Learn How to Pitch the Golf Ball Correctly

11:50 am January 17, 2010

If like most golfers, you want to get more distance with your driver off the tee. So they go to the range and hit a bucket of balls with their driver and forget about their short game. The fact is that the majority of shots in a round of golf are from within 100 yards from the green so they should be practicing more their short game. You can in reality lower your handicap by improving your pitching than you could by increasing your drives by a few yards.

Perfecting the art of pitching can lower your score and your handicap. With a good pitch you can take 2 strokes instead of 3 by pitching next to the flag. Learning to pitch precisely from the fairway is vital to improving your game but it requires good distance control which is difficult to achieve, even for a Golf Swing Guru!

How to Pitch

To accomplish a winning pitch shot you must place the ball in the middle of your stance so that you can get under the ball and get it up in the air. Stand with your feet closer together, adopt an open stance, and with more weight on your left foot. Aim the club face at the target and make sure you strike the ball with a perfectly square clubface. The height of your backswing will establish the distance the ball will travel – it could be waist height, shoulder height or a full swing. Hit the ball with a crisp, descending stroke to ensure ball then turf contact.

Although you feet are in an open position, aim the club-faceat the target, just as if your feet were parallel. By opening your stance you are shortening your backswing; also, you can lower your grip on the club which will also decrease your backswing as well as give you more control. Release the clubhead openly through impact and then move smoothly into your follow through position.

Select a Club for Pitching

Some golfers make the mistake of using too many different clubs for each distance. For distances up to 100 yards you could effectively use a full sand wedge, pitching wedge, or you could even use a 7, 8, or 9-iron by adjusting your backswing. But there’s no need to complicate matters; the best strategy is to choose a distance that you are comfortable with and one club that you can constantly use to reach that distance.

For instance, let’s say that you are an expert at hitting the ball 95 yards with an 9-iron and using a shoulder length backswing. The scheme is that you use this distance as your pitching zone. If you hit a wayward drive on a par-4 you will want to hit the ball out to the fairway so that your ball ends up in your pitching zone. When you have practiced enough you will be able to get the ball close enough to the pin to give yourself a chance of a par. A similar thing can happen on a par 5; instead of going for the green in 2two which is a difficult shot, you should hit a smaller club to your pitching zone which still gives you a putt for birdie.

Pitching Distances

Obviously, there will be many times that you will be faced with an approach shot of anywhere between 30 and 100 yards. In these situations you will have to know your pitching distances. Yet again, it’s a good idea to choose 1 club that you can dominate and alter the length of your backswing for each distance. You will need to practice this many times until you can calculate the distances constantly. Pitching, like chipping, is more about finesse and control but it is very important because you can lower your score a lot with a great short game. Remember to also practice your putting and The Simple Swing!

Mick Tait has been a golfer for many years until he had major back surgery. After several years without playing golf he discovered a Golf Swing Guru that teaches a Simple Golf Swing that is suited to people with back problems.

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Tags: chipping, golf, golf distance, golf practice, pitch, pitching, putting, short game, sports

Warming up For a Round of Golf

11:23 am January 14, 2010

While warming up for a round of golf, most golfers assume that all they have to do is blast a few drives down the driving range. In essence, before each round of golf you have to work on swinging different clubs and get up to date with the weather conditions. Golf on a windy day is much different than if the day is calm and your game of golf is also influenced by the temperature; whether it is hot or cold. Here are some warm-up tips to practice before beginning your round of golf.

When you visit the driving range to warm-up you should first do some stretching exercises. Then use a long iron and swing the club back and forth numerous times without hitting a golf ball; you are just looking to warm-up and stretch your muscles. Do a full golf swing but don’t stop after the follow through; continue the swing in the opposite direction and so on.

The Driving Range and Putting Green

You should not start off with a driver because you will want to begin gently. Instead, select a short iron to begin hitting some golf balls so that your muscles loosen up. Gradually continue with your middle irons, long irons, woods, and to finish your driver. Whilst using your driver, keep in mind that the objective is not to try and hit the ball as long as possible; instead you will want to be practicing control and accuracy. Like on the course, you have to use control from the tee box; you will no be using your driver from each tee, so on the practice range you have to learn how to control your shots.

