Golf Basic Tips

The slice is probably the most common problem that all golfers encounter when playing. In fact, some golfers spend years in frustration trying to remedy slice. Usually, slice happens just when you think your tee shot is just fine. Suddenly, the ball starts to curve to the right and promptly misses the target.

There are many ways to cure slice. Let us start with developing a good grip. As you hold the club, your left hand and thumb should be along the shaft and is aligned toward your right eye. Your right hand should wrap over the left, with the palm resting securely over your left thumb. Your grip should not be too tight or too loose. Gripping the ball too tightly can cause the ball to hook. On the other hand, a weak grip will open the clubface and cause slice. Take the time to practice your grip. Make small adjustments and try new grips until you find one that works and that you are comfortable with.

Another important component in stopping slice is to develop and practice a good stance. You can achieve this by standing square to the ball with your feet spread as wide as your shoulders. Keep your right foot pointing straight ahead and your left foot pointing a little to the left. Make sure your elbows and shoulders are in a natural, relaxed and comfortable position. Remember that posture is very important. Try to avoid throwing your lead shoulder up in the air prior to hitting the ball. Ask your friends to watch you as you hit a drive to see if you have the so-called ‘uppity shoulder’.

Finally, by simply correcting your golf swing, your goal to stop slice is half done. Remember that a correct backswing involves the hands, arms, and shoulders in one fluid and smooth motion. Meanwhile, the right downswing involves turning the hips, keeping your eye on the ball and making sure that your head is behind the ball as you proceed to your follow-through.

These are just a few of the tips and techniques on how to stop golf slice. You can also try various drills to develop specific areas of your play. These drills strengthen and develop your golf skills for the better. Just keep in mind that you need to devote time and effort through constant practice in order to achieve your goal of stopping slice.

By: Tim Lee

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Kansieo.com

There is a seemingly endless supply of golf accessories on the market today, and more are coming out all the time. But which ones are good investments, and which are a waste of time? Well, let’s discuss some of the golf accessories that have proven themselves to be most useful.

Very high on the list of the most useful golf accessories are golf books and videos. Of course, there are countless books and videos on the subject of golf to choose from. But for those that are just beginning, or for those that want to improve their game, books and videos can be a great aid in learning how to play the game better. It’s always best to take golf lessons from a qualified pro who can analyze your particular swing characteristics and help you correct mistakes that you’re making. But having some golf books and videos that you can also look at and study on your own can be beneficial as well. The advantage that books and videos have is that they can give you step-by-step diagrams and images that can make learning the game so much easier. So why not ask your golf instructor for his recommendation on the best golf books and videos to use along with his personal instruction?

Golf gloves have been in use for many years, and they have a very beneficial use for most golfers. It’s obvious that the golf swing introduces quite a bit of torque in the body during the backswing, and it’s very easy for your hands to lose good contact with the club while going through the backswing. A good golf glove can help prevent the club from twisting in your hand as you swing, helping you maintain a more consistent swing every time. When looking for a golf glove its usually best to stick with a leather glove, and one that is water repellent.

Knowing the distance to the golf pin from where you are on the course is one of the most difficult things for newer golfers to master. But these days, you can buy a golf range finder to help you calculate the exact distance to the flag every single time. Usually these range finders come in a binocular design and use a laser beam to calculate the distance to the flagstick. So if you happen to be terrible at guessing distances, a good golf range finder can be a worthwhile investment.

One of the most useful golf accessories that you can buy is a good set of golf clubhead covers. As your clubs travel in your golf bag they often bang against one another, and it’s very easy for them to actually damage the club faces when they do. Having a good set of club head covers can solve that problem easily and quickly, protecting your irons and woods from knicks and scratches along the way.

Golf swing software can also be beneficial for many golfers, helping them break down each segment of their swing and analyze it carefully. Many golf analyzer software programs will even allow you to compare your swing with some of the pros, giving you a good example of what you want your swing to look like as you make improvement. All you have to do is capture the video of your golf swing, and then use the golf swing software to make the analysis.

The game of golf is meant to be both fun and challenging at the same time, and there are plenty of golf accessories that meet that criteria too. Hopefully the list of accessories mentioned above will help you be able to improve your game as well.

By: Steadman Issenburg

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There has been a lot of talk over the past few years about the so-called stack and tilt golf swing. Apparently about two dozen PGA Tour players have adopted it, including some champions like Rick Weir and Zach Johnson, as well as Aussie Aaron Baddeley, among others. This article will explain where the terms stack and tilt come from and what is going on with this approach to the golf swing.

So What’s With “Stack and Tilt”?

