Putting Greens Golf

The Banana Slice

2008-05-09T01:55:00.000-07:00

To slice the ball around trees to a tightly guarded pin placement, which is one of my favorite shots, your setup adjustments should be just the opposite of those for a hook. Once again, align your leading edge square to your ultimate target. This time, open your body alignment so that lines drawn across your toes, knees, hips and shoulders point well left of your eventual target; your grip should be in alignment with your other body parts (that is, turned slightly left on the club handle). The more you need to slice the ball, the more you align left.

Once you've made these adjustments, the swinging action itself is as normal. One additional tip is to grip the club a bit more tightly than usual is your left hand. This is because you don't want much counterclockwise forearm rotation to occur through the impact zone. Rather, you want to hold the clubface open in relation to your body alignment. A firmer grip in the left hand (for the right-handed player) keeps that hand and forearm dominant and prevents the right hand from turning the clubface over. I often think of my sand shot action, which I describe earlier, for this one.

Because you're aiming left, you'll naturally take the club away more outside the target line than normal and also return it with the face very open to the target line. Thus you'll strike the ball with a glancing blow, imparting clockwise or slice spin to the ball. Again, practice to see how much left-to-right curve you can expect from this altered setup.

One final note: remember that when you play a slice, the ball will slide off the open clubface in a higher, softer trajectory and will also land more softly. Adjust your club selection accordingly, taking at least one more club than the distance would usually call for.

TOTAL SHOTMAKING, COUPLES ANDRISANI

The Hard Line in Hardpan

2008-05-07T23:05:00.000-07:00

In setting up to play a shot on hardpan, position the ball back in your stance with your hands ahead of it. Grip the club firmly to prevent the clubface from opening at impact.

Make a fairly upright backswing. Pull the club down and through sharply, using a punching action. A crisp impact should produce a low, rising trajectory, along with good bite on the ball.

An important point to remember is that, depending on your own physical strength, you can only play the punch from hardpan down to a certain length of iron. Most golfers will find it difficult to get the ball airborne using this action off hardpan with longer than a four- or five- iron. What if the shot calls for a long iron or fairway wood?

In these cases, you can opt to hit the sweep from hardpan, clipping the ball cleanly up from the hard ground. To accomplish this, do the following.

Set up squarely to your target or a fraction open.
Play the ball directly opposite your left heel, so your hands are pretty much even with the ball.
Keep your weight evenly distributed at address.
Swing the club as you would from a nice normal lie, with your single swing thought being to revolve around a rock-steady spin angle; to ensure that you stay steady, swing at a slightly slower speed than normal.

TOTAL SHOTMAKING, COUPLES ANDRISANI

The Pitch to a Blind Green

2008-05-06T02:51:00.000-07:00

On hilly courses you'll often encounter pitch shots in which all of the green and all or part of the flagstick are obscured from view. This adds greatly to the challenge of getting the ball close. You need to use good visualization skills in addition to making a sound execution of the stroke. Here's what to do.

If the shot is totally blind, walk up until you can see the entire flag and green. You want to know not only where the flag is but where you need to land the ball to get it close.
Step off the yardage as you walk to the green. When you reach the spot where you have a clear view (say it's forty yards from your ball), estimate the distance from there to the hole. Say it's another thirty-five yards. Now you know you have a pitch shot of seventy-five yards total, and having seen the land in front of the hole, you can estimate exactly how far the ball must carry.
Once you're back over the ball, pick the club and visualize the swing you'll need to execute the seventy-five-yard pitch. An extra practice swing or two may help.
Keep in mind that if the shot is uphill, you'll need a little more swing force to carry the distance. Concentrating on making a full finish will encourage that stronger swing.

TOTAL SHOTMAKING, COUPLES ANDRISANI

Sand Savvy

2008-05-05T22:44:00.000-07:00

Tailor your control of the distance you hit your bunker shots by developing "sand savvy". Depending on the type of sand, the ball may come out a lot farther or shorter than you thought it would. Basically, these are the points to be aware of:

Larger-grained sand means a longer-distance shot. When the sand grains are relatively large, the ball will usually sit up better, because the bigger grains support the ball's weight. The more the ball is up, the easier it is to splash it out. So from good lies in large-grained sand, use a little less swing force than you think for the needed distance.
Fine-grained sand means a muffled shot. If you play out of very fine, powdery sand - the kind that doesn't pack well - the ball's impact force will often cause it to be buried to some degree. So you could be playing your sand shot from a less-than-favorable lie. This sand will also give a little more, allowing the sand wedge's bounce to go a little deeper. The clubhead won't move forward as freely, and the shot is somewhat muffled. So from fine sand, add a little extra force than you may think you'd need from a particular distance.
Know your depth. No matter what type of sand, remember that the deeper it is, the shorter the shot will come out; the shallower the sand, the more the ball will carry. If the sand is deep, it's impossible for the bounce to get to the sand's base; thus the bounce will go deeper into the sand, so the ball comes out softer. If the sand is shallow, the bounce is likely to hit bottom and bounce back up. This means there'll be less sand between club and ball, so the shot comes out much faster.

Be alert to the texture and depth of the sand, particularly when you're away from your home course, and your sand savvy will pay dividends.

TOTAL SHOTMAKING, COUPLES ANDRISANI

When It's Wet, When It's Windy

2008-05-05T01:46:00.000-07:00

Keep in mind that wet or windy conditions don't affect only your long game. They can wreck havoc with your putting, too. However, if you understand how to adjust, you'll be one up on most of the competition.

