Category: Golf Tips

Common Golf Mistakes Beginners Make – How to Avoid Them

September 17, 2023 Dan No Comments

Golf, often known as the “gentleman’s game,” offers a unique blend of challenge and relaxation. For beginners, stepping onto the golf course can be both exciting and daunting. It is important to be aware of some pitfalls that new players often encounter. Knowing how to avoid common golf mistakes beginners make is very helpful.

Now, these missteps can sometimes overshadow the joy of the game. However, with a bit of guidance, you can navigate them successfully.

These mistakes are present across the board. They go from the setup fundamentals, mechanical and technical areas of the swing, to the etiquette and the mental aspect of the game.

Remember, every golfer was a beginner once. Granted, some started earlier and had more time to learn. Nonetheless, it is never too late to correct things.

A very important first step is awareness. In order to be able to work on something, you have to know you are doing it wrong. Golf is quite a self-analytical game. First, try to see what might be on your list of improvements to start with. Once you do that, check what you can do and start the journey to better golfing.

Swing and Technique Mistakes

Poor Posture:

Bad posture can lead to inconsistent ball striking.

Avoidance:

Maintain a balanced posture with knees slightly flexed and a straight back.

Incorrect Grip:

Holding the club Improperly affects the clubface’s orientation at impact.

Avoidance:

Learn and practice the correct grip, like the “overlap” or “interlock” grip.

Poor Alignment:

Incorrect alignment leads to shots off target, even if the swing is good.

Avoidance:

Use alignment aids like clubs or alignment sticks. It will ensure your feet, hips, and shoulders are parallel to the target line.

Over-swinging:

Swinging too hard can lead to a loss of control and accuracy.

Avoidance:

Focus on a smooth, controlled swing rather than excessive power.

Lack of Rotation:

Not using proper body rotation can limit distance and accuracy.

Avoidance:

Work on your body rotation during your swing, engaging hips and shoulders.

Short Game and Putting Mistakes

Neglecting Putting Practice:

Focusing solely on long shots and ignoring putting.

Avoidance:

Dedicate time to practice putting for a well-rounded game.

Ignoring Chipping and Pitching:

Neglecting the short game can lead to higher scores.

Avoidance:

Practice chipping and pitching to save strokes around the green.

Overcomplicating Chip Shots:

Attempting overly complex chip shots when simpler ones will do.

Avoidance:

Choose the easiest and safest chip shot option to improve consistency.

Inconsistent Ball Contact:

Often struggles with inconsistent contact when chipping or pitching, leading to thin or fat shots.

Avoidance:

Focus on maintaining a steady tempo in your short-game shots. Additionally, practice hitting the ball with the center of the clubface.

Neglecting Green Reading:

Overlooking the importance of reading the green’s slope and break can result in missed putts.

Avoidance:

Develop green reading skills by carefully observing the slope and studying how the green breaks. Also, take your time to read the green and check the break from multiple angles. Watch the paths of other golfers’ putts on the green to gain insights into how they break.

Course Management and Mental Mistakes

Poor Club Selection:

Using the wrong club for the situation can lead to trouble.

Avoidance:

Learn the distances you hit each club and select the appropriate one.

Ignoring Weather Conditions:

Failing to adjust for wind or other weather forces.

Avoidance:

Pay attention to the wind and adjust your shots accordingly.

Not Thinking Strategically:

Hitting aggressive shots when a safer approach is wiser.

Avoidance:

Consider the risks and rewards, and make strategic decisions.

Impatience:

Expecting rapid improvement and becoming frustrated when it doesn’t happen.

Avoidance:

Golf is a gradual learning process; stay patient and enjoy the journey.

Lack of Mental Focus:

Allowing distractions or negative thoughts to affect your game.

Avoidance:

Develop mental resilience and focus on the task at hand.

Not Learning Rules and Etiquette:

Not knowing the rules and etiquette can disrupt play.

Avoidance:

Study the basic rules and etiquette of golf to ensure a smoother round.

Avoid Mistakes and Enjoy More

In conclusion, golf is a game that offers both challenges and rewards. Understanding and avoiding common mistakes can significantly enhance your enjoyment of the sport. Starting from mastering the fundamentals of grip and swing to focusing on alignment. Equally important, improving the short game or putting.

Therefore, each aspect of golf presents an opportunity for improvement. Nonetheless, it is not just about hitting the ball far. It is about precision and strategy. Equally essential is your knowledge of the rules and etiquette of the game. By following these guidelines you ensure a harmonious experience on the course. Consequently, you also prevent any unintentional penalties.

Golf, in many ways, is a mental sport as well. Thus, patience, focus, and a positive mindset are your allies. Besides, they will help you conquer the inevitable frustrations that may arise during a round. Golf is a journey that rewards dedication and practice. Specifically, it teaches patience, precision, and perseverance.

Finally, you will continue to refine your skills and gain experience. Therefore, you will discover challenges from the beginning becoming opportunities for growth and enjoyment. So, embrace the game and learn from your mistakes. Moreover, relish the satisfaction that comes with becoming a better golfer. In a word, golf offers a lifetime of enjoyment for those who take the journey.

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Categories: Beginners Golf General Info Golf Tips

How to Improve Putting at Home – 5 Tips for Beginners

July 23, 2023 Dan No Comments

Putting is one of the areas of golf that golfers tend not to practice enough. I fall into that category myself and do not work on my putting as much as I probably should. Experts say putting should be around 30% of all golf practice. Luckily, you can use some tips on how to improve putting at home and increase your practice time.

