Title:

Principles Of Accurate Chipping

Word Count:

796

Summary:

Here’s a question I sometimes ask when giving a golf lesson. What do pro golfers Jose Maria Olazabal, Tiger Woods, and Sergio Garcia all have in common? Answer: They don’t hit into trouble often, but when they do, their short games save them, and accurate chipping is one of the most potent weapons in their short game. In fact, most players with low golf handicaps chip accurately.

The chip shot is one of the easiest shots to learn in golf. It’s also one of the most crucial....

Keywords:

Article Body:

Here’s a question I sometimes ask when giving a golf lesson. What do pro golfers Jose Maria Olazabal, Tiger Woods, and Sergio Garcia all have in common? Answer: They don’t hit into trouble often, but when they do, their short games save them, and accurate chipping is one of the most potent weapons in their short game. In fact, most players with low golf handicaps chip accurately.

The chip shot is one of the easiest shots to learn in golf. It’s also one of the most crucial. In medal play, accurate chipping can save you one or two strokes on a hole, sometimes more. In match play, it can be the difference between winning or losing a hole or a match. And in player rankings, it’s often what separates players with high golf handicaps from those with low ones.

Confidence, experience, and imagination all contribute to accurate chipping. But so does good technique. Below are 6 keys to accurate chipping:

1.Decide on a landing spot
2.Use a one-piece takeaway
3.Maintain weight on front side
4.Keep hands ahead of clubhead
5.Hold the clubhead
6.Accelerate the club through the ball

Professional golfers play a wide variety of shots around the green. One player may use a sand wedge to chip with from a certain spot, while another hits a 9 iron from the same spot. Regardless of what club they use, they all pick out a landing spot before hitting the ball, which they play the ball off their left heels.

Picking a landing spot is imperative, as I’ve mentioned in my golf tips. So is using a one-piece takeaway. In fact, it’s as important in chipping as it is in driving. Since the shot is hit mostly with your arms and hands, it requires little or no weight transfer, so place your weight on your front side and keep it there. Also, keep your head still when hitting the ball.

The backswing is important as well. The length determines the length of the shot— the longer the backswing, the longer the shot. Be mindful of your backswing when chipping. Also, take the club back smoothly and slowly, allowing your wrists to hinge naturally.

When committing to the downswing, make sure your hands stay ahead of the clubhead to ensure crisp ball-before-turf contact. The objective is to slide the blade of the clubhead under the ball, taking only a sliver of turf in the process.

Also, don’t allow your right hand to cross over your left through impact. Known as “holding the clubhead,” the technique keeps the clubface open, creating a high shot that lands softly on the ground.

In my golf tips I tell players to finish in balance and with their hands slightly higher than the height of their backswing. Doing so indicates that the golfer has accelerated the clubhead through the ball. The motion is similar to throwing a ball underhanded, which I sometimes have players do in my golf lessons to get a feel for the shot.

Change the Club Drill
The change-the-club drill is an excellent exercise for practicing your chipping. It simulates hitting from the fringe of the green or fairway when your landing spot is about 3 feet away, but the ball needs to roll about 15 feet or more. The idea is to hit various clubs with the same motion to learn reaction and distance. It’s a golf lesson in itself.

Choose a green that’s a challenge. Maybe it has some valleys in it or maybe a significant side slope. Then pick a spot about five feet off the green and drop a ball. Set one club about two and a half feet behind the ball and another club about two and a half feet in front of the ball to give you an idea of distance. With the identical motion hit chip shots with each of four clubs—the sand wedge, 9 iron, 7 iron, and 5 iron.

After hitting the ball you’ll notice that the ball runs father as the clubs get lower and lower. Pick the club that will land the ball about two to three feet on the green and run the rest of the way to the hole. Remember to factor in slope and/or the speed of the green when selecting a club.

Using different clubs will give you a better feel for which club runs the ball farther and which lands softly and stops, making club selection somewhat easier next time you play.

Keep practicing this drill until can get within a foot of the pin every time. By then, you should start seeing the benefits of accurate pitching not only in better scores but also in a lower golf handicap. And that will keep you practicing for better results.

