Welcome back - here's today's featured article:
by: David Barnard
Here's my warning to all wannabe golfer's, if you start on this sorry path, and do nothing to stop it, you will lead a life of pain and anguish.
All my golfing life I've been a hooker! How or why it started I don't know. I never wanted it to happen, it just did.
When I first started hooking, it was not every shot. It just sort of creeps up on you, over days, weeks, even months, and gets gradually worse, until nearly every shot is hanging left. And I don't mean just a little bit left, these 90 degree plus benders would make a circle look tame.
Finally, it got so bad, I was spending so much time in the trees, searching for lost balls, that my friends stopped coming round, and asking me out to play.
Then came that dreaded day. I can remember this so clearly, its almost as if it happened yesterday. I ran out of golf balls during a round. It was SOooo embarrassing. Thats what made me finally seek professional help.
After walking off the course that afternoon, I went straight to the clubhouse and spoke to The Pro. When I spoke to The Pro, he admitted that he had already heard about my little problem. It seems that a few of my so-called friends had already spoken to him, to find out if it was contagious. What he told me, certainly made me feel better.
There is a cure. And its really quite easy. Just keep reading:
THE PROBLEM:
Hitting the ball with a closed clubface, causing shots to curve (sometimes dramatically) to the left.
^^^^^^^
Slash 7 strokes off your game – guaranteed!
Http://tinyurl.com/2mmeux
^^^^^^
THE CURE:
The first thing you should do is check your grip. When you grip the club the Vs in each hand should point over your right shoulder. If they point farther to the right, then your grip is too “strong” and could produce a closed face and a hook at impact – when the hands return to their normal position.
If your grip is good and you are still hooking, try weakening your grip by gradually moving both hands to the left. Check your stance to make sure that your feet, knees, hips and shoulders are all parallel to your target line.
Another cause could be the ball position. If it is too far back, it could produce an excessive in-to-out swingpath. Try gripping the club more in the palm of your hands, rather than the fingers, to reduce wrist action and premature closing of the clubface.
Make sure that your left wrist is not too relaxed at impact. If it is, your right wrist will take control and close the clubface too early. On your downswing, make sure that the action begins with your legs and body. This will stop your wrists unhinging and closing the clubface too soon.
There, you see. I told you it was curable. Although, maybe not TOTALLY curable. To this day, many years later, occasionally it happens.
But the major difference is that, now as I'm walking towards the trees to look for that wayward shot, I'M SMILING - because I know how to fix the problem.
The Happy (occasional) Hooker
About The Author
David Barnard has been playing golf for more years than he would care to remember. But he can also be found hanging around, and passing on tips at http://golf--swing.blogspot.com.
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Editor's note: Next time, George Gabriel talks about course management. Until then, stay well and keep swingin' - and enjoy your Labor Day Holiday.
Jim Nettleton
Friday, August 31, 2007
Sunday, August 26, 2007
The Anatomy Of Slicing The Golf Ball
Welcome back - here's today's featured article:
by: Jeff O'Brien
In order to slice a golf ball (impart a left to right ball flight for a right handed golfer) you have to strike the golf ball in a manner that will cause a clockwise rotation of the ball. The more dramatic the rotation the more dramatic or worse the golf slice.
For the context of this article, I will speak from a right handed golfer’s swing and perspective.
When defining the golf slice there are a couple of basics characteristics to the ball flight. First, there is the slice that initially may start down the target line then move off line in a left to right movement. This type of slice tells us that the swing path was traveling down the intended target line, but at impact the club face was left open and did not get back to a square position at impact. Usually this type of golf slice doesn’t produce as sever of left to right movement of the golf ball since the swing path itself was not cutting across the ball in an outside to inside manner. This type of slicing of the golf ball is more easily cured. And can usually be done so with a bit of work on the golfer’s setup, alignment, and or grip.
Slash 7 strokes off your game – guaranteed!Http://tinyurl.com/2mmeux
The second type of golf slice is the one that plagues the vast majority of beginning and high handicap golfer’s. This is the type of slice that produces the ‘banana ball’ type of flight and is very uncontrollable and frustrating.
The attributes of this type of slice for the golfer are the ball will initially start left of the target line indicating that the swing path is incorrect right from the get go. When the ball immediately begins left of the target line that tells you that your swing path has come from the outside to the inside.
Now, having done that with your swing, doesn’t necessarily guarantee that you are going to slice the golf ball but you sure have made much easier for a slice to occur. Now combine the outside to inside swing path with an open clubface at impact and you now have a golf shot that starts left and has the double whammy of a slicing swing path across the golf ball, and an open club face. With these two laws of physics going for you; you have just produced one beautiful slice. One that only a proud parent could love! You know the one I’m talking about. The ball that travels 300 yards total distance, but only about 220 yards further down the course (if you can find it all).
Slash 7 strokes off your game – guaranteed!Http://tinyurl.com/2mmeux
A golfer who is plagued with this type of golf slice is going to require quite a bit more work in order to correct this because their basic swing is flawed and must be corrected. But, it’s important to understand what it is in your golf swing and your golf swing mechanics that makes the ball do what it does. Once you understand the 9 rules of ball flight you’ll be more able to understand what it is in your swing that is producing the flight of the ball you are seeing, and as such you can more quickly address and adjust to ensure success.
About The Author
Jeff O'Brien is a youth and beginning golfer instructor with a real insight on getting your golf swing and game off to a start by establishing a good foundation onto which you build your golf swing and game. Please visit (www.golf-ology.com) for more of Jeff's golf tips and online golf lessons. publish@golf-ology.com
Editor's note: Next time around, Jeff Barnard talks about the opposite problem - hooking the ball. Until then, stay well and keep swingin'.
Jim Nettleton
by: Jeff O'Brien
In order to slice a golf ball (impart a left to right ball flight for a right handed golfer) you have to strike the golf ball in a manner that will cause a clockwise rotation of the ball. The more dramatic the rotation the more dramatic or worse the golf slice.
For the context of this article, I will speak from a right handed golfer’s swing and perspective.
When defining the golf slice there are a couple of basics characteristics to the ball flight. First, there is the slice that initially may start down the target line then move off line in a left to right movement. This type of slice tells us that the swing path was traveling down the intended target line, but at impact the club face was left open and did not get back to a square position at impact. Usually this type of golf slice doesn’t produce as sever of left to right movement of the golf ball since the swing path itself was not cutting across the ball in an outside to inside manner. This type of slicing of the golf ball is more easily cured. And can usually be done so with a bit of work on the golfer’s setup, alignment, and or grip.
Slash 7 strokes off your game – guaranteed!Http://tinyurl.com/2mmeux
The second type of golf slice is the one that plagues the vast majority of beginning and high handicap golfer’s. This is the type of slice that produces the ‘banana ball’ type of flight and is very uncontrollable and frustrating.
The attributes of this type of slice for the golfer are the ball will initially start left of the target line indicating that the swing path is incorrect right from the get go. When the ball immediately begins left of the target line that tells you that your swing path has come from the outside to the inside.
Now, having done that with your swing, doesn’t necessarily guarantee that you are going to slice the golf ball but you sure have made much easier for a slice to occur. Now combine the outside to inside swing path with an open clubface at impact and you now have a golf shot that starts left and has the double whammy of a slicing swing path across the golf ball, and an open club face. With these two laws of physics going for you; you have just produced one beautiful slice. One that only a proud parent could love! You know the one I’m talking about. The ball that travels 300 yards total distance, but only about 220 yards further down the course (if you can find it all).
Slash 7 strokes off your game – guaranteed!Http://tinyurl.com/2mmeux
A golfer who is plagued with this type of golf slice is going to require quite a bit more work in order to correct this because their basic swing is flawed and must be corrected. But, it’s important to understand what it is in your golf swing and your golf swing mechanics that makes the ball do what it does. Once you understand the 9 rules of ball flight you’ll be more able to understand what it is in your swing that is producing the flight of the ball you are seeing, and as such you can more quickly address and adjust to ensure success.
About The Author
Jeff O'Brien is a youth and beginning golfer instructor with a real insight on getting your golf swing and game off to a start by establishing a good foundation onto which you build your golf swing and game. Please visit (www.golf-ology.com) for more of Jeff's golf tips and online golf lessons. publish@golf-ology.com
Editor's note: Next time around, Jeff Barnard talks about the opposite problem - hooking the ball. Until then, stay well and keep swingin'.