Wet Greens

In rainy conditions, the greens naturally soak up the moisture. Everyone understands that this makes the greens slower, so you need a longer stroke to cover the distance. What a lot of amateurs don't realize is that on wet greens the ball will also break less than normal.

There's simply more resistance to the force of gravity when there's moisture on the grass blades then when they're dry. Also, because you're stroking harder to reach the hole, for most of the way to the hole the ball's rolling faster than normal; this helps it resist the break.

My tried-and-true rule of thumb is that if the greens are wet, I plan on the ball breaking no more than half as much as normal. If on a dry green the ball would break a foot, I play no more than a six-inch break. If there would usually be a four-inch break, I play for no more than two inches of curve, starting the ball inside the high lip of the hole. If you do this too, you'll make a lot more putts.

Windy Conditions

I think most Tour pros, including me, would tell you that one of the hidden difficulties of playing in mind is that it makes putting so much tougher. First, it dries out the greens, making them faster and causing putts to break more. Even more significantly, a stiff wind can easily throw you off balance during the stroke and affect the ball's line.

When the wind is strong, you're probably better of giving up a bit of feel by gripping the putter a little more firmly. This encourages a more arms-only stroking action and keeps the putterhead low to the ground. Also, widening your stance will give your body greater stability.

Remember that a substantial breeze behind you can carry a putt farther and that a head wind can make the ball pull up quicker than you might think. Adjust accordingly.

Last, experiment with addressing the ball and do not ground the putter. On fast greens on windy days, I think this adjustment is a great help.

TOTAL SHOTMAKING, COUPLES ANDRISANI

Left-Side Control

2008-05-03T07:01:00.000-07:00

This means being able to produce a backhand stroke with your left arm. The benefit of this technique is that it further nullifies the natural overpowering tendencies of the right side of the body, the dominant side in all other ball games.

A dominate right side is one reason why natural ball-game players find it so hard to adapt to golf. They are used to throwing the overenthusiastic right right shoulder, hand and arm into all their actions. Squash and badminton players have the additional problem of controlling an overactive wrist, the last thing required in golf swing technique.

Left-side control is necessary if you wish to advance beyond the middle handicap stage. It is an invaluable help if introduced as soon as you begin to make a reasonable swing outline. The left arm does what the right arm cannot achieve: it controls the radius of the swing and maps out the arc or plane.

The left hand also controls the angle of the wrist at the top, and, as explained, the left arm starts the downswing. It is also necessary to appreciate the levering effect of this arm so that it can carry the club from half-way to the top without interference from the right hand.

Right-hand interference is a frequent occurrence with many players who simply change from the left to the right and then kill their swing on the way down with their strongest hand. Furthermore, if the left side (arm) is never strengthened or made properly aware of its role, then you will be forever plagued with a rising right hip and dipped left shoulder, which is in effect the right side doing what the left is incapable of. This is a common swing fault among handicap golfers.

CROWOOD SPORTS GUIDES GOLF, BILL BRAMPTON

The Swing-and-Stop Exercise

2008-05-03T06:32:00.000-07:00

Perform your backswing from your correct address position, remembering to commence with two short takeaways.

Pause once at the top of the swing, then bring the club down with the hands and arms at an even pace and in sequence of left arm, left heel down, right foot roll, hips sideways. Now stop the club at impact with your hands and with the clubhead totally square. You will notice that you body is positioned almost as it was at address, except that your right knee is in, your right heel off the ground and your weight shifted to the left. Your hips have turned slightly and, most importantly, your shoulders are square.

The shoulders stay passive. Note particularly the start of this action, where the right shoulder stays back and the angle between the wrists is maintained.

If the clubhead is swinging ahead of the arms, (this is called casting or fishing) then it will arrive ahead of the hands at impact and will be virtually impossible to stop at impact without hurting the left wrist. Equally, it will be totally impossible to 'square up' at impact if your shoulders turn first. The exercise is therefore excellent for controlling the upper part of the body.

At first, you will find it impossible to get everything exactly in the right place at the right time. This is the same with learning any set of precision moves, so practice patiently and do not apply too much pressure in the movement. Advanced students can actually 'drop and stop', meaning they have acquired the ability to feel the arms so free to swing down from the top that they can virtually let the arms free-fall into the space provided by the body and 'catch' the club at the bottom of the swing.

If effort was required by top players when striking irons, then they would not be capable of the phenomenal accuracy they achieve. Furthermore, the procedure of the swing-and-stop exercise enables players to strike the ball consistent distances with each club because at no time are they thinking 'hit'.

The swing-and-stop exercise will go some way to getting the feel of swinging the club and controlling your shoulder, but ultimately you have to become aware of 'left-side control'

CROWOOD SPORTS GUIDES GOLF, BILL BRAMPTON

What About The Putting Routine?

2008-05-02T00:10:00.000-07:00

You hear a lot of coaching about having an exact series of steps in setting up the putt and that you should use religiously a specific preputt routine. The theory is that if all your setup moves follow a pattern, so will your stroke. Well, to tell you the truth, it sounds like a good idea. However, I've never made up an outline of exact moves to perform before putting, and I wouldn't advise you to spend an inordinate amount of time on this either. Chances are that I - and you - will develop a pattern without even knowing or planning it. But there are too many little things that can happen from one putt to the next, and I think it is counterproductive to be too set and stiff in your movements. I'd rather see you spend your practice time working on building a smooth-temp, natural stroke; developing your green-reading ability; honing a super feel for speed; and letting your comfortable routine fall into place.

