I've just returned from a golf weekend away on the coast, which was great except for the very strong winds, which were blowing off the sea and which made the golf somewhat tricky to say the least! One shot, I found I used again and again in these conditions was the Punch shot and it really saved my golf score on both days. This is a really useful shot, when ordinarily you would take a pitch, but because of the wind conditions or perhaps the greens are exceptionally dry and won't hold, then a lower trajectory route can often be the answer. Effectively, this is a long chip shot, (from anywhere between 45 yards to as much as 100 in some cases) and many of the same rules apply as for a close range chip, but with just a few differences.
Click Here to learn how to have a Golf Short Game like the professionals.
* Generally, for this shot, I use a 7 Iron as I find this gives me a small amount of loft to get the ball running, but will keep the ball low enough to stay under the worst of the wind.
* Set up for the shot with your feet just under shoulder width apart, with your weight evenly distributed, but the ball should be between the middle of your stance and the inside of your back foot – this helps to keep the ball low. Keep your hands well in front of the ball.
* Once you have found a comfortable narrow stance width, pull your leading foot slightly back and open the angle of your front foot to approximately 30 degrees. This will open your body up to the target and make it easier to sweep your arms through on the target line.
* Once again, keep your elbows anchored to your side as much as possible, which will make your stroke much more stable and reliable.
* Take a slow, smooth, shortened backswing, keeping your arms as straight as possible. You are looking to make a crisp, clipped impact (punch) as you hit the ball, and this will necessarily make for a shortened follow-through also. This punch, coupled with having the ball towards the back of the stance keeps the ball flight low. Make sure that you don't cock your wrists on the takeaway, as this just brings in unnecessary complications and make sure that your hands are in front of the ball all the way through the execution and that your front arm stays straight all the way through to keep the ball flying straight towards your desired target.
Judging how hard to hit the ball is a matter of practice and evaluating the strength and direction of the wind, plus how wet or dry the conditions are, but it's definitely worth putting the practice in, as this shot can help keep your score intact. Try practising these tips and you will find that the Punch shot will help to stop you from being blown off course when the weather is wild. Hope that helps you to enjoy your golf a little more when the wind is really blowing.
Click Here to learn how to have a Golf Short Game like the professionals.
Tuesday, 8 September 2009
Friday, 17 July 2009
The Dreaded Golf Slice – Easy Tips to Relieve Your Golf Pain
By Peter R Burgess
Let's face it, I am not the first person to ever write about the dreaded golf slice or ways to cure it, but that's because it is such a pervasive golf disease. If you asked a hundred amateur/novice golfers what their biggest problem was on the golf course, then I suspect that over seventy-five of them would say that it was a slice. It's certainly been something, which has afflicted my own golf game since I began playing over twenty years ago and I have tried many different methods to cure the problem.
As you will probably already know from your own experiences in searching for the answer, there are more supposed golf slice cures than you could shake a large stick at, however so many are just too technical for me – I'm a simple guy at heart – and maybe you feel the same. Well, if you do, then I might just have a little bit of good news for you and it's so simple that even I can understand it and put it into practice.
For professional instruction on how to correct your slice, see the brand new PurePoint Golf 2.0 : Full Swing Lessons DVD.
Primarily the tips below are written for use with the golf driver and longer irons, but the principle works just as well for your short irons too – you just adjust the stance width and ball position according to the club – the shorter the club, the narrower the stance and nearer to the middle of the stance with your ball position.
The simple key to it is reducing your swing to a ¾ swing - just try the following and I think you will be pleasantly surprised at the results...
* Stance – Instead of your normal shoulder-width stance, try narrowing it a little – it should feel more comfortable. Position the ball a couple of inches inside your left heel (for a right-handed player). Hint - keep the ball slightly more toward the centre of your stance than you would normally for a driver.
* Grip – Keep a firm grip on the club rather than too loose, as is often taught.
* Swing – Keep your left arm as straight as possible in the takeaway and only take the swing back until it is roughly level with the top of your shoulder, making sure that you do not cock your wrists at the top. Make the back and down swing slow, smooth and deliberate. Ensure that your follow through matches the back swing and keep the whole process as smooth as possible, maintaining the follow through with your hands high and your belt buckle pointing towards the target.
What you should find is that by reducing the swing to a ¾ swing that you will eliminate a lot of the sway from the process, which can take you out of alignment. The sheer simplicity of the reduced swing will bring your clubface back square to the ball at the point of impact, because you have eliminated the sway and the cocking of the wrists, which have pulled you out of line. So that, instead of cutting across the ball, and so imparting slice spin to your shot, you will hit the ball straight. I was amazed at how much this simple tip improved my game – it kept me on the fairway (now there was a novelty!) and surprisingly I lost no distance at all on my shots. Why not give it a try – it certainly worked for me? I'm not saying that I never slice the ball now, but the improvement has been huge.
