Do you know where your club is aimed when you strike the ball?
This is critically important information!
What I'm tellling you in this post is, your grip and your hands should be transmitting this information to you. Because at the moment of your club's impact with the ball, your club should be aimed directly at your target, and your grip should confirm this information to your brain.
Just like a ping pong paddle or a tennis racket, your golf club will start your shot off in the direction it is aimed and in the direction of your swing. The reason most golfers slice or fade the ball is twofold:
1- You are cutting across the ball, outside-to-inside
2- Your club is aimed to the right of your target. (When it's aimed LEFT of your target, you pull the ball.) (But your pro taught you to delay your wrist action, so it's almost never early.)
Here's what your pro is teaching you to make this worse, rather than solving the problem.
1- He doesn't tell you of the importance of the grip about giving you the information about how your club is aimed.
2- He tells you to delay your wrist action to gain power, but doesn't inform you of the increased chance of slicing if your hands are late.
3- He doesn't tell you HOW to cure the outside-to-inside swing path. He only tells you, "Swing inside-out."
4-He complicates his instruction with too much unnatural information. The golf swing can be as natural as using a paddle or a racket, or throwing a ball.
When you grip your club shaft, place your hands on the shaft so that they are on the same plane as the FRONT (LEADING) EDGE OF THE FACE OF YOUR CLUB. This means that your club face is facing the same direction as the palm of your back hand...your right hand, if you are right handed. Don't count knuckles, don't worry about the direction of the "V's".
Then practice timing your wrist action to have the clubface square at the moment of impact. (This is easier to do originally, if you swing flat like a baseball bat, then, gradually bend down (while still swinging) to the position of hitting a golf shot.)
This is so important that I don't want to make this blog too long. Next Week, how to cure the outside-to-inside swing path.
Remember my book has all this information, and more, and it costs about as much as a single golf ball. Go to Amazon.com, "How Short HItting, Bad Golfers Break 90 All the Time" is the name of the book. It's $9.99, Kindle, $2.99.
This book will dramattically reduce your scores, and it will change the way you look at your golf game forever.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
POWER GOLF
I'd bet that ten months out of twelve, Golf Magazine and Golf Digest feature Power Hitting and Long Driving articles on their covers.
If you're a big hitter, God bless you. But statistically, less than ten percent of all golfers ever hit a 300 yard drive in their lifetime. More importantly, unless you are trying to be a touring pro or scratch golfer, long driving is not necessary. Power golf is the most overrated feature of a golfer's game.
In my youth, my standard drive was 225 yards. I played a course that stretched to 7200 yards. I often played played from the longest tees, and usually played the next to longest (about 6800 yards). My scores were almost always between 78 and 82...six to ten over par, no matter which tees I played. Actually, I once scored 73 from the all-the-way-back tees.
"OK, Fred, enough about your glory days. How did you do it?"
I studied the game of golf and how to improve my scores without improving my swing or my distance. Here's what I learned.
1. Most golfers lose strokes by wasting them in woods, water, out of bounds, and other, just plain wasted strokes. So stay in the fairway, and don't risk wasting strokes by trying a shot you may not make. For example: If there is a pond you might not clear between you and the green, lay up short of the pond and hit an easy wedge or 9 iron over it. In other words, give up one stroke to avoid losing 2 or 3.
Don't try to cut the doglegs. Stay in the fairway. Cutting the dogleg can put you in the woods, water, or out of bounds. Stay in the fairway, that's the way the hole was designed to be played, and you won't waste strokes by not attempting the perfect shot.
2. The long game can hurt you, but the short game can kill you. Learn to pitch, chip, and putt. These are the easiest strokes to learn and improve, and they are the most important strokes as far as scoring are concerned. Even touring pros are not always on the green in regulation. They save par by chipping close and one-putting. We amateurs are on the greens in regulation much less often, but with good pitching and chipping, we can be close enough to the hole to one putt, or at worst, two putt. That way we can save a par or, at least keep our losses to a bogies.