Unlike swinging with other clubs in your bag, for the putter you do not need much space. You don’t have to worry you will wreck the walls, scratch the sealing, or break a piece of furniture.

Now, that is the case unless your putts are so wild that there is a real danger for surrounding objects or housemates. Remember, the golf ball is hard, so be always cautious with it.

Nevertheless, let’s get back to putting at home. All you need is a few feet of unobstructed space in your place. No matter if it is a house or an apartment, anything works.

It does not have to be a space over 10 feet long or longer. If you do have a longer area, that is good, you can also work on longer putts. In general, all you need is going to be a putter and a golf ball. If you do have some putting aids, it will be helpful. However, you can still improve your putting in a simpler way.

1. Practice Strokes in Front of a Mirror

I am sure this might sound a bit weird, and I agree with that. Why would you practice strokes in front of a mirror? That’s a fair question. Now let me explain it. In the same way, you can’t exactly see how you look when you are working on your full swing, you can’t see yourself putting either.

There are reasons why it is important to be aware of what you do while putting. You could see what your posture looks like for one. Second, you could see what parts of your body you are moving. For all you know, you could be moving too much or be too still. Then you can see what your stroke looks like.

All things you can see in the mirror could give you a better idea of what to work on. Sometimes you could be surprised by seeing things you thought you never do. It is a good starting feedback toward improvement. Additionally, if you want to take it to the next level, check the tip right below.

2. Make a Video While You Putt

Unlike the previous tip, this is a very common one in the golfing world. Again, it is more common with the full swing. It can definitely give you an in-depth view of your putting stroke. As I have mentioned above, with a video, you can see how everything looks and single out things to work on.

One of the benefits of making a video is the option to pause it at any given moment. That gives you opportunities to analyze things. Look at the video as a first step toward better putting. Once you discover things in your stroke, you can go to work. The best thing is you can do it without expensive equipment, just by using your phone.

3. Use a Plastic Cup for Practice

This is a scene you might have seen in some movie or tv show. It is the classic setup of a person in an office just putting and using a plastic cup as the target. As silly as it sounds, it can help you improve your accuracy. At the end of it, you still have to direct that ball toward the cup and be precise if you want it to get in there.

It can also be a metal cup or any kind of cup you want to use to practice. In case you do have some putting aid, such as holes with a little ramp for the ball to go in, you won’t need a cup. However, a simple cup is something to be found in any household and be helpful in order to get some practice without leaving home.

4. Use Your Furniture for Drills

When you are practicing on a putting green you can use tees to make gates to practice your putts. That is very convenient because you can place them wherever you want and make as many. Now, that is the case if you have access to a putting green where you can go and practice any time you want.

For anyone who does not have that luxury, there are ways to get creative and make the best of what is available. So if you want to practice in a similar way at home, you can use your furniture. For example, you can use two chairs to make a gate the ball has to go through on the way to a target.

You can use anything like coffee or dining table legs as well. Basically, you can use any piece of furniture that can make a gate with another piece. Gate drills are very good for accuracy and can help you to become more precise with your putter.

5. Putt on Different Surfaces

At first, this might not make much sense, but bear with me. You know already that putting greens do not have to necessarily be all the same. Sometimes they will be in better condition and sometimes in worse condition. They could be faster or slower. There are flatter ones and there are ones with more undulation.

That being said, there is a good chance you have a few different surfaces at home. There could be wooden flooring, tiles, carpet, or anything else. Naturally, if you practice putting on all those surfaces, the ball is going to act differently. That makes it a good chance to practice for different conditions in one place.

Sometimes all it takes is a bit of creativity to be able to do something. If you do have different surfaces at home and decide to give it a try, just be cautious with furniture and objects in the surroundings.

Make the Best of the Situation

Golf is an amazing sport that takes a lot of time and dedication if you want to become good at it. For that reason, you should take advantage of the environment you find yourself in. In this case, it is your home that could be extremely convenient to help you improve your putting.

A lot of successful professional athletes have stories of creative practice at home. I am not saying you have to do it as intensively as they did, but you can still do it to improve. Now take a look around you, make a practice plan, grab your putter, and go.

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Categories: Beginners Golf Tips Putting Uncategorized

How to Improve Putting Alignment – 5 Tips for Beginners

July 16, 2023 Dan No Comments

The good old saying goes drive for show, putt for dough. Even if you just started golfing, there is a great chance you have heard it already. I can also tell you that you will hear it many, many times as long as you golf. Anyway, in order to become proficient on the green, you have to know how to improve putting alignment.

There is a fact related to putting which is very important to be aware of. Your putter is the only club in your bag you will use on every single hole.

Obviously, there is the exception when you hole out, but that does not happen so often. For that reason, you should be very comfortable on the green.

Besides having the right putter that suits your putting style, you have to master putting alignment. Starting the ball on the right line is one of the keys to success.

There is no golfer who can sink each and every putt, except maybe Tiger Woods in his prime. What you want is to give yourself a chance to get that ball into the hole or to roll it as close as possible. There is one thing golfers really don’t like, and that is three putts. Good alignment is one of the things that can help you avoid that.

1. Use the Ball Design to Your Advantage

It has been a long time since golf balls have alignment lines on them. Yet, there is a number of recreational golfers who do not use them whatsoever. That is a shame because the balls are designed that way to help when putting. Just ask professional golfers about it, I doubt there will be any of them who does not align before putting.

I know, professional golfers draw a line with a sharpie on the ball themselves to help them with putting. In any case, they do use a straight line on the golf ball to align it before the putt. There is a reason for that, it does help. Granted, you have to align it on the right line in order for it to work.

