Golf Articles

Article / Updated 03-15-2022

The skyed tee shot — when the ball goes higher than it goes forward — is a common golfing sight. You usually sky a tee shot by hitting on the top part of the driver, causing an ugly mark to appear (which is one reason a tour player never lets an amateur use his or her driver). If you’re hitting the ball on the top side of your driver, you’re swinging the club on too much of a downward arc. So, your head is too far in front of the ball (toward the target side of the ball) and your left shoulder is too low at impact — bad news for your driver. People who hit down on their drivers want to kill the stupid ball in front of their buddies. These golfers have a tremendous shift of their weight to the left side on the downswing. If you hit balls from an upslope, you can’t get your weight to the left side as quickly. Consequently, you keep your head behind the ball, and your left shoulder goes up at impact. Here’s what to do: Go find an upslope. Stand so that your left foot (if you’re right-handed) is higher than your right. Tee the ball up and hit drivers or 3-woods until you get the feeling of staying back and under the shot. The uphill lie promotes this feeling. Practice on an upslope until you get a feel and then proceed to level ground.

Article / Updated 03-15-2022

Golf bags aren’t just for holding clubs; like any sport, golf requires other essential equipment and helpful items that make your game a little easier. Here are the essentials for stocking your golf bag: At least six balls A few wooden tees A couple of gloves A rain suit A pitch-mark repair tool A few small coins (preferably foreign) to mark your ball on the green Two or three pencils Sunscreen A small pouch for your wallet, money clip, loose change, car keys, rings, and cellphone (which is turned off) A spare towel

Article / Updated 03-15-2022

All golfers need to use the right equipment for their body types and physical conditions, including golf clubs that fit their needs. For instance, many manufacturers of golf clubs specialize in creating clubs for women that have softer shafts, which are lighter and more flexible. Here are some factors every golfer should consider: Grip thickness: Grips that are too thin encourage too much hand action in your swing; grips that are too thick restrict your hands too much. Generally, the proper-sized grip should allow the middle and ring fingers on your left hand to barely touch the pad of your thumb when you hold the club. If your fingers don’t touch your thumb, the grip is too big; if your fingers dig into the pad, the grip is too thin. The shaft: Consider your height, build, and strength when you choose a club. If you’re really tall, you need longer (and probably stiffer) shafts. What does your swing sound like? If your swing makes a loud swish noise and the shaft bends like a long cast from a fly-fishing rod at the top of your swing, you need a very strong shaft. If your swing makes no noise and you could hang laundry on your shaft at the top of your swing, you need a regular shaft. Anybody in between needs a medium-stiff to stiff shaft. Loft: If you slice, for example, you can get clubs with less loft — or perhaps offset heads — to help alleviate that common problem. The clubhead: Today, you can get standard, midsize, and oversize heads on your clubs. Bigger clubheads are more forgiving and can help psychologically, too. (“With a clubhead this big, how could I miss?”) Credit: PhotoDisc/Getty Images The iron: Forged, muscle-backed irons are for good players who hit the ball on the clubface precisely. Cavity-backed irons are for players who hit the ball all over the clubface.

Article / Updated 03-15-2022

Not all putting grips are the same — not even the ones for which you place your right hand below the left in conventional fashion. But what all putting grips have in common is that the palms of both hands face each other so your hands can work together. The last thing you want is your hands fighting one another. Too much of either hand, and your ball has a bad experience. Grip the putter in the palm of your hands to reduce the amount of movement your hands make. Unless you have incredible touch, your wrists aren't very reliable when you need to hit the ball short distances. You’re far better off relying on the rocking of your shoulders to create momentum in the putterhead. Start by placing the palms of your hands on either side of the club’s grip. Slide your right hand down a little so that you can place both hands on the club. Then, do one of the following, depending on which grip you prefer: Reverse overlap: Place your left index finger over the little finger of your right hand. Extended reverse overlap: Extend your left index finger past the fingers of your right hand until the tip touches your right index finger. The left index finger, when extended, provides stability to the putting stroke. Left hand low: This method is commonly referred to as cross-handed. The left hand hangs below the right with the putter (or vice versa if you’re a lefty). Many players use this method today because it helps keep the lead hand (the left, in this case) from bending at the wrist when you hit the ball. The claw: To try this weird-looking grip, start with a standard putting grip. Turn your right palm toward you and bring it to the putter’s handle so that the handle touches the spot between your thumb and index finger. Now bring your index and middle fingers to the shaft, leaving your ring finger and pinkie off.

