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.

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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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Improve Bunker Shots

Gettting out of a greenside bunker can be easy when you know these three rules.

#1-Use a Sand Wedge with a large sole to slide through the sand.

#2-Strike the sand behind the ball as you accelerate to a full finish. Most players hit the sand behind the ball and "quit" on the shot, leaving the ball in the bunker.

#3- Make sure you use a light grip pressure. Holding the club too tightly will "freeze" your wrists making it difficult to slide the club under the ball in the sand properly.

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.

Golf Slicing Tip

What you have is what some call a slice or fade. This occurs when the golf club head is open at impact causing side spin on the ball. The initial momentum of the golf ball sends it straight, but as the forward momentum decreases, the affects of the spin take over and move your ball right.

Several causes for this condition include the equipment you use and your swing. Golfing equipment problems include golf club shafts that may be too flexible, make sure your shaft is right for your swing speed. Another golfing equipment problem may be that the head of the golf club driver that you have is open faced.

A neutral or closed faced driver, usually called an offset driver, will help stop a slice. When it comes to the swing there are many different exercises that can help you with solving the problem, most include drills on trying to swing from the inside out instead of the outside in.

The one that works pretty good for some people is this: Go to the golf driving range and tee up as you normally do. Now try to hook the ball really bad. Exaggerate turning your hands over. Keep doing this at least 15 times or until you hook every shot. Now try to hit one straight. You will see that the exaggerated swing begins to build muscle memory and causes you to turn you hands over better even on your normal shot.

Iron Address

At address, forward press the hands so they are in front of the ball. This helps keep them ahead of the ball at contact which gives you a solid iron golf club shot.

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.

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.

Correct Body Distance While Teeing Off - More Golf Setup Tips

If your body is too close or far positioned from the ball, your distance and aim will be greatly effected. First position yourself behind the ball as normal. If you are right handed, grip the club as usual. Let your right hand go from your grip. If you are positioned just right, it will stay in the same location as when you gripped the club. If you are too far from the ball, your hand (when you release it) will fall towards the end of the shaft. If too close, your hand will fall further down the shaft. For lefties, this drill should be done with the left hand. This only takes a couple seconds to do but will improve your distance and accuracy.

Drive Thru Your Drives

A good thought process for driving is to imagine the golf club hitting thru the golf ball and not at it. Try to imagine the club´s swing path and the ball simply getting in the way of the club. You swing the golf club along the target line and the golf ball goes along for the ride.

More Golf Driving Tips

The proper ball placement for the driver tee-shot is off the leading foot´s inside heel.

Bench Your Chip Shots - Golf Chipping Lessons

Get those golf chipping shots on the ground and rolling as soon as possible and you will start getting more consistent. As an aid, chip under a bench or a rope or through your bag holder´s support legs, this will help you keep them lower.

Weight Distribution

Start with the weight favoring the left side at address for the normal shot.

Play A Round Of Golf At The Range

When practicing at the range, pretend you are playing a round of golf. Start with the golf driver, then hit a 6-iron. Go back to the driver, then the 3-wood, and then the wedge. If you pretend you are playing a round of golf your practice will seem more like the real thing because you never go out and hit 15 drives in a row and then 20 8-irons. A bucket of golf balls will last twice as long. Practice your pre-shot routine before each shot.

Make Your Trip To The Beach A Short One

The sand trap (aka beach) shot should not be feared. Just open your stance a little, play the ball in the center, and hit about 2 inches behind the ball in a smooth continuous swing. The club will glide thru the sand and the ball will ride up and out on a column
of moving sand. It is like throwing a shovel of dirt with a ball on top. The ball moves yet the club
or shovel never actually touches it.

TOE-riffic Downhill Golf Putting

Do downhill golf putts intimidate you? Do you either wack it 10 feet past or leave them 5 feet short? Take your normal putt for this distance but play the ball nearer to the TOE (front end) of the putter. The toe putt is a less solid hit and the ball comes off the putter with diminished inertia. You can also experiment for lightning fast greens by moving the ball closer to the toe too.

Reduced Back Swing For Fairway Bunker Shot

For successful fairway bunker contact, limit your back swing to 3/4 of its normal length, and then mirror it on the follow through. Because you are using such an abbreviated swing, take two more clubs for the distance you are approaching. If you have a good lie, choose that 5 instead of the 7 iron golf club.