3. We learn golf strategy by watching TV, watching the greatest golfers in the world, playing their best golf (on the weekends, when they are close to winning a million dollar tournament, and playing better than the other pros.) And then we go to the course and play as if their strategy should be our strategy! Remember, they DO hit 300 yard drives. They DO hit long, high 3 iron shots over water to greens 240 yards away. These are extremely talented men who hit 5,000 practice balls a week! How talented are you? How many thousand practice balls did you hit last week?
4. Play for bogey, not birdie. Another thing we learn from TV...Bogey is bad. No, it isn't! 18 bogies equal 90 strokes on most golf courses. And in most foursomes, 90 is a good score. 17 bogeys and one lucky par is scoring in the 80's! Bogey is a good score if you're having trouble breaking 100. In fact, unless you are a scratch golfer, your goal should be bogeys and pars. Remember when I said I scored 78 to 82? That's 6 to 10 bogeys and the rest pars. 82 is ten bogies and 8 pars. Would you be happy with that?
And here's how I did it. (1) I didn't waste strokes by playing shots I might miss. (2) I hit short, comfortable shots, staying in the fairway to near the green, and chipped and putted well.
5. Practice your chipping, pitching and putting at home. You can hit chips and pitches in your yard. You can putt on carpet anywhere in your house. The fact is, if you improve your pitching, chipping, and putting, you can play 80's golf with no club longer than a 5 iron. I once shot a 43 for 9 holes, with nothing longer than a 5 iron in my bag. A 5 iron, by the way, which I couldn't hit farther than 150 yards.
I'd bet that ten months out of twelve, Golf Magazine and Golf Digest feature Power Hitting and Long Driving articles on their covers.
If you're a big hitter, God bless you. But statistically, less than ten percent of all golfers ever hit a 300 yard drive in their lifetime. More importantly, unless you are trying to be a touring pro or scratch golfer, long driving is not necessary. Power golf is the most overrated feature of a golfer's game.
In my youth, my standard drive was 225 yards. I played a course that stretched to 7200 yards. I often played played from the longest tees, and usually played the next to longest (about 6800 yards). My scores were almost always between 78 and 82...six to ten over par, no matter which tees I played. Actually, I once scored 73 from the all-the-way-back tees.
"OK, Fred, enough about your glory days. How did you do it?"
I studied the game of golf and how to improve my scores without improving my swing or my distance. Here's what I learned.
1. Most golfers lose strokes by wasting them in woods, water, out of bounds, and other, just plain wasted strokes. So stay in the fairway, and don't risk wasting strokes by trying a shot you may not make. For example: If there is a pond you might not clear between you and the green, lay up short of the pond and hit an easy wedge or 9 iron over it. In other words, give up one stroke to avoid losing 2 or 3.
Don't try to cut the doglegs. Stay in the fairway. Cutting the dogleg can put you in the woods, water, or out of bounds. Stay in the fairway, that's the way the hole was designed to be played, and you won't waste strokes by not attempting the perfect shot.
2. The long game can hurt you, but the short game can kill you. Learn to pitch, chip, and putt. These are the easiest strokes to learn and improve, and they are the most important strokes as far as scoring are concerned. Even touring pros are not always on the green in regulation. They save par by chipping close and one-putting. We amateurs are on the greens in regulation much less often, but with good pitching and chipping, we can be close enough to the hole to one putt, or at worst, two putt. That way we can save a par or, at least keep our losses to a bogies.
3. We learn golf strategy by watching TV, watching the greatest golfers in the world, playing their best golf (on the weekends, when they are close to winning a million dollar tournament, and playing better than the other pros.) And then we go to the course and play as if their strategy should be our strategy! Remember, they DO hit 300 yard drives. They DO hit long, high 3 iron shots over water to greens 240 yards away. These are extremely talented men who hit 5,000 practice balls a week! How talented are you? How many thousand practice balls did you hit last week?
