Golf Driving Tips

Try these tips for a longer drive. GRIP IT LIGHT-Many short hitters grip the club too hard, causing tightness in the fore arms, and a tense take-away. A light grip will cause you to loosen up and swing with more flexibility. A good analogy is to grip the club like it was a small bird. SWING IT BACK SLOW-The majority of touring pros take the first 12-36" of the back swing deliberately slow, causing a smooth back swing, getting maximum distance. The Golden Bear said "The slower your back swing, The farther the ball will go", which is true. Extend to a high finish! A full finish adds more yardage to the ball.

Where In My Stance Do I Play the Ball?

There is no one perfect golf ball position for everyone because of the differences in height, weight and flexibility of golfers. There is a general rule of thumb for ball position: with your driver, woods, 2 and 3 irons, play the ball just inside of your left heel. With your 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 irons you would play the ball halfway between your inside left heel and the center of your stance. And with your 9 iron and wedges you would play the ball in the middle of your stance. But, the best way to find your proper ball position would be to go to the practice range and hit balls. After you have hit a few shots place the ball at the beginning of your divot and do this until you have found your proper ball position with all your clubs. You will hit more good shots off the sweet spot on the club and the ball will go more consistently towards the target.

Swing Easy

Swing easy. Do not try to kill the golf ball. Your timing will be better and you will have more control and consistency by swinging easy.

Tee Height

When you tee the ball for a driver shot, put the tee height at the middle of the driver´s face, this puts half the ball above the driver. This is the recommended height for driving.

No Arms, No Wrists, No Errors

For good golf chipping techniques, try locking the wrists and arms and have them move in one piece using the shoulders. You should start seeing improved distance and accuracy. Less moving parts means more reliability.

Swing Smooth

When you are at the practice range swing smooth. Start with your wedge to get loose. Don´t just whale-away with the driver, groove your swing. Think smooth.

Lead Foot Tip

To help get your weight shift going at the target, try slanting your lead foot a little towards the target.

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Stop Topping

Having problem with topping the ball? You may be looking up too soon, lifting up the back foot or over-swinging. Keep the swing smooth and easy. Wait for the sound of impact before you look up. Let the head turn with the body as it moves forward after impact.

Swinging Through the Golf Ball

A common swing flaw is to swing AT the ball, rather than thinking about swinging on the target line and along this path. This gives you the feeling of hitting THROUGH the ball and will improve your distance and accuracy.

Make Your Putting Like Clock Work

For better, more consistent golf putting, swing a putter like a pendulum with equal back and forward swings. You will see better control of distance and accuracy.

Everything Must Be Square to the Target

To be sure you are aimed at the target, picture a set of railroad tracks. The track furthest from you is where the golf ball will be and that track runs directly to your target. The track closest to you will be the track your feet will square up to and this track will run left of the target the same distance your feet are away from the ball at address. Have a fellow golfer stand behind you and ask him/her to see if you are lined up properly. You can also lay clubs down on the ground at your feet and on the target line. Be sure your knees, hips and shoulders are also parallel to the target line. Practice your aim. It is very important in hitting a good golf shot.

Ball Position For Fairway Bunker Shots

To successfully hit a fairway bunker shot, begin by playing the ball back in your stance. By setting up with the ball slightly right of your zipper, you will help your club face to strike the ball before the sand.

Stance Width

The width of your stance should be about the same width as your shoulders. If your stance gets too wide it allows you to develop swing flaws such as head sway, poor finish, and weight back.

Let Your Body Control the Swing

Let your body, not your hands and arms, control the pace of your down swing and follow through. Your belly button should be facing the target when you finish. Key on turning your shoulders back and through, while keeping your hands quiet throughout the swing.

Where To Put The Ball

Since every golf club is different in length we need a general ball placement guide for every club. Iron golf clubs are played at center and rear of center to allow a hit in the downward part of the swing arc, while woods are played front of center to give the feeling of sweeping at the ball.

The Low Shot Under an Obstruction Lie

If you need to keep the ball low, such as under tree limbs, but need some distance, try the low shot. Play the ball rear of center and press hands forward of the ball more. Use a 3, 4 ,or 5 iron and close the club face. Keep your hands ahead of the club for the whole swing. The ball will come out low and hot, so compensate with the amount of back swing. Sometimes the ball will draw a little more than usual, so practice this shot and it will add another trick to your bag.

Timing Tip

Having timing problems? Try swinging a heavy broom and making it sweep along the target line and hit the same spot on that line. The heaviness will make your body make the most efficient weight transfer and balanced swing. You will start to feel the broom speed increasing with less power applied as your timing is enhanced.

Trust In The Name For Alignment

If you are having problems aligning your putts, try this. When you mark your ball on the green, replace it with the name logo in line with the hole, then putt thru this logo line.

Pre-Shot Routine

Every golfer has his/her own pre-shot routine. An example of a good pre-shot routine would be: Stand behind the ball, pick an intermediate target, take a practice swing visualizing the ball flight to the target. Now, address the ball lining up the club face with the intermediate target, look at the target once again and swing through the golf ball with the same tempo you used on your golf practice swing.