Filed under: golf for beginner, golf tips | Tags: bunker shot, golf for beginner, golf swing, golf swing improvement, golf tips, golfer, golfer hk, golfers, golfers HK, hk golfer, hk golfers
Everyone knows how frustrating they can be if you don’t know the proper mechanics to get out of them. But the bottom line is, for the pros, bunker shots are some of the easiest shots on the course.
These steps will ensure that you have the right mechanics for getting out of bunkers. Once you’ve read these steps, practice them and get used to hitting out of bunkers, and they will become just as natural as a regular short game shot. These steps will give you the solid foundation that you need for bunker success.
Here are the steps: (note: These steps apply to a normal sand bunker. Not wet or hard sand)
1. Choke down on the golf club (Have your right index finger about an inch from the bottom of the grip). Choking down gives you control of the club and allows you to “feel” the shot rather than hitting it.
2. Narrow your stance a little and play the ball a few inches forward in your stance. This will also aid in controlling the shot, and it will contribute to higher ball flight.
3. Dig into the sand with your feet a little and get comfortable.
4. Keep your body completely still throughout (no twisting hips).
5. Start your swing with your arms and keep your swing vertical. The end of the grip butt should be pointed at the ball at the top of your backswing. (Don’t bring the club straight back, remember steep is better here!)
6. Your left arm should be parallel to the ground and fully extended at the top of your swing.
7. Then start your downswing at the sand focusing to hit 1 inch behind the ball. Don’t focus on hitting the ball, hit the sand an inch behind and the ball will get out every time!
8. Your arms and body follow the ball as it leaves the sand.
9. Remember – a steep angle into the sand is key here. You don’t have to swing too hard; we are not blasting the ball out, we are advancing it.
Drill:
Go into a bunker and take 3 clubs your pitching wedge, sand wedge, and a lob wedge(if you have one). Remember that you can get creative with shots; just because it’s a sand wedge doesn’t mean that you’ll “feel” the most comfortable or get the best results. But I want you to notice the difference in design and performance.
Hit a few shots with each club and really notice the difference in how the ball comes out of the sand. Then choose the club that bests suits you. But remember, with all these clubs swing steep and hit 1 inch behind the ball. You can even draw a line behind the ball and aim for that line.
At home, office, or at the course take practice swings and focus on bringing the club up at a steep angle. Watch as your grip end points to the ground. And stop there – this is the position that you want to be in. A great way to see if the grip is pointed over the ball is sticking a tee in the grip handle. Do that a few times to ensure that you know where to stop the golf club and start your steep downswing. Then the downswing is easy! Just hit an inch behind the ball. Practice this for a few days then go have fun in a bunker!
Filed under: golf club, golf for beginner, golf tips | Tags: choose right golf club, golf club, golf club selection, golf swing, golf swing improvement, golf tips, golfer, golfer hk, golfers HK, hk golfer, hk golfers
This post is entitled, “How Playing Short will Save You Strokes “. It’s a pretty simple tip really, but it will help you to lower your scores.
We’ll be focusing on your approach shots again. What you should get out of this lesson is that short is usually better regarding approach shots, and I’m going to explain a few reasons why I believe this to be true.
Let’s set the scene. We’ll use the same example throughout. Let’s say that you usually hit your 8 iron around 150 yards, and you are 160 out. Now, most golfers would probably grab their 7 iron here, and think to themselves, “I’ll just take a little off this, and I’ll be right on the pin”.
Problem: Most recreational golfers don’t have the ability to add and take off power from their swings.
You should focus first and foremost on mastering one swing, including the tempo, speed, and power that it takes to perfect that one swing. Once you start trying to swing a little easier or a little harder, problems start to sneak into your round. You are trying to play for the pin and instead, you end up in the bunker on the right side of the green, and now you’ve just turned a par hole into a double bogey.