Title:

Preparing Your Body For Golf While You Travel

Word Count:

497

Summary:

We all know the temptations of traveling… grabbing a slice of pizza while running to your gate at the airport, an elaborate steak dinner with a client, and being so tired at day’s end that all you want to do is fall into bed. Traveling can often create havoc on regular exercise and golf conditioning. Fitness and good nutrition while on the road can help keep you on top of your game. With a bit of planning and creative strategy you can help keep your body ready to hit the golf course.

Keywords:

travel golf, exercises for travel, amateur golf, golf training, golf conditioning, golf fitness

Article Body:

We all know the temptations of traveling… grabbing a slice of pizza while running to your gate at the airport, an elaborate steak dinner with a client, and being so tired at day’s end that all you want to do is fall into bed. Traveling can often create havoc on regular exercise and golf conditioning. Fitness and good nutrition while on the road can help keep you on top of your game. With a bit of planning and creative strategy you can help keep your body ready to hit the golf course.

First thoughts about travel, exercise and maintaining good nutrition can be negative for many. Some will think, I don’t have the equipment I usually have, my meals will all be eating out or fast food. Instead of giving up on preparing your body for golf, consider ways to maintain a good portion of your normal fitness and health routine. You’ll be surprised at just how much you can accomplish. Here’s a few tips to help:

• As you plan your trip be sure to define your fitness goals while you travel. Keep them specific, measurable, realistic and timely. Consider the constraints you’ll have by your travel schedule and logistics.

• When booking your flights and hotel call ahead or check the internet to find details about exercise facilities. If no facility is available, plan alternate activities like an in-room workout.

• As you pack be sure to include workout gear as space allows.

• If your travel involves time-based appointment, schedule appointment with yourself for your workout. Treat this appointment just as you would any other meeting.

You’ll be surprised at just how much you can accomplish even in your hotel room. Stretches, and some exercises are easily performed as no equipment is necessary. With fitness awareness soaring, many hotels have first-rate fitness centers with a full variety of equipment and their own fitness staff. For most travelers, the best way to fit exercise into their day is by simply setting the alarm a bit earlier to accommodate time for conditioning. This helps to leave the remainder of the day free for your other scheduled activities.

While exercising regularly is important for your health and golf game, so is how you eat. It is so easy to get off course when you are not at home. Try to pack snacks for the trip and an extra water bottle. Travel can place stress on the body and zap you of your energy. Snack and meal replacement bars are handy for travelers with hectic schedules. While bars are no substitute for real food (i.e., fresh vegetables, fruit, and protein), they’re a certainly a step in the right direction from burgers and fries. As you choose your bars read the label to check calorie, fat, carbohydrate and protein content. All bars are not equal.

With a little planning and determination, continued conditioning during your travel can keep your body ready for the golf course.

Title:

Professional Golf Swings

Word Count:

500

Summary:

To watch a professional's golf swing is to watch a thing of beauty. The difference between most weekend warriors and a professional is the pro knows every aspect of their swing.

A professional golf swing takes years upon years to hone. A professional will practice the motion of their swing daily. They need to practice so much because, unlike most of us, they need to know their clubs, the distance of each club and what each type of swing will do for them. The professional c...

Keywords:

golf swing,golf

Article Body:

To watch a professional's golf swing is to watch a thing of beauty. The difference between most weekend warriors and a professional is the pro knows every aspect of their swing.

A professional golf swing takes years upon years to hone. A professional will practice the motion of their swing daily. They need to practice so much because, unlike most of us, they need to know their clubs, the distance of each club and what each type of swing will do for them. The professional can take a 5 iron, turn the face of the club 1/16 of an inch, then take a three 1/4 swing and know that the ball is going 220 yards with a slight fade.

A pro has a consistence swing. They have a pre-shot routine that they will do every time. Most get their club from their caddy. Put their grip on the club, most pros use an overlapping grip. They will then stand behind the ball, this gives them time to focus and get a mental picture of the shot they want to use.

