Golf Instruction

A good golf tip is one that anyone can use to improve their swing and their scoring. The phrase ?keep your head down? is one that is common when learning golf, but few people understand why it is important to keep your head down.

In your golf swing, your head acts as an anchor. Your body will go wherever your head does. If you pick your head up during your swing, then your upper body goes with it and you will swing over top of the ball. Keeping your head down helps you maintain the proper stance for your swing and make solid contact. That is why keeping your head down is a good golf tip.

There is a common misconception that in order to hit a golf ball well, a golfer must not move his head. This is not entirely correct and should be amended to say that it is important not to move the head up or down very much during the golf swing. Movement of the head up or down causes fat and thin shots and inconsistent contact. One golf swing tip in order to keep the head level focuses on the right knee and its role in keeping the head from bobbing up and down. The straightening of the right knee is what ultimately causes the head to move up and down in the swing. In order to maintain the flex in the right knee and prevent it from straightening, one easy golf swing tip is to place the weight that is on the right leg more to the inside of the right foot. When the body weight is distributed in this way, it is almost impossible to lose the flex of the right knee.

Most golfers would agree that golf helps one to relax and clear their head. Being out on a beautiful golf course on a nice day is often very refreshing and pleasant, whether your game is good or not. Many players believe that there is certain “Zen” aspect to golf, and some courses are even designed with “Feng Shui” in mind. This is particularly true of the way golf is viewed and played in Japan, where the sport is extremely popular. Golf helps many people to escape their day to day troubles and distractions, and to replace them with a peaceful state of mind with a deep focus on the game being played.

There have many thousands of books written on the subject of golf, but as in any field, a few stand head and shoulders above the rest.

BERNARD DARWIN ON GOLF by Bernard Darwin. Darwin, a British barrister, was once captain of the golfing team at Cambridge University. He eventually gave up his career in law to become a full time sport writer. On a side note, he is the grandson of the famous naturalist Charles Darwin.

THE GOLF OMNIBUS by P.G. Wodehouse (1980). Though this is primarily a work of fiction, the stories are so funny, and so reflective of the golfer’s personality; you should not pass this one up.

THE STORY OF AMERICAN GOLF by Herbert Warren Wind (1948). Warren, who considered himself heir apparent to Bernard Darwin, chronicles the history of golf in this sweeping saga. A must read for any golf fan.