Do Not Get Into The Wedge Rut When Golf Chipping

For fringe, uphill and longer chip shots try keeping the wedge in the bag and consider using the 6, 7 or 8 iron instead. You still lock your wrists and arms, yet the shot will feel more like a putt. Do not be too surprised when you start holing out more often.

Golf Putting Basics

For more consistent putting try this golfing tip: Get used to the feel of one brand of golf ball and your putts will drop. Your loyalty to one brand will pay off in better feel, consistency, and confidence.

Grip Position

Many people have a strong grip that feels too uncomfortable if they try to neutralize it. The problem could be the positioning of the grip is too much in the fingers. Try laying the club across the hand pads where the fingers meet the hands and grip the club. You should have a much easier time getting the grip neutralized.

Improve Bunker Shots

To promote more solid and controlled contact from the fairway bunker shots, your lower body should remain quiet with very little motion in the feet and legs.

Get Confidence Over Your Golf Putting

For good golf putting results, keep your eye over the golf ball at address.

Shots to Practice?

When you are at the practice range, always take time to practice the shots that are difficult for you to hit. They will eventually become easier to hit with practice.

Look Closely At The Hole

Some greens keepers do not cut a hole properly and leave a raised mini volcano-shape. This causes putts from all sides to veer off. If you are playing a course with greens like this, use a little more force on your putts and they will hold the line better.

Finishing Your Bunker Shots

Do not let the face close (toe pass the heel) until after impact, if at all. Continue to accelerate through the ball to a natural finish on your bunker shots.

Find Your Tempo By Using Your Senses

Find the tempo that gets your timing at its best. Look, listen and feel the way good timing occurs and remember it well. When you are struggling during a round, make practice swings until you get the timing to look, sound and feel correct again. Remember to use your senses.

Fairway Bunker Shots Footing

While in a fairway trap, dig your feet in by twisting them into the sand. hen, let your knees pinch toward each other so the majority of your weight is over the inside of your feet. Your foot impressions after the shot should be deeper on the inside half of each foot.

How to Spot a Good Putt

For help on longer putts, pick a spot along the line of the golf putt, but closer to you and in the range of your peripheral view, and roll the golf ball over the spot.

Uphill and Downhill Lies

The most important thing to remember when playing an uphill lie is to square your shoulders to the angle of the hill. Think of it as if you were playing the ball from a flat lie, your shoulder angle should be the same in comparison to the ground. On the uphill lie, the hill adds loft to the ball, if you are looking to hit it a certain distance, you may need to add more club.

Downhill lies are treated the same. Square your shoulders to the hill, but in the case of the downhill lie, you may need a higher lofted club.

Draw the Ball Like a Kicker

Watch a kicker make a field goal and you will almost always see him draw the ball inside the uprights with an inside-out move. His foot moves up and to the inside after the kick. Use the same image for your golf swing. Try to attack the ball from an inside path to hit a powerful draw instead of a weaker, outside-in slice.

Stance on Bunker Shots

Take an open stance to restrict back swing length and to steepen the swing.

Load Up For Power

To maximize your distance, you must make a powerful pivot. Use this golfing drill to ingrain the proper feel. Take your stance and then pull your front foot back away from the target line and lift your heel off the ground. Keep the heel off the ground as you make your backswing, rotating the upper body fully. You will end up with most of your weight over the rear leg, the perfect position to unwind powerfully through impact.

Short Golf Putts

Hit the short golf putts a little more firm. This will not allow the golf putt to break as much.

Buried Sand Trap Lies

To get out of a buried sand trap lie, try closing the face of the wedge a little and hit an inch or 2 behind the ball on your down swing. Do not stop at the ball, but rather continue the swing and the ball will come out nicely. I prefer a pitching wedge for the buried lie shot.

Use a High Percentage Safe Shot Out of a Fairway Bunker

If you are a high handicapper, always play the most consistent and safest shot. When faced with a long fairway bunker shot, go with a 7 or 8 iron golf club instead of a 3 or 4 iron golf club.

It Is Good To Be Square

When it comes to golf, it is good to be square. Lay a golf club or a rope on the ground and online with the hole as an aid to help you align your feet at the target.

