Tip #3 - "Approach Shots: What it takes to master them".

Basically, your approach shot is your shot onto the green. One of the things I like to say is this, "You know your game is improving when you start fixing more ball marks on the green". To fix a ball mark on the green most likely means that you hit it on your approach, which is a good thing.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind, and then we'll get to the heart of this article.

• Aim for the middle of the green, not the flag. Pin placements and greens are getting tougher to stick all the time. Don't be a "sucker" and go for a pin that you'll most likely miss, which will leave you in a bunker or some other position to add strokes to your round.
• Focus on alignment, not distance. That leads us into the main part of the article.

As you know, it's not an easy task to master the approach shot, but there are some ways in which you can drastically improve the accuracy of the shot. Alignment is the key to improving your approach shots. Most golfers don't practice their alignment too much on the practice range, but they should.

Think about this for a minute. Generally, when you are off the green it is due to alignment, not distance. Chances are, you have your 160 yard club, 150, 140, 130, etc...

And if you hit a poor shot, the ball may go a little further or a little shorter. But even if that happens, most greens are deep enough that you should be on the putting surface if you have selected the club that would leave you in the center of the green.

But...alignment is another story. If you pull the ball, more times than most you really pull the ball, correct?

When your alignment is off, it's off by much more than 5-10 yards!

And if you push the ball, you generally are pushing it for the entire round, correct? Bunkers, water, and uneven lies are the obstacles you face.

How are you supposed to compete? The answer is simple. Practice your alignment.

Take your home course for example. I would be willing to bet there's somewhere in the ball park of a 160-yard par 3 on the course. Now picture that hole. What happens if you're 5-10 yards deep or shallow? You're probably still okay, right?

But what happens if you go right or left? That shot, more than likely, has trouble written all over it.

Summary:

Go to the range, and practice your alignment. Always hit to a target. The Simple Golf Swing makes staying down the middle easy.

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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.

Tip #2 - How to Maximize your Distance by Hitting Triples instead of Home Runs

It's a great overall theory to build your entire swing around. Keep this in the back of your head at all times while you are on the course, and remind yourself of it before every shot. The result will be increased distance and straighter shots because you'll be releasing your hands through the ball better.

Background Info :

Many recreational golfers struggle with slices, blocks, and inconsistency because they don't know how to release their hands through the ball correctly. By "releasing your hands through the ball", I am describing the act of maximizing your club head speed at the moment of impact, and eliminating the "outside-in" movement that creates a slice.

How You Will Benefit:

1. You'll learn an easy way of "getting your hands through the ball"
2. You'll be increasing the speed of the club head through the impact zone
3. You will ensure that the club head is square at impact (which will drastically reduce any slice that you have)

What To Do:

Step 1: Create the "X"

This means that on the follow through, you need to focus on making your forearms cross. This will ensure that your hands have released through the ball correctly. Here's an illustration of what I am talking about.

Notice the "X" that is created after impact and where the shaft of the club is pointed. Practice getting in this position. Practice creating that "X" after impact.

It will be easy to understand the alterative by paying attention to where the club is pointed, which I will explain in the next step.

Step 2: Finish at Third Base

Focus on pointing the club down the third base line on your follow through. In relation to where my feet are pointed in the picture at left, the club is pointed down the third base line. This is what we want.

Many golfers finish their swing with the club straight up in the air, or even pointed down the first base line in relation to their feet. Try that once, and you will feel the extreme "outside-in" movement that produces a slice. This is nothing more than a habit that can be easily broken. The Simple Golf Swing goes over this step in much more detail.

Summary:

So when you are on the tee next time, focus on just 2 things. Make the "X" and "finish at third". That's it. Swinging easy should already be grooved into your swing from the last tip I sent. Focus on these 2 tips, and you should be on your way to consistently staying out of trouble with your driver, which is the first step to scoring better.