Golf is not an easy game to master. It can often take years to develop even the most basic of skills, and longer to become a proficient player. Learning to master the mechanics of golf is only one part of the game, however. For most people, understanding the differences in golf clubs will often provide the biggest boost to their game.

Golf clubs are always categorized in one of two ways; they are either woods or irons. Of course, within each of these two categories there are multiple types of club, each with its own particular characteristics and uses. Depending on the specific shot you’re facing on the course, you will need to choose the club that best fits the situation. It is for this reason that knowing the particulars of each club you carry is so very important to a quality round on the links.

Woods are generally used for long shots, including the tee-off. They are typified by a much larger head than you would find on an iron, as well as a longer shaft. The term “wood” comes from the traditional material used to make the heads on these clubs. While there are many golfers that still prefer the old-style wooden club heads, most modern golfers have switched to a hybrid design, which use a composite material instead of wood. Hybrids tend to be much lighter and are made with more flexible shafts. This combination makes them more capable of longer drives, with great consistency; which of course is a real bonus for most golfers.

Irons are primarily for fairway use. These golf clubs, as the name suggests, tend to use metal club heads. There are many different types of iron club, and they are generally number 2 through 9. The numbers refer to the distance and height each club is capable of sending the ball. Lower numbers generally indicate more distance and less height, and higher numbers indicating the opposite.

07 July 2010 in Golf Tips 0 Comments

I was chatting with Fred Greene of Golf Smarter the other day and was aware of how often we broke into laughter during the course of our conversation. There are many things which made us laugh, and I am only too aware that my jaw got a great work out!

Both of us are passionate about golf, and both of us have found our way to forming a marriage between our passion and our employment. Golf makes me smile a lot and I can tell that it does the same for Fred.

There are many aspects of golf which I dearly love. It is a friendly game and a wonderful way in which to meet new people. My home is in the Isle of Man; although I’m lucky enough to spend a fair amount of time in California (even though it’s quite a commute!). It was a gentleman (an avid golfer) who lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, who put me in touch with Fred who also lives in California. There are very few games which put people together from all over the world in such an easy and comfortable manner.

Part of what leads to that ease of getting to know someone is the shared passion for the game whilst another part is the amount of time it takes to play a round of golf together with the gentle pace of the game. A further aspect is the fact that you can be almost any age or fitness level and still be able to play golf. And then of course your level of accomplishment doesn’t affect the play of the other people who you are playing with. Golf is pretty much unique in this combination of facts.

Cricket is another game which affords plenty of time to get to know a fellow spectator, as a gentleman pointed out the other day. It provides a great “networking opportunity” as you bond over your shared passion. But you can’t play cricket on your own and your level of ability will affect the overall game. Tennis requires too much energy to leave much time for pleasantries and you again cannot play alone. Can you think of any sport which provides the same opportunities to “connect” that golf does?

Aside from the friends you can make through golf, there are many other things which make it a very special game. I have already mentioned that you can play it alone or with others and level of ability doesn’t cause issues. A far greater thing however is what golf teaches you as a person.

I played yesterday with a friend who passed comment on how much her temperament had altered since she had started to play golf, both on and off the course. She is now a more placid and person; she was always determined. Golf teaches you the mental skills which are necessary in life in general because it provides you with immediate and dramatic feedback upon your thoughts and actions. As you learn to control your emotions and direct your focus more appropriately, these skills can then be put to good use in every other area of your life.

Cause and effect are seen very clearly in golf, as your thoughts control your arms and then the club and ultimately the ball. The impact of your thoughts are therefore illuminated; you can see very clearly what needs a little work or practice. As your control of the golf ball increases, you inevitably grow as a person.

Roseanna Leaton, author of the GolferWithin mind training program which helps you to learn the mental skills necessary for success in golf and life.

07 July 2010 in Golf Tips 0 Comments

If you are reading this, then you are probably at least moderately interested in playing golf or learning more about playing golf. The single most important thing I can tell you about playing golf is that having the right set of clubs for you matters. The clubs you buy will impact your golf game far more than any other golfing decision you will make.

You will most likely use your clubs for years to come, it only makes sense to consider them an investment and be prepared to invest heavily. Think of the countless hours of sheer joy and sheer agony you will spend with these clubs. They will be closer to you emotionally at times than your spouse. I highly recommend going to ping and having your clubs custom made. This carries a hefty price tag but the value it brings to your game is priceless. When you have clubs custom made for you rather than mass marketed to the average player you are giving yourself an advantage. Think about it, who that you know is perfectly average? Average height and weight, average arm length, average everything?