The difference in distance between your 7 and 8 iron should be about 10-15 yards. The point? Hit your 8 iron every time in the above situation. Don’t mess with your swing. Go with what you trust. Hit the 8 iron 150 yards, and let the ball roll onto the green. At that point, anything can happen. You may end up 2 inches, 2 feet, or 20 feet from the pin, but at least you’re putting.
Benefit 1: If you mishit the ball a little further than usual, you’re still in good shape because you played a little short in the first place. If you hit the ball a little short, you’re still okay, because chances are, you’re sitting in the middle of the fairway, maybe on the fringe.
Benefit 2: If you go to the right or the left, since you played the shorter club, you’re not going to be as far right or left as you would have been with the 7 iron. This could mean that you are still on the green, or it could mean that you are on either side of the fairway. But chances are that you are still in decent shape.
Summary: When you’re trying to decide between two clubs, take a second to look at the hazards around the green. If there’s a bunker or some water guarding the front of the green, then sure, it may be a good idea to take the larger club. But other than this exception, you are almost always better off, taking less club. You’ll stay out of trouble, and that is the key to lowering your overall score.
Filed under: golf club, golf equipment, golf for beginner | Tags: golf accessories, golf club, golf equipment, golf tips, golfer hk, golfers HK, hk golfer, hk golfers, online golf proshop, online golf shop
Remember the time, not very long ago, when your local golf club store was the shopping mecca for all your golf accessories. Now ask any teenage caddy or a twenty-something golf aficionado and they might turn up their collective noses at the thought of shopping at a clicks and mortar building.
The hip-set now prefer a clicks and non-bricks type of online shopping for all their golf accessories. Not only is it fashionable to do so, but you might be surprised at the several different types of advantages and benefits you get from shopping online for your golf accessories.
The inventory is much more aggressive online than it could possible be at your friendly neighborhood golf store. Not only will you find several thousands of sites peddling their stuff, you will also be spoiled for choice.
Whereas the humble golf cap was almost a matter of necessity once, now it has become the ultimate fashion statement. You get designer caps, autographed caps, limited edition caps? and this list keeps getting longer and more mouth-watering with every passing fashion fad.
Not only do you get more variety, you might also find great discounts, promotional offers, and genuine 50% off sales. Websites try to outdo each other in all sorts of manner and only the customer stands to gain from this one-upmanship.
So what are you waiting for the next time you wish to add to your collection of golf accessories, don’t zip down to your store. Instead log onto the Web and click away!
Michael
www.1golfproshop.com
Filed under: golf for beginner, golf tips, Uncategorized | Tags: golf swing, golf swing improvement, golf tips, golfer, golfer hk, golfers, golfers HK, hk golfer, hk golfers, swing improvement
There is a very useful method that many accountants use called “The cost/benefit analysis”. You may be familiar with it. The analysis is done to cut the company costs that do not provide a specific benefit. It’s done on all the different costs of the company, and then the accountants can then analyze which costs provide a lot of benefit, versus which costs provide little benefit. Then quite simply, the costs that provide little benefit are cut.
The golf swing is really quite complicated. The reason that it was to get rid of all the unnecessary movements that end up causing many golfers trouble. To do this, I applied the cost/benefit method, but I did it in golf terms.
Just as an example, we’ll use the wrist cock. In analyzing the golf swing, I found that the wrist cock at the top of one’s backswing, produced great results for a few golfers. However, for the vast majority of golfers, it actually proved to cause MANY inconsistencies.
That may sound too simple of a solution, but it really works. You’d be amazed at the consistency that is added by removing this one small move. See, the difference is that golf magazines or videos, want you to spend countless hours of your time correcting this small move. You would have many disappointing rounds if you tried to do that. It’s simply not worth it for most golfers.
I agree that you must have a significant wrist cock to compete on the professional tour. However, it has been proven to me many times over that you do not need a wrist cock to hit the ball 250 down the middle of the fairway. You do not need that extra 40-60 yards that professionals need. All you need to break 80 is to be able to hit the ball 220-250 yards down the middle of the fairway.
More importantly, you need to be able to do this every time.
