The popularity of golf has increased tremendously over
the past forty five years, giving us champions like
Arnold Palmer, Greg Norman, and Tiger Woods, and
world-renowned courses like Pinehurst, Augusta
National and the Blue Monster at Doral.
Why has golf become so popular? It’s the opportunity
to be outside, to get a good whole body workout,
network with friends or business colleagues at a
leisurely pace, and to play a game that you can never
perfect.
Your scorecard, over time, shows your improvement,
which keeps you playing again and again.
Here is a very basic lesson in golf for the person who
has no clue about the game.
Golf is played on an eighteen-hole course; each hole
has its "par", which is the number of tee shots
(drives), fairway shots, chips (short hits as you
approach the green), and putts.
The par number is based on the length and difficulty
of the hole. Pars range from 3 to 6. If you get the
ball in the hole in five shots on a par five hole, you
"made par." If it took you six shots, it’s called a
bogie, if you made it in four, it’s a birdie.
There are usually "hazards" of some sort on all the
holes. Bodies of water, sand traps, and trees are
strategically placed to make the hole more
challenging. Beginner golfers should seek to find
courses to play that are easier to play, with fewer
hazards.
Each player keeps their own score, marking the number
of total number of shots for each hole. At the end,
each person adds their scores-the lowest number is the
winner.
It is important for beginner golfers to not take
themselves too seriously. It takes a long time to get
good at this game; even though the professionals make
it look so easy.
Take a lesson or two at the onset; it will help you
develop a proper swing and help you get off to a good
start.
Remember that it’s just a game. Have fun and look at
the big picture-you’re outside and you’re not at work!
Here are two articles written, one by Bobby Eldridge,
the Head Instructor for the PurePoint Golf Academy,
and the other by David Nevogt, the author of
"The Simple Golf Swing".
PurePoint Golf Instruction – Stance and Ball Flight
Golf Grip Instruction and Video Lessons
I’m going to talk with you about how to draw the golf ball,
hook the golf ball, or fade or slice the golf ball on purpose.
That way, the next time you go play, if you have a dogleg
right or a dogleg left, or the wind’s blowing from the left
or wind’s blowing from the right, you’ll be able to curve the
golf ball that will be beneficial towards you.
Let’s say I’m going to play a hole that has a big dogleg to
the left, and I think that I can get it out and around the
corner. I’m going to give you a couple of ideas on how to
draw the golf ball.
After you go through your routine, make sure that you
aim the golf ball further right than normal, than you're
used to.
The second thing is I’m going to give you some golf
grip instruction. You should turn your grip a little bit to the
right. This will encourage the face to curve over.
And lastly, make sure that you're aiming with your
shoulders, knees and hips to the right. And if you’d like
to and you feel comfortable, you can put the right foot
back a little bit.
This will encourage the golf club to swing a little bit more
underneath you from the inside.
Now let me give you a little bit of information on how to
make the golf ball fade.
After you’ve gone through your routine and you’ve aimed
down the left side of the fairway, another golf trip
instruction is to make sure that before you draw the golf
club back that you turn your grip to the left a little bit.
And this will delay the face from closing opposite of the
draw, and the face will return more open than it will
square or closed. And then swing away and that will help
the golf ball fade.
Now let’s spend a minute correcting a hook. If you’ve been
struggling, really hooking a lot of your tee shots, all you
have to do is check your grip. The golf grip instruction is
to make sure that it’s over to the left a little bit and that will
encourage the face to stay open.
If you’ve been slicing the ball, make sure you turn your grip
a little bit further to the right, and that will help the golf
club close and bring the ball back to center instead of
slicing so much.
Try that the next time out and see how it works.
Bobby Eldridge is the Head Instructor for the PurePoint
Golf Academy where he teaches "The Simple Golf Swing"
theory. You can check out PurePoint Golf instructional
DVDs by clicking here!
Golf Lessons: How to Get out of Bunkers
Everyone knows how frustrating they can be if you don't
know the proper mechanics to get out of them. But the
bottom line is, for the pros, bunker shots are some of
the easiest shots on the course.
These steps will ensure that you have the right mechanics
for getting out of bunkers. Once you’ve read these steps,
practice them and get used to hitting out of bunkers, and
they will become just as natural as a regular short game
shot. These steps will give you the solid foundation that
you need for bunker success.
Here are the steps: (note: These steps apply to a normal
sand bunker. Not wet or hard sand)
1. Choke down on the golf club (Have your right index
finger about an inch from the bottom of the grip).
Choking down gives you the control with the club and
also allows you to “feel” the shot rather than hitting it.
2. Narrow your stance a little and play the ball a few
inches forward in your stance. This will also aid in
controlling the shot, and it will contribute to higher
ball flight.
3. Dig into the sand with your feet a little and get
comfortable.
4. Keep your body completely still throughout (no
twisting hips).
5. Start your swing with your arms and keep your swing
vertical. The end of the grip butt should be pointed at
the ball at the top of your backswing. (Don’t bring the
club straight back, remember steep is better here!)
6. Your left arm should be parallel to the ground and fully
extended at the top of your swing.
7. Then start your downswing at the sand focusing to hit
1 inch behind the ball. Don’t focus on hitting the ball, hit
the sand an inch behind and the ball will get out every
time!
8. Your arms and body follow the ball as it leaves the sand.
9. Remember steep angle into the sand is key here,
however you don’t have to swing too hard, we are not
blasting the ball out we are advancing it.
Drill:
Go into a bunker and take 3 clubs your pitching wedge,
sand wedge, and a lob wedge(if you have one). Remember
that you can get creative with shots; just because it’s a
sand wedge doesn’t mean that you’ll “feel” the most
comfortable or give you the best results. But I want you
to notice the difference in design and performance.
Regardless, hit a few shots with each club and really
notice the difference in how the ball comes out of the
sand. Then choose the club that bests suits you. But
remember on all these clubs swing steep and hit 1 inch
behind the ball. You can even draw a line 1-2 inches
behind the ball and aim for that line.
At home, office, or at the course take practice swings
and focus on bringing the club up at a steep angle. Watch
as your grip end points to the ground. And stop there -
this is the position that you want to be in. A great way to
see if the grip is pointed over the ball is sticking a tee in
the grip handle. Do that a few times to ensure that you
know where to stop the golf club and start your steep
downswing. Then the downswing is easy! Just hit an inch
behind the ball. Practice this for a few days then go have
fun in a bunker!
David Nevogt writes golf instruction material that helps
golfers of all levels reach their full potential and lower
their scores. David is the author of "The Simple Golf
Swing" which guarantees to have you shooting 7 strokes
lower in only 1 week from today.If you would like to find
out more about "The Simple Golf Swing", click here!
I use to give a free cell phone to all my readers.
