Thursday 7 January 2010
Mastering the Smart Golf Approach
Are you aggressive or conservative on the golf course? Do you go for it all the time or do you tend to lay up in certain situations? If you don't know what type of player you are-and the advantages and disadvantages that come with that type of play-you should find out. Otherwise, you're missing a golden opportunity to cut strokes from your golf handicap.
A key to cutting down your golf handicap is knowing what type of player you are and how to adapt that type of play to different courses. It's called playing smart golf. Often, the type of person you are-aggressive or conservative-determines the type of player you are. If you're aggressive in business or in life, you'll probably be aggressive on the golf course. If you're conservative in business and life, you'll probably be conservative on the course.
But that's not always the case. So before you can start thinking about adapting your style of play to a course, you must first determine what type of golfer you are. Unfortunately, taking golf lessons or reading golf tips can't tell you. The best way of doing it is by playing.
Finding The Right Strategy
To determine the type of player you are, alternate playing aggressively and conservatively on each nine holes the next time you play a round. In other words play aggressively on the front nine and conservatively on the back nine. Or, vice versus. Do this for a few rounds and see how you do. The results will give you a feel for the type of player you are. It will also give you a feel for the types of mistakes you're likely to make.
Let's say you're going to play conservatively on the front nine and aggressively on the back nine. Playing conservatively, you hit your driver only if the hole is wide open and the rough is short or moderately long. You play for the fat part of every green. And you lay up on par 5's unless you have an 8-iron or less to the green. If you want to be ultra conservative, make that a 9-iron or less.
Next, play the back nine aggressively. Hit your drive on every par 4 and par 5, even if they're narrow and/or have thick rough. Go for every pin regardless of its location and any obstructions in the way. And instead of laying up, go for it on every par 5, regardless of the type of shot you feel comfortable hitting.
Play Several Rounds And Compare
In the next round, play the opposite way. Play aggressively on the front nine then conservatively on the back nine. Play your next six rounds of golf this way. Save your scorecards. Compare them afterwards to see if playing aggressively or conservatively significantly improves your score.
But don't take the results as an indication that you should always play that way. Rather, let the results decide what your general strategic tendencies should be when your not sure how to play a specific hole or course. Keep in mind that there will always be times when you need to play the opposite of how you typically play. Knowing when to play aggressively or conservatively may take you out of your comfort zone, but it can help you cut strokes from your golf handicap.
Another way of conducting this test is to play three or four rounds aggressively. Then play the next three or four rounds conservatively. Again, compare your scorecards and see which type of play works for you. Adapt the type of play as your overall approach to the game. But remember, there will be times when you will need to be aggressive and time when you'll need to be conservative. That's just being smart.
Playing smart golf, as I tell students taking my golf instruction sessions, is never a bad thing. Master the smart golf approach and you'll find yourself cutting strokes from you golf handicap.
Jack Moorehouse is the author of the best-selling book How To Break 80 And Shoot Like The Pros. He is NOT a golf pro, rather a working man that has helped thousands of golfers from all seven continents lower their handicap immediately.
Free weekly newsletter available with the latest golf tips, lessons and instructions.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jack_Moorehouse
A key to cutting down your golf handicap is knowing what type of player you are and how to adapt that type of play to different courses. It's called playing smart golf. Often, the type of person you are-aggressive or conservative-determines the type of player you are. If you're aggressive in business or in life, you'll probably be aggressive on the golf course. If you're conservative in business and life, you'll probably be conservative on the course.
But that's not always the case. So before you can start thinking about adapting your style of play to a course, you must first determine what type of golfer you are. Unfortunately, taking golf lessons or reading golf tips can't tell you. The best way of doing it is by playing.
Finding The Right Strategy
To determine the type of player you are, alternate playing aggressively and conservatively on each nine holes the next time you play a round. In other words play aggressively on the front nine and conservatively on the back nine. Or, vice versus. Do this for a few rounds and see how you do. The results will give you a feel for the type of player you are. It will also give you a feel for the types of mistakes you're likely to make.
Let's say you're going to play conservatively on the front nine and aggressively on the back nine. Playing conservatively, you hit your driver only if the hole is wide open and the rough is short or moderately long. You play for the fat part of every green. And you lay up on par 5's unless you have an 8-iron or less to the green. If you want to be ultra conservative, make that a 9-iron or less.
Next, play the back nine aggressively. Hit your drive on every par 4 and par 5, even if they're narrow and/or have thick rough. Go for every pin regardless of its location and any obstructions in the way. And instead of laying up, go for it on every par 5, regardless of the type of shot you feel comfortable hitting.
Play Several Rounds And Compare
In the next round, play the opposite way. Play aggressively on the front nine then conservatively on the back nine. Play your next six rounds of golf this way. Save your scorecards. Compare them afterwards to see if playing aggressively or conservatively significantly improves your score.
