Golf Basic Tips

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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Achieving a powerful golf swing is easy when you know what generates the power in your golf swing. Do you think it’s just a matter of swing harder? I’ll bet you’ve tried that one. How did it come out? Your golf swing needs a sequence of motion using your hips.

Here’s a little golf tip for more power in your swing.

When you start your downswing you rotate your hips aggressively. The only thing you need to remember is that the faster your hips rotate, the faster your arms need to go to stay in sequence. But…if you are not physically strong enough and flexible enough to achieve this very demanding sequence of motion in your golf swing, you can try as much as you want and it won’t happen.

Your mind may tell your body to rotate your hips faster, but being tight and weak will not allow it to happen. That’s where golf specific fitness comes in. Doing a couple of targeted golf stretches and golf exercises will make it easy to accomplish this powerful move in your golf swing.

Do a rotational stretch for your core, and also a rotational strength exercise like a twisting crunch on a stability ball. The combination of the stretch and resistance exercise will greatly improve your bodies ability to generate maximum power with your hips (and core).

So the gist of it is you need to use your hips to create a powerful swing, but you need to strengthen and stretch that specific area of your body to accomplish it. Does that make sense? If you don’t, do you really think you can do this specific move in your swing for 18 holes? I think not! Your body will break down from the physical demand you are putting on it.

So the take-away from this article is strengthening and stretching your core area to be able to use your hips for a powerful golf swing.

Do you want to find out more about creating more power and consistency in your golf swing.

Download my FREE golf ebook at http://www.performbettergolf.com/free-golf-ebook.html

By: Mike Pedersen

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A very frequently asked question indeed; how to play the sand shot or the bunker shot.

Before we get to the bunker play tips, I have to preface what you are about to read with but one word… practice. Once you get the basics (which are forthcoming) you’ve got to take the time to practice and gain confidence in the execution.

Believe me; getting your sand play up to a decent level is well worth the time spent on it. With a decent sand game, it is actually more advantageous to be in a bunker around many greens than it is to be buried in the rough just a few yards away! And you’ll score better as a result.

For good bunker play you need to understand some basic techniques. Actually, before we discuss technique, you need to have a sand wedge in your bag… not a pitching wedge… I’ll tell you why in a moment.

First all, with your set up you want to open you stance, hips, and shoulders to the left of the target (right handed golfers) and the ball positioned slightly forward in your stance. Establish solid footing by digging into the sand just a bit.

With your setup to the left of the target, you now want to open the clubface (rotate the sand wedge so the more of the clubface is exposed).

As far as the swing path goes, you want your swing path to follow the alignment of your body just like you other shots.

With a sand shot you want you club to enter the sand a couple of inches behind the ball. I like to have people imagine that just underneath the ball in the sand, the golf ball is sitting on a tee; and what you are trying to do is clip the tee out from under the ball without disturbing the ball itself.

Keep your wrists firm until well after impact. You don’t want get ‘flippy’ with your hands when it comes to sand shots.

When you are first learning to play a bunker shot, strive to gain consistency with your entry point behind the ball and consistently extracting the ball onto a putt-able position on the green.

The next step for you will be to alter the distance of your bunker shot using your swing speed with you ‘basic’ bunker swing and shot. However, the first and primary goal is to gain a consistency with your swing tempo and your entry point. For the beginning sand player, gaining confidence in getting the ball consistently out of the bunker and putting is the first goal and the first building block. Just getting this first basic skill established fluently will save you strokes immediately. Don’t worry so much about variations to your bunker play… these can come later… just get comfortable and confident with that fact that you’ll be out and putting. Rome wasn’t built in a day… or something like that.

I touched on this earlier and now I want to give you a bit more detail on your bunker equipment (sand wedge) and why you must have one.

First of all, believe it or not, the sand wedge is designed for sand play.

Bounce – the sand wedge has a rounded sole that actually sits lower in comparison to the blade of the club. This feature allows the club to glide through the sand rather than dig into it.

Loft – greater loft that the pitching wedge – 55-60 degrees as opposed to 48-52 degrees. This gets you ball up and over the lips of the bunkers more readily rather than trying to ‘manufacture’ a shot with your pitching wedge.

