Golf Tips
of fundamental importance on every major aspect of the game

Golf Warm Up Exercises

As a golfer, you may have often hit off the first tee without warming up and you know what happened. Typically, you bogeyed or, worse yet, double-bogeyed the first hole and maybe the next ones too. Now you can prevent that kind of poor start and better prepare yourself for optimal golf performance with this easy-to-do golf-specific warm-up. If you do the First Tee Warm-Up before you play, I guarantee you will shave strokes off your score! Be consistent in using it and you will consistently play your best!

Arm Circles

Instructions:

• Raise arms out to side
• Start with small circles with your hands and gradually increase
• Hands should feel light
• Keep speed of movement moderate
• After 15 seconds switch directions and repeat
• Complete each direction twice

Benefit to Golf Swing:

• Warm up and increase blood flow to shoulders
• Prepare shoulders for a full range of motion in swing
• Allows golfer to make a fluid, easy swing on first tee
• Promote relaxation and fluidity in shoulder for effortless swing

Overhead Extension

Instructions:

• Grab club just outside shoulder width
• Hold club over head with arms extended
• Feet shoulder width apart
• Bring club down to legs and raise again
• Repeat movement for 15 seconds

Benefit to Golf Swing:

• Prepares shoulders for better top-of-backswing position
• Improves functional range of motion in finish position/or follow through
• Increases leverage on downswing from the top

Overhead Sidebend

Instructions:

• Grab club just outside shoulder width
• Feet shoulder width apart
• Hold club extended overhead
• Lean body to one side feeling stretch on opposite side
• Hold for brief moment and go immediately to other side and repeat
• Repeat each side 3 times each

Benefit to Golf Swing:

• Greatly improve range of motion of trunk on back swing and follow through
• Reduce any limitation in trunk rotation, improving full back swing
• Create more club head speed and power with bigger coil
• Reduce stress on lower back in both extreme take away and finish

Golf Rotations

Instructions:

• Place club over shoulders behind head
• Grab at each end of club
• Assume golf posture and rotate upper body back and through
• Keep lower body quite still and feel the stretch in mid section ("core")
• Repeat each side 10 times

Benefit to Golf Swing:

• Prepare golf specific muscles of the trunk to make an aggressive move from the first tee on
• Also prepares proper sequencing of swing, while warming muscles
• Will improve body movements during swing from the beginning, not sacrificing strokes of the first couple of holes

Modified Good Mornings

Instructions:

• Slightly flexed knees
• Grab club and bend at hips
• Let arms hang relaxed in front of legs
• Stretch hamstrings and lower back by lowering club down legs
• Return to starting position and repeat 15 times

Benefit to Golf Swing:

• Increase circulation in lumbar (lower back) area to withstand the high torque from initial swings
• Allow for a more relaxed posture position through out swing
• Reduce chance of injury to lower back early in the round

Partial Squat

Instructions:

• Feet shoulder width apart
• Place club in front of you and hold with both hands for balance
• Lower body by bending at the knees not hips
• Raise back up and repeat 15 times
• Keep upper body very erect

Benefit to Golf Swing:

• Increase blood flow and circulation through out body
• Great total body warm up to allow body to make a relaxed, comfortable first swing
• Increase range of motion in hips encouraging a more synchronized swing from the ground up

Side Lunge

Instructions:

• Hold club behind neck, looking straight ahead
• Step directly out to one side feeling a little pull up inside of leg
• Go directly the other direction and repeat
• Stay very upright

Benefit to Golf Swing:

• Warm up and improve range of motion in hips and groin area
• Allow a fuller back swing with out tension in hips or inner thigh
• Be able to stay in shot longer on follow through with shifting off the right foot (for a right handed golfer) too early

Iron Game Tip

A very important factor in striking the ball solidly and consistently with your irons is getting the "bottom" of your swing in front of the ball (i.e., the lowest spot in the swing's arc on the target side of the ball -- see picture ).
This promotes contacting the ball before the ground (this is a good idea).
You can develop a feel for this by scratching a line on the ground with a tee, or making a row of tees spaced about 6 inches apart, perpendicular to your target line. Straddle the line and take divots until you consistently make the divots in front of (toward the target from) the line, or row of tees. You can certainly hit balls this way too -- with the balls on the line or between each of the tees.
Once you can do this you'll hit your iron shots much more solidly and with more control.

