The Right Address For Better Consistency

The Feet

As we move through the address position section I want you to wrap your head around the idea that we are going to construct a building. The building is four to six feet tall and not very wide. Of course I am referring to the human body. The first place you would start is the foundation, so let’s talk about the feet first. Let’s see how far apart they are supposed to be and exactly where we place the weight once we get the feet planted.

The feet have to support the upper body and once the golf club, the arms, and the body get moving in the downswing there is a lot of force that the foundation has to support.

1. The feet have to be just slightly further apart than shoulder width. This distance is far enough apart to maintain a solid base.

1. Slightly More Than Shoulder Width

As the club begins to build up speed and the left hip makes the first move down the target line before it turns backward, the width of the stance will hold up just fine. If you have a tendency to lose your balance, your stance might be to narrow.

Too Narrow

After impact the golf club swings back around your body and up towards your left shoulder. As the golf club comes to the end of the swing your weight has moved from the right side over to the left side. The width of your feet will accommodate this move. Your weight needs to be evenly distributed between your toes and heels.

The Knees

From the feet we are going to move up the building to the knees. The knees have played a huge role in most sports- golf is no exception. The knees are going to come into play in two different parts of the golf swing.

The first part is the address position.

2. As you address the golf ball your knees will have a slight flex in them.

2. Knees are Slightly Fixed

You are NOT going to “sit” on your knees and they are NOT locked straight.

For a long time instructors taught students to have the feeling you were “sitting” on a bar stool. I always believed we should have been teaching people to feel as though you were “leaning” back on a stool. The last thing you would ever want to do is sit in golf. Sitting will cause the golf club to swing too level to the ground in the downswing, and you will have a tendency to hit the ground behind the golf ball.

Straight

Sitting

Before you start to “straighten” your knees to a “locked” position, which is just as wrong as sitting, let me give you a bit of advice. The knee position is what I refer to as “slightly” flexed. Because we are all different heights, I cannot give you an exact degree you should flex your knees- however; if you simply relax your knees, you will find the correct amount of bend on your own.

The second roll the knees play in the swing is when the golf club is in motion. As the golf club swings back, the single most important thing for you to remember is the RIGHT knee never ever moves from the original position. If you think of the two knee caps as head lights shining in front of you as you drive along a road, you might make some twists and turns but the headlights are always in front of you. As you start the backswing the right knee does not slide, bend or straighten out- it stays very quiet and solid during the entire backswing.

Both knees must remain flexed during the entire backswing and until impact.

The Hips

If your chin is in the correct position, and your spine is long (don't worry we'll talk about these shortly), and your knees are flexed the correct amount, the golf club will not sole correctly on the ground until you tilt or bend over from the hips. You do NOT want to bend at the waist. You ALWAYS want to bend from the hips. The difference is if you bend at the waist your spine will bend (not good).

3. If you bend at the hips you can maintain the spine angle and sole the club on the ground correctly.

3. Bend at the Hips

If you do not bend at the hips, you will not be able to sole the golf club correctly.

When you bend over from the hips you have to make sure you do not straighten out or lock your knees. When you bend at the hips you have to pay close attention to making sure you do not bend at the bottom of the spine.

Not Tilted

Tilted Too Much

The hips play another role not related to their position

4. Your hips must be parallel to the line of the ball flight at address.

4. Parallel to the Line of the Ball Flight

If your hips are open at address you will have a tendency to open the hips too soon in the downswing. The clubface will be open at impact and the golf ball will start right. If your hips are closed at address the golf club will swing too much from the inside in the downswing and the golf ball will either start right or you will struggle with a quick hook left.

Open

Closed

At address the hips are parallel to the ball flight line. As the golf club swings back down from the top, the first move from the top is for the left hip to move an inch or two parallel to the target line and then the left hip should begin to turn backwards out of the way so the golf club can swing back to the inside after impact.

When you arrive at the finish of the golf swing your belt and shoulders should be level to the ground. Your belt buckle will aim at the intended target and your hips are level to the ground.