Toe to Heel Design – this what gives the sand wedge the oval appearance – but more than this – it is what keeps the sand wedge from digging in and allows you to ‘splash’ the ball out of the bunker.

Bottom line – if you’re not using a sand wedge for your sand shots; you’re making things much more difficult than they need be.

Practice breeds confidence and confidence breeds relaxation over a shot. Particularly the sand shot. Tension and nervousness are shot killers. The basic sand shot is not at all a difficult shot to extract, it’s just that those who fear them are those who don’t take the time to practice them… think about it this way… it’s the only shot where you are going to actually purposely miss the ball!

So get out there and find a place to practice and get better. Remember first things first… just work to gain consistency and you’ll start improving your game.

By: Jeff O’Brien

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Golf, like most sport, is a game of precision and accuracy. In order to score a hole in one, you need the utmost concentration, and physical and mental strength. Furthermore, you need to match your skills and experience with your golfing accessories and equipment, particularly the golf ball.

For non-golf aficionados, one golf ball is the same as other golf balls. The only major difference such people may see between one ball from another is the manufacturer or brand name. In the eye of a golfer lover, however, golf balls differ in more ways than one.

If you want to improve your game, you need to pay attention to the type, covering material, core structure, and compression rates of a ball. You must bear in mind that your swing and level of play should be matched with the golf ball you use. Thus, you can’t expect to be like Tiger Woods simply by buying and using the same golf accessories, shoes, and balls that he uses.

Here are basic golf ball comparisons you need to know to help improve your golf games:

Common Golf Ball Types

Two-piece

If you are just starting to play golf, you most probably need to consider using the two-piece golf ball. This type of ball, aside from being the cheapest type available in the market, is aimed at providing great distance. If your swing is slow, the big rubber core of the ball helps in transferring the energy from the swing to the ball efficiently, thereby providing you with good distance.

If you are a neophyte in the game, you need to concentrate on your accuracy. Hence, you need a ball that will boost your distance, enabling you to concentrate more on building your accuracy. Once you have mastered consistency, then you need to try the other types of golf ball.

Three-piece

The three-piece ball is ideal for advanced players, who have pretty much mastered control, partly because a person wouldn’t want to spend too much for a golf ball that will brandish his or her hit-and-miss swings. Such a ball, which is preferred by pro players, is composed of a core, which can be solid or made up of liquid or gel, a layer of wounded thread, and a plastic covering.

Materials used as golf ball coverings

Although there maybe other kinds of golf ball covering, the two most popular are the surlyn and balata.

Balata

Balata golf balls, which are usually three-piece balls, are made of soft covering. Professional golfers prefer such balls because they not only cuts and scuffs easily, but they are also easier to control. Furthermore, balata balls give more spin. However, these balls have shorter life span and are more expensive.

Surlyn

Surlyn balls are more apt for amateur gofers because they are cheaper. Most two-piece golf balls are made of surlyn, a hard material, thus it is more resistant to cuts and scuffs and provide more distance. Aside from being more inexpensive, such balls are also long lasting. However, it is harder to control and does not provide ample spin.

Compression rate

Traditionally, the tightness of the golf ball’s thread windings determines its compression rate. Due to recent technological advancement, however, the compression rate of a golf ball is now basically dependent on how the ball is affected when it is hit. The compression rating of golf balls usually range from 70-110.

Low compression balls

Balls with compression rating of 70-80 are considered low compression balls. Such balls are soft and are easily deformed or compressed when hit. Players with slow swings are encouraged to use such ball.

Medium compression balls

Most advanced golfers prefer balls with a compression rate of 90. These medium compression balls provide both softness and ease of control.

High compression balls

Golf balls with 100-110 compression rating are high compression balls. Such balls are hard and are less likely to deform upon impact, compared to those with lower compression rates. A high compression ball is ideal for those whose club head speeds are high.

Be keen in knowing how the type of ball or its compression rates affect your performance. Keep in mind that the knowledge of golf ball comparisons is handy in enhancing your strengths and masking your weaknesses in the golf course.

By: Lee Dobbins

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