How To Cure A Slice – My Version Of How To Cure A Slice In Golf

How to cure a slice is not as straightforward as you might believe. Or have I got that wrong? Curing a slice is quick and easy, isn’t it?. Most golfers are aware of why they slice. If you are swinging the club from the outside to in swing path, for example, you will slice the shot if the clubface is open at impact. So the solution is to reverse the swing plane to inside to out, with the clubface square at impact. That solution is well documented, in books, videos. and on lots of websites.

If you take a few of these cure slice remedies, you will no doubt notice that the way to correct the problem is explained in different ways. And this can be confusing, especially if you are looking for more than one slice cure because you cannot understand the one you have just read, or you cannot understand what you need to do to cure it.

Then there is the type of golf slice you have. You might not be slicing your golf shots all the time. If you are not then you have an occasional slice. Contrast this with a vicious or wild slice. I think you know what I mean by that. And yes, it can be a very wild golf slice if it takes you into the remote parts of your golf course. This is a slice which is out of control, and you do not know how to stop it.

Do you know the quickest way to cure a slice? Let me tell you, if you are serious about eliminating the slice from your game, take to the hills. What do you mean, take to the hills? Take a golf club and some balls and practice hitting some shots on the side of a slope. Not just from any position though. You need to stand with your feet below the ball. Can you remember the last time you sliced the ball from this position on the golf course?

It is not easy to play a slice from this lie. Rather, it encourages you to hook or draw the ball. And here is the point of this quick fix for a slice. As you practice hitting one ball after another from the side slope, your swing will be flatter and you will be attacking the ball from the inside swing path, which is exactly the way to cure a slice. These two factors will cure your slice. When you hit your shots from a flat lie, remember what you have learned, and apply it to your normal swing. The result is no more slicing.

Other explanations of how to cure a slice go into more detail, such as giving pointers to look out for during the backswing, like where the hands should be and where the grooves on the clubface should be pointing at a certain stage of the backswing.

I think you can be given too much information at one time, about how to cure a golf slice, so that you lose sight of the actual cure. It is often helpful if you can get a friend or colleague to have a look at your swing and tell you if you are standing too far from the ball at the address, or if you are turning the shoulders fully, if your grip looks too weak, if your stance is too open, and so on. All these factors contribute to the slice in golf.

The fundamentals of golf matter, and you need to check that your body alignment is square to the line of flight. Often curing a slice comes about by eliminating, one by one, the contributing factors that are causing the slice. You might need to do this until you are hitting the ball straight again.

Me, I like the simple and effective golf slice cures. I don’t want a lot of fluff and theory, just an easy to understand solution, like the one mentioned above, about practicing on the side of a hill. The question the golfer should really be asking is, show me how to cure a slice.

The Golf Shank – Golf Shanking And How To Cure It


The golf shank is no joke. Ask anyone who has suffered from this awful fault, including myself and they will confirm what I just said. Golf shanking brings misery and embarrassment to your golf game. If you do not know what the golf shank is, it is where the golf ball is struck by the hosel of the club, and the ball shoots off to the right. The hosel is the lowest point of the club shaft.

The shank in golf is an important fault to learn about, because you never know when it is going to affect your game. If you know what causes the golf shank, you can quickly correct it on the golf course.

So what causes the golf shank?

The shank in golf is often the result of tension in a golf shot, which causes the hands and arms to lock. Usually it happens on the short chip shots, where the need not to over hit the ball results in a slowing down of the club into impact. The body tries to push the club through the ball, which means the shoulders move ahead of the clubhead.

The golf shank cure.

Relax any tension in the hands and arms prior to making the golf shot, and do not stand too close to the ball. Practice swinging the club with the hands and arms. The best way to do this is to stand with the feet together. This is the correct way to swing the golf club, and will stop you using the body to hit the shot, rather then the hands and arms.

Even the best golfers shank sometimes!

Golf Putting Tips – How To Stop Hitting Long Putts Short

Picture the scene if you will. You are playing a foursome competition, and it is your turn to play. You have to play the golf ball right from the front edge of the green, a shot of some twenty feet, and your partner tells you all you need to do is lay the ball close enough for him to hole the putt.

I think you know what happens next. Yes, that’s right. You just hit the putt six feet short, leaving your partner a knee trembler to half the hole.