There are industry experts that advise recreational golfers against using the alignment aid. The explanation is that a lot of them do not align the ball properly. Despite that, it can be a powerful tool when you do align the ball properly. For that reason, you could try it and see what it does for you.

2. Know How to Read the Green

Here we go with reading the green. Like you haven’t heard enough about this since you started golfing. No matter how long you have been golfing, you always hear about this topic. Let me just say you hear about it all the time for a good reason. It is very important if you want to lower your number of putts per round.

Knowing how to read the green is essential for putting alignment. In order to align the ball properly, you have to know what it is going to do while rolling on the way to the hole. There is a huge difference if the ball is going to go straight if it is going to break left or right, or if it is going to be a double break.

Because of all that, you have to read the green the right way. There are several things you can do to achieve that. To start with, be aware of how fast it is. Then you can check the undulations from different angles. You can walk your line without stepping on it to see which way it is tilting. There are different sources out there where you can see all the ways to read the green.

3. Pick a Line According to the Putt

What says just above can be confusing. Let me explain what I mean by according to the putt. It has and hasn’t to do with reading the green. The part that is related to reading the green is if there is a slope or not. Meaning, part of picking the line is going to depend on the possible break on the way to the hole.

The second part is actually more important. What line you pick can entirely depend on how fast your putt is going to be. If you are going for a faster putt, your line should be straighter. I would suggest this for shorter putts or longer uphill putts. When the putt is faster there are fewer breaks because of the speed, therefore the line is going to be straighter.

On the other hand, if you decide to go with a dying-speed putt, your line has to be more precise. I mean that in a way that you have to account for all the possible breaks. Slower putts do not hold the line so well because any slope, even the slightest one, comes into play. Whatever you decide to do, trust your line and go for it.

4. Observe Other Golfers Putting

This is only applicable if you are not the first one to putt. You can learn a lot from just observing other golfers putting. It reveals the speed of the green, the slopes, and the green condition in general. A big bonus is if someone ahead of you is putting close to your line. Then all you see you can instantly apply it to your putt.

More so, try to pay attention to what another golfer’s ball does when it gets closer to the hole. That also applies to the situation when it goes past the hole. All that info can be very valuable. In case you play a course often, then you could try to remember your putts as well so you can do better next time.

When you see someone putt it can help you to align your ball better. Based on everything you see it could make you readjust your putt before going for it.

5. Be Aware of the Green Condition

This is a thing that could easily slip under the radar. Even if you have done all the preparation properly, you still have to see what kind of green you are dealing with on a day. You might think it has nothing to do with alignment, but it certainly does. The main thing the green condition affects is putting speed.

Now, putting speed will determine the line you want to start your ball on. That is directly related to alignment, particularly on putts that involve a break. If the green is slower, you might take a more direct line. In case of a faster green, you might want to take a bit of an arc line. All in all, it is another thing to pay attention to when aligning the putt.

Proper Alignment Can Help Your Game

Think about putting as an area of your game that can help you lower your handicap. Remember that putting strokes make a big portion of your scorecard. If you two-putt every single hole, that adds up to 36 strokes on your card. Lowering that number to 30 or less would make a significant difference in your score.

This goes especially if you are trying to break a score or just start shooting better numbers. Either way, it is an area worth working on. Next time you decide to practice try to incorporate some putting into it. A lot of recreational golfers focus way too much on their swing, while some simpler solutions might be within reach.

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Categories: Beginners Golf Tips Putting

How to Improve Your Golf Swing Speed – 5 Tips for Beginners

July 2, 2023 Dan No Comments

I know what you might be thinking. Here we go again, another article about increasing the swing speed. Fair enough, a lot of industry experts talk about this quite a bit. Now, there is a reason for that. If you want to hit the ball further and consequentially lower your handicap, you must know how to improve your golf swing speed.

It is just how things work in the wonderful world of golfing. To increase your distances, you have to hit the ball further. That can only happen if you increase your clubhead and ball speed.

I am not saying you have to get to extreme levels of golfers who participate in the World Long Drive Championship. That would be hard to achieve to start with unless you had a lot of time on your hands.

However, if you want to bring your game to the next level, you have to start working on that speed. For example, to carry your ball 250 yards, your clubhead speed should be around 100 mph, and your ball speed around 145 mph.

Those numbers will look scary to a lot of average golfers. That is fine, perhaps you are happy with less distance and do not care to hit that ball so far. Nonetheless, if you do want to increase your numbers, there are ways to do it. There are drills you can do to get there, but below we will focus on a few tips that can help you along the process.

1. Know Your Backswing Limit

This might sound weird, but you can easily overdo your backswing. As you can imagine when that happens it does not produce the best swing results. Let me explain why. What usually happens when you overdo the backswing has everything to do with your lead arm. To put it in simple words, if you finish your backswing too late, your lead arm bends in the elbow.

That situation leads to a couple of things. First, once it does bend, it is very hard to extend it to the proper position for the downswing and impact. It just requires too much right timing to do that. Subsequently, because of that, you lose a lot of power in your swing. Less power means less clubhead and ball speed, thus less distance.

The general rule goes that you should finish your backswing at the very moment before your lead arm starts bending in the elbow. That way you will make it easier for the downswing and impact. On top of that, you will be able to produce more swing speed because of more power in your swing.

2. Transfer Your Weight

For me personally, this is one of the most challenging parts of the golf swing. I have seen recreational golfers shift their weight in different ways. Whatever works for an individual is fine. Nevertheless, here I am referring to the textbook weight shift. If you have a picture of professional golfers doing it, you know how challenging that is.

