Archive for the ‘golf’ Category
July 28, 2009
When people show an interest in playing golf, they will start out by using the golf range to see if their interest is deep seeded or if it is a fly-by-night feeling that will be gone in two days or so. They do not start their amateur golf product shopping for weeks and perhaps months.
More than likely they will start their golf practices with some loaner equipment that the golf range has, and buy a bucket of balls to hit down the fairway throughout the day. The distance lines at the golf range give the amateur golfer the chance to hone his skills for distance, while trying to keep the ball on the fairway. They may invest in a golf hat to shade their head from the hot sun, but as far as buying golf equipment, they will do their amateur golf product shopping only when they feel ready.
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November 5, 2008
Hitting a bad drive or a poor approach shot or missing a short putt can get to golfers sometimes, even those with low golf handicaps. Occasionally, golfers take their frustrations out on a club. Putters for whatever reason seem to bear the brunt of golfer frustration. Most players taking golf lessons from me know of someone who’s thrown his putter in the water or otherwise damaged it during the course of play.
It’s not just weekend golfers who wreak havoc on their putters, either. Professionals do it, too. Woody Austin, winner of the 2004 Buick Championship, got so frustrated with his game once that he bent the shaft of his putter on his head after missing a crucial putt. He’s not the only pro who’s done it, either. That raises the question: What do you do when you don’t have a putter to putt with?
The Rule
The rule on clubs is straightforward. If a club is damaged during the course of play, you can replace it. For example, if something happens to a club during the course of normal play—the clubhead falls off, the shaft gets bent while hitting—you can replace the club. Tiger Woods sent a PGA official to the trunk of his Buick during the 2004 Deutsche Bank Tournament to get him another sand wedge after damaging his on some rocks while swinging.
However, if you damage your club through some action other than during the normal course of play, like smashing it on a rock or bending it over your knee, you’re stuck. You can’t replace it. You have to discontinue using it and play without a replacement. In other words, if you intentionally damage your putter, you have to pay the price. Now the question becomes: what do you putt with to finish the round?
You have several options when it comes to using another club. Let’s look at three of them:
A Wedge
One option is a wedge. The advantage to using a wedge is that the shaft lengths of a putter and a wedge are similar. The length allows you to not only take your normal putting stance, but also set up with your eyes directly over the ball. Setting up with your eyes directly over the ball, as I’ve mentioned in my golf tips, is essential to good putting.
The disadvantage with using a wedge is that your have to strike the middle of the ball with the thin leading edge of the blade. That’s not easy. It takes a great deal of precision and confidence to hit a golf ball with the leading edge of a club. It may not be something you want to try if you’re already angry or upset over your play. It might just make things worse instead of better, costing your strokes.
A Driver
Some players with low golf handicaps use a driver. The advantage of using a driver to putt with is that it is second only to the putter when it comes to having the least amount of loft. A driver has a face loft of 5 to 10.5 degrees, while the putter has a loft of about 1 degree. The large face also makes it easier to make good contact with the ball.
The driver’s disadvantage is the length of its shaft. It’s hard setting up directly over the ball with a club that has such a long shaft. To get comfortable, you’ll need to stand farther away from the ball. Your eyes won’t be directly over the ball. Also, the ball tends to pop of the driver’s face because of the mass of the clubface.
Using A Hybrid
A third option is a hybrid. It doesn’t quite have the driver’s low degree of loft, but the shaft is a much shorter. That enables you to get a little closer to the target line with your eyes. But the ball pops off a hybrid’s clubface just like it does with the driver. So you need to be careful when using this club. Some players use a hybrid to hit shots just off the green. Why not try it as a putter, if your putter becomes incapacitated?
Any of these three clubs can work. You might want to spend some time practicing with them though. That way you’ll at least have some feel for the clubs as a putter should you ever need to use them. However, if you’re really serious about lowering your golf handicap, you’ll work on keeping your frustrations in check and saving your putter. It’s the best way to improve.