I can’t count the number of times I have been in that situation on the golf course. And I tell you what, I feel I have let my partner down when it does happen. So what can be done about trying to improve your golf putting technique? Why not try the following golf putting drill?

The purpose of this golf putting drill is to teach you a sense of how hard to hit your putts over a given distance. If say, you find it hard to putt close to the hole from twenty five yards out, here’s what I do. Putt to an area of the practice green where there is no hole cut.

Place one golf ball about twenty five feet away from where you are standing. Now, without looking, hit fifteen balls as close as possible to the target ball. Try and putt each ball as close as you can get it to the target ball, but you must not look at the target as you putt the ball.

To remove any temptation to look, I sometimes blindfold myself with a towel. The object is twofold. First, to develop a feel for how hard you should be hitting the putts, and second, to perfect your putting stroke.

When you can hit all twelve golf balls within about three feet of the target ball, then its time to vary the putting distance, and do the same again.

This golf putting drill can be adapted to suit your own needs. What I do is start at about fifteen feet, then gradually increase the distance to twenty five feet.

I would aim to have all twelve golf balls finish closer to the target at fifteen feet away, than the ball at twenty five feet away, as this is what I would be trying to do on the golf course.

If you have the time, I recommend you try this putting drill not only on your home course, but especially on a golf course that you have never played before. It could save you several shots in your round of golf.

photo by Dare*2*Dream

Breaking 80 Golf Score – A Milestone Of Achievement At Golf

Perhaps you are close to breaking 80 at golf right now, or perhaps you are scoring over one hundred. The same principles apply to both levels of competence required to break 80 on the golf course. Breaking 80 is a milestone in every golfers dreams. Believe me, it is a terrific achievement, and not all golfers have the ability to shoot below 80.

Let me run through the characteristics of the golfer who breaks 80 regularly.

1. Sound fundamentals. The grip, stance, etc. are proven and tested to stand up to playing the golf game in a variety of weather conditions, and levels of competition.

2. Golf swing. The golf swing is solid and dependable. Tried and tested under pressure. You have the ability to play a variety of shots, such as bending the ball to the right or left as desired, so to avoid trees, water, etc. This calibre of golfer can play the long irons and wood clubs out of bunkers, to gain distance when the opportunity presents, from those hazards.

3. Short game. Putting and chipping close to the flag stick. Very rarely taking three putts on a green, and getting down in two from the edge of the green.

4. Mental golf game. The mental challenges of playing the game are demanding, and you must have the mental strategies to cope with them.

None of these characteristics of the golfer who breaks 80 is very easy achieved, but they are the hallmark of that level of scoring. A lot of practice and dedication are called for if you are to play golf at this level. Are you up for the challenge of breaking 80 at golf?

Golf Mental Game – Do You Play The Mental Game Of Golf?


For a long time I confess I ignored the golf mental game. I thought the only game that mattered was playing the next golf shot and aiming for the lowest score I could manage. The fact is though, a round of golf takes a long time. Where I come from it takes upwards of three hours.

When you think how much of that time is spent actually hitting golf shots you can appreciate there is a lot of time out there spent waiting for other golfers to play there golf shots, looking for lost golf balls, etc.

The point of this, is that what do you think about when you are not playing your golf shots? That’s the question I put to myself, and I was aware I wasn’t thinking about golf all the time. And I suspect, neither do most other golfers. Our full and busy lives spill over on to the golf course and we bring our hopes and fears with us. Surely that does not do our golf any good?

I hope I have persuaded you that the mental game of golf is every bit as important as the physical side of the game. So what is the best way to use all that time spent waiting to play the next golf shot? Preparation. That is the answer. But, preparation for what?

Try the following golf mental game tips.

1. Leave your private and business life behind when you arrive at the golf course.

2. Have a strategy for the golf game you are playing. A strategy for stroke play will be different to one for a knock out match.

3. Know your opponent.

4. Be prepared for bad shots and do not let your emotions take over and ruin your game.

5. Know the golf course you are playing. Have a mental strategy for each hole.

6. Do you want to play an attacking round of golf or a defensive one?

7. Do not dwell on your mistakes. Learn the lesson quickly then move on.

These are just some ideas you might want to use or improve on in your own game of golf. It is wise not to underestimate the mental game in golf, because your emotions and negative thoughts can easily ruin your score card. My advice is, play the golf mental game, just as eagerly as you play the physical game, and you could save yourself valuable shots the next round of golf you play.

