Get Your Body In Balance

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Hit a few balls left-handed during every warm-up session by turning over your 7-iron. In so doing, you’ll accomplish two things: 1) You’ll practice an awkward shot that could save strokes in an emergency and; 2) Since your golf swing is two-sided, you’ll strengthen the golf muscles on both sides of your body equally to keep your body in balance.

comments | | Read More...

Over Look The Ball

 

Web Tip: The Correct Head Movement Every Swing Needs 

 During a good golf swing, your head makes its own mini-swing. Certainly, it doesn’t remain rigid.

Your head should rotate in the same manner as your front shoulder—away from the ball during the backswing and toward it during the downswing. This rotation shouldn’t be confused with moving the head forward. Moving the head forward, or up or down during the downswing, can cause a myriad of problems. The head should rotate in its place until the power of your swing pulls your body forward and up into the finish.

Think of it this way: During the downswing, your head should release. When you release your head correctly, you’ll look “over” the ball as it flies away and track its path immediately from the point of contact. If you hold your head rigid, you’ll look “under” the ball and hinder your weight shift.

comments | | Read More...

Obey The “C” Line

To think like a champion golfer, draw an imaginary line between you and your ball on every shot. Call it the “C” line for the commitment you’re going to make to the shot before you cross it and step to your ball. Once you’ve made your shot selection and it’s clear in your mind, cross the line and take your address position. If you lose your commitment, step back behind the “C” line and start the process all over again.

comments | | Read More...

Calm The Savage Beast

When you have your best swing, anchor it to a piece of music by using your Walkman while you practice. Once the link between your music and your best swing is established, then everywhere the one goes, the other follows. Put on the music when you game slips and your best swing will reappear.

comments | | Read More...

Make The Right Choice

your fairway wood swing in combination with pitching wedge shots, so you’ll be ready to link them for your second and third shots on a par-5. When was the last time you saw a golfer on the driving range alternating a 3-wood with a pitch to the flag? Other packages: sand wedge/putter; driver/short iron; driver/3-wood.

 One thing you have complete control of on the golf course is deciding which 14 clubs you’ll use for the round. While you have a core set composition that doesn’t vary much, there should be room for specialty clubs in your gameday set, depending on the course and the conditions. For example, if you’re playing a course with large greens, you might carry two putters—a chest-anchored one for short putts and a regular-length model for lags. Other choices include wedges with varying degrees of bounce and loft for varying sand textures, utility woods, a four-degree closed and a four-degree open driver for doglegs, a long-shafted driver for long courses and a rescue club for courses with high rough.

comments | | Read More...

Get Some Skills

All great golfers develop “skills packages”—shots that are often hit back-to-back during the course of play. Practice your fairway wood swing in combination with pitching wedge shots, so you’ll be ready to link them for your second and third shots on a par-5. When was the last time you saw a golfer on the driving range alternating a 3-wood with a pitch to the flag? Other packages: sand wedge/putter; driver/short iron; driver/3-wood.

comments | | Read More...

First Tee Tips

When you arrive at the first tee, take a moment to identify the shape of the hole and what the architect had in mind. The word “fairway” comes from a nautical term that describes a safe passageway through potentially dangerous waters. If you keep the ball on the short grass, it stays out of harm’s way. Most of the danger in golf lies to the sides of your route, so make it part of your plan to start each hole by hitting the fairway, even if you have to sacrifice some distance. In other words, don’t immediately opt for driver.

If you’ve got the first-tee jitters, here’s how to calm down: Look straight ahead, then close your eyes and, without moving your head, angle them so they look up at the sky. As soon as you feel your eyes begin to flutter, take a deep breath and hold it for a count; then expel the air and open your eyes.

Once you’re calm, it’s target time. Most of your clubs have a distance and a landing area built in, but your driver distance is open-ended, and this can lead to mindlessly overpowering the ball. Therefore, anytime you have a driver in hand, choose both a direction and a destination—a specific landing area for your tee ball. For the direction, aim at something on the line on which you want your ball to fly. It might be a mound, a tree in the background or even a cloud in the sky. For the destination, pick a tire track or a discolored patch of grass in the section of the fairway from which you want to play your next shot.

comments | | Read More...