Golf Irons: Golf Ball Position

To properly hit irons, play the ball in the center to rear of center and swing normally. By playing the golf ball back allows the golf club to hit the ball BEFORE the ground. It makes a big difference.

Natural Instincts

Hitting the ball to the hole should be accomplished by the "feeling." When you were a kid playing a game of catch, it was easy to toss a baseball to the other guy (the target). Your mind never got in the way and wondered... "How far away is that guy?" "How hard should I throw it to reach him?" "How should I grip the ball?" You just threw it and it landed in his glove. I promise you that the golf clubs work and were designed for certain distances and situations. The only thought you need to have is, "How far did I hit this club the last time I hit it good?" Pick the golf club, swing freely ... it all falls into place.

Golfing Drills for Stopping the Slice

The first step is to stick two tees in the ground on both sides of the golf ball, so they make a 45 degree angle to your target line. The line should point to your front foot. Second, slowly take the club back making sure it stays inside the outside tee. Finally, starting the down swing keep the club head inside the two tees, thus creating an inside out swing plane.

Bend At The Hips - Golf Swing Lessons

Hold your golf club straight out in front of you. With your knees locked, bend forward from the hips until the club is on the ground. Now slightly bend your knees. You are in a great position and posture.

Better Tempo - Improving Golf Swings

Keep the same tempo (pace, timing) for all your full shots. A driver has the same swing tempo as a pitching wedge. The same is true for all the clubs in between. Keep your swing tempo at a constant pace and you will become more consistent.

Learn to Use The Draw

The golf draw shot is a mild curve from the dominant hand side to the undominant hand slant as you are facing the hole. Learn to hit and use it to your advantage. It will get you more roll. It will fight an opposing cross-wind. It will help you bend a shot around an obstruction, and more.

Tight Near Lip of Trap

If you need to get the golf ball up fast out of a trap during a bunker shot, try starting the back swing by cocking your wrists upward followed by the normal back swing. The down swing is the same but you release the wrists (uncock them) before impact. The result is a steep cut thru the sand popping up the ball quickly and softly on the green.

Closed Stance

To place your feet in preparation for a draw shot, where the rear foot is moved back off of or inside the parallel target line.

Learn Distances On The Fly

When you are at the range learn how far you hit each golf club on the fly. If you are hitting a shot to a green with a water hazard in front of it you will need to know how far your ball will fly with each club without going into the drink.

Width of Stance

For a good solid base, make your stance approximately shoulder width.

Follow-Through on Golf Chipping

Be sure your follow-through is the same length as your back swing on your golf chipping.

Working the Second Shift

The down swing re-shifts weight from the back swing part of the swing. The weight transfer is from the rear foot to the front foot. The legs should shift at the target, then the down swing of the club is the natural release thru the ball. Learn to transfer the weight first, then the club for accurate, solid, long drives.

Swing The Golf Club

Swing the golf club like a full "cut pitch shot," matching the length of the back swing and the follow-through to the force needed for that shot.

Keep Knees Slightly Bent

Bend your knees slightly. Do not bend your knees too much, just a bit. Do not lock your knees straight or you will be unable to use your legs in the swing. Your legs are one of the three sources of power, so you want to be able to use them in the swing.

An Inside Tip on Golf Instruction

Keep your weight balanced on the inside and on the balls of your feet for better balance and weight shift.

Bunker and Golfing Drills

To develop a consistent entry point in the sand in correct relation to the ball position: Draw a straight line 10 feet long in the sand with the butt end of the club or rake handle. Straddle the line so it is slightly left of center in the stance. Make swings so you splash sand forward with the entry point starting on the line. Travel down the line repeating the drill until the entry point is consistent. Then add a ball some two to three inches ahead of the line and repeat.

Weight Distribution In The Stance

The weight distribution should be on both feet, front to back, left to right. Practice getting comfortable with your stance in your backyard. Good balance is very important towards developing a good swing.

Shoulder Under Chin

A good reference for a completed back swing is to feel your lead shoulder under your chin. Get used to it and you will have a perfect length back swing every time.

Golf Chipping Length

Keep your chip swing smooth and easy. Let your swing length give you the distance you need.