Last, don't forget to keep a carefree attitude about your putting. I know it sounds like a contradiction to ask you to work hard at something, and then be carefree about it, but this is really one of my secrets. The point is to do the best you can on every stroke, then take an accepting attitude toward the results. As time goes by, you'll realize that this is the best approach to putting well.

TOTAL SHOTMAKING, COUPLES ANDRISANI

The Pitch-and-Run

2008-04-24T04:34:00.000-07:00

The pitch-and-run is a partial shot that's basically the opposite of the soft pitch. Here, you want to hit a lower-than-normal shot that will run, or release, rather than stop quickly on landing. Shot situations calling for the pitch-and-run include the following:

When the shot is either into or against a strong wind, so that a lower flight provides more control
Either when the green is open in front, so you can run the ball on, or the pin is placed toward the back of a long green, so there's plenty of green to work with
Whenever the pin is on the back of a tiered green and a high pitch carrying all the way to the hole won't hold at the top tier
When the lie is tight with sparse or no grass, so that a lofted pitch is risky

The pitch-and-run can normally be played from anywhere up to about one hundred yards out. Depending on conditions, the pitch-and-run can be played with any number of clubs, from a seven-iron all the way through the sand or L-wedge. Most commonly, I'll play the shot with either a nine-iron or pitching wedge. Generally speaking, you should use a less-lofted club if the shot's into the wind and go with one of the wedges when the shot is downwind and/or the ground is extra firm.

As to the stroke for the pitch-and-run, you should make the following adjustments to your normal short-iron swing.

Forward weight distribution. Place about 70 percent of your weight on your left foot at address; more than for any other short swing.
Ball back in stance, hands ahead. The ball should be centered, or just behind center, and you should be in a fairly narrow, squared stance. With this ball position, your hands should automatically be ahead of the ball so that the clubface is hooded - that is, it's carrying a little less loft than normal.
Clubface square to target. In executing the pitch-and-run, the action will be dominated by your arm and shoulder swing, while the lower body remains relatively still. Swing the club back with your wrists firmer than for a normal pitch. The amount of your weight shift will vary with the length of the shot (and of your arm swing), but generally you'll have much less lower body weight shift on the pitch-and-run. Make sure to keep your right knee braced and your head still, directly over the ball.

TOTAL SHOTMAKING, COUPLES ANDRISANI

Sidehill Lies

2008-04-20T03:55:00.000-07:00

Sidehill lie have the ball either above or below your feet when you take your stance. These lies differ slightly in the setup position from your regular full swing with an iron. Both sidehill lies require adjustment to an intermediate target rather than directly on the primary target, because the natural ball flight from sidehill lies tends to curve in the downward direction of the slope. If the ball is above your feet, it tends to hook; if below your feet, it tends to slice. As you take your setup position, select an intermediate target about 10 yards to the right or left of the desired target, depending on the lie.

If the ball position is above (higher than) your feet, it requires one additional setup modification. Because the hill is closer to your hands as your set up, grip the club about 3 inches from the top; then execute your regular swing. This "choked-up" grip should be adjusted based on the degree of slope.

When the ball is positioned below your feet, as you swing, gravity tends to impair your balance more than the other lies. To enhance your balance, place more weight toward your heels, rather than on the midstep to the balls of your feet as in your regular swing.

How To Execute Uneven Lies

2008-04-15T00:51:00.000-07:00

Not all golf courses are flat. Knowledge of how to adjust the setup position for the various lies helps to reduce the anxiety of playing on hills. Unfortunately, not all practice areas have hills or slopes on which to practice these types of shots. However, with just a basic understanding of how to play the shots, you will find that you can quickly adapt to uneven terrain.

The location of the ball relative to your feet distinguishes the two types of lies, sidehill and uphill/downhill lies. In sidehill lies, the ball is either above or below your feet; in the uphill and downhill lies, the ball is even with your feet.

The full swing motion you learned, using swing lengths 5-to-5 or 4-to-4, is appropriate for most uneven lies. The swing length is determined by the degree of slope and the distance to the desired target area. The more severe the slope, the greater the demand for balance and control, which limits your swing length and potential distance achieved.

The major difference in the uneven and the regular fairway shots is in the setup position modifications due to the terrain. The sidehill lies and the uphill/downhill lies are discussed separately, with specific note given to their differences in setup.

How To Execute The Putting Stroke

2008-04-13T21:20:00.000-07:00

The club used in executing the putting stroke is a putter. The putter differs greatly from the other clubs in its design. The clubface is almost vertical compared to the angled clubfaces of the other clubs. The putter is shorter than other clubs, and it has a more upright shaft.

The differences in the purpose of the stroke (to roll the ball) and the design of the club (shorter) require a modification in the setup position from other strokes. Start your putting setup position by gripping the club more in the palms of your hands rather than in the fingers (as in the full swing grip). Place the putter face behind the ball square to the desire target, with the bottom of the club flat on the ground. Assume a correct posture position with your eyes directly over the ball or slightly behind the ball on the target line, your arms hanging from your shoulders, with the hands positioned under the shoulders. Your weight should be evenly distributed across a square alignment. The ball should be positioned slightly to the target side of center.

The putting stroke motion is pendular. The club, hands, arms, and shoulders work as a unit. The upper and lower body are still, but not rigid, during the stroke. The length of the back- and forwardswings are equal. The stroke length is measured in inches and varies with the length of the putt. For example, 2 to 4 inches equals a 1-to-1 putting length. The stroke is smooth and continuous, back and then through the ball.

