How To Become A Natural Putter

How To Become A Natural Putter.

I think it is fair to say that every great putter in this wonderful game of golf has one thing in common. They all have a deft touch. For a lot of golfers focusing too much on the technicalities of the putting stroke can have an adverse affect.  They tend to lose their feel, and because of this they miss out on the natural ability. This focus on the technical side of putting can have a negative impact on your putting.

Your Stance

It is now widely taught that a wide stance when you are on the putting green is the way to go.

The wider stance will definitely eliminate a large about of lower body movement. This does not however mean that it is the way to go for everyone.

Some players for instance would benefit from having a very narrow stance. If you were lucky enough to play golf as a child, you probably remember being a better putter than you are now. Whilst some of this can be put down to the exuberance and gay abandon of youth (not many putts left short of the hole i would imagine). You probably also had a very narrow stance. For some golfers this narrow stance can definitely improve their feel.

It all boils down to feeling comfortable and natural. What feels right for you?

Try both stances and see which feels more natural and which allows you to make a clean positive strike of the golf ball.

Close Your Eyes

I think that this is one of the best practice tools you have. You can spend your money on putting rails, laser lights and all those other wonderful gadgets to help you improve your putting stroke, but nothing will help you improve your touch, your feel like putting with your eyes closed.

Next time you are on the practice green, or even on your carpet at home give this drill a try.

Closing your eyes will take away your focus on the technicalities of your putting. It will make you focus on creating a smooth fluid stroke. Trust me this drill will really make you focus on that smooth stroke, and it will help you to remember what that smooth stroke feels like.

The One Handed Putting Drill

I am sure that you will all agree that soft hands are key to being able to create a smooth, fluid putting stroke. You can help to groove this fluid stroke buy practicing 1 handed. Your right hand if your right handed and your left if you are left handed. By practicing one handed you are ensuring that the weight of the putter head is doing all the work and that it guides your hand through the stroke. You should really be able to notice just home smooth that stroke is with your one hand lightly holding the putter. Then add your other hand to the club for stability, ensuring that you are not gripping the club too tightly. This smoother more fluid swing will make your putting and ball striking far more consistent.

Keep Your Head Back and Behind the Ball Through Impact! Six Top Golf Pros Agree

Bobby Jones published golf tips in several newspaper columns back in the 1920's. Fifty of these columns were compiled and printed in a book entitled The Best of Bobby Jones on Golf, published in 1996. Jones was quoted: "Stay behind the ball is a splendid maxim. Should your head ever get ahead of the ball, at any point in the swing, a poor shot will no doubt result."

In Harvey Penick's, The Little Red Book, published in 1992, page 75 is entitled "Stay Behind the Ball" "All great golfers move their head slightly backward before and during impact, but never forward. A golfer must stay behind the ball. I mean set up with your head behind the ball and keep your head behind the ball. If you move your head forward during your downswing or through impact, you will hit a wee, ugly shot, probably a pulled slice."

Tommy Armour, in How to Play Your Best Golf All the Time, (1953) emphasizes: The cardinal principle of all golf shot making is that if you move your head, you ruin body action. In his 12 key points summary to his book, Armour lists key points 5, 10 and 12 identically as "keep your head steady." Interestingly however, in all pictures of golfers' swings throughout the book, the head is seen as behind the ball through the impact area.

David Leadbetter in 100% Golf, 2004, states: "the head and upper body stay behind the ball as you unswing and accelerate into impact." Try to maintain your spine angle from the set up all the way to the moment of impact and don't worry if your head has a little lateral movement. Your head and spine are behind the ball at impact.

Jack Nicklaus is the most steadfast about head movement. In his book Golf My Way (2005), Nicklaus offers this warning: "If you are hoping to improve your game through these pages, but can't or won't learn to keep your head steady throughout the swing, read no further. There is nothing I, or anyone else, can do for your golf game. Any shifting of the head, at any point from address to impact, will alter the arc and plane of the swing, which, if not a totally destructive factor, is certainly a complicating one." All swing pictures of Jack show his head to be held steady, but also well behind the ball until after impact.

Like many golfers, I have tried dozens of tips and instructional techniques, all to little or no avail. It was not until I focused on this aspect of the swing, did I finally break 80, and that was at age 65. Since then, I have broken 80 several times and I am finally able to enjoy the game. Learning to keep the head back was not easy. It required considerable practice, much of which was done without hitting balls. New muscle memory had to be learned and such was not easy, particularly at my age. But with tactile feedback to the head, the bad habit of "looking up" could be overcome.

Tiger Woods published his book, How I Play Golf, in 2007 and already it has become a bestseller. He writes: "Impact should look like address. My spine angle is the same and my head is in virtually the same spot." The accompanying picture shows his head to be well behind the ball. He concludes: "It proves how uncomplicated the golf swing can be."