4. Play for bogey, not birdie. Another thing we learn from TV...Bogey is bad. No, it isn't! 18 bogies equal 90 strokes on most golf courses. And in most foursomes, 90 is a good score. 17 bogeys and one lucky par is scoring in the 80's! Bogey is a good score if you're having trouble breaking 100. In fact, unless you are a scratch golfer, your goal should be bogeys and pars. Remember when I said I scored 78 to 82? That's 6 to 10 bogeys and the rest pars. 82 is ten bogies and 8 pars. Would you be happy with that?
And here's how I did it. (1) I didn't waste strokes by playing shots I might miss. (2) I hit short, comfortable shots, staying in the fairway to near the green, and chipped and putted well.
5. Practice your chipping, pitching and putting at home. You can hit chips and pitches in your yard. You can putt on carpet anywhere in your house. The fact is, if you improve your pitching, chipping, and putting, you can play 80's golf with no club longer than a 5 iron. I once shot a 43 for 9 holes, with nothing longer than a 5 iron in my bag. A 5 iron, by the way, which I couldn't hit farther than 150 yards.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
OK, Since You Asked, Here Are the Basics of the Golf Swing
Use the same swing for all golf shots from the longest drive to the short putt.
1. Keep your head AND SPINE still. Throughout the swing, don't move them up, down, or sideways. They may turn, but they must occupy the same space throughout the swing.
2. Put your right elbow on your body as you address the ball, and keep it there until after you have hit the ball. But extend your left elbow out, away from your body.
3. Rotate your shoulders around your spine. The shoulders drive the golf swing.
4. Transfer your weight back on the backswing, and forward on the throughswing, except for putts and short chips, where the power added by the weight shift is not needed.
5. Cock your wrists back away from the ball, then time them to swing into the ball at the instant you are hitting the ball.
6. Be smooth at the transition from backswing to throughswing, and increase the speed of your swing from the transition at the top until AFTER you have hit the ball. This acceleration is the key to hitting the ball well. Don't start slowing your swing until after the ball is hit. The reason for the followthrough is to allow this acceleration into and through the ball.
7. This swing is powered by the right arm, wrist, and hand for the right handed player, just like throwing a ball sidearm.
These are the basic steps to hitting a golf ball.
There is a lot more information in my book, but I'm trying to keep this short and not bore you to death. The main thing I'm trying to impress on you is, that the golf swing is not technical or complicated, as most would have you believe.
DO NOT delay your wrist action as many teach. That will make your slice worse.
DO NOT power your swing by pulling with the front arm, throw the club at the ball the same way you would hit a forehand tennis shot, and with the same wrist action and timing.
You do not have to roll your wrists at impact. just use the same wrist action you would use to throw a ball.
This is not the swing that Tiger woods or Jack Nicklaus would use to be the greatest golfer in the world. But remember, to make their swings work they hit about 250,000 practice balls a year. About 15 million practice balls in a lifetime. Is that your goal?
This simple swing is not for pros. But if you want to enjoy the game, and if your goal is a single digit handicap, this swing will do it.
Remember, as I said before, there's more to golf than hitting the ball. You should learn to play better by using golf strategy. Scoring in the 70s includes using your brains, not just your muscles. And hitting the long ball is not necessary. (See the title of my book.)
Read my book, HOW SHORT HITTING, BAD GOLFERS BREAK 90 ALL THE TIME. In THAT, I expand on the swing, and I teach the strategies that will lower your golf scores and will change the way you look at your game for the rest of your life. It's on Amazon.com, and costs $9.99 for the book or $2.99 for the Kindle...about the cost one a single golf ball.
1. Keep your head AND SPINE still. Throughout the swing, don't move them up, down, or sideways. They may turn, but they must occupy the same space throughout the swing.
2. Put your right elbow on your body as you address the ball, and keep it there until after you have hit the ball. But extend your left elbow out, away from your body.
3. Rotate your shoulders around your spine. The shoulders drive the golf swing.
4. Transfer your weight back on the backswing, and forward on the throughswing, except for putts and short chips, where the power added by the weight shift is not needed.
5. Cock your wrists back away from the ball, then time them to swing into the ball at the instant you are hitting the ball.