The bulk of the golf shots in a round of golf are made from under one hundred yards from the flag. Therefore you need to also practice your chipping and putting before your round of golf. Preferably, you should spend less time with the driver and more time on your short game. The reason for warming up for golf is to get into a repeatable swing so that you can take it onto the golf course.

The Mental Game of Golf

The golf mindset is normally overlooked as a warm up method. When you arrive at the first tee, the purpose is not to take any frustrations you may have out on the golf ball – that won’t help your game in the slightest. Take time to focus on your game, get calm, and put out of your mind your problems. Worries or a bad temper can have harmful effects on your golf game.

What to Do and Not to Do

Before playing a round of golf, a warm up routine is not the moment to experiment with new clubs, change your swing, or try out any other new techniques. It’s a moment when you endeavor to play your best game as if you were on the course. It is alright to attempt a new technique but only if you have been already practicing it, and you want to try it out in your first game. The chief point of the warm up session is to stretch your muscles, build your assurance, and become focused on the game at hand.

If you think that you do not need to warm up before your round of golf, think about how you generally perform when you do not warm up. Did you spend almost all of the round trying to make up for poor shots in the beginning of the round? The warm- up is your opportunity to make your blunders before your game of golf and end up on your scorecard. By making the time and effort to loosen up your muscles and focus your mind, you will play a superior round of golf.

Mick Euan Tait is a golfer and the webmaster of golf-online-tips.com/pages/home">Online Golf Tips, a golf site where you will find useful articles on golf-online-tips.com/articles/golf-swing-practice/the-proper-way-to-practice-for-golf">Golf Practice, golf swing tips and golf fitness training.

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Tags: golf, golf course, golf mindset, golf practice, golfers, practice for golf, putting, sports

Review Of The Different Types Of Golf Training Products

7:46 am January 12, 2010

If you have ever looked into buying golf training products you will know that there are an abundance of them. Make sure though, that you know what you are looking for and for what purpose you need the golf training products. A lot of golfers end up spending vast sums of money on golf aids that just don’t work for them.

Some golfers don’t have a specific problem with their game – they just want to improve upon a certain area of it. Some desire a ways of achieving more distance or more accuracy, while others are interested in getting fit for golf and want to buy some golf strength training aids.

In this article I will go over the top four categories and types of golf training products that are available. The first thing you have to determine is why you think you need a golf training aid. You have to be able to identify which specific problem you have with your golf game or which area you want to improve.

First, you might not need golf training equipment; instead you could start checking out a few golf guides (eBooks) or golf DVD’s that deal with a specific topic that may help you. There are many good eBooks and DVD’s on helping you with your golf swing, how to fix a slice, golf stretching exercises, golf fitness programs, or general golf lessons. If you decide that you would rather have a physical golf training product, then here are the different categories available:

Full Swing Training Aids: In this category you will find the most choice but some of the products might not give you a total golf swing solution. The better golf swing trainers include the hinged golf clubs such as the Refiner hinged training clubs and the Medicus Dual Hinge Driver. Other golf training clubs that can help with the full swing are weighted golf clubs like the Momentus weighted clubs, or you could try the Leadbetter Swing Setter which is very good. Lastly, a bit more expensive but certainly the best of category, is the full swing trainer by Explaner.

Golf Fitness Training Aids: By getting fit for golf you will greatly improve all aspects of your golf game; so I recommend any golfer try out these training aids. The GolfGym is the renowned leader in the field of golf fitness and they offer complete solutions for the golfer. To increase your flexibility and to work on your golf specific muscles, there are two options. The first are weighted golf clubs which also improve your swing plane, and the second is the Explaner as it uses a weighted roller.

Golf Grip Training Aids: As the perfect golf swing starts with a good golf grip, golf grip training aids are another essential product if you have problems with your grip. These products range from specially molded grips that fit over your regular grip of your clubs to special golf gloves that help you grip the club with the right pressure and the right position every time. Also in this category you will find grip training aids that are designed to strengthen the muscles of your hands and wrists.

