Limit your movement

Like with any other type of physical motion, a golf swing is easier to repeat if it requires less movement. The best golf swings are often the simplest ones. This means that if you want to really improve golf swing mechanics and help your game, you will have to eliminate any part of the swing that’s not helping your ball striking. For instance, some players get entirely too much movement from their head during the golf swing. Other players might need to work on their hips to improve their golf swing. If you take the time to really study your swing, you will see that there are certain movements in your routine which are taking away from both your power and consistency.

Balance

Staying balanced is a key if you want to improve golf swing mechanics. Out on the course, it is sometimes difficult to think about balance and all of the other things that go into making a successful swing. When you are in a hurry, you can find yourself rushing through your pre-shot routine and falling off of all of your shots. In order to improve your balance, you need to start at the beginning. Make sure that your stance leaves your feet just wider than shoulder-width so that you’ll have a good base to work with. From there, staying balanced throughout the swing will give you the best chance to improve golf swing mechanics.

Shoulder turn

Have you ever watched Tiger Woods or any other the other top professionals and wondered how they hit the ball so far? After all, it doesn’t even look like they are extending that much effort. The secret to their success is the fact that they have excellent shoulder rotation. One of the biggest problems for amateur golfers is that they want to swing more with their arms than with their shoulders. In order to improve golf swing mechanics, you will need to realize that your power comes not from the arms, but from your legs and from excellent shoulder rotation.

o Make sure you are gripping the golf club correctly – this is an area that lets many golfers down, hold your club too hard and you will not be able to control it properly, hold it too loosely and the same applies.

o Concentrate – loss of concentration as you swing the club will lead to missed shots and increase your frustration.

o Maintain your balance – swinging too far back or forward will move your centre of gravity and lead to you losing your balance which will make you either miss the shot totally or tee off in the wrong direction.

o Use the right club – using a club that is too heavy or light can make you lose your balance and ruin your chances of driving well.

o Check your posture – posture is so important in golf and it is crucial that you ensure that you are relaxed yet sturdy and are not curving your back, keep your back straight and knees bent and you will be in the perfect position to play at your best.

If you follow these few golf driving tips you will be sure to improve your game in no time and lower your handicap in the process. Remember as with any sport, if you want to succeed in golf practise is the key so get out on that course and start to try these tips today and you will not be disappointed.

Joe Marquart is an Underground Golf Expert and publishes the highly sought after Golf Guru Report Newsletter. For free tips on driving farther, hitting straight, and slashing your handicap fast, delivered to your inbox, see [http://golfgurureport.com]

A Slice is a specific left-to-right trajectory shape for a golf ball created by a significant tilt of the spin-axis of the golf ball to the right, or a clockwise spin. This is opposite for lefties. A slice usually ends up right of the target line, and the term is often used when the curve in the trajectory is extreme and unintentional. The less extreme version of a slice is called a “fade”.

In understanding the basics of the golf swing, in order to hit the ball squarely and straight every time, you must return to the original spot at impact. A slice is caused by the club face being slightly open at the point of impact, thus causing the ball to spin in a clockwise motion, (opposite for lefties). In most cases the swing path is correct, but the golf ball is not being hit squarely at the point of impact, commonly caused by what is known as a “weak grip”.

A second factor that causes a golf slice may be swing speed and shaft stiffness. If you use a stiff shaft driver try a regular flex or mid flex shaft and that may correct your problem.

The simplest fix for a slice is in the grip. By having a “weak grip”, a grip that is turned more counter-clockwise, (opposite for lefties), can cause the club face to open at the time of impact.

You should start by turning your grip slightly to the right, (left for lefties), thus giving you a “stronger grip”, not holding the club more tightly. Remember the basics and only hold the club tight enough to keep control. You should not have any tension on your wrist and forearms.

You may want to try increasing your swing speed by pulling the club farther back before swinging to fix your golf slice. When you increase your swing speed you can gain yardage and will hit the fairways more often.

Stroking the ball is only one part of putting. To putt effectively, you first need to know how to read a green. That means looking at the trajectory your ball will travel and compensate for any dips, hills, or anything else that could cause your ball to move a specific way.

Good green reading comes with experience. After hitting enough putts over enough different types of terrain and grass, you develop a sixth sense of how the ball will roll. As you walk onto a green, whether you realize it or not, you take in all sorts of subtle information.

If the green appears light, you know you’re putting against the grain; if it’s dark you’re down grain. If the green is set on a high area of the course and you feel a breeze as you step onto it, you sense that the putt will be fast. Even if you don’t look closely at the surrounding terrain, you are aware of any major slope in the land.

Without having to tell yourself, you know which the low side of the green is and which the high is. If the putting surface is hard and crusty under foot, you receive one message; if it’s soft and spongy you get another. Experience with many, many putts allows you to run this data through your computer before you even mark your ball.

The most elusive aspect of green reading has to do with the grain. Grain refers to the direction in which the blades of grass grow. The light/dark appearance is one way to read it.

Another method you can use is to take your putter blade and scrape it across a patch of fringe. If the blades of grass brush up, you’re scraping against the grain. If they mat down, you’re scraping with it. (Incidentally, be sure to do this scraping on the fringe. On the greens, it’s against Rule 35-1f.)

A third method is to take a look at the cup. Often, the blades of grass will grow over the edge of the cup in the direction in which the grain moves. Incidentally, grain usually grows toward water, especially toward the ocean, and in the East it’s apt to lean toward the mountains. If you’re not near any such topography, figure on the grain growing in the direction of the setting sun.