6. Be smooth at the transition from backswing to throughswing, and increase the speed of your swing from the transition at the top until AFTER you have hit the ball. This acceleration is the key to hitting the ball well. Don't start slowing your swing until after the ball is hit. The reason for the followthrough is to allow this acceleration into and through the ball.
7. This swing is powered by the right arm, wrist, and hand for the right handed player, just like throwing a ball sidearm.
These are the basic steps to hitting a golf ball.
There is a lot more information in my book, but I'm trying to keep this short and not bore you to death. The main thing I'm trying to impress on you is, that the golf swing is not technical or complicated, as most would have you believe.
DO NOT delay your wrist action as many teach. That will make your slice worse.
DO NOT power your swing by pulling with the front arm, throw the club at the ball the same way you would hit a forehand tennis shot, and with the same wrist action and timing.
You do not have to roll your wrists at impact. just use the same wrist action you would use to throw a ball.
This is not the swing that Tiger woods or Jack Nicklaus would use to be the greatest golfer in the world. But remember, to make their swings work they hit about 250,000 practice balls a year. About 15 million practice balls in a lifetime. Is that your goal?
This simple swing is not for pros. But if you want to enjoy the game, and if your goal is a single digit handicap, this swing will do it.
Remember, as I said before, there's more to golf than hitting the ball. You should learn to play better by using golf strategy. Scoring in the 70s includes using your brains, not just your muscles. And hitting the long ball is not necessary. (See the title of my book.)
Read my book, HOW SHORT HITTING, BAD GOLFERS BREAK 90 ALL THE TIME. In THAT, I expand on the swing, and I teach the strategies that will lower your golf scores and will change the way you look at your game for the rest of your life. It's on Amazon.com, and costs $9.99 for the book or $2.99 for the Kindle...about the cost one a single golf ball.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
How To Improve Your Golf Game
Hi, my name is Fred Fields. I'm the author of How Short Hitting, Bad Golfers Break 90 All the Time. It is the basic handbook for beginning golfers and high handicappers.
The book was written as a response to one statement. "Most golfers have no idea how to play the game." You go to a golf pro. He charges you $25 or $35 or more for 30 or 45 minutes of his time, and you expect that he will show you how to hit the ball like Tiger Woods.
And he probably will honestly try to do that. And 100% of the time he will fail. Know why? Because even Tiger doesn't hit the ball like Tiger. He has had 3 different pros teach him 4 different swings in the past dozen years. And, by the way, Tiger hits about 5,000 practice balls a week. Are you prepared to do that?
Let me give you a tip. Playing golf is more than hitting the ball. To be a decent golfer, you must know the strategies to reduce your scores no matter how well or badly you hit the ball... and bad hitters can score well if they know how to play the game.
I'm not saying "Don't go to your pro". Quite the contrary, you must have some idea of how to hit the ball. What I am saying is, "Learn the strategies to improve your scores. Learn what shots you should master first. Learn how to keep out of trouble and eliminate wasted strokes from your score." If you study THE GAME, and not just how to hit the ball, you can be a reasonably good golfer in a reasonably short time.
Here are some questions you should get answered to start.
1- Is it important that I be a "long ball" hitter, or can I play well hitting the ball short?
ANSWER: Smart question. Almost every golf magazine you see will feature on its cover some article about hitting the long ball. If you expect to be a professional golfer, hitting the ball a long way is good. If your goal is to reach a single digit handicap, it's not important. I had a 6 handicap, on a course 7200 yards long, and my standard drive was 225 yards...short even among women pros.
2-What are the important things to learn? What strategies will help lower my scores?
SEVERAL ANSWERS:
(A) Stay out of trouble. Keep your ball in play. Don't waste strokes by hitting into the woods, water, or out of bounds. (Pretty obvious, you say, but you'd be surprised at the players who aim their shots at trouble; most of the time, without even knowing it.)
(B) Don't play for birdies. Play for bogeys. Birdies are the goal for pros and really good amateurs. If, instead, you try to bogey each hole, it makes the game a lot easier, and 18 bogeys is a score of 90...respectable in about 95% of all golf foursomes.
