Amateur Golfers | Beginner Golf Blog

June 6, 2010

The Truth About Your Golf Swing, Proper Technique is the Key

Filed under: Golf — Tags: Address, Amateur Golfers, Bet, Consistency, Day Golf, Dozens, Driving Range, Florida Resort, Frustration, Golf Magazines, Golf Swing, Handicap, Knees, Love Game, Passion, Professional Golfers, Sport, Stroke, Thousands Of Dollars, Truth About — admin @ 1:41 am

I bet that you have heard it all. Unless you take a lot of lessons, you will never become the golfer who consistently breaks 80. You have read all of the golf magazines. They all say the same thing. Invest thousands of dollars in attending a fancy 3-day seminar conducted by one of the top teaching professionals in the business. It is the only way to lower your handicap, claim the experts.

But, while you have a passion for the game, forget about that fancy 3-day golf seminar at a fancy Florida resort. Even forking over the $100 for a one hour lesson by the pro at your local driving range, or country club is not possible. You also believe that you will need dozens of lessons to show real improvement. With that option unavailable, you become resigned to the fact that you will just stay at your present level. You have problems with your golf swing, proper technique ruined by flaws. I know how you feel with your frustration. However, please do not give up.

The truth about your golf swing is the following. You do not have the proper technique when it comes to how you set your body in position with relation to how you complete the swing process with each club. With the basic facts, most amateur golfers know to bend the knees slightly during set up and address towards the ball. But most non-professional golfers are not aware of the importance of one key fact which has to do with body stance during the complete stroke process.

Many amateur golfers do not understand the importance of proper body stance. It is why many have flaws in their golf swing; proper technique an ideal that is not even close to the level which will allow them to become fairly competent in the sport.

So, to the many golfers who love the game but not getting the results that they seek? There is a system that will correct your flaws. You will eliminate that slice, and develop more consistency with your golf swing. Best of all, it will not cost you thousands of dollars through repeated lessons with your local pro.

Instead, keep the money in your wallet. Who knows? One day perhaps you will be the one with your hand held out. Eventually if you learn to build a better golf swing, you will be the individual who will be grinning while the opponents in your weekend foursome are slipping cash into your hand. During the round, you beat them with a score that they never thought would be possible, coming from you.

With regards to ones golf swing, proper technique is essential for achieving maximum results. This theory applies from the absolute novice to the elite professionals on tour. Now that you have read this article, Im sure that you want to know about this one key fact that I hinted at above. To find out what it is, please visit: http://www.abettergolfswing57.net to get your hands on the proven method designed to accelerate your improvement in the game of golf.

By: Jefferson K. Smith

About the Author:

I am an enthusiastic follower of sports and music. I have been an avid road bicyclist for over 30 years. In addition I am passionate about golf, tennis, and music. My articles will focus in on the areas of golf and music.

Share and Enjoy:

Comments (0)

June 5, 2010

Get More Distance – Turn Your Body, Don’t Swing Your Arms

Filed under: beginner golf instruction — Tags: Amateur Golfers, Back Swing, Backswing, Desire, Downswing, Faults, Flexibility, Forearm, Golf Ball, Golf Club, Maximum Force, Mirror, Playing Golf, Posture, Shoulder Blades, Spine Angle, Swinging, Swings, Tennis Player, Torso — admin @ 3:54 pm

One of the most common faults you will see with beginner and amateur golfers is that they will try to hit the ball by swinging their arms at it, usually too quickly. This comes from a desire to hit the ball as far as possible without concentrating on how to generate power correctly. Your body weighs much more than your hands and arms and so to impart maximum force on the golf ball we must involve the body in our swings.

Think about your own swing, are your hands and arms driving the swing or are they being led along by the ‘turn’ of the torso? We need to engender the latter and for this there are many useful drills, one of which we will have a look at now. Hold an iron at either end and position it behind your back so it rests square across your shoulder blades. Now take up your normal posture as if you are addressing the ball. You are now in a position where your hands and arms are locked by the golf club resting behind your back. Now you can try turning your upper body to develop a feel for it should drive the swing. Don’t make any forced actions with your lower body though as this will turn naturally due to your flexibility.

Now that you have a feel for a correct rotation and coil in the back swing we have to consider the downswing as well. Similar to the backswing, swinging down with your hands and arms will result in a weak, inaccurate shot. With the downswing, the lower body makes the first action and moves into the ball, followed by the upper body and lastly the hands and arms. Think about the action of a tennis player hitting a forearm shot. He doesn’t just swing his arms at the ball; it is a full body action with the body leading the attack of the shot.