To access the new Purepoint Golf 2.0 Professional instruction on how to correct your slice Click Here!
Let's face it, I am not the first person to ever write about the dreaded golf slice or ways to cure it, but that's because it is such a pervasive golf disease. If you asked a hundred amateur/novice golfers what their biggest problem was on the golf course, then I suspect that over seventy-five of them would say that it was a slice. It's certainly been something, which has afflicted my own golf game since I began playing over twenty years ago and I have tried many different methods to cure the problem.
As you will probably already know from your own experiences in searching for the answer, there are more supposed golf slice cures than you could shake a large stick at, however so many are just too technical for me – I'm a simple guy at heart – and maybe you feel the same. Well, if you do, then I might just have a little bit of good news for you and it's so simple that even I can understand it and put it into practice.
For professional instruction on how to correct your slice, see the brand new PurePoint Golf 2.0 : Full Swing Lessons DVD.
Primarily the tips below are written for use with the golf driver and longer irons, but the principle works just as well for your short irons too – you just adjust the stance width and ball position according to the club – the shorter the club, the narrower the stance and nearer to the middle of the stance with your ball position.
The simple key to it is reducing your swing to a ¾ swing - just try the following and I think you will be pleasantly surprised at the results...
* Stance – Instead of your normal shoulder-width stance, try narrowing it a little – it should feel more comfortable. Position the ball a couple of inches inside your left heel (for a right-handed player). Hint - keep the ball slightly more toward the centre of your stance than you would normally for a driver.
* Grip – Keep a firm grip on the club rather than too loose, as is often taught.
* Swing – Keep your left arm as straight as possible in the takeaway and only take the swing back until it is roughly level with the top of your shoulder, making sure that you do not cock your wrists at the top. Make the back and down swing slow, smooth and deliberate. Ensure that your follow through matches the back swing and keep the whole process as smooth as possible, maintaining the follow through with your hands high and your belt buckle pointing towards the target.
What you should find is that by reducing the swing to a ¾ swing that you will eliminate a lot of the sway from the process, which can take you out of alignment. The sheer simplicity of the reduced swing will bring your clubface back square to the ball at the point of impact, because you have eliminated the sway and the cocking of the wrists, which have pulled you out of line. So that, instead of cutting across the ball, and so imparting slice spin to your shot, you will hit the ball straight. I was amazed at how much this simple tip improved my game – it kept me on the fairway (now there was a novelty!) and surprisingly I lost no distance at all on my shots. Why not give it a try – it certainly worked for me? I'm not saying that I never slice the ball now, but the improvement has been huge.
To access the new Purepoint Golf 2.0 Professional instruction on how to correct your slice Click Here!
Friday, 26 June 2009
Golf Shots out of the Rough - 10 Top Tips to keep your game alive
By Peter R Burgess
Even the top professional golfers spend time in the rough, so as amateurs we've got to face that fact that we're likely to be playing a significant amount of our golf in the long grass. If you accept the previous statement - and I think that it would be difficult to argue against it - it seems surprising that we don't spend more time in practising playing golf shots from the rough.
We are content to spend time at the driving range and on the practice ground, but we don't seem to practice the skills to get us back into the game when we have hit an errant shot. How many times during a round of golf have you carved your tee shot into the rough, only to blast your second shot further into trouble or across the fairway into the rough on the other side? Whereas, if we had taken a little more time in practising to learn the required techniques, we could have been sitting pretty on the fairway or even on the green. During my golf experience of hacking through the jungle rough, I have picked up the following tips over the years, which have helped to keep me out of trouble...
* Assess your lie and decide how aggressive or defensive your next shot can be – if you have a good lie with little grass likely to get between the club face and the ball, you can potentially go for a longer shot, even perhaps the green. However, if your ball is lying well down in deep grass, you may have to take your medicine and just try to get back to the nearest point of fairway.
For Good Lies
* If you have good visibility of the ball in light rough, take a nicely-balanced normal stance, with the ball positioned roughly in the centre of your stance and your weight very slightly favouring your front foot.
* Take one extra club than you normally would for the distance you are trying to achieve and grip slightly down the shaft.
* Make a deliberate, slow, smooth backswing and only take it to ¾ of your full swing, without cocking your wrists, aiming to catch the ball as cleanly as you can. Don't try to hit the ball too hard – let the swing and the club do the work.
