Johnny Miller Shares Secrets of the Golf Swing

Whether you like Johnny Miller as an announcer is one thing but as a player you cannot deny this guy knows about the golf swing. He has (as he mentions in this short video) “dug it out of the dirt” like Hogan did. In it he shares often overlooked golf swing fundamentals.

Here’s a couple of things you’ll pick up in this approximately 8 minute video:

A secret “power” tip about the gripLearn how far away from the ball you should standHow to to use the “entire body” in the takeaway to improve your rhythmWhat to “tuck” and what not to “tuck”Why the initial part of the downswing you need ZERO powerJohnny’s secret “karate move”How to master the “impact zone” and hit the ball with an exploding THUD (drill included)Why a good follow through is critical

Please share your comments.

Related posts: Nick Faldo Versus Johnny MillerLeft Arm in Golf Swing – Straight or Relaxed?Golf Resolutions for 2010We Can Figure How To Play BetterPerfect Your Swing With Position Practice

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Improve Your Golf Swing by Improving Your Tempo

We have all heard the word tempo in relation to the golf swing. Announcers on television speak of the "great" tempo Ernie Els has in his golf swing. What does tempo mean to the amateur and their golf swing?

Tempo in the Golf Swing

Tempo in the golf swing is a combination of many parts. Tempo is part timing in all aspects of the golf swing. It is part sequencing of each position within the golf swing, and it is part "feel". Putting all these golf swing parts together creates tempo in your own golf swing.

Interconnecting each phase of the golf swing; address, take-away, backswing, transition, downswing, impact, and follow through is one part of tempo, Performing each of these phases with the correct timing is also tempo. And finally "feel" for the clubhead is part of tempo.

We can probably say tempo is the end goal of all our practice and time spent on our golf swing. Once we have developed tempo in the golf swing, there is definitely a level of mastery within it.

How Do We Develop Tempo in the Golf Swing?

A great question that does not have a simple answer: Developing tempo in the golf swing is a task that requires patience, practice, and time. There really are no short cuts to developing it within your golf swing. One practice session at the driving range will not do it. The use of a single training aide will not get you there. The implementation of a golf fitness program will not achieve this task on its own.

I say this because developing a PGA Tour type golf swing requires a "basket of tools" in your arsenal. Developing tempo and a silky smooth golf swing requires you to:

* Receive proper instruction on the fundamentals of the golf swing

* Maintain a consistent practice schedule with your golf swing

* Use swing drills to develop every as of your golf swing

* The possible implementation of training aides into your practice sessions

* Implementing of golf fitness program to develop your body around the golf swing.

The "basket of tools" listed above put together can lead you to developing great tempo in your golf swing. It requires a comprehensive approach in which no short cuts can be made. Let's take a look at the bullet points above to get a better understanding of how to go about this process.

Proper Instruction in the Mechanics of the Golf Swing

Learning the fundamentals of the golf swing is key to developing tempo. This can be achieved through quality instruction. This will allow your body to learn the nuances of the swing. This is the first step in developing tempo.

Consistent Practice of the Golf Swing

As they say practice makes perfect. In order for your body to learn and be able to repeat to proper mechanics of the golf swing, you must practice on a consistent basis. The body learns biomechanical movements through repetition. The golf swing is no different. Repetition through proper practice session is the second key to developing tempo.

Swing Drills to Develop the Golf Swing

The golf swing as a whole is one of the most intricate athletic movements to perform. In its entirety, it is a very difficult movement to perform and master. It is best when learning the golf swing to break it down into parts. Breaking the golf swing down into segments allows you more easily to master each phase of the swing. This is accomplished through the implementation of golf swing drills. Swing drills break the swing down into manageable parts.

Training Aides in Association with Your Golf Swing Drills

Training aides assist the body in developing the golf swing. Think of training aides as "training wheels" on a bicycle. They simply help your body learn certain movements and positions associated with the golf swing.

Implementing a Golf Fitness Program

Your body swings the golf club and performs the biomechanics of the golf swing. In order to perform the biomechanics of the golf swing correctly. It is necessary for your body to have certain levels of flexibility, balance, endurance, strength, and power. If your body is lacking any of this aforementioned list learning the biomechanics of the golf swing correctly will be very difficult. A golf fitness program is the final key to developing tempo in your golf swing.

Summary

To summarize the development of tempo in your golf swing requires a "basket of tools". Tempo requires; proper instruction on the golf swing, consistent practice of your golf swing mechanics, the utilization of swing drills, training aides, and a golf fitness program. Put all of these aspects together and a golf swing with tempo will be yours.

