Is Pro Golf Instruction for You?
May 22, 2008
I am a first time golfer, would it be wise for me to find good pro golf instruction that can teach me how to draw a golf ball? I am a right handed golfer, this way I will not have to fight the slice. - Dean, Anonymous.
Well Dean, pro golf instruction can make you fall even more in love with golf or make you utterly hate it. I’ll explain. Many feel that golf lessons are absolutely necessary for a golf virgin such as yourself to improve their game. Yet other people will say that getting yourself out on the course to practice over and over is about the only way to get better. However, from my experience… there needs to be a balance between the two.
If you have a good friend or buddy who you know is more experienced and has decent control over their shots, then hit them up for a lesson. But have in mind what you want to accomplish. Its a very good idea to know exactly what you want to occur from the lesson which allows you to plan accordingly, vs. many people who saying… “Oh I want to get better at golf, teach me!!!” Obviously… who doesn’t want to get better?
To commend you though, its good that you have an idea of what you want to improve on by learning how to draw a golf ball which is an important step in learning how to develop your accuracy in golf. Now heres the clincher, if you are truly willing to allow someone to tell you what to do and how to do it, and if you’ve tried having your buddies show you a thing or two on the course and they couldn’t help, then by all means find yourself a professional golf instructor.
Do your research though and find someone who is worth their salt, can actually teach you golf lessons and above all is patient. Sometimes it can take a while to coax a virgin out of their inhibitions when taking stroke after stroke at a ball until they finally shoot one long, straight and deep. So if you’re willing to lay down the cash and time for pro golf instruction make sure that you carefully explain exactly what you want to learn. Before long people might just be asking you to show them how to make that perfect draw. Happy strokes!!
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Beginner Golf Tips - Key to Golf Ball Spin
May 19, 2008
Teach me how to put spin on a golf ball, please? Very new to golf and watching my friends do it over and over with ease makes me want to learn how. Many thanks!! - Jim in Trinidad, CO
Strangely enough, putting spin on a golf ball happens whenever you hit the ball. The key here is obvious, learn how to do it when you want or need to. Through practice, practice, practice and a ton of dedication you will know how to spin a golf ball at will. Having golf ball spin is highly useful, especially to keep your score down. So here are some simple steps to apply that are key to golf ball spin.
Stand with your feet closer together. Position yourself in such a way that the ball is as close to your back foot, as possible. Make sure to use a 60° wedge, also known as a flop wedge is recommended for playing such a shot. A sand wedge can be used in emergency. When you take your swing, you need to swing your club on steeper plane to where you make impact directly at the bottom of the ball.
Don’t let yourself become distracted though by watching your friends putting spin on a golf ball. They have definitely worked themselves to the point where they can make it look so easy and that is something that should be admired rather than envied. Remember to let yourself focus on what you want to achieve but don’t be too attached to the result.
Worrying about it while you are taking your swing will do nothing but frustrate you and hold you back. So follow those simple steps you and will have the key to golf ball spin whenever you need it. Also, you may want to check out my other posts on this subject to get more information and a broader perspective of how its done. Check out How to Put Spin on a Golf Ball and Making Golf Spin Happen. Happy strokes!!
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Beginner Golf Swing Tips - Power Golf Swing
May 15, 2008
Power in your golf swing? How? I’ve gotten my swing down to where the damn thing doesn’t hook or slice but it might as well just be limp in the wind. Tell me how in the world I can get a power golf swing!! - Nick in Reno, NV
Golf Virgin to the rescue dealing out beginner golf swing tips to the virgins of the world!! So you want a power golf swing? Well good for you Nick. I’ll teach you how to swing your shaft in such a way that your balls won’t know what hit them. But not too hard now, believe it or not. If you hit the ball with too much force you will come full circle and start hitting slices and hooks.
Here are some simple steps to follow to get more power in your golf swing. Relax your kung fu grip and forearms, having tight muscles prevents you from being able to have one fluid movement when you take your swing. Also, practice hitting the ball in the middle of the clubface, if you hit the ball on the toe or too high the ball won’t be able to travel nearly as far as a center hit.