Jim Nettleton
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
It May Not Be Your Golf Swing That's Rubbish
Welcom back - here's today's featured article:
by: David Barnard
You could be making a big mistake blaming your mishits and mishaps on your golf swing.
No matter how much time and effort you have been spending, grooving your golf swing to perfection, you still will not achieve your goal if you are using unsuitable or defective golf clubs, will you?
Now is the time for you to consider the following Golf Tip - this covers an examination of your golf clubs quality.
If you plan on buying used golf clubs as beginner's tools, scrutinizing before purchasing is a must. The clubheads, the shafts, and the grips are golf club parts that should pass inspection first, before landing a decent spot in your golf equipment locker.
Another excellent golf tip that will help you when buying a used set of golf clubs, try and ensure you have set consistency. If all the clubs have the same grip, shaft and heads then this will add consistency to your golf swing. It will also help a lot if you check the price of new clubs versus used clubs.
^^^^^^^
Slash 7 strokes off your game – guaranteed!
Http://tinyurl.com/2mmeux
^^^^^^
A golf tip for a golfer that plans to regrip his clubs - Be cautious. This is because the grips are the only point of contact you have on the club during your swing. If the grips are too thin or too fat, this will make a big difference to your swing. Before carrying out the regripping, you need to know the core grip of the club and your hands grip size. To determine your core size grip, measure the diameter of the butt of the shaft you're going to re-grip. The shaft's diameter should match the grip's core diameter. In determining your hands grip, the available size grips are regular, mid-size, oversize and jumbo. Use only the best re-gripping materials that will provide optimum performance for your golf clubs.
Another golf tip is that using ill-fitted clubs will be an obstacle to your golf playing success. A golfer must consider his or her body type in choosing the best-fitting equipment to support and carry out the golf swing effectively. Too heavy or too light clubs will result in changes to your swing angles when carrying out your golf swing. With the resulting poor results. This will be avoided if you select the best fitting equipment available.
Custom golf club fitting makes a better option than just buying a new set of golf clubs. Getting custom fitting golf clubs is a golf tip that translates to a very worthy investment. The uniqueness of each person is attributed to the need of this way of buying new golf clubs. A custom fitting produces golf clubs that specifically suit the height, strength, swing characteristics and clubhead speed of the golfer.
The type of club shaft also helps in predicting whether you'll do well in a game or you won't. There's a choice between a steel club shaft and a graphite-made club shaft. This golf tip aims to make you realize which type of golf club shaft will benefit your game.
^^^^^^^
Slash 7 strokes off your game – guaranteed!
Http://tinyurl.com/2mmeux
^^^^^^
Observations show that the steel club shafts are more preferred by professional golfers while graphite shafts have become more popular with women, senior players and beginners. Steel shafts are less expensive than graphite shafts though.
One more golf tip that could help you is that the golf clubs in your bag must suit your skill level. Since various skill levels need various golf clubs, it won't be wise to just use or bring a golf club that is just lying around. And, don't ever forget about the maximum golf club load your bag is allowed to hold during a round. You can only carry a maximum of 14 golf clubs in your bag. No more.
Aside from your skill level contemplation, your mastery of a certain golf club and being comfortable with using it must also be put into consideration in deciding which golf club to hit.
The correct combination of the right swing and a good choice of equipment will better arm you to become the best golfer you could ever be.
About The Author
David Barnard has been playing golf for more years than he would care to remember. But he can also be found hanging around, and passing on tips at http://golf--tip.blogspot.com.
Editor's note: next time, Jeff O'Brien talks about the slice - and what you can do to get rid of it. Until then, stay well and keep swingin'.
Jim Nettleton
by: David Barnard
You could be making a big mistake blaming your mishits and mishaps on your golf swing.
No matter how much time and effort you have been spending, grooving your golf swing to perfection, you still will not achieve your goal if you are using unsuitable or defective golf clubs, will you?
Now is the time for you to consider the following Golf Tip - this covers an examination of your golf clubs quality.
If you plan on buying used golf clubs as beginner's tools, scrutinizing before purchasing is a must. The clubheads, the shafts, and the grips are golf club parts that should pass inspection first, before landing a decent spot in your golf equipment locker.
Another excellent golf tip that will help you when buying a used set of golf clubs, try and ensure you have set consistency. If all the clubs have the same grip, shaft and heads then this will add consistency to your golf swing. It will also help a lot if you check the price of new clubs versus used clubs.
^^^^^^^
Slash 7 strokes off your game – guaranteed!
Http://tinyurl.com/2mmeux
^^^^^^
A golf tip for a golfer that plans to regrip his clubs - Be cautious. This is because the grips are the only point of contact you have on the club during your swing. If the grips are too thin or too fat, this will make a big difference to your swing. Before carrying out the regripping, you need to know the core grip of the club and your hands grip size. To determine your core size grip, measure the diameter of the butt of the shaft you're going to re-grip. The shaft's diameter should match the grip's core diameter. In determining your hands grip, the available size grips are regular, mid-size, oversize and jumbo. Use only the best re-gripping materials that will provide optimum performance for your golf clubs.
Another golf tip is that using ill-fitted clubs will be an obstacle to your golf playing success. A golfer must consider his or her body type in choosing the best-fitting equipment to support and carry out the golf swing effectively. Too heavy or too light clubs will result in changes to your swing angles when carrying out your golf swing. With the resulting poor results. This will be avoided if you select the best fitting equipment available.
Custom golf club fitting makes a better option than just buying a new set of golf clubs. Getting custom fitting golf clubs is a golf tip that translates to a very worthy investment. The uniqueness of each person is attributed to the need of this way of buying new golf clubs. A custom fitting produces golf clubs that specifically suit the height, strength, swing characteristics and clubhead speed of the golfer.
The type of club shaft also helps in predicting whether you'll do well in a game or you won't. There's a choice between a steel club shaft and a graphite-made club shaft. This golf tip aims to make you realize which type of golf club shaft will benefit your game.
^^^^^^^
Slash 7 strokes off your game – guaranteed!
Http://tinyurl.com/2mmeux
^^^^^^
Observations show that the steel club shafts are more preferred by professional golfers while graphite shafts have become more popular with women, senior players and beginners. Steel shafts are less expensive than graphite shafts though.
One more golf tip that could help you is that the golf clubs in your bag must suit your skill level. Since various skill levels need various golf clubs, it won't be wise to just use or bring a golf club that is just lying around. And, don't ever forget about the maximum golf club load your bag is allowed to hold during a round. You can only carry a maximum of 14 golf clubs in your bag. No more.
Aside from your skill level contemplation, your mastery of a certain golf club and being comfortable with using it must also be put into consideration in deciding which golf club to hit.
The correct combination of the right swing and a good choice of equipment will better arm you to become the best golfer you could ever be.
About The Author
David Barnard has been playing golf for more years than he would care to remember. But he can also be found hanging around, and passing on tips at http://golf--tip.blogspot.com.
Editor's note: next time, Jeff O'Brien talks about the slice - and what you can do to get rid of it. Until then, stay well and keep swingin'.
Jim Nettleton
Thursday, August 16, 2007
So Your Teenager Wants To Be A Champion Golfer
Welcome back - here's today's featured article:
by: Lawrie Montague
Do you harbour secret desires that your teenager will one day play the PGA or LPGA tour? Millions of dollars in prize money attracts so many talented golfers willing to sacrifice everything to have a crack at making money playing golf.
So how can you help your teenager become a more successful golfer? Give every opportunity to develop their skills, experience and knowledge in golf. Becoming successful at golf is not easy, so you need a solid team to give you help and guidance to make it happen. At the Australian High Performance Golf Academy we design programs to the specific needs of our students.
Your Golf Support Team
To progress to professional golf, your teenager must understand what is required to nurture their talent continually. Golf is as much a mental game. Ideally they need one hour golf lessons every week (forty to forty five lessons per year) from the age of twelve and they should be focused on a number of critical factors;
1. Good good grip produce good golf swings.
2. Start right and practice right; a golf swing that is in plane and a strong rotation of the body and arms to generate sufficient club-head speed.
3. Junior golfers grow continually; they can suffer from postural problems like slouching shoulders and bending from the waist not from the hips. Shoulder stretching every day particularly in the back of the legs, (hamstrings) and upper body (shoulders/chest) is vital.
4. Begin working with your teenager’s attitude towards adversity. Develop effective coping strategies to deal with setbacks and accelerate their progress through the tough spots.