About the Author

Sean Cochran is one of the most recognized golf fitness instructors in the world today. He travels the PGA Tour regularly with 2005 PGA & 2004 Masters Champion Phil Mickelson. To learn more about Sean and his golf fitness programs go to http://www.seancochran.com

Play Golf The Pebble Beach Way

Are you a golfer or a player? Here’s the difference: A golfer gets up on the first tee thinking about arm angles, plane, rotation and a lot of other ‘swing thoughts’.

A player steps up to the first tee thinking how he or she is going to take whatever swing they have and use playing strategy and smarts to get the most out of their skills. Imagine how you’d do at chess if you spent all your time learning to move the pieces, but studied nothing on strategy and tactics!

If being a player instead of a golfer resonates with you, then Laird Small, Director of the Pebble Beach Golf Academy has written a book that will help tremendously. This book is about learning to be a player.

Play Golf The Pebble Beach Way is packed with strategy that Laird, a PGA Teacher of the Year, has gleaned over a lifetime of playing and teaching. It’s also contains plenty of anecdotes he’s heard from the game’s greats that helped them play the ‘smart’ golf that made them champions.

The book starts with a how-to on conquering first tee jitters. This is a problem faced by every golfer, even the best players in the world – ask Corey Pavin about teeing it up his first time at a Ryder Cup. Often that first swing sets a mood for the early holes and can be the difference between a good start and one that leaves you in a self-made hole.

Laird gives you 7 lessons that will help you keep it in play even if your legs feel like limp noodles because you’re playing in front of thousands at a Pebble Beach Pro-Am! The remaining chapters address every aspect of playing smarter golf. For a look at the table of contents click HERE.

One of the things that makes this book so different is that all of the teaching is applied to the holes at Pebble Beach with plenty of great pictures to clarify points. This is particularly helpful in visualizing how to correctly use strategy. (It also makes you drool to play Pebble Beach.) It’s very interesting to compare Laird’s comments on how to play each hole to what happened to specific players during this year’s U.S. Open.

After reading the book from cover to cover, I thought it was a shame that the approach wasn’t incorporated into this year’s Open Amateur Challenge to see if a 10 handicapper could break 100 playing the Open setup. How interesting it would have been to see what two players working with Laird for a few days on strategy would have done versus two who didn’t. The PGA should consider it for next year as it behooves them to help amateurs learn to play better.

I was fortunate enough to get some time on the phone with Laird to ask him why he wrote the book. It was primarily in response to the well established fact that amateur golfers haven’t improved a lick in 30 years even though there has been an explosion in technology and enough golf ‘how-to swing’ articles and books to fill a small warehouse. He believes that too much time is spent on swing mechanics and too little on learning game strategy. Sound like you?

Most sports in this country have pretty good junior programs that teach kids skills and mechanics, but also how to ‘play the game’. Unfortunately this is not generally the case in golf. Nowadays many golfers don’t take up the sport until after 20 and never formerly learn any playing strategy or even the rules! Most could knock 6-10 strokes off their round with their existing swing if they just played smarter.

I have only a few issues with the book and they are primarily cosmetic. There should have been more white space in the layout, it’s a little claustrophobic. The summaries of each chapters lessons should be at the end, not after the first page. It would have been helpful if Laird hand included an upfront strategy for integrating all the advice in an organized way into ones game.

On the whole, this is a great book for anyone who’s serious about the game, even playing pros. It’s a significant work because it addresses an area of golf that has been neglected in this country for too long. If you practice what Laird is teaching you’ll score better, but more importantly you’ll have more fun. I’ve already benefited from tips I’ve picked up. For instance, when you have limited time to warm up before a round, practice lag putting to a general area – not a hole.

Then sink a few 4 foot putts and you’re ready to go. I’ve started doing this and have consistently had better speed control right out of the box. Do yourself a favor, forget about swing mechanics for awhile and read this book! The chapter on ‘How to Major in Architecture’ is worth the price alone. You’ll have a much better idea of how the course architect is trying to get the better of you on each hole.

Related posts: Hitting It PureUnabashed Advice On Learning to Play GolfWe Can Figure How To Play BetterSlow PlayScot Duke Interview On His New Book – "How to Play Business Golf"

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The Golf Swing Is Pretty Simple

Right now you’re thinking ‘Is this guy nuts?’. Hopefully not, but I had a moment of insight the other day while struggling with my own swing issues. Consider this:

When someone who knows what they’re doing hits a good shot, the swing looks – and is – downright simple. If you watch Tour golf you see this a lot. Any one of a hundred pros makes what looks to be an effortless swing and the ball stops 10 feet from the pin. As Ross Perot used to say ‘it’s that simple’.