Watch any beginner playing golf and you will most likely see a lifting and lower of their spine angle. This is a common problem with beginners but if you watch your angle in the mirror while trying this drill you will notice it stays much more consistent. This means more distance, more accuracy and more shots off your handicap.

By: Lewis Freeman

About the Author:

Andrew McNaught is a successful webmaster and author of Online Golf Tips [http://www.online-golf-tips.net] which offers easy to follow tips and hints for improving your game.

Share and Enjoy:

Comments (0)

May 9, 2010

Improve Your Golf Swing and Driving Distance with Golf Stretches

Filed under: beginner golf instruction — Tags: Amateur Golfers, Countless Hours, Driving Distance, Exact Timing, Frustration, Golf Club, Golf Game, Golf Scores, Golf Swing, Handicaps, Mechanics, Minimal Amounts, Muscular Strength, Physical Qualities, Poor Golf, Practice Routine, Range Of Motion, Swing Plane, Thousands Of Dollars, Time And Money — admin @ 2:51 am

The golf swing is arguably one of the most difficult athletic actions to perform. The golf swing requires you to draw the golf club through a long range of motion with proper technique and exact timing.

Any error in swing plane, timing, or sequence will cause your golf swing to suffer, and suffer it will. Unfortunately, the result of your golf swing suffering will be errant shots, poor golf scores, and frustration on the golf course.

Often the amateur is at a lost for why their golf swing results in errant shots. Countless hours are spent at the range in an effort to improve their golf swing. Hundreds or even thousands of dollars are spent on lessons each year, and not to mention the purchasing of new equipment.

It all adds up to a lot of time and money spent on improving the golf swing. Unfortunately, for many amateur golfers their handicaps and score never improve. Leading to the question why is my golf game not improving?

If this is you and this question lingers in your mind. The answer to your question could easily be staring right back at you in the mirror. The failure of improvement may have absolutely nothing to do with the driver you are swinging, the teaching pro helping you with your swing, or even your practice routine. It could all do with you! Yes you, the physical body swinging the golf club.

Keep in mind the golf club does not perform the mechanics of the golf swing. Nor do the mechanics of the golf swing execute themselves without you. It is you and your body executing the mechanics of the golf swing. The point to make is your body directly affects the mechanics of the golf swing.

Additionally, the golf swing requires your body to encompass certain physical qualities to execute the mechanics of the golf swing correctly. These physical qualities are certain levels of flexibility, muscular strength, balance, and power. If you are lacking the minimal amounts of flexibility, balance, strength, and power to execute the golf swing correctly. Compensations will occur even before you swing the golf club.

For example, lets look at your flexibility. The golf swing requires you to draw the golf club through a large range of motion. The backswing requires a full shoulder turn to set the club in the correct slot for the downswing, and the finish position is almost a mirror image of the backswing.

In order to perform these parts of the golf swing correctly, the muscles of your body must be flexible. An inflexible body in which muscles are tight creates restrictions in movement. Restrictions in movement in relation to the golf swing will undoubtedly result in limitations pertaining to golf swing. The limitation will impede you from creating a full shoulder turn and balanced finish position. This causes compensations in the mechanics of the golf swing.

The entire body needs to be flexible for the golf swing. Certain muscles more than others are involved in the golf swing, and if these muscles are tight they will directly affect your golf swing. One such set of muscles is your hamstrings.

The hamstrings (back side of your upper leg) are often tight and cause problems to many people, not just golfers. However, they have a profound effect on the golf swing and it is not a good effect. Hamstrings that are tight are in a shortened position. The shortened position of the hamstrings has a direct effect on the position of your hips. Your hips will be tucked, directly affecting your posture. This in itself can hamper the ability to place oneself in the correct position at address within the golf swing, not to mention maintaining a proper spine angle during the swing.

Additionally, tight hamstrings place an undo amount of stress on the lower back. Large amounts of stress on the lower back cause fatigue, soreness, and increase the possibility of injury. If you are a golfer that has ever experienced lower back pain you know the effect it has on your ability to swing the golf club correctly.

A combination of a postural change and undo amounts of stress on the lower back, just begin to scratch the surface of the effect inflexible muscles can have on the golf swing. Tight muscles change the kinematics of the body. As a result, the biomechanics of the golf swing must be altered. These alterations usually lead to compensations in the mechanics of the golf swing resulting in errant shot patterns on the golf course.

And no matter what you do in terms of practice or instruction these alterations will not go away until you address them. Just as you address swing faults, you must address flexibility faults. Flexibility faults can be addressed through golf stretches.