* Make a smooth follow-through and finish as you would for a normal shot
For Slightly Deeper Lies
* As above, except take a shorter iron and make your swing a little steeper to try to keep as little grass as possible between the ball and the club face at point of impact. Accept that you will probably not get the full required distance and that you are just looking to advance the ball down the fairway.
For Buried Lies
* If the ball is really buried, there's no point in trying to be heroic – your aim now should just be to pitch back to the nearest point of fairway, even if that is slightly backwards. It's much better to do that than try to be greedy and simply end up playing your next shot from the rough as well.
* Take your most lofted golf club as the blade on a wedge will be the best implement to help you cut down through the grass to the ball.
* Open the blade very slightly and take a firm grip – the long grass will twist the club in your hand if your grip is too light.
* Once again, only take a smooth ¾ swing, so that you remain as balanced as possible and swing as steeply as possible. However, again don't try to hit the ball too hard to smash it out of the grass, because you just run the danger of driving it further in if you slightly miscue.
If you follow these tips, you might not be on the green for your second shot, but more importantly you should be back in play with a chance to go for the green with your next shot. These golf tips for playing out of the rough don't cover the most glamorous aspects of the game, but they might help you to stay in the game, rather than let the rough destroy your day.
Even the top professional golfers spend time in the rough, so as amateurs we've got to face that fact that we're likely to be playing a significant amount of our golf in the long grass. If you accept the previous statement - and I think that it would be difficult to argue against it - it seems surprising that we don't spend more time in practising playing golf shots from the rough.
We are content to spend time at the driving range and on the practice ground, but we don't seem to practice the skills to get us back into the game when we have hit an errant shot. How many times during a round of golf have you carved your tee shot into the rough, only to blast your second shot further into trouble or across the fairway into the rough on the other side? Whereas, if we had taken a little more time in practising to learn the required techniques, we could have been sitting pretty on the fairway or even on the green. During my golf experience of hacking through the jungle rough, I have picked up the following tips over the years, which have helped to keep me out of trouble...
* Assess your lie and decide how aggressive or defensive your next shot can be – if you have a good lie with little grass likely to get between the club face and the ball, you can potentially go for a longer shot, even perhaps the green. However, if your ball is lying well down in deep grass, you may have to take your medicine and just try to get back to the nearest point of fairway.
For Good Lies
* If you have good visibility of the ball in light rough, take a nicely-balanced normal stance, with the ball positioned roughly in the centre of your stance and your weight very slightly favouring your front foot.
* Take one extra club than you normally would for the distance you are trying to achieve and grip slightly down the shaft.
* Make a deliberate, slow, smooth backswing and only take it to ¾ of your full swing, without cocking your wrists, aiming to catch the ball as cleanly as you can. Don't try to hit the ball too hard – let the swing and the club do the work.
* Make a smooth follow-through and finish as you would for a normal shot
For Slightly Deeper Lies
* As above, except take a shorter iron and make your swing a little steeper to try to keep as little grass as possible between the ball and the club face at point of impact. Accept that you will probably not get the full required distance and that you are just looking to advance the ball down the fairway.
For Buried Lies
* If the ball is really buried, there's no point in trying to be heroic – your aim now should just be to pitch back to the nearest point of fairway, even if that is slightly backwards. It's much better to do that than try to be greedy and simply end up playing your next shot from the rough as well.
* Take your most lofted golf club as the blade on a wedge will be the best implement to help you cut down through the grass to the ball.
* Open the blade very slightly and take a firm grip – the long grass will twist the club in your hand if your grip is too light.
* Once again, only take a smooth ¾ swing, so that you remain as balanced as possible and swing as steeply as possible. However, again don't try to hit the ball too hard to smash it out of the grass, because you just run the danger of driving it further in if you slightly miscue.
If you follow these tips, you might not be on the green for your second shot, but more importantly you should be back in play with a chance to go for the green with your next shot. These golf tips for playing out of the rough don't cover the most glamorous aspects of the game, but they might help you to stay in the game, rather than let the rough destroy your day.
Tuesday, 23 June 2009
Golf in the Rain? - 10 Top Tips to Give you the Edge and Bring a Smile to your Face
By Peter R Burgess
I don't think that anyone could say that they truly enjoy golfing in the rain – surely everyone dreams of playing golf in short sleeves on a perfect early summer's day with only a hint of a breeze to occasionally flutter the flag. However, whilst the rain may dampen your spirits, you can make a few simple preparations to make sure that you enjoy playing golf in the rain as much as you possibly can – after all, it's still better than work, isn't it? There's an upside too – if you make these few simple, common-sense preparations, you might just have the edge on your golf partners – now that's got to be worth a smile...
