Pre Shot Routine If You Slice.

If you slice as a common fault, it is essential that you set up correctly to hit your target.
Stand behind the ball, and hold your club up so that you can see two images of it. Have one image cross the target and the ball at the same time. This will give you a direct line to the target. Pick a spot in front of the ball and the line from ball to this spot is also on the line to the target. Forget about slicing. Tell yourself you will hit a straight shot to the target.
Make sure your clubface is aimed along the line to the target and is not in the slightest bit open or facing to the right of the target.
It is essential that your whole body is directed along the line to the target. This means your feet, knees, hips and shoulders. Watch your shoulders. They are often out of line. Get someone to check this for you. Or, place a club across your shoulders and see where it points.
Fill your mind with positive thoughts about the lovely straight shot you will hit. And hit it.

Short golf shots. A square or an open stance?

Most professionals set up for their pitch shots with an open stance. These are short shots from 100 yards in to the pin. An open stance is when the feet and hips are set up along a line just to the left of the hole.
The blade is directed directly towards the target. So, you will hit from in to out without even trying or being conscious that this is what is happening.
Such a set up prevents excess body movement which should be kept to a minimum with your weight on your left foot for the duration of the swing.
Also your take away will be steeper as will your down swing, resulting in a steeply descending blow which is what you want to hit a good pitch shot.

Golf Swing Series: Have a Little Pause at The Top Of Your Back Swing.

You are not hitting the ball well. There is no beautiful feeling when the club makes contact with the ball.
You are taking the club back slowly and still the result is not satisfactory.
When you get to the top, pause briefly, about half a second will do nicely.
This way you will complete your back swing before you start on the down swing. It is so easy to start your down swing before you are quite ready – before you have finished your back swing.
You will be amazed at how sweet the contact with the ball becomes.

Golf swing Series: When you start to hit bad golf shots.

Sometimes you will find that you just can not get a drive away. You pull the ball to the left in a hook and you do not hit the ball cleanly to achieve a beautiful straight ball that pleases the soul.
What do you do about it?
The first thing is to check your grip.
The next is to look at your take away.
Are you turning your shoulders, or are you turning our chest.
Which should it be?
You’ve got it. You turn your chest so that the chest and arms move as one.
Do this and the improvement will be immediate.

Bill Maitland
www.onlinegolfershandbook.com

Golf Swing Series: Improving Your Balance.

Balance plays a great part in the good golf swing and ball direction.

A good way to improve your balance and be all together at the end of your swing instead of swaying or toppling to one side is to play shots at practice, with your feet together.

This is also a good drill if you find that the top of your body moves during the back swing.
If you find that you want to stand on one leg to improve your balance, tighten your core muscles by contracting your abdominal muscles and anything else in the vicinity that will tighten.
You will find your balance improves and you will be less inclined to topple.
Do not do this during a golf swing of course.
Total relaxation is the rule here.

Golf Swing Series: The Short Game. Two Very Important Rules.

So many beginners move their legs and heels during the short golf shot, or chip.

Far too many moving parts.

Make sure you swing smoothly and do not move your lower limbs or heels.

However, you will find that the lower limbs and knees do move a bit, but they will move naturally with no input from yourself.

Keep the heels on the ground and do not move them.
This will lead to a nice firm shot.

If you are hitting those important short chips to the hole poorly, hitting behind the ball on many occasions, there are two reasons.

The first is lifting your head too early.

The second is that your line is incorrect.

Rather than taking the club straight back from the ball, take it slightly behind this direct line, or inside the line.

Improvement will be immediate.

Golf Swing Series: Improve Your Skill With The Short Golf Clubs

Your back swing is too long and you decelerate through the ball on your approach shots to the green.

To remedy this go to the practice fairway.

Set up for a pitch shot with the ball mid stance and your weight on your left foot (right handers) and your head ahead of the ball a bit.

Now take a very short back swing, say to 8-0-clock and hit the ball hard, while still maintaining balance and technique.

See how far it goes.

Now swing back to 9-0-clock and do the same.

Experiment this way and see how far the ball goes.

Then on the course, you will know how far to take the golf club back and be able to hit the ball hard and know how far it will travel.

Golf Swing Series: Why Your Approach Shots Lack Authoruty and Crispness

When you are anything from the green to 90 yards out, I expect you sometimes hit your chip approach shot fat, or hit the ground behind the ball resulting in a very disappointing result.

Also resulting in a great feeling of disappointment and disgust with yourself.

The problem is that you are not hitting the ball with crispness and authority.

You are decelerating as you come down to and through the ball.

This is because your back swing is too long and you then try to hit the ball softly to get it to go the required distance.

A much better method is to perform a minimal back swing and then hit the ball hard from the abbreviated back swing.