Golf Putting Pointer

If you are having trouble with your putting, but sure to check your golf setup. There are many factors that can cause inconsistent golf putting, but the problem that often occurs is ball placement. The golf ball should be directly under your eyes. If you stand too far away and your eyes are inside the line of the putt, you will probably push a lot of putts. Likewise, if you stand too close, you probably pull a lot of putts. Try dangling your putter from the bridge of your nose. If it points directly to the ball, you are in good shape.

The Pop Shot

If you need to hit over an object and land soft on the green, try the pop shot. Position the ball a little forward, slant the blade back to add more loft, and take a full swing, even though the landing area is only 10 feet or so away. The blade should hit an inch or so behind the ball with a wrist popping (snapping) motion, this makes the blade lead the hands, and the ball pops up quickly and lands softly with very little roll. You have probably seen Tiger Woods do this near the green many times and wondered how a full swing could result in a soft lob.

Texas Wedge

If your ball is on the fairway short of the green, you can use your putter from a good distance away. This will depend on the speed of the green and the height of the fairway. Practice this shot and you will learn your limits on when to use this shot. This is a good stroke saver if you are not chipping well that day.

Less Spin Equals More Distance

The next time you clean your golf clubs, skip the driver, let those grooves get a little clogged up. The less grooves there are, the less spin is induced on the ball and it will fly farther. Test it out for yourself.

Choosing the Right Club for Chipping

Most golfers should use a variety of golf clubs around the green. For a long shot covering a lot of green, you might use a middle iron. A mid-range chip could be 7, 8 or 9 iron. A short shot to a tight pin could be a wedge. Change loft, not the swing.

Iron Thoughts About Divots

For iron golf club shots, the golf ball is hit in the descending part of the swing. The golf club should hit the ball first, then the ground second. Any divot should be past the ball´s position on the ground. You will hit longer more solid shots with nice back spin to hold the greens better. So study your divots to see if you are hitting the irons properly.

Neutralize Overactive Wrists

If you cannot seem to consistently keep the club square at impact, try keeping the thumbs off the top of the golf club shaft, rather let them slant off to the opposite side. Example: The right thumb slants left, the left thumb slants right. This simple tip has cured many people.

Downswing - Free Golf Instructions

Keep your hands ahead of the golf club head, and keep the golf club face open on impact.

Plumb-Bobbing Golfing Technique

Plumb-bobbing is a golfing technique to read the break of a putt. Stand behind the ball about 10 feet. Hold the very end of the golf putter grip. Dangle the club so the shaft falls through the center of the cup and the ball. Your looking to see if you can identify any slant that may be in the green on your golf putt. This does not always work for all golfers.

Proper Golf Setup - 50-50

When addressing the golf ball, think 50-50. Balance your weight evenly on both feet.

Golf Putting Tip

When putting, concentrate on the ball´s number, logo, or one of the dimples. This will help your concentration and keep your head steady. Try it.

Stop That Slice!

Slicing the golf ball is one of the most common errors that average players make. The definition of a slice is a ball flight that curves from left-to-right for the right-handed golfer (opposite for lefties). To fix the slice you must change the position of the clubface at impact. Turn both your hands to the right on the grip (opposite for lefties)and be sure to hold the golf club in the crooks of your fingers. This will help square the clubface at impact resulting in longer and straighter shots.

Square Those Shoulders

If you squared your feet and neutralized your golf club grip and still sliced the ball, check to see if your shoulders are also aligned at the target. If not, square them to the hole.

Half Wedge Thoughts

To control your half wedge, limit your back swing to the 9 o´clock position, do not freeze your hand and arm motion (like many people will with these shots), and simply take your normal, but abbreviated, swing with natural cocking of your wrists.

Be a Square Golfer on Your Golf Setup

Square your stance and your shoulders at the target for the correct alignment and swing plane. Lay a club at the target, then butt your feet against it. Now, you are square. At this point make sure your shoulders are pointing at the target, also. Alternate method is to lay the club across your thighs. It should also point at the target.

Killer Golf Putting Tips

To make more putts, let the putts die into the hole on the last few revolutions. The ball has a better chance to fall into the cup, and less chance to fight against gravity over the hole when golf putting.

On The Fringe

When your golf ball is on the fringe, putt it if possible. Most golfers can hit a putt closer to the hole more consistently than a chip shot.

Get Down To Get Up

When in a sand trap, wiggle your feet into the sand a little. This gives you a feel of the hardness of the trap and gives you a good solid base.