Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Golf Training Aids -- How to Choose the Right Ones.

Deciding which golf instruction book to buy can be very challenging. All seem pricey and you start to see the same material over and over. Some have many pictures, some are all words, some even have diagrams and formulas that you have to figure out. The goal in buying a golf instruction book is to help your game. You must find one that fits your personal needs and reflects directly on your own problems.

I have been around the game of golf for nearly 20 years. Being that I am only 24 this seems like a lifetime of knowledge for me. I have read many instruction books and visited many teachers. I want to help people locate the right books for their needs. Your first step will be to identify the need your golf game has. For example, if you tend to blow up on one or two holes a round maybe you need a mental game book. Or if you seem to three putt every hole maybe you need a book with tips on putting. Trust me whatever your need is, there has been a book written on it.

Your next step, after you have determined which section of books to look in, will be to find one that you understand. If you learn best by seeing then find some that have instructional videos or maybe you learn better by mimicking. If you learn better by mimicking try to find one with lots of pictures. If you have pictures you can use a mirror to copy their moves and feel what it is like to be in the right positions. If you learn by hearing then find some that have audio tapes. These come in handy if you travel a distance to the course, you can pop in the tape on the way to play. I have had great success with these. Whatever the case is for your personal learning experience make sure you get what will work for you!

Finally, do not be fooled by great advertising. Make sure what you buy meets the qualifications you need. If your left handed make sure it has a section dedicated to lefty's. Always make sure what you buy addresses your needs. This way no money spent will be wasted.

These are a few rules that I go by when purchasing a new instructional book. As stated before the market is full of books, videos, and gadgets to help your golf game. Everyone needs help every now and then so make sure when you are in a time of need that you purchase a product that will really help you and your golf game.

Pure Point Golf Book $47.00

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

If You Want to Improve Your Golf Game Then Stop Watching the Professionals.

We would all like to be able to play like Tiger Woods and many of the other top professionals and millions of golfers around the world watch television, dvds and videos or read magazine articles every day looking for ways in which they can copy the success of their chosen role model. Unfortunately however this simply doesn't work.

Unlike most of us, Tiger Woods does not fit in a quick round of golf on his way home from work or on a Saturday morning before taking the family out to do the weekly shop. For him golf is a job to which he devotes 8 to 10 hours every day either on the golf course, at the driving range or on the practice ground. He has spent years perfecting his art full time and even though he is at the top of the game he still spends countless hours continuing to improve his technique and lift his game.

So, if copying the professionals is not the answer, how can you lift your game to become the best golfer you can be?

The answer to this question is very simple and can be summed up in one word - practice.

The secret to improving your skill level in just about any walk of life is practice but most golfers fail not because they do not already know this, but because they do not really understand just what is required when it comes to practice.

If you watch most novice and intermediate golfers you will find that about 90% to 95% of their practice time is spent on the driving range where they are mainly concerned with improving distance on their long game. However, if you watch the professionals you will find that they spend a lot less time practicing their long game and a lot more time working on their short game and putting skills. Indeed, you will find that many professional golfers spend as much as 80% of their time off the course concentrating on their short game.

Yes, you do of course need to work on your long game and to improve your distance and accuracy off the tee and on the longer holes. However, you also need to spend time working on your chipping, pitching, bunker shots and putting and this means scheduling in less time on the driving range and more time on the practice ground.

Think about it for a moment. If you analyze your score card you will find that about half of your score comes from shots which are made within 75 yards of the hole so doesn't it make sense to spend half of your practice time on improving these shots?

The secret to improving your game and reaching your full potential as a golfer lies in devoting sufficient time to practicing and, more importantly, to practicing all aspect of your game and not simply your driving ability.

"It's So Easy,
A Monkey Can Do It!"











Donald Saunders has been writing articles on a range of topics for many years now. Come and visit his latest website which provides information about Club Car golf carts and Club Car accessories as well as a great deal more.

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Perfecting the Pitch and Run Or Bump and Run Golf Shot in Your Golf Game.

One technique which you need to include in your short game arsenal is the 'pitch and run' or 'bump and run' which is designed to keep your ball low and run in onto the green in windy conditions.


As with all shots the first thing you need to do is to select the right club and most golfers will tell you that the ideal club for the 'pitch and run' is a 7 iron or, if you need a little less loft and more distance because you are still a long way from the green (say more than 150 feet), a 5 iron.


Now the choice of clubs is always something of a thorny subject so here is my advice. Do not worry about what the experts say and, whatever shot you are trying to make, take the club which you are most comfortable with and in which you have the most confidence. Practice with all of the clubs in your bag in a wide variety of different situations and then choose whichever club works best for you in each case.

Once you have chosen your club position yourself to take your shot just as you would for any normal pitch shot. Remember that you want to address the ball so that your front foot is at a 45 degree angle to the target line and your shoulders and body are open and almost facing the target. The ball should also be positioned in the middle of your stance.

When it comes to taking your swing imagine that you are looking at a large clock face straight in front of you. Now the arc of your swing will depend upon the distance you want your ball to fly, remembering that you want your ball to land in front of the green so that it can then run up onto the putting surface.

To begin practicing this shot you should aim to take your club back to no farther than 4 o'clock on your imaginary clock face and then follow through to no more than 7 o'clock. You can then adjust this arc to suit your own style of play and will find that the farther back you take the club the farther your ball will fly. The secret however is to keep the arc as small as possible.

Two other things to remember. First, you must ensure that the arc of your swing, on the back swing, down swing and follow through, remains on your target line throughout. Second, your swing must be relaxed and fluid and you must not slow the club head as it strikes through the ball.

