Golf Course and Free Golf Tips

Ball position is a fundamental aspect of iron play. Any confusion or lack of awareness of this part of the set-up can, and probably will, have dire consequences on the state of your approach today.

Here is a useful rule of thumb: Play your wedge shots with the ball in the middle of your stance, then move the ball progressively further forward in your stance as the club gets longer.

As a guide, the 5-iron is just over a ball’s width forward of center; the 3-iron is further forward still, inside your left heel.

The reason for doing this is that it helps encourage the correct angle of attack as the clubhead approaches the ball – relatively steep with the wedge and progressively more shallow as the club gets longer. It is one of the keys to iron play.

In terms of how far away from the ball you stand, again it depends on the club you are using. Quite simply, you stand progressively closer to the ball as the shaft of the club gets shorter.

It’s common for many amateur golfers to flick at the ball with their iron shots, believing this will help the ball into the air and lead to getter shots. It doesn’t – its’ one of the worst faults in the game!

Just look at the top professional players. Their hands lead the clubhead into the ball, generating a downward angle of attack.

The key aspect to have in mind is making sure that there is a degree of forward lean in the shaft at the moment of impact. This will compress the golf ball, and means that your shots will have a much more effective trajectory.

Rock steady: Your head stays behind the ball, representing a fixed axis point for the swing.

Keep the arc: The left arm straightens to maintain arc of swing.

Shoulder line: Your right shoulder stays “under” to promote good swing path into impact.

Clear a path: Left hip clears out of the way to make room for a free swing of the arms.

Descending blow: The club approaches the ball on a slightly descending angle of attack.

There are two kinds of position shots – the kind you hope ends up on the green, and the kind you hope to put in position so that you can play the next shot to the green.

If you are serious about lowering your score and becoming a better golfer, then you should be hitting more of the latter type.

However, I realize you can easily reach a lot of holes out there in two shots if you hit a good drive, and you you will most often try to do that. Read More

Hitting a fade shot involves moving the ball through the air from left to right for the right-hander and right to left for the left-hander.

1. Aim the clubface where you want the ball to finish – that is, straight at the target. Then align your feet in the direction you want the ball to start, while maintaining the position of the clubhead.
2. Make a normal swing along your aim lines.
3. As you approach impact, delay the release of your hands – the opposite of rolling your hands – to make sure that the face stays open through the hitting area.
4. Proceed with your follow-through to a balanced finish.

With this shot, the key is to practice it enough so that you can control the movement through the air. Your aim is to be able to shape the ball to suit different situations on the golf course.

There are two things to key on during your set-up of the three-quarter wedge shot:

1. Play the ball in the center of your stance (being sure to use your body as your reference point and not your feet) or maybe even slightly to the right of center.
2. And the most important part – when you address the ball it’s no problem to have the butt of the club pointing at the center of your body, but as you turn your shoulders and, indeed, your entire upper body, this can be a little tricky if you think of this relationship solely in terms of pointing the butt of the club at the center of your body.

The basic swing path for a three-quarter wedge is the 11-to-1 swing. What we mean by that is that you should picture yourself as a giant clock.

Your head is at 12 o’clock and your feet at 6 o’clock. So the ball and the club are at 6 o’clock as you prepare to play the shot. Read More

This is one shot that you will typically need several times during a typical round. Actually, you need it any time you’re closer than a full wedge, but still have too far to cover for it to be a “feel” shot.

The first thing you need to know about playing a three-quarter wedge is that there is nothing abbreviated about it. It has a clear beginning and end, and if you cut either part short, you’re not going to like the result.

In essence what we’re doing here is pointing out the downside before we tell you how to play the shot. That’s because the greatest number of mis-hits in attempting this shot occur because the player cuts the swing off before it’s finished. Read More

I’ve played the same golf course for over 20 years now and although the course has not changed a bit, my expert eye always seems to experience each day as a set of new challenges.

New players may not have the same connection, but in time you will notice that even the smallest new challenges need to be addressed. Here are a few good tips to keep in mind:

Match Putter Loft To The Speed Of Greens

In general, many professional golfers say that a putter with less loft is more effective on dry, fast greens, while a more lofted putter works best on slow greens. Read More

The next time you get frustrated on the golf course when cold rain moves in, the temperature is freezing, or you are playing on a new course when on vacation, remember – the thrill of the game is in facing a variety of challenges and changes it brings to you.

Check out the following tips that just may come in handy whenever your game gets confronted with unplanned events:

Think Of Shots As Breaking Putts In The Wind

During windy conditions, on every shot you just try to let the wind help your ball toward the hole rather than blowing your shots off line. Read More

For those of you who are lucky enough to travel and play golf at the same time, testing out a variety of courses throughout the year, the following tips will help you make better adjustments from course to course.

Even playing the same golf course throughout the year can still present a variety of changing conditions where even the smallest tip can help keep your score on track and your game in check.

From changing weather conditions to unique styles of course, learning how to be versatile is important to enjoying your game. Read More

Once you are in the sand you want to get your feet set in position to play the shot. You probably already wiggle your feet back and forth to dig in somewhat, and you certainly see the professional golfers do this when on tour.

But when you dig your feet it shouldn’t be an absent-minded process that you do simply because it’s fun to wiggle your feet around in the sand.

What you are actually doing when you dig your feet into the sand is lowering yourself in relation to the ball.

How far down you dig with your feet and how close you stand to the ball are inextricably linked. When you want to play a high shot, you want to stand farther away from the ball and also have feet dug farther down into the sand. Read More