Jack Moorehouse is the author of the best-selling book “How To Break 80 And Shoot Like The Pros.” He is NOT a golf pro, rather a working man that has helped thousands of golfers from all seven continents lower their handicap immediately. He has a free weekly newsletter with the latest golf tips, golf lessons and golf instruction.
November 5, 2008
Every golfer has periods of poor putting. When things get really bad, a golfer ends up with a case of the yips—an insidious “disease” that can dramatically boost your golf handicap. Technically, the yips are prevalent from anywhere on the green and in any putting situation. Most often, it attacks golfers on short puts, from about three feet in. Eventually, the golfer can’t sink even the shortest putt.
Having the yips is among a golfer’s worse ailments. It destroys self-confidence. It’s self-fulfilling. It perpetuates itself. And it demoralizes a golfer, affecting his or her whole game. What’s worse, the yips can appear without warning. Examining what causes the yips, however, is instructive. The exercise highlights the common causes of bad putting that all golfers must guard against, if they’re serious about reducing their golf handicaps.
Anxiety
Anxiety is among the most prevalent causes of bad putting. Anxiety occurs when the golfer starts thinking more about what will happen if she misses the putt than about sinking the shot. This creates tension, which in turn causes her to pull or push the putt with her hands. A lack of practice also generates anxiety. Practice breeds confidence. And confidence eliminates the jitters.
Steering
Instead of swinging freely through the swing, as you’re taught in golf lessons, you try to steer the ball into the hole. Steering is often attributable to tension, which can cause you to push the putter head toward the hole and get your wrists and/or legs into the act. Taking a deep breath just before you putt relieves the tension that causes steering and other mechanical flaws.
Alignment
Almost every golf tip on putting highlights the importance of alignment. Yet, some golfers still neglect to ensure proper alignment when putting. If you don’t align yourself correctly, your subconscious may cause you to alter your swing path to correct for the problem in mid-stroke. Mid-stroke corrections are difficult to realize. Read golf tips on alignment methods. Find one that works for you.
Wrist Breakdown
This mechanical flaw sends the putt off-line right from the start. Often, a breakdown of the wrist—the right wrist for right-handers, and the left wrists for left-handers—happens just before impact. Find and practice drills that guard against this problem.
Over-Analysis
Over analysis refers to getting so caught up in the mechanics of putting that you inhibit your natural movements. In other words, you become self-conscious. You start paying attention to all the wrong things—your hands, your body position, your putting stroke, and so on—instead of just letting everything flow. You also find yourself watching the putterhead go back and come though the ball or looking up prematurely to see how the ball rolls.
Lack Of Confidence
Most golf lessons on putting talk about confidence. It’s the single biggest factor in eliminating the yips and improving your putting. Without confidence, you allow negative thoughts to enter your head. Once that happens, you’re done. Your chances of making a putt—long or short—diminish greatly. Lack of confidence also results from a lack of practice. The more you practice, the more you build confidence.
These putting maladies can hurt every golfer. One of the best ways of eliminating them is by following a pre-shot routine. Following a routine—with an emphasis on proper alignment—prepares you mentally and physically to putt. If you don’t have a pre-shot routine, attend a golf instruction session on putting or scan a golf book or magazine for one.
In addition to preparing you to putt, a pre-shot routine allows you to play in your subconscious. And that’s where you want to be when putting. Actually, playing in your subconscious is where you want to be whenever you hit the ball. Playing in your subconscious improves your game. As for putting, following a pre-shot routine—and practicing whenever you can—eliminates the yips, improves your putting, and slashes your golf handicap.
Jack Moorehouse is the author of the best-selling book “How To Break 80 And Shoot Like The Pros.” He is NOT a golf pro, rather a working man that has helped thousands of golfers from all seven continents lower their handicap immediately. He has a free weekly newsletter with the latest golf tips, golf lessons and golf instruction.
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