5. Get them into competition right from the beginning and teach them to enjoy the idea of competing against others and also the added bonus of developing lifelong friendships.
6. Encourage your teenager to study the rules and etiquette of golf and become familiar with the most important and most common rules infractions so they feel confident about any situation that may arise on the golf course.
7. Your teenager should spend sixty to seventy percent of their time working on their short game and the rest of the time on their long game.
Find a good golf instructor early in your child’s development and build a committed relationship with them. Ask around and find a coach who is getting success with junior golfers and interview them about their approach to teaching junior golfers. I’ve seen many parents chop and change golf teachers to the detriment of their son or daughters golf progress. It is critical to start laying down a good golf technique as early as possible and going to different teachers looking for the ultimate golf lesson doesn’t work and will lead to confusion and dissatisfaction.
About The Author
Lawrence Montague one of Australia's leading golf instructors and Director of the Australian High Performance Golf Academy which runs courses throughout the year. For more information about their unique training techniques and training aids visit their website at http://www.golf-school-australia.com/.
This article is freely available for publication ONLY if the content is retained IN FULL, UNEDITED including the resource box and all links. Furthermore we would appreciate you sending us an email with a link to the page where the article has been published.©2006 Australian High Performance Golf Academy http://www.golf-school-australia.com/.
articles@golf-school-australia.com
by: Lawrie Montague
Do you harbour secret desires that your teenager will one day play the PGA or LPGA tour? Millions of dollars in prize money attracts so many talented golfers willing to sacrifice everything to have a crack at making money playing golf.
So how can you help your teenager become a more successful golfer? Give every opportunity to develop their skills, experience and knowledge in golf. Becoming successful at golf is not easy, so you need a solid team to give you help and guidance to make it happen. At the Australian High Performance Golf Academy we design programs to the specific needs of our students.
Your Golf Support Team
To progress to professional golf, your teenager must understand what is required to nurture their talent continually. Golf is as much a mental game. Ideally they need one hour golf lessons every week (forty to forty five lessons per year) from the age of twelve and they should be focused on a number of critical factors;
1. Good good grip produce good golf swings.
2. Start right and practice right; a golf swing that is in plane and a strong rotation of the body and arms to generate sufficient club-head speed.
3. Junior golfers grow continually; they can suffer from postural problems like slouching shoulders and bending from the waist not from the hips. Shoulder stretching every day particularly in the back of the legs, (hamstrings) and upper body (shoulders/chest) is vital.
4. Begin working with your teenager’s attitude towards adversity. Develop effective coping strategies to deal with setbacks and accelerate their progress through the tough spots.
5. Get them into competition right from the beginning and teach them to enjoy the idea of competing against others and also the added bonus of developing lifelong friendships.
6. Encourage your teenager to study the rules and etiquette of golf and become familiar with the most important and most common rules infractions so they feel confident about any situation that may arise on the golf course.
7. Your teenager should spend sixty to seventy percent of their time working on their short game and the rest of the time on their long game.
Find a good golf instructor early in your child’s development and build a committed relationship with them. Ask around and find a coach who is getting success with junior golfers and interview them about their approach to teaching junior golfers. I’ve seen many parents chop and change golf teachers to the detriment of their son or daughters golf progress. It is critical to start laying down a good golf technique as early as possible and going to different teachers looking for the ultimate golf lesson doesn’t work and will lead to confusion and dissatisfaction.
About The Author
Lawrence Montague one of Australia's leading golf instructors and Director of the Australian High Performance Golf Academy which runs courses throughout the year. For more information about their unique training techniques and training aids visit their website at http://www.golf-school-australia.com/.
This article is freely available for publication ONLY if the content is retained IN FULL, UNEDITED including the resource box and all links. Furthermore we would appreciate you sending us an email with a link to the page where the article has been published.©2006 Australian High Performance Golf Academy http://www.golf-school-australia.com/.
articles@golf-school-australia.com
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Golf Flexibility Exercises Can Improve Your Shoulder Turn
by: Sean Cochran
I had a very interesting conversation during my workout this morning at the gym. I was performing a series of golf flexibility drills (Tops, Windmills, & Spiders to be exact) and a friend and very good golfer approached me.
My friend, local club champion and a scratch golfer, was asking me about the series of flexibility exercises I was working on. He said; “Sean, I have watched your workouts and they seem to be very athletically oriented. I know you work on the PGA Tour and with Phil. Those exercises you were just doing, what are they exactly for, and how can they help my golf swing?”
I get quite a few of these questions like this and my reply to him was as follows:
“First off the golf swing is an athletic movement (if you disagree with me on that point, go play 4 rounds of golf in four 4 days and get back to me). It requires a high level of flexibility, balance, strength, endurance, and power to execute the swing correctly.
*******
Slash 7 strokes off your game – guaranteed! Click here:http://tinyurl.com/2mmeux
*******
Knowing this you need to develop these physical characteristics (Flexibility, Balance, Strength, Endurance, and Power) within your body.
This will create the foundation upon which you can build an efficient and powerful golf swing. Lets take a quick a look at these concepts before moving onto some specifics.
Flexibility, in relation to the golf swing, is the ability to draw the club through the proper range of motion. A full golf swing requires you to draw the club through a long range of motion. In order to perform this action correctly the muscles within your body must be flexible.
If your muscles are inflexible the ability to draw the club through the correct range of motion will be compromised, resulting in compensations in your golf swing.
Secondly, the golf swing requires a high level of balance. Balance is often thought of as a responsibility of golf swing mechanics only. The reality of the situation is balance is a component of both efficient golf swing mechanics and the body.
The interaction of the muscular and nervous systems is responsible for your balancing capacities. These two systems regulate center of gravity, proprioception, and limb movement. If you have poor balancing capacities a directly negative effect will be seen in your golf swing.
Introducing balance exercises can improve the ability of your body to regulate its’ center of gravity, know where it is in “space” (proprioception), and regulate limb movement. This will have a direct benefit upon your golf swing.
Thirdly, the golf swing requires you to maintain a fixed spine angle, and rotate around this spine angle during the swing. In order to perform the swing correctly and maintain a fixed spine angle it is necessary to have high levels of muscular strength.
Muscular strength in relation to the golf swing is the ability of your muscles to maintain a fixed spine angle during each swing. If you are lacking muscular strength, the ability to maintain a fixed spine angle will be compromised.
*******
Slash 7 strokes off your game – guaranteed! Click here:http://tinyurl.com/2mmeux
*******
Fourth in our order of merit is endurance. The golf swing is a repetitive athletic movement, meaning you are performing the same athletic action (i.e. the golf swing) over and over again. Repetitive athletic movements over time cause fatigue within the muscular system. Once the muscular system is fatigued (i.e. tired) the ability to perform the intricate biomechanical movements of the golf swing will be compromised.
In order to combat such a situation it is necessary for the golfer to develop high levels of muscular endurance. Muscular endurance can be defined as the ability to perform a repetitive movement over and over again without becoming fatigued.
Finally, the golf swing encompasses power. Power is the ability to generate clubhead speed. Clubhead speed equates to greater distance on all your shots. Developing clubhead speed is a combination of both your swing mechanics and body.
In relation to the body it is the ability to generate the greatest amount of force within the golf swing. To increase the force outputs within the body it is necessary to develop high levels of muscular power. Developing muscular power relative to the golf swing increases the possibility of greater clubhead speed.
Quite often the amateur golfer does not have the flexibility, strength, balance, or power in the body to swing the golf club correctly. The result is that sloppy, ineffective swing with a lot of body compensations.
Any serious amateur must spend some time on developing the body for the swing. It does not need to be a substantial amount of time, but a little each day. This will over time develop the body for the golf swing.”
My friend shook his head in definitive agreement and said he has lost some distance over the years and directly relates it to losing some of his flexibility.
I said “exactly! That is what happens, the body becomes deficient in one area or another and the golf swing is affected. In addition, to developing the body for the golf swing a certain order must be followed.”
He asked; “What do you mean exactly?”
I replied; “The physical parameters of the body must be developed in a specific order to get the greatest benefit. For example, if you try to develop more power but are not flexible enough to execute a full shoulder turn. The power in your body you develop will be worthless.
Start with flexibility graduate to balance and then look at getting stronger and more powerful.
The exercises I was just performing are golf specific flexibility exercises to help the shoulder turn.
Remember, follow the logic; flexibility first, balance second, and then develop strength and power.”