What makes the golf swing complicated is the often contradictory instruction that can be found in print and by word of mouth. Some pros will teach that the head should remain steady throughout the swing. Some will preach that it is OK to have some backward or lateral movement on the backswing and just before impact. Others will say to keep your eye on the ball. But NONE will suggest that the head come up, or move forward of the ball until after impact. As written above, most if not all pros will agree that the head MUST stay back and behind the shot through the impact zone.

Robert S. (Bob) Doyle is the founder and president of Forever Better Golf Inc. a golf equipment and training aid company dedicated to helping all golfers improve their swings and lower their scores. Their flagship product is the PRO-HEAD Trainer, a full swing training aid that helps golfers maintain their spine angles and keep their heads back and behind the ball through impact. To see the PRO-HEAD Trainer in use and take the 60 second challenge, visit http://www.foreverbettergolf.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bob_Doyle
http://EzineArticles.com/?Keep-Your-Head-Back-and-Behind-the-Ball-Through-Impact!-Six-Top-Golf-Pros-Agree&id=1848977

Try This 60 Second Golf Swing Experiment to See If You Are Keeping Your Head Behind the Ball

If outdoors, place a coin on level ground where you can set up and take a full golf swing. If indoors, in your living room or garage, make certain the ceiling is high enough and you have ample space in front of and behind you, to allow for a full swing. Place a coin on the floor. With your five iron or hybrid club in your usual grip, take your normal stance and address the coin as if it were a real golf ball.

Now ask a buddy (or your spouse) to reach out and grab you by your hair or hold firmly onto your head or golf hat, so there will be no movement of your head during this experiment. Take a slower than usual but full practice swing from address, to the top of your backswing, down to and over the coin and well into your follow through. Make as complete a follow through as you can while your head is still being held firmly.

Your partner should require little or no force to keep your head steady until after your arms are well past the coin and are parallel to the ground. At that point your partner can allow your head to come up, as it is pushed by your right shoulder (if right handed). But your head should still remain behind the ball.

Here is the feedback:

- If you were comfortably able to watch the path of the clubhead as it moved over the coin,

- If you were comfortably able to follow through with your swing to where your arms were at least parallel to the ground,

- If you executed your swing without straining any part of your body,

- If your partner needed little or no pressure to restrain your head, then

You were keeping your head behind the coin throughout swing. You were maintaining your spine angle. You no doubt already have the ideal feeling that the clubhead is swinging to the ball and not your head. CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE A GOOD GOLF SWING.

On the other hand:

- If you had difficulty at any point executing this experiment; it is probably because these movements or body positions are contrary to your usual swing. Your muscles want to return your body to those positions which they have memorized and to which they are comfortable.

- If your partner had to exert force to hold your head steady; your existing muscle memory was taking over and pushing you up and out of the shot.

Your swing is not allowing you to keep your head behind the ball through the impact zone or to maintain your spine angle. You are probably coming up and out of your shot or coming over the top. You are not swinging around a fixed axis.

The good news is that now you have identified a problem area and you can start developing the muscle memory required to keep your head back and maintain your spine angle. Training aids that provide tactile feedback to the head are most useful in developing the muscle memory required to achieve these two unarguable aspects of the golf swing.

Robert S. (Bob) Doyle is the founder and president of Forever Better Golf Inc. a golf equipment and training aid company dedicated to helping all golfers improve their swings and lower their scores. Their flagship product is the PRO-HEAD Trainer, a full swing training aid that helps golfers maintain their spine angles and keep their heads back and behind the ball through impact. To see the PRO-HEAD Trainer in use and take the 60 second challenge, visit http://www.foreverbettergolf.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bob_Doyle
http://EzineArticles.com/?Try-This-60-Second-Golf-Swing-Experiment-to-See-If-You-Are-Keeping-Your-Head-Behind-the-Ball&id=1881170

How to Swing a Golf Club For Accuracy and Distance

For those folks who have come to realize that trying to hit that little bumpy sphere with that rather small club is harder than Tiger Woods makes it look, read on. If you are ever going to be under par and hang out with the big boys on the course, you simply must learn how to swing a golf club.

There is nothing quite like the feeling of power you can get when your arms, hips, and eye are all in sync and the ball goes straight down the fairway soaring ever closer to its intended target. Golf is a personal sport, even if you play doubles or as part of a golf team. There is not a single golfer alive who does not want to improve his game, and a big part of that is learning how to swing a golf club better than you did last time.

So, what exactly is involved in that perfect arcing motion that results in a solid thwack that lifts the orb into just the right path and just the right height? Well, for non-golfers, it may seem like a simple movement of the arms only, but when you begin to learn how to swing a golf club, you realize that it is not an isolated movement of the arms; rather, a good golf swing involves the whole body, from head to toe.