It is really a catchy little phrase that has worked well for the people who promote and teach it. If you are like I was, you are asking yourself, “what is stacking and what is tilting”? Well, here’s an explanation I found while viewing some videos in trying to search for an answer. And by the way the answer is not obvious, in case you are wondering why you can’t figure it out for yourself.

Here’s the deal- the stack and tilt golf swing basically says that most of the golfer’s weight should be kept on his left side during the swing (about 60%), and also that the player’s head should remain pretty much in the same position throughout the swing rather than swaying backwards. His left side should not move backwards much during the backswing but should stay pretty much in the same position it was during set up. In addition, his swing is a bit more upright than flat.

So what does that have to do with stack and tilt? Not much, but here’s the explanation I found. When the golfer has completed his backswing using the guidelines mentioned, his shoulders are vertically in line with each other approximately over his left hip. So his shoulders are said to be “stacked” at that point. (All discussion in this article refers to a right handed player, so lefties just need to reverse things.) Also, at this point the golfer’s back is more or less facing the target, and if his head has been kept in the same place it was at the start of the swing, his spine will necessarily “tilt”.

So there you have it, stack and tilt. If you think that explanation is a bit obscure, I couldn’t agree more, but then again, who cares? It is a catchy little phrase, and the fact that this swing has been adopted by some of the PGA Tour’s top players means that it must be bringing something to the party. Let’s discuss now why this approach has been adopted and if it should be used by weekend golfers like you and me.

Why Players Go to the Stack and Tilt

A lot of swing instructors teach that during the backswing it is OK for the head to move backwards a bit, or sway, especially for the driver. Some of these teachers even advocate keeping the head behind the ball to generate more power. The problem with this approach is that sometimes a player cannot fully transfer his weight to the left side at impact, and the club strikes the ball with the face open. Obviously this means a pushed shot to the right. All this is true with the other clubs in the bag as well, not just the driver. So if you are a player who seems to consistently push shots off to the right, this approach might be worth a try.

Who Should Not Use the Stack and Tilt?

As we all know, some recreational golfers don’t have the prettiest or the most effective swings (to put it in the form of understatement). Some in fact keep way too much of their body weight on the left side as it is. So here you have some players that already have too much weight on the left side and who cannot get through the ball squarely at impact. Trying to exaggerate this even more will not help those golfers. So you have to be aware of your weight distribution at set-up, how squarely you get through the ball, and whether you are prone to pushing shots.

Give it a Shot

So if you are in fact a golfer that has a problem with pushing a lot of shots, it is easy to give this swing approach a try. Don’t worry about “stacking” and “tilting”, just address the ball with about 60% of your weight on your left side. Imagine there is a stick or something touching your left hip at address. Keep you left side touching that stick throughout the swing, and you have just tried the stack and tilt. Think about not moving your head backward during the backswing, and this will help. Try it on the range first, of course, and develop a little muscle memory. Despite the name, the stack and tilt is not a big mystery and is easy to try.

One last word, there a lot of short videos on YouTube which discuss the stack and tilt golf swing. They are worth a look if you want to pursue this.

By: Walter Ballenberger

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The golf swing takeaway is a 1 piece takeaway. To achieve this, here’s what we need to do.

1) Keep the left and right forearms straight during address. The arms are relaxed and pointing down. This allows consistency in our setup. The distance from our hands to the body is about 1 palm distance.

2) Imagine a triangle formed between the left and right forearms.
This triangle is maintained in the 1st part of the takeaway.

3) Move this entire triangle to the right during the takeaway.

4) Do not rotate the hands, wrist, or cock the wrist early in the takeaway. Focus on keeping the forearms straight, especially the right forearm. This ensures a wide takeaway and allows the wrist to cock naturally.

5) Once the hands reach around the waist level, allow the shoulders to turn to complete the rotation. A tthe top of the swing, ensure that the left wrist is not cupped or v shaped.

Another point to take note of is the rhythm and tempo. A good rhythm is 1, 2, 3. Count 1 initiates the takeaway, Count 2 is when we reach the top, Count 3 is the transition from backswing to downswing. A slow takeaway and straight right forearm, results in a wide and slow backswing that results in alot of torque and prevents us from jerking down the club too quickly in the downswing.

Last point to note is to maintain the right knee bend angle and prevent it from straightening during the takeaway. We can do this by imagining that we’re sitting down on a high chair and have the pressure on the balls of our feet. This provides enough flex in the knees. Be careful not to flex too much also. We should have the right amount of tension in the muscles to maintain the correct angles in golf, and yet not too much that we get all tense and uncomfortable. Everything in the right proportion will allow us to build a nice and enjoyable golf swing.

By: Sherman Choo

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Kansieo.com