* A sturdy golf umbrella is essential when playing golf in the rain – don't skimp on the cost of this as the cheaper, flimsier versions will soon turn inside out if the rain is accompanied by wind, which it often is – if you live in the UK or Ireland, I don't need to say any more!
* If you have an electric trolley, buy a fixed umbrella holder for it – this will provide continuous cover for your golf bag and leave your hands free.
* Buy a rain hood for your golf bag – not only will this keep your clubs and spare clothes as dry as possible, but it will also make for easier access into your golf bag, so that you don't let the rain in each time you take something out of the bag.
* Keep good quality, breathable waterproofs (jacket and trousers) in your golf bag – don't be tempted to buy cheap ones, as these will stick to you and particularly during a summer downpour, you will get increasingly hot and uncomfortable.
* Instead of having just one towel to wipe your clubs and golf balls, have a second towel in the bag for wiping your hands and golf club grips. It's a good idea to attach these towels to the inside struts of your umbrella to keep them dry in between uses.
* Instead of a normal leather glove, use special waterproof gloves, which retain their grip when wet – these make a huge difference. It's a good idea to wear a pair instead of a single glove and this will help stop the golf club grips from slipping when you swing. Some people advocate taking your gloves off in between shots and hanging them under your umbrella - personally I find this too cumbersome – but it works for some.
* For those miserable days, when the rain is continuous, have a second pair of waterproof gloves in your golf bag to change into when the first pair becomes saturated.
* Keep your head as dry as possible – wear a peaked cap to keep the water out of your eyes or away from your glasses as much as possible.
* If you wear glasses, keep a couple of dry cloths in your bag to give them an occasional clean and wipe. Having worn glasses for many years until I finally succumbed to laser surgery, I know how frustrated rain-soaked spectacles can make you feel!
* Make sure that you wear good waterproof golf shoes and regularly clean and re-waterproof them between rounds. There are few things more dispiriting than trudging around a course with wet feet for 3 or 4 hours!
I think it's safe to say that it's still infinitely nicer to play golf on a warm,sunny day, but by making these preparations, you should still be able to enjoy golfing in the rain. And if your forethought means that you end up beating your playing partners...well, that can't be bad, can it?
I don't think that anyone could say that they truly enjoy golfing in the rain – surely everyone dreams of playing golf in short sleeves on a perfect early summer's day with only a hint of a breeze to occasionally flutter the flag. However, whilst the rain may dampen your spirits, you can make a few simple preparations to make sure that you enjoy playing golf in the rain as much as you possibly can – after all, it's still better than work, isn't it? There's an upside too – if you make these few simple, common-sense preparations, you might just have the edge on your golf partners – now that's got to be worth a smile...
* A sturdy golf umbrella is essential when playing golf in the rain – don't skimp on the cost of this as the cheaper, flimsier versions will soon turn inside out if the rain is accompanied by wind, which it often is – if you live in the UK or Ireland, I don't need to say any more!
* If you have an electric trolley, buy a fixed umbrella holder for it – this will provide continuous cover for your golf bag and leave your hands free.
* Buy a rain hood for your golf bag – not only will this keep your clubs and spare clothes as dry as possible, but it will also make for easier access into your golf bag, so that you don't let the rain in each time you take something out of the bag.
* Keep good quality, breathable waterproofs (jacket and trousers) in your golf bag – don't be tempted to buy cheap ones, as these will stick to you and particularly during a summer downpour, you will get increasingly hot and uncomfortable.
* Instead of having just one towel to wipe your clubs and golf balls, have a second towel in the bag for wiping your hands and golf club grips. It's a good idea to attach these towels to the inside struts of your umbrella to keep them dry in between uses.
* Instead of a normal leather glove, use special waterproof gloves, which retain their grip when wet – these make a huge difference. It's a good idea to wear a pair instead of a single glove and this will help stop the golf club grips from slipping when you swing. Some people advocate taking your gloves off in between shots and hanging them under your umbrella - personally I find this too cumbersome – but it works for some.
* For those miserable days, when the rain is continuous, have a second pair of waterproof gloves in your golf bag to change into when the first pair becomes saturated.
* Keep your head as dry as possible – wear a peaked cap to keep the water out of your eyes or away from your glasses as much as possible.
* If you wear glasses, keep a couple of dry cloths in your bag to give them an occasional clean and wipe. Having worn glasses for many years until I finally succumbed to laser surgery, I know how frustrated rain-soaked spectacles can make you feel!
* Make sure that you wear good waterproof golf shoes and regularly clean and re-waterproof them between rounds. There are few things more dispiriting than trudging around a course with wet feet for 3 or 4 hours!