If you want to get the best swing, there are a variety of ways to do so; check out some books on the subject so you can wrap your head around the concept. Then, like anything else, you need to practice, practice, practice. There are classes you can take and computer simulation programs you can use when you can't actually get out to the driving range or golf course, and getting a good golfer to help you is a great idea as well.

Hit a Golf Ball Harder, Further and Straighter! How to Swing a Golf Club is the place to visit.

Check out this review of the best golf improvement products on the market! Click Here

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Barby_Berlin
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Swing-a-Golf-Club-For-Accuracy-and-Distance&id=1891841

Golf Iron Shots - Four Tips to Hit Better Iron Shots

The topic for our article today is golf iron shots. You have hit a good drive and now it`s time to hit a quality iron shot. There are many factors that come into play but, for today, we are going to review four (4) tips that will help us to hit quality iron shots and, in turn, lower our golf scores.

These golf iron shot tips will help you to go through the thought process that will produce quality golf shots. You will be amazed how quickly your golf scores will come down. Just using some common sense can dramatically effect how we play and our golf scores, plus, did I mention, your enjoyment of the game!

Four (4) Golf Iron Shot Tips

1. Stay within yourself.

Don`t try to hit your seven (7) iron one hundred and seventy (170) yards when your best seven iron shot only goes one hundred and fifty (150) yards. Hit the iron that will get to the target with a comfortable swing, no overswinging! Also, when you are determining the yardage for your iron shot, be sure to take into account the position of the pin on the green. By this I mean, even though you are standing at the one fifty (150) marker, you might be one hundred and sixty five (165) yards to the pin if the pin is at the back of a large green, or one hundred and thirty five (135) yards if the pin is in the front. You don`t want to back off of your golf swing but you also don`t want to be grunting!

2. Know how far you hit each iron.

I know you have seen this and it really slows down play. What I am talking about is watching someone pacing of their yardage to the pin and you know, full well, that they have no clue how far they hit each iron shot. So, my point is, that we need to spend some time at the driving/practice range, to find out how far we hit each iron shot. Now, we probably are not going to know how far each iron shot goes, to the yard, like the tour pros do but we can find out within a five (5) yard range. There is nothing more frustrating than hitting a good drive and following that up with a well hit iron shot and the golf ball ends up ten yards short or long. If we expect to hit the correct iron shot, we need to know how far we hit each iron.

3. Play the shot that your lie will allow.

We need to survey our lie and determine how the lie is going to effect our iron shot. By this I mean, if we a playing summer rules, no preferred lies, the lie will dictate what kind of shot we have to play. If the lie is less than perfect, we need to adjust where we play the golf ball in our stance. With a poor lie, we need to move the ball back in our stance so that we will be able to make solid contact. You also need to adjust for downhill, uphill and sidehill lies.

In general, we need to adjust our stance to follow the contour of the fairway for uneven lies, keeping in mind that uphill lies will add loft to your iron shots (hit more club) and downhill will take loft off of our iron shots (hit less club).

4. Play the percentages.

Here's a question. If the best players in the world aim away from some pins then should not we do the same? If the pin is on the side of the green near a bunker, water hazard or out of bounds, it may make sense not to try to hit directly at the pin but hit your iron shot to the safer part of the green. We have to measure, the percentages, our chances of pulling off a shot. The best in the world do it! So, next time you are getting ready to hit your iron shot, stop to think of what is your best percentage play. This alone will shave numerous strokes of your golf score.

Also, remember there is a right and wrong side of the green to miss on. You would prefer to miss the green on the side away from where the pin is placed on the green. This gives you the best chance to get up and down for your par, if you miss the green.

Those are four (4) iron shot tips. There are many more, that we will discuss in future articles. But for now, if you follow these golf tips for your iron shots, you will dramatically increase your pars and decrease those bogeys and dreaded others!

Mike Lebreck has been an avid golfer for over 40 years. You can find more golf game improvement, custom golf club building and discount golf information at [http://golf-swing-plus.net/]http://golf-swing-plus.net

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Lebreck http://EzineArticles.com/?Golf-Iron-Shots---Four-Tips-to-Hit-Better-Iron-Shots&id=1856699

Golf Swing Research

Professionals golfers and amateur golfers are continually analysing and researching their swing.

It seems they are never satisfied with what they have at the moment.

Why is that, I wonder?

Well actually it is very simple to understand. It is called filling the need. Closing in the void that is between a good swing and perfect swing. This is the never ending quest which drives us on.

We continually look for that perfect grip, or the setting up of our stance. Are my feet in alignment with the direction I want to hit the ball. Is my arc right with the down swing of my club, are my shoulders in the right position to give me the necessary power to drive the ball that extra twenty, or thirty yards down the fairway.

These are the vital questions we are seeking answers to. And still these questions are only a portion of what we need to know before we can call ourselves good golfers.

There is no mystery involved in knowing the focused mind is a determined mind. Focusing is the concentrated energy we must distribute to all parts of our game.