Mass marketed golf clubs are geared toward the average person with a few exceptions. I’m a lefty. I can get left handed clubs, they are less common than right-handed golf clubs but still available, I’m also a very short female. While I can find clubs for left handed people among the mass marketed clubs on the market, I have not once found clubs that are comfortable for my height.

Not everyone can have custom made clubs and that is understandable. If you can’t get those but want to take your golf game seriously and give yourself plenty of room to improve, it is wiser to buy each club individually than a complete set. This is because each manufacturer of golf clubs has strengths and weaknesses that may actually strengthen or weaken your game. Buy clubs with weaknesses that your swing compensates for and strengths in areas that you need to see improvement. This is a wise way to maximize the efficiency of mass marketed golf clubs.

And most importantly, if you seriously want to play golf, don’t go and buy the very first set of golf clubs you find. You really need to look around, try swinging the clubs a few times (yes each and every one of them), and then figure out what it is about each and every one that you do or do not like. If it’s the grip, that can be changed. If it’s the weight try a lighter club, if it’s too flexible you will want to go with a metal shaft, there are all kinds of little things that add up to make a golf club and if they all worked the same for everyone, there would only be one brand on the market.

A good set of clubs is not something to overlook lightly. They will have a significant impact on your golf game and your score (which for some also impacts heavily the enjoyment of the game). While the goal is to have fun, you can increase your fun by giving yourself the gift of better odds with the right set of golf clubs for you.

07 July 2010 in Golf Tips 0 Comments

Golf exercise benefits are many. Golfers have struggled for years with their games and have become very frustrated. I can’t tell you how many times I play with golfers who are about to quit the game.

To explain golf exercise benefits to a golfer takes a little convincing, but in a short amount of time they become believers. There are so many I can’t possible list them all in this article, but you will be motivated to take this approach.

Some of the main golf exercise benefits are; improved power for longer drives; dramatically improved stability for better consistency; a body that moves freer, removing tension from the swing; more energy for 18 holes; elimination of injuries; weight loss; improved concentration due to a reduction in fatigue; I could go on-and-on.

Improved Power For Longer Drives

If your body is weak and inflexible you will not be able to achieve optimal swing mechanics. Such things as a full shoulder turn, with minimal hip rotation; creating and retaining torque (energy) in your core for maximum clubhead spead; proper sequence of motion with muscles firing at the appropriate time; being able to swing just a little harder on long par 5′s and still be in control.

Removing Tension From The Swing

When you improve your flexibility (range of motion specific to your golf swing) you are able to make a full backswing with no tension in the supporting muscles of the swing. Like the shoulders, lower back, upper back (lats), and even the wrists. It is known in most athletics that less tension equals more power.

More Energy For 18 Holes

One of the biggest culprits of back nine blow-ups is loss of energy resulting in poor mental confidence and swing mechanics. I see this one all the time when I play…golfers who are out of shape and lack appropriate fuel intake and maintenance. Having energy for 18 holes builds tremendous confidence and a higher level of play. This is a major golf exercise benefit.

Elimination Of Injuries

Golf injuries are prevalent among all amateur golfers, especially senior golfers. The golf swing is a damaging movement on the human body. Swinging a club between 80-100 mph in less than a second can be traumatic. Golfers who don’t have an adequate level of golf strength and flexibility are susceptible to injury every time they swing the club. The lower back usually takes the brunt of the stress and strain. Then hips, knees, shoulders and even wrists. A stronger, more flexible golfer will avoid injuries indefinitely.

Weight Loss

I have worked with over 10,000 golfers via my online golf performance website and they all fill out an initial golf fitness profile. Since I review every one of them personally, I see how many of them have weight loss of 10-30 pounds as a goal. There are more overweight golfers on the course than fit ones. This is because golfers have not come to the conclusion the fitness plays a critical role in golf performance. Exercising will not only improve lean muscle, but melt fat away. To not only improve their golf, but lose weight is icing on the cake for any golfer.

Improved Concentration

How many times have you had a good score going into the back nine only to have a couple of blow-up holes that ruined your score? It happens all the time. Why? Because your body fatigues and your brain doesn’t maintain a high enough level of concentration. The result is poor club selection; swing mechanics and diminishing confidence. A fitter golfer will always have the edge over an out-of-shape one. When the round progresses and tension creeps in they will prevail every time.

The above are only a few golf exercise benefits…but enough to hopefully convince you that it’s worth looking into. The golf swing is now being viewed as a very athletic movement, like baseball, tennis, etc…and should be approached from a conditioning emphasis. I hope you now realize the return on investment from these golf exercise benefits.

Do you want to discover the secret to creating more power and consistency in your golf swing… AND eliminating ALL your swing faults?