The Shoulders

The shoulders play three major roles in the golf swing. The first two roles are static and the third is a moving role. In the address position the shoulders compliment the spine angle.

5. If the shoulders are opened up and back at address the spine angle will be in the correct position as long as the chin is up.

5. Shoulders Back

If the shoulders are rounded the spine will be bent over too much.

Rounded

The second role the shoulders play is they must be parallel to your intended line you want the golf ball to travel on. When you look down your toes, knees, hips and shoulders must be in line with each other. Parallel means they have to be on the same line going to the left of where you want the golf ball to start. If the shoulders are aiming to the right of the target the golf club will start too much inside the correct path in the backswing. If they are aiming to the left of the target the golf club will start too much to the outside in the backswing. For the golf club to start back on the correct path the shoulders must be parallel from the start.

The shoulders play yet another role in the backswing. As the clubhead, shaft, hands, arms and (shoulders) start moving backwards, the right shoulder has to move out of the way to give the hands, arms and golf club a place to swing to at the top of the backswing. The right shoulder does not slide back. Instead – rotates around your body.

The shoulders play a huge role in distance and direction. The shoulders have to turn as much as possible in the backswing. Once your back is facing the target (this for the 30ish and under crowd) or as much of a turn as possible, you will be in position to swing the club down with maximum club head speed.

The Spine

The spine has taken on an all important part in the golf swing in the past 10 years. Not many words were written about the spine and its role in the golf swing until then.

6. If the spine stays long during the backswing, not rigid, you can make a much bigger turn.

6. Long Spine During Backswing

If your spine is curved at address the shoulders will have a tendency to tilt and not turn. In the downswing the shoulders will have a tendency to turn on top of the golf ball instead of moving under. If the shoulders can move under, the golf club will stay on the path in the downswing (producing an inside to out swing). As the golf club swings back the right shoulder has to turn to allow the golf club to swing up, if the spine is too long the club will swing around too much and not up enough.

Bent Over

Too Long

There is yet another role the spine plays in the golf swing. At the top of the backswing the spine supports the upper body, the golf club, the arms and most importantly the speed at which we swing the golf club. If the spine maintains its length in the backswing, you will be able to swing the arms at a greater speed in the downswing.

The golf club is at its maximum speed as it nears the golf ball and the spine is supporting the “frame of the golf swing” - your upper body. As the club head passes the impact zone the spine is at its most vulnerable position and from that point to the finish is when the spine is taking a real beating (physically).

Maintaining the correct spine angle will play a major role in club head speed and, the direction the club actually swings (swing path). The spine maintains the same angle from address to one foot past impact and it is critical that it starts from the correct position.

If you are in the correct posture at address no changes are necessary.

If you are standing too tall at address, bending at the hips will solve this problem. If you are bent over too much at the top of the spine or your shoulders are too curved, you will have to take a very serious look into changing your spine angle. Opening your shoulders and lifting your chin will be a great place to start.

The Chin

After you address the golf ball there is a check-list of things you need to go through to make sure you are ready to take off. I am not going to tell you the position of the chin is the most important- however, it ranks up there for sure. The chin controls what happens to the shoulders in the backswing.

If the chin is down in your chest at address, the shoulders will have a tendency to pop up in the backswing. The right shoulder will NOT turn out of the way to make room for the arms to swing around. If you continue to leave your chin down in your chest you might have some success with the shorter clubs, but the long clubs will be very difficult to hit. You can get away with the arms swinging up and down with the short clubs, you might not be so lucky with the longer clubs.

If you have a tendency to top your shots or hit thin, your chin might be up too much.

Too Down

Too Up

If the chin is down in your chest at address, the shoulders will have a tendency to pop up in the backswing. The right shoulder will NOT turn out of the way to make room for the arms to swing around. If you continue to leave your chin down in your chest you might have some success with the shorter clubs, but the long clubs will be very difficult to hit. You can get away with the arms swinging up and down with the short clubs, you might not be so lucky with the longer clubs.