GOLF STEPS TO SUCCESS, OWENS AND BUNKER

如何學習飛行你的球

2008-04-13T21:17:00.000-07:00

有兩個重要的事情時，必須記得要學習飛行你的球：（ 1 ）始終著眼於一個具體的目標和（ 2 ）使用一致的設置位置，讓你開始每一個擺動在同一個方式。觀察飛行你的球，以決定是否開始了一個人在乘坐直線或曲線，在空氣中，從一開始的。如果你是一個慣用右手的高爾夫球手和你開槍曲線戲劇性，以正確的，它是一個切片;若曲線向左邊，它是一個鉤子。如果你是左手，你的切片去左邊，你的鉤，以正確的。鉤或切片結果，由桿頭正處於一個角度來看，當它符合這個球，從而傳授旋轉球。況，是由於一個開放的球，和一個鉤子，是由於一個封閉的球。有時，一個高爾夫球旅遊一條直線，但仍地政小康向左邊或右邊的目標。如果你排隊，直接在目標的時候，你擊球，但它開門見山地，並降落小康目標，這可能是因為俱樂部在走過的道路，目的還是指出，在這一方向努力。這是很類似的一個慣用右手的棒球擊球者擊球超過一壘或退出，它超過三分之一的基地，即使他或她是排了旨在走向第二個基地。當一個慣用右手的高爾夫球手推球，但土地，以正確的目標，因為桿頭已被推這個方向在緊鑼密鼓地展開。就另一方面來說，球一般退出全國正常目標線時，球旅社一條直線，但地向左邊的目標。一個左手打高爾夫球，球行直，但登陸的左邊是一個推動，而一降落，以正確的目標，是一個拉動。只有一件事，直接影響到飛行你的球就是這樣，你的俱樂部接觸，它在的影響。有5個俱樂部的影響因素的途徑能源是傳授從俱樂部，以球：桿頭速度的影響路徑，即俱樂部是擺盪立場球上的影響矩形的接觸球與球角的做法，球每個這些元素可能會受你的安裝位置有關的目標。

球的飛行反饋成功塞子

2008-04-13T21:15:00.000-07:00

有兩個主要類型的錯誤能觀察到飛行的球：定向和距離誤差。這些內容可以概括為如下：該方向主要是受瞄準（對齊）你的身體和桿頭在產業結構中，路徑通過它，你得如火如荼俱樂部，並定位球時，接觸球。距離球旅社，主要是受如何正視你將球擊上球，如何快速該俱樂部是旅行時，擊球的，並該俱樂部的角度出發的做法時，擊球的。最根本的問題造成的錯誤方向的球飛行，是窮人的路線在設置。除了這項基本瞄準問題，也可能有問題，道路的俱樂部的時候，你得如火如荼，或與角度的球的時候，它罷工球。以何種方式球，是不結盟，與目標線在擺動，是另一個重要的因素。的角度來看球的時候，它罷工球決定了球的旋轉。就像旋轉一個弧線球，在棒球，自旋影響了道路高爾夫球穿越太空。面對這個俱樂部應該在廣場聯繫（垂直於目標線）。如果它是開放的，一片結果，如果關閉，一個鉤子。要告訴所發生的事情，當你的球地政小康目標，問問自己這兩個問題：（ 1 ）有沒有球旅行直朝著左邊或右邊的目標？如果是的話，你的錯誤可能是一個路徑，或對準誤差。（ 2 ）沒有Ball曲線過度，而在空中？如果是的話，你的錯誤是，可能是球的誤差。

推桿，鞋和球

2008-04-11T03:33:00.001-07:00

推桿

在這裡，您是相當自由地放縱自己，從驚異選擇不同大小和形狀的頭。更不用提帚處理全長模型！

作為一個起動器，它也許會成為最好選擇一個由三個基本模式：平形，中心軸或葉片。即使在這方面是有一定量的interbreeding 。答案是嘗試，他們在臨店或毗鄰把綠色植物，如果獲准，然後才決定對你的購買。

雖然你可能會得到一個感情第一推桿你買，我保證在年底前你的事業，您將有櫥櫃或閣樓上充滿了拒絕。絕不做內政這麼快就褪色，因為當你最喜歡的推桿讓大家失望，所以選擇一個便宜的一個，如果你有一個短的導火線！

最佳指導一切，當談到將是，如果它認為正確的，這是正確的！

高爾夫球鞋

最好的忠告是讓他們！你可以不打高爾夫球，沒有一對。很多專業人士，甚至不會給你一個教訓，除非你是穿對加高爾夫球鞋。我同意這一點。好的鞋是非常重要，因為一個好的開始擺動，從停步不前。

最便宜的鞋是注塑塑料。他們完全防水，但傾向於沉重。許多人聲稱他們傷害你的腳。這可能是對的一個熱點一天，但它們是可以很舒服，如果你是被迫發揮在惡劣天氣下，與鞭撻大雨和嘯聲風。價格便宜，熱，太重，他們可能的，但遠遠好於普遍進行培訓，其中嚴重的高爾夫絕不應沉思穿著。

我推薦你使用飆升，而不是pimple soled鞋子，原因有兩個：

*
尖峰讓你堅定的，安全的基礎上，不論在什麼條件或嚴重的山坡。
*
尖峰更好地為綠色植物比pimple鞋底，特別是如果表面上是軟的。事實上，有些課程禁止丘疹。

球

我的忠告是初學者，是你選，從'皮卡車' 。不要浪費你的時間，試圖說服自己，你需要什麼，製造商說，你需要的人。在初學者或高一級殘廢，它使得沒有絲毫差別，你有什麼用，只要它是1.68英寸（ 4厘米）直徑波紋。