About The Author
Sean Cochran is one of the most recognized golf fitness instructors in the world today. He travels the PGA Tour regularly with 2005 PGA & 2004 Masters Champion Phil Mickelson. He has made many of his golf tips, golf instruction and golf swing improvement techniques available to amateur golfers on the website http://www.bioforcegolf.com. To contact Sean, you can email him at support@bioforcegolf.com.
I had a very interesting conversation during my workout this morning at the gym. I was performing a series of golf flexibility drills (Tops, Windmills, & Spiders to be exact) and a friend and very good golfer approached me.
My friend, local club champion and a scratch golfer, was asking me about the series of flexibility exercises I was working on. He said; “Sean, I have watched your workouts and they seem to be very athletically oriented. I know you work on the PGA Tour and with Phil. Those exercises you were just doing, what are they exactly for, and how can they help my golf swing?”
I get quite a few of these questions like this and my reply to him was as follows:
“First off the golf swing is an athletic movement (if you disagree with me on that point, go play 4 rounds of golf in four 4 days and get back to me). It requires a high level of flexibility, balance, strength, endurance, and power to execute the swing correctly.
*******
Slash 7 strokes off your game – guaranteed! Click here:http://tinyurl.com/2mmeux
*******
Knowing this you need to develop these physical characteristics (Flexibility, Balance, Strength, Endurance, and Power) within your body.
This will create the foundation upon which you can build an efficient and powerful golf swing. Lets take a quick a look at these concepts before moving onto some specifics.
Flexibility, in relation to the golf swing, is the ability to draw the club through the proper range of motion. A full golf swing requires you to draw the club through a long range of motion. In order to perform this action correctly the muscles within your body must be flexible.
If your muscles are inflexible the ability to draw the club through the correct range of motion will be compromised, resulting in compensations in your golf swing.
Secondly, the golf swing requires a high level of balance. Balance is often thought of as a responsibility of golf swing mechanics only. The reality of the situation is balance is a component of both efficient golf swing mechanics and the body.
The interaction of the muscular and nervous systems is responsible for your balancing capacities. These two systems regulate center of gravity, proprioception, and limb movement. If you have poor balancing capacities a directly negative effect will be seen in your golf swing.
Introducing balance exercises can improve the ability of your body to regulate its’ center of gravity, know where it is in “space” (proprioception), and regulate limb movement. This will have a direct benefit upon your golf swing.
Thirdly, the golf swing requires you to maintain a fixed spine angle, and rotate around this spine angle during the swing. In order to perform the swing correctly and maintain a fixed spine angle it is necessary to have high levels of muscular strength.
Muscular strength in relation to the golf swing is the ability of your muscles to maintain a fixed spine angle during each swing. If you are lacking muscular strength, the ability to maintain a fixed spine angle will be compromised.
*******
Slash 7 strokes off your game – guaranteed! Click here:http://tinyurl.com/2mmeux
*******
Fourth in our order of merit is endurance. The golf swing is a repetitive athletic movement, meaning you are performing the same athletic action (i.e. the golf swing) over and over again. Repetitive athletic movements over time cause fatigue within the muscular system. Once the muscular system is fatigued (i.e. tired) the ability to perform the intricate biomechanical movements of the golf swing will be compromised.
In order to combat such a situation it is necessary for the golfer to develop high levels of muscular endurance. Muscular endurance can be defined as the ability to perform a repetitive movement over and over again without becoming fatigued.
Finally, the golf swing encompasses power. Power is the ability to generate clubhead speed. Clubhead speed equates to greater distance on all your shots. Developing clubhead speed is a combination of both your swing mechanics and body.
In relation to the body it is the ability to generate the greatest amount of force within the golf swing. To increase the force outputs within the body it is necessary to develop high levels of muscular power. Developing muscular power relative to the golf swing increases the possibility of greater clubhead speed.
Quite often the amateur golfer does not have the flexibility, strength, balance, or power in the body to swing the golf club correctly. The result is that sloppy, ineffective swing with a lot of body compensations.
Any serious amateur must spend some time on developing the body for the swing. It does not need to be a substantial amount of time, but a little each day. This will over time develop the body for the golf swing.”
My friend shook his head in definitive agreement and said he has lost some distance over the years and directly relates it to losing some of his flexibility.
I said “exactly! That is what happens, the body becomes deficient in one area or another and the golf swing is affected. In addition, to developing the body for the golf swing a certain order must be followed.”
He asked; “What do you mean exactly?”
I replied; “The physical parameters of the body must be developed in a specific order to get the greatest benefit. For example, if you try to develop more power but are not flexible enough to execute a full shoulder turn. The power in your body you develop will be worthless.
Start with flexibility graduate to balance and then look at getting stronger and more powerful.
The exercises I was just performing are golf specific flexibility exercises to help the shoulder turn.
Remember, follow the logic; flexibility first, balance second, and then develop strength and power.”
About The Author
Sean Cochran is one of the most recognized golf fitness instructors in the world today. He travels the PGA Tour regularly with 2005 PGA & 2004 Masters Champion Phil Mickelson. He has made many of his golf tips, golf instruction and golf swing improvement techniques available to amateur golfers on the website http://www.bioforcegolf.com. To contact Sean, you can email him at support@bioforcegolf.com.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Understanding Match Play In Golf
Welcome back - here's today's featured article:
by: John Retzer
For the casual golfer or fan, Match Play can be confusing. With terms like All Square, Halve, and Dormie, 1-UP, 5 and 4, Match Play is a whole new ball game.
Most golf tournaments are "Stroke Play." In these events, all of the golfers play a certain number of holes, and the player who has the lowest combined total score is the winner.
In Match Play, golfers are pitted directly against each other. A player is not concerned with the entire field -- only with beating the opposing golfer (or side, in team play).
Scoring in Match Play is quite different from stroke play. Each hole in Match Play is scored as a separate event. The player (or team) who finishes a hole in the fewest strokes is the winner of that hole. At the end of the match (however many holes they are playing), the player who has won the most holes is the winner.
*******
Slash 7 strokes off your game – guaranteed! Click here:
http://tinyurl.com/2mmeux
*******
The scoring system leads to some unusual terminology. The results of match events are not reported by strokes, or by the total number of holes won, but by how many MORE (or fewer) holes a player has won, along with the numbr of holes left in the match. So, if after 10 holes, Tiger Woods has won six holes and Phil Mickelson has won four, the announcers would report that Woods is 2-Up through 10. At the same time, Mickelson is 2-down. If both players have won the same number of holes, the match is "All Square Through 10."
Because each hole is played as a separate event, it is possible for one player to get so far ahead in a match that the other has no chance to win. For example, if Woods and Mickelson finish the 16th hole, and Woods is 3-Up, there is no need to continue. The best Mickelson could do is to win the 17th and 18th, and he still would lose by one hole. So the match ends right there.
The score would be reported as Woods wins, 3 and 2. That means that Woods won because he was up by three holes, with only two holes to play.
If a player wins 1-up, that means that the match has gone to 18 holes. The last hole was played either because the match was all square after 17, or because a player was only 1 up, and the other player could have made the match All Square on the final hole.
If the match is All Square in individual stroke play, the two players generally play until the tie is broken. In many team events -- such as the Ryder Cup -- a tie would result in both sides getting a half a point. This is known as a "Halve".
Confusingly, the term Halve also is used when players tie on an individual hole. Tied holes, however, are not counted in scoring an individual match. You will never see a score like Woods 3 1/2 Mickelson 1 1/2.
*********
Discover High Power Golf! New and Hot. Click Here!
http://tinyurl.com/2gpoap
*********
This also explains why there will often be a result where the holes just don't add up. Woods could win four holes, Mickelson win three and they could tie the other 11. If you just added up the number of holes won, it would look like they didn't play a full match.
The term "Dormie" is used to describe a situation where one player is up by the exact number of holes left in the match. The best the opponent can do is to tie. So, if Woods and Mickelson were on the 16th tee, and Woods was 3-Up, the match is Dormie. The best Mickelson can do is to win the final three holes (16, 17 and 18)and make things All Square.
One seemingly strange score is when a player wins 5 and 3. On the surface, it looks as though the match should have ended with four holes to play, because one player was up by five. But what actually happened was that the match was Dormie with four to go. That is, Woods was 4-Up on the 15th tee (four holes to go). At this point, Mickelson can Halve the match by winning the final four holes. But Tiger wins the 15th, and the match is over. Woods wins by five, with three to go, or 5 and 3.