If you have a tendency to top your shots or hit thin, your chin might be up too much.

So now you want to know how much you should lift your chin up. I have some advice that is not the answer of all answers, but it is a wonderful starting point.

7. Lift your chin up just enough to get your fist under your chin and touch your throat.

7. Use Fist as a Guide

Correct

When you start experimenting with this new position you will want to start with a club you like to hit. You will know right away if the correction is going to help you or not. Give it a chance. If you top a lot of shots, you have lifted the chin up too much. The first few shots you might want to start with half a fist so you can ease into it. Keep in mind it is an extension of your spine. You might have to bend over at the hips another inch or two; this will compliment the chin position.

Hit Them Straight & Long,

JJ

http://turbourl.com/?de3z

Full Swing Fundamentals - The Grip

The Grip

Left Hand

When you pick up a golf club your hands are the only part of your body that touch the club. For many years the hands (grip) have often been referred to as the steering wheel of the golf swing. I don’t believe this could be more true. Gripping the golf club correctly makes playing this game a much better experience.

Gripping the golf club at first glance does not seem like a very difficult thing to do, however, it can take a lot of trial and error to figure out the correct grip for you. This is a very interesting aspect to the game of golf. Gripping the golf club is a VERY INDIVIDUAL thing for everyone that plays golf. There are no two grips alike. You can only find what works for you through hitting golf balls. I can and will guide you, but ultimately, results on the golf course speak louder than me.

1. Place the golf club up in your left hand, the golf club goes across the left palm- from the base of the forefinger to the pad above the pinky.


2. Now, hold the handle steady with your left fingers and wrap your palm around the top of the grip.

1. Club Goes Across the Left Palm

2. Wrap Palm Around Top of the Grip

The grip does more to effect actual ball flight than anything else in the game. That’s why we’ve started with the grip. It’s the foundation of the swing, and a quick fix for those of you that have undesirable ball flight patterns.

The more you grip the golf club in the fingers, the faster you can swing the golf club and the quicker the clubface will close. If you grip the golf club further up in the palm, the slower the golf club will travel and the longer it takes for the clubface to close. If you are slicing the golf ball, you will want to move the grip more into the fingers (the base of the fingers), if you are hooking the golf ball, you will want to move the grip more into the palm area (higher up in the left hand).

Right Hand

Now that the left hand is in place you are going to place the right hand on the golf club.

3. With your right hand on the side of your right leg, slowly bring it towards the bottom of the golf club.


4. The right hand will be placed on the golf club more in the fingers than the palm. You will simply fold the right hand around the fingers of the left.


5. BOTH PALMS MUST ALWAYS FACE EACH OTHER. It is not a difficult thing to do but it is mandatory, no gray area.

3. Bring your Right Hand Towards the Bottom of your Left Hand

4. Fold your Right Hand Around the Fingers of the Left Hand

5. Both Palms MUST Face Each Other

Congratulations, you have now GRIPPED the golf club. But hold on a second, there is a good chance this is not the correct grip for you, so you will have to experiment. However, I have given you a great starting point. The placement of the hands on the golf club controls what the clubface will do during the golf swing and ultimately what the clubface will look like at impact.

In the next section I will show you some variations of the grip that will help you find the one that works best for you.

**SPECIAL NOTE Most golf clubs either have a “ladies” grip or a “men’s” grip on the golf club. If you have small hands it is very important to make sure you have your clubs gripped with a ladies grip, it doesn’t matter if you own men’s clubs. If you have large hands you should have your clubs gripped with men’s grips. There are a couple more options, if your hands are really small you can have “junior” grips placed on your clubs or if you have x-large hands or arthritis you can have “jumbo” grips placed on your clubs. The grip size also effects ball flight. Large grips tend to make a person fade the ball and small grips tend to make a person draw the ball.**

Grip Variations

There are multiple ways to grip a golf club. Although it sounds overwhelming, it truly is not. Once you begin to experiment you will eliminate four or five of them instantly. I will give you a guide to get you started on the right track.

