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Archive for April, 2009

Chip Tip: Master The Chip Shot By Calculating 3 Simple Points

For new golfers the chip shot may seem like a small, insignificant shot used in the game, but if implemented strategically it can help with major improvements in the short game, which in turn helps to lower your score.

The Strategy Of The Chip Shot

Chip shots are not meant to cover long distances, but rather a short trip through the air and then onto a roll (or run) the majority of the way towards the hole. The most used club for this shot is either the 7 iron or the 8 iron.

Therefore, with the use of these irons, and the short distance needed on the ball, it is important to calculate the following points in your strategy:

1) The length of the shot.
2) What direction the ball will roll towards after hitting the ground.
3) The speed of the green.

You should strive to get the ball to land as quickly as possible, which will provide more roll needed to get to the cup. Try rolling the ball at least 75%PRCTG% of the distance it travels.

Swing Tip: Avoid Sliding In Your Swing By Understanding Proper Weight Shift

If you have the common problem of “sliding” during your swing then it is time to focus on proper weight shift by letting your arms swing independently of your body.

The mistake that a lot of golfers make is letting the leading shoulder become open long before the arms cross the impact zone. By allowing the natural inertia that is produced by your arms to take care of themselves, so to speak, you will have a much higher chance of finishing in the correct position.

What Is The Point?

This tip basically boils down to this one key element of your swing: There is no need to swing the club with your upper body. This will happen naturally. By using your upper body in the swing you risk the chance of an open clubface going through the impact zone.

You are probably asking yourself “what do the arms have to do with proper weight shift?”

This is a good question because most players think that weight shift has to do with the lower body only. But while many individuals think that they are properly shifting weight by opening up their leading shoulder, the hip does not turn like it should, rather it “slides” to the target. This causes the club to lack travel distance and sends it off to the right.

Important Golf Tip: Learn How To Zero In On The Target Line

The fundamental goal of golf is simple: Send the ball flying towards, and ultimately in the hole, and done so with a variety of shots - chipping, pitching, full shots, and putting. However, the one skill that all good golfers learn first is learning how to really zero in on the target line.

The hole is the final target during a round, but for most of your shots you will have to focus on other areas as the target, not the actual hole. This is what the short game is all about - becoming great at zeroing in on the target line when facing different shots.

What Technique Is Best?

If you ask ten different golfers as to what technique they use to visualize the target line you will probably get ten different answers. The key is to choose one method of visualization and stick to it.

Get into the habit of using this one method over and over again, so that at some point, seeing the target line in your mind will allow the club to be drawn perfectly straight back along the line, until the climax of the swing - where the club moves forward and through the ball, sending it flying right along the intended path.

Jerry Kelly wins in the Big Easy

Kelly won for the first time in 7 years at the Zurich Classic
In Louisiana on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Lorena Ochoa got back into winning form with a
great final round 68 to edge out Norway’s Suzann Pettersen by a
stroke to win her second straight Corona Championship.

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Golf in the Olympics - the saga continues

The long process to get golf in the Olympics continues…

So far 18 pro golfers have pledged their personal support for
the bid, including Padraig Harrington, Colin Montgomerie and Tiger.

These players are sending a personal letter of support to the
International Olympic Committee members from their
respective countries. It’s all part of a global effort by the
International Golf Federation to get the sport included in the 2016
Games.
 
As you may already know, Jack Nicklaus and Annika Sorenstam
are the global ambassadors for the campaign and are lobbying the
IOC as well.
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Another LPGA tourney bites the economic dust

The Corning Classic will end its run as a LPGA tour stop next month
after the 31st staging of the event.

The Classis is yet another victim of the economic downturn. There was a
joint announcement by the tour and the tournament April 20.

The Corning is the fifth-oldest LPGA tournament played in the same city,
(the first as played in 1979)
and now the 2010 LPGA schedule is starring at another hole.

Played in the small blue collar town of Corning NY, and each year the
attendance for the week surpasses the population of the town, which is
about 10,000. 

The LPGA started the 2009 season with 3 less events than 2008.

Then the Ginn Open in Orlando, Fla. folded and Stanford Financial,
title sponsor of the season-ending tour championship, came under
investigation for fraud, which will probably leave that event without
a sponsor, if it is held at all.

Looks like a very challenging year for the women.

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Tiger comments on his Master’s “experience”

Here’s what Tiger Woods had to say about his play at the Masters
this year:

“Yeah, you know, I’m obviously disappointed I didn’t win. I was on
the periphery of being in contention and being right there in the mix.
I was just a fraction off. I didn’t putt well till Sunday, and being
a fraction off in that, and I do mean a fraction … it was just one
of those weeks I was just that much away from posting some really good
numbers. Unfortunately it didn’t happen, and consequently, I didn’t win.
Hopefully the next tournament I play in, I’ll be a little bit sharper
than that, and we’ll get a W.”
He made these comments at the Congressional Country Club during a
press conference. he was there to preview the third AT&T National,
which is the PGA Tour event he hosts.
Tiger doesn’t annouce where he’s going to play until the Friday
prior to a tournament. But of course he did say he’s be playing at the
AT&T. He missed it last year due to his knee injury.

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So did you hear the story of of how D.J Gregory has been walking all of
the PGA tour events while struggling with cerebral palsy?

He’s writing a book about his experience, titled “Walking with Friends”
which will be out soon.

But here’s what I admire most about this guy. In a recent interview he
was boasting about the fact that he only had 29 falls…

“I only took 29 falls, which was far below the number I had in mind.
I wanted to go below 44 which would have been one for every tournament. So
29 isn’t bad. And you know what? I go up all 29 times.”