I think it's safe to say that it's still infinitely nicer to play golf on a warm,sunny day, but by making these preparations, you should still be able to enjoy golfing in the rain. And if your forethought means that you end up beating your playing partners...well, that can't be bad, can it?
Monday, 22 June 2009
The Knockdown Golf Shot - 2 Great Tips for Playing Golf into a Headwind
By Peter R Burgess
If you live in the UK as I do, then you have to get used to playing golf in the wind! As someone who naturally hits the ball high, the wind at times has completely destroyed my golf game, particularly in my early years of playing, and I either had the choice of moving abroad, or working out ways of getting round the problem when playing into a headwind! The knock-down shot has certainly been a much cheaper alternative than moving and has proved to be the most effective fix for me! I know that there are lots of different interpretations of the knock-down shot, but I have found the following to be the most useful tips that work best for me...
For light headwinds
Simply take one or two clubs more than you normally would for the required distance, position the ball back one or two ball-widths in your stance from your normal position, and use a ¾ swing, eliminating the cocking of the wrist. Try to swing as smoothly as possible - definitely don't try to hit the ball harder than normal to compensate for the wind strength– the aim being to get the ball to spin less than normal and take a lower trajectory (ball-flight) on the way to the target.
For strong headwinds
Position the ball just inside your back foot but keep your weight forward and your hands in front of the ball. For the shot, use a smooth ¾ swing – in strong headwinds it's even more important not to try to compensate for the wind by hitting the ball hard, as the wind will horribly compound any trace of slice or hook in the shot, potentially leaving you a very long way from the target! Make sure that you follow through in the intended target direction even though you are only playing a ¾ shot, but keep the follow through lower than normal. However, don't be tempted to try to stop on the ball at point of impact.
By hitting the ball in this way, you should achieve a very low trajectory shot with less spin than normal, which won't be affected anywhere near as much by the headwind. It's also an excellent shot for playing under trees and low-hanging branches and it works best for me with 3,4 and 5 Irons.
As I mentioned earlier, there are other interpretations of the knock-down shot, which include tips on opening your stance and choking down on the chosen club, but I have not found them to be as effective for me. Learning to use these 2 knock-down shot tips has saved many a round for me, when otherwise I would have been blown off the course.
If you live in the UK as I do, then you have to get used to playing golf in the wind! As someone who naturally hits the ball high, the wind at times has completely destroyed my golf game, particularly in my early years of playing, and I either had the choice of moving abroad, or working out ways of getting round the problem when playing into a headwind! The knock-down shot has certainly been a much cheaper alternative than moving and has proved to be the most effective fix for me! I know that there are lots of different interpretations of the knock-down shot, but I have found the following to be the most useful tips that work best for me...
For light headwinds
Simply take one or two clubs more than you normally would for the required distance, position the ball back one or two ball-widths in your stance from your normal position, and use a ¾ swing, eliminating the cocking of the wrist. Try to swing as smoothly as possible - definitely don't try to hit the ball harder than normal to compensate for the wind strength– the aim being to get the ball to spin less than normal and take a lower trajectory (ball-flight) on the way to the target.
For strong headwinds
Position the ball just inside your back foot but keep your weight forward and your hands in front of the ball. For the shot, use a smooth ¾ swing – in strong headwinds it's even more important not to try to compensate for the wind by hitting the ball hard, as the wind will horribly compound any trace of slice or hook in the shot, potentially leaving you a very long way from the target! Make sure that you follow through in the intended target direction even though you are only playing a ¾ shot, but keep the follow through lower than normal. However, don't be tempted to try to stop on the ball at point of impact.
By hitting the ball in this way, you should achieve a very low trajectory shot with less spin than normal, which won't be affected anywhere near as much by the headwind. It's also an excellent shot for playing under trees and low-hanging branches and it works best for me with 3,4 and 5 Irons.
As I mentioned earlier, there are other interpretations of the knock-down shot, which include tips on opening your stance and choking down on the chosen club, but I have not found them to be as effective for me. Learning to use these 2 knock-down shot tips has saved many a round for me, when otherwise I would have been blown off the course.
Tuesday, 16 June 2009
Technically Perfect Golf Does Not Always Win Over Good Mental Golf
By Andrew Fogg
Have you noticed that the winners on the professional golf tours around the world aren't always technically or statistically the best players. They often don't even look like the best player over the four rounds the week they win. Now, I know that's a contradiction, because if they win the event, then they must be the best in that event.
Going back a few weeks to the 2009 Masters, no one would suggest that Kenny Perry, Angel Cabrera and Chad Campbell were the best players in the field, but they were the one's that got into the playoff, despite their obvious mistakes. Many of the technically and statistically better players looked to be playing really well, but despite some amazing heroics from the likes of Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods, none of them came near getting into the playoff.