The weight transfer, when properly done, creates a slingshot effect in your swing. With that, you gain more power which brings more clubhead and ball speed. For that reason, it is essential that you do it right in order to hit that ball further down the fairway. Work on it to bring it to a decent level and you will enjoy hitting that ball more than ever.

3. Swing With Your Upper Body

One of the most common things recreational gofers do is to swing the club only with their arms. Because of that, there are several areas of the swing that suffer. For one, you guessed it, there is a lack of power. Next, it is harder to control the clubface when the arms are too involved. Then it often leads to poor contact at impact.

The arms should be synchronized with the upper body through the swing. It comes down to engaging the core and having the arms almost locked to the body. When you swing with your upper body you unleash more power for a greater swing speed.

There is a popular drill you can do for that. Put something like a piece of clothing or a tee peg under your armpits and keep it there while swinging. The goal is to keep it under your armpits until you finish your swing without it falling out.

4. Be Relaxed While Swinging

As trivial as this sounds, you should not be overly tense while swinging your club. I am sure you have heard that before, but it is true. If you are too tense, your motions won’t be able to work as intended. That will lead to many things that can go wrong when you are hitting the ball, like thin or thick shots, slices or hooks, etc.

Besides that, not being relaxed will rob you of swing speed as well. If you do not let the club release, you will lose potential power and swing speed. A lot of times you will be able to hit the ball further if you hit it when relaxed at a moderate speed. Try it at the driving range, and see for yourself that it can actually work that way.

5. Know When to Release the Club

This is so important when it comes to swing speed. Here I am referring to the moment when your club accelerates the most before the impact. If it reaches peak acceleration too early or too late you will leave a lot of speed on the table. Clearly, if you watch professional golfers, you can notice they do it with perfection.

What we are looking for here is the swoosh sound the club makes during the swing to happen at the right time. That is the moment when the clubhead is traveling at the highest speed. Ideally, that happens from the time just before impact until a few feet past impact. Again, it is easier said than done, but it can be achieved with some practice and persistence.

Whatever Works the Best

I am sure no matter how long you have been golfing, you know there is no magic formula that works for everyone. The game is so complex when it comes to the swing motion. Because of that, each and every golf swing is different. For that reason, one thing will work for one, and another thing for the other swings.

In reality, it all comes down to what works best for you as an individual. You can find that out with the help of a golf instructor or you can take your time to discover it on your own. This applies to all the things related to the swing including the swing speed. Find what is best for you, work on it, and hit the ball further than ever before.

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Categories: Golf Swing Golf Swing Speed Golf Tips

Golf Swing Follow-Through Tips – How to Finish Like a Pro

June 18, 2023 Dan No Comments

From time to time I hear one thing related to the golf swing follow-through. When you are swinging your club think about where you want to be. In other words, execute your swing well so you can finish in the right position. There are things you can do to get there starting from checking a few golf swing follow-through tips in this article.

You should think of your follow-through as the reflection of what you do in your golf swing. There is a good chance a good swing will lead to a good follow-through.

It also goes the other way around. A poorly executed swing leads to a poor follow-through. That means your follow-through is more important than you might think.

You can look at your follow-through as a shortcut to see what might be wrong with your swing. If something does not look right, it means one or more other swing components are a bit off. For it to work properly all the previous parts of your swing have to work fine. It might be the last part of your swing, but it is far from the least important one.

Straighten Your Arms After Impact

If your golf swing is solid, your lead arm stays straight from the takeaway until the very last phase of the follow-through. At the same time, your trail arm is bent until your clubhead is a few feet after impact. Now, once your trail arm does straighten a few feet after impact, it should stay straight until the last moments of the follow-through.

That means your both arms are straight in your swing just after impact until just before you finish your swing. It is important you do it that way because that means you did all the previous elements correctly. Some coaches recommend thinking about the follow-through being executed correctly which can help all the other parts of your swing.

One of the major things straightening your arms after impact will help you with is club release. Knowing that your both arms should be straight a few feet after impact can basically tell you when to release your club. Doing that correctly will mean that you hear that swoosh sound just around impact as you should and not too early or too late.

Finish the Rotation

This is very important especially when it comes to more power in the swing and solid impact. If you do not finish the rotation in your swing means you most likely finished your swing too early. That will bring a lot of inconsistency to your swing and will rob you of both solid contact and distance.

Finishing the rotation looks the way you are facing the target at the end of the follow-through. Facing the target at the end of your swing is a good checkpoint for completed rotation. That means your upper body and your hips both facing the target. If that is not the case, it is time to make some adjustments.

Weight on Lead Leg

This is absolutely essential if you want to become a solid ball striker. There are other swing components that lead to this outcome. It is a good checkpoint to know if you are executing your swing properly. In case your weight is more to the trail side during the follow-through and at the end of the swing, that needs to be addressed.

Having the weight more to the trail side will lead to different types of poor hits. That includes fat shots and thin shots. You can run a quick test to see where you are at. Next time you go to the range hit a ball and see where you feel your weight after you finish your swing. If you feel your lead leg supporting your body, all is good.

Finishing Position Based on the Shot

In this case, the finishing position will tell you if you did what you intended to do. Let’s put it this way, for a shorter shot your swing should finish sooner than for a longer shot. That is going to be reflected mostly in your arms’ finishing position. The same goes for the type of shot you were trying to hit.