如果你想進去，深不表演的各種酒窩模式，從科學的角度來看，罰款，而是一個失誤球還是彎曲。作為99 ％槍進入該類別中，它的內涵是什麼事，這球你玩？但是，如果你要選擇，尋求兩件式surlyn蓋球從中等價格托架。

不要浪費你的錢，就巴拉塔三件頭球錦標賽利弊發揮。最外層是非常柔軟和輕型失誤可能使球就不能再行。球是設計也採取旋轉，並能工作，對你，因為這將加劇該航班上有任何偏差的一槍。最後，巴拉塔球不就surlyn兩件式和初學者從來不想失去的距離！

埋地所在砂槍殺

2008-04-11T03:32:00.000-07:00

埋藏loe開槍不同，在設置的位置，以及在後續通過兩起小規模爆炸，槍殺和草地進行得如火如荼，因為俱樂部要擺動更陡，挖掘到沙子，彈出球從埋葬的謊言。即將成立的立場是相似的，以該芯片開槍，但用backswing長度3 ，在球場上一槍。有5個設置的修改，從足球場進行得如火如荼-在立場，體對齊，重量分佈，球線，和球的位置。

你的立場為埋所在開槍是一樣的，在爆炸開槍，你的腳趾挖幾英寸到沙子穩定。這一立場，表明在爆炸中開槍，該俱樂部已進入沙子，車尾側中心。你的身體對準稍微開放，為您的腳和臀部，而你的肩膀是廣場到目標線。你的體重分配到目標方面，與上下連體傾向的目標。這是相同的立場，因為在晶片一槍。球的位置是方形的，但delofted 因為球的位置是在後方的一面中心，只是前進的地步俱樂部進入沙子。

該forwardswing議案是喜歡你的長片拍攝，但與腕關節運動。沙子會限制你的後續通過，創造了類似的立場，因為你的片拍攝與目標腕直與後方手腕彎曲。

修改的，在這種體制的地位和受限制的後續通過為埋謊言拍攝製作的一個鏡頭和一個低彈道，有很多名冊。沙楔，俯仰楔或9號鐵是有效的。更高trahjectory是盡可能與挖起桿，並應盡可能使用，為埋所在一槍。不過，它往往會以低於爆炸了一槍。

從短期擺動：方向，而不是距離，是優先

2008-04-11T03:31:00.000-07:00

有5個具體的設置調整，你應該讓搬家時，從長遠擺動，以攻旗與短鐵。他們介紹如下。

*把更多的重量在您的左邊。而你可能會主張，各佔百分之五十的重量分佈於地址與長遠俱樂部，你應該把百分之六十的你的體重就在您的左邊，或向前，腳底時成立，以發揮典型的短鐵楔或槍殺。你的頭部也將結束了，而不是落後，球。這個簡單的調整，以確保您處於低潮時電弧將是一個有點陡，較長遠俱樂部，沒有任何意識地擺動調整對你的一部分。

*轉移球回略有立場。當播放任何短期會所，定位球約兩英寸從一個點對面你的左邊的軟肋。注意你的立場會變得越來越窄，因為長度鉛球跌幅。這一點，再加上事實，那就是球，是有點遠回來，其實是把球只是提前為中心的立場。這個球的位置還行為，以保證球第一次接觸到您需要這些槍。

*雙手放在剛剛提前球。基本上，你的立場，你的手在處理有關你的身體一樣，你會為長遠俱樂部。然而，由於球是有點遠早於你的立場，你的手現在位置稍微領先的球。

*平方米，你的右腳向目標線。在長期搖擺，我問你"從頭到腳"的雙腳作為一種手段，令人鼓舞，因為全面backswing和低潮轉越好。當你邁步進入短期擺動帶，不過，穩定的球應凌駕於程度的轉向與發電量。為此，你應該把你的右後方或涉足一點，因此它的幾乎垂直於目標線。這將略有減少你的身體轉，因此你 backswing之交，但它會增加控制你揮桿弧。

*打開你的立場略。時間越短，拍攝，更開放的立場，你應該比較符合你的長期擺動對齊。有兩個原因。首先，它的更容易獲得良好的可視化你的目標，從 somwhat開放的立場。第二，我從來沒有聽說提過，但其中的意義對我來說，這就是：用球有點遠早於你的立場，球沒有相當多的時間去宣傳平方了，在點的傳授。（或者你可以說的影響，出現了一點" 。 " ），基於這個原因，如果你是不結盟死廣場上的目標，球會往往只是一小部分，在開放的影響，在短期進行得如火如荼。打開你的立場和體線一點，你就有效地讓自己把球把球右沿目標線。

Don't Forget The Grain

2008-04-10T23:41:00.000-07:00

An additional factor to consider (on some putting surfaces more than others) is the grain of the green. Grain simply means the direction in which the grass is growing. It's a bigger factor in the southern parts of the United States, where the greens are usually Bermuda grass. Bermuda greens have a much stronger grain effect than do the bent grass greens that predominate in the northern and central parts of the country.

You can check the green in general by the way the grain is lying. If you're not sure, check around the hole. If you notice that one side of the hole looks worn, then the grain is growing toward the worn side and you have to add a grain factor to the break you've read. Other grain checkpoints: the grain will usually run toward any substantial body of water nearby, or it will grow toward the setting sun.