Article / Updated 03-15-2022

In the UK, follow these essential golf rules on the green – they’re pretty simple once you’ve got into the swing of things (sorry, the opportunity was irresistible). Rule 1: You must play the same ball from the teeing ground into the hole. Change only when the rules allow. Rule 2: You must hole out on each hole. If you don’t, you don’t have a score and are thus disqualified. Rule 3: You are responsible for playing your own ball. Put an identification mark on it. Rule 4: You must play the ball as it lies. Rule 5: When your ball is in a hazard, whether a bunker or a water hazard, you cannot touch the ground or water in the hazard with your club before impact. Rule 6: You cannot improve the line of a putt by repairing marks made by the spikes on a player’s shoes. Rule 7: Obstructions are anything artificial. Some obstructions are moveable. Others aren’t, so you must drop your ball within one club length of your nearest point of relief. Rule 8: If your ball is lost in a water hazard, you can drop another ball behind the hazard, keeping the point where the ball last crossed the hazard between you and the hole. Rule 9: If you lose your ball anywhere else other than in a hazard, return to where you hit your previous shot and hit another – with a one-stroke penalty. Rule 10: If your ball is unplayable, you have three options: Play from where you hit your last shot. Drop the ball within two club lengths of where your ball is now. Keep the point where the ball is between you and the hole and drop your ball on that line. You can go back as far as you want.

Article / Updated 03-15-2022

A warm-up up at the golf course isn't the same as a golf practice session. Warming up includes stretching, getting a feel for the golf club, making ball contact, and building confidence; it takes place 30 to 40 minutes before you hit the first tee. Here's a sample warm-up plan. Preferred Preround Warm-Up (40 Minutes) Time (Minutes) Location Activity 5 Putting/chipping green Brief stretching/putts 5 Putting/chipping green chipping 5 Driving range Warm-up stretching 5 Driving range Wedge shots 5 Driving range Hitting with your favorite club 5 Driving range Hitting the driver 5 Putting/chipping green Putts 1st tee Swing away!

Article / Updated 03-15-2022

Because putting is such a crucial part of the game, your putter is the most important weapon you have. Club makers seem to have noticed: They’ve brought out a dizzying array of options. High-tech putters Don’t be confused by all the high-tech (and high-priced) putters on the market. Although they appear as colorful and as different as new cars, most offer only one or two features that may even make them worth the price. The new MOI (moment of inertia) putters have a lot of science behind them, but you don’t have to bother with that. All you need to know is that MOI putters resist twisting on off-center hits. That means that your bad putts turn out better than they would otherwise. Many modern putters feature alignment aids, such as a pair of white circles, or bold lines or arrows. Another new wrinkle is adding an insert to the face of the putter — often a panel of urethane, the same stuff golf balls are made of — for a softer feel when the putter strikes the ball. Still, the best feature of all is sound fundamentals. Without them, all the tech support in the world won’t do you much good. Long putters and belly putters Some golfers swear by extra-long putters. Others swear at them, saying the long putter is bizarre and ought to be illegal. There is even talk of banning long putters. But if you’re struggling to make putts, you may want give one of them a try. The terminology can be confusing: What’s the difference between a long putter and a belly putter? But it’s simple if you know the crucial difference: Both are longer than a standard model, but a long putter is lo-o-onnnger. Its handle goes under the golfer’s chin, while the handle of a belly putter is anchored to the belly. Both are used almost exclusively by players who’ve struggled to make putts the usual way: Long putters: Long putters range from 46 inches in length to 50 and up. They remove all wrist action from your putting stroke because your left hand anchors the club to your chest. Your left hand holds the club at the end of the shaft, and your fingers wrap around the grip so that the back of that hand faces the ball. The grip is the fulcrum around which the club swings. Your right hand is basically along for the ride. In fact, your right hand should barely touch the club. Its only role is to pull the club back and follow the club through. Belly putters: A variation on the long putter is the midlength belly putter. You anchor it to your midsection, so that it looks like the club is stabbing you in the navel. Belly putters are 40 to 45 inches long. Like long putters, they’re designed to minimize wrist action in the stroke. Both the long putter and the belly putter are generally seen as a last resort. If you can make putts with a standard-length putter, that’s what you should use.