For example, if you wanted to hit a higher ball your arms and club should finish higher up. If you were looking for a lower flight, your arms, and club should finish a bit lower. This is also a good thing to envision when you are trying to execute a certain shot. You think about the finishing position and then get there by doing that shot.

Reverse It to Check Your Swing

Here is one suggestion I have heard in the past. You can set yourself up in the swing finish position and reverse engineer it to figure things out. That way you can work your swing starting from the follow-through first. It gives you the opportunity to see what things lead to a certain position from the end to the beginning of the swing.

With that deeper understanding of your swing, you can find out what to fix from a different perspective. It might not work for everyone, but it is an idea of an unusual approach that could help you. Finally, I like to repeat how basics are crucial in a golf swing. Work on your follow-through basics as much as you can. It will bring more happiness to your golf game.

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Categories: Follow Through Golf Swing Golf Tips

Golf Impact Position Tips – How to Hit It Pure

May 15, 2023 Dan No Comments

Your golf swing can look amazing and generate a lot of clubhead speed, but there is still one key thing for all to work. You guessed it, it has to do with the impact. With a solid impact, everything falls into place for a consistent golf swing. If you want to hit balls purely, you might want to check the golf impact position tips in this article.

All golfers pursue that clean contact when the club hits the ball first and then the ground. That is precisely what professional golfers can do on a regular basis.

Almost every person who watched professional golfers play says the same thing. When they hit the ball, it just sounds different. Very different from what we are used to hearing.

Now, nobody is expecting you to hit ball after ball like a tour pro. That is unless you are aspiring to be a tour pro. However, you can get to a level where you hit the ball better.

Better contact will give you more control, and more distance, and ultimately help your game to get to the next level. Who wouldn’t want that? Have a look at the tips below and start improving your contact.

1. Weight on the Lead Side

Needless to say, when the weight at impact is more on your trail side, a lot of bad things happen. You lose power and distance, and you hit a lot of different poor shots. At that very moment when you make contact with the ball, you actually add loft to your club which makes the ball go a shorter distance. There is also a good chance you hit the ground behind the ball which also robs you of distance.

To avoid all of the above from happening, the weight has to be more on your lead side at impact. That is essential to put all the elements in the right place for the swing to work out. It will help you with better contact as well as with more power in your swing. The better contact means you can hit the ball first and make that nice divot past the golf ball.

2. Forward Shaft Lean

This is among the most important things you should do at impact if you are looking for more distance. What having your shaft forward at impact does is de-lofting your golf club. At that moment your club turns into one or two clubs up. Now, instead of hitting an 8 iron, you are hitting a 7 or 6 iron depending on how much you de-loft it.

That is possibly the biggest secret of how professional golfers can hit their clubs so far. Golf clubs are designed for the forward shaft lean at impact. I am talking here mostly of full swings. You can always manipulate the loft depending on your desired shot. It will help you hit the ball to distances you thought you can’t reach.

3. Square Clubface

Without any question, you have to have your clubface square at impact if you want to hit solid shots. There are different ways to achieve that. One is timing it and turning the face square only at impact. It is possible to do it this way, but it will make your work harder and your shots open for mis-hits.

The easier way to do it is to pre-set the clubface to be square before it gets to impact. This will limit the possible mistakes and help you hit more consistent shots. It involves less active wrists and it starts already from the takeaway. Next time you go to the range, pay attention to how you square your clubface. Maybe you will need to make some adjustments to make your life easier.

4. Turn Through Impact

Turning through impact can make a big difference in a few areas of your golf swing. It will help you control the clubface, add more power to your swing, and make it as effortless as possible. One of the things that tend to happen when you do not turn through impact is that your arms get too involved in the swing.

Involving your arms more in the swing can be good if you need to do things like adding some spin. However, when your arms are more passive through the impact it is easier for you to make good contact. It helps you to keep the same relationship with the golf ball and adds more distance to your shots.

5. Shoulder Tilt

If you have a look at any professional player at their impact position, you will notice one thing. All of them tilt their shoulders toward the trail side. That helps them to hit those solid shots time after time. It is paramount for having all the other swing parts in the right place when you strike the ball.

With no tilt, your striking will be less consistent. It would be hard to have the forward shaft lean without it or turn through the swing. Without it, you will be facing all kinds of potential mis-hits. In other words, shoulder tilt means that you are keeping your upper body in the right position for the impact.

Solid Impact Is the Road to Consistent Shots

Golfers know how hard it is to reach a point where you hit the ball consistently well. That being said, even the best golfers in the world hit bad shots. The key to better golfing is in limiting your bad shots. By that, I mean having fewer of them as well as making sure those bad ones are not too bad.

A solid impact will help your game to get to the next level. It will make your good shots great and it will make your bad shots manageable. That is something we all aspire to. Look up some impact drills, check what you need to work on, and get ready to enjoy golfing more than ever.

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Golf Downswing Tips – How to Approach the Impact

Categories: Golf Swing Golf Tips

Golf Downswing Tips – How to Approach the Impact

May 7, 2023 Dan No Comments

Every component of the golf swing is as important as the next one. In the same way, a solid backswing can set you up for a solid downswing, a solid downswing does the same for impact. We all know that good impact leads to a good golf shot. Check the golf downswing tips below that can help you to approach the impact in a better way.

There are many things that can go wrong with a golf swing. The same goes for each and every part of it. A downswing that goes wrong can lead to a lot of mis-hits.

One of the essential things that a terrible downswing can lead to is a wrong club path. That usually translates to slices and hooks, which are not the best outcomes.

Luckily, it is never too late to fix things in your downswing. Yes, it might take some time to implement the changes. That is all good in the end when you can see some improvement.

