Golf Swing Series: How To Get Off The First Tee.

Go to the practice fairway and hit some shots and end with

your driver.

Usually, this is great fun and you are well pleased with

the way you hit your driver.

Then have a few puts and head for the first tee.

Now, the nerves start.

You are about to hit your first shot and you wonder why you

feel as you do.

When you hit off the second tee, you have far fewer nerves

and anxiety is almost nonexistent. Right?

Well, your first shot sets the tone of the day. If you hit a

good tee shot, you will probably have a good day. A bad tee

shot bodes ill for the rest of your round and you may be in

for a bad one.

For your first tee shot, be even more conscious of your pre

shot routine.

Stand behind our ball and take some deep breaths.

Go through your pre shot routine by seeing your swing,

seeing where the ball must land and see the line of flight.

All in your minds eye.

Then forget all this, step up to your ball and take your

stance.

Relax right down into your bladder.

Think of one thing during your back swing, and I suggest it

is turning your chest and not your arms.

Then on the down swing, keeping your head behind the ball

and watching the ball.

If you try to see the tee after the

ball has gone, you will certainly watch the ball.

Make sure your swing is slow and controlled. Just hit the

ball and have faith.

Grooved Golf Swing Series: How To Get Back To Golf After A Lay Off

If you have been away from golf for some time, you should

have a plan of attack to get yourself back into playing as

you did before your lay off.

If you go to the practice fairway and hit a heap of balls,

you will certainly benefit. However, you will go through

the usual routine of going from pitching wedge to driver. A

plan, yes but perhaps not the best one.

Wouldn’t it be better and more enjoyable to go out onto the

course and have a good time. No sheep stations, and just

relax and enjoy? You bet it would!

However, to make this time productive and help you get

back, take notice of all your bad shots and weaknesses.

Have a couple of rounds like this and THEN go to the

practice fairway.

Here you start working on your weaknesses as found during

your rounds.

If you duffed your chips then start with your pitching

wedge. Hit long shots, short shots, hit over bunkers, hit

high shots that stop quickly etc. and become skilled with

this important scoring club again.

Then go to your next weakness and so on.

This means you have a pretty effective plan. When faced

with similar situations on the course, you will be filled

with confidence. You will be able to fill your mind with

the good shots you hit at practice.

Grooved Golf Swing Series: What Does It Really Mean To Play The Percentages?

Always have the percentages at the front of your mind. Look at the

situation if front of you and ask yourself what are the percentages

and how can I make the best out of this situation.

If you have a narrow fairway in front of you with trouble on each

side, use an iron for accuracy. You will be surprised how far you

can hit an iron when compared with the drivers of your playing

partners if they do manage to hit the fairway. You will only be

about 50 metres behind. Not far at all and easy to make up.

If there is a situation where everyone goes to the left or right

into the trees, take an iron. First for accuracy and second because

if you do hit in the direction of trouble, the ball will not reach

the trees or what ever and you will have a well placed ball for

your next shot. Make sure you use an iron that will not reach the

trees. Think about this one.

If you are in the trees, hit out sideways, or have a look at a shot

towards the green. If you decide that at worst, if you do go for

some distance, your ball will finish up on the fairway and be no

worse off than if you had hit out sideways, go for it.

Then, on a green that slopes steeply towards the hole, make sure of

two puts. If your first goes in, then good. However, concentrate

almost totally on getting your ball to stop near the hole.

Otherwise, you will surely three put.

Grooved Golf Seing Series: How To Hit Your Target If You Have a Slice Or Hook.

The hardest shot in golf is the shot that is hit

very straight. Professionals and top golfers

don’t even try to hit a straight shot. They

either draw or fade the ball into the target.

If you have a huge slice of hook, then play for

it. Don’t try to hit the ball straight every time

you hit it, hoping that this time it will go

straight.

No, if it is a slice, aim at the left side of the

fairway (right handers) and allow the ball to

come back towards the target. The same for a

hook, aim to the right.

If you are a good golfer, you will still have a

natural draw or fade. Cherish this and play for

it. This will result in far greater accuracy for

you and your enjoyment of the game will be

enhanced too.

Grooved Golf Swing Series: What It Means To Visualize Your Golf Shot.

What is meant by visualization before a golf shot?

Is it just seeing the ball fly in a beautiful trajectory towards your target or is it more than this?

For years I had no idea what was meant by visualization of a golf shot. I thought it was an over rated pastime because it made no difference to the outcome of any of my golf shots.

Then I changed my golf swing, and incorporated a number of new aspects to it.