Putting Training Aids: As putting is such an important part of the game of golf, you will find dozens of different putting aids available. These range from aids that help you with your tempo to laser devices to help your alignment. There are also a bunch of putting tracks and guides for alignment as well as braces to teach you the proper position for your forearms and hands while putting.

These are the top 4 categories of golf training products. The other categories are all more focused on specifics of the golf swing – swing plane, alignment, golf tempo, weight transfer, balance, release, impact position, and short game training aids. As you can appreciate, there is a very specific golf training product for each specific area of the golf game. Just remember to buy only the golf training aid that specifically trains you in the area of the golf game that you need to improve.

Visit Mick’s website for more information on golf training where you will find reviews for the top golf-online-tips.com/golfreviews/category/golf-training-aids">Golf Training Aids. Also you can read more about golf-online-tips.com/articles/golf-fitnesstraining/golf-fitness-training-program">Golf Fitness Training Program at his golf online tips site.

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Tags: full swing, golf, golf aids, golf fitness, golf grip, golf swing, golf training, golf training products, outdoors, putting, recreation and sports, sports, sports and fitness, sports and recreation

15 Tips on Golf Swing Techniques

10:07 am January 9, 2010

Golf swing tips can be found on-line or you can purchase one of the golf swing instructional e-books. Most of the tips on golf swing techniques in these guides have lots of details – more often than not – too much detail. What most of us with a golf swing fault need are just a few basic golf swing tips; whether it is to fix a slice or learn more about iron shots.

5 Tips on How to Drive Long Off the Tee

One of the best ways to achieve lower scores is to gain more golf distance. When you are faced with a shorter distance to the green you will have more chance to score par or better. Needless to say, you will need accuracy as well as distance; otherwise you will be in a worse position. Here are 5 easy and quick tips to help you drive long:

(1) Tee the ball up higher and position it off your leading foot’s instep so that you hit the ball on the upswing; (2) Don’t hit the ball with all your power – use a steady rhythm and work on increasing your swing speed; (3) Use the right shaft flex for your swing speed – use a flexible shaft if you have a lower swing speed; (4) Cock your wrists early on the backswing and un-cock them as late as possible on the downswing; (5) Turn your shoulders a full 90 degrees for maximum distance.

5 Tips on How to Master The Golf Irons

Mastering the golf irons is an often overlooked topic. You will find many resources available to help you improve your driving or putting but not much importance is placed on golf iron play. Learning to dominate your golf irons is easy with these 5 tips:

(1) Use the right iron for the distance you want to hit it and use a full swing; (2) Practice on the driving range to know your average distance with each golf iron in your bag; (3) Learn proper course management – going for the pin is sometimes not the best option; (4) Playing from the rough is different from playing from the fairway – you will need to adjust the ball position, stance, iron loft, and attack angle; (5) Take into account the wind strength and distance as well as other factors like height and slopes.

5 Tips on How to Improve Your Golf Short Game

One of the most important areas of the golf game is the golf short game. If you are able to hit long and accurate drives, that is great, but if you can’t chip or pitch the ball on the green, all that effort will be wasted. The short game of golf is where you really need to put more practice time into, so check out the 5 tips below:

(1) Use a bump and run from under 50 yards, and get the ball rolling as quickly as possible; (2) Place your feet closer together and use a slightly open stance; (3) Pick one club, a 7, 8, or 9 iron for example, and practice your chipping from different distances with the club you are more comfortable with; (4) The length of your back-swing will determine the distance the ball will travel (carry and roll); (5) If you have to play over a hazard, use a more lofted iron with a pitching style of swing.

The three areas of the game that these tips above cover are important, but there are other areas that you will need to learn. They are learning how to cure a slice or hook (if you have these swing faults,) bunker or sand trap play, putting, and pitching. As golf is an all round game, you have to be proficient in every aspect of the game to succeed. You can’t just concentrate on how to be a long drive champion; you have to practice with every club in your bag.

You can find more information at Mick’s website for golf-online-tips.com/golfreviews/">Golf Swing Tips such as the golf-online-tips.com/golfreviews/the-simple-golf-swing-review">Simple Golf Swing, as well as many more golf swing styles.