What a great attitude. We can all learn something from this brave soul.

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Hit ‘em straight

Ben

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Flop Tip: The Downside Of Playing The Flop Shot

The flop shot is probably the second most popular shot in golf, with the long drive coming in first. Both the flop and the long drive have the same things in common: Golfers swing them as dramatically and powerful as possible.

The general nature of the flop shot is simple - they are used when the ball needs to travel further up into the air than it does the distance forward. They are quite handy to have in your arsenal, but the flop does have a dark side.

The Cons To Playing The Flop

Before you get too gung-ho on the course with these shots, take some time to think about the following downsides of the flop.

1) This shot flies high, and the higher the flight of the ball, the more open to the elements it becomes that could throw it off course, especially the wind.

2) The flop can easily be ruined if you do not know how to precisely hit the ball. Unlike the chip and pitch shot, this one needs supreme precision at impact, or else the wrong hit from close range can be disastrous.

3) There is no room for error on this shot. The ball comes up so high and down so steep that it practically has to land on top of your target, especially when little-to-no roll exists.

Putting Tip: How Spy On Other Golfers To Make Those Winning Putts

The break of someone else’s putt can actually make you a better putter.

You can literally watch and copy how other players putt on the course, especially if you get lucky and someone has the same line as you do. Watch the other players and look at how they break on the green.

Even if a putt is stroked from an entirely different angle than yours, this is still an opportunity that you can take advantage of.

I recall watching the 2004 Masters when Chris DiMarco made a bunker shot that rolled behind the ball. As Phil Mickelson watched on, he noticed and watch Chris’s shot, which gave him the view of the break needed for his winning putt.

Don’t Be Rude

Keeping a close eye on the other players’ putts is not illegal, but of course this does not mean that you can stand directly in front or behind another golfer. That would be considered poor etiquette, not to mention inappropriate.

If you do happen to be standing in a position to learn from the putt of another player, and he or she asks you to move to avoid being distracted, then just do it. Give respect in the game but learn at the same time by watching as closely as you can.

Chip Tip: Just Hit The Ball Straight - Let The Course Take Care Of The Rest

To aim properly when taking the chip shot means that you must pick a target other than the hole, even though the hole is indeed your ultimate target. What you want to do is choose an intermediate spot where the ball can land and roll towards the hole.

Remember that more than 75%PRCTG% of the distance the ball travels on the chip will be the roll once it has hit the ground, so to execute the shot you must concern yourself with the first 25%PRCTG% of the movement.

As you walk up to the shot, evaluate the situation - make a conscience estimate of an area that sits approximately 25%PRCTG% between your set up and the hole.

Now read the break of the green:

Is your shot uphill?
Is your shot downhill?
What direction will the ball land once it hits the ground - Left? Right?

Once your spot has been chosen, the idea is to factor in all of these necessary readings. Just be sure not to fall into the common mistake that many new golfers make by trying to curve a chip shot. This should be a straight shot directly to your landing spot. Let the factors of the green and gravity take care of the rest.

Chip Tip: How Far Back Do You Bring The Club On Chip Shot?

The key when chipping the ball is knowing just how far to take the club back in the swing. This depends on two things:

1) The distance of your shot.
2) The right velocity needed in your swing to reach the target area.

The Real Secret To The Chip Shot

Setting swing mechanics aside, which are obviously important in improving any shot, the real secret to chipping is knowing how to “feel”.

The chip shot relies on knowing how to feel the right movements needed based on reading the green, taking stock of the distance needed, and finally putting these elements together for the perfect swing.

Consider the chip just like that of shooting with a bow and arrow. As you draw the string back, you mind is calculating how far back you need to pull in order to make the target.

The same is true for the chip - you have to judge just how far back you need to take the club to get the ball over the fringe and on the green - rolling it towards the hole.

Lower Your Golf Score By Using Pin-Point Accuracy On The Short Irons

When you decide to become a better, more strategic golf player, you must put extra emphasis on the improvement of the accuracy you make with your short irons.

The Reason?

Because your game will be made up of far more layup shots than those long drives from the tee. Once you have properly went through your layup shot on longer holes, the short iron is your next club for success.

The short irons you use in the game are really the clubs that make or break your score. Considered to be the scoring clubs in the game of golf, these are the ones that you should use to get the ball close to the hole.

Short irons are the best clubs used for pin-point accuracy because:

1) The clubface of these clubs have the most loft.

2) They have the shortest shafts.

So long as you set up the ball properly then the high degree of loft provided practically guarantees your ball to be a straight shot. Combined with the shorter shaft, you have an accurate and more controlled swing. This means that it is less likely that you will have a major mistake within the mechanics of your swing.

Miniature Golf: Relax With A Few Putt Shots

Miniature golf, known as Putt-Putt Golf in my neighborhood, isn’t the most likely place you will find a serious golfer on the weekends. Those colorful designs, flashy structures, clownish faces, tricky waterfalls, colorful obstacles - a heaven of fun made just for kids, right?

Not So…

A visit to the miniature golf course nearest you can actually be of some benefit, not to mention relaxing.

Of course these places are designed for children in mind. Some are very elaborate, others colorful and cartoonish, and a few are very basic. And of course most use artificial turf, with a few exceptions - like the St. Andrews ladies putting course built with real grass.

So Why Would A Trip To The Local Miniature Golf Course Be Good For A Real Golfer?

Simple: Putting is putting, no matter where you can practice. You can take your own club and ball if you like, get some putting practice in.

And more importantly: This is the perfect time to take your wife and kids putting who might not otherwise share your enthusiasm for the real thing. Mixing family time with a few putt shots is a win-win for everyone.