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If you are tense when you swing your golf club, the chances of you hitting a bad shot are increased by leaps and bounds.  However, you don’t want to be TOO relaxed [...]]]> When you begin to address the golf ball and prepare for your swing, it’s essential that you have a sense of mental relaxation.

If you are tense when you swing your golf club, the chances of you hitting a bad shot are increased by leaps and bounds.  However, you don’t want to be TOO relaxed lest your grip isn’t tight enough to hit the ball solidly.

Without relaxation, it is more difficult to maintain your tempo or rhythm from swing to swing and stay in good balance from start to finish.  Because it is essential for the golf swing to function properly, relaxation of the mind and body should be your first priority.

Please keep in mind that this also applies to the short game, even though I will be referring to the full golf swing.

Tension restricts movement. A quiet, relaxed mind and body allows you to swing more freely. Simply stated, muscle groups respond more easily to a natural, balanced swing motion.

If your mind is tense, your muscles will be too.

If you have had a hectic day at work or at home, chances are you will take that tension and anxiety to the first tee. This tension not only causes tight muscles, but can also increase the speed of your swing.

When that happens, the small muscles (hands and arms) take over the large muscles (shoulders, hips, and legs) throughout the golf swing.

The large muscle groups cannot move as fast as the small muscles.  All your body parts must be given time to slow down and do their jobs efficiently and in harmony.

Click here to view the embedded video.

First, clear your mind.

Picture your mind as a blackboard, and written on it are all the thoughts and happenings of the day.  The key is that you’ve got the mental eraser!  Erase your mind of everything and take a moment to put yourself in an environment that makes you relaxed, quiet and happy.

Take a deep breath and let it out slowly. Allow your mind and body to come down so that you can be up and ready to play a good round of golf.

Now your mind and body can focus more clearly on each and every golf shot, one hole at a time.

The quality of golfing equipment you use in your golf game can make a real difference in your game. 

With new technologies in club designs and materials used to make the clubs, you’ll probably  get overwhelmed at the various choices you will have when buying [...]]]> Golfing Course for Beginning Golfers

Part 1: Golf Equipment
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The quality of golfing equipment you use in your golf game can make a real difference in your game. 

With new technologies in club designs and materials used to make the clubs, you’ll probably  get overwhelmed at the various choices you will have when buying golf equipment.

Because you are just learning the game, you will want to have clubs that are more forgiving.

The beginning golfer should be looking for clubs that are the most forgiving when the ball is struck off-center.

There are brands of clubs which are “perimeter-weighted”   These types of golf clubs place the most weight of the club around the edges, which prevents the club head from turning with a poorly hit shot.

If you would like something that makes it very easy to get the ball in the air, you should look for irons that have more sole weighting.

A “sole weighting” golf club design lowers the center of gravity by putting the weight under the ball, helping to get it in the air quicker.

Titanium Clubs vs Steel Drivers

Titanium is stronger, denser and lighter than steel, thus the golf club head can be made larger with the same amount of material. And a larger head also means the size of the sweet spot will be larger.  Since off-center shots will make you lose distance and fade left or right, a larger sweet spot will be the most forgiving when you miss the perfect spot.

Some heads feature an “offset” design to prevent your shots spinning left-to-right and giving a straighter ball flight.

The offset means the face is slightly behind the hostel of the club head.  This gives you an extra split second in the swing to get the face back to the square position.

Click here to view the embedded video.

For your number one driver, the larger the head the more forgiving it will be as we’ve discussed already.

These are all going to have the largest face, producing the largest sweet spot.  This is very important, since a beginner golfer doesn’t always hit the ball right in the middle of the clubface.

For fairway woods, the lower profile woods make it easier to get the ball airborne.

Graphite vs Steel Woods

Graphite golf club shafts are the most forgiving golf club shafts for poor shots, but personally I don’t like their flexibility when I swing them.

They absorb the vibration like a shock absorber, allowing for a much better feeling shot.

Graphite shafts are lighter weight, so you will pick up some swing speed which will give you more distance.  For this reason graphite shafts are more popular than steel shafts in the metal woods when distance is your primary goal.

Your Golf Grip is Everything

A good golf grip is essential to playing a good game of golf.