Golf stretches enhance the flexibility of your body in relation to the golf swing. Golf stretches often times return muscles that are tight such as the hamstrings to their proper length. This results in the ability of your body to perform the biomechanics of the golf swing correctly. If you are one of many golfers who are not finding their golf swing improving through practice and instruction. Take a moment and look at the body swinging the golf club. This very well may be the root of your golf swing problems. Fix your flexibility faults through golf stretches and find yourself on the road to lower golf scores and more enjoyment in the game of golf.

By: Sean Cochran

About the Author:

About the Author

Sean Cochran is one of the most recognized golf fitness instructors in the world today. He travels the PGA Tour regularly with 2005 PGA & 2004 Masters Champion Phil Mickelson. To learn more about Sean and his golf fitness programs go to http://www.seancochran.com

Share and Enjoy:

Comments (0)

December 29, 2009

Golf Swing Warm-Up | Limber Up For An Easy Stroke

Filed under: proper golf grip — Tags: Amateur Golfers, Forward Direction, Gaze — admin @ 1:01 am

Have you ever enjoyed those magic days where your body is in top form? Nothing hurts. You move, you swing and you putt like a well oiled machine. Yes! It’s magic! And then there’s the struggle days when the machinery grinds and groans like a rusty old tractor. Well, the good news is that you can look forward to a lot more of those magic days by adopting a few easy warm-up routines before tee-off. Warming up will be your super lubricant for the perfect game.

Warm-Up before You Tee Off – Your golf swing is directly related to your physical condition and the state of preparedness of your body. Given the sedentary lifestyles of many amateur golfers it is crucial to warm-up and stretch prior to tee off. A little dynamic exercise including forward and backward shoulder rotations, upper body twists and arm circles go a long way in imbuing your stroke with looseness and fluidity. Knee rotations are a great for loosening up the legs and ankles. Take a few minutes before tee-off to enjoy some of these simple exercises. You’ll warm up the proper muscles and joints essential for your golf. What’s more, you’ll enjoy the pleasure of much more ease, relaxation and looseness in your game.

Shoulder Rolls – Stand in a relaxed upright position with your arms by your sides, lift your shoulders as high as you can towards your ears as you inhale. Hold briefly in the up position and then move them down and backwards in a circle. You’ll feel the pull in your deltoids at the bottom of your circle. Repeat 10 times. Reverse and repeat 10 times in the forward direction.

Upper Body Twists – You can use one of your clubs as a prop in this one. Again from a relaxed standing position with knees slightly bent, hold the club with one end in each hand. Raise your arms above and behind your head and bring the club shaft to rest on the fleshy part of your shoulders just below the base of your neck. Maintain your arm position with respect to your chest and keep your gaze fixed in the forward direction. Slowly turn your torso until you feel a nice twist in your trunk muscles. You’ll notice it in your abs, and your oblique muscles. Hold for 1 second, release and rotate back through center and continue onwards to the right-hand side. Hold for another second and reverse. Repeat 10 times or as desired.

Arm Circles – Stand in an upright posture with knees slightly bent and your arms relaxed and initially by your sides. To execute backward circles, swing your right-arm clockwise and your left arm counter-clockwise. Your hands may overlap and at the top of your circle. Let you arms to brush your ears in the swing past your head. Allow your hands to brush the outsides of your legs at the bottom of your swing arc. Release any tension from your arms and hands and simply allow them to be loose and floppy through the exercise. Repeat 20 times in the backwards direction and reverse to the forward direction for an additional 20 repetitions. To really challenge yourself try swing both arms in the same rotational direction and see what happens e.g. try swinging both arms counter-clockwise and watch your brain have a hissy-fit.

Knee Rotations – Stand with feet together and knees slightly bent. Place your hands on your knees and rotate clockwise for 20 reps. Repeat in the counterclockwise direction.

The 5 Minute Difference – 5 minutes is all it takes to run through these simple warm-up exercises. You’ll find they’ll become pure pleasure and you’ll enjoy the building sense of anticipation of a great game as you run through your routine. What’s more, you’ll enjoy much more ease, fluidity and consistency in your movement. Here’s to shooting your lowest scoring, most comfortable rounds ever!

By: Aidan Sugrue

About the Author:

Aidan Sugrue is a Golf Enthusiast and creator of Hot Golf Secrets the Internet’s hottest resource for golf tips. If you’ld like to turbo-charge your game then go to Hot Golf Secrets NOW, Claim Your free golf tips and start having more fun on the fairway today! You can also visit Golf Tips Blog for more fun stuff.

Share and Enjoy:

Comments (0)