Every drive, every fairway shot, every chip onto the green, and every putt we take demands total focus.

Think about the professional player and how focused he is on the tee box. The slightest noise or disturbance makes them very angry. So much so that I am sure you have seen them talk back to the spectators letting them know what he thinks.

Why should you be any different. The stakes are the same, they may not be on the same level as the professional, but you still want to win. You still want to improve your game. You still want to hit that ball further and further down that fairway with perfect accuracy. All this is because you have the eye of the tiger.

You have complete focus and if there is a disturbance which is off putting then you must protest and demand quietness.

This is focus at the highest level whether you are playing professional, or amateur, the requirement of total focus is the same.

There is no substitute for setting up in the correct stance. This is vital to hitting the ball down that fairway with accuracy and distance.

To see your ball travel an extra twenty or thirty yards is great, provided it is straight or at least, staying on the fairway.

It is heartbreaking to watch your ball soar off into the rough, or the water hazard, or worse still out of bounds.

The setting yourself up on the tee box is where it can be perfect or a disaster.

The golfer who has not taken time and lessons to perfect their stance will forever be in mediocrity level when it comes to playing golf.

Golfers male and female must do their research to find out what is the correct stance for them.

Then it is, FOCUS, RESEARCH, DETERMINATION, PRACTICE, PRACTICE AND MORE PRACTICE.

GOLF. If you would like to improve your golf swing that will add a further, GUARANTEED twenty or thirty yards distance to your golf drive, or learn the correct posture and set up procedure to improve your game, so you can hit longer and more accurate drives, then there is no one better to show you than the World master of the long drive.

His simple step by step E video is the best on the market. It is guaranteed to reduce your handicap and make you a better golfer. As I am sure you are aware that a golfer is not in competition with another golfer. He is in a struggle with the golf course, and if you can cover the fairway distance with longer, accurate golf drives then there is no doubt that you will be a winner, and reduce your handicap dramatically. For YOUR golf sake take a look at this E video NOW. Please Visit Here

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Noel_Halpin
http://EzineArticles.com/?Golf-Swing-Research&id=2110608

The Take Away

The Take Away

Standing to the Handle

As you address the golf ball there are some critical parts of the setup that must be in place before you start the backswing.

1. If you look down and see the grip-end of the golf club across from your belt buckle there is a good chance you have MOST of the critical parts in place.

Having the grip-end of the golf club across from your belt buckle assures you of having your head in the correct position, not tilted too far to the left side or the right side of the golf ball. The second part is your spine is probably in the correct position, if the grip end is pointing towards you chin, your spine is too long. If the grip end is pointing lower than your belt buckle, your spine is bent over too much. Lastly, the most crucial part is the golf club is soled on the ground with the correct amount of loft.

The golf club being soled correctly on the ground is the sure guarantee that you are in the correct set-up, after you confirm all the positions that we discussed above.

The Key to Starting the Golf Club Back

One of the top five most asked questions in the past 25 years has been, “What starts the backswing?” The answer is a bit complex, so grab your Hi-Liter and let’s get started.

2. When you are ready to start the backswing, the clubhead, shaft, your hands, arms and right shoulder move in ONE PIECE at the exact same time.


3. The clubhead starts back on an arc (we will get to that in the next section). The right shoulder starts turning backwards.

The take-away is one piece all the way until it arrives at the 9:00 o’clock position (we will get to that in two sections).

As you start back, both knees are flexed and during the backswing- the right knee NEVER changes positions. It does not flex more, nor does it straighten out and it does not slide back away from the target.

The left knee also plays a major role in the backswing. It does not move towards the line of flight and it does not straighten out. As the golf club starts back, the left knee moves towards the right knee as a RESULT of the upper body turning and the lower body resisting this turn. The left knee never passes the golf ball in the backswing.

The Correct Path in the Backswing

4. As the golf club starts back away from the golf ball the club head must swing back on an arc which is inside the straight line to the target.

If the golf club travels outside in the backswing the right shoulder will tilt up in the backswing and the golf club will swing vertical to the ground in the downswing. If the golf club travels too much to the inside of the arc in the backswing, the golf club will travel too level to the golf ball in the downswing. If the golf club swings too straight back you will have a tendency to hit the ball in the heel of the club at impact.

When the golf club travels back on the correct path the combination of the arms and hands will be able to swing the golf club back to the correct position at the top of the backswing as long as the right shoulder turns out of the way.

From Address to the 9:00 Position

When the shaft of the golf club is level to the ground and parallel to your intended target line- we refer to that position as 9 o’clock.

5. The first check-point in the backswing is the 9:00 o’clock position.

When you reach 9 o’clock, you are half-way back and this is a great time to stop and take a look around, as long as you know what you are looking for. The first thing you want to take a look at- is the golf club in the exact correct position? The club should be parallel to your target line and level to the ground. The second part to take a look at- is the right shoulder turning and not tilting? It is very difficult to get to 9 o’clock with a tilted right shoulder.