Other examples of what you could easily cut out of your swing would be the following:
-Lateral (horizontal) movement to achieve the proper weight transfer
-All lower body conscious movements. (It will help you to make the correct lower body movements happen automatically, and cut out all the unnecessary actions)
-Extended backswing
-Those are just a few examples. The list goes on and on, but the point of all this is that “Simple is Better” for the vast number of golfers.
Yours Sincerely,
Michael
Filed under: golf for beginner, golf tips | Tags: golf for beginner, golf swing, golf tips, golfer, golfer hk, golfers, golfers HK, hk golfer, hk golfers, swing improvement
Here’s a really good tip that may help you to get rid of your slice. Best of all, it’s really pretty simple once you get the hang of it, and understand why it’s being used.
Chances are that you have battled with a slice at some point in your golfing days. To be completely direct with you, dealing with a slice really sucks. It hurts your golf game in many more ways than one.
Luckily, it’s fairly easy to fix. I cannot claim that this small tip will completely cure your slice, but there’s a good chance that it will, and I hope it does.
When you come into the impact zone, there are really only 2 factors that can determine the “shape” of ball flight.
1. The angle of the club face at impact.
2. The Path the club is taking at impact.
You’d agree, that’s really not that tough to understand. The tough part is explaining how to correct it, and keeping this short at the same time.
Anyway, here’s a few things your should concentrate on.
Try to keep your leading shoulder “down” on the ball through impact. This is called staying strong through impact. Lots of times the leading shoulder (left shoulder if right handed) flies up before impact. Now just for a minute, think about what that does to the club head when it’s in the impact zone.
Golf is all about thinking and analyzing your shots to get better. A huge part of this game is understanding “why” you’re getting a certain result, and the physics behind that result. Thinking through your golf swing will provide huge dividends if you’re willing to invest the time it takes.
Get up from the computer and actually go though the motions slowly. Let your leading shoulder fly up as you approach impact and you’ll actually be able feel and see the clubface coming from an outside-in path. That causes a slice every time.
So what can you do to correct it? Well, for starters, try to learn to keep your leading shoulder strong. Keep that shoulder “down” on the ball all the way through impact, even after the ball is gone and flying straight down the fairway. Here’s an illustration of what I’m talking about.
As you can see, the leading shoulder is still down. The triangle is still there. Most importantly, my body has NOT gotten ahead of my hands. This is a HUGE distinction. As you may notice, the left shoulder is actually higher than the right shoulder. So what do I mean when I say “leading shoulder down”?
You have to envision yourself from the back looking down on the ball. When I say “down”, I mean that the leading shoulder and chest are still facing the ball through impact.
So even though it may seem like the leading shoulder is higher than the trailing shoulder, it’s still facing the ball at impact. NOT TOWARDS THIRD BASE in comparison to the ball. That would mean that you have let the leading shoulder fly up.
Hand action is huge in this game. You must learn to release your hands correctly through the ball. Meaning that you release the hands while the leading shoulder is still “down”, or facing the ball.
If you are currently playing with the conventional swing method, it’s really easy to let your body get ahead of the ball. One of the many things you will learn in “The Simple Golf Swing” is how to avoid that trap.
Keep the leading shoulder down and let your arms and hands release through the ball and you will see the ball go farther and higher. This will take a while to get used to.
Michael
Filed under: golf equipment, golf for beginner | Tags: golf accessories, golf bag, golf club cover, golf equipment, golf for beginner, golfer, golfer hk, golfers, golfers HK, hk golfer, hk golfers
Perhaps the most expensive accessory you’ve ever buy are your golf clubs. But even after shelling out a pocket for them, most golfers don’t look after their clubs properly or don’t know how to do so.
Since you have invested time, money, and a lot of thought in purchasing your golf clubs, you should consider spending a little more effort in maintaining, storing, and using them properly.
First, consider the golf bag itself. Before you buy one, ensure that that the sides are toughened with some metal, like maybe steel. This helps protect your clubs in case the golf bag falls out of the cart or if it hits other objects.