This meant that every time I hit my ball, I had to get things right.

Because some things were new, it happened that often I left something out.

So, I tried standing behind my ball and going through the complete check list before stepping up and hitting my ball.

The difference was staggering.

The trouble was that it took too long and then trying to hurry made me a bit tense. Not a good thing to happen.

So, for you to overcome this, go through the check list at odd moments away from the course.

What is the check list? Well, it is the stance, take away, position at the top of your swing, keeping your head behind the ball at all times and keeping your moving parts to a minimum. Hitting down on the ball and seeing its flight.

Push both feet out during your swing and you will stabilize your lower body. Your weight transfer will take care of itself.

If you do this enough, you will be able to stand behind your ball and the visualization will be a series of fleeting pictures in the correct sequence which will take only a few seconds.

Your subconscious mind will do the rest and you will improve your game immensely.

Grooved Golf Swing Series: How To Play Well After A Bad Shot.

If you hit a bad shot, or hit into trouble, the worst thing you can

do is to reprimand or chastise yourself.

How many times have you heard a player in your group call himself

stupid, idiot, fool, when he has duffed a shot or hit into the

trees? So many time that you have lost count.

To talk to yourself like this is to tell your subconscious mind

that you are indeed a fool etc.

You will become negative in your thinking and in your play.

No, you must continue to tell yourself that you are a great golfer,

and that you have made a mistake. Then, think of a remedy and what

you have to do to overcome the mistake.

Blank the mistake out of your mind as soon as possible and get on

with the next shot.

Never become angry and throw clubs into your bag. It reflects on

your game. Also, people will not want to play with you if you do

this too often.

Grooved Golf Swing Series:Adopt Proper Strategy And Play within your capabilities

When confronted with a golf shot, always have the percentages in

mind. Always play in a way that you can be sure of the outcome.

Have a look at the shot in front of you. Think about the shot you

would like to play, and then think about the shot that is well

within your capabilities. If the shot you would like to play is hit

or miss and would take some luck to pull it off, it is the wrong

shot. You could pull it off once out of five or ten but too often

you would fail.

Always stick with the shots that are well within your capabilities,

and you will score better and better.

Grooved Golf Swing Series: Why Are You Missing So Many Short Puts?

If you start to miss a number of short puts, have a look at your

back swing. It is probably too long. If you hit the ball from an

exaggerated back swing, with the normal putter head speed you use

for all puts, you will be away past the hole. So, when you take

your putter head back, you are aware of this. What do you do? You

allow for the longer back swing by slowing your putter head as you

get to the ball. Instead of accelerating through it, you are doing

just the opposite. I know you don’t mean to but it happens just the

same.

If you have a tendency to do this, work out how far back you should

go and then put something there to stop your club at the right

place. Then, if you finish with a long follow through, you will

accelerate through your ball and you will be on line too.

Start placing the object say four inches behind your putter head

and see what happens. Don’t forget the big follow through. By

starting here, you will be able to feel the speed of the putter

head as you hit those puts. Move your stop a little further back

and hit some puts. Then, using this method, hit some slightly

longer puts until you move up to twelve feet. Then you can get the

feel for longer puts (more than twelve feet) to get the ball next

to the hole.

Grooved Gof Swiong Series: Before a Game What Is The Best Way To Practice Putting?

Before your game of golf, practice the puts that you should expect

to sink during your round. Practice two foot puts and when you sink

several of these, (actually, I hope you don’t miss any), go to

three feet. Continue moving away from the hole until you reach

about twelve feet. I have found that practising long puts is not

very productive before a round. The greens are probably different

from the putting practice green surface, and hitting too many long

puts could program you incorrectly. The shorter puts are not

affected in this way to any marked degree.

You can practice these long puts more when you are having a

practice session on the green. Try to get your ball to within three

feet of the hole. Also try to get your ball past the hole still

within the three feet area. Shorter if you can.

Grooved Golf Swing Series: Can't sink your puts today? Here Is A Drill For You

If you keep missing the hole when you put, no matter what you do,

it is time for a drill to get this out of your head.

Place a tee in the ground and try to hit this with the ball when

you put.

Start from a couple of feet and then gradually move back until you

reach about twelve feet.

This is the length of put that you should expect to sink on your

games of golf.

You will find that you are no longer thinking of ‘golf hole’. You

will find that your mind will go back to the right attitude for

putting.

When you start putting to the golf hole again, the hole will look

much bigger and it will be much easier.

This is a good drill to use even if you are not having major

problems. It hones your putting skills greatly.