Another interesting aspect of Match Play is that the players do not have finish every hole. Consider the following situation: Mickelson hits a hole-in-one on a par three. Woods hits the green within inches of the cup, but the ball does not go in. At this point, there is no need for Woods to finish the hole, and he will concede to Mickelson. Even if Woods finishes with a birdie, he still has lost the hole. And there is no need to see if Woods can make the putt because unlike Stroke Play, the score does not carry over to the next hole.
Similarly, players often will "concede" a stroke. This usually happens on a short putt. Mickelson knows that Woods is going to make the tap-in, so he grants the "gimmie." The real question for that hole is whether Mickelson can make 12 footer to win the hole, or if he two putts for a halve.
Players need to be sure that a ball is conceded before picking it up, though. In the last President's Cup competition, Davis Love picked up a ball, thinking that Mike Weir had conceded. Weir had not, so normally a one stoke penalty would be assessed. However, because Love honestly thought he had heard Weir concede (Weir did say something that could have been reasonably misheard), there was no penalty.
There are also a couple of other major rules differences in Match Play. For example, in Stoke Play, if you play out of order, it's just a breach of etiquette. But in Match Play, your opponent can force you to replay the shot.
The other major changes generally have to do with the penalty for breach of rules. In Stroke play, most of the penalties involve the addition of strokes. In Match Play, the rules violations generally involve the automatic loss of the hole.
Match play is very exciting golf. But one of the reasons that you don't see it a lot on television is that it is unpredictable. Individual matches can end quite suddenly, because you don't have to play all the holes to determine a winner. For that matter, you don't even have to finish every hole. A network could schedule three hours for a match, only to have one player win the first ten holes. The match would be over, and the network still would have an hour of programming to fill.
Match play events also are usually played in brackets, like the NCAA basketball tournament. The winner continues on, and the loser goes home. This means that it is entirely possible for the matches on the weekend -- when television viewership is highest -- to be devoid of the stars. In match play, one bad round means that you are done. In Stroke play, you can have a bad round and still come back the next day, have a good round and make the cut.
Match play events are most famously played in international competitions, like the Ryder Cup, the President's Cup, the Walker Cup and the Solheim Cup. It also is the featured format in the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship.
For more on the best of golf, visit GolfBlogger at http://www.golfblogger.com/.
**********
Slash 7 strokes off your game – guaranteed! Click here:
http://tinyurl.com/2mmeux
**********
About The Author
John Retzer has worked as a professional journalist, photographer, editor, public relations professional and golf coach. He currently teaches economics, political science and history. In his "spare time" he runs several websites and blogs, including Golf Blogger at http://www.golfblogger.com/.
Editor’s Note: On our next post, noted golf fitness instructor Sean Cochran gives us tips on taking care of our bodies and preparing ourselves for the best golf we can play.
Until then, stay well and keep swingin’.
Jim Nettleton
by: John Retzer
For the casual golfer or fan, Match Play can be confusing. With terms like All Square, Halve, and Dormie, 1-UP, 5 and 4, Match Play is a whole new ball game.
Most golf tournaments are "Stroke Play." In these events, all of the golfers play a certain number of holes, and the player who has the lowest combined total score is the winner.
In Match Play, golfers are pitted directly against each other. A player is not concerned with the entire field -- only with beating the opposing golfer (or side, in team play).
Scoring in Match Play is quite different from stroke play. Each hole in Match Play is scored as a separate event. The player (or team) who finishes a hole in the fewest strokes is the winner of that hole. At the end of the match (however many holes they are playing), the player who has won the most holes is the winner.
*******
Slash 7 strokes off your game – guaranteed! Click here:
http://tinyurl.com/2mmeux
*******
The scoring system leads to some unusual terminology. The results of match events are not reported by strokes, or by the total number of holes won, but by how many MORE (or fewer) holes a player has won, along with the numbr of holes left in the match. So, if after 10 holes, Tiger Woods has won six holes and Phil Mickelson has won four, the announcers would report that Woods is 2-Up through 10. At the same time, Mickelson is 2-down. If both players have won the same number of holes, the match is "All Square Through 10."
Because each hole is played as a separate event, it is possible for one player to get so far ahead in a match that the other has no chance to win. For example, if Woods and Mickelson finish the 16th hole, and Woods is 3-Up, there is no need to continue. The best Mickelson could do is to win the 17th and 18th, and he still would lose by one hole. So the match ends right there.
The score would be reported as Woods wins, 3 and 2. That means that Woods won because he was up by three holes, with only two holes to play.
If a player wins 1-up, that means that the match has gone to 18 holes. The last hole was played either because the match was all square after 17, or because a player was only 1 up, and the other player could have made the match All Square on the final hole.
If the match is All Square in individual stroke play, the two players generally play until the tie is broken. In many team events -- such as the Ryder Cup -- a tie would result in both sides getting a half a point. This is known as a "Halve".
Confusingly, the term Halve also is used when players tie on an individual hole. Tied holes, however, are not counted in scoring an individual match. You will never see a score like Woods 3 1/2 Mickelson 1 1/2.
*********
Discover High Power Golf! New and Hot. Click Here!
http://tinyurl.com/2gpoap
*********
This also explains why there will often be a result where the holes just don't add up. Woods could win four holes, Mickelson win three and they could tie the other 11. If you just added up the number of holes won, it would look like they didn't play a full match.
The term "Dormie" is used to describe a situation where one player is up by the exact number of holes left in the match. The best the opponent can do is to tie. So, if Woods and Mickelson were on the 16th tee, and Woods was 3-Up, the match is Dormie. The best Mickelson can do is to win the final three holes (16, 17 and 18)and make things All Square.
One seemingly strange score is when a player wins 5 and 3. On the surface, it looks as though the match should have ended with four holes to play, because one player was up by five. But what actually happened was that the match was Dormie with four to go. That is, Woods was 4-Up on the 15th tee (four holes to go). At this point, Mickelson can Halve the match by winning the final four holes. But Tiger wins the 15th, and the match is over. Woods wins by five, with three to go, or 5 and 3.
Another interesting aspect of Match Play is that the players do not have finish every hole. Consider the following situation: Mickelson hits a hole-in-one on a par three. Woods hits the green within inches of the cup, but the ball does not go in. At this point, there is no need for Woods to finish the hole, and he will concede to Mickelson. Even if Woods finishes with a birdie, he still has lost the hole. And there is no need to see if Woods can make the putt because unlike Stroke Play, the score does not carry over to the next hole.
Similarly, players often will "concede" a stroke. This usually happens on a short putt. Mickelson knows that Woods is going to make the tap-in, so he grants the "gimmie." The real question for that hole is whether Mickelson can make 12 footer to win the hole, or if he two putts for a halve.
Players need to be sure that a ball is conceded before picking it up, though. In the last President's Cup competition, Davis Love picked up a ball, thinking that Mike Weir had conceded. Weir had not, so normally a one stoke penalty would be assessed. However, because Love honestly thought he had heard Weir concede (Weir did say something that could have been reasonably misheard), there was no penalty.
There are also a couple of other major rules differences in Match Play. For example, in Stoke Play, if you play out of order, it's just a breach of etiquette. But in Match Play, your opponent can force you to replay the shot.
The other major changes generally have to do with the penalty for breach of rules. In Stroke play, most of the penalties involve the addition of strokes. In Match Play, the rules violations generally involve the automatic loss of the hole.
Match play is very exciting golf. But one of the reasons that you don't see it a lot on television is that it is unpredictable. Individual matches can end quite suddenly, because you don't have to play all the holes to determine a winner. For that matter, you don't even have to finish every hole. A network could schedule three hours for a match, only to have one player win the first ten holes. The match would be over, and the network still would have an hour of programming to fill.
Match play events also are usually played in brackets, like the NCAA basketball tournament. The winner continues on, and the loser goes home. This means that it is entirely possible for the matches on the weekend -- when television viewership is highest -- to be devoid of the stars. In match play, one bad round means that you are done. In Stroke play, you can have a bad round and still come back the next day, have a good round and make the cut.
Match play events are most famously played in international competitions, like the Ryder Cup, the President's Cup, the Walker Cup and the Solheim Cup. It also is the featured format in the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship.
For more on the best of golf, visit GolfBlogger at http://www.golfblogger.com/.
