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Golf Tips: Staying Out Of Trouble With Your Driver

March 27, 2011 by  
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Fact: Over 90% of golfers will never be able to compete with you if you can do 3 things relatively simple things (disregard putting for now).

  1. Stay out of trouble with your driver (notice, I didn’t say smash the ball 300 yards down the center of the fairway).
  2. Hit 70% of the greens you face from 150 yards in (in other words, learn to control your 8 iron and down).
  3. Chip the ball within 20 ft of the pin, almost every time (regardless of what you may think, this is not that tough).

Tip #1 – Staying out of Trouble with your Driver

So what is it that’s really causing problems with your driver? Is it a slice, a hook, or just flat-out inconsistency? Regardless of the problems that you are having,you can incorporate a few things into your game that would really help you to improve. If you’re the golfer that’s saying right now, “I’ve battled a slice for 25 years”, then this is not going to be the undisputed end of your problem. But your slice or hook can be reduced to improve upon your score. So here the first tip is.

  1. Swing Easy. Nothing can be better for your game than learning how to swing the club easier and more fluid. Go to the range and focus only on swinging easy.You would then be able to position yourself for a good approach shot when you get onto the course. You will make more consistent impact with the ball, and it will reduce the amount of side-spin you naturally place on the ball because the club head won’t be traveling as fast or with as much force. Again, I know you’ve heard it before, but I ask you to concentrate on this for 1 week. And if you can’t physically practice it, visualize it at the office (visualization works great).
  2. Switch to a low spin ball. Lower spin off of the tee means that the ball is going to go more straight regardless of how whether your ball moves right or left. I recommend the Titleist DT SoLo, the Precept Laddie, or the Maxfli Noodle. You can find these balls anywhere from $13 to $20 per dozen, and they will play a large role in reducing the side spin that you naturally place on the ball.

All this sounds simple, but it is not. Try switching to a low-spin ball, if you are experiencing problems controlling your driver, and start swinging easy. While on the range keep your mind on swinging easy. The result will be increased distance and straighter shots because you’ll be releasing your hands through the ball better.

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 would ensure a correct release of your hands through the ball.

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.

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.

Amazing Golf Mind

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.

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    A Golf Instruction Book Is Essential

    February 26, 2010 by  
    Filed under Golf-For-Beginners, Golf-Tips

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    To improve every aspect of your game, a good golf instruction book is vital. It will provide numerous instructions and tips that will help you become an accomplished player. If you can play a better game you will enjoy this magnificent sport even more.

    Every possible problem will be covered in an instruction book. You will learn how to be more consistent, increase your accuracy, and get more distance. If you are a beginner, a book is even more important because you can learn how to do things correctly before developing any bad habits.

    A typical example of help given in a book would be how to hit a ball that has landed in the rough at the edge of a green. You will be told that the way to tackle this lofted shot is to firstly increase the grip of your hands on the club. This will eliminate the possibility of the grass snatching at the club.

    You have to make sure that the club accelerates through the rough and keeps its direction as it goes under the ball. This is why golfers do many practice swings before pitching out of the rough. This will give you a good idea of how the grass thickness will affect the shot.

    An instruction book will tell you that the more you practice the better you will play. This applies to everything from driving, pitching and putting. Every action will be clearly outlined so that, when you practice, you do it correctly. You will also learn about golfing etiquette which is just as important as playing the game well.

    You can buy instruction books at retail stores, golfing clubs or on the internet. If you buy an eBook online, many websites will offer a bonus book for free. Ordering online is a quick and simple procedure. You can download the books immediately and start reading the easy-to-follow instructions with superb graphics and pictures.

    Golf involves physical and mental fitness. The psychological aspect of the game is huge, and every golfer has to approach the game with the right mindset. This sport can give rise to a great deal of frustration and angry outbursts. You will learn how to control these feelings. Some days you will play great and some days you will play terrible!

    To play the best possible game, physical fitness is also essential. A golf instruction book will focus on exercises that are especially recommended for golfers. Your arms, shoulders, neck and hips play major roles in the game so they need to be in good shape and strong enough to repeat the same movements over and over again.

    Worth Reading

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