Reading The Green

October 2nd, 2008

It is rare to come across a completely flat green because it is necessary for water to drain off; this is why they are nearly always sloped. Allowing rain or water to roll off is necessary, but it also causes balls to curve off line when you are putting. Dealing with this sloping even as you are putting will take time and practice.

Uphill and downhill putts are a result of sloping turf but side to side sloping means the ball wants to move sideways on its way to the hole. Your ability to read the “break” or slope is a key to how well you putt. It is obvious that a sharper slope causes more break than a smaller one.

This is called reading the green and should be done as you move towards the next shot. As you walk towards the green begin to notice the overall slope of the land and any features such as hills, bodies of water and valleys. These are items that will come into play as you plan your next shot. When you reach the ball, make a quick decision of what you think the ball will do.

Now take a little time (a few seconds) checking from the ball to the hole, and maybe from the hole to the ball, this is how you will finalize the quick decision you made earlier. This can be done while other players are setting up for their shots; this allows you to be ready when your shot comes up.

After deciding how a putt will break think about how much it is going to break, will it make a right to left move, and how many inches you think it will move. You will learn how to do this effectively as you play, as in all other situations, experience is the best teacher.

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Learning The Correct Golf Stance

October 2nd, 2008

Learning to take an appropriate stance is as important as learning to take a good grip, if a golfer
lacks in either of these areas, his swing will suffer. The beginner must constantly be aware of watching his stance, and not getting off balance.

The positioning of your feet will never be automatic, watching the pros, you will see that they take as much if not more time setting up their stance than they take making their shot. At some point your shots will become automatic, with little needed thought, your stance will never become natural, and you will always be required to concentrate on the placement of your feet.

Develop the habit of putting your feet in an exact, correct position every time you take your stance. Always visually check your stance before continuing to your shot. You should also set you body in the same position; the hips and shoulders need to be parallel to the line of flight for the ball. Early in your golf career your ball should be centered between your feet, with your body bent at the hips, not the waist.

The calm, pre-swing position is important because it is the same position you will have at the point of impact on the ball (unless you let your swing go wild that is). If you have a faulty stance the errors will be multiplied many times over at the point of contact. Your stance will determine the direction of your shot, so it should be set up carefully.

You may think you are facing a direct target, only to find that your eyes have deceived you and the ball actually goes the direction your body is pointed in. It is acceptable to occasionally plum bob your shots to make sure that you are properly aligned and not in an off line stance.

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Exercise To Improve Your Golf Game

August 19th, 2008

Therefore, you like to golf, but you need to improve on your game. Did you know that if you work out you would be able to improve your golf game by a good amount of strokes? If you work on the upper body strength, you should be able to drive the ball further and close to the hole.

In addition, with your dedication to your work out you should find that being disciplined is a challenge but you can truly focus on your game. You should work out at least for an hour every day to stay fit. Therefore, why not focus on exercises that will improve your swing and golf game. When you are working out, you don’t want to go overboard. You can do a light training everyday and your game will improve with time.

Most of the exercises that you can do to improve your golf game are simple. Gold conditioning is becoming very popular. You will find that many of the guys at the gym are working out for their game. You can make up your own training program that will fit into your schedule. You don’t want it to be hard because it will discourage you from training.

You should make a program up that is focused on general strength. You can run for ten minutes and then hit the weights or you can do some moves to increase your strength. You will want to do some squats and head, shoulders, knees, and toes routine so that you can increase your mobility and work out the back a little.

Always keep it basic. You don’t have to hire a trainer or go to a gym. All you have to do is some running, some stretches, and some lifting to get your upper body bulked. Don’t expect to see results right away. You are doing a low impact workout. You can build some muscle over time, but you don’t want to grow big fast because it’s very unhealthy.

When it comes to equipment, you will need a medicine ball and exercise ball. With the medicine ball, you will increase your awareness and same forearm strength. As for the exercise ball, you can work out on a budget and it will increase your flexibility. You can also work out your stomach, side muscles, forearms, and your back when you use these two things.

If you would like to increase your work out, you can purchase some weights. They are usually inexpensive so you shouldn’t have to worry about the cost, when you purchase weights you don’t want to go overboard either, because you may end up hurting yourself. When you begin your work out you will notice a difference in your game.

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