Keep your focus on making your swing speed peak at impact, this is simple to understand but kinda hard to apply. Especially if you are accustomed to swinging with that crazy kung fu grip. Those are the steps there Mr. Nick so practice and get yourself to where you can feel the power emanating from your shaft and when you take that shot you will finally posses the almighty power golf swing!!! Happy strokes!!
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Beginner Golf Swing Tips - Accuracy in Golf
May 8, 2008
How do I increase my accuracy in golf when I take a shot? - Jake in Austin, TX
Good question Jake, increasing your accuracy in golf is definitely a worthwhile pursuit if you are serious about improving your game and enjoying it as much as possible. Here are 3 simple beginner golf swing tips to help you wrap your mind around putting those shots exactly where you want them to go.
When you are seeking to improve your driving accuracy its highly important to keep your mind on your swing plane. A good way to illustrate this is that if your swing is too steep, such as being on an “outside in” path, you will most likely end up slicing the ball. Practice swinging your club as if the ball was waist high. Since the swing is a circle tilted over, it will become much easier for you to transfer the swing you make when the ball is waist high to the swing you make when the ball is on the ground.
Also, you have to maintain a steady rhythm with your swing for better golf driver accuracy. This is developed by using counting to yourself when you swing. Counting “one thousand one” and the back swing and “one thousand two” on the downswing will help to create a smooth rhythm.
Lastly, being able to have a fine control of the club face is necessary for having highly controlled accuracy in golf. By possessing a good grip, you should have the ability to hit a ball to the left or the right at will. Having the ability to do both enables you through practice and perseverance to increase your overall accuracy and hit the ball straight. Happy strokes!!
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Making Golf Spin Happen
April 11, 2008
What are the conditions needed for golf spin to happen? A few friends of mine say that there are certain things have to be met before you can get backspin on a golf ball. Have you heard of that before? - Kern in Phoenix, AZ
Kern, honestly getting good golf spin is something that is pretty hard to accomplish and not to mention doing so in such a way that you can control it. Also, there are only a few reasons why you would need spin on a golf ball to begin with.
Your buddies were right in saying that there are certain conditions which have to be met prior to even thinking about using this shot. If these conditions do not exist, you’re better off not trying to add golf spin. Here are some tips below on when it would be to your advantage to do so.
1. Both the club face and the ball have to absolutely, completely dry.
2. This shot must be taken on the fairway where the grass can’t get in between the club and the ball.
3. The green has to be cut very short.
4. Its really in your favor to use a new ball, that has a high spin rate with a soft cover.
5. And finally use a clean and again a relatively new club that has good groves on the face.
This is pretty much in a nutshell what you need in order to achieve backspin along with a lot of practice. Refer back to my post on how to get good spin on a golf ball so you can have a better understanding of making this difficult shot happen.
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Golf Explained - Etiquette of Golf in 13 Easy Steps
April 3, 2008
Your very own “beginner golf tip girl” the Golf Virgin, felt that it was time to help out with some common sense driven golf course etiquette. She has recently been appalled at stunningly stupid behavior from “people” who should know better.
Here is a nice, quick and easy chart… < - - loves charts, for all of you to fold up in your pocket and carry with you onto the green. You’ve now been forewarned. Learn this simple, etiquette of golf and be saved the misery of wide open mouths staring at you in disbelief. See below - golf explained.
