Confidence. Golfers who lack confidence miss putts—even dead straight ones. To build confidence in your putting—and cut strokes from your scores—start with the right grip. A tour favorite is the reverse overlapping grip.
Here's a six-step routine for this grip:
1. Hold the club perpendicular to the ground
2. Place your left hand on the grip first
3. Remove your left forefinger from the club
4. Put the fleshy part of your right hand on the grip
5. Slide your right hand down the grip
6. Both thumbs must point straight down the shaft
Using the standard overlapping and interlocking grips produce too much clubface rotation when putting—a killer when it comes dead straight putts. The reverse overlapping grip is popular because it keeps the putterface square to the ball and doesn't produce too much clubface rotation. Start by holding the putter by the grip and raising it up until it's perpendicular to the ground. Now place your left hand (for right-handers) on the putter handle with your thumb pointing down the shaft. Next put the fleshy part of your right hand on the flat part of your grip. All your fingers should now be wrapped around the grip, except your left forefinger, which should be sticking out. Now slide your right hand down until your left thumbnail is covered. Both thumbs should be pointing straight down the shaft. Close the left forefinger so it overlaps the fingers of your right hand, completing the grip.Holding the putter this way will help you sink more dead straight putts. Unlike other grips, the reverse overlapping grip keeps the putter face square to the arc of your stroke and the putterface going down the line. If you don't use this grip, try it. You'll quickly see why it's so popular on the PGA Tour.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Friday, July 3, 2009
Use A Wall To Cure This Common Swing Fault
Taking the club too far inside the target line on the backswing spells disaster.
It can lead to all sorts of bad shots—pushes, slices, duck hooks, and topped shots. A common swing fault, this move is usually caused by a backswing controlled by the hips and the dipping of the shoulders away from the ball. With practice, you can cure this fault.
Here's a six-step drill to cure this fault:
1. Situate yourself with a wall behind you
2. Take your address position with a driver
3. Make sure your backside is barely touching the wall
4. Simulate your backswing in slow motion
5. Keep moving your arms until they're waist high
6. Make sure the toe of club points straight up
If your backswing is correct, you'll eventually hit the wall. But that won't happen until after reaching waist high. Since you're not going beyond waist high, you shouldn't hit the wall. Just in case, use a head cover to protect the clubhead and the wall. At the start of a correct backswing, your clubhead should run along the target line for as long as possible. Once the clubhead reaches waist high, the toe should point straight up and away from the wall. If your club touches the wall as you take it back, you know you're moving too far inside. In that case, practice your takeaway by first leading the backswing with the upper body along the target line. Once the upper body can't turn any more, the lower body takes over. That's the correct way of making your backswing.This drill also helps golfers who struggle with "laying off"—dropping the clubhead behind the body because of a weak pair of wrists. Women and senior golfers sometimes have this problem. If your hitting slices, pushes, duck hooks, and all sorts of other bad shots, you could be taking the club too far inside on the backswing. If you think you are, use this drill to cure this common fault. It will cut strokes from your scores.
It can lead to all sorts of bad shots—pushes, slices, duck hooks, and topped shots. A common swing fault, this move is usually caused by a backswing controlled by the hips and the dipping of the shoulders away from the ball. With practice, you can cure this fault.
Here's a six-step drill to cure this fault:
1. Situate yourself with a wall behind you
2. Take your address position with a driver
3. Make sure your backside is barely touching the wall
4. Simulate your backswing in slow motion
5. Keep moving your arms until they're waist high
6. Make sure the toe of club points straight up
If your backswing is correct, you'll eventually hit the wall. But that won't happen until after reaching waist high. Since you're not going beyond waist high, you shouldn't hit the wall. Just in case, use a head cover to protect the clubhead and the wall. At the start of a correct backswing, your clubhead should run along the target line for as long as possible. Once the clubhead reaches waist high, the toe should point straight up and away from the wall. If your club touches the wall as you take it back, you know you're moving too far inside. In that case, practice your takeaway by first leading the backswing with the upper body along the target line. Once the upper body can't turn any more, the lower body takes over. That's the correct way of making your backswing.This drill also helps golfers who struggle with "laying off"—dropping the clubhead behind the body because of a weak pair of wrists. Women and senior golfers sometimes have this problem. If your hitting slices, pushes, duck hooks, and all sorts of other bad shots, you could be taking the club too far inside on the backswing. If you think you are, use this drill to cure this common fault. It will cut strokes from your scores.
Three Most Common Mistakes Weekend Golfers Make
As a golf instructor, Jack Moorehouse has watched hundreds of students take countless swings--both good and bad. Doing so has helped him pinpoint the three most common mistakes weekend golfers make. These mistakes diminish the golfer's power and accuracy. By eliminating them, you'll not only hit the ball farther and straighter. You'll cut strokes from your scores and your golf handicap.