If the right shoulder is tilting up the golf club will most likely be outside the path and pointed up. If the right shoulder turns too much in the backswing the golf club will swing around you too much. If you are in the correct position, it is time to head back to the top of the backswing.

6. From the 9 o’clock position the golf club must continue up on an arc.

This can only happen if you continue to turn the right shoulder out of the way. As the right shoulder turns out of the way, the arms, hands and golf club will continue to swing inside, however, after the golf club passes the 9 o’clock position, it will have to swing up. This combination is what I believe is the most difficult part of the backswing.

You can not stop turning the shoulder. If you do stop turning the golf club will start to swing up to much. If you continue to swing the golf club around with the shoulders the golf club will swing too much around.

7. The proper combination is when the shoulders turn and the golf club swings up. When you reach the top of the backswing with this combination you will be in position to swing the golf club down on the correct path and with clubhead speed.

Click Here For More!

Setup At Address

The Address

The Feet

As we move through the address position section I want you to wrap your head around the idea that we are going to construct a building. The building is four to six feet tall and not very wide. Of course I am referring to the human body. The first place you would start is the foundation, so let’s talk about the feet first. Let’s see how far apart they are supposed to be and exactly where we place the weight once we get the feet planted.

The feet have to support the upper body and once the golf club, the arms, and the body get moving in the downswing there is a lot of force that the foundation has to support.

1. The feet have to be just slightly further apart than shoulder width. This distance is far enough apart to maintain a solid base.

As the club begins to build up speed and the left hip makes the first move down the target line before it turns backward, the width of the stance will hold up just fine. If you have a tendency to lose your balance, your stance might be to narrow.

After impact the golf club swings back around your body and up towards your left shoulder. As the golf club comes to the end of the swing your weight has moved from the right side over to the left side. The width of your feet will accommodate this move. Your weight needs to be evenly distributed between your toes and heels.

The Knees

From the feet we are going to move up the building to the knees. The knees have played a huge role in most sports- golf is no exception. The knees are going to come into play in two different parts of the golf swing.

The first part is the address position.

2. As you address the golf ball your knees will have a slight flex in them.

You are NOT going to “sit” on your knees and they are NOT locked straight.

For a long time instructors taught students to have the feeling you were “sitting” on a bar stool. I always believed we should have been teaching people to feel as though you were “leaning” back on a stool. The last thing you would ever want to do is sit in golf. Sitting will cause the golf club to swing too level to the ground in the downswing, and you will have a tendency to hit the ground behind the golf ball.

Before you start to “straighten” your knees to a “locked” position, which is just as wrong as sitting, let me give you a bit of advice. The knee position is what I refer to as “slightly” flexed. Because we are all different heights, I cannot give you an exact degree you should flex your knees- however; if you simply relax your knees, you will find the correct amount of bend on your own.

The second roll the knees play in the swing is when the golf club is in motion. As the golf club swings back, the single most important thing for you to remember is the RIGHT knee never ever moves from the original position. If you think of the two knee caps as head lights shining in front of you as you drive along a road, you might make some twists and turns but the headlights are always in front of you. As you start the backswing the right knee does not slide, bend or straighten out- it stays very quiet and solid during the entire backswing.

Both knees must remain flexed during the entire backswing and until impact.

The Hips

If your chin is in the correct position, and your spine is long (don't worry we'll talk about these shortly), and your knees are flexed the correct amount, the golf club will not sole correctly on the ground until you tilt or bend over from the hips. You do NOT want to bend at the waist. You ALWAYS want to bend from the hips. The difference is if you bend at the waist your spine will bend (not good).

3 . If you bend at the hips you can maintain the spine angle and sole the club on the ground correctly.

If you do not bend at the hips, you will not be able to sole the golf club correctly.

When you bend over from the hips you have to make sure you do not straighten out or lock your knees. When you bend at the hips you have to pay close attention to making sure you do not bend at the bottom of the spine.

The hips play another role not related to their position

4. Your hips must be parallel to the line of the ball flight at address.

If your hips are open at address you will have a tendency to open the hips too soon in the downswing. The clubface will be open at impact and the golf ball will start right. If your hips are closed at address the golf club will swing too much from the inside in the downswing and the golf ball will either start right or you will struggle with a quick hook left.

At address the hips are parallel to the ball flight line. As the golf club swings back down from the top, the first move from the top is for the left hip to move an inch or two parallel to the target line and then the left hip should begin to turn backwards out of the way so the golf club can swing back to the inside after impact.

When you arrive at the finish of the golf swing your belt and shoulders should be level to the ground. Your belt buckle will aim at the intended target and your hips are level to the ground.

The Shoulders

The shoulders play three major roles in the golf swing. The first two roles are static and the third is a moving role. In the address position the shoulders compliment the spine angle.