The sooner you start with the changes, the sooner you will play better golf. Find out below what you can do to tweak your downswing and make it solid.

Start the Weight Shift Before the Downswing

This is something that might take time to perfect, but it is worth it. If you start your forward weight shift before the start of your downswing, you can gain extra power in your swing. Besides that, it will help you with solid contact in the form of hitting the ball first and then the ground. Who wouldn’t want that?

Ideally, the weight shift starts just before you finish your backswing and goes on through the downswing. That way you will get into the prime position to hit the ball better. The mis-hits might still happen but on a less frequent basis. Be patient until you get it going and once you do golf will become more fun.

Keep Your Trail Elbow Close to Your Body

When you keep your trail elbow close to your body it helps your swing in a few different ways. First, it helps you to keep your arms close to your body and to each other. Second, it helps to get your club in a good position for the impact. Third, because of both previous points, you will have more power to release in your swing.

It is not just important that you keep your elbow close to your body, but to have it positioned the right way. That means not having it on the side of your body but in front of it. A good checkpoint is to have your elbow pit pointing straight ahead of you and not toward the target.

Keep Your Lead Arm as Straight as You Can

If your lead arm bends on the downswing it causes a couple of things. For one, it is harder to hit the ball in the right spot which can cause thin shots. Additionally, you can lose power in your swing which will rob you of distance. Both situations are good reasons to keep your arm as straight as you can.

Now, you do not have to keep it straight to the point when it becomes too tight. Your swing will benefit the most if your arm is straight and a bit relaxed at the same time. Keep it straight to the point that it keeps your swing structure intact and helps your ball strike. Some professional golfers can make it work with a slightly bent arm, but straighter is better.

Don’t Release Your Club Early

Releasing your club early can lead to a few situations that can come together or separately. One of those is adding loft to your club which will make your shot shorter. Another one is hitting the ground before the ball which will lead to poor contact. The last one is releasing less energy which will contribute to less power in the shot.

Most of the time releasing the club too early is caused by improper weight shifting through the swing. If you notice you are releasing the club too early, start by looking into your weight shift. One way to check at what point you release your club is to listen to the swoosh sound your club makes.

If you are releasing your club at the right time, you will hear the swoosh sound just after the club makes contact with the ball. Do a test without the ball and listen to at what point you hear the swoosh sound. It is easier to hear it when you are not hitting the ball.

Stay Tilted With Your Trail Shoulder Lower

You can notice how your shoulders are positioned in your downswing closer you get to the impact position. As you are starting your downswing, your trail shoulder should start dropping lower than your lead shoulder. That means you are keeping the tilted position which will help you with ball striking.

If your shoulders stay flat through the downswing your ball striking will not be consistent and there will be a lot of mis-hits. When you are not tilted through the downswing it is impossible to execute all the parts of the swing correctly. Your relationship with the ball will not be the same as on impact which will lead to all sorts of issues.

A Solid Downswing Leads to a Solid Contact

Every part of the swing sets up the next one. In the end, they all form what looks like one seamless motion. In order for every piece of the swing to be solid, the previous one has to be solid. That is why for a solid contact you have to have a solid downswing. Without a solid downswing, you will most likely not achieve the outcome you want.

If you are not sure what is not working in your downswing you can make a video of your swing and check it out. Alternatively, you can ask someone to have a look while you are swinging. Once you know what needs to be improved start working on it. Find the proper drills, work on one thing at a time, and be patient. As soon as you see the improvement you will enjoy golfing even more.

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Categories: Downswing Golf Tips

Golf Backswing Tips – How to Store Power in Your Swing

April 30, 2023 Dan No Comments

There is no part of the golf swing that is more or less important than the other. All of them play an important role in the flow and execution. The backswing has the role to store power which you will release when you hit the golf ball. Besides the power aspect, these golf backswing tips will help you to make a smoother transition into the downswing.

Many mistakes that happen in the golf swing are related to the backswing. Anything from slices, hooks, and thin or thick shots have roots in a bad backswing.

Think of your swing as a seamless motion. If any part of that motion doesn’t work, the outcome won’t be the best. Therefore, for a solid downswing, you have to have a solid backswing.

There are several moving parts during your backswing. That includes your legs, hips, upper body, arms, wrists, and your club. If you look at professional golfers, their backswing motions are consistent each time they hit the ball. They might all not do the exact same motions during execution, but overall it is all in place. Let’s see what you could do to improve your backswing.

Upper Body and Arms in Sync for More Rotation

The fact is that more rotation can give you a longer backswing and ultimately more distance. Now, not every golfer can rotate the same amount. There is no problem with that. The goal is to maximize the rotation according to your physical capabilities. That is something you can achieve if you move your upper body and arms in sync.

When your arms move quicker than your upper body during the backswing, you finish your rotation sooner than you could. That happens because your arms reach the highest point of your swing before you fully rotate your body. In other words, that makes your backswing shorter than it could be.

Moving your upper body and arms in sync allows your body to fully rotate which helps you to extend your swing more. It happens the way once your body stops rotating, the shoulders keep rotating which helps your arms to create a longer backswing. As an outcome, you can store more power that will be released with the downswing and impact.

Hinge Your Wrists After the Takeaway

In order to create lag and obtain more power through your swing, you have to hinge your wrists at some point during the backswing. However, it is important to start that process at the right time. If you start hinging too early it can lead to some motions that can hurt your swing. That can result in mis-hits in the form of slices, thin shots, and thick shots.