Interlocking Grip

Overlapping Grip

For starters, if you have small hands and fingers, the interlocking grip will probably work best for you. It helps you wrap your fingers and palm around the grip handle.

On the other hand, if you have large hands, the overlapping grip will probably work best for you.

The above-mentioned grips are the proper way to hold a club- however there are three different ways you can apply them to the golf club.

Weak

Neutral

Strong

You can grip the golf club in a weak position (no knuckles of the left hand showing), neutral (one knuckle of the left hand showing) or the strong position (2 or 3 knuckles of the left hand showing).

During your experimenting, if the golf ball has a tendency to curve to the right, you will want to move BOTH hands to the right (strong). When you move the hands make sure you do it slowly. If the golf ball has a tendency to curve to the left, you will want to move BOTH hands slowly to the left (weak). Now, if the golf ball is flying without a curve, you have the correct grip for you. DO NOT EXPERIMENT WITH ANY OTHER GRIP.

Grip Pressure

OK, you have found the correct grip for you. There is one last item we need to deal with. The amount of pressure you apply to the club plays a major role in how you swing the golf club. The tighter you grip the golf club the slower your arms will swing and the longer the clubface will take to release in the downswing (causing a slice). This is a good thing if you HOOK the golf ball. This will definitely stop the ball from curving from right to left. On the other hand if you have problems SLICING the golf ball this amount of grip pressure will make the ball slice more.

If you are struggling with slicing the golf ball, you will have to hold the golf club like you were holding a baby’s hand. Gently, the lighter you grip the golf club the faster the club will swing and the quicker the club will release in the downswing. If you do not have any problems with the ball curving, you have found the correct amount of grip pressure.

Hit Them Straight & Long,

JJ

http://turbourl.com/?de3z

Trouble Shot Tip #1 Downhill Lie

I'd like to share a great tip with you today. This will show you
how to make solid contact with the ball on an uneven lie going
downhill, which is probably the most difficult shot in golf.

One of the reasons this shot is so hard is because when you address
a golf ball that is on a downhill lie there isn't any room for
error. Most people end up hitting the ground behind the ball, or
hitting the golf ball thin since the ground is going away from the
ball. A downhill lie makes it very difficult to swing under the
ball and get it up in the air.

In this golf lesson, I will show what you need to do to get the
ball up in the air and on its way to the pin.

Tip #1 Uneven Lie-Ball going downhill

When you stop to think about what area of your golf game you should work on you don’t often think about the different trouble shots. You spend time at the practice facility working on your full swing and you might spend some time on your putting. However you rarely think about uneven lies, flop shots, deep rough or punch shots.

I have put together some valuable information on two Trouble Shots that I know will play a big role in you lowering your handicap.

Hands down this has to be the most difficult shot in golf. The game was just not designed to be played going downhill and there are two problems you are faced with. Just when you think you have a tough downhill lie you look up to see that you now have to hit the ball over a pond onto the green. Not going to happen.

The Arc

You see the reason the ball going downhill lie is so difficult is because we swing the golf club on a arc. The arc has to have a bottom to it so you can find the bottom of the golf ball. When you address the golf ball on level ground the bottom of the golf club can swing up and down on the arc and return to the bottom of the golf ball, there is turf under the golf ball.

When you address a golf ball going downhill there isn’t any turf under the golf ball. The ground goes away from the ball. When you swing the golf club on arc and return to the golf ball the turf goes away from you. There isn’t any turf for the golf club to swing into.

You have to compensate so you can find the bottom of the ball.

Finding the Bottom of the Ball

The next problem is as big as the first one. You not only have to find the bottom of the golf ball, you have to make sure it goes up in the air.

There are four degrees of loft between all of my irons. If I am 150 yards from the green on a downhill slope of 8 degrees I am going to have a difficult time hitting the green with this shot. When I am standing 150 yards from the green I have to hit a shot that has enough loft so the ball will stop when it hits the green. I usually hit a 7 iron from 150 yards; in this case my 7 iron has the loft of my 5 iron. I have to drop down and take my 8 or 9 iron. Because the 8 and 9 irons are shorter than the 7 they will not perform like a 7.