(C) Most professional golfers are on the green in regulation on about 14 of 18 holes. Most amateur golfers are lucky to be on the green in regulation 2 times in 18 holes. Just try to be near the green in regulation then, learn to get on the green in one over regulation, learn to 2-putt, and walk off the green with your easy bogey.
(D) The long shots don't kill you, if you can play the short shots well. Remember this. A 1 inch putt is one stroke, the same as a 300 yard drive. The 3 rules for scoring well at golf...
1- Keep the ball in play
2 & 3-Chip and putt like a genius.
That's enough for my first blog. I'll post every week or two. Keep in touch.
And look for my book, How Short Hitting, Bad Golfers Break 90 All the Time. It's available on Amazon.com...Book $9.99, Kindle $2.99.
I'm also offering FREE, Cure Your Slice in 10 Minutes...Forever. It's a one page pamphlet which I'll email to you if you send a request to me, fred@weekendgolfpro.com. FREE!!!
The book was written as a response to one statement. "Most golfers have no idea how to play the game." You go to a golf pro. He charges you $25 or $35 or more for 30 or 45 minutes of his time, and you expect that he will show you how to hit the ball like Tiger Woods.
And he probably will honestly try to do that. And 100% of the time he will fail. Know why? Because even Tiger doesn't hit the ball like Tiger. He has had 3 different pros teach him 4 different swings in the past dozen years. And, by the way, Tiger hits about 5,000 practice balls a week. Are you prepared to do that?
Let me give you a tip. Playing golf is more than hitting the ball. To be a decent golfer, you must know the strategies to reduce your scores no matter how well or badly you hit the ball... and bad hitters can score well if they know how to play the game.
I'm not saying "Don't go to your pro". Quite the contrary, you must have some idea of how to hit the ball. What I am saying is, "Learn the strategies to improve your scores. Learn what shots you should master first. Learn how to keep out of trouble and eliminate wasted strokes from your score." If you study THE GAME, and not just how to hit the ball, you can be a reasonably good golfer in a reasonably short time.
Here are some questions you should get answered to start.
1- Is it important that I be a "long ball" hitter, or can I play well hitting the ball short?
ANSWER: Smart question. Almost every golf magazine you see will feature on its cover some article about hitting the long ball. If you expect to be a professional golfer, hitting the ball a long way is good. If your goal is to reach a single digit handicap, it's not important. I had a 6 handicap, on a course 7200 yards long, and my standard drive was 225 yards...short even among women pros.
2-What are the important things to learn? What strategies will help lower my scores?
SEVERAL ANSWERS:
(A) Stay out of trouble. Keep your ball in play. Don't waste strokes by hitting into the woods, water, or out of bounds. (Pretty obvious, you say, but you'd be surprised at the players who aim their shots at trouble; most of the time, without even knowing it.)
(B) Don't play for birdies. Play for bogeys. Birdies are the goal for pros and really good amateurs. If, instead, you try to bogey each hole, it makes the game a lot easier, and 18 bogeys is a score of 90...respectable in about 95% of all golf foursomes.
(C) Most professional golfers are on the green in regulation on about 14 of 18 holes. Most amateur golfers are lucky to be on the green in regulation 2 times in 18 holes. Just try to be near the green in regulation then, learn to get on the green in one over regulation, learn to 2-putt, and walk off the green with your easy bogey.
(D) The long shots don't kill you, if you can play the short shots well. Remember this. A 1 inch putt is one stroke, the same as a 300 yard drive. The 3 rules for scoring well at golf...
1- Keep the ball in play
2 & 3-Chip and putt like a genius.
That's enough for my first blog. I'll post every week or two. Keep in touch.
And look for my book, How Short Hitting, Bad Golfers Break 90 All the Time. It's available on Amazon.com...Book $9.99, Kindle $2.99.
I'm also offering FREE, Cure Your Slice in 10 Minutes...Forever. It's a one page pamphlet which I'll email to you if you send a request to me, fred@weekendgolfpro.com. FREE!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)