Beginners Golf Swing Blog

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There has never been a really good golfer with a bad short game. But there are some mediocre players that are above average golfers because they have a strong short game. It’s all about getting the ball in the hole. You can hit a 300 yard drive, knock your second shot on the green, and leave with a bogey 5. And you can hit a poor drive to the right, a weak second shot 30 yards short, and pitch and putt for a par 4. It’s all about how many strokes it takes you to hole out, not about how far you hit your drive or how much spin you put on your iron shot.

The shots you play from 100 yards and less make up the short game. It’s chipping, pitching, and sand bunker play. It’s the putts you take to hole out. The short game is the scoring zone. In an 18 hole round of golf, over 50% of your strokes are short game shots. That’s why you can really lower your scores if you diligently practice your short game.

If 50% of your strokes are short game shots, you need to practice that aspect of your game at least 50% of the time. But that’s not the case for the average golfer, who gets to the range and starts smashing the driver. There’s something challenging and rewarding about hitting a long, straight drive down the center of the practice range. There’s something boring about hitting putts until your back gets sore. But, that 300 yard drive counts the same as a 3 foot putt. And, in 18 holes, you might hit 36 putts but only 14 drivers. So where should you put your practice focus?

You can’t hit drivers in your backyard or living room. But you can chip and putt. You can chip a few balls while you’re out grilling, and you can stroke a few putts while you’re watching TV. If you’ll spend half of your practice time hitting shots from 100 yards and less, your scores will come tumbling down.

By: Gary Jack Palmer

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When you’ve given as many golf lessons as I have, it doesn’t take much thought to figure out that slicing is golf’s most common swing error. In fact, many weekend players who attend my golf instructions sessions for the first time slice, with both men and women slicing about the same amount. And they all want to know one thing when they first come to me: How do I cure my slice?

Curing your slice isn’t easy, especially if you’ve had it for a long time. You’ve ingrained the swing fault in your muscle memory and making changes to it will feel uncomfortable and strange. But the benefits of slicing less far outweigh the costs. Hitting straighter shots more consistently not only keeps you on the fairway, it also cuts strokes from your golf handicap because it produces better approach shots.

Causes Of A Slice The causes for a slice are well documented in magazines and often discussed in golf lessons. Four things trigger a slice:

1. Upper body turns too soon

2. Hands are too high at impact

3. Upper body outraces the club on the downswing

4. Grip end gets too far in front of the clubhead at impact.

These errors leave the clubface open at impact-a major swing error. How major? Recent research by one club manufacturer indicates that a club with an S flex shaft with 9.3 degrees of loft and the face open at impact about 2 degrees results in a shot that finishes 16 degrees off the target line. Obviously, you must get the clubface square at impact to hit the ball straight.

Slices and Cures Let’s look at the four most common types of slice and consider four drills you can practice to help cure your slice. Your divots will tell you what kind of slice you have.

1. Opening Up Too Soon (The Pull Slice) This is perhaps the second most common slice type. Its generated by your right shoulder moving out and over on the downswing, causing the clubface to come into the ball on an outside-in swing path. Your hands sensing that the club is coming from the outside hold the clubface open to the path, resulting in a pull slice. With iron shots your divot points left of target.

Drill: Hit practice balls with your back foot moved back a few inches from the target line and your heel down. Swing the club back making a full shoulder turn. The idea is to feel as if you’re swinging the club primarily with your arms and shoulders through impact. Let your body respond to the swinging of the arms and the releasing of the clubhead.

2. Handle Too High At Impact If your hands are too high at impact just before and through the ball, you’ll cause the clubhead to get stuck behind you. Often this happens because the golfer tries to clear the hips too fast or doesn’t trust the loft of the club to get the ball airborne. Whatever the cause, you end up with a slice. There’s little or not divot with irons.

Drill: Take your normal address position. Have a friend hold a club so the grip hovers just above your hands. As you swing back and through your friend should keep his club’s grip end steady. Concentrate on letting your hand pass just under his club.

3. Body Outraces Club (The Push Slice) With the push slice your ball starts to the right of your target, then goes even farther right. Usually this means that your body outraces the clubhead. Some people call this a lunge. To compensate some people try flipping the club through the ball with their hands in an effort to square the clubface to the ball.

Drill: Use your driver or fairway wood. Tee the ball up. Take your address as you normally would but with your left leg positioned slightly inside the ball. Now stand only on your front foot. Swing the club back and through and try hitting the ball. Alternate hitting five balls on one leg, then with your normal swing. 4. Handle Too Far Ahead Of Ball Getting the handle too far ahead of the clubhead is probably the most common cause of a slice. The primary problem is back of forearms rotation. If you make a strong strike of the ball and it starts straight down the target line before curving to the right. With your irons the divot would be square to the target line.

Starting with knockdown pitches, rotate your left forearm (right-handers) during the swing so your left hand knuckles face the ground just after impact, with the clubface turning down. Let your right hand come off the club. Once you get the hang of this, use other clubs. This drill increases clubhead speed and squares the clubface for a straighter shot.