Download this: http://www.performbettergolf.com/free-golf-ebook.html

07 July 2010 in Golf Tips 0 Comments

How many times have you heard something like, ” Tom Smith, teaching pro, has been working with Ernie for the past year. Looks like that new swing is paying off for Ernie.”

There it is. The swing method ‘teaser’ is out there. You heard it. You saw it work. Then you see an article in your favorite golf magazine and now they’re talking about this new swing method on the GOLF CHANNEL. You decide this is going to be the year! You don’t need a new club just that new swing method and you’ll be all set. Really?

Let’s be honest here. You’ve been working on correcting those swing issues for years.

Now it’s the middle of the winter and you’re starting to think about that trip with the guys to Myrtle Beach in a couple months. You have decided THIS is the year to FINALLY take care of those nagging problems once and for all.

You seek out a teaching pro, in your area, who teaches this new method and begin work in earnest. After all, if it works for the TOUR player is will really help you!

Fast forward a month into the season after working to develop this new swing. You’re hitting the ball worse than ever! Nobody ever said it would take THIS long.

You decide this new method really isn’t for you, so you’re going to get back to your old swing. But, when you try to go back, even your old swing fails you.

You wake up to the reality that you didn’t really understand the new swing method. Not only that. You never really worked on understanding your old swing let alone thoroughly looking into the new method in the first place. You’d simply bought into the hype.

You realize when you took those lessons from the method instructor, not only did you not ask questions about the new method, but the teaching pro never really explained the differences between your old swing and the new one. Sure it was explained but not the way you understand the swing and you didn’t push to have it laid out in your terms.

I’ve said many times, “There is no such thing as the perfect golf swing.”, (except Iron Byron of course), and,”There’s no ‘best’ way to swing the club. Only yours.”

Honestly, I have little problem with ‘swing’ methods. I do have a problem with how these methods are promoted or marketed.

While I will admit, in recent years, the method craze seems to have abated somewhat and given way to teaching pros trying to explain single plane vs. the conventional swing. That said, it seems as if they’ve only changed their approach to hooking people in to their particular ‘idea’ of the best swing as there’s always at least a twist or spin by the author to have you buy in to their particular take on the swing.

To the credit of most of the teaching pros in the tranches working with regular folks, fewer of them today openly espouse a particular swing method and instead seem to be more in touch with the communicative side of teaching. To the benefit, I must say, of the student.

Here are some things you might consider with respects what you might consider with regards taking lessons, your own golf swing and improving it. Give it some thought. It could save you a lot of time, money and aggravation.

You’re a beginner. You need to know about the ‘absolutes’ of the golf swing, not a swing method. The basics: grip, stance and posture – the set up. From there, you then need to ‘understand’ and feel the reality of balance, rhythm, tempo and timing as it relates to the swing motion. After that, it’s the responsibility of the pro to help you FEEL the basics of the take away, explain and help you feel transition, the down swing and follow through. That is the starting point and generally can be done in small groups or clinics. Neither does this level require any type of ‘swing methodology’.

You’ve been playing for a number of years but never taken a lesson. Input by the pro should be designed here to help you develop and identify the different pieces of your golf swing around the basic swing concepts. Incorporate that understanding of your swing into a workable and reliable swing motion. Then working with you, based on your goals, further develop your golf swing.

You’ve been playing for a long time and taken lessons from this several pros over the years with no real success. Your handicap has been sitting at 11 for years and you have decided this season is your year to get that handicap into single digits.

This last group of golfers is generally the most susceptible to method instruction. They’re the ones who have ‘poked’ around reading and trying different methods over the years to help them do everything from hit it longer off the tee to gaining more yards in the fairway never seriously considering the impact of improving their putting by 25-30%, which would achieve that goal of a single digit handicap.

In all honesty, if you look at most swing methods, you will find less of a difference between them and the conventional golf swing. That is when you leave marketing out of the equation.

Concepts could be considered merely a different way of packaging the same set of fundamentals. After all, which method does not rely on balance, rhythm, tempo, and timing? Which method has as its main goal something other than clean effective, repeatable ball striking, and accuracy and oh yes, simplicity.

It is the responsibility of the teaching pro to understand the latest and greatest swing methods out there, no matter their opinion of them. Why? It is the best way to be able to help the student. The more knowledge a teaching professional has about the different methods, the better able they are to help.

So when you’re interviewing a prospective teaching professional looking for help with your golf swing, listen very carefully to what they say. The clues to his or her commitment to you, the student, will be found in that initial conversation. And, if it sounds like they may be method instructors. Ask! After all it IS your golf swing.

07 July 2010 in Golf Tips 0 Comments