Ideally, you start hinging your wrists right after the takeaway, around the time when your club reaches parallel to the ground position. From there, your club should naturally get to the position of forming an angle around 90 degrees with your arms at the top of your backswing. That will help you to create lag in the downswing and help you to release more energy through impact.

Try Not To Slide Toward Your Trail Side

I will say try not to slide towards your trail side because even some professional golfers do slide a touch. But they are professionals and know how to work with that. If you do slide, there is a chance your could move your entire upper body as well. That can cause your weight to get stuck on your trail side which can result in all sorts of mis-hits.

It basically makes the whole process of weight transfer and shifting toward the lead side more challenging. A more efficient way would be to keep your body in place and rotate around your axis. One thing that can help you with that is your lower body. Use your legs to help you rotate and clear your hips instead of sliding.

Keep Your Arms Close to Your Body

This part is extremely important if you want to keep your backswing structure and have better results. Moving your arms away from your body can cause several issues. The biggest one is the club path. When your arms get away from your body in the upper arms area they will most likely move faster than your upper body.

By moving faster than your upper body your arms can take the club behind you early in the backswing which will change its path. That will result in the out-to-in club path and lead to slices. Keeping your arms close to your body during the backswing will help to move them in sync with your upper body. Besides that, it will help with getting the club to the inside to out path and to gain more power in your swing.

Shorten Your Backswing If Needed

Believe it or not, you might actually gain more swing speed and distance if you shorten your backswing. The main reason for that is your lead arm. If your backswing is too long, there is a good chance your lead arm bends when you reach the top of your backswing. Now, there are exemptions among professional golfers who can work with that.

Once your lead arm bends it becomes more challenging to straighten it again in the downswing to make solid contact. Ideally, your backswing ends just before your lead arm starts bending. Even if that means shortening your backswing it will help you to load your swing with more power and bring more consistency into your ball striking.

Solid Backswing for More Consistency

As I mentioned above, all golf swing parts are equally important. The golf swing is a sequel of motions that form one seamless flow. It all starts from the first motion leading to the final one. For that reason is very important to master the initial parts of the swing. When you do that it pre-sets the next parts for a solid outcome.

One of the most important things to remember is the basics. Even professional golf players often go back to swing basics. It is the constant reminder of the basics that help them to be so successful. Mastering the backswing basics will help you improve your game and bring more fun into every round of golf you play.

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Golf Swing Takeaway Tips – How to Start Your Swing

Categories: Backswing Golf Tips

Golf Swing Takeaway Tips – How to Start Your Swing

April 16, 2023 Dan No Comments

There is one thing that you will hear over and over again from a number of golf instructors and coaches. Ensure you start your swing correctly because that will affect its sequence and outcome. In other words, a solid start leads to reliable results. Check the golf swing takeaway tips below to start your swing better.

The takeaway is the very beginning of your swing which lasts until your club is almost parallel to the ground. You want to start it correctly in order for all the other pieces to fall into place. A bad takeaway often leads to a bad swing.

Every golfer is looking for a consistent golf swing and the takeaway can help. It will pre-set your body parts and golf club so your backswing, downswing, impact, and follow-through work in a better flow.

In a simple, yet complex motion, which the golf swing is, you want to make the first step right. If you don’t make that first step right there is a probability something else will go wrong after. That leads to inconsistent swings translating to inconsistent shots and frustrating outcomes. Luckily, there are ways to improve your takeaway and go toward consistency.

Move Your Upper Body and Arms in Sync

There are a lot of recreational golfers who at the takeaway move the club with their arms only. That automatically means your swing motions are already out of sequence. It leads to an exaggerated arms motion throughout the swing. The results are usually a lack of power in the swing, lost distance, and mis-hits.

What you should be feeling when you start the takeaway is that your upper body and arms are moving at the same time. It will give you more stability and prepare you for a better transition into the backswing. At the same time, it will make your swing feel effortless and help you hit it with more power.

Have the Clubface Slightly Pointing to the Ground

This is a move that a lot of professional golfers make in order to pre-set the clubface for impact. As weird as it sounds due to it happening at the very beginning of the swing, it makes sense. Think about it this way. If you have your clubface ready for impact earlier, you do not have to think about it or set it up later in the swing.

This way you eliminate all the possibilities of the clubface being too open or too closed at impact. The more moving pieces you add to your golf swing, the more chances are something is going to go wrong. Make your swing as simple as you possibly can and having the clubface point slightly down at the takeaway will help you with that.

Move Your Clubhead on a Straight Line

When I say a straight line, I do not actually mean a straight line. In fact, that would literally mean you moving the clubhead straight behind the golf ball which would have your arms completely out of position. What I mean is it should look from your point of view like you are moving the clubhead in a straight line behind the golf ball.

That will help keep your club slightly in front of your arms preventing it from going behind you too early. For instance, if your club goes behind you too early it can lead to the outside to in club path which can result in severe slices. By starting the club slightly in front of your arms you are pre-setting it for a more neutral or inside-to-out club path. That will help with the impact and get you more consistency.

Do Not Hinge Your Wrists Early

This happens often to a lot of recreational golfers. The wrists start hinging way too early in the takeaway which leads to a couple of things. To begin with, it can cause your club to go behind you which does not help the club’s path later on. That can end with mis-hits that often materialize in the form of slices or shanks.

Second, what early hinging leads to is the lack of stored energy in the swing. It will create less lag and that way you can potentially lose some distance. The wrist hinging should ideally start somewhere around your club being parallel to the ground. It is the last phase of the takeaway before the smooth transition into the full backswing.