**********
Slash 7 strokes off your game – guaranteed! Click here:
http://tinyurl.com/2mmeux
**********
About The Author
John Retzer has worked as a professional journalist, photographer, editor, public relations professional and golf coach. He currently teaches economics, political science and history. In his "spare time" he runs several websites and blogs, including Golf Blogger at http://www.golfblogger.com/.
Editor’s Note: On our next post, noted golf fitness instructor Sean Cochran gives us tips on taking care of our bodies and preparing ourselves for the best golf we can play.
Until then, stay well and keep swingin’.
Jim Nettleton
Bargain Golf Equipment - How To Find The Best Deals On All Your Favorite Golf Equipment
Here's today's featured article:
by: John Bolt
Everyone in this world loves a good bargain, and for golf equipment the song remains the same. The one thing to remember is that bargain doesn’t always have to mean cheap, used, or damaged. You can find some really good buys if you just spend a little time and research to find what you’re after. Let’s look closer at the different avenues to finding some great bargain golf equipment.
Previously Owned Gear
This is a perfect place to start for any golfer just beginning the game or for someone who doesn’t want to spend a small fortune on brand new equipment. There are a number of great places that you can find top notch used equipment. If you think of it like buying a car, the minute that brand new car is driven off the lot its value starts to decrease. But that doesn’t mean it won’t work as good as it did the day before when it was still on the car lot.
The same theory applies to golf equipment. You can usually get last years equipment that has hardly used for almost half the price. The technology is still just as good as it was last year but you won’t have to pay the price for this year’s model. There are number of great websites that deal strictly in this type of business. One of them being the ever popular EBAY, another is Callaway Golf Pre-owned and finally GolfClubExchange.com are the three biggest and most popular. You’ll be able to find all degrees of used equipment that is priced accordingly.
**********
Cut 7 strokes from your score, guaranteed! Click here:
http://tinyurl.com/2mmeux
**********
End of Season
Another place a golfer looking for bargain golf equipment might look is any major golf store. It can be online or a department store. The key to this type of strategy is timing. If you go searching for new equipment near the end of the season a lot of company’s will have year end sales where they’re looking to give the consumer one last chance at this years equipment at better prices.
But the best time to buy is just after Christmas right before the beginning of the new season. The golf stores will offer huge savings on all the equipment they’re trying to clear out to make room for the new stuff coming in for the up coming season. This is where I feel you’ll find the best bargains on all types of brand new golf equipment that has never had an owner. This especially holds true for such items as golf shoes and clothing. If you want to save a little money then look for last years models and you’ll get some great deals.
**********
Cut 7 strokes from your score, guaranteed! Click here:
http://tinyurl.com/2mmeux
**********
Where to Shop
If you’re wondering where to go to get these great bargains there’s only one place. The internet is the best place to find what ever you’re looking for. There’s one main reason for shopping online, and that’s competition. There are so many online retailers competing for your business you can find some ridiculously low prices. You just have to take your time and look. The best thing about this is you don’t have leave the comfort of your own home to find your new gear for this year. The bottom line about bargain golf equipment is to take your time and look in all the right places. You’ll find an awesome deal!
About The Author
John Bolt - You don’t have to spend a fortune on new equipment? Take the worry out of buying golf gear with John Bolt’s ULTIMATE FREE equipment guide from http://www.golfequipmentsource.com./ Enjoy your game…and have tons more fun! => http://www.golfequipmentsource.com/golfclubs.html
Editor's Note: For those of you who are confused by the match play format in golf, help is on the way. In our next post, golf coach John Retzer takes you step by step through the fundamentals and the details of match play. Until then, stay well and keep swingin'.
Jim Nettleton
Saturday July 28, 2007 - 08:13am (PST) Edit Delete Comments
by: John Bolt
Everyone in this world loves a good bargain, and for golf equipment the song remains the same. The one thing to remember is that bargain doesn’t always have to mean cheap, used, or damaged. You can find some really good buys if you just spend a little time and research to find what you’re after. Let’s look closer at the different avenues to finding some great bargain golf equipment.
Previously Owned Gear
This is a perfect place to start for any golfer just beginning the game or for someone who doesn’t want to spend a small fortune on brand new equipment. There are a number of great places that you can find top notch used equipment. If you think of it like buying a car, the minute that brand new car is driven off the lot its value starts to decrease. But that doesn’t mean it won’t work as good as it did the day before when it was still on the car lot.
The same theory applies to golf equipment. You can usually get last years equipment that has hardly used for almost half the price. The technology is still just as good as it was last year but you won’t have to pay the price for this year’s model. There are number of great websites that deal strictly in this type of business. One of them being the ever popular EBAY, another is Callaway Golf Pre-owned and finally GolfClubExchange.com are the three biggest and most popular. You’ll be able to find all degrees of used equipment that is priced accordingly.
**********
Cut 7 strokes from your score, guaranteed! Click here:
http://tinyurl.com/2mmeux
**********
End of Season
Another place a golfer looking for bargain golf equipment might look is any major golf store. It can be online or a department store. The key to this type of strategy is timing. If you go searching for new equipment near the end of the season a lot of company’s will have year end sales where they’re looking to give the consumer one last chance at this years equipment at better prices.
But the best time to buy is just after Christmas right before the beginning of the new season. The golf stores will offer huge savings on all the equipment they’re trying to clear out to make room for the new stuff coming in for the up coming season. This is where I feel you’ll find the best bargains on all types of brand new golf equipment that has never had an owner. This especially holds true for such items as golf shoes and clothing. If you want to save a little money then look for last years models and you’ll get some great deals.
**********
Cut 7 strokes from your score, guaranteed! Click here:
http://tinyurl.com/2mmeux
**********
Where to Shop
If you’re wondering where to go to get these great bargains there’s only one place. The internet is the best place to find what ever you’re looking for. There’s one main reason for shopping online, and that’s competition. There are so many online retailers competing for your business you can find some ridiculously low prices. You just have to take your time and look. The best thing about this is you don’t have leave the comfort of your own home to find your new gear for this year. The bottom line about bargain golf equipment is to take your time and look in all the right places. You’ll find an awesome deal!
About The Author
John Bolt - You don’t have to spend a fortune on new equipment? Take the worry out of buying golf gear with John Bolt’s ULTIMATE FREE equipment guide from http://www.golfequipmentsource.com./ Enjoy your game…and have tons more fun! => http://www.golfequipmentsource.com/golfclubs.html
Editor's Note: For those of you who are confused by the match play format in golf, help is on the way. In our next post, golf coach John Retzer takes you step by step through the fundamentals and the details of match play. Until then, stay well and keep swingin'.
Jim Nettleton
Saturday July 28, 2007 - 08:13am (PST) Edit Delete Comments
Tension In Your Swing?
Welcome back - here is today's featured article:
by: Paul Wilson
It's often said that you shouldn't have any tension in your swing. This isn't true. You need tension, the thing you don’t need is strength. There's a big difference between the two, and if you can't distinguish between them, it may be stopping you from reaching your potential.
To get the feeling of both tension and strength, simply stand up and hang your arms at your side. To feel tension, extend your arms downward to the ground as far as they go. As you do this, you will feel tension in your arms because they are stretched to their longest point. Now to feel strength, make two fists and squeeze as hard as you can. These are two totally different feelings that have two totally different affects on your swing.
This feeling of strength is what most inexperienced players feel when they hit the ball and they mistake it for tension. They get this feeling because they're trying to hit the ball so hard that their arm muscles lock up. This feeling of strength is deceiving though because it also gives the person the feeling of power. If this feeling of strength is removed, the inexperienced player then thinks that they are not going hit the ball as far so, they immediately they tighten up again.
This feeling of strength in your arms will do two things to destroy your swing:
1. It will narrow your swing arc because the feeling of strength makes your arm muscles contract or buckle through and past impact. The narrower your swing arc, the slower the club will swing.
2. It will inhibit the hinging and re-hinging of your wrists also resulting in a slower clubhead speed. The harder you hit, the tighter your wrists will which will also slow the club down.
So how is the clubhead speed increased if you feel tension?
*************
Cut 7 strokes guaranteed! Click here:
http://tinyurl.com/2mmeux
*************
1. To achieve the tension I am talking about, you must allow the arms to be stretched out to their fullest through and past impact. To stretch them out means your muscles cannot be turned on. You have to keep them loose. To understand the increase in arc width, imagine that your golf swing is like picking up a weight and swinging it in a circle on a piece of string. The weight represents your club, the string is your arms, and your body is your hand that is twirling it.