Once they have committed to the shot, they will come to the side of the ball and take a practice swing or two. At this point, they are not trying to think about or change anything in their swing. They are just trying to "feel" the shot.

They are now ready to pull the trigger. They get their proper stance, which is critical. If your stance is off, so is your balance, which, in turn, will give you less club head speed, diminishing your distance. They take the club back on line. They will have a large arc from the beginning of the swing to the top of the back swing by keeping their hands as far away from their body as possible. At the top of the swing they will have "loaded" the swing. The left foot remains flat on the ground, the weight has now gathered to the right heel. The right knee is still flexed. The left shoulder is turned under the chin. The wrists are cocked. All the while keeping the head still. The clubface is square at the top. (Description is for the right handed, reverse for lefties.)

The down swing begins with a weight shift, back to the left. The club comes down, then through the line. When starting down, the wrists are still cocked. They will then unload everything, perfectly timed, at the bottom of their swing. The ball has no choice but to go and go far.

Any pro will tell you that practice is the most important thing you can do to acquire a repeatable swing. There are no short cuts to getting a professional golf swing. They practice; they analyze every aspect, and every inch of their swing. They also get a lot of help from their instructors and caddies. If you are going to try to emulate a professional's golf swing, make sure you pick one who is similar to your body type.

Title:

Professional Golf Careers: Finding Your Path On The Greener Side

Word Count:

603

Summary:

When watching a golf game on TV, there's a quiet subdued quality to the sport that draws people in. The manicured green of the course, the sleek equipment, even the subtly placed product placements can draw spectators in. A number of elements seamlessly combine to create a flawless result. So flawless that many don't realize that behind the golf pro's that make the game look so easy is a host of tournament coordinators, management professionals, travel companies and professio...

Keywords:

professional golf career, golf school, golf job

Article Body:

When watching a golf game on TV, there's a quiet subdued quality to the sport that draws people in. The manicured green of the course, the sleek equipment, even the subtly placed product placements can draw spectators in. A number of elements seamlessly combine to create a flawless result. So flawless that many don't realize that behind the golf pro's that make the game look so easy is a host of tournament coordinators, management professionals, travel companies and professional groundskeepers who are the real pros at making it all look easy. These are people with the real professional golf careers.

The explosion of golf's popularity in the last decade also created rises in other aspects of the industry. Obviously, the clothing and equipment companies got their piece of the pie, as did the golf clubs with rises in memberships and demand for lessons. However, behind all that, the demand for women and men who could keep the cogs of the great golf machine turning almost became overwhelming. Suddenly, golf was no longer just a game or a weekend hobby for a bunch of badly dressed guys who liked to get together on the 14th hole. Golf became big business and created a serious demand for professional golf careers.

Just in the aspect of running a successful facility, golf course management is a type of operations and management venue that has a number of elements particular to the industry. The pro shop, the veritable income for a course second only to membership fees, requires a full knowledge of retail management mixed with a first rate knowledge of golf equipment. Golf instructors must have a detailed eye, yet be effective and encouraging teachers. Then there's the shaman of the facility, which is the groundskeeper. A groundskeeper knows much more than just about cutting grass. A groundskeeper effectively manages a crew and also fully understands the complexities of a course's elements and how they affect its quality.

Even further, golf facilities are only one aspect of the industry. Professional golf careers can go all the way to the other side of the spectrum with tournament coordinators, equipment manufacturers and marketers. Travel companies and the public relations firms as well as publishing companies have all found a niche in the golf industry. Entire markets have been developed for the golf industry. Magazines, instructional videos, even golf-related gift baskets have become a normal part of the backdrop. Holding golf tournaments is one of the most popular fundraising events ever developed and is used on national and local levels in just about every city or town that has a golf course.

Luckily, as the demand has risen, so have a number of educational facilities, which have stepped forward to meet the need. Now, those seeking a true professional golf career can find accredited educational solutions to earn a degree in just about any aspect of the golf industry available, from business management to private golf instruction. A vast majority of the programs run at about two years, providing and applying practical skills and knowledge while earning the degree. Mixing a natural zeal for the game with professional skills is an explosive combination for success. It may even be suspected as reason for the wide success of the industry.