Golf Swing Tips – Hitting Longer And Straighter Golf Shots

Wouldn’t it be great to hit longer and straighter golf shots? If you have just started playing golf and are finding it a bit confusing because there are so many things to remember in the time it takes to swing the golf club, then stop trying to remember them. You will do a lot letter and enjoy your golf more by concentrating on a few important things only.

So rather than try one golf tip after another its best to build up a sound, dependable golf swing as early on in your golfing career as possible. If you can achieve that you will start to improve your golf game.

But how do you build a dependable golf swing? Here is the way I look at it. Stop trying to clutter your mind with too many dos and donts, and concentrate instead on swinging the golf club. After all, that’s all you have to do. Why make it complicated?

The second thing I did was to find a golf grip that I was comfortable with, and keep to it. I shortened my back swing as well, to three quarter length, so that with a driver for instance I never had my hands higher than my right shoulder on the back swing. That stopped me from over swinging and made me concentrate more on hitting my golf shots. It also stopped me from hooking and slicing my golf shots as much as before.

Thirdly, I made sure I had a full shoulder turn in the back swing. I was aware that failing to turn my shoulders fully at the top of my backswing was costing me distance so here’s what I did.

Why not try this golf drill and see the results for yourself. I held a golf club behind my neck and across my shoulders. With the feet apart, and holding the club in position, I turned fully to the right, as I would in my golf swing, then reversed the swing through to the left side, as I would in a normal follow through.

When you try this for the first time, don’t overdo the shoulder turns, you don’t want to hurt yourself.

These golf swing tips have helped me hit longer and straighter golf shots.

How To Improve Your Golf Swing – Keeping It In Line

It is usual for the average golfer to spray the golf ball all round the course. We are expected to. But have you ever thought to yourself how to improve your golf swing and hit more consistent golf shots? Its much easier to say in words than it is to do out there on the golf course. If you take some time to line yourself up properly for each shot, you would be surprised what a difference it can make to your score card.

When you consider that most golf faults, in particular hooking and slicing, stem from bad alignment you begin to understand how important it is to playing good golf. Here is a golf swing drill you can use on range to practice lining up correctly.

1. Lay two golf clubs on the ground, one close to your feet, the other about two feet away from the first club, and parallel to it, so that they form a channel.

2. Position the golf ball in the middle of the golf clubs, which should be pointing at the target, and stand square to the line of flight, and the two golf clubs.

3. Practice hitting some shots with this setup.

If you have been hooking or slicing most of your golf shots, standing square to the ball can feel strange at first. This means you have unknowingly allowed your stance to become too open or too closed, and you have also become comfortable standing that way. Look on this golf swing drill as a reality check, to bring your golf shots back into the correct alignment.

As you get used to standing square to the line of flight, you give yourself the best chance of playing good golf shots, and you are well on the way to improve your golf swing.

The Power Golf Swing – Adding Distance To Your Golf Shots


Do you find you are hitting your drives reasonably well during the course of your round of golf, but could do with adding distance to your shots? If you do, then read on. You might be surprised to learn that hitting longer golf drives are not the result of brute force, rather they are the result of a better golf swing tempo.

So what can the average golfer like you and me do to add power to the golf swing? If brute force alone won’t make the ball travel a long way, then there must be something else. I mentioned a moment ago, golf swing tempo, and here’s how to harness that to hit more powerful golf shots. Here’s what I do, and this has helped me hit the ball further.

Try this on the practice range, with any club of your choosing. As you address the ball, move the club head about two feet in front of the ball, that is to your left, with the wrists rolled over as they would be at the conclusion of a normal golf shot. Make this the starting position for your swing.

Freeze this position for a moment, then start your back swing. You will need to reverse the wrist hinge in doing so, then stop and hold the position when the wrists reach about waist height to your right side. With the wrists fully cocked, hit the golf ball.

As you do so you will feel the leverage of the hands and arms as you play through the shot. How much leverage should you use? That’s a matter of trial and error. Find the best level that you feel most comfortable with, and that suits your particular golf swing.

