Young guys are the worst offenders of this.
A young string guy comes to the golf course and there is an overwhelming tendency to hit the ball.
It's the big drives that impress and big drives need big hits don't they?
I have done this myself only to be out-driven by a small lady or an elderly gentleman.
They were stroking the ball rather than going for the big hit.
This allowed them to have more control, which translated to more distance and they were hitting the ball better.
We all watch the professionals and see them hit the ball with fast powerful drives, but they aren't actually 'hitting' the ball.
They are actually stroking the ball albeit at a lot faster speed and a whole lot more powerful manner than people who 'hit' the ball.
This 'stoking' becomes all the more important with short play where a stroke will result in more accuracy and a more accurate level of distance for the particular choice of club.
If you are a 'hitter' of golf balls then you can start correcting this area of your game by concentrating on how you putt.
Everyone naturally has a tendency to stroke the ball on the green because they know that the distance can be achieved with a light touch.
The next step it to take that relaxed action to the next step with your short game using the pitching wedge, 9-iron and 7-iron.
Once you see how well the ball will travel and the additional control you have by stroking the ball you can then use that same relaxed flowing action with the other clubs in your bag.
As you move to your woods and then your driver you might be quite surprised how a change in action from hitting to stroking the ball will get you all the distance you have been aiming for effortlessly.
READ MORE
Hydration – Are You Getting Enough Water?
One of the aspects that many people fail to address on the golf course is remaining hydrated.
For many reasons, golfers fail to drink enough water to remain sufficiently hydrated and correspondingly their quality of play suffers.
Whether it is due to the inconvenience of needing to go to the toilet, or the fact that most people just don't even think about drinking enough water when they are playing, it is a fact that your game will suffer if you become, even slightly, dehydrated.
You don't need to consume gallons of water, but you do need to drink sufficient to maintain the correct balance of fluids in your body.
The hotter the climate where you are playing, the more likely you will need to address this issue, as you will be losing a lot more moisture from your body when playing in hot conditions.
It's quite simple to carry a water bottle around with you and get in the habit of taking a small sip before or after each time you play a shot.
One of the first areas to suffer from dehydration will be your mind - the way you think and concentrate.
Your levels of concentration will diminish rapidly as you lose hydration and as golf is a 'mind game' as much as anything else, you can expect your ability to play well to diminish accordingly.
You might find that the illusive handicap you have been shooting for and never quite achieved is actually 'sipping' not slipping away from you.
Yes - I said sipping because having regular sips of water as you play your round of golf might be all that you need to lift your game play to the next level.
I have seen it happen many times when people just weren't aware that they were lacking hydration.
Once they addressed the problem their scores improved - some quite dramatically.
READ MORE
For many reasons, golfers fail to drink enough water to remain sufficiently hydrated and correspondingly their quality of play suffers.
Whether it is due to the inconvenience of needing to go to the toilet, or the fact that most people just don't even think about drinking enough water when they are playing, it is a fact that your game will suffer if you become, even slightly, dehydrated.
You don't need to consume gallons of water, but you do need to drink sufficient to maintain the correct balance of fluids in your body.
The hotter the climate where you are playing, the more likely you will need to address this issue, as you will be losing a lot more moisture from your body when playing in hot conditions.
It's quite simple to carry a water bottle around with you and get in the habit of taking a small sip before or after each time you play a shot.
One of the first areas to suffer from dehydration will be your mind - the way you think and concentrate.
Your levels of concentration will diminish rapidly as you lose hydration and as golf is a 'mind game' as much as anything else, you can expect your ability to play well to diminish accordingly.
You might find that the illusive handicap you have been shooting for and never quite achieved is actually 'sipping' not slipping away from you.
Yes - I said sipping because having regular sips of water as you play your round of golf might be all that you need to lift your game play to the next level.
I have seen it happen many times when people just weren't aware that they were lacking hydration.
Once they addressed the problem their scores improved - some quite dramatically.
READ MORE
Golf is all about balance
You need to get the right balance on your feet, in the movement of your body, in the swing of the clubs and so on.
Balance goes further than just the body however.
You need a balanced approach to the game with your mind in sync with your body.
You need to only consider the one stroke that you are playing and not let other holes impact on your balance.
When we get golf lessons we're taught about the distribution of weight on our feet and the weight distribution when we swing to strike the ball.
Many of the techniques seem foreign to the beginner but it is all about training the player to find balance in their game so the actions are effortless and natural.
Our balance should flow through with the movement of the swing in one fluid action to the striking of the ball and even after the ball has been hit with a balanced follow through.
It is a natural feeling that will become second nature with practice.
It is through finding balance in your mind and body that you will start hitting consistently good shots.
Without this it will be very difficult to find any consistency in your game.
Once you get your upper body correctly positioned behind the ball, you will find that you are naturally placing more weight on the back foot.
Try it next time you have a practice swing.
Stand balanced on your feet with no more pressure on the front of the foot than the back.
Position yourself behind the ball and gently swing through without making any effort to concentrate on the distribution of the weight on you feet.
You will find that this will come naturally with no effort at all and that is precisely how you should feel when you are striking the ball.
READ MORE
Balance goes further than just the body however.
You need a balanced approach to the game with your mind in sync with your body.
You need to only consider the one stroke that you are playing and not let other holes impact on your balance.
When we get golf lessons we're taught about the distribution of weight on our feet and the weight distribution when we swing to strike the ball.
Many of the techniques seem foreign to the beginner but it is all about training the player to find balance in their game so the actions are effortless and natural.
Our balance should flow through with the movement of the swing in one fluid action to the striking of the ball and even after the ball has been hit with a balanced follow through.
It is a natural feeling that will become second nature with practice.
It is through finding balance in your mind and body that you will start hitting consistently good shots.
Without this it will be very difficult to find any consistency in your game.
Once you get your upper body correctly positioned behind the ball, you will find that you are naturally placing more weight on the back foot.
Try it next time you have a practice swing.
Stand balanced on your feet with no more pressure on the front of the foot than the back.
Position yourself behind the ball and gently swing through without making any effort to concentrate on the distribution of the weight on you feet.
You will find that this will come naturally with no effort at all and that is precisely how you should feel when you are striking the ball.
READ MORE
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)