If you are gripping the golf club incorrectly or too hard, you will end up with shots that go places you don’t want them to go.

There is no one exact [...]]]> How do you know if you’ve got a good golf grip?

A good golf grip is essential to playing a good game of golf.

If you are gripping the golf club incorrectly or too hard, you will end up with shots that go places you don’t want them to go.

There is no one exact science to the golf grip, but there are three basic golf grips that golfers use today:

• The overlapping grip is the most common golf grip used.  It is used mostly by male golfers and those with strong wrists and forearms.  The little finger of the right hand lies on top of or overlaps the index finger on the left hand.

• The baseball grip is most commonly used by younger golfers, females, seniors, and those with weaker wrists and arms.  The index finger of the left hand and the little finger of the right hand meet but do not overlap or interlock.

• An interlocking grip will be used by golfers with shorter hands and fingers, those with thicker or chunkier palms, and golfers who have difficulty with the overlapping grip.  The index finger of the left hand and the little finger of the right hand overlap each other and interlock.

Here is the basic way to grip a golf club no matter which grip you use.  Start by holding the club directly in front of you with your right hand with the club head pointing away from you at about a 45 degree angle.

Next grip the club with your left hand if you are right-handed.

The club will be mainly in the palm across the pads at the base of the fingers. However, the club will lie across the first section of the index finger.  The thumb will be positioned straight on top of the golf club shaft. Relative to the golf club, the thumb will be in the twelve o’clock position.

Now, with your right hand, grip the golf club just above your left hand with the fingers, not the palm, of your right hand. Your thumb will be positioned slightly off to the left. Relative to the golf club, the thumb will be in an eleven o’clock position.

If you have gripped the golf club correctly, only the first two knuckles of your left hand will be visible. Also, your left thumb should be completely hidden under your right hand.

The index finger position of your right hand will look and feel like a gun trigger finger.

Click here to view the embedded video.

If your golf grip pressure is right, the club could almost be pulled out of your hands, but not quite. 

A correct golf grip will make you feel as if you are holding the club mostly in the palm and last three fingers of your left hand.

Regardless, both hands should hold the golf club with equal pressure.

Those of us who love the game know that the more information you have regarding the swing, course management, putting, etc, the more chance you have of improving your game.

So what kind of [...]]]> Everyone is looking for tips to improve their golf game, especially beginning golfers!

Golf is not an easy sport to master. 

Those of us who love the game know that the more information you have regarding the swing, course management, putting, etc, the more chance you have of improving your game.

So what kind of golf tips can we offer up in this article?  Let’s start with the basics…

First, if you have a bad temper, you probably shouldn’t take up golf unless it is part of an anger management strategy…seriously! 

Actually, golf can be good for your mental state. You may find that you can take out your frustration on the golf course in productive ways and perhaps you can gain better control of that temper!

Since most people have trouble with their setup or how they approach the ball to swing, our first set of golf tips will deal with the setup or “approach”: 

• Position your body so your body is parallel with the target line
• Your feet should be shoulder width apart
• With short irons, put the ball in the center of your stance
• Middle irons should have the ball placed one ball toward the target side from center
• For long irons and fairway woods, place the ball two ball lengths toward the target from center
• The ball should be three ball lengths toward the target from center
• Balance your weight on the balls of your feet
• Bend your knees slightly and keep your spine straight
• Move your body from the hips and make it a smooth, fluent motion

Keep your eye on the ball until well after you complete your follow-through swing.

Click here to view the embedded video.

If you don’t do this, you will have a tendency to stand up on the ball which will cause you to top the ball.  Do this with all shots.  Look at the back of the ball and don’t take your eyes off of it until it’s natural to look and see where the ball has gone.

When putting, the best golf tips we can offer up are:

1. Visualize the path your ball will travel so that it will go in the hole
2. Read the green and take into account any dips that may cause your ball to change its direction.  Then you can compensate with your aim.
3. The putting swing is a smooth, pendulum-like action with no wrist break.  You will swing with your shoulders and should always keep your head down.
4. Be sure you put enough speed on the ball so that you will actually make it to the hole.  There’s nothing worse than coming up short on a putt.  These lead to three putt disasters and can be very frustrating!

You can never have too many tips if you really want to make your golf game better…;)