Article / Updated 03-15-2022

A practice schedule can help motivate golfers to adhere to practice—and thereby improve their golf games. Golf practice is important because the sport requires skills that don't come naturally to most people. Here's a sample practice schedule to guide you in crafting one that fits into your own busy life: Monday: Health-club workout (1 hour); putt on rug (15 minutes). Tuesday: Swing a club in front of a mirror or window (30 minutes). Wednesday: Health-club workout (1 hour); read a golf magazine or golf book or watch a golf DVD (30 minutes). Thursday: Swing a club or chip (1 hour). Friday: Health-club workout (1 hour); practice range, including golf drills (1 hour). Saturday: Practice range (1 hour); play 18 holes. Sunday: Watch golf on TV; practice range (30 minutes); play 9 holes.

Article / Updated 03-15-2022

Everyone in the world would like more distance on the ball when they make a golf swing. Some simple tricks can to help you add yardage your to golf shots: Turn your shoulders on the backswing. The more you turn your shoulders on the backswing, the better chance you have to hit the ball longer. So, stretch that torso on the backswing — try to put your left shoulder over your right foot at the top of your swing. If you’re having difficulty moving your shoulders enough on the backswing, try turning your left knee clockwise until it’s pointing behind the ball during your backswing. This frees up your hips to turn, and subsequently your shoulders. A big turn starts from the ground up. Get the tension out of your grip. Hold the club loosely; you should grip it with the pressure of holding a spotted owl’s egg. If there’s too much tension in your hands, your forearms and chest tighten up, and you lose that valuable flexibility that helps with the speed of your arms and hands. Turning your hips to the left on the downswing and extending your right arm on the through-swing are trademarks of the longer hitters. Here’s a drill to help you accomplish this feat of daring: Tee up your driver in the normal position. Place the ball off your left heel and/or opposite your left armpit. Reach down, not moving your stance, and move the ball toward the target the length of the grip. Tee the ball up right there; it should be about 1 foot closer to the hole. Address the ball where the normal position was and swing at the ball that's now teed up. To hit that ball, you have to move your hips to the left so that your arms can reach the ball, thereby causing you to extend your right arm. Practice this drill 20 times and then put the ball back in the normal position. You should feel faster with the hips and feel a tremendous extension of your right arm.

Article / Updated 03-15-2022

Most golfers slice, which means that the ball starts to the left of the target and finishes well to the right. Slicing probably stems from the fact that most players tend to aim to the right of their target. When they do so, their swings have to compensate so that the resulting shots can finish close to the target. In general, slicers use too much body action and not enough hand action in their swings. Golfers who hook have the opposite tendency — too much hand action, not enough body. If you’re a slicer, you need to get your hands working in the swing. Address a ball as you normally do. Use your usual stance, shoulder positioning, and so on. Position your body with your butt toward the target. You want your feet perpendicular to the target line. Twist your upper body to the left so that you can place the clubhead behind the ball. Don’t move your feet, however. From this position, you have, in effect, made it impossible for your body to turn to your left on the through-swing. Swing back. Don't move your feet! Swing through, focusing on letting the toe of the clubhead pass your heel through impact. Quite a change in your ball flight, eh? Because your hands and arms are doing so much of the rotating work in your new swing, the clubhead is doing the same. The clubhead is now closing as it swings through the impact area. The spin imparted on the ball now causes a slight right-to-left flight. After you’ve hit about 20 shots by using this drill, switch to your normal stance and try to reproduce the feel you had standing in the drill's strange way. You’ll soon be hitting hard, raking draws (slight hooks) far up the fairway.