When you have long downhill lies that won’t reach the green that usually isn’t a problem. Anytime you have a chip, pitch or full swing shot that can reach the green that is when the trouble begins.

So let’s spend some time with the technique of hitting a downhill shot.

As soon as the golf club reaches the bottom of the arc it has to swing level along the ground before it can come back up. In other words the arc has to be longer than normal.

Stand to the Slope

The first thing you have to do is stand to the slope. Your right shoulder has to be higher at address which places more weight on your left side.

The reason you have to stand to the slope is to make sure the golf club swings UP in the backswing and DOWN in the downswing. If the slope is severe enough you have to make sure you do not transfer any weight going back in the backswing.

Now comes the secret. You have to make sure at the bottom of the hit that you follow through LOW, follow through along the slope. You do not have to worry about finishing high. You have to keep the club head low to the ground so you can make solid impact and not top of scull the golf ball.

You might have the feeling of chasing the golf ball down the fairway. Two other items to remember when you are going downhill, the golf ball will not stop and you will have tendency to slice or push the golf ball to the right.

That's all for Tip #1, I hope it will help you the next time you find yourself with a downhill lie. In a few days I'll show you some great ways to get out of the deep rough.

Sincerely,
Jay

Hello Friend:

Every golfer worth his or her salt wants “touch”—the ability to routinely land the ball on the green and run it softly to the pin.

Maybe you even know somebody who has good “touch” and you’ve envied that person’s skillful shots.

Well, I’m going to teach you how to make those same shots part of your game.

That’s right. I’m going to help you acquire a feel for the greens...to master all the variables that are involved in the pitch shot...to truly have “touch.”

And having touch is going to cut your handicap by a third.

I think you should try it out. What have you got to lose?

If you haven't seen this, please check out:

http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?Clk=2473387

You won't be disappointed.

Thanks, and be sure to let me know how much your friends envy your skillful pitch shots after seeing this video.

Jay

How to Lower your Scores by Pitching the Ball with PinPoint Accuracy

Imagine: You've missed the green with your approach shot to the right, and now you have a bunker blocking the green. Your only realistic chance of saving par is hitting a great pitch shot that stops close to the pin allowing you to one-putt the green. Over the next few days I'm going to teach you much of what you need to know in order to lower your golf scores dramatically by learning how to pitch the ball correctly.

As you may know, the short game is by far the quickest way to lower scores. Everyone can improve in this area of the game, because it doesn't require as much athletic ability or flexibility as a full golf swing.

Lesson 1 will be on the setup. You should see immediate improvements from this setup alone. It has worked wonders for my students for years.

Pitching Lesson 1

The following screenshots are directly from our upcoming pitching video. In this golf lesson we will take you through our unique pitching setup, and explain how our setup will ensure more solid impact by automatically creating a steep swing angle. The steep swing angle will allow you to get maximum height, and minimum roll when the ball hits the green.

There are 3 parts to our setup. All of these setup components are built specifically to give you a steep swing angle automatically.

The 3 components to the correct pitching setup:

1. Ball Position
2. Weight
3. Hand Position

I have outlined the major pieces of each component below.

1. Ball Position

When you are learning how to pitch the golf ball correctly you want to start by placing the ball in center of your stance for every shot. The reason for this is that it will give you consistency in the beginning. As you get more experienced, we teach you in the video how to move the ball more forward in your stance. Moving the ball forward in your stance will give the ball added height. If you want to hit flop shots, you want to place the ball more forward in your stance.

So in the beginning, place the ball in center of your stance.

2. Weight

You want 70% of your weight on your front foot when pitching the ball. The most important part of this, is that you need to keep the weight on your front foot during the entire swing. Never transfer any weight to the rear foot when pitching the ball. You want the weight forward, because it forces you to come into the golf ball crisp. This will help you stop hitting behind the golf ball when pitching (the most common problem in pitching).