The three most common mistakes:
1. Overswinging
2. Overusing the legs
3. Losing the triangle
Overswinging is probably the most common mistake weekend golfers make. Overswingers don't understand how to create power. Most of your power comes from maintaining a fully loaded wrist set created at the top of your swing. Holding this position as long as you can before releasing it at impact creates power. It accelerates the speed at which your clubhead moves thru the impact zone--the seat of power.Many weekend golfers use their legs to try and generate more power. Your legs are the foundation of your swing. You need your legs when swinging. But overusing the legs saps power. Moving them aggressively thru the ball slows clubhead speed, robbing you of power. Keep your legs as still as possible. They support your swing and help control the clubface, increasing accuracy.Losing the triangle at the top of your swing is a third common mistake. Some let their arms get behind them at the top. Others let their right arms (left, for lefties) fold or collapse. When either of these things happens, your hands get behind your back, making it almost impossible to return the club to a strong position at impact. These golfers lose distance and accuracy.Eliminate these three mistakes from your swing. You'll not only find the fairway more often. You'll chop strokes from your scores and your golf handicap.
The three most common mistakes:
1. Overswinging
2. Overusing the legs
3. Losing the triangle
Overswinging is probably the most common mistake weekend golfers make. Overswingers don't understand how to create power. Most of your power comes from maintaining a fully loaded wrist set created at the top of your swing. Holding this position as long as you can before releasing it at impact creates power. It accelerates the speed at which your clubhead moves thru the impact zone--the seat of power.Many weekend golfers use their legs to try and generate more power. Your legs are the foundation of your swing. You need your legs when swinging. But overusing the legs saps power. Moving them aggressively thru the ball slows clubhead speed, robbing you of power. Keep your legs as still as possible. They support your swing and help control the clubface, increasing accuracy.Losing the triangle at the top of your swing is a third common mistake. Some let their arms get behind them at the top. Others let their right arms (left, for lefties) fold or collapse. When either of these things happens, your hands get behind your back, making it almost impossible to return the club to a strong position at impact. These golfers lose distance and accuracy.Eliminate these three mistakes from your swing. You'll not only find the fairway more often. You'll chop strokes from your scores and your golf handicap.
Maximize Power With Your Irons
Tired of hitting weak irons from the fairway and leaving yourself short of the green.
Maybe you're trying to lift the ball? Lifting is common among weekend golfers--especially with irons. Instead of hitting down on the ball, they try to slip the clubface under the ball and lift it through the air. This swing fault usually results in disaster, producing a weak shot, a dribbler, or some other weird mis-hit.
Here are five keys to maximizing iron power:
1. Shoulders are even at address
2. Open your hips at impact
3. Keep your hands ahead of the ball
4. Make a descending blow
5. Deliver your right shoulder hard
To hit an iron solidly, you must use a descending blow that creates a divot after the ball, not in front of it. The key to doing this is delivering your right shoulder to the ball.
Consider this: At address your shoulders are fairly even. Perhaps your right shoulder is slightly lower than your left. But this changes at impact. At impact your hips are open, your hands are ahead of the ball, and your right shoulder is closer to the ball than your left. This also means your right shoulder stays low through impact. To train your brain to keep the right shoulder low through impact, visualize a martial artist punching through a board. As she punches the board, she lunges forward with her arm, supplying the momentum she needs to snap the board. To train your body to deliver your back shoulder, make some practice strokes with just your right arm holding the club. Concentrate on moving your right shoulder closer to the ball during the downswing. This exercise ingrains the proper feel for delivering the right shoulder to the ball, and prevents an early release of the arms and hands--a major power leak. Delivering the right shoulder to the ball is the key to hitting solid irons, not lifting the ball with your clubface. You want to create a divot after the ball, not before it. Practice the exercises described above and you'll hit your irons with more punch. Godd Lukc and remeber to PRACTICE, PRACTICE< PRACTICE!!!!
Maybe you're trying to lift the ball? Lifting is common among weekend golfers--especially with irons. Instead of hitting down on the ball, they try to slip the clubface under the ball and lift it through the air. This swing fault usually results in disaster, producing a weak shot, a dribbler, or some other weird mis-hit.
Here are five keys to maximizing iron power:
1. Shoulders are even at address
2. Open your hips at impact
3. Keep your hands ahead of the ball
4. Make a descending blow
5. Deliver your right shoulder hard
To hit an iron solidly, you must use a descending blow that creates a divot after the ball, not in front of it. The key to doing this is delivering your right shoulder to the ball.
