Short-Game Practice: Putting

Short-Game Practice: Putting

Give your golf game a big boost with simple putting fundamentals

Establishing correct putting form is essential to improving your golf game. Putting drills may not be fun, but it they're the most important.

"With any luck, on a par four you'll hit one shot from the tee, one shot from the fairway and two putts. So, if you think about it, putting is half your game," says Keith Reese, Head PGA Professional at Louisville, Kentucky's Valhalla Golf Club, site of the 2008 Ryder Cup Matches.

According to Reese, a putting drills routine that includes the following six keys will result in a marked improvement in your scores:

1. Same length back and through. The key to putting-stroke pace and rhythm is to make the back-stroke the same length as the forward-stroke.

2. Let the shoulders and arms do the work. The main source of movement is the shoulders and arms. They work together and the hands remain quiet.

3. Keep the head steady. Good putters keep their head still from the start of the stroke to the finish. If the head moves, it is nearly impossible to make solid contact.

Short-Game Practice: Putting:

Give your golf game a big boost with simple putting fundamentals

Golf Club Fitting

Golf Club Fitting

Custom golf club fitting can make a huge difference in performance

Buying golf clubs without a personal club fitting is like buying shoes without checking the size. Custom fit golf clubs will tailor the golf game to the golfer.

The golf clubs displayed at golf shops and pro shops are built to standardized specifications.

If the customer doesn't fit those specs, the equipment won't fit the customer. Without the proper club fit, no golfer will reach optimal performance.

It is a necessity for golfers to receive a custom club fitting, from a trained and experienced club fitter, before making a golf club investment.
A good professional club fitter will test the following seven interrelated variables during a custom fitting session: shaft length; lie angle; shaft flex; shaft type; grip size; golf club head design; and set make up. Each variable is briefly explained below:

Shaft Length: Among other things, shaft length will impact where on the clubface the ball is consistently struck. The correct shaft length will prevent a golfer from having to alter a natural swing arc in order to make optimal impact.

Lie Angle: This is the angle formed by the shaft and sole of the club. Having a correct lie angle will cause the center of the clubhead to touch the ground. If the toe of the clubhead is raised, a hooking shot may result. Should the heel be raised, a push or slice may result.

Shaft Flex: The shaft flex impacts things such as trajectory, accuracy, distance and consistency. During the golf swing, the club "flexes" throughout until squarely meeting the ball at impact. An incorrect shaft flex significantly reduces the chance of making consistently solid contact.

Shaft Type: Here, again, personal characteristics make the decision. The composition of steel and graphite shafts, their kick (or bend) points, swing weights and torque ratings are considerations

Grip Size: The right grip size can impact the golfers ability to return the clubface to a square position and release the wrists through impact. Also, with the variety of grip compositions, personal preference is a determining factor.

Clubhead Design: With the advent of MOI (moment of inertia) importance, this factor has become a big consideration, particularly with higher handicappers. When shots are struck outside the sweet spot, a high MOI reduces twisting at impact, delivering shots closer to the target area.

Set Make Up: The new hybrid clubs have given golfers a wider range of choices in the clubs they carry in their bag, their set make up. Numerous lofts and designs in woods, hybrids, irons and wedges make the need for professional custom club fitting more important.

Due to the interrelatedness and number of variables, it is difficult, if not impossible for anyone aside from a professional to conduct a proper club fitting.

Online golf retailers offer club fitting, but often all factors aren't considered. Club fitters should be able to give golfers personal attention and many often use technology in the form of launch monitors as one means of assessment.

A launch monitor typically measures clubhead speed, ball speed, launch angle, spin rate, carry distance and overall distance. Measuring these characteristics, along with others, will help the club fitter select the proper clubs for each golfer. Many golf shops will offer club fitting without requiring club purchase, albeit for a fee.

After a custom club fitting, golfers will feel confident that they have made a good decision in their investment. The added confidence will enhance performance almost as much as the custom fitting itself.

Rules of Golf Simplified, The Tee

A Lot Can Happen While Still on the Teeing Ground, So Be Careful

On the first tee, golfers decide whether to play a skins game or best ball team match, maybe even whether to roll the ball in the fairway or pick up gimme puts.

The problem is, two of those will get everyone who agrees disqualified, according to the Rules of Golf. Talk about the dangers of peer pressure.

Here's another example: A golfer has been on the practice range trying to decide whether she'll play those new hybrids or keep her 3 and 4 irons in the bag. Without taking any of the clubs out of her bag, she goes to the first tee to meet her foursome with 16 clubs. Fourteen clubs is the max. She's about to make a costly mistake.

Here are the rules that accompany those two sample golf rules violations.

Rule 1-3: Players must not agree to exclude the operation of any Rule or to waive any penalty incurred
.
In his book Playing By The Rules (Pocket Books, 2000), Arnold Palmer stated that Rule 1-3 is probably the single most violated rule. It is so easy to be broken, especially in a casual game within a friendly foursome.

Lots of people would be wealthy if they had a quarter for every time they've heard or said, "Ok, everyone gets two mulligans per side," or "Any putt inside the putter grip is a gimme."

As mentioned earlier, the penalty for agreeing to break the rules, no matter if it is something as seemingly benign as agreeing to a mulligan (essentially, a do-over), the penalty is disqualification.

In a match between friends, fellow competitors would have a tough time telling another competitor that all bets are off due to such a rules infraction. They'd be "on the right side of the law" though.

