Copy the Pros
photo credit: foxypar4 If your swing looks good you will more likely than not, play good. Notice how nearly all of the PGA Pros have what most would consider, a perfect swing. Believe me, they do have small swing flaws but they are so minute they are not noticeable.
In other sports such as baseball for example, you can emulate a player’s swing but unless you have the raw strength to swing hard you will never knock it out of the park as they do. In golf, however, if you can work to reproduce the look and feel of a pro’s swing, you will hit the ball straight on a consistent basis. Granted, you may never hit it as far as the pros do but you will hit it as straight as they do.
Work on your game in segments. Watch the pros during their back-swing and try to reproduce their tempo and field of motion. Do the same with the downswing. Watch how they set up and swing during their short chip shots. Note how they swing the club on the putting green.
You can get free golf lessons in your own living room by simply watching the best in the world play golf. Try it, it works!
Play Golf and Make New Friends
photo credit: Clintus McGintus Some long-lasting friendships have been spawned on the links. What other game can you be paired up with complete stranger and end up with a life-long friend?
Playing golf gives one an opportunity to know the person they are playing with, it reveals the truth about a person. You can easily tell the make–up of an individual by how he or she handles the situations that develop on the course. Do they allow their game to cause emotional mood swings? The game can show just about every kind of human emotion, everything from extreme elation to utter despair. How a person plays the game tells a lot about how they look at life in general. Golf can easily bring out emotions that would otherwise not appear during a casual friendship. Ah! what a game!
Tee Shot
photo credit: SimonDoggett On a par four or par five hole, your tee shot placement is critical because it sets up your approach to the green, that’s why driving the ball straight is so important.
Placing your tee shot in a fairway location that allows an approach to the widest part of the fairway (on par 5s) or the widest part of the green (on par 4s, should be your goal. Sand traps are a threat because they are usually placed to block an area of the fairway that allows a good approach shot. Sand traps near the green protect the pin so that if your shot isn’t long enough, the trap will catch your ball.
Make sure you use good course management and plan your tee shots accordingly.
Travel-bag
August 9, 2010 by Admin
Filed under Beginners, Famous Quotes
photo credit: teamstickergiant Once you have developed your game and decide to take it on the road (on vacation) you are going to need a travel-bag. Not that long ago, a cover was used to cover only the top half of the golf bag. The cover snapped to the bag itself and away you went. More often than not, clubs were damaged or lost in transit. Once from Phoenix to Cleveland, in the late 70s, my clubs ended up in Hawaii. When they were finally delivered, my wooden driver had a huge crack in it.
Travel bags are an absolute necessity. When you purchase one, get the best you can afford. It will be well worth the cost and unnecessary worry of having your clubs damaged in transit. They can be purchased at any golf retailer shop.
Hitting from the Sand
photo credit: nsaplayer For a newcomer, landing in a sand trap can be an intimidating feeling unless you are confident about playing a good sand shot. The most important goal about a sand-shot is GETTING OUT OF THE TRAP.
No matter what sort of lie you have, there are some fundamentals to follow: A. maintain an open stance facing slightly left of target. B. open the face of your sand-wedge. C. bring the club back in a more upright fashion. D. let the clubhead get ahead of your hands through impact. E. be sure to make a strong follow-through.
During the shot, you should feel as if you are flicking your wrists and bouncing the club under the ball. The ball will land softly without much roll.
Ball Position
photo credit: petersbar The position of the ball during address (set-up) is extremely important. Rather than play the ball in the same position (center of stance) with irons, many players move the ball around for different clubs. The driver is always played off of the left heel.
For mid-irons (5-6-7), play the ball in the center of your stance. For long-irons (2-3-4) play the ball slightly forward of center. For short-irons (8-9-wedges) play the ball slightly behind center. How much forward or behind center depends on the individual.
Shots with long-irons should be swept off the turf. With mid-irons, a smaller divot is taken and for short-irons a much larger divot is taken. The driver is always played off of your left heel.
Putting Methods
photo credit: Drew Coffman Putting is personal. There is no instructor that can tell you or show you the method that will work best for you. An instructor can guide you but only you can find what really works.
Here are some guidelines: 1) Your eyes should be directly over the ball at address. 2) Left arm and putter shaft should form a straight line when looking from the front or from behind. 3) Both thumbs should point straight down while resting on top of grip. 4) The putter should be square when contact is made.
Folks, the rest is up to you. Find a stance and address position that you are comfortable with and can be repeated on a consistent basis. It’s a necessity to find a method that “fits.”
Pace of Play
photo credit: Digital Sextant No question, one of the most irritating aspects of playing golf is being behind slow players who are oblivious to the group/s behind them.
Being new to the game, keeping a good steady pace while playing should be job-one. The next question: What is a good pace? The answer is really simple, keeping a good pace of play means keeping up with the players in front of you. If you find yourself staring at an empty green as you walk on the tee, you are playing way too slow.
Tips: 1) think about your next shot immediately after you hit the previous shot. 2) take only one practice swing. 3) once everyone is finished putting immediately move off the green. 4) always be cognisant of other players.
Scoring Terminology
photo credit: danperry.com Depending on the yardage, every hole has a par designation. On average, holes between 240 and 450 yards are considered par 4s. Holes that are between 480 and 625 yards are par 5s and holes that are under 240 yards are par 3s. A par is when you shoot the designated score.
If you score a 5 on a par 4 hole, you scored a “bogey” (one over par). If you had a 6 on the par 4 you had a “double-bogey.” A 7 is a triple bogey and an 8 is called a “quadruple bogey,” sometimes referred to as a ”snowman.” Whereas a 3 on the par 4 is a birdie, a 2 is called an “eagle” and a 1 is a hole-in-one !
A Shot From the Water?
photo credit: nsaplayer One of the most unpredictable shots in golf is a shot from a water hazard. Even seasoned professionals will cringe over this precarious lie. When examining your lie, if the ball is more than half submerged, it’s best to take a drop and the penalty.
In many cases, where half or more of the ball is out of the water, it is quite feasible to play a relatively short water shot. Make sure you take a wide and well-balanced stance. Grip the club in a more neutral fashion (hands turned slightly neutral or left when gripping the club). Take the club back in an upright manner, as you would a bunker shot and make a steeper angle of attack on the down-stroke. It’s important to make a strong follow-through.