golf akeger | 30 Jun 2008
Golf Instruction
Golf is a very difficult game to master. It is a sport of discipline and control over one’s self. So of you are serious about the sport, practicing by yourself may not be enough. To really master the moves and techniques of golfing, you need to see the help of a professional. Invest your time and money in getting gold instructions, and you’ll be swinging perfectly in no time.
An aspiring golfer like you needs proper instruction in order to play the game the way it is meant to be played. For example, if you are just starting to learn how to play, it is important for to have the right posture at all times, especially when taking a swing. There is the risk of losing balance, pulling a muscle, or worse, dislocating the shoulder. When you have received proper instruction, this risk is reduced and as you play more, maintaining proper form will come naturally to you. Also, golf instructors are able to tell you when you’re not doing something right, whether you need help with your posture, grip, or swing.
Golf instruction also includes physical conditioning, body alignment, and shot visualization, among many other helpful techniques. Playing on a real golf course with an instructor at your side will give familiarize you with the course’s terrain, and help you get used to the physical rigors of staying under the sun, standing, and walking for hours.
Golf instruction doesn’t end even when you already know the basics of the game. Even if you choose to stop seeing a golf instructor, you’ll still be able to practice what your instructor taught you and learn from your own mistakes. Golf instruction teaches you self-regulation. Soon enough, you will be able to develop your own styles and techniques and sharpen your game the way you want to.
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Golf Instruction provides detailed information on Golf Instruction, Free Golf Instruction, Golf Swing Instruction, Online Golf Instruction and more. Golf Instruction is affiliated with Top Golf Schools. |
golf akeger | 29 Jun 2008
Becoming A Perfect Putter Will Make You A Better Golfer
All right, so let’s be a little realistic - there’s no such thing as perfect putting. But the good news is that you can probably putt a lot better than you do right now. Here are some useful ideas to get your started.
Your Golf Stance And Proper Grip
It’s important that your grip is correct. Keep your hands light and relaxed - there’s no need for your squeeze the club as though you’re trying to break it in half. Check the location of your pinky - it needs to be on the club, not overlapped or interlocked with your other fingers. When you close your fingers together, make sure the club is straight, not on an angle. Address the ball squarely and most importantly - RELAX!
The ball needs to be centered between your shoulders, and placed towards the front of your stance. Make sure your hands are up near the top of the grip. Keep your eyes focused directly over the ball. Your goal is to hit the ball squarely along the target line. Imagine a big line going straight through the middle of your body, and then add a second line directly perpendicular, or at a 90 degree angle. This is your target line. You need to have a relaxed pendulum stroke along the target line.
Make sure the face of the putter is perpendicular to the target line, and if you’re right handed, lock in your left hand. Reverse that if you’re left handed. When you lean over the ball, your eyes should be directly parallel with the target line.
Keep your feet at the same width as your hips, with the weight balanced slightly towards the inside of the left heel.
Golf Ball Placement
Place the ball approximately half way between your left instep and the center of your stance. It’s important to do this so that the path and club head are square prior to impact. It also means that if there’s any angle on approach, it has time to level out, resulting in a good follow through.
Your Golf Stroke
Your stroke will vary a little depending on how far you need to putt. If you only need to tap the ball, your stroke needs to be centered. For a sweeping stroke, you normally are positioned slightly left. Aim to hit the ball right on the sweet spot, or the center, unless you’re putting down a slope. In that situation, it’s better to hit slightly closer to the toe of the putter. This helps to lessen the force used, and helps to avoid overshooting the hole. Relax, and make a smooth back stroke, followed by a forward stroke in the same plane. For right-handers, the left hand holds, the right hand strokes. Reverse that if you’re left handed.
Practicing Makes Perfect
Take a close look at your golf balls, and you’ll probably find there’s a line around the middle where there’s no dimples. The ideal golf ball has equal weight on any line through the center, and so is perfectly balanced. Unfortunately not all golf balls are well constructed. A good manufacturer will ensure the core materials are of a uniform density, and the cover is the same thickness all around.
If you want to test out your golf balls, find a flat, dry and level practice green. Line up the line on the ball with the target line toward the hole. Starting around 3-6 feet from the hole, make a few putts. Then move out to 10 feet from the hole. Watch the ball to see if there’s any tendency to veer one way or the other. Be honest about whether or not your own errors in stance or stroke are contributing!
Place a bunch of markers at various distances from the hole. You could use strings or quarters, for example. Vary the distance, too, so have one foot, four feet, seven feet, 10 feet etc. Practice your putting, not by shooting for the hole, but by consistently aiming to place the ball within the markers. This helps you to gauge how hard an impact at what angle will cause the ball to roll a certain way.