But wait, every golfer on the planet – and I mean every – has had to deal with golf swing demons. If you haven’t pulled hair out of your head or, come on admit it, wanted to toss your bag into the nearest body of water, then you aren’t really a dedicated golfer.

So here’s the insight: when all goes well the golf swing is a pretty simple thing. You can prove it to yourself. Next time you hit a shot right where you want it, reflect and see if it didn’t feel as easy as falling off a log. Golf is difficult because while the swing in it’s essence is simple, in fact a thousand things can go wrong. Think about that for 60 seconds! Maybe I’m a dunce, but that was an epiphany to me.

Will this insight help you play better golf? Maybe not, but it might help you enjoy the game more by giving you the unalienable right to cut yourself some slack. This in turn will help you relax and that, in turn, will help anyone’s game.

Here’s another idea to take out on the course: You don’t have to fix every bad shot! Let’s say you’re playing a decent round and you hit a real stinker. Stop trying to figure out what went wrong so you can correct it on the next swing. Just chalk it up to a brain fart, forget it and move on without giving it another thought. You’ll play better golf.

Related posts: Help My Swing, Please!!!!The Simple Game of GolfA Sure Fix For Improving Your SwingGolf Swing Turn! Turn! Turn!What Is A Peak Performance Golf Swing?

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Perfect Your Swing With Position Practice

I can’t tell you what the right way is to swing a golf club. I’m not a teaching pro and I haven’t written any books on the subject. I’m not even a scratch golfer. I probably have 25 ‘how to’ books in my own library, most of which I’ve been through numerous times. And God only knows how many ‘how to’ articles I’ve read in golf magazines over the years. BUT, I do have something of value to pass along – how to ingrain what you know.

First, you’ve got to come to grips with the basics of the swing via some means; a teaching pro, your scratch playing buddy, a book – something. From this you need to take away where the various parts of your body should be at: (1) address, (2) 90's into the backswing, (3) the top of the backswing, (4) 90 degrees into the downswing, (5) at contact with the ball, (6) 90 degrees past contact and (7) completion of your swing. I know this is a lot to ask of you, but you’ve got to get these right.

My advice pertains with what to do with this information. Practice holding these 7 positions every day for a few minutes in the backyard or in the house if the ceilings are high enough. Hold each position for a second or two. Your body will learn where it’s supposed to be if you keep repeating the positions. So all you have to do is to figure out what they are. Good Luck

And here’s the best tip I’ve had in the last month. It’s from Tiger Woods website. Hit your pitch shots with your chest! Not literally of course, but feel like it’s your chest that’s driving your arms and ultimately the club head. If you do this you won’t quit on the swing and decelerate – the kiss of death. Thank you Tiger, I’ve saved myself a lot of strokes in the last month.

Related posts: Left Arm in Golf Swing – Straight or Relaxed?Is Your Practice Routine Sound?A Sure Fix For Improving Your SwingCure For The Shanks“Digging It Out of the Dirt” and the Lonely Art of Practice

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John Paul Newport on the Ryder Cup

I read Mr. Newport’s golf articles in the Weekend Edition of The Wall Street Journal religiously. Yesterday he had an excellent piece on why the Ryder Cup is so pressure packed for the pros, even more than the FedEx Cup finals. Check it out HERE, I think you’ll find it very interesting.

Related posts: Tiger Deserves Spot on Ryder Cup TeamFedEx and Ryder Cup NotesMedia Onslaught for Ryder Cup CaptainsCure For The Ryder CupIs Rickie Fowler The Right Ryder Cup Pick?

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The Golf Swing Is Pretty Simple

Right now you’re thinking ‘Is this guy nuts?’. Hopefully not, but I had a moment of insight the other day while struggling with my own swing issues. Consider this:

When someone who knows what they’re doing hits a good shot, the swing looks – and is – downright simple. If you watch Tour golf you see this a lot. Any one of a hundred pros makes what looks to be an effortless swing and the ball stops 10 feet from the pin. As Ross Perot used to say ‘it’s that simple’.

But wait, every golfer on the planet – and I mean every – has had to deal with golf swing demons. If you haven’t pulled hair out of your head or, come on admit it, wanted to toss your bag into the nearest body of water, then you aren’t really a dedicated golfer.

So here’s the insight: when all goes well the golf swing is a pretty simple thing. You can prove it to yourself. Next time you hit a shot right where you want it, reflect and see if it didn’t feel as easy as falling off a log. Golf is difficult because while the swing in it’s essence is simple, in fact a thousand things can go wrong. Think about that for 60 seconds! Maybe I’m a dunce, but that was an epiphany to me.

