallel to the ground half way into your back swing, your right wrist will be fully set or cocked, forming a 90 degree angle between your left arm and the shaft. Your power is now loaded and is carried to the top of the swing by the shoulder turn.

On the return back to the ball this loaded position of the club and wrist should be maintained as long as possible into the down swing. The later it can be held the more power is generated through impact.

A critical move that is necessary to delay this loaded position and deliver a more powerful blow to the ball is to make sure that the hip turn to the left initiates the down swing, and not your shoulders.

A great tip is to feel the hands and left hip work together on the down swing.

When the hands have moved past hip height on their way down to the ball they begin rotating anti clockwise into the ball squaring up the club face.

The power being generated here is through rotation and un cocking the right wrist. The familiar position of the arms crossing over halfway through impact can be seen in all good players.

I hope you understand how beneficial a good golf swing release is and how to apply it to your swing.

By: Louis Esselen

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Golf has evolved over the years from becoming a rich mans game to one which is played by all golf enthusiasts. A common sight in golf courses is the involvement of a whole family in the game. Dad, mom and children are seen playing golf together on their off days and holidays. Golf has become a family sport in the recent years. Golf has always been a tough game to master and hence the number of golf training aids in the market has been ever increasing. Not only amateurs but even professionals are using golf training aids to improve their game. The focus of almost every golfer is trying to get their handicaps as low as possible.

Professionals often have the talent and some coaching help to help them keep their game to their best potential. But the average amateur golfer feels the need to use a variety of proven golf training aids to improve his or her game. You will a lot of advertisements on Television and in magazines on golf training aids claiming to help you improve your game. But you always need to check on them carefully to understand what training aid will help you the best.

Golf training aids are available in various forms and fashion. From aids to help your swing to socks that help to keep your foot comfortable, golf training aids focus on all aspects of the game. Looking at the various aids available, you may feel that you need to get your hands on every training aid available. You can always do so if money is not an issue for you. But it is not necessary nor is it practical to get all the golf training aids available. Before you decide on what golfing training aid to buy, it is better for you to study your overall golf game and identify areas that you are weak in. Then you can go for the golfing training aids that help you in that particular area. You may be good in driving a golf ball, but may have trouble chipping it. Then what you need is a chipping aid to improve your accuracy.

Like in any game, practice is essential for overall development of the game. Good technique and good decision making in selecting the clubs are the two most important aspects of being a good golfer. And through golf training aids you try to develop your technique. Many of the golf training aids can be used by adults and children. However some golf training aids suit children better. One of the best golf training aids for kids is the swing aids that help you correct your golf swing. The putting golf aid is also a good training aid for kids.

With kids showing a lot of interest in golf in recent years, many golf training aids are available specifically for kids. Such training aids try to inculcate a good technique in all aspects. From the golf swing to driving to putting, almost every imaginable golf training aids are available for kids too. Smaller golf courses for kids have also sprung up for them to practice their game and become great golfers in the future.

By: Jonathan Mayheart

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Its no secret that a having a good swing is one of the keys to playing great golf. Every golfer wants to be able to hit the ball as far and as straight as they can, and the swing is one of the key components to getting this right.

One of the first things you need to understand before you perform a great swing, is that strength is not the secret. In fact, a good golf swing is all about physics.

This is because you need to put your body into some fairly unnatural positions. If youre in great shape and have high flexibility, then you may be able to learn an intricate swing like Tigers. But for most of us, this is something we cant do.

Taking some interest in golfing exercise can help improve your swing considerably. These exercises can teach you the correct motions, and train the correct muscles. As I mentioned earlier, its not about strength its about using you conditioned muscles effectively. In other words doing the right thing at the right time. Having the extra flexibility in your body and muscles is the key to improving your gold swing.

But what if youre not ready for advanced golfing exercises, and you just want to improve your swing technique? Fortunately, its now possible to learn basic (yet effective) simple golf swing techniques which are perfect for the hobbyist golfer.

This means you can improve your distance and accuracy on the course without being in the best shape of your life or having to train like Tiger Woods.

By: Mark Tate

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