As the weight swings, the piece of string will get tense. This is because the weight is stretching it to its longest point. This maximizes its arc. It's this wide arc that allows the weight to swing its fastest. Remember, feeling strength in your arms pulls the clubhead closer to you because it contracts your arm muscles. If your arm muscles contract, it would be like the piece of string getting shorter as you spin the weight not longer. The shorter the piece of string, the slower it will swing.
2. Loosening up the arms, and keeping the muscles turn off, will also loosen up your wrists. To understand how the wrist hinge will help to create clubhead speed, imagine opening a door with rusty hinges and one with well oiled hinges. Obviously, the well oiled hinges will allow the door swing open and closed faster. If your wrists were "well oiled" it would result in more clubhead speed as well. To get the feeling of wrists that are too tight (rusty hinges), try clenching your fists again. This time pay attention to your wrists and how locked up they become when you feel strength in your arms. So allowing the arms to stretch out through and past impact not only maximizes the arc width, but it also loosens your wrists.
Now that you know how detrimental strength is to your swing as opposed to tension, take a look at a few areas where you are likely to feel it:
1. The first area is your grip. Your grip pressure at set up should be 2 out of 10 where 10 is the tightest.
2. In your set up you should feel like your arms are just hanging and there is no strength in them. If you don't start with them stretched out how are they going to stretch out through and past impact?
3. The takeaway is the next area to check. If you take the club away fast, you are turning on your arm muscles. You should take the club away slow and smooth to avoid this arm strength. To feel this, just flip the club upside down so you are gripping the club where the clubhead is (flipping the club this way makes it really light). Now as you take a few practice swings, you can immediately tell if your arms are tightening. Make sure you take the club back slow enough that you don't feel your arms turn on then apply this same feeling to your actual takeaway (once you flip the club around to the correct position).
4. The next area is just as you are going to start your downswing. Remember, human nature is telling you to hit the ball hard. If you follow you instincts, you are guaranteed to feel strength in your arms. So from now on, don't think about hitting anything. A great way to achieve this is to imagine you have a magic marker taped to your clubhead and there's a huge piece of paper you are swinging against. Your objective is to draw the widest circle you can on the piece of paper as you swing down and through past impact. If you can think of this image you will definitely increase the width of your arc and feel the tension in your arms from the club pulling them out.
5. The final area is just before contact. People feel they have to give the shot just that little extra help to get it in the air. In doing so, they also turn on their arms. Remember to keep the image of the weight swinging on a piece of string in your mind as you swing your club. The weight swings freely around an axis pulling the string to its longest point. Your club should be allowed to swing freely around your body so it too, is allowed to swing to its widest point. You don't have to help the ball get in the air.
***********
Slash 7 stokes from your score, guaranteed! Click here:
http://tinyurl.com/2mmeux
***********
The next time you go to the practice range, try to get this new feeling of tension that I have described. If you're doing it properly, you can tell because you will probably hit the ground behind the ball a few times. Don't avoid these fat shots. If you try to avoid them, you will do so by tightening your arms again. Just keep hitting shots (even if the club hits the ground behind the ball). Within 20 balls, you'll get used to your new, wider swing arc and start to hit some of the most solid shots of your life!
Until next time,
Paul Wilson
About The Author
Paul Wilson teaches how to copy the perfect golf swing of the Iron Byron swing machine. For more information, please visit: http://www.paulwilsongolf.com/ or http://www.swingmachinegolf.com/.
Editor's Note: In our next post, John Bolt takes us bargain hunting to save us money buying discounted golf equipment. Until then, stay well and keep swingin'.
Jim Nettleton
by: Paul Wilson
It's often said that you shouldn't have any tension in your swing. This isn't true. You need tension, the thing you don’t need is strength. There's a big difference between the two, and if you can't distinguish between them, it may be stopping you from reaching your potential.
To get the feeling of both tension and strength, simply stand up and hang your arms at your side. To feel tension, extend your arms downward to the ground as far as they go. As you do this, you will feel tension in your arms because they are stretched to their longest point. Now to feel strength, make two fists and squeeze as hard as you can. These are two totally different feelings that have two totally different affects on your swing.
This feeling of strength is what most inexperienced players feel when they hit the ball and they mistake it for tension. They get this feeling because they're trying to hit the ball so hard that their arm muscles lock up. This feeling of strength is deceiving though because it also gives the person the feeling of power. If this feeling of strength is removed, the inexperienced player then thinks that they are not going hit the ball as far so, they immediately they tighten up again.
This feeling of strength in your arms will do two things to destroy your swing:
1. It will narrow your swing arc because the feeling of strength makes your arm muscles contract or buckle through and past impact. The narrower your swing arc, the slower the club will swing.
2. It will inhibit the hinging and re-hinging of your wrists also resulting in a slower clubhead speed. The harder you hit, the tighter your wrists will which will also slow the club down.
So how is the clubhead speed increased if you feel tension?
*************
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1. To achieve the tension I am talking about, you must allow the arms to be stretched out to their fullest through and past impact. To stretch them out means your muscles cannot be turned on. You have to keep them loose. To understand the increase in arc width, imagine that your golf swing is like picking up a weight and swinging it in a circle on a piece of string. The weight represents your club, the string is your arms, and your body is your hand that is twirling it.
As the weight swings, the piece of string will get tense. This is because the weight is stretching it to its longest point. This maximizes its arc. It's this wide arc that allows the weight to swing its fastest. Remember, feeling strength in your arms pulls the clubhead closer to you because it contracts your arm muscles. If your arm muscles contract, it would be like the piece of string getting shorter as you spin the weight not longer. The shorter the piece of string, the slower it will swing.
2. Loosening up the arms, and keeping the muscles turn off, will also loosen up your wrists. To understand how the wrist hinge will help to create clubhead speed, imagine opening a door with rusty hinges and one with well oiled hinges. Obviously, the well oiled hinges will allow the door swing open and closed faster. If your wrists were "well oiled" it would result in more clubhead speed as well. To get the feeling of wrists that are too tight (rusty hinges), try clenching your fists again. This time pay attention to your wrists and how locked up they become when you feel strength in your arms. So allowing the arms to stretch out through and past impact not only maximizes the arc width, but it also loosens your wrists.
Now that you know how detrimental strength is to your swing as opposed to tension, take a look at a few areas where you are likely to feel it:
1. The first area is your grip. Your grip pressure at set up should be 2 out of 10 where 10 is the tightest.
2. In your set up you should feel like your arms are just hanging and there is no strength in them. If you don't start with them stretched out how are they going to stretch out through and past impact?
3. The takeaway is the next area to check. If you take the club away fast, you are turning on your arm muscles. You should take the club away slow and smooth to avoid this arm strength. To feel this, just flip the club upside down so you are gripping the club where the clubhead is (flipping the club this way makes it really light). Now as you take a few practice swings, you can immediately tell if your arms are tightening. Make sure you take the club back slow enough that you don't feel your arms turn on then apply this same feeling to your actual takeaway (once you flip the club around to the correct position).
4. The next area is just as you are going to start your downswing. Remember, human nature is telling you to hit the ball hard. If you follow you instincts, you are guaranteed to feel strength in your arms. So from now on, don't think about hitting anything. A great way to achieve this is to imagine you have a magic marker taped to your clubhead and there's a huge piece of paper you are swinging against. Your objective is to draw the widest circle you can on the piece of paper as you swing down and through past impact. If you can think of this image you will definitely increase the width of your arc and feel the tension in your arms from the club pulling them out.
5. The final area is just before contact. People feel they have to give the shot just that little extra help to get it in the air. In doing so, they also turn on their arms. Remember to keep the image of the weight swinging on a piece of string in your mind as you swing your club. The weight swings freely around an axis pulling the string to its longest point. Your club should be allowed to swing freely around your body so it too, is allowed to swing to its widest point. You don't have to help the ball get in the air.
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Slash 7 stokes from your score, guaranteed! Click here:
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***********
The next time you go to the practice range, try to get this new feeling of tension that I have described. If you're doing it properly, you can tell because you will probably hit the ground behind the ball a few times. Don't avoid these fat shots. If you try to avoid them, you will do so by tightening your arms again. Just keep hitting shots (even if the club hits the ground behind the ball). Within 20 balls, you'll get used to your new, wider swing arc and start to hit some of the most solid shots of your life!
Until next time,
Paul Wilson
About The Author
Paul Wilson teaches how to copy the perfect golf swing of the Iron Byron swing machine. For more information, please visit: http://www.paulwilsongolf.com/ or http://www.swingmachinegolf.com/.
