Golf Impact Training

Get a grip. Literally! A good golf grip is one of the most important and probably overlooked factors to good golf play.

When the club is squeezed too tightly, the extra tension slows down the hands, arms and upper body, also slowing down the clubhead. This leads to a loss of distance and accuracy.

Having your clubs re-gripped is an inexpensive way to make your game more enjoyable. It is also a good idea to wipe down the grips every few rounds using just a wet towel.  When your grip starts feeling slippery and you have to grip your club harder to keep it from slipping out of your hand, wipe it down. If that doesn’t help, it’s probably time to get them regripped.

The three most important steps you should keep in mind during your golf swing are to keep your head perfectly still, relax your muscles, and keep your club head traveling in a straight line while making contact with the golf ball. The simple act of keeping your head still throughout your golf shot can improve your swing immediately. By keeping your club head in a straight line while making contact with the ball, you will avoid slicing and several other undesirable results.

Relaxing your muscles will aid you tremendously in keeping the proper balance. Balance is imperative to a good golf swing. Stand comfortably so you can reach the ball easily and remember that the muscles that propel the ball are the same muscles that twist the body and are the most powerful. No matter what stroke you are making or what club you are playing with, balance is the foundation to a good golf swing, and you must keep your muscles relaxed to achieve perfect balance. Balance really is the cure-all for many faults of golf. Think about keeping your head still and maintaining your balance at all times and you will have a foundation for an excellent golf game.

A lot of golfers tend to try to hit their wedge hard – they overpower it. What happens, in most cases, is they hit their shot to the left.

The wedge should be an easy swing and you need to let the club do it’s job. If you don’t feel you can reach the green with your wedge, use a longer club. Plain and simple.

That’s where practice comes into play. Learn the distance you get from each club. Then use the correct golf club for the shot. It’s never more important then when you pull out your wedge.

Most driving ranges will have a practice green or mound that you can pitch onto.  You should spend a significant amount of time working around this area because most amateur golfers do not place their approach shots on the green. 

There is normally a flag that you can aim towards as a target, so experiment with various shots to the target.  For these short pitches, choke down on the pitching wedge a little, don’t be afraid to swing the club (decelerate), and avoid the tendency to raise your head and follow the flight of the ball.

To make certain your hands work together when putting, make certain both thumbs point down the putter shaft. The back of the left hand is facing the hole.

Walking is a great form of exercise. This fact has been published in many articles and medical and health journals.

There are studies that show that walking the golf course during an 18 hole game of golf is equivalent to between 40% to 70% of an intense aerobics class. Playing 18 holes of golf and walking the course has also been shown to equate to a 45 minute workout. It is also been shown to be the same as walking 3 to 4 miles.

There are also studies that show walking the golf course is beneficial for lowering your bad cholesterol as opposed to riding in a cart. Riding in a cart did not provide the same health benefit.

If you find yourself behind a group of trees, in the rough with no good line of vision, or simply in a spot where you have no legitimate shot at the green, sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and shoot a safe shot.

There’s nothing wrong with shortening the swing and trying to simply punch it out into the fairway where you can hit your next shot easily.

Do you want to do that or would you rather try to hit a great shot over the trees or through a small opening and hit a branch or trunk and have the ball bounce right back at you?

You’re looking at a single stroke giveaway. Think it through and choose wisely.

The putting stroke, body position and ball position are all very personal.  Hold the putter any way you want.  No rules.  Stand any way you want.  No rules.  Put the ball any place in the stance.  No rules.  An observation: many of the very best putters have used an open stance.  They can see the hole better.  You must be relaxed, especially in the shoulders.  Grip the putter gently.

 

The stroke is made with the biggest muscles possible.   The putting stroke is the same basic motion as the driver swing.  While you don’t need the weight transfer from the right to the left for a putt on fast greens these days, you still should use the biggest muscles possible.  Use the muscles in the lower back to cause the shoulders to be moved. That way the shoulders and arms can be completely relaxed.  Do not use your arms to make the club move.  Any time the arms make the arms move, you are asking for a poor shot.

Hey golf enthusiasts. Loosen up. I added a daily cartoon to my site Golf Impact Training

You’ll get a kick out of it.

With a medium iron, there is not as much body turn as with a longer club. At the top of the swing the hands are high, but the club does not reach the horizontal position as with a wood, and the swing is more upright.