Get in the habit of taking a look at your line of putt from both sides of the cup, rather than just from ball to hole. (By the way, it's good to do this soon after you reach the green, while your playing partners are also getting ready, to save time.) Sometimes you'll look at a putt from behind the ball and read a certain amount of break; then you'll look at it from behind the hole, and it'll appear quite different. I know it would be easy to say you should just look at the line from ball to hole and leave it at that, but many times, looking from the opposite perspective has tempered my opinion, and an adjustment in aligning the putt has paid off.

Understand that I'm not telling you that looking at the putt from hole to ball is better than looking at it from ball to hole. I am suggesting you respect both perspectives. Examine the line from the ball to the hole and get your first impression. Then look at the putt from the opposite angle. If both angles look identical, you're all set. If the ball-to-hole angle shows, say, an eight-inch break but the reverse angle shows a little less, maybe you should adjust slightly and play a six-inch break. Unfortunately, there's no formula for this. My best advice is to take the information from both outlooks together, then decide on the final line and stroke the ball decisively along that line.

TOTAL SHOTMAKING, COUPLES ANDRISANI

Solving The Dreaded Long Bunker Shot

2008-04-10T01:05:00.000-07:00

Every now and then you'll find yourself in a bunker that's situated some fifteen to forty yards from the green's nearest edge. This leaves you in that precarious "long bunker shot" situation - one in which the total distance to the flag is from twenty-five to fifty yards. The problem is that you eventually reach a distance, which depends on your own strength, at which you can't get the ball all the way to the hole using the standard bunker shot technique. This it is important to learn adjustments that can lengthen your sand shot range. Let me explain them in steps that you can bring into play as the length of the shot increases.

Know your full-length normal shot. The first thing you must know is how far you can hit a sand shot with your normal technique, which includes a slightly open stance and clubface plus a full, yet controlled, swing. Practice your basic technique so you know what your cutoff length is.
Square your stance and the clubface. This adjustment makes the clubhead contact the sand while moving directly along the target line. It will also slap the sand with slightly less loft, so the ball comes out a bit lower and carries farther. This adjustment alone should do the trick when you're only several yards beyond your normal full sand shot distance.
Slap the sand one inch closer to the ball. When you need even more carry, say ten yards more than you can get by squaring your stance and the clubface, you have to take a bit more risk by reducing the amount of sand you take behind the ball. Make sure to keep your head your still, since you're forced into accepting a smaller margin for error on this shot.
Use your pitching wedge. If the length of shot is still out of your range, play the shot with a square-faced pitching wedge. The pitching wedge normally carries five or six degrees less loft than the sand wedge, so this adjustment should add another eight to ten yards to your long bunker shot range.

You'll find that the adjustments offered in points two, three, and four will, when combined, roughly double your range from the sand. That is, if your normal, comfortable full bunker shot carries twenty-five yards, by incorporating all the points described, you should be able to increase your range to fifty yards. Of course, you need to practice to incorporate all these adjustments. The best way to ingrain them is by going out on the course in the evening with a half-dozen balls, when there's little play. Set up long bunker shots of varying distances. Learn each of the adjustments you need to increase your range the necessary amount.

TOTAL SHOTMAKING, COUPLES ANDRISANI

An Easy Transition Into Pitching Situations

2008-04-06T21:35:00.000-07:00

When does a chip shot become a green-side pitch shot? There's no set definition, because really, one shot gradually flows into the other. If you miss a green by, say, five yards or less and there's nothing but fringe grass between your ball and the green, you have a straightforward chip shot. If your ball is twenty yards off the putting surface with open ground between it and the green, the question is whether you have to execute a pitch shot or a chip shot. You could reasonably call for a chip, particularly if there's plenty of green to work with in front of the cup. On the other hand, if your ball is off the green by twenty yards with a bunker, a steep slope, or deep rough between it and the green, there's really no choice but to hit a high-lofted wedge shot, which will carry the trouble and stop the ball quickly near the hole. Here, you've definitely got a green-side pitch.

My point in trying to differentiate between a lofted chip shot and a pitch is that there really is very little distinction between them. And you'll find that you execute the short game best if you don't make any clear distinction between the mechanics used for lofted chipping and for green-side pitch shots. The green-side pitch is simply a longer version of your lofted chip stroke, played with a more lofted club.

The relaxed and natural chipping setup and stoke action that you have developed will help you when the shot is extended to a short pitch. You simply need to lengthen your lofted chipping action, adding to the length and force of swing as necessary to carry the ball the longer distance.

Because of the basic requirements of the shot, you'll always be playing a green-side pitch with one of the wedges: the pitching wedge, the sand wedge, or if you carry it as I do, an extralofted or L-wedge. Experiment with the three pitching clubs to learn just which club will stop the ball near the flag from any position around the green. Although every player is different, I'd guess that most amateurs would benefit from having a third wedge in their bag. That's because they generally miss more greens than they hit, and they likely face several of these shots per round. Thus amateur golfers will get more use out of a lofted wedge than they will from one of the long irons.

TOTAL SHOTMAKING, COUPLES ANDRISANI

Buried Lie Sand Shot

2008-04-03T23:50:00.000-07:00

The buried loe shot differs in the setup position and in the follow-through from the explosion shot and the pitch swing because the club must swing down more steeply, digging into the sand to pop the ball out from the buried lie. The set up position is similar to the chip shot, but using a backswing length of 3 as in the pitch shot. There are five setup modifications from the pitch swing - in stance, body alignment, weight distribution, clubface alignment, and ball position.