| 1. Arrive at your scheduled tee off time. |
| 2. Be sure to be patient and respect other players on the course as you wish to be respected and don’t make any loud noise. Normal speaking or conversation is ok but hooting and hollering at your buddies isn’t. |
| 3. Check your marker and your ball number in order to avoid confusion during the game. |
| 4. Do not take practice swings on the tee off zone. |
| 5. For the sake of common sense, do not stand close behind, near or in front of any other player and be as quiet as possible when a player is about to take a shot. |
| 6. Normally, the player with the lowest handicap starts the game by taking their first shot. On all other tees the player with the best score out of the previous hole has “the honor”, meaning he has the right to play (with) his ball first. |
| 7. Always be prepared to play your ball in order to avoid any delay in the game and leave immediately after you’ve made your shot. (Sounds like most men doesn’t it?) |
| 8. Don’t play your stroke if other players intend to do their puts on any green in the neighborhood. |
| 9. Don’t take a shot in the direction of another player that may be in hitting distance. See the post why we yell fore in golf for more info. |
| 10. Be kind, nothing will piss off a Superintendent more than not replacing divots or fixing any other damage you cause to the course. And make sure to rake those bunkers back into perfect condition! |
| 11. To avoid looking like someone of lesser intelligence, don’t drive your cart over tee off areas, greens or through a sand bunker. Also, before putting be sure to leave your cart somewhere beside the green, preferably in an area beside the next tee off zone. |
| 12. Try to stand somewhere beside the player who has to do the next shot. |
| 13. If possible, try to observe not only your own but also the balls of the other players in your company. This will help to save time in case one of your partners may not be able to find his ball immediately after his shot. |
I could go on and on and on, especially after some of the absolutely, thoughtless behaviors I’ve witnessed in my time. So now y’all know some quick and easy ways not to look like “fantard” swaggering around, looking for a beating. Use this etiquette of golf and if you don’t hey… don’t be surprised if someone takes their club to your head. Happy strokes!!
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Beginner Golf Tips for Everyone
April 2, 2008
Hey beginner golf tip girl. I’m in need of some help here. I find that I have trouble with my stance. My buddy says he sees my left knee dropping in sometimes when I swing. But he couldn’t really tell me how to fix it. Worthless bastard huh? Anyways, what golf tips could you give me young lady? - Anonymous
Beginner golf tip… girl? Why don’t you just be proper and call me by my name? Golf Virgin… you’re not shy about that are you? Wow, all these people wanting golf tips left and right just makes me happy as a lark. Definitely makes me perk up when I know people are getting help. So Anonymous Name Person, golf tips I will give.
I’ve come across a lot of golfers who let their left knee collapse toward the right during the backswing. When your knee falls in like that, it causes your shoulder to drop, and makes you end up turning too far into the swing itself. Now in order to correct this problem, imagine taking a solid stance with your left knee going out toward the target on the backswing.
There should be a feeling of stability in both knees. If this is difficult to visualize, imagine a basketball between your knees. This basically gives you a perfect idea of how your golf stance should look and feel like.
Keep in mind that on the backswing, it is highly important to keep your weight on the inside of the right foot, and maintain a slight bend in the knee. If this does not happen, it can lead to poor contact when the clubhead meets the ball and a definite power loss.
Think of it this way, as you are drawing back the club, imagine that the right knee is rooted into the ground. Doing so allows for your upper body to coil behind the ball which enables you to powerfully swing through and make a nice clean drive.
Another good beginner golf tip for you Anonymous Name Person is that in order to work towards and maintain an accurate and powerful swing, practice making the extension and follow through with your club after you’ve taken your swing. Finally, put a tee about 8 inches in front of the ball that you are going to hit.
Make an effort to hit not only the ball but also the tee. This will help to train you to swing through the ball, not at it, just don’t get too overzealous and begin wacking away like a drunken old fogey in hysterics.
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In the Leather
March 17, 2008
Golf Virgin, I saw your answer earlier and I wanted to know if “in the leather” is similar to what you talked mentioned about a conceded putt? - Don in San Diego, CA
Well, the term in the leather has nothing to do with certain types of risqué practice that some people enjoy. And yes you are correct in your thinking of this being similar to a conceded putt, where one player allows the other making the putt to move on as if the putt had been holed.
In the leather is a slang expression for a short putt, no longer than the distance from your putter head to putter grip when laid flat on the green. Be friendly to your buddies because you never know when you might find yourself all tied up.
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A Golf Slice Cured
March 7, 2008
I have a golf slice but I really want to get better and improve this as much as possible. Do you think this is something that I can work out on my own? - Quinn in Rapid City, SD
A golf slice requires a lot of hard work to improve and if you really are interested in making this cure stick then lets get into the meat of how and why this happens and go from there. I want to pick this apart so you can gain a much clearer understanding of what you need to improve your stroke. Now, to make it perfectly clear, this advice is for righties so you need to reverse this if you are lefty.
If you hit a golf slice to the right, it means that it’s curving in a left-right motion across the horizon and if the ball doing this, it is spinning in a clockwise direction. Right now, imagine that your ball is sitting on a peg. To spin the ball clockwise, the club has to swing more to the left with the clubface pointing slightly to the right. In a golf slice, hitting the ball with an open clubface makes the ball curve across the sky as a slice. So tell me, my virgin friend, how’s your grip in golf?
