Golf Articles

Article / Updated 12-06-2024

Good rhythm in your golf swing doesn’t just happen. You need to set the tone for your swing with your waggle. A waggle is a motion with the wrists in which the hands stay pretty much steady over the ball and the clubhead moves back a foot or two, as if starting the swing. Waggling the club serves three main purposes: Waggling is a rehearsal of the crucial opening segment of the backswing. When you use a waggle, you don't have to jump right into the full swing without getting used to the feel of it. Waggling can set the tone for the pace of the swing. In other words, if you have a short, fast swing, make short, fast waggles. If your swing is of the long and slow variety, make long, slow waggles. Be true to your style. In golf, you don’t want to start from a static position. You need a running start to build up momentum and to keep your swing from getting off to an abrupt, jerky beginning. Waggling the clubhead eases tension and introduces movement into your setup. The waggle is actually the second-to-last thing you do before the backswing begins — the last thing is your swing trigger. A swing trigger can be any kind of move. For example, 1989 British Open champion Mark Calcavecchia shuffles his feet. Gary Player, winner of nine major championships, kicks his right knee in toward the ball. A slight turning of the head to the right is Jack Nicklaus’s cue to start his swing. Your swing trigger is up to you. Do whatever frees you up to get the club away from the ball. Create the flow!

Article / Updated 04-12-2024

The sheer variety of golf clubs you need can be overwhelming. Once you have all the clubs you need and you hit the links, how do you know which club to use for each shot? The following table gives you a quick guide to the kinds of clubs in your bag and the shots you take with them. Club What It’s For Driver Teeing off — and very occasionally hitting from a good lie in the fairway Hybrid club Getting shots of 150+ yards airborne 2- to 9-iron Hitting toward the green, usually from 120–190 yards away — use low-numbered irons for longer shots, high-numbered irons for shorter shots Wedges Hitting short, high shots from near the green or from sand bunkers Putter Rolling the ball into the hole after it’s on the green (or occasionally from just off the green) To figure out which golf club to use for a specific shot, you need to know the average distance you hit a ball with each golf club in your set. Then, you simply choose the golf club that fits the distance you need to hit. The best way to find out is to hit about 50 balls with each club. Eliminate the longest five and the shortest five, and then figure out the middle of the remaining group. That’s your average yardage. This table shows how far the average golfer generally hits with each club when he or she makes solid contact. When you start to play this game, you probably won’t attain these yardages — but while you practice, you can get closer to these numbers. Which Club Should You Use? Club Men’s Average Distance Women’s Average Distance Driver 230 yards 200 yards 3-wood 210 yards 180 yards 2-iron 190 yards Not recommended; 4-wood or hybrid = 170 yards 3-iron 180 yards Not recommended; 5-wood or hybrid = 160 yards 4-iron 170 yards 150 yards (consider a hybrid, instead) 5-iron 160 yards 140 yards 6-iron 150 yards 130 yards 7-iron 140 yards 120 yards 8-iron 130 yards 110 yards 9-iron 120 yards 100 yards Pitching wedge 110 yards 90 yards Sand wedge 90 yards 80 yards Lob wedge 65 yards 60 yards

Article / Updated 06-23-2022

Many people think that the most effective way to develop a consistent golf swing is to stand on the range whacking balls until you get it right. But the best way to develop a consistent golf swing is to break the swing down into pieces. Only after you have the first piece mastered should you move on to the next one. Miniswings: Hands and arms Position yourself in front of the ball and, without moving anything except your hands, wrists, and forearms, rotate the club back until the shaft is horizontal to the ground and the toe of the club is pointing up. The key to this movement is the left hand, which must stay in the space that it’s now occupying, in its address position. The left hand is the fulcrum around which the swing rotates. After you get the hang of that little drill, try hitting shots with your miniswing. Let the club travel through 180 degrees, with the shaft parallel to the ground on the backswing and then back to parallel on the through-swing; your follow-through should be a mirror image of the backswing. Test your rhythm for your golf swing One effective way for your brain to master something like the golf swing is to set the motion to music. When you start to move the club and your body into the swing, think of a melody. The golf swing should be a smooth motion, so your song should reflect that smoothness. Think of Tony Bennett, not Eminem. Follow these steps to begin adding body movement to the hands-and-arms motion: Stand as if at address, with your arms crossed over your chest so that your right hand is on your left shoulder and your left hand is on your right shoulder. Hold a club against your chest with both hands. Turn as if you’re making a backswing, letting your left knee move inward so that it points to the golf ball. Turn so that the shaft turns through 90 degrees, to the point where the shaft is perpendicular to a line formed by the tips of your toes. The real key here is keeping your right leg flexed as it was at address. Retain that flex, and the only way to get the shaft into position is by turning your body. You can’t sway or slide to the right and still create that 90-degree angle. Your backswing should feel as if you’re turning around the inside of your right leg until your back is facing the target. That’s the perfect top-of-the-backswing position. Unwinding From the top, you must let your body unwind back to the ball in the proper sequence. (Your spine angle must stay the same from address to the top of the backswing.) Uncoiling starts from the ground up: Move your left knee toward the target until your kneecap is over the middle of your left foot, where it stops. Any more shifting of the knee and your legs will start to slide past the ball. A shaft stuck in the ground just outside your left foot is a good check that your knee shift hasn’t gone too far. If your left knee touches the shaft, stop and try again. Slide your left hip targetward until it's over your knee and foot. Again, a shaft in the ground provides a good test — a deterrent to keep your hip from going too far. Pay special attention to the shaft across your chest in this phase of the swing (work in front of a mirror, if you can). The shaft should always parallel the slope of your shoulders as you work your body back to the ball. Finishing Swing through the impact area all the way to the finish. Keep your left leg straight and let your right knee touch your left knee. Get yourself together Practice each of these exercises for as long as you need to. After you put them together, you’ll have the basis of a pretty good golf swing, one that combines hands/arms and body motion. Coordinating all these parts into a golf swing takes time. The action of the parts will soon become the whole, and you’ll develop a feel for your swing. But knowledge, in this case, does not come from reading a book. Only repetition — hitting enough balls to turn this information into muscle memory — will help you go from novice to real golfer. So get out there and start taking some turf!

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.