You're often hearing me talk about how I started my golf during the golden years of my golfing hero Jack Nicklaus, the Golden Bear. Listening to me and many other pundits, you'd imagine that Jack was the most technically and statistically perfect golfer of all time. However, I have to admit that although he may still be the best golfer the world's ever known, he was physically and technically way behind the likes of Tiger Woods.
I was recently picked up my rather well thumbed copy of Dave Pelz's Short Game Bible, published in 1999 and re-read his section on the ideal composite golfer - who he would pick as the top three golfers in each of six key technical areas. Interestingly, Tiger Woods appears only once as Number two behind Greg Norman in Driving and Fairway Woods and Jack Nicklaus doesn't appear at all!
A more recent article broadly confirms these results, but this time it includes ratings for the Mental Game and Course Management. The truly great golfers, like Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Lee Trevino and Nick Faldo, rise to the top in these categories and demonstrate how they make the best of their all-round technical skills through the strength in the areas of golf psychology.
In conclusion, I suggest that although it's good to be as technically and physically competent as you possibly can, you're more likely to achieve consistently good golf by mastering the mental side of golf and your course management first. The time to work on the technical side of your swing and putting stroke is when you are achieving the best results you can with your current ones.
Andrew Fogg, the Golf Hypnotist, is an enthusiastic golfer, hypnotherapist and NLP Master Practitioner. He is a practicing golf psychologist and author of a soon to be published book "The Secrets of Hypnotic Golf" and a series of golf hypnosis MP3 programmes.
Visit his website http://www.golf-hypnotist.com for information on how to get the most success, pleasure and enjoyment from the wonderful game of golf. More specifically, it's about how to improve your golf by working on the 90 percent of the game that's played in the 6 inches between your ears.
Sign up for the free Golf Hypnotist ezine at http://www.golf-hypnotist.com and get your free 25-minute "Your Own Virtual Caddy" golf hypnosis MP3 that goes with this article.
Posture for a Powerful and Consistent Golf Swing
By Susan Hill
Many professional golf instructors refer to golf posture as “spine angle.” If you’ve taken lessons or have spent much time learning proper technique to improve your game, you have most likely heard the phrase many times. Good posture for the golf swing can greatly influence your ability to produce power. Without stability of your posture, a powerful and effective golf swing is very difficult and can result in injury and strains.
Good functional posture improves your swing and lets you transfer more force in your ball strike. Body structure and posture are unique traits, but an improper golf swing can cause certain muscle imbalances. These imbalances might not be obvious until they cause a disruptive physical problem.
The body slowly adapts to poor posture, and some body parts, like the neck, shoulders, back, and hips, may be overused to balance for loss of motion in other areas of the body. By performing a few simple exercises regularly, however, you can improve and maintain good posture and thus improve your swinging power.
The goal of exercise for posture is to improve both static and dynamic balance to develop functional stability during the swing. The postural muscles are located throughout the body. The primary role of these muscles is to hold the skeletal system and joint structures in proper alignment so the larger and stronger muscles can produce the desired body movements while keeping good balance.
Some common problems that are affected by posture are:
o Difficulty keeping your eye on the ball during your swing.
o Difficulty to transfer force from the lower body to the upper body.
o Compromised swing patterns.
o Poor club head speed and club control.
By performing a golf fitness routine on a regular basis, you will increase overall muscle strength, balance, and flexibility. All of these contribute to your ability to maintain an effective golf posture for a powerful golf swing no matter what the lie.
Commit yourself to proper preparation through strength and flexibility exercises designed to address current muscle imbalances and you’ll unleash a whole new level of play.
Susan Hill is a nationally recognized golf fitness trainer and Chek golf biomechanic. She is a writer for Golf Illustrated, Travel Golf, and Resort Golf among others. Her work has been featured in Self magazine and on ESPN. For more information on golf specific programs, visit http://www.fitnessforgolf.com.
Golf Fitness Exercises to Warm Up Five Minutes Before Your Round of Golf
By Sean Cochran
Golf fitness exercises can be very beneficial as part of your warm up before a round of golf. Especially on those days when you are tight on time. If you rushing to get to the golf course for your weekly round of golf, or struggling to warm-up for your round of golf when you only have 5 minutes to spare. The implementation of some golf fitness stretches could be just what you need before heading to the first tee.