Will this insight help you play better golf? Maybe not, but it might help you enjoy the game more by giving you the unalienable right to cut yourself some slack. This in turn will help you relax and that, in turn, will help anyone’s game.

Here’s another idea to take out on the course: You don’t have to fix every bad shot! Let’s say you’re playing a decent round and you hit a real stinker. Stop trying to figure out what went wrong so you can correct it on the next swing. Just chalk it up to a brain fart, forget it and move on without giving it another thought. You’ll play better golf.

Related posts: Help My Swing, Please!!!!The Simple Game of GolfA Sure Fix For Improving Your SwingGolf Swing Turn! Turn! Turn!What Is A Peak Performance Golf Swing?

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View the original article here

Golf Fitness Exercises For the Pre-Season

Golf fitness exercises can be very beneficial in getting you ready for the upcoming golf season. Golf exercises with swing drills can prepare you for a successful year on the links right from the start.

The PGA Golf Tour is in full swing and for many parts of the country and world the golf season is upon us. Many of you are anxious to dust off the golf clubs and get out to the golf course for your first round of golf. A question that may be on your mind is how do I get ready? How do I knock off 6 months of rust on my golf swing, feel comfortable with my driver on the first tee, and post a good golf score at the end of the round?

All questions that are asked often in the world of professional golf and this article will provide you with the answers. Answers to these questions and many more fall under the category of how do I prepare myself for the golf season?

Interesting enough if the guidelines from this article are followed the golf score you post for your first round of the year may be lower than you ever expected, the distance of your drives may well be farther than you imagined, and the number of accurate golf shots you hit may be even more surprising!

The answer to all the questions on how to get ready for the upcoming golf season centers on preparation. Preparation is the key to a successful first round of golf and every round you play in the upcoming golf season.

We all probably understand the definition of preparation but lets take a quick look in order for us to all be on the same page. Preparation can be defined as the work or planning involved in making something or somebody ready or putting something together in advance (Encarta Dictionary, MSN.com).

A definition that sheds light on getting ready for the upcoming golf season. Using the above definition we can see the process of preparing for the upcoming golf season does not begin 10 minutes before your first tee time, but rather in advance of when you get ready to hit driver off the first tee. Bottom line the process of getting ready for the upcoming golf season begins weeks or even months before your' first round of golf of the year.

To have a successful first round of golf and a good season of golf you must begin the process of preparation well in advance of your first time on the golf course. If you look at professional golfers they begin the process of preparing for the upcoming golf season months in advanced. I would suggest doing the same. Develop a plan that will get your golf swing ready once the snow thaws, the birds are chirping, and the greens are ready for putting.

What does such a plan contain? This type of "golf preparation plan" would contain drills, exercises, and programs to improve and prepare every aspect of your golf game. If we break down the game of golf into categories the "golf program" becomes much easier to understand. Obviously, we have the different shots made on the course. A brief breakdown would indicate the need to implement swing drills to work on the full swing, short game, and putting. We could obviously get a little more detailed than a breakdown of the golf game into three different categories, but lets' keep it simple.

Now that we have this breakdown of the game of golf into full swing, short game, and putting the next step is to implement a series of drills to work on each of these aspects. Simply put I would suggest devising a series of drills to work on each part of the golf game/swing. This can easily be accomplished by purchasing a few books or videos from one of the top-teaching professionals in the world of golf.

Each one of these qualified golf instructors have numerous materials available to help you with your golf swing. And if you are one of those individuals that lives in a cold climate and is unable to get to a driving range or practice facility, no need to worry. Most all of the instructional videos/books available have drills that can be performed in the comfort of your own home.

At this point we have a couple of bases covered in the "preparation plan" for the upcoming golf season. We understand preparation is key to a successful year on the golf course, the "preparation plan" begins well in advance of the first tee time of the year, and a portion of the plan consists of swing drills. This brings us to final part of your "preparation plan" for the upcoming golf season.

This part of the plan centers on the implementation of golf fitness exercises to go along with your swing drills. We must understand the concept of your body and the golf swing. The golf swing is executed in its' entirety by your body. In order for your body to execute the golf swing correctly. It requires you to have certain levels of flexibility, balance, strength, endurance, and power within it. If you are lacking in any one of these physical areas compensations will occur in your golf swing.

It comes down to this: In order to be prepared for the upcoming golf season and to improve your golf swing. The implementation of golf fitness exercises geared towards developing your body around the golf swing is necessary. This type of program will prepare the body for the golf swing and the upcoming golf season.