Putting Practice Techniques – Improve Your Putting Under Pressure

Few golfers would disagree that taking no more than two putts at each hole is essential to a good score. I know it does not happen this way in the real world, but it helps to see it as a goal to be achieved each and every round of golf we play. If you do not have that mindset, it could mean you do not mind three putting sometimes. That’s where putting practice techniques can help.

I was at a stage where I just was not happy with my putting. I seem to feel my emotions getting the better of me more than most, when it comes to downing those knee trembling three footers. I almost reached the point that I was talking myself into missing these putts, most of the time, which was silly. Other golfers can hole them, so why not me too?

All golfers can benefit from improving their putting stroke, so I used the following putting practice techniques.

1. I convinced myself that missing putts of less than a clubs length was largely a mind problem, so I practiced putting from about three feet from the hole, using a tennis ball. Why a tennis ball? Being bigger than a golf ball, if I could sink the ball into a small target , surely I would be able to hole a golf ball in what seemed to be a bigger hole. Its a mind trick thing, and it worked for me.

Try putting a tennis ball, and I can tell you it is not as easy as you might think, because you have to hole the ball in the centre every time. There is no circling around the hole, and then plopping in. After a short time I gained the confidence to putt the ball into the hole, then I switched to using a real golf ball and the target seemed big by comparison.

I am thinking of making this a regular practice routine before each round, at least until I stop missing so many short putts. Why not give it a try for yourself, and improve your putting performance when under pressure?

Golf Swing Drills – How To Crunch Those Iron Shots

Would you like to know how to hit those crunching iron shots just like the pros hit them? If yes, then this is one of the best golf swing drills to teach you how to play them.

You might be wondering what I mean by crunching iron shots. It means striking the golf ball with the club shaft angled in front of the player, as you stand facing the golfer. Or, to put it another way, having your hands ahead of the ball at impact. When you strike the ball this way, you are effectively reducing the loft of the club.

Contrast this with reaching the bottom of the swing before the ball so that at impact the club shaft is angled away from the target. When you do this, you are trying to increase the loft of the club. The risk of hitting the shot fat or thin is greatly increased when this happens.

So how do you get the hands into the desired hitting position? The key to this is the position of the right hand at impact. The angle of the wrist of the right hand should be slightly hinged to the right as you look down at your hand position at the point of impact. This means that you will be squeezing the ball against the club face and the result will be a powerful strike of the golf ball. Put simply, keep your hands ahead of the ball at and through impact.

If you practice the correct hand position of the right wrist at impact enough times, you will find your brain will memorize it for you when you are playing on the course for real.

Now use this golf swing drill and go and hit those crunching iron shots.

2 Keys To Hitting Long Golf Drives


All of us golfers want to hit long golf drives. Even when we cream one right out of the sweet spot, it isn’t really long enough for us. How often do you find yourself feeling a little disappointed at the outcome of a well hit drive. I think to myself that I have put every ounce of muscle into the drive and it still ends up on the short side.

If this is you, then there are two things you can try, which could make the difference between a long golf drive, and an average length golf drive.

The only way to hit long golf drives is to maximise club head speed as you strike the golf ball at impact. And any practice you have with the driver, should be targeted toward increasing the club head speed. Whether you swing the driver smoothly or if you are a hitter, it is the club head speed at impact which governs how far the golf ball travels.

The two keys to hitting long golf drives follow on from this line of reasoning.

1. The power in the swing comes from the hands and arms. Their are various exercises you can use to build up these muscles, which will help you hit your drives further. Try and work those hands and wrists harder in the impact zone, so as to hit those crunching drives down the fairway.

2. Slightly close the club face at address. This will add yards to your drives, and is a good way of curing a golf slice while you are playing your round of golf. A sticking plaster solution if you like, but it works.

If you are not used to playing your drives with a slightly closed club face, it can seem at bit strange at first. But it is a useful skill to know about in the game of golf, and it can come in handy when playing the iron clubs as well.

These two keys, properly applied will have you hitting long golf drives.

Golf Fitness Books – What Can They Do For Your Golf Game?

Fitness for golf is not a new concept. For as long as golf has been played, golfers have sought to improve their game, and one key area of improvement at golf is golf fitness. In response to this demand to play better golf, along came golf fitness books.