Golf is an industry that continues to grow, evolve and fine-tune itself as time goes on. What makes a professional golf career unique is that it is the type of career that mixes something people love with earning a living. This is a winning combination in any type of industry but no other place is it more obvious than this one.

Title:

Making Your Program Golf Specific

Word Count:

357

Summary:

"Golf-Specific" means different things to different people. One of the things I have learned from my education and experience in working with elite trainers and golfers is that in order to improve someone's performance you must know where their strengths and weaknesses currently exist. This is, of course, the real value of assessments. If you look at the requirements of the golf swing itself, a golfer needs adequate spinal rotation, hip rotation, shoulder rotation, core engagement, some degree of cardiovascular endurance, and some degree of strength and stability.

Keywords:

golf specific, golf fitness, golf exercises, golf program, fitness for golf, golf strength

Article Body:

"Golf-Specific" means different things to different people. One of the things I have learned from my education and experience in working with elite trainers and golfers is that in order to improve someone's performance you must know where their strengths and weaknesses currently exist. This is, of course, the real value of assessments. If you look at the requirements of the golf swing itself, a golfer needs adequate spinal rotation, hip rotation, shoulder rotation, core engagement, some degree of cardiovascular endurance, and some degree of strength and stability.

You don't need to be a bodybuilder or powerlifter for golf, just enough strength to produce a powerful swing. So, in evaluating a golfer you simply look at the rotational ability of the joints that most affect the golf swing. It is also helpful to look at a golfer's current level of strength and stability or muscular imbalances which have the potential to create injury.

But then what? Well, if you are assessing a golfer who always complains about lack of distance and you find out they have very limited spinal rotation then you just found out a potential reason "why." If a golfer lacks adequate spinal rotation, then its virtually impossible to produce respectable distance because you are not able to move your body freely through this motion, at least without finding another way to compensate in the body like excessive hip rotation or other variation.

The good news is that if this is discovered in an assessment, then a few simple stretches which focus entirely on improving spinal rotation will likely yield distance you have never experienced.

This brings us back to the meaning of "golf specific". If we understand the biomechanics of the swing, then we can look at an individual and determine where they need improvement. With some golfers, a few stretches will produce results they've never seen before. With other golfers, they need considerably more strength. Some golfers are very strong, yet can't move through a full range of motion or lack proper core engagement to keep their backs protected. Each golfer is different and therefore has different needs.

Title:

Professional Golf College – Your Key To Happiness

Word Count:

580

Summary:

You love golf. If you had the chance to play every day of the week and make money at the game, you would jump at the opportunity. Sound's too good to be true. It doesn't have to be. Not if you decide to enroll in a professional golf college.

You don't have to be the next Tiger Woods to have a lucrative career in golf. There are plenty of jobs involved in this sport. If it weren't for the greens-keepers and managers, courses would fall into disrepair. With no pros in the sh...

Keywords:

professional golf college, golf academy, golf school,

Article Body:

You love golf. If you had the chance to play every day of the week and make money at the game, you would jump at the opportunity. Sound's too good to be true. It doesn't have to be. Not if you decide to enroll in a professional golf college.

You don't have to be the next Tiger Woods to have a lucrative career in golf. There are plenty of jobs involved in this sport. If it weren't for the greens-keepers and managers, courses would fall into disrepair. With no pros in the shop, there would be no expert to help you when buying your equipment. Without a few mechanics, you'd be walking instead of using a cart.

The list of employment possibilities is endless when you think about it. It takes a lot of different people filling various positions to make the game of golf what it is, whether it's a full-blown tournament or a retiree's relaxing afternoon, and the people who fill these positions probably learned many of their skills in college.

In the past several years, golf has gone from a quiet pastime for the well-to-do and gained popularity among practically every age group and social set imaginable. The sport has blossomed into a multi-million dollar industry worldwide.