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Tags: fix a slice, golf, golf irons, golf short game, golf swing, golf tips, hobbies, how to drive long, pitching, putting, recreation, sand trap play, sports

Putting Strategies

9:28 am June 2, 2009

Long putts can turn into rewarding & anticipated challenges for
those who are well practiced. If there is one thing that many great
putters have in common, it’s that they have a natural sense of feel for
the speed & distance needed to make their shots.

This feel isn’t something that you can easily discern from a “how to”
booklet.

It must be learned by instinct & then practiced repeatedly.

A. The Proper Speed

As a beginner, you may be tempted to try to putt from 8 feet out or
even farther. However, this shouldn’t be the first goal.

Great golfers realize that it’s best to lag the ball a little. They’ll try to
get it as close to the hole as possible & leave themselves a very easy
final shot using only 2 – 3 feet of distance.

Of course, knocking the ball into the hole from a distance can hypercharge
your self confidence…. But, you want to still avoid the
dreaded “3-putt shot” which can arise more often than you’d like it
to….

Therefore, pick your shots carefully….

Many beginner golfers have trouble with this concept…. Their ball
may be situated 15 to 20 feet away from the hole, so they put too
much speed & distance into their shots. The next thing they realize,
5-6 shots have consumed a par-3 hole.

B. Mastering Long Putting

What you want to strive for is the “perfect lag” on your ball when
trying a long-distance putt. You want your ball to always land safely
near the hole, regardless of whether it breaks too early or too soon.

You want your ball to end up so that an easy putt will finish the hole
on your next swing.

C. A Simple Practice Exercise

As with any maneuver, practice makes perfect when learning the feel
for speed & distance on the green.

Try this simple exercise to become a better putter:

1.Place four to five balls in a line approximately 10 feet apart from
each other, evenly distributed toward the hole. Now, you should
have a line of balls evenly spaced out between each other. All
leading toward the hole, starting at about 40 to 50 feet out.

2.Now start the exercise. Try putting the ball closest to the hole first
& slowly work your way back. Putt down the line until you reach the
farthest ball. Try to imagine yourself playing in a real game.
(Because you know it’s not a real game, you should be more
loosened up & not stressed about making a perfect lag shot.)

3.Guess what will happen? You’ll play well! That is the ironic part
about golf. When you are in the middle of a good game, worry &
doubt can tense you up, causing poor shots.

*You should strive to take this relaxed mindset with you during a
real game.

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“Confidential” Putting

10:02 am May 30, 2009

Your scorecard can only be improved by increasing your skills. And
your skills will increase when you prepare & push yourself on every
shot. You should ask yourself: What do I expect from this shot?
What is a reasonable result?

A. Reasonable Goals

The key to lowering your score is to try to avoid too many putts in
general. That’s the goal, really.

There is a difference between goals & expectations. Goals are the
end game. Expectations are what you have about small steps toward
your goals. Often, your expectations won’t be met, so use baby steps
to move towards your goals.

The initial goal you should have is to use 36 putts or fewer on an 18
hole course. To get there, you must use two putts or less on every
hole.

This goal obviously becomes easier to achieve if you are
consistently getting the ball onto the green from the tee.

But, during those times where it lands 30 to 50 feet away from the
hole, you’ve got some work to do. It’s takes extreme focus to make
those long putts successful.

B. Make Every Putt Count

By setting a goal of 36 or less putts per game, you’ve taken a
positive step to improving your game.

When facing a long putt, you may get lazy & lose confidence in your
ability to make the shot. This may cause you to swing in a
halfhearted matter & you are destined to fail even before trying.

This happens to us all. Just keep going, avoid thinking like this, &
don’t give up faith!

Try again.

Reset.

And, make every putt count.

C. Over Confidence

Even if the shot appears to be easy, the same outcome may result if
you are too confident. You may have been successful in getting the
ball close to the hole, but now you feel overly confident & start
attacking the ball aggressively.

Instead of staying focused, your overconfidence & lack of
concentration may cause an easy 2′ putt to completely miss the hole.

The key is really to find a balance between B & C above.
Get into the zone. Know that you can sink it, but don’t taken it for
granted….

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