To summarize, the process of preparing yourself for the upcoming golf season begins with a "preparation plan". This plan begins weeks to months in advance of your first time out on the golf course. Additionally, this "preparation plan" for the upcoming golf season contains a series of golf training drills to prepare your golf swing. The golf training drills break down the golf game into three sections; full swing, short game, and putting. A series of swing drills are implemented to work on each one of these parts of your golf game. In addition golf fitness exercises are implemented into the golf-training program to develop your body around your golf swing. Put all these pieces together and your first time out on the golf course this year should be an enjoyable one.

Sean Cochran is one of the most recognized golf fitness instructors in the world today. He travels the PGA Tour regularly with 2005 PGA & 2004 Masters Champion Phil Mickelson. To learn more about Sean and his golf fitness programs go to http://www.seancochran.com

Tiger Deserves Spot on Ryder Cup Team

I wrote earlier that Corey Pavin had to take Tiger Woods on the Ryder Cup Team to avoid a media storm that would have detracted and distracted us from the competition itself. But, Tiger Woods also deserves to be on the team for what he has done for the Pro Tour for the least 10 years.

Let’s not forget that he’s still the number 1 golfer in the world even if 2010 has been a bust by his own standards. But what’s more, he breathed new life into the professional game when it was stuck in first gear.

Without Tiger purses wouldn’t be so high that a young player can earn millions a year and never win a tournament. Some of the youngsters that look to be future stars probably wouldn’t even be golfers without Tiger. Rickie Fowler might be making his headlines by riding bikes and skateboards.

2010 has been no picnic for Tiger as we all know. This isn’t about looking past his moral failings. Tiger will have to deal with that for a very long time, probably the rest of his life. But Tiger is, after all, human and the sport he lifted up owes him a shot at redemption in the Ryder Cup.

If Tiger can win a few matches and be an uplifting team mate as well, he has a chance to end the year on a positive note which will greatly help his return to form next year. The Pro Tour owes him that much. I’d also wager there aren’t many on the European Tour who are anxious to take him on as he resembles a wounded bull elephant at this point.

Tiger, good luck. Stevie, sorry you have to fly business class. Corey, don’t you have enough pull to get a bigger plane? Obama, couldn’t you have loaned the team an Air Force One backup, after all they are playing for the US of A?

Related posts: FedEx and Ryder Cup NotesIs Rickie Fowler The Right Ryder Cup Pick?Cure For The Ryder CupRyder Cup BluesI Wish Corey Had Chosen Charlie

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Play Golf The Pebble Beach Way

Are you a golfer or a player? Here’s the difference: A golfer gets up on the first tee thinking about arm angles, plane, rotation and a lot of other ‘swing thoughts’.

A player steps up to the first tee thinking how he or she is going to take whatever swing they have and use playing strategy and smarts to get the most out of their skills. Imagine how you’d do at chess if you spent all your time learning to move the pieces, but studied nothing on strategy and tactics!

If being a player instead of a golfer resonates with you, then Laird Small, Director of the Pebble Beach Golf Academy has written a book that will help tremendously. This book is about learning to be a player.

Play Golf The Pebble Beach Way is packed with strategy that Laird, a PGA Teacher of the Year, has gleaned over a lifetime of playing and teaching. It’s also contains plenty of anecdotes he’s heard from the game’s greats that helped them play the ‘smart’ golf that made them champions.

The book starts with a how-to on conquering first tee jitters. This is a problem faced by every golfer, even the best players in the world – ask Corey Pavin about teeing it up his first time at a Ryder Cup. Often that first swing sets a mood for the early holes and can be the difference between a good start and one that leaves you in a self-made hole.

Laird gives you 7 lessons that will help you keep it in play even if your legs feel like limp noodles because you’re playing in front of thousands at a Pebble Beach Pro-Am! The remaining chapters address every aspect of playing smarter golf. For a look at the table of contents click HERE.

One of the things that makes this book so different is that all of the teaching is applied to the holes at Pebble Beach with plenty of great pictures to clarify points. This is particularly helpful in visualizing how to correctly use strategy. (It also makes you drool to play Pebble Beach.) It’s very interesting to compare Laird’s comments on how to play each hole to what happened to specific players during this year’s U.S. Open.

After reading the book from cover to cover, I thought it was a shame that the approach wasn’t incorporated into this year’s Open Amateur Challenge to see if a 10 handicapper could break 100 playing the Open setup. How interesting it would have been to see what two players working with Laird for a few days on strategy would have done versus two who didn’t. The PGA should consider it for next year as it behooves them to help amateurs learn to play better.

I was fortunate enough to get some time on the phone with Laird to ask him why he wrote the book. It was primarily in response to the well established fact that amateur golfers haven’t improved a lick in 30 years even though there has been an explosion in technology and enough golf ‘how-to swing’ articles and books to fill a small warehouse. He believes that too much time is spent on swing mechanics and too little on learning game strategy. Sound like you?

