A New Driver - The Golfer's Best Friend

I hear it almost every single weekend while watching golf on TV...what is wrong, if anything, with professional golfers using over-sized drivers with technology that seemingly keeps on increasing driving distance? This has to be one of the most hotly debated topics in golf today, and a topic that not only has an effect on pro golfers, but amateurs as well.

For a long time I used a set of woods, including a driver, with a steel head. The feeling that resulted from hitting a "perfectly" struck ball off the tee was fantastic, it wouldn't even seem as though I was hitting anything! However, a shot that was even a little off center of the clubface would result in a really bad shot. Finally though, I had to give up my driver due to age and wear-and-tear and was on the market for a n...Read entire article

Bunkers Shots - Chipping from Sand Traps

Nothing ruins a hole that seems to be going well like a short iron shot that lands in a sand trap next to the green. Just a little bit more distance, or a little bit more left or right, and you could have avoided the sand bunker. But, what's done is done, and now it is time to focus on a successful chip from the sand.

Many golfers think a sand shot is an extreme alteration from a normal chip shot. While some techniques may differ slightly or may be more exaggerated, the basic goal is the same; get the ball in the air a short distance and let it roll with the green. The same short, compact swing is needed, and it is an absolute necessity you "chop" under the ball.

One of the main differences between a normal chip shot and a sand shot is that the club-face should be a litt...Read entire article

Golf Tips - Getting Rid of Your Slice

The only thing more annoying than a hook in golf is a slice. Having a slice is very frustrating, I've speant many hours at the driving range trying to get rid of mine, and with some great success. Every once in awhile it comes out again, but after you've tamed it once, you'll have a better understanding of your own swing and some of the steps you need to take to get rid of it.

The reason golfers slice is that their clubface is open at impact with the ball. That's it. That is the reason a ball slices. The clubface is open which causes a clockwise rotation (for righties) which makes the ball "slice" away from the original target path. Knowing this, you need to look at the causes of why the clubface is open in order to work on fixing it.

My biggest problem was definitely ...Read entire article

Putting Tip - The Pendulum Effect

Everyone has heard of the saying "the shortest distance between two points is a straight line". The same holds true in golf, especially for putting. The shortest distance for your putter head to travel during your putting swing is back-and-forth along a striaght line.

Doing so will also keep your putter face square to the ball and will result in a put that should start off perpendicular to the putter face and on the intended line. Swinging back-and-forth along a straight line will help eliminate "pushes" or "pulls" which result from an in-to-out or out-to-in swing which is usually tough to spot, especially from your own eye as you putt.

A quick drill to help stay along the intended line is to putt against a section of wall. You want the wall to be parallel with your fe...Read entire article

Golf Driving Tip - When Not to Use Your Driver

What's the one thing almost every single golfer does when they step up to the first tee with their driver in their hands? If you said hit the ball as far as possible you'd be correct! However, the smart golfers say to themselves that they'd rather hit the ball WHERE they want, not as FAR as possible.

The difference is that intelligent golfers will consistently choose a target and would rather hit the ball with accuracy and precision rather than with a greater distance. Would you rather hit the ball 250 yards in the middle of the fairway? Or 290 yards into the deep rough? Obviously best case scenario would be 320 yards down the center of the fairway but if that were the case you wouldn't need to be reading this right now!

In all seriousness way too many golfers use thei...Read entire article

Chipping Success - Eliminate Chunk Shots and Line Drives

Two of the most annoying chip shots that result when around the green are the "chunk shot" and the low line drive. The chunk shot is caused by hitting the ground before the ball, coupled with a decelerating swing, which usually results in a huge divot a ball that barely moves. The low line drive is caused by a fear of hitting the ground before the ball and results in the club striking the ball without hitting the ground at all and a line drive shot that skims across to the other side of the green (if you're lucky!).

The chunk shot's main cause is a slow downswing. While striking the ground too far before the ball is definitely a problem, with a strong downswing the ball should go somewhere so long as you don't strike the ground too far before the ball. The real c...Read entire article

Accurate Putting - Keeping Your Hands and Wrists Straight

This golf putting tip is probably something that you've heard over and over again, however it is often one of the most over-looked aspects of putting. Keeping your wrists and hands straight and stiff while putting is imperative to success.

Your putter should act as an extension of your arms. I would go as far as to say you should think of your arms as the shaft of your putter and the palm of your bottom hand as your putter face. Now put the putter in your hands and imagine it as an extension of your arms. This being the case, the putter shaft and head should remain perfectly straight through your backswing and follow-through.

The reason you do not want your wrists to bend or your hands to rotate is that your putter face will move out of position and it will be that muc...Read entire article

How to Cure a Hook Golf Tip

You'll often hear from veteran golfers and professionals that a golf slice is easier to "cure" than a hook. I definitely disagree and believe that the reasons for a slice and hook are very similar, just opposite.

A slice occurs when the club face is open at impact, and is often accentuated by an out-to-in swing. The result is literally a "slicing" through the ball. The more of an out-to-in swing, the more the ball trajectory first starts out on the inside of your body and then spins and fades away. The hook is the exact opposite. The club face is closed at impact, and is often coupled with an in-to-out swing, causing the ball to first travel away from your body, and then hook back around.

First let's concentrate on the club face at impact. Most hooks whether subtle or ...Read entire article