Tuesday, June 16, 2009

How To Drive The Ball Right Down The Middle Of The Fairway

Learning how to drive a golf ball straight down the fairway is probably the toughest challenge for the novice golfer as well as a veteran. Golf is a game of patience and skill and I would like to share with you some of the tips that helped improve my game. When a person decides they are going to take up the game of golf they usually just head out to the course with a couple of buddies and just wing it from there. This is probably one of the biggest mistakes a beginner can make.

The hardest place to learn how to play golf is on the golf course. Most beginners have watched golf being played on TV and they assume the game is not that difficult because the pros make it look so easy. The best place for a first time golfer to go would be the practice range. When someone tries to golf for the first time on the actual golf course it does not take long for them to see that they do not know how to drive a golf ball straight. When you start out at the practice range you don't feel all the pressure that goes along with being on the course with a foursome standing right behind you.

Any golfer, a novice or a veteran that needs to learn how to drive a golf ball straight really has to start with the basics. Sometimes this is hard for a veteran golfer to do mostly due to their ego. When someone has been playing golf for many years the chances are good that they have picked up some bad habits and the only way they will ever be able to improve their game is if they go right back to the basics. The first thing that should be looked at is the golfers stance. If the stance is not proper and consistent they will never know how to drive a golf ball straight down the fairway.

You really need to find your comfortable stance that allows you to take a complete and proper swing. There are some basic principles to follow for getting into the right stance but beyond that a golfers stance is unique to the actual golfer. Players have a hard time making changes to how they stand or their back swing or how hard they come down through the ball because they have built up all these techniques throughout the years.

The facts are the facts and if you are not consistently and yes that would be "consistently" driving the ball straight down the fairway then you need to first correct your stance. I have seen it time and time again where a veteran golfer refuses to make any changes to his golfing stance. However, having worked at a driving range for a few seasons I have witnessed more veteran golfers learn how to drive a golf ball straight down the fairway just by correcting their stance and nothing else.

Think about how many times you have taken a shot while on the course and you hear your buddy standing behind you say "you came up out of your stance" or "you didn't keep your head down or you failed to turn your hips," everyone of those actions involves your stance. I am telling you if you want to know how to drive a golf ball straight every time then the first thing you should do is get to the practice range and hit the ball over and over completely focusing on your body's stance 100% of the time. This is the biggest problem for any golfer who doesn't know how to drive a golf ball straight down the fairway every time.

I know you were probably expecting a whole bunch of other tips but the truth is when it comes to playing golf sometimes too much help will do more harm then good. Just give this article some thought the next time you are on the course and you find yourself having a difficult time hitting the golf ball straight. I know if you perfect your stance you will know how to drive a golf ball straight down the fairway with every hit.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

How To Drive Better In One Easy Step

How To Drive Better In One Easy Step

If you're like most folks that are new to golf then you're probably having trouble hitting your driver. There's are a lot of reasons for this...

The primary reason most people struggle to hit their driver is because the driver is the club that has the longest shaft in your bag of clubs. The long shaft makes your swing longer and it means that there is are a higher chance that you will not strike the ball flushly. Simply put in golf when you don't hit the golf ball flush with the face of the club the ball will not go straight. And the long shaft on the driver makes it hard to start and strike the ball in the exact same position which is what you have to do in golf.

Another reason folks struggle to hit the driver is because the head of the club in most drivers these days are quite larger meaning you have to have the golf ball farther off the ground to allow clearance for the large driver club head. Using a 1 wood these days means the difference between using a short tee and a long tee and that can have an impact on your accuracy if you're not used to it.

And finally people struggle to hit the driver because they're usually trying to kill the ball. You know they're usually trying to hit the ball harder and farther then Tiger Woods and it leads to some atrocious looking swings.

So what can you do?

If you're really struggling and you don't know what to do or try next I would recommend abandoning the driver for awhile and using your 3 wood exclusively until you develop a better stroke off the tee.

A 3 wood is a lot easier to hit off the tee since the club head is a lot smaller and it is easier to swing since the shaft is also shorter then that of a 1 wood. You may give up some distance by ditching the driver but you should make up for that loss in yardage with better and improved accuracy.

I know, I know it's a big blow to the ego but if you want to drive better in one easy step then you'll ditch the driver and go exclusively with the 3 wood.

Monday, February 9, 2009

Golf Equipment For Beginners

When it comes to learning about golf, golf equipment, is a subject sometimes greatly overlooked or something that we spend too much time on.

There are of course those lengthy books on how to perfect your golf swing, practicing tips for better consistency, and how to train to be a better golfer and you will of course find some of the best known sports stars endorsing some great products making them even more desirable to you and anyone who wants a lower golf score.

However not ever golfer is a pro so not everyone will need the same equipment that the pros use especially if the golfer is just beginning to learn how to play golf.

At the outset it is actually a good idea to not spend too much money on your first set of golf clubs for a couple of reasons. Number 1 is a good number of beginning golfers actually actually break a few clubs during their first few rounds of play. And number 2 you'll have to play a few rounds before you figure out your swing and truy know what kind of clubs will complement your swing. So better to save some money now and invest later in a quality set of clubs. A great idea for someone new to golf is also used golf clubs because they give you get quality golf clubs at a low price.

Golf clubs are usually made of steel and graphite. However, some are made of carbon fiber and titanium and composite alloys. For someone new to golf it is best to stick to steel and graphite clubs.

Clubs that have steel shafts are much more durable than carbon fibre or graphite clubs. They are much stronger but are heavier to carry and use. Steel shafted clubs are said to have much more accuracy and control compared to graphite ones.

With steel shafted golf clubs you will have to use more power and a quicker swing to make the golf ball go the distance you need it to. These work best for beginners because they help to develop accuracy and control from the start.