Most sports in this country have pretty good junior programs that teach kids skills and mechanics, but also how to ‘play the game’. Unfortunately this is not generally the case in golf. Nowadays many golfers don’t take up the sport until after 20 and never formerly learn any playing strategy or even the rules! Most could knock 6-10 strokes off their round with their existing swing if they just played smarter.

I have only a few issues with the book and they are primarily cosmetic. There should have been more white space in the layout, it’s a little claustrophobic. The summaries of each chapters lessons should be at the end, not after the first page. It would have been helpful if Laird hand included an upfront strategy for integrating all the advice in an organized way into ones game.

On the whole, this is a great book for anyone who’s serious about the game, even playing pros. It’s a significant work because it addresses an area of golf that has been neglected in this country for too long. If you practice what Laird is teaching you’ll score better, but more importantly you’ll have more fun. I’ve already benefited from tips I’ve picked up. For instance, when you have limited time to warm up before a round, practice lag putting to a general area – not a hole.

Then sink a few 4 foot putts and you’re ready to go. I’ve started doing this and have consistently had better speed control right out of the box. Do yourself a favor, forget about swing mechanics for awhile and read this book! The chapter on ‘How to Major in Architecture’ is worth the price alone. You’ll have a much better idea of how the course architect is trying to get the better of you on each hole.

Related posts: Hitting It PureUnabashed Advice On Learning to Play GolfWe Can Figure How To Play BetterSlow PlayScot Duke Interview On His New Book – "How to Play Business Golf"

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Key Move: Press Forearms Together

There are no secret moves that are going to overcome a slew of bad golf habits. Golf is a complex sport and a lot harder than it looks. It’s brought many a brain surgeon and star athlete to their knees. There are some key fundamentals that can be overlooked or just forgotten from time to time. Pressing your forearms together is one of these.

Both on the backswing and dowswing it’s important to feel your forearms pressing together. It helps maintain a consistent link between the body and the club and forces the arms to work together instead of add odds with one another. This helps release the club at impact among lots of other good things.

Keeping the forearms pressed together won’t guarantee a great golf shot, but not doing this almost always guarantees trouble. The concept works for short shots and putts as well as the full swing. Add this to your list of quick checks when you’re in the middle of a round trying to figure out why you’ve gotten off-track. During the next pro tournament watch players like Dustin Johnson, you can see them demonstrate how important this is.

If you haven’t checked out the ‘Lost Episode Part 1 – TPI Golf Fitness’ video at right, make sure you do. Besides practicing the short game, golf fitness is probably the most beneficial thing we amateurs can do for our games.

Related posts: Key To Hitting Down On Your IronsGolf’s Magic MoveThe Right Teacher is Key to Golf InstructionEarly Season Tune-upWant to Stop Hooking The Ball? Then Check Out The “New” Tour Move

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Proper Golf Swing Instruction Ebook

Learn the proper golf swing with instruction from world renown instructor Bobby Eldridge. 7 Step Golf Swing is the simple way to repeat a near perfect golf swing.

Check it out!

Ask Brady Riggs Live! Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher will fix your faults

Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher Brady Riggs stopped by on Tuesday to help fix your swing. Here's what he had to say.

Thanks to everyone for your questions and comments. See everyone next week. Enjoy the Ryder Cup. Come visist my site at www.bradyriggs.com

Mark asks at 12:34:

Hey Brady, enjoy the column. I am a 7/8 handicap that is looking for more distance off the tee. My carry average is probably in the 230-240 range with a very high ball flight and little release. My drives seem to balloon right at impact and float in the air. I am looking for a more boring ball flight. Any suggestions on how to flatten out my drives for more distance? Thanks, Mark

The higher ballflight and no roll are most likely related to one of two issues. The first can be equipment. While I am not a big fan of blaming the clubs for your problems the higher ball flight and lack of roll can be the result of a shaft that is too soft and/or light for you. While most people think the loft on the club has the largest effect on the trajectory, it is the shaft that plays the most significant role in your ballflight. If it isn't the shaft in can be the swing. When you hit down on the driver excessively you impart too much backspin on the ball, making it fly too high and not roll. Moving the ball farther up in your stance while creating more tilt away from the target will help you make contact with the ball in the flatest spot in your arc or slightly on an ascending angle. Give these a try and let me know how it works.

Nathan asks at 12:15:

Hi Brady. I'm wondering what can be learned by comparing a golfer's address and impact positions. Should they be fairly identical with regards to the angle of the shaft and the location of one's head? For example, what does it say about my swing that at impact (from the 'down the line' view) my head is a little lower and farther from the ball and my hands are a little higher than at address? Here are some pictures...

http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/7605/address5.jpg

http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/1158/impact3.jpg

By the way, I have a low handicap but I tend to miss right with my irons (left to right ballflight).