Change the distances between the markers, making the gaps smaller, and keep practicing until you can put the ball wherever you chose to. Maybe you can be a perfect putter after all!
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golf akeger | 28 Jun 2008
PurePoint Golf Instructions - Chipping from Deep Rough, Chipping Backswing and Chipping Distance Con
Here’s a great tip for those of you who play golf where there’s a lot of deep rough. Those of you that live back East or in the Midwest, it is pretty common for you in the summertime and, often, it’s wet.
Here are a few golf instructions about a couple of shots that are the most popular when you’re hitting from out of deep rough. You will have a tendency to hit it thin or skull it or top it. And let me tell you why.
When the golf club starts to swing into the back of the golf ball, there is grass growing around it. Because of the bounce on the back of the golf club, it’s very difficult to get the golf club to go deep enough into the ground to find the bottom of the golf ball.
Another golf tip is when you’re struggling and the ball is down in some deep grass, whether you’re pitching the golf ball or whether it’s a full golf swing; make sure that you put a lot of weight on your left side. And the final part is to make sure that the golf club finishes low to the ground after impact.
So, on a full swing to the green with a pitch shot, the ball in the middle, weight left, hand to the left, swing your arms up and straight down into the ground. And I think that you’ll be able to see that there’s a big change in the trajectory of the golf ball.
Now lastly, do not expect any backspin when you have a golf ball coming out of deep rough.
Now let me tell you something that will play a major role in whether you can make solid contact with your chip shots. I’m going to tell you how to use the correct golf swing when chipping and it has to do with the backswing.
There are two ways that you could swing the golf club back when you’re chipping that are incorrect, and there’s one correct golf swing.
There are the two ways that you possibly could be doing it wrong after you’ve gotten all ready and all set up.
If the golf club travels too much inside, away from the golf ball, that means the golf club didn’t go up in the air.
When it goes inside, it stays too low to the ground. If you do that, you’ll hit tops to the right, or you’ll hit the ground behind it.
Those of you that are hitting the ground behind it or thin tops to the right, it has to do with the club going too much inside.
Now, here’s a mistake that few people make, but you could be one of them. If the golf club goes outside, you’ll go up in the air too much, and if you do that, you’ll pull to the left and hit it low and flat to the left.
If you stand correctly, with the ball in the middle and a little weight left, and use the correct golf swing, the golf club travels straight back. Okay, so it goes just a hair inside, but mostly straight back with just a little, tiny curve inside on the way back.
And then you’ll be able to make solid contact. Not too much inside in the backswing and not on the outside, but straighter back with just a slight curve to the inside.
That’s your backswing when you’re chipping.
In case you’re not sure about what clubs to use when you’re chipping, I have some advice to give you for your golf short game. I’ve been a big advocate of using a 5, 7, and a 9: a 9-iron for your short chip shots, a 7-iron for your medium length chip shots, and a 5-iron for your longer chip shots.
The reason? Because you can use one golf swing, and let the different golf clubs control the distance.
For instance, a 9-iron chip shot will make the golf ball go about 30 feet. Now, that doesn’t mean that it’s 30 feet for everybody in the world. Some of you might only chip your 9-iron chip shots 15 feet. Some of you might go 35.
But the way I like to do it is on an average-size green. My 9-iron chip shots go to the front third, my 7-iron goes to the middle third, and the 5-iron goes to the back third.
So, for your golf short game, if you use the same golf swing, but change to a 7-iron, you will see the difference is in the length that the golf ball goes. It’s the same golf swing, but now, the golf ball will go maybe 50 feet. And, lastly, if you use your 5-iron, it’ll go maybe 100 feet.
Here’s another thing that will be helpful for your golf short game. If you’re in the front of the green and it’s a steep green and the pin is in the middle of the green, maybe you chip that with a 5-iron, because it’s so steep.
If you’re on a flat green, 9-iron, 7-iron, 5-iron.
If you’re on a steep green and you’re in the back, maybe a 9-iron for all the different distances coming down the hill, because it’s so much quicker.
The next time you’re out, try that.
Copyright 2006 David Nevogt
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David Nevogt writes golf instruction material that helps golfers of all levels reach their full potential and lower their scores. David is the author of “The Simple Golf Swing” which guarantees to have you shooting 7 strokes lower in only 1 week from today. You can find more of his golf instruction by going to http://www.golfswingguru.com |