In its infancy, golf fitness was quite basic, and probably not scientific, as it is now. By that I mean knowing where the power comes from in the golf shot, and also where the greatest strain on the human body is when we hit a golf ball. In that respect, golf fitness is a double edged sword. Not only do we golfers want to be fit enough to be at our peak for eighteen holes at golf, we also want to be able to crunch the golf ball as far as we can without waking up the next morning with a stiff back. The implication here is that we need strong back muscles in addition to well toned muscles in the upper body.

Even if some of us cringe at the thought of actually taking time to do some sort of exercise before playing golf, we can at least acknowledge that our performance on the golf course would be worse without it. All good golfers take the time to have some sort of warm up before teeing off, and we should do the same.

Mild stretching, to accustom our bodies to the golf swing, helps, as does being physically fit enough to be on your feet for three hours or more.

As I look back at my own golf career, I do regret not having spent enough time trying to improve my golf fitness. If you skimp on this important area of the golf game, you risk not playing the game to your true potential.

Modern methods of teaching fitness for golf have gone well beyond a few quick press ups, and squeezing a hand towel before heading for the first tee. Golf fitness is based on scientific knowledge of the golf swing, and the demands this places on the human body, and we would do well to learn from those who know about these things, and use them to our advantage at golf.

If you are interested in finding out more about golf fitness books
, just follow the link.

How To Cure Your Slice – Knowing What Causes A Slice In Golf

I have included a video with this article on how to cure your slice. The explanation the instructor gives in the video gives a very good explanation of the cause of the slice in golf. Showing us what we do wrong when we slice the ball, goes a long way to curing a slice and hitting the golf ball straighter, as we should.

When I was slicing nearly every golf shot, except the putter, I just did not know how to correct my slice. I did not know what I was doing wrong. My swing felt just like it normally does, and I did not sense I was doing anything different to make me slice my golf shots. It is tempting to try different things during your round of golf to try and stop slicing the ball, but that really is not the way to cure a slice for good. You need to learn what causes the slice, and practice the correct golf swing in order to eradicate it from your game.

The key point is that knowing the cause of a golf fault is the best way of correcting it quickly. This is true of hooking, shanking the ball, pushing, pulling or skying your golf shots, and for any other golf fault I have not mentioned here. So its worth taking some time to study the background of the causes of the slice in golf in order to cure it as soon as it infects your golf game.

The golf video demonstrates how, by a simple change in the swing path, you can cure your slice.

Hit Longer Golf Drives – So What’s Stopping You?


It’s true, we do all want to hit longer golf drives. Even when you hit a screamer down the middle, you sometimes wonder, could I have hit the ball longer?  Driving the golf ball consistently well off the tee is a skill which few golfers achieve week in week out. We all try and play the driver as well as we can, without getting into too many hazards on the golf course.

Do you sometimes believe, when you hit a golf drive, that you are sure you could have hit it longer? I know that happens to me quite often. What I noticed in my golf game was that, without realizing it at first, my muscles were tensing up when I knew I wanted to hit a longer golf drive. I would stand there on the tee, focused on the one thought, which was of smashing the golf ball as hard as I could. In doing that, my muscles tensed up and the resulting drive was disappointing.

Here are the two things I did to solve the problem. First, I waggled the driver before hitting the drive, and then I did not ground the club before hitting the shot. These two actions together helped me to swing the driver smoothly, and they took away my tendency to smash the ball.

Just by making these two small changes in the setup you too can get rid of pre shot tension and hit longer golf drives.

Full Golf Swing – My Personal Golf Trainer

In March 2010, the way we learn the full golf swing is about to change, thanks to the launch of “My Personal Golf Trainer” with IMG Academies and David Leadbetter. The Nintendo Wii, well known for its user friendly interface as a games medium, is about to become a training device, in this case a device to provide feedback on the users full golf swing.

The product uses the Wii Balance Board and the Wii MotionPlusTM Controller to analyse the full golf swing in 3D space. The full golf swing is broken down into segments for analysis, such as swing speed, weight transfer, and so on. Feedback is given at each stage, and there are drills and recommendations for improvement at these stages.

Once each segment of the golf swing is fashioned the correct way, the player progresses to the practice range and then to the golf course. Feedback and suggestions for improvement are available.

Once the full golf swing is recorded you then have the ability to analyse your swing and see where the faults are.