Thanks for sending in your swing Nathan. There are definitely things that can be learned by comparing the two. I would prefer to have video of your entire swing as that would help me explain to you when things go wacky but this is better than nothing. Here are a couple of answers to your questions regarding the similarity/difference between set-up and impact. The head should be in a position at impact that is fairly similar in terms of distance from the ball. From the face-on camera view the head can move closer to the target at impact than address with an iron, but stay in its location or be slightly behind with the driver. The shaft is another issue. Depending upon the height of your hands in the address position the shaft can move up to a more upright position and still be ok. Most professionals have the shaft slightly higher at impact than address, some are on the exact same angle. Like so many things with the swing a little isn't a problem, more than a little is a big problem.

When it comes to your swing the position of your head and the lack of stretch or length in your rear leg is indicative of hanging back behind the ball too much at impact. This change in posture generally begins on the downswing and is triggered by sliding the hips excessively towards the target. As a result, your upper body hangs back behind the ball, your spine angle becomes more upright than it was at address which steepens the angle of your clubshaft at impact. You could improve your ball-striking and consistency if you kept minimized the amount of lower body slide to the target while keeping your upper body bent over the ball. This would also help you get the ball started on the line you intended. Here are a couple of pictures to help you visualize.

Chris asks at 12:00:

Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions. Look forward to your column every week! I have been working on moving my right elbow towards the ball to lower the shaft and create lag. But I have been struggling with releasing the club and making solid contact with the ball. Lot of thin shots. Any suggestions?

I assume you are a right handed player. Trying to drive the right elbow towards the ball is a common strategy when searching for more lag. The problem with this focus is that it often raises the left shoulder to early in the downswing, forcing the body to tilt away from the target excessively approaching impact. While some tilt is a good thing, excessive tilt drives the club under the plane and causes the bottom of the swing to be further behind the ball than you would like. When the bottom of the swing is behind the ball the results are either fat or thin contact. A better way to increase lag is to keep your arms softer as you begin your downswing and maintain the angle in your shoulders closer to impact. In other words, the left shoulder will stay closer to the ground than the right for a longer period of time. When combined with the softer arms you will increase your lag without disturbing the bottom of your arc.

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John Paul Newport on the Ryder Cup

I read Mr. Newport’s golf articles in the Weekend Edition of The Wall Street Journal religiously. Yesterday he had an excellent piece on why the Ryder Cup is so pressure packed for the pros, even more than the FedEx Cup finals. Check it out HERE, I think you’ll find it very interesting.

Related posts: Tiger Deserves Spot on Ryder Cup TeamFedEx and Ryder Cup NotesMedia Onslaught for Ryder Cup CaptainsCure For The Ryder CupIs Rickie Fowler The Right Ryder Cup Pick?

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Atlantic Canada Review – Part 1

Crowbush Golf Course, PEI

It’s taken me about a week to catch up with everything after being gone about 10 days on a 1600 mile trek to play courses in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island or PEI. First, I must thank our hosts; Amanda Steward and Barry MacLeod of Golf PEI (Prince Edward Island) and Chris Stacey of Golf NB (New Brunswick). It may sound like an easy job, taking writers around to golf courses, hotels and restaurants, but you have to be always on your game while catering to a diverse set of needs. They not only put up with us but showed us why golfing in Atlantic Canada is worth the trouble of getting there. If you need help with anything to do with golf in PEI or NB, please contact these folks, they’re a pleasure to work with.

First, an overview and general impressions of golf up north, then in follow-up blogs I’ll go into some of the details of where we played, stayed and ate. Compared to the U.S., everyone in Atlantic Canada is laid back and calm, which means you can come here and recharge your batteries. Forget traffic, crowds and rude service personnel, they don’t exist. In this way, our trip up north was very much like going to Scotland. Sum it up and golf is not only challenging in Atlantic Canada, it’s also fun.

Golf is not only plentiful but of a very high quality. The courses we played would be comparable to many of the best courses in the major golf destinations in the U.S. But…. the cost is much lower and you won’t find the crowds. I was amazed at what they were charging for rounds and even more amazed by what season passes cost – enough so that my wife and I hope to go back next year for an extended period. The weather is much like New England, but cooler – which isn’t bad after the scorcher we’ve had this year. I’d say lodging cost is about the same with food being a bit higher.