Keep in mind as you practice these drills that you may not want to turn your slice into a draw. Hitting a fade has its advantages, too. The key, regardless of the type of shot you develop, is hitting a dependable, more consistent shot that keeps you out of trouble and gives you control of the where the ball lands. The type of shot will cut strokes from both your scores and your golf handicap.

By: Jack Moorehouse

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Every golfer knows the feeling of completely slicing their drive into the trees, bushes or anywhere, but the fairway. It is inevitable, it will happen to you sooner or later, even the pros suffer from a case of the shanks or bad slices from time to time.

Although at the time of the nasty golf slice you don’t have any no idea what went wrong with your swing because you just swung the golf like you did every time, there is always a cause and it can be a number of things.

A lot of golfers have things that they do when they swing that is unique or odd which they have become accustom to. Some golfers twist their wrists a certain way, some don’t interlock their hands on the club and other just look funky when they swing. What ever it is, if it was working at one time or another you are doing something right, but there are a few things that may be the cause of your slice.

First of all most golfers totally miss the importance of good hip rotation in their golf swing, without good hip rotation your swing will never result in a maximum amount of yards in your drive. Secondly it could be your follow through, golfers without the right follow through will always a little off target. Lastly keeping your eyes on the ball. It sounds really simple, but if you lose eye contact with the ball during your swing you will almost certainly develop and ugly slice in your golf swing.

By: Ryan Stains

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Do you know how to create the proper golf swing grip? The grip that you have on your club while swinging plays a big part in how you will carry out your swing. The relationship between how you place your hands on the club and where the ball will go when you hit is direct. It’s important that to be the best golfer you can be you learn to have the proper grip on your clubs.

If you are serious about improving your golf swing grip, you will take the proper steps to learn to improve. A major part of the golf swing is the grip. Hold it too loosely and your club will go flying through the air; hold it too tightly and this too will affect your swing. You need to have a firm grip that allows you proper control over your swing but without being too tight. You want to have a neutral grip on your club.

So what are some things you should remember when it comes to improving your golf swing grip? First, you need to make sure the grips on your clubs are new and cleaned. When they get old or when they are dirty, sweaty or slippery, it will affect how you grip the club. Old or slick grips usually cause you to hold onto the club too tightly, creating a lot of tension in your arms and shoulders, which will cause a short, quick swing.

Another mistake people make with their golf swing grip is gripping the club while the head lies on the ground. When you do this, the club is positioned in the palm of your hand instead of in your fingers so you have a weaker grip.

Remember that when you take the time to improve your golf swing grip [http://www.golf-swing-1.info], your swing will improve which leads to better golfing and lower golf scores and that’s something to get excited about!

By: Ben Shar

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Correcting a golf slice is the fastest way to shave strokes off of your golf game. Slicing a golf ball is one of the most common errors that an average player makes.

Some golfers remain frustrated for years because they never find out why they are slicing a golf ball. But if you are ever going to become a good golfer, correcting a golf slice is a must. These simple tips will show you how to cure golf slices just by practicing some basic golf swing tips and instructions.

Proper Golf Stance

A proper golf stance should be about as wide as your shoulders. Make sure your shoulders are aligned at your target. Point your right foot straight ahead and point your left foot slightly to the left. Keep your elbows as natural as possible to maintain a proper golf stance.

Even minor adjustments to your stance can make major changes in where your golf ball will end up. Practice the proper golf stance at the driving range and make small adjustments until you get the results you are looking for.

Proper Golf Club Grip

Another common way of correcting a golf slice is adjusting your hands for a proper golf club grip. Grip the golf club with your left hand and put your thumb along the shaft.

The line between your thumb and index finger should be pointing toward your right eye. Wrap your right hand over your left and rest your left thumb into your right palm.

A common mistake most right handed golfers make is gripping the club too tight with the right hand causing the ball to hook towards the left. But the opposite is true with a slice. A weak grip creates an open club face causing your ball to slice to the right.

The best way of correcting a golf slice caused by your grip is roll your hands back so that your non dominant back hand faces the target and your dominant back hand faces the opposite direction.

Practice the proper golf club grip at the driving range to determine if this is what’s causing you to slice the ball. Take your time and make small adjustments to your grip. Even though a proper golf club grip seems simple, it is one of the most common ways of correcting a golf slice.

Correct Golf Swing Mechanics

Correct golf swing mechanics is another cure for correcting a golf slice. A proper golf backswing starts with your hands, is immediately followed by your arms and shoulders all in one smooth motion.

A proper golf downswing begins with your hips, keeping your eyes on the ball and your head behind the ball as you follow through. Once you practice the correct golf swing mechanics, you’ll be amazed at how quick you will lower your golf score.

Becoming a good golfer is a matter of practicing and playing on a regular basis while developing good habits. Small changes can often make a big difference in your score. Once you practice correcting a golf slice you’ll soon be hearing, “great shot!”

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By: Gary Gresham

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