Rule 4-4: A player may carry a maximum of 14 clubs in his golf bag.

It's a simple rule, but easily, carelessly broken. The example above has happened more times than anyone is aware.

The most famous recent example is when Ian Woosnam began his final round at the 2001 British Open with 15 clubs in his bag. Woosnam's caddy, who had been given the responsibility of counting the clubs, informed Woosnam as soon as he noticed the unfortunate occurrence. Woosnam called the penalty on himself and turned his birdie into a bogey, after the two-stroke penalty. It likely cost him the tournament.

Each rule referenced in this article was cited, in whole or in part, from The Rules of Golf, jointly published and maintained by the United States Golf Association and the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews. The Rules govern the game of golf and maintain its integrity.

PRofessional Golfer's Secret to Putting Rhythm

A Professional Golfer's Secret to Putting Rhythm

A Key to Consistency, Fewer Putts, and Lower Golf Scores

Inconsistent putting has wrecked many great rounds of golf. Developing a consistent rhythm with the putter can help golfers master their putter.

Golfers use their putter more than any other club in their golf bag during a round of golf, however, putting is one of the least effectively practiced parts of their game.

Mike Shannon, putting instructor at Sea Island Golf Learning Center, and considered by many to be the world's best putting instructor, has some great advice regarding establishing a repeatable putting stroke.

According to Shannon, establishing a consistent rhythm to the putting stroke is essential. For every golfer, speed is everything in putting. Says Shannon, "When you talk about speed, you have to talk about the rhythm of the putting stroke."

To establish an individual's rhythm, a simple drill is in order. One that makes use of a metronome.

Establishing a Rhythm
According to Shannon, "Ninety percent of all the (tour) players have a rythym of 76 beats per minute." All tour players, says Shannon, have a rhythm of between 72 and 80 beats per minute (bpm) with a metronome.

A golfer can establish his or her rhythm using a metronome by putting 12 or so balls to a cup that is approximately 25 feet away. Set the metronome to 76 bpm, clip the metronome to a pocket, and practice putting to the cup in time with the metronome.

As Shannon demonstrates, the putting stroke will consist of starting with one tone of the metronome and impact the ball at the next tone.

After putting the 12 balls a few times, says Shannon "most of your balls should be in a pattern." Most of them will be in a two to three foot radius somewhere around the cup.

Prepare the Body

Prepare the Body: Give Your Game Five Minutes

Most people know the routine: out of the car, grab the clubs, head to the tee box, and let it rip. Few things can be more detrimintal to a round of golf, as well as the golfer's body, than that sequence of events. Time-starved people are scarcely able to squeeze in enough time for a round of golf, to say nothing of extra time alloted for stretching and warm-up. But, five extra minutes is all that's required.

It doesn't seem so, but golf is one of the most high-impact sports a person can play. There's as much, or more, force generated in an average golf swing as in the collision between two football players. Not to mention the torque the body is subjected to during the changeover from backswing to downswing to follow-through. A new golf program called 5 Minutes to Tee Time helps golfers maximize their precious time and prepare their bodies for golf.

The golf exercises in 5 Minutes to Tee Time, developed by fitness expert, Michael Bruno, don't break new ground. They do, however, demonstrate that even five minutes of warm-up can do a world of good. The program has done something very innovative which simplifies the process. Included with the purchase is a bag-tag that has an image of each stretch and exercise contained in the program. Other program materials explain the benefits of each exercise, but the bag-tag serves as a simple, much needed reminder of what needs to be done.

It doesn't take the place of a physical fitness program and doesn't seek to do so. But, a short few minutes of warm-up will help ensure the body is cared for during the round and help a golfer play better golf.

Sustained, continual improvement takes time and effort, but every golfer can play better golf today by following the advice of these professionals.

How to play golf

Learn How to play golf like a Professional!

In a cruel ritual beginning each season, golfers resolve to play better golf. Most fall victim to information overload and short of their goals, which isn't necessary.

The natural inclination of the average golfer when thinking of ways to improve their game is to tinker with their golf swing. Though there is usually work to be done there, the swing may not be the first place to look. Two small changes, which can be implemented instantly, can result in lower scores and become part of a process that will lead to lifetime enjoyment of the game.

Prepare the Mind: The First Small Step, Great Leap

Make no mistake, being able to get in and stay in "the zone" takes time and practice, but it can be done. Just like in the development of a fundamentally sound golf swing, a good mental approach to golf takes much repetition. That doesn't mean golfers need to tough it out for years or months until they reach the Valhalla of golf psychology.

Leading golf mental performance expert, Dr. Morris Pickens, in his new book, Learn to Win: One Shot at a Time, offers great advice for golfers. The key to the first small step is found in the title of Pickens' book, "one shot at a time."

Most amateur golfers want to play better golf, but they get in their own way, not through swing limitations, but in their expectations and on-course thinking. According to Dr. Pickens, when the inevitable poor shot happens, allow a time for lamentation and complaining, but then let it go. Even professionals hit poor shots, but most of them are able to forget about them and move forward.

Amateurs shouldn't be any different. The same goes for hitting a great shot. Once it happens, allow some time to admire it and then move to the next shot.

Having realistic expectations and not letting bad shots ruin a round is a key to playing better golf.

Take a look at this:

To know more click here

To know more click here