If you can afford to stay for awhile, you’re going to get all the golf you want. PEI has 22 good courses within about 45 minutes of each other and there’s lots of variety and lots of different layouts. In NB the courses are more spread out, but again you can find lots of good ones if you’re willing to drive an hour and a half to three different locations. Most of the courses we played and saw had really nice practice facilities, which is a pleasant change from many of the courses here where condos are more attractive to developers.

My wife and I took our time driving up because we wanted to travel the coast of Maine and New Brunswick, places we hadn’t been. If you’ve got the time there is lots of ocean scenery and interesting destinations like the Hopewell Rocks where you can see 50 foot tidal changes and sample rhubarb wine! Straight through from Portland, Maine to Charlottetown, PEI looks to be about 700 miles. Unfortunately there aren’t a lot of flight options from the U.S. which makes the cost of air travel high. I know the various tourist bureaus are working to change that. New Yorkers are lucky in that there are direct flights from Newark.

There are plenty of cultural events in both PEI and NB during the summer – such as music festivals - and this could be an extra bonus if you plan accordingly. Both Golf PEI and Golf NB offer attractive ‘stay and play’ deals as well as discount play cards. All in all it was a great way to spend 10 days in August!

Related posts: Golf Trip to PEI and New BrunswickReview Of Scottish Links CoursesScottish Trip Wrap-upGolfing In Scotland During Hard Times – Part 2Ping G10 3 Wood Review

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Is Rickie Fowler The Right Ryder Cup Pick?

A week ago I wrote that Corey Pavin should have picked Charlie Hoffman for the Ryder Cup Team over Stuart Cink. I’m surprised that nobody weighed in and asked about Rickie Fowler. While he may be a great young talent, he hasn’t played his way onto the team.

In the last 5 events going back to the Bridgestone Invitational on August 8, he hasn’t done better than 33rd. So much for riding a hot streak. He hasn’t won a PGA Tour event yet. Are there other players who would have brought more competitive punch to the team?

Did Rickie make it for the publicity draw, particularly among 20 and 30 somethings? After all, he has a ‘cool’ web site and he Tweets! Is this the future of pro golf?

Related posts: Tiger Deserves Spot on Ryder Cup TeamCure For The Ryder CupSpare Me The Ryder Cup MachismoFedEx and Ryder Cup NotesMedia Onslaught for Ryder Cup Captains

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Golf Instruction Tips - The Benefits of Golf Swing Software and Training Equipment

Golf instruction tips, before the use of advanced technology such as golf swing software, golf training equipment, dvd and simulators used to be mainly confined to newspapers and magazines.
The increasing use of advanced technology means that the role of golf tips has lessened considerably... because now with golf swing trainers, dvd box sets and golf swing software which allows your teaching pro to analyse and critique your swing and look at it in the whole.
Golf instruction tips in this environment have a limited role... somewhat akin to putting on sticking plaster when you are suffering from pneumonia.
There is no doubt that some tips will help you improve your swing and scores in the short term. But there is a certain placebo effect at work here..and if your swing is fundamentally unsound then a more thorough overall approach will reap rewards in the long run.
Tips that you may receive from your friends or teaching pro will assist you practically immediately, but if your overall swing is fundamentally flawed through poor fundamentals such as grip, set up or posture, then your original problem will occur again.
It is for this reason that I would strongly advise that you make the most of the advances in technology such as the use of golf software, high speed photography and golf dvd to improve your swing.
Golf instruction tips can be valuable to your game, don't get me wrong, but if they do not form part of a more systematic approach to improving your overall swing then they will be of limited use in the long term.
You can learn more about golf swing trainers, golf training equipment and the full benefits of modern technology at my blog..







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Golf Driving Tips for Generating Power

When it comes to generating power, most golf driving tips focus on what the pros do to achieve it. However, what the golf driving tips should be doing is focusing on what the novices are doing to lose it. Each incorrect technique or unnecessary motion translates into wasted energy, and that wasted energy results in diminished power. Consider the following golf driving tips.
Novices love to bury their tees, and due to today’s larger club heads, that causes power-diminishing friction. The other issue with novices is that with so much focus on hand-on-club positioning, they tend to overlook the fact that the hands are too far in at the body. This causes the arms to be under-extended, and therefore, unable to generate as much power as is possible. Lastly, novices tend to rock or hop their back foot, which saps a great deal of power out of the swing.
Tags: body, club heads, driving, energy results, foot, friction, Generating, generating power, issue, love, Novices, positioning, swing, technique, tees, today
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Welcome

Welcome to Golf Swing Mechanics.  This blog is about helping you improve your golf game and also for the sheer enjoyment of golf.  Whether you have been playing for most of your life or are new to the game, we want you to gain knowledge each time you visit our site and continue to grow in your game.