There are two parts to a successful short game: the plan and the execution. The plan is simply defining your shot before you play it. You should determine where you plan to land the ball and how far it will roll. The plan should include landing the ball on the green whenever possible and playing the best percentage shot. The best percentage shot is usually the one that is simplest to execute.

Since you are hitting the ball a shorter distance than with a full swing, you should choke up on the club, narrow your stance, and stand closer to the ball. Picture the shot you’re about to play and make a practice swing to approximate the swing you’ll need. The club should be swung with arms and shoulders, with some wrist break. The key to shots around the green is to “keep the arms moving”.

As with other golf shots, picking the right club is essential to an effective chip. First of all, chip shots are essentially those played from right off the green. Most are otherwise known as “bump and runs.” Don’t confuse them with pitches, which are lofted shots with a sand-wedge.

Many of us have been taught over the years to get the ball on the green as soon as possible and let it roll to the hole. There is nothing wrong with this. This is fine.

The issue of concern, however, is when golfers go about playing different length of chips with an assortment of clubs. They hit a 9-iron if the flag is 20 feet away, 8-iron thirty feet, 7-iron forty feet, etc. You should really just choose ONE club to hit all of your “bump and runs” with, and adjust for the distance with the force of your swing.

It can be a 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, wedge, or sand wedge. It doesn’t matter that much. A great player, Phil Mickelson, likes to use his sand wedge in just about every case. He will play it far back in his stance, with his hands way ahead to bump it. On the other hand, Corey Pavin often uses a 5-iron around the green. He just “taps” it and the ball goes scurrying across the green with a lot of topspin.

These are extremes, however. You should pick a 7, 8, or 9-iron. I, personally, like to use a 9-iron for chipping. I know how the ball is going to come off of the club because that’s the one I practice with all the time. I have tried using a 7-iron on longer chips, but the ball seems to explode off the club face because I am not sure the proper force that I need to use.

The art of chipping is hard enough without having to master four or five clubs. Practice with a couple at first. You should hit short “bump and runs” from the fringe and then longer “bump and runs” from in front of the green.

The lie of the ball in a fairway shot will dictate how you hit your next shot. In some friendly games, your opponents may allow you to put the ball up on some grass. This will emulate, in a way, a tee since you cannot use a tee with a fairway shot.

In tournaments or serious money games, you will probably have to play the ball as it lies, so it’s a good idea to know how to hit an effective fairway shot. Many inexperienced golfers are intimidated by the fairway shot. They will often baby their swing and not hit the ball fully. This is a huge mistake.

Golf clubs are designed to work with a full golf swing and do a specific job, so choose a club that matches your distance from the hole and then take a full swing. Don’t be afraid that you’ll overshoot the hole. If you’ve picked the right club, you’ll get to the green.

Aim your left shoulder (the right one if you’re a southpaw) at your target – the flag. Your hands should be in front of the ball at impact. Keep the same swing motions as if you are driving the ball. To help square your clubface, try to touch your left forearm with your right forearm at impact.

If you are in deep grass, the main idea is to get the ball up in the air. That means you will want a club that has a lot of loft. That means an 8 or 9 iron ideally. However, remember that you will most likely not get a lot of distance with these smaller clubs.

When you swing, be sure and follow through after impact. The laws of physics dictate that when you strike the ball, it will be carried through and into the air as your arms bring the club back up.

Your technique on deep grass shots should be geared toward minimizing the intervention of the grass. In other words, you want to hit the ball as cleanly as possible. To do that, you need to move the ball back in your stance.

If, for instance, on a 5-iron shot from the fairway you position the ball off your left heel, move it back to a spot an inch to the right of your heel for a shot from the rough. This ball position should leave your hands slightly ahead of the clubface at address.

From that setup you’ll tend to swing the club up a bit more vertically on the backswing and return it a bit more steeply to the ball. With this steeper attack the clubface will come down on the ball rather than brush through the grass.

For really deep grass, again, the idea is to minimize the presence of the grass and how it will affect your shot. Once again, play the ball back in your stance, but this time, play it two inches back instead of one, because you’re going to have to go down after the ball.

First and foremost, you need to be relaxed when you begin addressing the ball. You must be loose before pulling back the club. Do not tighten up over the golf ball. It is important to waggle the club back and forth a few times in order to create some flow to start the golf swing. This action will promote proper rhythm and tempo.

Teeing the ball higher will aid in hitting the ball farther. By teeing the ball higher, it will help achieve better launch angle and reduce backspin at impact. This will allow the ball to be hit on the up-swing – producing more carry and distance.

One of the most valuable pieces of advice this recreational golfer ever received was to look at the back of the ball. It’s easy to take your gaze off of that little white orb, but if you are not looking at the ball before you hit it, you will be more likely to miss it.

You will want to have a wider stance in order to gain more stability in your back swing. Approximately sixty percent of your body weight on the left side to gain a more powerful coil. If you’re right handed, point your left toe more inline to the target. You’ll need to swing harder and put more of your right hand into hitting the ball, and take advantage of all of the elements – especially the wind, if there is any.

When you’re at the top of your back swing, be sure to turn your shoulders a full 90 degrees. Your back should actually be facing the target. Look at John Daly when he drives the golf ball. He has a massive shoulder turn. Many players ask him all the time how he does it. He says it’s due to having a sound technique and a wide swing arc. He always has a rhythm to his golf swing and is never out of sync on his swing.