5. If the shoulders are opened up and back at address the spine angle will be in the correct position as long as the chin is up.

If the shoulders are rounded the spine will be bent over too much.

The second role the shoulders play is they must be parallel to your intended line you want the golf ball to travel on. When you look down your toes, knees, hips and shoulders must be in line with each other. Parallel means they have to be on the same line going to the left of where you want the golf ball to start. If the shoulders are aiming to the right of the target the golf club will start too much inside the correct path in the backswing. If they are aiming to the left of the target the golf club will start too much to the outside in the backswing. For the golf club to start back on the correct path the shoulders must be parallel from the start.

The shoulders play yet another role in the backswing. As the clubhead, shaft, hands, arms and (shoulders) start moving backwards, the right shoulder has to move out of the way to give the hands, arms and golf club a place to swing to at the top of the backswing. The right shoulder does not slide back. Instead – rotates around your body.

The shoulders play a huge role in distance and direction. The shoulders have to turn as much as possible in the backswing. Once your back is facing the target (this for the 30ish and under crowd) or as much of a turn as possible, you will be in position to swing the club down with maximum club head speed.

The Spine

The spine has taken on an all important part in the golf swing in the past 10 years. Not many words were written about the spine and its role in the golf swing until then.

6. If the spine stays long during the backswing, not rigid, you can make a much bigger turn.

If your spine is curved at address the shoulders will have a tendency to tilt and not turn. In the downswing the shoulders will have a tendency to turn on top of the golf ball instead of moving under. If the shoulders can move under, the golf club will stay on the path in the downswing (producing an inside to out swing). As the golf club swings back the right shoulder has to turn to allow the golf club to swing up, if the spine is too long the club will swing around too much and not up enough.

There is yet another role the spine plays in the golf swing. At the top of the backswing the spine supports the upper body, the golf club, the arms and most importantly the speed at which we swing the golf club. If the spine maintains its length in the backswing, you will be able to swing the arms at a greater speed in the downswing.

The golf club is at its maximum speed as it nears the golf ball and the spine is supporting the “frame of the golf swing” - your upper body. As the club head passes the impact zone the spine is at its most vulnerable position and from that point to the finish is when the spine is taking a real beating (physically).

Maintaining the correct spine angle will play a major role in club head speed and, the direction the club actually swings (swing path). The spine maintains the same angle from address to one foot past impact and it is critical that it starts from the correct position.

If you are in the correct posture at address no changes are necessary.

If you are standing too tall at address, bending at the hips will solve this problem. If you are bent over too much at the top of the spine or your shoulders are too curved, you will have to take a very serious look into changing your spine angle. Opening your shoulders and lifting your chin will be a great place to start.

The Chin

After you address the golf ball there is a check-list of things you need to go through to make sure you are ready to take off. I am not going to tell you the position of the chin is the most important- however, it ranks up there for sure. The chin controls what happens to the shoulders in the backswing.

If the chin is down in your chest at address, the shoulders will have a tendency to pop up in the backswing. The right shoulder will NOT turn out of the way to make room for the arms to swing around. If you continue to leave your chin down in your chest you might have some success with the shorter clubs, but the long clubs will be very difficult to hit. You can get away with the arms swinging up and down with the short clubs, you might not be so lucky with the longer clubs.

If you have a tendency to top your shots or hit thin, your chin might be up too much.

If the chin is down in your chest at address, the shoulders will have a tendency to pop up in the backswing. The right shoulder will NOT turn out of the way to make room for the arms to swing around. If you continue to leave your chin down in your chest you might have some success with the shorter clubs, but the long clubs will be very difficult to hit. You can get away with the arms swinging up and down with the short clubs, you might not be so lucky with the longer clubs.

If you have a tendency to top your shots or hit thin, your chin might be up too much.

So now you want to know how much you should lift your chin up. I have some advice that is not the answer of all answers, but it is a wonderful starting point.

7. Lift your chin up just enough to get your fist under your chin and touch your throat.

When you start experimenting with this new position you will want to start with a club you like to hit. You will know right away if the correction is going to help you or not. Give it a chance. If you top a lot of shots, you have lifted the chin up too much. The first few shots you might want to start with half a fist so you can ease into it. Keep in mind it is an extension of your spine. You might have to bend over at the hips another inch or two; this will compliment the chin position.

Click Here For More!

The Grip

When you pick up a golf club your hands are the only part of your body that touch the club. For many years the hands (grip) have often been referred to as the steering wheel of the golf swing. I don’t believe this could be more true. Gripping the golf club correctly makes playing this game a much better experience.

Gripping the golf club at first glance does not seem like a very difficult thing to do, however, it can take a lot of trial and error to figure out the correct grip for you. This is a very interesting aspect to the game of golf. Gripping the golf club is a VERY INDIVIDUAL thing for everyone that plays golf. There are no two grips alike. You can only find what works for you through hitting golf balls. I can and will guide you, but ultimately, results on the golf course speak louder than me.