But don't take the results as an indication that you should always play that way. Rather, let the results decide what your general strategic tendencies should be when your not sure how to play a specific hole or course. Keep in mind that there will always be times when you need to play the opposite of how you typically play. Knowing when to play aggressively or conservatively may take you out of your comfort zone, but it can help you cut strokes from your golf handicap.
Another way of conducting this test is to play three or four rounds aggressively. Then play the next three or four rounds conservatively. Again, compare your scorecards and see which type of play works for you. Adapt the type of play as your overall approach to the game. But remember, there will be times when you will need to be aggressive and time when you'll need to be conservative. That's just being smart.
Playing smart golf, as I tell students taking my golf instruction sessions, is never a bad thing. Master the smart golf approach and you'll find yourself cutting strokes from you golf handicap.
Jack Moorehouse is the author of the best-selling book How To Break 80 And Shoot Like The Pros. He is NOT a golf pro, rather a working man that has helped thousands of golfers from all seven continents lower their handicap immediately.
Free weekly newsletter available with the latest golf tips, lessons and instructions.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jack_Moorehouse
Wednesday 6 January 2010
Golf Swing - Grip Pressure Test You Need to Know to Get a Good Golf Swing
Many of my students overlook the most important ingredient to a good golf swing - grip pressure. This aspect of your golf technique is far from a science and each individual will need to experiment to find the right amount of pressure to apply. In this article I will give you a no-fuss-no-frills methodology that has help countless of my students to nail the perfect pressure in one session on the driving range.
Focusing on your grip is a no brainer. Your hands are the only points of contact between your body and the golf club. This means that all the momentum and torque your body generates has to be efficiently and precisely transferred through your hands into the club for it all to result into a good golf swing.
There is only 1 rule you need to bear in mind:
The TIGHTER you grip the golf club, the SLOWER and LESS FLUID your swing will be
Points Of Contact
The question I get all the time about grip and grip pressure is " Which fingers should I apply the pressure with?". Firstly, pressure should only be applied in the FINGER TIPS, not the entire finger.
FORGET all the confusing mumbo jumbo about using "these fingers" for the left hand and "those fingers" for the right hand. For both hands, the pressure points are the thumb, index finger and pinky. The thumb and index fingers pinch the club, while the pinky is stabilises the grip.
The Practice Drill
Grip the club, applying pressure with the thumb, index finger and pinky. Start with your tightest grip you can. Now, gradually go from a scale 1 to 6. Grip pressure 1 will be your "death grip" and number 5 will be the lightest pressure you need to apply to prevent the club from flying out of your hands. Hit a few balls with the six different pressures. Majority of my students found number 3 and 4 to be their ideal grip.
Generally, as you vary your grip pressure from tightest to lightest, you'll see the flight pattern change from a slice to a hook. In other words, the tighter a right hander grips the club, the tendency is to curve the ball from left to right. As you ease up on the pressure, you should see the fight path straightening out and at the lightest, the ball will curve in the opposite direction. If all this seems a tad bit complicated, it isn't!
Head down to http://www.beginners-golf-tips.com for pictures and more beginners golf tips on predictably getting a good golf swing.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Auroleus_Fadzleigh
Focusing on your grip is a no brainer. Your hands are the only points of contact between your body and the golf club. This means that all the momentum and torque your body generates has to be efficiently and precisely transferred through your hands into the club for it all to result into a good golf swing.
There is only 1 rule you need to bear in mind:
The TIGHTER you grip the golf club, the SLOWER and LESS FLUID your swing will be
Points Of Contact
The question I get all the time about grip and grip pressure is " Which fingers should I apply the pressure with?". Firstly, pressure should only be applied in the FINGER TIPS, not the entire finger.
FORGET all the confusing mumbo jumbo about using "these fingers" for the left hand and "those fingers" for the right hand. For both hands, the pressure points are the thumb, index finger and pinky. The thumb and index fingers pinch the club, while the pinky is stabilises the grip.
The Practice Drill
Grip the club, applying pressure with the thumb, index finger and pinky. Start with your tightest grip you can. Now, gradually go from a scale 1 to 6. Grip pressure 1 will be your "death grip" and number 5 will be the lightest pressure you need to apply to prevent the club from flying out of your hands. Hit a few balls with the six different pressures. Majority of my students found number 3 and 4 to be their ideal grip.
Generally, as you vary your grip pressure from tightest to lightest, you'll see the flight pattern change from a slice to a hook. In other words, the tighter a right hander grips the club, the tendency is to curve the ball from left to right. As you ease up on the pressure, you should see the fight path straightening out and at the lightest, the ball will curve in the opposite direction. If all this seems a tad bit complicated, it isn't!
Head down to http://www.beginners-golf-tips.com for pictures and more beginners golf tips on predictably getting a good golf swing.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Auroleus_Fadzleigh
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