Do Not Rush It

Now, this is one of the most important things when it comes to the swing in general. For some professional golfers, it goes so far that you have the feeling they are starting their swing in slow motion. Rushing the takeaway can lead to all sorts of trouble in the swing. It is harder to have control of the motion and can lead to different kinds of mis-hits, to name a couple.

Starting your swing at a moderate speed is going to allow you to follow the swing structure. Additionally, it will help you with the swing tempo which is one of the crucial swing components. Having a good swing tempo in general leads to better contact and consistent ball striking. Remember, that all starts with not rushing the takeaway.

A Solid Start Leads to a Solid Finish

You will notice that professional golfers do different things with their golf swings. However, there is one thing they all have in common. They all have a consistently solid takeaway. In spite of a lot of them having different swing tempos, their takeaways are structured. Therefore, their ball striking is exceptional.

To summarize, by mastering your takeaway you will open the door to a consistent golf swing. It is worth it to spend time practicing and perfecting it. A solid takeaway can help you to hit better any club in your golf bag, from driver to lob wedge. Now find some drills and get to work, it will be rewarding.

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Categories: Golf Swing Golf Tips

How to Improve Your Golf Swing for Beginners – 5 Tips

March 19, 2023 Dan No Comments

We were all new to golf at some point. Nobody was born a great golfer, except maybe Tiger Woods or Jack Nicklaus. Jokes aside, it takes some time and dedication to become good at golf. Your golf swing is essential to learn when you get into the game. Here you can find 5 tips on how to improve your golf swing for beginners.

None of these tips will give you a magic formula that is going to solve all things you have been working on to improve.

What the tips will give you are some points on what areas of your swing you should pay attention to in order to improve it. That is going to be a starting point for you toward success.

In its essence, the golf swing is a complex set of motions that come together in one seamless move. The sole purpose of that move is to strike the ball exactly how you want it and direct it where you want it to go. Now, we often tend to overcomplicate our swing. The sooner you know what to focus on, the sooner you can master your swing to enjoy golfing even more.

1. Know Your Swing Path

Your swing path is vital for a few reasons. First, it might be the cause that your shots are going all over the place. Second, it could be causing that unpleasant slice you have been fighting. The third, and most important thing, if you can manipulate your swing path you are in a position to hit different types of shots.

You should in any case check what your swing path tendency is. The most common one which causes slicing for a lot of golfers is the outside-to-in path. Maybe you fall in the rare category of the inside-to-out path which could be causing pulls. The third option is the neutral path which is, I would dare to say, the least common one.

If you do want to be aware of how you are swinging the club, you could make a video of you swinging from behind. That will show you your tendency. Besides that, you will figure out why you are hitting certain shots more frequently. After you do that you can start working on controlling the path and improving your swing.

2. Shift Your Weight Forward

This is one of the key components for better contact with the ball at impact and hitting the ball further. Not shifting the weight forward can lead to all sorts of trouble with your swing. It can cause mis-hits in the form of fat or thin shots and even shanks. On top of that, your ball will end up much shorter than it actually could.

When you are just starting to golf, this is one of the harder things to do. It might take you some time to learn it, but it will be rewarding once you do. There are several drills you can find out there that can help you with it. The sooner you get a hold of it, the sooner your ball striking will become better.

3. Clear Your Hips

There is often a misconception about hip movement during the swing. A lot of recreational golfers slide too much or not enough toward the target without proper hip rotation. Lately, I have seen some good content from experienced golf coaches about hips in the swing. Instead of saying hip rotation they use the term hip clearance.

The main reason it is called clearing hips is that by doing that you make enough room for the downswing in order to shallow the club. Besides the better contact you get out of that, you generate more power in your swing as well. It will be well worth it if you look into it and start working on doing it properly.

4. Forward Club Shaft Lean at Impact

If you have a look at any professional golfer at impact you will notice the forward shaft lean. I bet you’ve heard this before. There is a simple reason you will keep hearing it from golf coaches and industry experts. That is the proper way to compress the golf ball at impact and get the maximum distance out of your club.

What forward shaft lean at impact does is de-loft your golf club. It basically turns your 9 iron into an 8 or even a 7. It is one of the reasons professional golfers can hit the ball so much further with all their irons and wedges. The key thing here is going to be your wrists’ position through the downswing which will help with the shaft lean.

5. Keep the Shoulder Tilt

This is the vital component for keeping the relation to your golf ball. By doing it properly you are helping all the other parts of your swing to fall into place. All that will lead to better contact with the ball for a solid golf shot. Not doing the shoulder tilt often leads to bad shots in the form of thick and thin ones.

What you have to pay attention to is for your lead side shoulder to stay below your trail side shoulder during the backswing. After you transition into the downswing the shoulders will reverse their roles. Your trail side shoulder will be below your lead side shoulder. It might feel a bit strange in the beginning if you are not used to it.

One Change at a Time

I always like to repeat this whenever I have a chance. When you start working on swing changes do one single thing at a time. The swing is complex enough even without us trying to change multiple things at a time. Working on one element will help your body to adjust to the changes better and in a shorter period of time.

Nevertheless, that does not mean you will be able to change something quickly. It will still require time and effort to do it. Always start small and slow before making it to full swing and speed. Another thing that is recommended is to do some reps without the golf ball before trying to hit it.

Even when you introduce the golf ball do not worry right away if you mis-hit it. It is part of the process. Your body has to adapt to the new move first, then you can start hitting the ball properly. All in all, diagnose what part of your swing you have to work on first, then take one step at a time. Swing it better for more fun on the golf course.

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