To accommodate this boom, these schools have sprung up all over. A career in this sport could have you working in some of the most exotic and luxurious locations in the world. Whether it's on a cruise ship in the Caribbean or at a tropical resort on the Hawaiian Islands, no one could ask for more. If this is what you want to do for a living, start by getting yourself into this specialized college.

Attending college does more than help you learn; it gives you a chance to see if you have what it takes in this type of career. You might start out with your heart set on becoming an instructor, only to find you don't have the patience required to teach particularly difficult students.

Management is another popular aspect. If you'd rather work behind the scenes, management might suit you better. Other aspects include marketing and public relations. Tournaments, country clubs and even individual instructors need to spread the word about their services. They need people like you to organize ad campaigns and publicity. Graphic designers, caterers, caddies and many others all work together to make an event or club successful.

With any of the careers, you'd do well to have some prior experience before you jump into classes. For example, having worked in retail might help if you think you might want to run a pro shop. You'll learn some of the basic skills, and the school helps to expand on those skills to make them industry-specific.

Running a successful pro shop isn't limited to a physical store, either. You may have considered starting a golf business online. Equipment, clothing, vacations, instructional videos and books are all products perfect for selling on the Internet.

How you use your knowledge is limited only by your imagination. You may not have the best game, but what you do have is a love for the game. This enthusiasm is really all you need to be successful.

Start by contacting a few schools to ask what kind of programs they have to offer. You'll be surprised how much these schools provide. And while you're attending a professional golf college, you'll have the opportunity to increase your skills as a player.

Title:

Proper Attitide Is The Key To Your Golf Game

Word Count:

503

Summary:

Attitude - having a good and proper attitude can be the key to your golf game and to whether you play well or not. Whether you do well on the golf links, whether you play a good golfing game with your buddies ,or play or not play a good game of golf at a serious tournament will , in many if not most cases, come down to whether you have been able to cultivate a great and lasting golfing attitude.

Golf is played in a somewhat hostile environment with inferior equipment for t...

Keywords:

golf,golfer,golfing,p.g.a.,pro,lessons,instructor,leisure,travel

Article Body:

Attitude - having a good and proper attitude can be the key to your golf game and to whether you play well or not. Whether you do well on the golf links, whether you play a good golfing game with your buddies ,or play or not play a good game of golf at a serious tournament will , in many if not most cases, come down to whether you have been able to cultivate a great and lasting golfing attitude.

Golf is played in a somewhat hostile environment with inferior equipment for the task at hand. You have to use every facet of your being and golf skills to conquer the forces of the world, the elements, the weather and most important the facts on the ground in front of you on the golf course that you are presently playing.

Success and failure ultimately walk hand in hand as you travel the fairways of your golf rounds. Your attitude to the game of golf will directly affect your final golf scores.

Golf teases you with the most brilliant moments of shot making and then in the next swoop golf can swiftly bring the most avid golfer to his knees. Hopefully over the course of time, and your golf game, you can reflect on your brilliant moments and use your failures to gain insight and experience to adjust and train your golfing swings, movements and actions towards improvement of those negative factors.

Some golfers will even refer to these helpful reflective moments in their golfing career as almost as déjà vu. Others will refer to it almost as a trance like state. The incite full trance of the golf aficionado can often come together , for improvement of golfing skills in what is called or referred to as “The Some”.

Play your game of golf for whatever reason you prefer – recreation, enjoyment, camaraderie, the challenge of a game, or in some cases some people golf in order to be on top and beat other golfers on the golf course by having a lower score than the other golfers in their team or group. Attitude can and will make the difference whether you do well or do not do as well as want on the golf course. Work towards cultivating that proper attitude. Cultivate the proper golf attired. It is well worth putting the energy in. It is like taking the time to learn to type if you want proficient computer skills. To not have the proper attitude on the golf course is to do a half baked attempt on a very serious venture.

Remember in the end golf is a serious matter but it should also be an enjoyable passion. Play the game for whatever reason you choose to play golf – and not for anyone else’s reason. Golf is a journey without a destination and a song with no ending. Enjoy the companionship and the solitude, experience the brilliance and the failures, and do the best to enjoy all the golfing seasons of the years.