3. Hand Position

As you move your weight forward to your front side, your belt buckle will naturally move towards the target slightly. After this happens, you need to adjust your hand position so your hands are directly in front of your belt buckle. Again, this is done to promote a steep swing angle this move forces you to hit downward on the golf ball instead of "scooping" it. Most players think they have to "scoop" the ball in order to get added height on the ball. Our unique method lets the loft of your golf club put loft on the golf ball automatically.

Conclusion

As you can see, pitching the golf ball successfully is a mixture of art and science. You should be able to take this information and become a short game player immediately. Having said that, the setup is only the first component in the process. I will be following up in the next few days with more information on the backswing and downswing.

Please don't neglect this extremely important aspect of your game. I'll be in touch soon with more info like the above.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

David Nevogt writes golf instruction material that helps golfers of all levels reach their full potential and lower their scores. David is the author of "The Simple Golf Swing" which guarantees to have you shooting 7 strokes lower in only 1 week from today.

Could You Putt Those Greens at Augusta?

Masters week is upon us and this could be one for the record

books in my opinion. But honestly, the best thing I love

about this tournament is the greens.

The greens at Augusta are about as good as they come. Slick

as all heck and undulating. As quoted by one reporter yesterday

"No one was holing a thing outside six feet." If you've ever

putted on really fast greens you know what they can do to your

confidence.

You can relate I'm sure. I mean most of us are happy to get the

ball on the green in regulation right?

But when you're faced with really fast and sloping greens,

position of your approach shots is at a premium as well as

distance control on your putts and pinpoint accuracy with your

line.

So what does this mean for YOU and your game? Well, while you

may not play greens as fast as the Masters, you can certainly

get a lot better at putting in general if you learn to putt well

on fast greens.

Which is why I'm excited to announce we've got a new shipment of

our best-selling Putting DVD back in stock.

(Click link at bottom)

We've been sold out of them for about 4 months now so it's been

a long time coming but they're finally here!

So, if putting is not your strength or you simply want to learn

the easiest way even an out-of-shape old golfer can cut strokes

give it a look!

And let's hope none of those guys putt the ball of the green at

Augusta!

Good golf,

JJ

HowToBreak80.com

22750 Hawthorne Blvd, Ste 202, Torrance, CA 90505, USA

How to Eliminate Your Golf Slice Quickly and Easily

Here's a really good tip that may help you to get rid of your slice. Best of all, it's really pretty simple once you get the hang of it, and understand why it's being used.

Chances are that you have battled with a slice at some point in your golfing days. To be completely direct with you, dealing with a slice really sucks. It hurts your golf game in many more ways than one.

Luckily, it's fairly easy to fix. I cannot claim that this small tip will completely cure your slice, but there's a good chance that it will. I hope it does.

First off, please understand that when you come into the impact zone, there are really only 2 factors that can determine the "shape" of ball flight.

1. The angle of the club face at impact.

2. The Path the club is taking at impact.

So, here's a few things you should concentrate on.

Try to keep your leading shoulder "down" on the ball through impact. This is called staying strong through impact. Many times the leading shoulder (left shoulder if right handed) flies up before impact. Now just for a minute, think about what that does to the club head when it's in the impact zone.

Get up from the computer and actually go though the motions slowly. Let your leading shoulder fly up as you approach impact and you'll actually be able feel and see the clubface coming from an outside-in path. That's the cause of the slice you are battling.

See, golf is all about thinking and analyzing your shots to get better. A huge part of this game is understanding "why" you're getting a certain result, and the physics behind that result. Thinking through your golf swing will provide huge dividends if you're willing to invest the time it takes.

So what can you do to correct that flying shoulder? Well, for starters, try to learn to keep your leading shoulder strong. Keep that shoulder "Down" on the ball all the way through impact, even after the ball is gone and flying straight down the fairway.