To prevent theft of your clubs, see if you can buy a golf bag with a flap or a door on the top. The flap should come with a lock mechanism, for example, a number protected lock or even a simple lock-and-key will suffice.
Consider painting, embroidering, or embossing your name on the sides of your golf bag. Some people even take it a step further and imprint their contact details with their names.
In case the bag happens to get lost there is a fighting chance of recovering it again. See if you can get a professional to emboss your name and contact details on the handles of your clubs.
This won’t prevent theft, but at least you know you have a better chance at finding lost clubs again.
Filed under: golf equipment, golf for beginner, golf shirt | Tags: golf equipment, golf for beginner, golf polo, golf shirt, golfer hk, golfers, golfers HK
Golf shirts are an integral part of your golf round. Try getting on a course nowadays without wearing a golf shirt of some description. The answer will more than likely be a resounding NO. More and more golf clubs these days, even the municipal courses are requiring a decent modicum of golfing dress sense.
Then of course there is the question, what type of golf shirt should I wear?
The general consensus on this question is a collared golf polo shirt. The types of which are on general display across our screens when we see the professionals coming out to play in their logo endorsed golf shirts. Makers such as callaway, nike, ping, taylor made etc. are now generating greater sales from their golf shirts empire than for their more likely profit centres such as golf balls and golf clubs.
Golf shirts are fantastic value when you delve deeper into the psyche of your common golfer. The golf shirt is of utmost importance to look the part, even if your not playing the part, of your favourite golfing heroes. And of course there is also the bragging rights that ensues in the golf club bar following one of those disastrous 100+ rounds of golf. At least you know you look good in your all singing all dancing golf shirt.
The myriad of colours and patterns available for the discerning golfer to choose from can be likened to the decisions on whether to go for that larger mortgage, and plump for a house on the 14th green. Golf shirts are simply that important.
Turning up for a round of golf in your ‘quality seconds’ golf shirt will probably bring about the swiftest retort from your golfing buddies, sending you off quickly to search for the cheapest quality golf shirts online. Luckily there are such places to be found across the world wide web that will happily fulfil your every golf shirt desire..
Long sleeve golf shirts, short sleeve golf shirts, pink shirts, yellow shirts patterned or not you can find some amazingly good deals online these days for your golfing apparel needs. What with worldwide shipping and constantly updated golf shirts becoming available each and every day, it shouldn’t take you too long to look like the king of the golf course.
Michael
Filed under: golf for beginner, golf tips | Tags: golf club, golf for beginner, golfer, golfer hk, golfers, golfers HK, grip the club, weak grip
In my experience, a weaker grip adds power and height to the average golfer’s shot. I recommend at least experimenting with it. When you take your grip, V’s should be created between the thumb and pointer (index) finger of your right and left hand. For my example, I’ll use the right-handed golfer. Most golfers learn from the beginning, to make both of the V’s created point at the right (back) shoulder. The result is a fairly strong grip. Here are the steps you should take if you are interested in trying a weaker grip.
1. Put the strong grip on the club. (Both V’s pointed at your right shoulder)
2. Don’t move your left hand
3. Keeping your right pinky in place, unlock the rest of your right hand, and rotate everything over the top of the grip. Your left thumb should be totally enclosed by your right palm. Now the V formed by your right hand should be pointed more at your head, or maybe even toward your left shoulder.
This new grip is going to feel strange at first, and may not work with your particular swing. But with certain swings, this weak grip is the missing link.
Michael
1golfproshop.com
Filed under: golf club, golf for beginner | Tags: golf accessories, golf bag, golf club, golf club cover, golf equipment, golf tips, golfer, golfer hk, golfers, golfers HK
Perhaps the most expensive accessory you’ve ever buy are your golf clubs. But even after shelling out a pocket for them, most golfers don’t look after their clubs properly or don’t know how to do so.
Since you have invested time, money, and a lot of thought in purchasing your golf clubs, you should consider spending a little more effort in maintaining, storing, and using them properly.