Consider this: At address your shoulders are fairly even. Perhaps your right shoulder is slightly lower than your left. But this changes at impact. At impact your hips are open, your hands are ahead of the ball, and your right shoulder is closer to the ball than your left. This also means your right shoulder stays low through impact. To train your brain to keep the right shoulder low through impact, visualize a martial artist punching through a board. As she punches the board, she lunges forward with her arm, supplying the momentum she needs to snap the board. To train your body to deliver your back shoulder, make some practice strokes with just your right arm holding the club. Concentrate on moving your right shoulder closer to the ball during the downswing. This exercise ingrains the proper feel for delivering the right shoulder to the ball, and prevents an early release of the arms and hands--a major power leak. Delivering the right shoulder to the ball is the key to hitting solid irons, not lifting the ball with your clubface. You want to create a divot after the ball, not before it. Practice the exercises described above and you'll hit your irons with more punch. Godd Lukc and remeber to PRACTICE, PRACTICE< PRACTICE!!!!
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Want to reduce your golf handicap dramatically?
Learn to chip accurately—especially from just off the green. Chipping accurately helps you score low by turning three shots into two. It also increases your ability to get up and down from difficult lies and to make birdies and pars. To increase accuracy, rehearse the shot. Rehearsing provides key information that lets you knock it close.
Here's a five-step routine to use before chipping:
* Inspect the lie carefully
* Take two practice sweeps
* Adjust your grip
* Step up and take your stance
* Visualize the shot and hit
The most important part of the short chip shot is to make sure you lead with the hips. This will help you avoid the embarrassing "chilli dip" " duff where the ball travels about 12 inutes and you have to hit the SAME shot again.
You must determine three things when chipping from just off the grass: How far to hit the ball. How high to hit it. And how much roll you want. Rehearsing helps you decide these things by letting you accurately assess the situation. First, look at your lie. Is the ball is above or below the grass? The higher the ball sits on the grass, the higher it launches and the more backspin it has. The lower the ball sits on the grass, the lower it launches and the more forward spin it has. Now, take your stance. After settling in, make two downward sweeping practice swings. Do this as close to the ball as possible. The swings tell you how the grass will react to a downward sweeping motion through the ball. Note how the clubhead slides through the grass. If it grabs the clubface, tighten your grip. If it lets the clubface slide through easily, maintain a "soft grip." The two sweeps also tell you if you're chipping from an uphill, a downhill, or a sidehill lie. You can't always tell by looking. And don' try scooping the ball. That almost never works. Instead, visualize the shot and trust your stroke. The club's loft will launch the ball.Chipping accurately from just off the green turns three strokes into two. It can help cut your scores and golf handicap dramatically.
*** AGAIN *** The most important part of the short chip shot is to make sure you lead with the hips. This will help you avoid the embarrassing "chilli dip" " duff where the ball travels about 12 inutes and you have to hit the SAME shot again
Here's a five-step routine to use before chipping:
* Inspect the lie carefully
* Take two practice sweeps
* Adjust your grip
* Step up and take your stance
* Visualize the shot and hit
The most important part of the short chip shot is to make sure you lead with the hips. This will help you avoid the embarrassing "chilli dip" " duff where the ball travels about 12 inutes and you have to hit the SAME shot again.
You must determine three things when chipping from just off the grass: How far to hit the ball. How high to hit it. And how much roll you want. Rehearsing helps you decide these things by letting you accurately assess the situation. First, look at your lie. Is the ball is above or below the grass? The higher the ball sits on the grass, the higher it launches and the more backspin it has. The lower the ball sits on the grass, the lower it launches and the more forward spin it has. Now, take your stance. After settling in, make two downward sweeping practice swings. Do this as close to the ball as possible. The swings tell you how the grass will react to a downward sweeping motion through the ball. Note how the clubhead slides through the grass. If it grabs the clubface, tighten your grip. If it lets the clubface slide through easily, maintain a "soft grip." The two sweeps also tell you if you're chipping from an uphill, a downhill, or a sidehill lie. You can't always tell by looking. And don' try scooping the ball. That almost never works. Instead, visualize the shot and trust your stroke. The club's loft will launch the ball.Chipping accurately from just off the green turns three strokes into two. It can help cut your scores and golf handicap dramatically.
*** AGAIN *** The most important part of the short chip shot is to make sure you lead with the hips. This will help you avoid the embarrassing "chilli dip" " duff where the ball travels about 12 inutes and you have to hit the SAME shot again
Three Easy Keys to Sinking Short Putts
It's easy to miss short putts. Sometimes, you take the shot for granted. Other times, you just don't focus on enough. Regardless of why it happens, what matters is that you missed the putt and it cost you a stroke. If you're playing a match, it can cost you the hole or maybe even the match itself.