You can read the full story here.

How To Improve Your Golf Swing

The answer to the question of how to improve your golf swing, is not going to be the same for every golfer, for obvious reasons. Golfers vary in playing ability and experience.

Some players might have just started playing the game of golf, others may have been playing golf for many years. Few golfers stay at the same level of competence for years at a time, as they are always looking for ways to improve their golf playing skills.

Lets take the beginner. He or she wants to learn the game of golf as quickly as possible. At this stage of the game, the emphasis is on learning the basics of a repeatable golf swing, and soon after that, to start hitting consistent golf shots. These two objectives are closely linked together. The main focus of golfers at this stage will be on how to achieve these goals as soon as possible.

You can either book a block of lessons from the local golf professional, or you can take a chance and try to work it out on your own, by piecing together the wealth of golf instruction that is available on the internet and in golf books. Personally, I have learned a lot from the many golf video instructions there are. There is no substitute for actually seeing what you are supposed to be doing. The written word is only as good as the clarity of the message it is trying to get across to the reader.

Any internet search on your golf problem, selecting the videos option from the top of the screen, will yield some interesting results. Plenty to look at and digest. My tip is to check the number of ratings and start with viewing only those with the highest number of views.

Golfers who have been playing between one and two years probably have more specific needs on how to improve their golf swings. You might need help with one or more golf faults, and it depends how much time you can spend looking for the solution to your particular problem. The quickest way is always to have an experienced golfer have a look at your swing and make some recommendations, which might be to take lessons, or simply to try a golf tip.

Low handicap golfers tend to discuss their golfing problems among themselves, and this is understandable and sensible. Players of this level of ability know more about the game, and are better equipped to improve their golf swings if anything goes wrong with it.

All this leads me to the conclusion that, in reply to the question of how to improve your golf swing, the answer lies in the degree of knowledge you have about the mechanics of the golf swing in general, and applying this knowledge to an analysis of your own golf swing in order to be able to improve it.

For the rest of us, I suppose its down to reading about golf tips and watching golf video lessons.

Driver Golf Swing – What It Should Look Like

The driver golf swing is different from that of most other clubs in the bag, because the driver is the longest club you carry around with you. Often golfers who have only recently started playing golf, are reluctant to play the driver because it is too difficult to use.

My advice is, to learn the driver golf swing as soon as possible in your golfing career, because it will give you the distances you need on the golf course to shoot lower scores.

What should the driver golf swing look like?

The reason golfers find it hard to swing the driver in golf is that the swing needed is a sweeping motion, and you have to stand further away from the ball, which takes a bit of getting used to at first.

At the address position, the ball should be in a line just inside the left heel, the reason for this is that you need to strike the ball with the driver on the upswing. The feet should be slightly wider than shoulder width apart, and the upper body inclined to the right, so the head is behind the ball.

Take the club away slowly and low to the ground as you begin the backswing. The body will rotate naturally as your left arm swings the club back. As you make this movement notice how the weight shifts to the inside of the right foot.

At the top of the backswing, your back is facing the target, the shoulders have rotated ninety degrees, and the hips will have turned about forty five degrees. The club shaft should now be pointing at the target.

The downswing begins with a leftward movement of the hips. This will pull the hands and arms into the hitting zone. So many handicap golfers start the downswing with the shoulders instead of the hips, and this results in a golf slice, as the club is swung across the line of flight.

It is beneficial to your golf game to practice the correct downswing movement of the hips until you have memorized it.

As you strike the ball, be sure to stay down on the shot and follow through, with the weight having switched to left foot. The body is still behind the ball, and the left leg straightens as you play through to the finish of the shot.

The driver golf swing, performed correctly, should be smooth and fluid. It takes hard work and practice to master, but I am confident your golf game will benefit if you persevere in learning it.

My book recommendation is authored by the legendary Ben Hogan.

Fred Couples Golf Swing – What You Can Learn

The Fred Couples golf swing is surely exquisite. There is hardly a finer example of such a smooth, flowing, even tempo golf swing anywhere else on the contemporary golf scene. For the keen student of the golf swing, there is much to learn from the Fred couples golf swing.