First, consider the golf bag itself. Before you buy one, ensure that that the sides are toughened with some metal, like maybe steel. This helps protect your clubs in case the golf bag falls out of the cart or if it hits other objects.
To prevent theft of your clubs, see if you can buy a golf bag with a flap or a door on the top. The flap should come with a lock mechanism, for example, a number protected lock or even a simple lock-and-key will suffice.
Consider painting, embroidering, or embossing your name on the sides of your golf bag. Some people even take it a step further and imprint their contact details with their names.
In case the bag happens to get lost there is a fighting chance of recovering it again. See if you can get a professional to emboss your name and contact details on the handles of your clubs.
This won’t prevent theft, but at least you know you have a better chance at finding lost clubs again.
Please leave your comment after reading this post.
Michael
www.1golfproshop.com
Filed under: golf club, golf for beginner | Tags: golf accessories, golf bag, golf ball, golf balls, golf cart, golf club, golf club cover, golf club selection, golf course, golf driver, golf equipment, golf for beginner, golf shoes, golf tips, golfer, golfer hk, golfers, golfers HK
Like any other sports, golf requires that you are geared up correctly to be able to properly play the game. This article will give you an idea of basic golf equipment one requires to be able to learn and play golf.
For starters, the basic golf equipment is a golf ball. Golf balls are dimpled tiny balls, use in to play golf. They are dimpled to reach farther length when driven by golf clubs.
Another important golf equipment is a golf club or golf driver. Golf drivers come in different varieties. This is because a golf course has different landscapes and different golf clubs are required to make the proper drive. Depending on the landscape, either sand, grass or cement, a golf club is essential to make the perfect drive. Professional golfers usually have a bag or two of golf clubs to cater to their golf needs. Most golf stores and sports equipment store sell golf clubs. Some golf clubs are sold in sets while other are sold individually.
To protect your golf equipment, such as your golf club, a golf bag golf club cover is essential. A golf bag will, of course, hold your golf club in one place and will make it easier for your caddy to bring your many golf clubs. Golf bags can also hold golf balls and other golf equipment like water bottle to quench your thirst while under the sun or extra shirt or your regular shoes. On the other hand, a golf club cover covers the edge of your golf club. This is done so to protect your golf club from unwanted scratches and dents. Dents can cause your drive to go from ok to bad. Dents in golf clubs can affect the drive of your golf ball. With these golf equipment, you can take care of the state of your club and your game.
One golf equipment that you need to invest on is a good pair of golf shoes. Golf shoes are different from usual rubber shoes or walking shoes. Golf shoes are created to walk on greens – the type where the sport is played. Golf shoes usually have pointed rubber under the soles to grip the earth and sand under your feet. This way, unnecessary shaking or moving is avoided. This is important because shaking can cause you to not hit the golf ball or to hit the golf ball in the wrong direction. If you plan to play professional golf a good pair of golf shoes is a necessary golf equipment to add up to your list. Choose one that is sturdy yet comfortable enough for you to walk into. Golf is a sport that requires walking from one hole to another or to where your ball landed (you can not use golf carts on the greens) and thus, if your golf shoes are uncomfortable, you would have a hard time concentrating on your game.
A golf equipment usually provided by most golf courses (aside from the golf ball) is the tee. The tee is the tiny pin like thing that you punch to the ground to stand your ball into. The tee is use in teeing off (the start of your first drive) thus the name.
The most amazing golf equipment ever created (for me, that is) is the golf cart. Golf carts can take you from one hole to the other, though as I said earlier they are not allowed on the greens, they still lessen the burden of having to walk under the hot sun. This golf equipment can be acquired from golf courses. Golf players are usually made to use golf equipment such as this to give them a better and easier time playing the sport.
Many specialty shops and sport shops offer golf equipment. The internet is also a good source of golf equipment. Second hand golf equipment are even auctioned off the internet, if you are on a tight budget. Check out your local golf shop, sports shop, specialty shops, E-bay or Yahoo! for your golf equipment needs.
Happy golfing!
Michael