Missing a short putt is also embarrassing—especially if it's in a club championship or a tournament. So there some added pressure to make these putts. Below are three keys to making short putts:
1. Make contact with center of putterface
2. Make contact with a square putterface
3. Accelerate the putter head through impact
Mastering these three keys improves not only your short but also your long putting. To master centerface contact, stick two tees in the ground on either side of the putterhead. Put one at the toe and one at the head. Practice stroking putts without contacting the tees. Continue until you strike the ball cleanly every time.To master a square putterface, place a shaft on the ground outside the tee at the putterhead's toe. Make sure the shaft is parallel with the target line. Use the shaft for alignment and keep stroking putts. Avoid the two tees stuck in the ground as you putt. To master acceleration, take a third tee and stick in the ground behind the ball at address. Place it relatively even with the toe of your back foot. Now stroke some putts. Avoid hitting all three tees. The third tee stops you from taking the putterhead too far back. It also forces you to accelerate through the putt. Practicing these drills regularly sharpens your stroke and boosts confidence, improving your short putting. It also helps you sink more 12- and 15-foot putts for birdie or par.
Missing a short putt is also embarrassing—especially if it's in a club championship or a tournament. So there some added pressure to make these putts. Below are three keys to making short putts:
1. Make contact with center of putterface
2. Make contact with a square putterface
3. Accelerate the putter head through impact
Mastering these three keys improves not only your short but also your long putting. To master centerface contact, stick two tees in the ground on either side of the putterhead. Put one at the toe and one at the head. Practice stroking putts without contacting the tees. Continue until you strike the ball cleanly every time.To master a square putterface, place a shaft on the ground outside the tee at the putterhead's toe. Make sure the shaft is parallel with the target line. Use the shaft for alignment and keep stroking putts. Avoid the two tees stuck in the ground as you putt. To master acceleration, take a third tee and stick in the ground behind the ball at address. Place it relatively even with the toe of your back foot. Now stroke some putts. Avoid hitting all three tees. The third tee stops you from taking the putterhead too far back. It also forces you to accelerate through the putt. Practicing these drills regularly sharpens your stroke and boosts confidence, improving your short putting. It also helps you sink more 12- and 15-foot putts for birdie or par.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Maximize Power with Your Irons
Tired of hitting weak irons from the fairway and leaving yourself short of the green. Maybe you're trying to lift the ball. Lifting is common among weekend golfers--especially with irons. Instead of hitting down on the ball, they try to slip the clubface under the ball and lift it through the air. This swing fault usually results in disaster, producing a weak shot, a dribbler, or some other weird mis-hit.
Here are five keys to maximizing iron power:
1. Shoulders are even at address
2. Open your hips at impact
3. Keep your hands ahead of the ball
4. Make a descending blow
5. Deliver your right shoulder hard
To hit an iron solidly, you must use a descending blow that creates a divot after the ball, not in front of it. The key to doing this is delivering your right shoulder to the ball. Consider this:
At address your shoulders are fairly even. Perhaps your right shoulder is slightly lower than your left. But this changes at impact. At impact your hips are open, your hands are ahead of the ball, and your right shoulder is closer to the ball than your left. This also means your right shoulder stays low through impact.
To train your brain to keep the right shoulder low through impact, visualize a martial artist punching through a board. As she punches the board, she lunges forward with her arm, supplying the momentum she needs to snap the board.
To train your body to deliver your back shoulder, make some practice strokes with just your right arm holding the club. Concentrate on moving your right shoulder closer to the ball during the downswing. This exercise ingrains the proper feel for delivering the right shoulder to the ball, and prevents an early release of the arms and hands--a major power leak.
Delivering the right shoulder to the ball is the key to hitting solid irons, not lifting the ball with your clubface. You want to create a divot after the ball, not before it. Practice the exercises described above and you'll hit your irons with more punch.
Here are five keys to maximizing iron power:
1. Shoulders are even at address
2. Open your hips at impact
3. Keep your hands ahead of the ball
4. Make a descending blow
5. Deliver your right shoulder hard
To hit an iron solidly, you must use a descending blow that creates a divot after the ball, not in front of it. The key to doing this is delivering your right shoulder to the ball. Consider this:
At address your shoulders are fairly even. Perhaps your right shoulder is slightly lower than your left. But this changes at impact. At impact your hips are open, your hands are ahead of the ball, and your right shoulder is closer to the ball than your left. This also means your right shoulder stays low through impact.
To train your brain to keep the right shoulder low through impact, visualize a martial artist punching through a board. As she punches the board, she lunges forward with her arm, supplying the momentum she needs to snap the board.
To train your body to deliver your back shoulder, make some practice strokes with just your right arm holding the club. Concentrate on moving your right shoulder closer to the ball during the downswing. This exercise ingrains the proper feel for delivering the right shoulder to the ball, and prevents an early release of the arms and hands--a major power leak.
Delivering the right shoulder to the ball is the key to hitting solid irons, not lifting the ball with your clubface. You want to create a divot after the ball, not before it. Practice the exercises described above and you'll hit your irons with more punch.
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