Consider this. Your grip has little to do with the direction of the swing but has absolutely everything to do with where the clubface is looking upon impact with the golf ball such as being in the opened, closed or square position. Everyone has their own unique way of holding a golf club. To keep this simple, if your hands are turned too far to the left on the club, this will more likely than not return with the face of the club looking to the right at impact.
Something else to keep in mind while preparing to swing is having a correct golf stance. In the course of playing you find yourself hitting a golf slice far to the left, you may find yourself compensating by adjusting your swing over to the right. However, in doing this basically you are not addressing the root of the problem and creating another one from the opposite direction. What do you do to fix this then?
Lay your club on the ground and make sure that it is parallel with your target line so you can check your aim. Make positive that your aim is not too far over to the left and keep in mind the alignment between your feet, knees, hips and shoulders are parallel to the club on the ground and with your target line.
By checking your stance you can determine what is really going on with your swing. Let the ball be your guide. Are you seeing it curving less over to the right? If so then you are getting close and if its curving over to the left or flying straight, then you are starting to make some headway.
Now if you are one of those rare hard to find, self-motivated go getters, then it is definitely possible that with practice and A LOT of hard work you will see an improvement in your score, not to mention your overall enjoyment of the game.
Get out there and experience for yourself if this works go over to all your buddies and tell them how the Golf Virgin helped improve your game. You never know until you try.
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How to Put Spin on a Golf Ball
February 27, 2008
I really want to learn how to get a good spin on a golf ball when I’m trying to shoot over an obstacle or get the ball to land in a position where I can make an easy putt. It’s something I’ve always been curious about but could never get a handle on and I wanted to see if you knew of the best way to make this happen. - Jimmy in Little Rock, AR
Being able to put spin on a golf ball is not an easy thing to do. However, getting the ball to stop almost where it lands can help you keep your score down and ultimately win a game. This becomes especially useful when you’re hitting onto firm greens or when the pin is placed directly behind a bunker or body of water. Listed below are some simple to follow steps towards becoming familiar with the basic technique of adding a good spin on a golf ball.
Step 1:
Stand closer in your stance for a normal golf swing which is a shoulder-width apart, so go ahead and stand about 1/3 shorter of the regular shoulder-width stance.
Step 2:
Also, stand a little closer to the ball so that its closer to your back foot.
Step 3:
Use a 60-degree wedge which is also known as a flop wedge.
Step 4:
Make sure to swing your club on a steeper plane than what you would during a regular shot. Basically hit down at a steeper angle.
Step 5:
Hit directly underneath the ball before taking a divot and do your best to take a divot that is long and shallow.
Step 6:
Follow through as you would during a normal shot.
An easy way to look at is to take an analogy from playing pool. When you put backspin on a golf ball it’s very similar in nature to putting backspin on a cue ball. To accomplish this you strike the cue ball at a steep downward angle with a great deal of force which then imparts this energy on the bottom half of the cue ball and sends it flying.
Perhaps you had the experience of being able to make the ball actually hop up into the air over other balls on the table to achieve a desired effect. Wow, all these different types of ball shots can be a bit mind boggling. But, balls are balls and the harder you hit them, the farther they shoot.
Adding spin on a golf ball allows to hit shots over obstacles such as bunkers, bodies of water, the rough or whatever it is that is in between you and the green. If you put enough backspin on the ball, it takes a couple of bounces and stops. In a perfect world, you would like to be in the position where you hit the ball about 15 to 20 feet from the pin and have the it stop a few feet from the hole and this will leave you a with short putt.
So if you like watching your balls soar through the air and land exactly where you desire then dedicated practice is key to your ability to put spin on a golf ball. But keep in mind that this is one of the hardest shots to master.
Update to Post:
Hi all, recently I’ve had readers take a lot of interest in this particular post and wanted to provide links my other posts on this topic. So go check out my other posts to get a better understanding of this technique by reading Making Golf Spin Happen and Beginner Golf Tips - Key to Golf Ball Spin
Happy stokes!!
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