Your stance for the buried lie shot is the same as in the explosion shot, with your toes dug several inches into the sand for stability. With this position, as indicated in the explosion shot, the club enters the sand to the rear side of center. Your body alignment is slightly open for your feet and hips, while your shoulders are square to the target line. Your weight distribution is to the target side, with the upper and lower body leaning toward the target. This is the same position as in the chip shot. The clubface position is square, but delofted because the ball position is to the rear side of center, just forward of the point where the club enters the sand.

The forwardswing motion is like your longer chip shot but with wrist motion. The sand will restrict your follow-through, creating a similar position as your chip shot with the target wrist straight and the rear wrist bent.

The modifications in this setup position and the restricted follow-through for the buried lie shot produce a shot with a low trajectory and a lot of roll. A sand wedge, pitching wedge, or 9-iron are effective. A higher trahjectory is possible with the sand wedge, which should be used whenever possible for the buried lie shot. However, it will tend to be lower than the explosion shot.

GOLF STEPS TO SUCCESS, DEDE OWENS AND LINDA K. BUNKER

Explosion Shot

2008-04-03T01:20:00.000-07:00

The explosion shot is similar to an iron shot from the fairway. There are three setup modifiations from the pitch shot affecting clubface alignment, body alignment, and stance. The clubface is slightly open and aligned to the target for the explosion. The open clubface avoids digging into the sand too deeply. Before gripping the club, open the clubface slightly; then take your neutral grip position.

Your body alignment should be slightly open to the target line, rather than square as in the full swing. This adjustment counteracts the influence of the open clubface, producing a straight shot rather than a push.

The stance modification provides you greater stability during the swing. As you take your stance, dig your toes into the sand a few inches. This places more weight toward the balls of your feet. By placing your feet below the level of the sand, as you make your pitch swing, the club enters the sand several inches to the rear side of the ball position. To avoid touching the sand, hold the club slightly above the sand as you take your setup.

These setup modifications allow you to use your pitch swing motion in the sand. The trajectory of the explosion shot is fairly high, and the ball lands with little roll. The sandwedge (SW) by design is the most effective club for the explosion shot. However, a pitching wedge (PW) or 9-iron can also be used. Directional and distance control come with practice and experience.

GOLF STEPS TO SUCCESS, DEDE OWENS AND LINDA K. BUNKER

How To Execute The Sand Shots

2008-04-01T23:54:00.000-07:00

The sandwedge is the club specifically designed for use in the sand but is also used for other shots. This club differs from other irons in that it is slightly heavier and the sole, or bottom, of the club is wider and angles down with the back edge lower than the front edge of the club. The differences in club design make it easier to swing through the sand. The texture of the sand, though soft, is heavier than grass and offers greater resistance when contacted during the swing.

There are two basic sand shots: The explosion shot and the buried lie shot; the lie of the ball in the sand determines which one is selected. When the ball rests on top of the sand, more similar to a ball in the fairway, the explosion shot is used. The buried lie shot is used, as the name implies, when the ball is partially buried or rests completely below the level of the sand. Each shot will be discussed separately, with special note of the specific modifications in the setup positions from that of the full swing.

You should know the following rule and etiquette when your ball goes in the sand (refer to a current USGA Rule book for more detail):

Rule 13.4: The club is not allowed to touch the sand prior to the forwardswing motion. Touching the sand prior to contacting the ball results in a two-stroke penalty.

You can remove anything man made. If the ball moves when you remove the obstacle, it must be replaced (i.e., cans, bottles, rake, etc.).

Etiquette: Carry the rake into the sand and place it out of the way, points up, to avoid testing the texture of the sand. Rake the sand before leaving and place the rake, points down for safety, either in the bunker along the side or just outside the bunker.

GOLF STEPS TO SUCCESS, DEDE OWENS AND LINDA K. BUNKER

Getting Untrapped On The Bunker

2008-04-01T01:59:00.000-07:00

The "easiest shot" in golf is presented in this step. The sand shot from bunkers around the green is often preferred by very good players over hitting a pitch shot of 30 yards or hitting from the rough around the green. In hitting this shot, you don't have to contact the ball. You hit the sand and the ball flies out of the bunker with the sand.

There are three conditions in the sand that you will not face when the ball is on the fairway or rough: (a) the lie - the ball either rests on top of the sand or is partially buried below the sand's surface; (b) stance stability; and (c) the club does not contact the ball directly but the sand, which pushes the ball out of the bunker.

In this step you learn how to utilize your full swing motion effectively in the sand by modifying your setup. This lets you accommodate the three sand conditions in executing the two sand shots: the explosion shot and the buried lie shot.

Why Are Sand Shots Important?

Sand bunkers (formerly called "sandtraps") are strategically placed on courses in the landing areas where the majority of players hit their tee shots and around the greens. The frequency of your use of sand shots depends on the course or courses you play. The number of sand bunkers on a given course can range from non to 100 or more.

Your ability to consistently hit out of bunkers helps you develop confidence and save strokes during a round of golf. For many players, the sight of sand causes a panic button to go off. This doesn't need to happen to you.

When your ball lands in a sand bunker, the generally soft texture of the sand creates a hitting surface and ball lie that are different from those found on the fairway or with the grass conditions on which you have thus far practiced. The sand also adds the challenges of your maintaining your balance during the swing and adapting to the rules that prohibit you from letting your club touch the sand before your forwardswing.