The following golf video lesson shows Couples booming a golf drive. You can almost feel the power in the shot as he plays the golf ball. The commentary comes from Fred Couples, as he explains exactly how his swing worked with the driver for this particular golf drive. What it teaches me, is that a strong grip is alright, provided you keep the lower body solid. He comes into the ball on the downswing really late, and the power for the golf shot comes from the tremendous acceleration of the club head through the ball at impact.

The difference between my golf game and that of Fred Couples, is that he makes the golf game look easy, while I do not. And, I do not drive the ball so far of the tee either. Enjoy the golf video.

Golf – Short Game Tips


I am about to tell you about one of the best golf short game tips I know. Few golfers would argue against the fact that one of the benefits of practicing on the golf range is to become good at all types of golf shots. It is fine to hit the same chip shot from the same spot and then go to the real golf course and believe you have mastered the short game in this department.

The challenge comes when you have to play the same chip shot under different conditions than the ones when you pratciced under. If you can successfully chip the ball close to the hole from twenty yards off the green, from a flat lie for instance, are you confident enough to be able to do the same from a sloping lie? If the answer is no, then the practice session you just had is partially wasted.

One of the best golf short game tips I know is to lay out a bucket of golf balls all around the practice green. By doing this, you will be recreating the actual shots you will encounter on the golf course. This is what I call valuable practice, and it is making the best use of your time practicing.

Try and play these shots from a variety of different lies. Some will be from down sloping lies, others flat, and some will be played on the up slope. By placing the balls on different patches of ground you will get the maximum benefit from this exercise. For example, place some of the balls on short grass, some on longer grass, play some of the shots out of the rough, and some from a green side bunker, if there is one.

Placing the ball from a divot will give you valuable insights into playing from these lies, as so many golfers do not know how to play these shots.

The value in this short game tip comes from the knowledge it gives you about club selection and in visualising each shot before you play it. Not all chip shots need to be played with the same golf club. It depends on the lie you are going to play the shot from.

Try experimenting with different clubs. You will probably find you are more comfortable with one or two clubs in a range of different situations, where you feel these golf clubs can adequately cope with playing the shot well. I know my favourite, all purpose club is the nine iron for playing all chip shots from just off the green.

By introducing variety and realism into your practice regime, you will gain confidence on the golf course when you have to play the ball from whatever lie you find. I hope your game benefits from this best of golf short game tips.

The golf video lesson I have appended to this article shows the correct way to play the chip shot. Learning the right amount of wrist action, body movement, and so on, is the key to playing these golf shots well. Once you master the chip shot, you have the potential to save shots around the greens.

The Golf Swing Follow Through


The golf swing follow through tends to rank low in priority whenever you see discussion and articles on golf instruction. True, the follow through in the golf swing does not occur until the swing has almost finished, and it is usual to start talking about the golf swing in general, beginning with the set up position.

That said, the follow through is important, and it is a challenge to try and hold the finish position, with the hands not moving, until the ball plops down on the fairway. An interesting exercise is to think only about the follow through when you are about to play a golf shot. Decide, by experimenting with your swing, where you want your hands to be after the shot is played. Specifically, you need to decide how high you want your finish to be.

If you need convincing of the importance of the follow through in the golf swing, think what would happen if you were to hit the ball without there being any follow through. You would then just be stabbing at the ball. The plain fact is, the golf swing generates quite a lot of clubhead speed, which needs to be channelled somewhere after impact. It is important to follow through properly after the ball is hit, because this is where the power and accuracy of the shot comes from. So it is worthwhile working on this part of the golf game.

What should the correct golf swing follow through look like?

How often do you see high handicap golfers swishing away at the ball, then once the shot is on its way, the golfer finishes the swing with the weight on the right side. Sometimes you see golfers nearly fall over after hitting the golf ball. This is obviously incorrect. What needs to happen is for the weight to be transferred to favour the left side in the downswing, with the hips leading the hands and arms into the impact zone.

Once the left side is cleared out of the way, the hands and arms play catch up, the ball is struck, and then you follow through, keeping the club head close to the ground, with the right arm extended. As you do so, the head will start to rise as the right shoulder brushes under the chin. This will force the head to come up slowly.

The golf video lesson I have included with this article specifically relates to the follow through with the driver, but the principles are the same whatever club you play.

It is well worth your time to practice the golf swing follow through, especially with the driver and the other distance clubs, as this will give you vital extra yards on the golf course.