Place the golf club up in your left hand, the golf club goes across the left palm- from the base of the forefinger to the pad above the pinky.

Now, hold the handle steady with your left fingers and wrap your palm around the top of the grip.

1. Club Goes Across the Left Palm

2. Wrap Palm Around Top of the Grip

The grip does more to effect actual ball flight than anything else in the game. That’s why we’ve started with the grip. It’s the foundation of the swing, and a quick fix for those of you that have undesirable ball flight patterns. 

The more you grip the golf club in the fingers, the faster you can swing the golf club and the quicker the clubface will close. If you grip the golf club further up in the palm, the slower the golf club will travel and the longer it takes for the clubface to close. If you are slicing the golf ball, you will want to move the grip more into the fingers (the base of the fingers), if you are hooking the golf ball, you will want to move the grip more into the palm area (higher up in the left hand).

Right Hand

Now that the left hand is in place you are going to place the right hand on the golf club.

3. With your right hand on the side of your right leg, slowly bring it towards the bottom of the golf club.


4. The right hand will be placed on the golf club more in the fingers than the palm. You will simply fold the right hand around the fingers of the left.


5. BOTH PALMS MUST ALWAYS FACE EACH OTHER. It is not a difficult thing to do but it is mandatory, no gray area.

3. Bring your Right Hand Towards the Bottom of your Left Hand

4. Fold your Right Hand Around the Fingers of the Left Hand

5. Both Palms MUST Face Each Other

Congratulations, you have now GRIPPED the golf club. But hold on a second, there is a good chance this is not the correct grip for you, so you will have to experiment. However, I have given you a great starting point. The placement of the hands on the golf club controls what the clubface will do during the golf swing and ultimately what the clubface will look like at impact.

In the next section I will show you some variations of the grip that will help you find the one that works best for you.

**SPECIAL NOTE Most golf clubs either have a “ladies” grip or a “men’s” grip on the golf club. If you have small hands it is very important to make sure you have your clubs gripped with a ladies grip, it doesn’t matter if you own men’s clubs. If you have large hands you should have your clubs gripped with men’s grips. There are a couple more options, if your hands are really small you can have “junior” grips placed on your clubs or if you have x-large hands or arthritis you can have “jumbo” grips placed on your clubs. The grip size also effects ball flight. Large grips tend to make a person fade the ball and small grips tend to make a person draw the ball.**

Grip Variations

There are multiple ways to grip a golf club. Although it sounds overwhelming, it truly is not. Once you begin to experiment you will eliminate four or five of them instantly. I will give you a guide to get you started on the right track.

Interlocking Grip

Overlapping Grip

For starters, if you have small hands and fingers, the interlocking grip will probably work best for you. It helps you wrap your fingers and palm around the grip handle.

On the other hand, if you have large hands, the overlapping grip will probably work best for you.

The above-mentioned grips are the proper way to hold a club- however there are three different ways you can apply them to the golf club.

Weak

Neutral

Strong

You can grip the golf club in a weak position (no knuckles of the left hand showing), neutral (one knuckle of the left hand showing) or the strong position (2 or 3 knuckles of the left hand showing).

During your experimenting, if the golf ball has a tendency to curve to the right, you will want to move BOTH hands to the right (strong). When you move the hands make sure you do it slowly. If the golf ball has a tendency to curve to the left, you will want to move BOTH hands slowly to the left (weak). Now, if the golf ball is flying without a curve, you have the correct grip for you. DO NOT EXPERIMENT WITH ANY OTHER GRIP.

Grip Pressure

OK, you have found the correct grip for you. There is one last item we need to deal with. The amount of pressure you apply to the club plays a major role in how you swing the golf club. The tighter you grip the golf club the slower your arms will swing and the longer the clubface will take to release in the downswing (causing a slice). This is a good thing if you HOOK the golf ball. This will definitely stop the ball from curving from right to left. On the other hand if you have problems SLICING the golf ball this amount of grip pressure will make the ball slice more.

If you are struggling with slicing the golf ball, you will have to hold the golf club like you were holding a baby’s hand. Gently, the lighter you grip the golf club the faster the club will swing and the quicker the club will release in the downswing. If you do not have any problems with the ball curving, you have found the correct amount of grip pressure.

Click Here For More!

Three Secrets of A Consistent Golf Stroke

What you are about to read... will change your golfing life forever! What are these three "secrets"? If you knew how would they effect your game?. These three "secrets" are what the worlds best players do. Every player MUST know these "secrets" if they are to have a powerful, repeating golf stroke.

The problem with the majority of golfers is that they don't know what to do. Oh their friends, well wishers at best, tell them that they are "bending their left arm", "raising up through the shot", "coming over the top" and host of other swing faults. But these are the same people that shoot the same scores you do! What could they possibly tell you that would improve your game?