It is well known that in every professional sport athletes perform a series of flexibility exercises and drills to prepare them to play a game. The game of golf is no different. Unseen to the general public, many PGA Tour players perform a series of golf flexibility exercises to prepare them to play golf. It is done prior to hitting the driving range or putting green. It is a process of getting the muscles and joints of body ready to swing a golf club. Most every golfer on the planet understands the benefit of a warm-up program to get the body ready to play golf or any sport for that matter. Unfortunately for us the time required to perform a comprehensive golf warm-up program with golf flexibility exercises is not reasonable. Not reasonable because of time restrictions on our busy lives.
For example, we set our tee time for Friday at 1:30. Our plan when we leave the house in the morning is "I will get to course at 1:00, hit a few putts, chip for 10 minutes, head to the range, and be at the first tee with a few minutes to spare". Unfortunately, our plans sometimes do not play out as we intended.
We get stuck with a client on the phone, a conference call runs long, we get stuck in traffic. Whatever the case may be we are caught rushing to the golf course, getting to the course with 10 minutes to spare, jump out of the car, tying our golf shoes, get to the first tee with 5 minutes to spare, haven't hit a shot or putted....Do I need to go on?
Probably not.
It is a situation that happens to us all, and I as am guilty of it as you. However as strong as I suggest performing a good warm-up, and putting yourself in the correct frame of mind for the round, life at times just does not allow us to do it.
What are we to do in such situations?
I first off would suggest not utilizing the "grip and rip it" motto if you get to the first tee without warming-up. I have seen this (myself included) lead to a myriad of problems from the get go.
I can remember a few years ago I took this approach and I think made a triple bogey on the first hole. My drive went left into the rough, second shot to the right, approach shot over the green into the bunker, bunker shot rolled 20 feet past the hole. Need I go on?
Let's just say I learned my lesson. First and foremost if you are caught in this type of situation lets not panic. Let's put a plan together to start the round out on the right foot and keep you in a positive frame of mind.
My first suggestion is not to rush and attempt to hit 3 putts, pull out driver take a few hacks, and then tee it up.
Lets take the 5 minutes we have and get the body warmed-up and ready to swing a golf club. How can we do this? Simply by putting together a series of golf stretches to "loosen" you up. Golf flexibility exercises will loosen the muscles and joints of your body. Preparing them to swing a golf club. They are simple to perform and can get your body and mind more ready to play than just a few practice swings with the driver. This will take a couple of minutes to perform, but it will help you get the body ready to swing the golf club.
Once we have got the body "loosened up" lets get the mind in the correct space. I have seen all too often the tempo of a swing is way out of whack when a golfer lacks the time to properly warm-up. Attempt to relax, take a few deep breaths, and get the body to slow down a little. This should definitely help create some better tempo in your swing from the start.
Also, take your time. Once it is your turn to hit, take a little extra time. Take a few extra practice swings, relax, find your tempo, and match your first swing to the tempo of your practice swing. This is a tip I learned from Dean Reinmuth (top 50 Golf Digest teaching pros).
If you are not comfortable over the ball, step away, take a series of practice swings until you find the "right" swing and then perform that same swing over the golf ball. It has done wonders for my game.
I would also suggest continuing to take extra time on every shot until you feel comfortable and have found your swing. This might not occur until the second or third hole, but it is okay. It allows you to relax, make a good swing, and make a good shot.
Finally, when you are rushed I think course management can really help. Think about it for a moment. Why not on the first tee pull out 3-wood instead of driver, even if it is a par five. Hit a nice shot into the fairway, lay-up, and play for par? Again, starting off with par or even bogey is a lot better than a double or triple, both for your scorecard and mental frame of mind.
So if you are rushing to the first tee to get your golf game going let's review the protocol. First and foremost lets be smart and utilize the time we have at hand. Lets take the 5 minutes we have to warm-up the body for the golf swing. We will do this through the implementation of a series of golf flexibility exercises. These golf exercises will get your muscles and joints ready to swing a golf club. Once the body is ready the next step is taking your time. Take a few extra practice swings with the golf club. This will allow you to find the tempo of your golf swing. Finally lets be smart with our course management skills. Think about what is the best golf shot to make and play within ourselves until our body and mind is ready to go.
As stated previously, golf fitness exercises are an integral part of a warm up session for golf. Even if you are tight on time, a few minutes spent on a series of golf fitness stretches and golf exercises can greatly benefit your round of golf.
Sean Cochran is one of the most recognized golf fitness instructors in the world today. He travels the PGA Tour regularly with 2004 Masters, 2005 PGA, and 2006 Masters Champion Phil Mickelson. To learn more about Sean and his golf fitness programs go to http://www.seancochran.com
Fitness For Golf Is The Key To Rejuvenating Your Golf Game
By Mike Pedersen
Fitness for golf is prevalent at every level. You hear about it all the time on the television and even teaching pros are talking more about the importance of fitness for golf.
