Golf Instruction

Although it may be hard to believe, many casual golfers struggle for years without seeing much improvement in their games. Often, this is not due to lack of playing time but instead due to the fact that they won’t seek out golf swing instruction, which may be the number one way to dramatically improve your game.

A golf swing is not just about power, which is a fact that many people who have played other sports have a hard time adjusting to. If you take some golf swing instruction, you will soon learn that technique, not power, is the most important part of the swing, and it’s a pretty safe bet that your technique needs work. Perhaps you are standing up during your swing, or unconsciously twisting incorrectly. Once you’ve identified these issues, you can improve them.

My latest read was The Golf Book by Steve Newell, which sells new for about $40, but which you can purchase used for less than $5. However, that discount is not indicative of what awaits you inside The Golf Book. Newell begins with a riveting history of the game itself, and then he smoothly transitions into the history and details of the game’s most prestigious tournaments.

That serves as a launching point for discussing the various famous courses around the world and considering the key events played out on them. I think what I love most about the book is the diversity of the material. I consider myself quite knowledgeable about the game’s history, but there were many interesting stories here that I had never heard of. All golf fans should add this book to their queue.

Full Golf Swing for Kids is one in a series of videos by PGA member Jay Golden geared toward teaching the full golf swing to young golfers. The aspect that distinguishes this program from other kid-oriented golf programs is that it targets the parents rather than the kids themselves. Many of us simply can’t afford to send our kids to private golf lessons.

What we do have is our own golf skills. All we need is the tools necessary to impart that knowledge to our children. The aspect that deals with helping children to like golf is particularly helpful. Golden stresses that in the beginning it’s more important than anything else to make sure that the child is comfortable. Forcing proper but uncomfortable technique has a far more negative effect than a positive one.

One of the most frustrating things in sports is a golf swing that just won’t work the right way. Hitting the ball to the right can push your scores through the roof and it can become expensive with tons of lost balls. With that in mind, what are some golf tips for a slice. In terms of golf tips, slice instruction is at the top of the list for many players. It all starts with your swing plane.

Most players who slice the ball do so because they come down over the ball at the wrong angle. If you want to effectively end your slice, you need to swing through the ball a little bit more. Additionally, it can help to switch to a weaker grip with your top hand sliding lower on the club.

I’ve found that golf helps me relax, and I’ve been using it to help deal with the stress I build up each day on the job. I’ve been playing since I was young, but I never really realized how therapeutic it could be until recently. I suppose it makes sense that spending some time outdoors in the fresh air might be a good way to gain some perspective on a busy day.

I have some colleagues with even more stressful jobs, and I’ve been telling them how much golf helps me deal with the daily grind. I think they might decide to try it themselves, and it would probably do them some good.

According to the equation mass x acceleration = power, the faster your golf swing speed (acceleration), the farther you will be capable of hitting the ball. The basic formula you learned in high school physics, has real world application with the golf swing.

Everything else being equal, if you can add a few miles per hour to your swing, you will find yourself driving the ball longer than ever. A word of caution about trying to swing as hard as possible. What you gain in speed may be lost in control. It will do no good if you suddenly increase your speed by 10mph if you can no longer hit the ball squarely. All you will do is produce longer, errant shots. So, practice a controlled swing by adding a few weights to your club or swinging two clubs and you will increase your golf swing speed.

The video golf lesson provides the modern golfer with a powerful tool. Download it, and then upload it to your mobile device. Now you can take that video golf lesson with you to the range or out on the course. We’re visual creatures, and there is a tremendous amount of value in seeing an instructor put his or her instruction into action for us to emulate.

Nevertheless, there is a lot of trash out there simply for marketing purposes. So don’t assume that because a video golf lesson is online that is must be viable. In many cases, it won’t be. Stick to videos by pros you recognize, or at least ones that you can confirm. Avoid lessons that are too negative, and avoid the ones that entail adjusting another novice golfer’s poor habits. I’m not sure why those have become so prevalent.

The Little Book of Golf Tips by Eddie Lester is now available as a free Internet resource called The Little “Online” Book of Golf Tips. This is a sensible read, and Lester gears many of the tips toward the mental game, which is where most novice players struggle. However, there’s enough insight here for even the intermediate players to learn something valuable. The book even digs down into philosophies about playing the game. This is a danger area for golf resources because many of them end up coming across as self-help rhetoric, but Lester always manages to maintain a steady keel throughout. We especially like how he encourages people to print The Little “Online” Book of Golf Tips and pass it around to their friends. The only thing he asks is that people do not recreate the guide online without his permission.

I buy many golf books, and I usually ravage a used bookshop or two each month. My latest and greatest purchase is a golf course book, one that doesn’t have any words in it at all other than a label or two on each spread. This golf course book is a coffee table book that highlights some famous and even not-so-famous Australian golf courses at different times of the year. In that box of books, of which I paid $5 for 30 or so books, I got a bunch of mostly useless how-to guides from the ’60s, and some golf magazines from the ’70s. It’s interesting to compare how different they are to those available today. Anyway, next time you find yourself with nothing to do, hit up a used bookshop. You might find your own gem like Great Golf Down Under.

Often times, you will come up a little short of the green, maybe 20 or 30 yards. You’re a little too far off the green to putt and a little too close to take a full swing. The answer is to become a proficient chipper.

Chipping involves launching the ball a few feet off the ground, allowing it to land on the green and roll toward the hole. The more you master this skill, the greater your chances of lowering your score. To chip, you should probably use a 7 or 8 iron which has sufficient loft to get the ball in the air, but will not make the ball fly too high like a sand iron or 56 degree wedge. Keep the ball about in the middle of your stance, swing back about halfway and follow through smoothly.