Editor's Note: In our next post, John Bolt takes us bargain hunting to save us money buying discounted golf equipment. Until then, stay well and keep swingin'.
Jim Nettleton
A Feel For Your Golf Game
Here's today's featured article:
by: Craig Sigl
Let's get down and dirty about the word "feel" and how I apply it to golf the "Without Practice" way so you can shave some strokes effortlessly this weekend. You know deep down if not at the top of your head, that when you feel good, you will perform or act your best in anything right? Most of us struggle with our feelings because we just let them occur based on whatever is happening in our lives at the time.
For instance, if you just get news that you got a raise at work, you are going to have a great feeling for some time after correct? This is a great time to get out on the course as your bio-computer (brain) is now in the optimum conditon for performance. Nobody denies this and yet we go out on the course and choose to say and do things that destroy our optimum performance potential.
I am becoming more and more convinced the longer I play this game that how we "feel" during our round determines the variation from our average score more than anything else. What I mean by feel is our STATE.
STATE is physiology plus internal representation. It's short for "state of being." So what if we can do things to affect our state just the same as receiving the news that we got a raise at work? We can!
**************
Cut 7 shots off your score - guaranteed! Click here:
http://tinyurl.com/2mmeux
**************
Recently, I shot my best round of my life at 1 under par. As I teach people to really dig into how they "felt" when they played a great round, I took notes and after the round really went over the things I was thinking, how my body was responding, what did I eat, what were my eyes seeing, etc.
You need this information to help build your optimal state in the future! Once built, you can rebuild it any time since you now have the blueprint or instructions. WE NEED to pay far more attention to when we play well than when we don't!
Many golfers completely dissect their rounds afterward replaying their bad shots over and over in their minds trying to figure out what went wrong. This only serves to implant suggestions in our subconscious mind that that is how we play.
Not good for future rounds.
Remember: "as a man thinketh, so shall he become" and other quotes like that? It all stems from the concept of the duality of our mind; the subconscious and the conscious functions. Once we get this, we can do a lot toward the mental side of our game to reach our scoring potential.
I used to take advice from the magazines that say you have to keep track of your Greens in regulation, how many putts you had, how many sand saves etc. and then "identify" my weaknesses.
Forgettaboutit!
Again, this is not good since putting the focus on the negatives only gives them power and the repetition of thinking about them starts to solidify in your subconscious. Your subconscious mind doesn't know the difference between a positive or negative thought, it just accepts that which it is most convinced of by repetitive thought or action.
**************
7 shots off your score - guaranteed! Click here:
http://tinyurl.com/2mmeux
**************
And besides, I don't need a scorecard to remind me of my weaknesses on a given round. I know what they are after every round and I can usually pin it down to something I did or didn't do prior to hitting the ball.
What you need to start doing right now, next round, is really zero in on the things that go well. Make little celebrations in your mind (be humble with your partners) when you hit a great shot. Turn on the positive emotions and show a big smile when you sink that long putt! Take mental, if not paper and pen, notes on anything worth remembering when you do anything that puts you into that "feel good" state.
Create an anchor that you do every time you hit a shot exactly the way you planned it just like the ringing buzzer that Pavlov's dogs were trained to salivate to.
When you have bad shots, immediately analyze it afterward, see what you can learn from it and then FORGET IT! It will do you no good whatsoever to hold onto it. You know that your swing is different from day to day as all the pros also complain about. So what benefit can be gained from going over bad shots that could be gone the next day without even trying?
Save the analyzing for the range if you do have time to practice. If not, then just keep pounding your subconscious with images of you accomplishing the little things you had trouble with until your next round. If you don't have time to practice your swing, then "practice" getting yourself into that state or feeling of power and confidence instead of daydreaming during boring or mundance tasks you work on through your day.
That is the "Without Practice" way.
Greens and fairways!
About The Author
Craig Sigl teaches how you can score lower Without Practice and The Legends of Golf teach fundamentals. For details and to claim a free digitized paperback book: "How You Can Play Better Golf Using Self-hypnosis" visit: http://www.break80golf.com/
craig@break80golf.com
Editor's note: Craig will be featured in future articles as well. Come back often for more informative, interesting and helpful articles on the great game of golf. In our next post, the well-known Paul Wilson will offer some eye-opening thoughts on tension in your swing. Until then, stay well and keep swingin'.
Jim Nettleton
by: Craig Sigl
Let's get down and dirty about the word "feel" and how I apply it to golf the "Without Practice" way so you can shave some strokes effortlessly this weekend. You know deep down if not at the top of your head, that when you feel good, you will perform or act your best in anything right? Most of us struggle with our feelings because we just let them occur based on whatever is happening in our lives at the time.
For instance, if you just get news that you got a raise at work, you are going to have a great feeling for some time after correct? This is a great time to get out on the course as your bio-computer (brain) is now in the optimum conditon for performance. Nobody denies this and yet we go out on the course and choose to say and do things that destroy our optimum performance potential.
I am becoming more and more convinced the longer I play this game that how we "feel" during our round determines the variation from our average score more than anything else. What I mean by feel is our STATE.
STATE is physiology plus internal representation. It's short for "state of being." So what if we can do things to affect our state just the same as receiving the news that we got a raise at work? We can!
**************
Cut 7 shots off your score - guaranteed! Click here:
http://tinyurl.com/2mmeux
**************
Recently, I shot my best round of my life at 1 under par. As I teach people to really dig into how they "felt" when they played a great round, I took notes and after the round really went over the things I was thinking, how my body was responding, what did I eat, what were my eyes seeing, etc.
You need this information to help build your optimal state in the future! Once built, you can rebuild it any time since you now have the blueprint or instructions. WE NEED to pay far more attention to when we play well than when we don't!
Many golfers completely dissect their rounds afterward replaying their bad shots over and over in their minds trying to figure out what went wrong. This only serves to implant suggestions in our subconscious mind that that is how we play.
Not good for future rounds.
Remember: "as a man thinketh, so shall he become" and other quotes like that? It all stems from the concept of the duality of our mind; the subconscious and the conscious functions. Once we get this, we can do a lot toward the mental side of our game to reach our scoring potential.
I used to take advice from the magazines that say you have to keep track of your Greens in regulation, how many putts you had, how many sand saves etc. and then "identify" my weaknesses.
Forgettaboutit!
Again, this is not good since putting the focus on the negatives only gives them power and the repetition of thinking about them starts to solidify in your subconscious. Your subconscious mind doesn't know the difference between a positive or negative thought, it just accepts that which it is most convinced of by repetitive thought or action.
**************
7 shots off your score - guaranteed! Click here:
http://tinyurl.com/2mmeux
**************
And besides, I don't need a scorecard to remind me of my weaknesses on a given round. I know what they are after every round and I can usually pin it down to something I did or didn't do prior to hitting the ball.
What you need to start doing right now, next round, is really zero in on the things that go well. Make little celebrations in your mind (be humble with your partners) when you hit a great shot. Turn on the positive emotions and show a big smile when you sink that long putt! Take mental, if not paper and pen, notes on anything worth remembering when you do anything that puts you into that "feel good" state.
Create an anchor that you do every time you hit a shot exactly the way you planned it just like the ringing buzzer that Pavlov's dogs were trained to salivate to.
When you have bad shots, immediately analyze it afterward, see what you can learn from it and then FORGET IT! It will do you no good whatsoever to hold onto it. You know that your swing is different from day to day as all the pros also complain about. So what benefit can be gained from going over bad shots that could be gone the next day without even trying?
Save the analyzing for the range if you do have time to practice. If not, then just keep pounding your subconscious with images of you accomplishing the little things you had trouble with until your next round. If you don't have time to practice your swing, then "practice" getting yourself into that state or feeling of power and confidence instead of daydreaming during boring or mundance tasks you work on through your day.
That is the "Without Practice" way.
Greens and fairways!
About The Author
Craig Sigl teaches how you can score lower Without Practice and The Legends of Golf teach fundamentals. For details and to claim a free digitized paperback book: "How You Can Play Better Golf Using Self-hypnosis" visit: http://www.break80golf.com/
craig@break80golf.com
Editor's note: Craig will be featured in future articles as well. Come back often for more informative, interesting and helpful articles on the great game of golf. In our next post, the well-known Paul Wilson will offer some eye-opening thoughts on tension in your swing. Until then, stay well and keep swingin'.
Jim Nettleton
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