The reason being is the belief that your ‘physical limitations’ are keeping you from optimal swing mechanics, power, distance and accuracy.
For the aging golfer this is most prevalent.
Without a golf-specific exercise program, it is virtually impossible to maintain and/or improve swing mechanics. The human body declines rapidly without stress being put on it.
What I mean…is muscles and bones need stress and pressure on them to remain strong, stable and injury-free. Without this stress…the body weakens and breaks down quickly…resulting in a rapid decline in strength and flexibility.
This is death to your golf swing!
The old adage – “use it or lose it” is very true. Haven’t you experienced a time when you were too busy with family obligations, work commitments and other stress-related issues and you felt you didn’t have the time to devote to your health and fitness?
What happened shortly after that?
Did you energy level go down? Did you start getting aches and pains and even newfound stiffnesses? How about your golf game? Did you feel like you didn’t have the same amount of umph on the ball?
This is that declining strength and flexibility I’m talking about. And the ONLY way to stop this from happening is maintaining some sort for fitness for golf program if it pertains to your golf game.
There are also two forms of fitness. “General fitness” and “sport-specific” or fitness for golf in regards to you as a golfer.
There is a major difference between these two forms of fitness.
One that is very common is going into a gym, plopping down on the machines and isolating one muscle group at a time in a controlled environment. Picture for instance an abdominal machine. You lie down in it, grap fixed handles that guide you through a set range of motion.
That would be considered “general fitness”.
On the other hand, picture standing (just like you do in golf) holding a single hand weight (dumbbell) straight out in front of you, and rotating (turning) back and through just like your golf swing. That is an exercise that would be consider fitness for golf. It directly benefits your rotational strength AND flexibility…enabling you to make a bigger turn with more power.
This area rapidly declines with the older golfer. Abdominal strength and flexibility if not tested often, will decrease, and the ability to make a full backswing with stored energy will be less and less…resulting in a massive reduction in power output, therefore distance.
So the next time you’re on the course and you get frustrated about you lack of distance off the tee…ask yourself “what was the last time you worked on your BODY?” Your answer will dictate your performance on a daily basis.
I have just barely scratched the surface of the importance of fitness in golf…but I hope I’ve got you thinking about how important fitness for golf is if you want to play your best golf.
About The Author: Mike Pedersen is one of the top golf fitness experts in the country, author of the Ultimate Golf Fitness Guide, and founder of several cutting-edge online golf fitness sites. His best-selling golf fitness system has helped golfers play better golf! For more golf fitness information, visit Perform Better Golf.
6 Easy Golf Tips to improve your Short Putts
By Peter R Burgess
I know I'm not alone when I say that over the years, short putts have been my bète noire on the golf course. I have to admit that generally my short game is not my strength, but it was the number of short, missed putts, which really ruined some of my rounds. My awful short putting game amused my regular playing partners no end and it meant that I paid for a whole lot more than my share of the drinks after the rounds! It got to the point that I wasn't really enjoying my golf any more and I knew that I had to do something about it. My local Golf pro gave me a few putting pointers and I practised and found that the following combination of what he had told me, together with what felt comfortable, really started to work for me on my short putts...
* The first tip may sound really obvious, but instead of rushing to the club just in time to get on the first tee, give yourself an extra 15 minutes and take three balls onto the putting green for some practice. This makes such a difference as well as giving you a feel for the particular green conditions of the day.
* Stand comfortably with your feet just narrower than shoulder width with the ball placed roughly in the middle of your stance and your weight evenly distributed on both feet, aligned towards the hole.
* As far as possible lock your elbows against your side – this may feel a little uncomfortable at first, but it stops you waving the putter around and makes the stroke more stable. Practice a few short pendulum swings.
* The next part was the real key to the change in my putting fortunes – take a very slow, deliberate and SHORT takeaway (literally only a few inches for a short putt) and then a smooth and fuller follow through (up to twice as far). I have found that this short, slow method means that I hit the ball a lot straighter and with more confidence.
* Keep your head completely still, focused on the ball, even after you have hit the shot, as this will stop you looking up and pulling the ball to the left.
* Start with ball approximately 3 Feet from the hole and when you sink three in a row from this distance, move the ball twelve inches further back and repeat. Keep increasing the distance each time you sink three in a row.
I can't describe the great feeling of sinking putt after putt after following the above drill and taking that feeling of confidence onto the course. Naturally, I don't claim to make every short putt now, but the percentage increase is phenomenal. Even better, my playing partners have stopped laughing and started paying for the drinks! My overall scores are improving too – I guess this game's all about confidence.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)