The information you are about to receive is not theory or conjecture but science. Ooooh, you say, this sounds complicated. Well it isn't, it is simply the laws of force and motion that govern our entire lives and day to day living. Once you understand these simply laws your golf game will forever change...for the better!

Secret #1: A Flat Left Wrist

Because the golf stroke involves a golf club, a left arm, and a wrist in between, it is called a "lever system". The left wrist acts as a "hinge pin" much like the old time "flail" used to beat wheat. This "hinge pin" can rotate, cock or uncock but NEVER Bends!

Golfers however routinely bend the left wrist causing the clubhead to reach the ball before the hands do. This causes a "quitting" motion, adds loft to the clubface, points the face to the left of target, makes the clubhead swing upward disrupting the downward motion that ALL good golf shots MUST have. Good players DELOFT the clubface at Impact. Poor players ADD loft to the clubface costing them distance, direction, and trajectory.

A 5 iron, for example, has approximately 8 degrees for "forward lean" when soled properly. At Impact with good players the "lean" is approximately 15 degrees. This turns the 5 iron into a 4 iron. Poor players reach Impact with a "backward" leaning clubshaft thereby ADDING loft and turning the 5 iron into a 6-7 iron!

Secret #2: A Staright Plane Line

You only have two choices when it comes to the swing plane, you are either on or you're off. There is no middle ground!

What exactly is the swing plane? The plane is the angle of the clubshaft as it sets at address - period! It is NOT Hogans plane of glass as many would have you to believe. There are only three planes available;

1. Horizontal - a wall
2. Vertical - the floor
3. Inclined somewhere in between

As golfers you and I use the Inclined Plane to swing the club back up and end, down out and forward, up back and in making the Golf Stroke three dimensional.

The clubshaft, actually the sweetspot of the club, may travel to any other plane angle during the swing as long as it DOES NOT cross the base of the plane. Here is a simple way you can know if you are on plane or not. Whichever end of the club is nearest to the ground MUST also point at the base of the plane from horizon to horizon. If neither end is nearer then the clubshaft MUST be horizontal to the ground and parallel to the base of plane.

Secret #3: A Lagging Clubhead

Lag by definition means "trailing". When the clubhead passes the hands coming into Impact there is no "lag". Without "lag" the golf ball cannot be compressed, we cannot hit downward, and we have a tremendous power loss. Clubhead lag promotes a steady and even acceleration giving us a dependable way to control distance.

Look at any picture of your favorite player at Impact. The left arm and clubshaft are in ONE LINE! Never two lines. This means that the player is utilizing "lag". When a ball is struck with "lag" it explodes off the clubface! Without this "lag" the sound turns into one of mush, a soft Impact instead of a driving Impact.

-----------------------------------------------------------

If you follow this outline, learn these three "Secrets" you will be hitting the ball with more compression than you ever thought possible.

For example, a Driver striking a golf ball with a 2 degree "backward" leaning clubshaft at 100 mph with 9.5 degrees of loft produces a launch angle of 6.4 degrees and a carry distance of 230 yards.

By changing Impact to a 2 degree forward leaning clubshaft the player produces a launch angle of 10.4 degrees and a carry of 251 yards. A 21 YARD INCREASE WITHOUT buying a new Driver and simply having clubhead lag!

YOU can improve your game dramatically by following the steps outlined above. Become the best player YOU can be and start winning those 4 way presses! If YOU really want to elevate your game, hit it farther, straighter, and nearer the hole then practice what I've shared with you.

------------------------------------------------------------
Chuck Evans, G.S.E.D.
www.chuckevansgolf.com
chuck@chuckevansgolf.com

P.S. Visit our website for more information on how to become the best player YOU can be.
------------------------------------------------------------

Chuck Evans is one of only 31 Teachers in the world to hold the designation of "Doctorate in Golf Stroke Engineering", he is one of the most highly sought after instructors in the world not only by players but other teachers as well and is known as the Teacher of Teachers!

Chuck has appeared on numerous golf talk shows, written and published instructional articles in local, regional, and national golf publications. His DVD, "60 Days To Game Improvement" has sold in excess of 10,000 copies and his new eBook, "How To Build YOUR Golf Swing" is in the library of amateurs and Teaching Professional alike. He has also appeared as the featured instructor for education classes regarding the golf swing at various PGA Sections and Chapters around the country and has been nominated numerous times for Golf Digest's Top 50 Teachers and Golf Magazine's Top 100 Teachers.

In addition Chuck has held the positions of Director of Schools for the PGA Tour Golf Academy and the Director of Instruction for the United States Golf Institute.

You can reach Chuck through his Golf Academy in Mesa Arizona by calling 480.862.6544, by email at chuck@chuckevansgolf.com
or through the website http://www.chuckevansgolf.com

Article Source: EzineArticles.com