As with all golf shots the 'pitch and run' is something which you must practice over a range of distances and in differing wind conditions. The secret however is to choose the right club for you, stick to the simple rules of the shot and, above all, relax, swing naturally and let your club do the work.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Donald_Saunders

Friday, November 13, 2009

Golf Tips: How to Improve Your Irons Golf Game.

One complaint I hear a lot from golfers is that they have no power with their irons. Their approach shots balloon weakly to the right and fall short.

That high-right miss comes from trying to help the ball in the air -- exactly what many people think they have to do. Their instincts are to hang back on the right foot and scoop the ball. The left wrist bends backward or cups, which adds loft, turning an 8-iron, for example, into a 9-iron or wedge. And there's that weak shot they hate.

To be a good iron player, you must hit down and through the ball without trying to help it up. Here are two good swing thoughts: (1) Keep everything moving forward through impact -- your weight, your hands and arms, the grip end of the club; (2) hit with the back of your left hand facing the target. Feel as if you're backhanding the ball at impact. You'll deliver the club with the correct loft, so an 8-iron behaves like an 8-iron, and you'll hit more greens.




Butch Harmon
Golf Digest, November 2009

Golf Tips: Grip Down on Short Irons to Improve Your Accuracy.

Think of your 8-iron, 9-iron and pitching wedge as pure accuracy clubs. If you want to hit the ball close consistently with these short irons, grip down about an inch. In most situations, you don't want your short irons to fly too high and balloon -- typically a result of overswinging and trying to hit them too hard. This makes it difficult to control their carry distance, particularly in windy conditions.

Gripping down not only helps you make a compact swing, it allows you to better control the trajectory -- you want your short irons to pierce the air. Be sure you can see a piece of the butt end of the grip (right), and focus on swinging through smoothly.

David Leadbetter
GolfDIgest.com, November 2009

Golf Tips: How to Escape the Rough.

If you shoot about 100, your best bet is to pitch out and set up your next shot. To get better out of the rough, try this drill: Drop a golf ball in long grass, then place a second golf ball a foot behind it and practice hitting out without touching the second golf ball. Play the ball back in your stance, lean on your front foot, and hit down hard.

-- Dave Maga
Golf Digest Schools Instructor

Friday, November 6, 2009

How to Correct a Golf Slice -- Golf Training Aid

The golfers slice has more than one cause, and if you want to know how to cure a slice in golf you need to identify what is causing you to slice. In general terms, the problem could be an incorrect grip, the body alignment could be wrong, the ball position in the setup might be wrong as well, so might the angle of the club face.

In view of these many factors coming in to play, your job is to find what is making you slice, by eliminating each one of these causes.

The golfers slice is a common fault among handicap golfers, and can be very destructive if left uncorrected. When you play holes with an out of bounds on the right, or a selection of hazards down the right fairway, you will soon see what I mean. It is not only the trouble the shot puts you in, but it takes a lot of length off your shots as well.

Bear in mind that the slice in golf can be caused when the swing is in progress, rather than have its cause in the setup. This cure for the golf slice deals with the address position only.

1. Do not grip the club too tightly as this can prevent you from pivoting fully. What happens next is the hands and arms pull the club across the ball from an outside to in swing plane. The result is a sliced golf shot.

2. Make sure the club head is square to the ball at the address. It is easy for the novice golfer to inadvertently open the club face at the setup, and from there it is likely to stay open through the rest of the swing.

If you do not know what a square position for the club face looks like, stand opposite someone who does, then go grip the club from them , without moving the club. You might be in for a surprise when you try this.

3. Your body must be aligned square to the intended target. That means you shoulders, hips and feet must be square to the chosen line of flight. If the stance is open or closed, your body will try to compensate for this during the swing, and the shot will be sliced.

4. Ball position. You must know the correct ball position for each of the clubs in your bag. If the ball position with the driver, for instance, is too far forward, the impact is delayed and the swing path is to the inside track. The club face is no longer square to the line of flight, rather it is travelling to the left as the club face passes from the outside to in, causing a slice.




I hope this article helps you in some way to cure your golf slice.

For more golf swing tips and advice on how to improve your golf game, visit: How To Be Better At Golf, or see http://i-golfswingtips.blogspot.com.

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Choosing the Correct Golf Training Aid to Improve Your Golf Swing.

Choosing the correct golf aid to help you improve your swing comes down to choice. You can either hire a pro golf instructor or try a golf trainer. New gold aids such as a dual hinged golf clubs are unique in that they enable you to master correct timing and tempo and ensure that your swing in falling into the correct plane.

Another unique feature is their ability to provide instant feedback if you hit outside the parameters just mentioned. The design and the way that a dual hinge golf trainer works is very interesting. If you swing out of tempo, or without correct timing, or are swinging outside the correct swing plane, the dual hinge opens and the club instantly breaks at the hinge. Therefore, if you have a flaw in your swing, either on the take away, back swing, down swing or follow through, the golf trainer instantly recognizes this and breaks at the hinge to provide you with instant feedback. This is great as it allows you to know exactly where your flaw is and what to work on, on your very next swing. Learning to hit with the club without breaking it is the correct way to ensure you are on your way to a better shot.

The tightness of the dual hinge on the golf swing trainer is adjustable and therefore the sensitivity can be decreased or increased based on skill level. These golf aids are therefore ideal for beginners and professionals alike and a great way to improve your game.

Weighted golf clubs are also great tools to help you swing better. These clubs are scientifically designed and engineered to fall into the correct plane each time you swing them, teaching you correct timing and tempo. By practicing with these clubs you train your muscles and ingrain good technique into your muscle memory that carries over to the course. The next time you want to improve your golf game consider golf aids like swing trainers to help you do it!




Learn more about Golf aids and golf swing trainers and how they can instantly help improve your golf swing!

John spends most of his time traveling to the very best golf destinations playing on and reviewing golf courses and the latest golf products.

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