So, after impact the leading shoulder is still down. The triangle between your shoulders and chest is still present. Most importantly, the body has NOT gotten ahead of the hands. This is a HUGE distinction. As you may notice, the left shoulder is actually higher than the right shoulder. So what do I mean when I say "leading shoulder down"?

You have to envision yourself from the back looking down on the ball. When I say "down", I mean that the leading shoulder and chest is still facing the ball through impact.

So even though it may seem like the leading shoulder is higher than the trailing shoulder, it's still facing the ball at impact. NOT TOWARDS THIRD BASE in comparison to the ball. If your leading shoulder was facing towards third base at impact, which would mean that you have let the leading shoulder fly up.

Furthermore, hand action is huge in this game. You must learn to release your hands correctly through the ball. This means that you release the hands while the leading shoulder is still "down", or facing the ball.

The key is to let your arms release through the ball, while your left shoulder is "Down" on the ball. To do this you will need to rotate your forearms correctly, and use your leading ELBOW (not shoulder) as a hinge. So another way to explain this movement would be that your hands are still moving towards the target, but your leading elbow has almost stopped.

Keep the leading shoulder down and let your arms and hands release through the ball and you will see the ball go farther and higher. This will take a while to get used to, but once it clicks, the results will be outstanding.

Hit them straight,

Jay

============================================
David Nevogt writes golf instruction material that helps golfers of all levels reach their full potential and lower their scores. David is the author of "The Simple Golf Swing" which guarantees to have you shooting 7 strokes lower in only 1 week from today.

Become A Better Golfer By Ignoring The Professionals!

One of the biggest mistakes that golf players make when

wanting to improve their game is by trying to imitate the

styles and techniques of professional golfers that are seen

on TV and in magazines.

Every day there are hours and hours of tips that you can get

from the golf station, the latest magazines, and even videos

of the pros.

Sure it would be great to become a better golf player by

copying Annika Sorenstam or Tiger Woods, but it is

counterproductive to play your game like the pros do.

You have to understand that the men and women who live from

playing competitive golf is a very tiny percentage.

Professional golfers do not play golf after they got off of work,

the golf course is their job. They work at it, full time, as

you do at your career. Eight to ten hours of their day is spent

on the practice range, golf course, the practice green, anywhere

they can swing and practice!

You and I do not have the same luxury of being able to practice

our golf game for a living. How great that would be, but lets be practical.

Professional golfers can work hard and learn to make shots that

literally loft the ball into the air and have it stop short just

2 feet away from the hole, without even an inch of roll.

Us regular players should not spend six months trying to repeat

the same maneuver. We must practice the basics and take our time

with learning our individual style and technique.

Understanding How Important Practice Is

What type of practice is best for the average golfer?

This question is usually answered by looking at the amount of

people you will find at the driving range, hitting long distance balls,

over and over again. Most golfers spend over 95% of their time hitting

these long distance shots, but never taking the time for practicing

the shots that count: their short game.

Most people do not enjoy practicing their short game, but the value

received from investing in the effort is the same benefit professional

golfers reap as a reward for their game. These men and women spend 80%

or more of their time by practicing short game shots from all angles

and variables. While you should not imitate the way professional golfers

plays their game, you can certainly learn how to dedicate practice

to the right areas as they do.

Focus On Your Short Game

Most people get a huge thrill out of banging their driver for hours

on end, hitting the ball at great distances, making long drives all

day long. However, during a real game when they look down and see

their scorecard reaching 100 once each round is finished, their excitement

dwindles to a standstill.

Improving your score means you have to spend less time using your driver,

and more time learning how to effectively shoot your short game shots.

You must make the best use of your practice time while you have it.

After work, instead of spending an hour at the driving range hitting

long-distance balls, devote specific time to putting shots, chipping,

pitching, bunker shots, and shots made from 45 - 75 yards.

50% of your score will come from the strokes that are taken at 75 yards

from the ball or less. So does it make sense to spend at least 50% of

your practice time on those exact same shots?

Of course it does!

It may take some discipline to not spend all day knocking balls out

of the driving range, but I guarantee you that your golf game will

improve ten-fold by upping your short game shots and decreasing your

distance practice shots.