Wood Game Tip

Many people complain about not being able to hit the ball well with their woods (or metals), and in particular their driver. From what I've seen poor quality contact is a major problem for many of these players.
Put a tee in the ground (without a ball) sticking up approximately 1 to 1.5 inches. You should be able to strike the tee consistently without hitting, or even brushing, the ground at all. If you miss the tee, or touch the ground in any way, don't wonder any longer why you can't hit your driver. Remember -- the longer the club, the more precision required. Practice this exercise until you can consistently clip the tee without touching the ground (or even the grass).
Once you get quality contact handled the feedback you get from your shots becomes meaningful. Then you can work on directional control.

Short Game Tip

The chip and run should be the workhorse of your short game. It is the most reliable shot around the green when you can't putt.
I would estimate that at least 95% of my short game shots (from within 20 yards of the edge of the green) are played with a chip and run technique, and the other 5% is made up of putts from off the green, pitches, and bunker shots.
Getting the ball on the ground and rolling as soon as possible greatly increases the chances of the ball's behavior being predictable. That is not to say that a chip and run is always very low to the ground; just as low as possible. A chip and run style shot can be played with the most lofted wedge in your bag, in which case some people might refer to the shot as a "pitch and run."
In many cases where the average golfer tries to pitch the ball up in the air, the "risk vs. reward" and the uncontrollable nature of a pitch (especially from a marginal lie) make it a poor choice.

Short Game General Rules

• Putt whenever feasible (i.e., IF the ball will roll rather than bounce)
• Chip and run when you can't putt
• Pitch only when you have no choice

Golf Equipment Tip

A highly skilled player could shoot a very good score with just about any set of golf clubs. They have enough feel and experience to make adjustments and adapt to the performance differences between clubs quickly. For a middle to high handicap player, however, having equipment that is properly fitted to their physique and capabilities is more crucial. No matter what your handicap or skill level, having clubs that fit you properly is one more thing you can do to give yourself the best possible chance of playing well.
There are many different variables in club fitting (swing weight, club length, grip size, grip material, shaft flex, shaft material, loft and lie angles, club head style, club head material, and more). Two of the most important of these are lie angle and shaft flex.

• Lie Angle (the angle between the shaft and sole)

 

• Shaft Flex (the relative stiffness or softness of the shaft)

Turning "Sand Traps" into "Sand Opportunities"!
Sand traps are a part of the game you can't avoid. You will either live in fear of them, or you will learn to conquer them! The fact is, sand shots are more intimidating than they are difficult. With correct technique and some practice, you'll find getting out of bunkers to be one of the easier golf shots to master.
If I worked with you in person, I'd have you hitting out of the sand like a pro in about 15 minutes--but for now, I'll just have to give you a quick primer on my golf training strategy for effective bunker play.
1. Address the ball as usual with your feet, body, and clubface square to the target line. Stand with the ball positioned just inside your left foot and the club hovering about three inches behind the ball.

2. Open the clubface to aim about thirty degrees right of the target line and then take your normal grip according to this skewed alignment.

3. Now open your stance by moving your left foot (and the left side of your body) away from the target line so your body line points about thirty degrees left of the target. The clubface should now again be square to the target line.

4. Position your hands forward near the left thigh, and shift your weight forward more onto the left foot.

5. Relax throughout your body and, if you like, waggle your club a little. Maintain steady breathing, visualize the desired shot, and feel confident in the upcoming shot.

6. Focus on a spot in the sand about two or three inches behind the ball (farther back for shorter shorts). For initial practices, mark a spot in the sand behind the ball at which to look and swing.

7. Take a half to three-quarter pitchlike swing along your body line. The exact size and vigor of the swing is a "feel thing" you'll develop with practice. Initially it may help to think of swinging just hard enough to hit the sand the same distance you want the ball to fly in the air. Follow through to roughly the nine o'clock position and finish with the back of your left hand facing the sky.