Hit 'em straight
Jay

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David Nevogt writes golf instruction material that helps golfers of all levels reach their full potential and lower their scores. David is the author of "The Simple Golf Swing" which guarantees to have you shooting 7 strokes lower in only 1 week from today.

Equipment Care - Dirty Golfers Are Not Welcomed!

One of the basic tenets of golf is to take care of your equipment.

The appearance of a player and his golf accessories can tell a

lot about that person. By taking pride in your golf apparel,

especially your clubs and golf bag, and keeping everything in

shape, you will look better and most importantly, your expensive

golf equipment will last a lot longer.

Keeping Your Club Faces Free From Dirt

Whenever you hit a shot, you will see that the grooves of the

face on your iron will be cluttered with dirt. To keep this

area clean and free of grime, simply wipe off the clubhead with

a rag or small towel and then use the sharp end of a tee to

scrape each groove.

Cleaning your club face like this is not just for appearances

either. By removing encrusted dirt and mud, your shots will

maintain distance. With a dirty club, you can lose control

and your ball will not reach the distances desired.

Cleaning Your Golf Balls

When you arrive at each tee box, you will see a small structure

on a pole designed to help keep your golf balls clean. Some of

these contraptions have a round handle on top, and some have a

crank-type handle on the side.

These are called ball washers and the purpose is to enable you

to clean your golf balls. You simply place the ball in the

designated area and once finished, the ball will come out

erfectly clean.

When cleaning your golf balls, keep it courteous. These ball

washers can be extremely noisy so be sure not to use the machine

when one of your playing partners is about to make a shot. It's

best to wait until the swing is over before you operate the ball cleaner.

Keeping Your Shoes Clean

If you wear spiked shoes during your golf games, as everybody

should, keeping them clean is also standard procedure for the

player who takes care of his or her equipment. At the end of

the day, be sure to scrape off any of the excess dirt and grass

from the spikes before taking off your shoes.

In addition to preventing the trunk of your car from getting

dirty from your shoes, you'll also be able to keep an eye on the

spikes and know when it's time to get new ones installed in your shoes.

Note: You can purchase a package of spikes to keep your footing

fresh at all times. Each package should come with a small wrench

that has two claws. You will insert these claws into the holes at

the base of your cleats in order to remove the spikes.

Replace them with the new spikes but be sure not to tighten them

up too hard because it may be extremely difficult to remove the

spikes for future replacements.

============================================

Hit 'em straight!
Jay
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David Nevogt writes golf instruction material that helps golfers of all levels reach their full potential and lower their scores. David is the author of "The Simple Golf Swing" which guarantees to have you shooting 7 strokes lower in only 1 week from today.

How To Learn While Enjoying Golf

In Scotland-15th Century, the game of "gowf" was born. In 1744, the first rules of play were codified by the Company of Gentlemen Golfers, who were established in Edinburgh. And since then, the world has never been the same. Played in Mexico, Ireland, South Africa, South America, China, and, of course, Scotland; golf is one of the most popular sports in the world. Strangely enough, some universities even offer a golf major.

For the newbie just starting out, the game encompasses a world with a rich and diverse history, requires a potentially major investment of time and money, and a great amount physical and mental anguish. But hey, it's still fun!

A beginner begins by learning what NOT to do.

Initially, you'll want to rush out and spend all your money on greens fees, equipment, clothing, and lessons. Don't rush into that, you don't know the where, what, and how yet!

Understandably, you'll be excited about the game. It's something you can play all by yourself, with your family, and even with your boss. But playing golf well is difficult if you don't find out what you really need to know.

Start out taking baby steps; otherwise you get too serious too soon. Don't spend every waking hour on the range when you first start out. According to many pros, this is a recipe for disaster. Trying too hard in the beginning can cause you to develop bad habits that are hard to break. Although you don't want to be out there from dawn till dusk, spending time at the range can help you get your muscles go.

Hit them straight!

Jay