Your understanding of the modifications needed in the setup position and the use of the sand wedge to allow for the different sand textures can help you become an overall better golfer.

GOLF STEPS TO SUCCESS, DEDE OWENS AND LINDA K. BUNKER

The Up Lie

2008-03-30T23:38:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you'll find yourself with a green-side pitch (or chip) for which the ball is perched on the top of some deep rough. This shot looks very inviting because you know you can get all of the clubface on the ball and loft it nicely. Two words of caution: be careful! Although it looks like a cinch shot, the "up" lie is a teaser. Basically, you have to make sure you don't slide the club completely through the cushion underneath the ball, so you just graze the underside of the ball and bloop it a few feet forward.

Here are some adjustments to make to the basic pitch shot that allow you to play a nice soft lob, while not undercutting the ball and coming up short:

Choke down on the grip approximately one inch. Because the ball is well above the surface of the ground, choking down shortens the club slightly so that you can use the same swinging motion and confidently expect clean contact.
Square the clubface. Instead of laying the clubface back for more loft, set it square so that there's more clubface directly behind the ball; this means less chance of the club sliding underneath.
Set up with the bottom of the clubhead level with the bottom of the ball. Grounding the club with this type of lie can cause the ball to sink into the grass, giving you a one-stroke penalty. And you must replace the ball, or it is a two-stroke penalty!

Other than these fine-tuning points, go ahead and play the shot using your basic green-side pitch setup and stroke method. Keep your head very still and you'll pop the ball nicely within one-putt range.

TOTAL SHOTMAKING, COUPLES ANDRISANI

Putting Basics: The Stance, Arms, Grip, and Stroke: Part 2

2008-03-28T00:40:00.000-07:00

The Basic Reverse Overlap

The ball should be placed just inside the left heel and your head should be positioned directly over it or behind the line. Drop a ball away from your eye line in order to test.

Place the palms of your hands on either side of the putter grip so that the palms are facing one another and the right hand is just below the left. Make sure they are at right angles to your intended line.
Wrap the fingers of your right hand around the grip so that your right thumb is pointing directly down the shaft.
Close your left hand around the putter handle, again making sure that you point the thumb down the shaft.
To complete the reverse overlap grip, allow the index finger of your left hand to rest on the last two or three fingers of your right hand, either curled around the knuckles or extended down over the fingers of the right hand, whichever is most comfortable. The will have the effect of restricting wrist action during and after impact, which is an important element in putting technique.
Make sure that your thumbs are pointing down the shaft.

The Stroke
As stated, the left arm is the swinger, the right hand the pusher. However, the right hand over delivers push or power just prior to impact.

The movement should hinge from the shoulders, using an action similar to that of a pendulum, with the same unhurried smoothness. This will create a perfect arc at the base of your swing. You should sense that your left arm more than your right controls the motion, yet both arms are still working as one unit.

A good image to keep is to think in terms of left arm control - right hand strength. Your backswing must be shorter than your through-swing to achieve this goal. So, also think in terms of short back and long through.

Star Tip: On all putts, keep your left wrist firm. Maria Olazbal

As a beginner, you will be surprised at how little strength is required to set the ball rolling. Your initial inclination will be to take the putter head back too far and then to decelerate as you approach the ball. This leads to inconsistency.

CROWOOD SPORTS GUIDES GOLF, BILL BRAMPTON

Putting Basics: The Stance, Arms, Grip, and Stroke: Part 1

2008-03-27T23:57:00.000-07:00

The Stance

This should be easy and comfortable, similar to your golf swing set-up, only a little less complicated.

Simply stand with your feet comfortably apart, bend from the waist and flex your knees. This should feel solid yet comfortable and still allow room for your arms to swing freely from your shoulders.

The Arms

Keep your left elbow towards the target and maintain this throughout the stroke. The right arm should fall in softly and without tension towards your right hip bone.

Star Tip: When putting, maintain the triangle of the shoulders and the arms. Maria Olazabal

I like to think of the left arm as being the swinging or controlling arm during the putting stroke. Turning it slightly outwards, but with the back of the hand facing directly towards the target, firms up the muscles of the forearm and wrist. Your hand, wrist, forearm and upper arm should now be capable of swinging as one unit.

The right arm is the 'pusher' or touch arm in the putting stroke. In a relaxed position, with the elbow resting lightly against or just away from your right hip bone, the right shoulder remains passive.

The Grip

Most of the good putters hold the putter very lightly. A good test is to rest the putter blade on the grass and to open your fingers sufficiently to reduce all pressure. Then re-grip with sufficient tightness to allow the weight of the club to be lifted gently from the ground.

You want a grip that lets your hands work in total unison, just as they should in the gofl swing itself. I recommend the basic reverse overlap. This is the most popular grip and has many variation. Here, I will only outline the basics; you will have plenty of time to experiment with variations at a later date.

Key Point: When putting, both hands should feel alive and sensitive on the club.

CROWOOD SPORTS GUIDES GOLF, BILL BRAMPTON

The Down-lie Pitch

2008-03-25T23:31:00.000-07:00

So far we've talked about situations in which the lie is reasonably good, so you can get the leading edge of your wedge under the ball. Unfortunately, you'll also run into situations in which the ball is sitting down snugly in rough. Here's how to handle them.

When the ball is down in grass, you'll need to hit down on the shot more instead of ladling it. Therefore, set up for that shot by:

Playing the ball back a bit, so that it's opposite the center point of your narrow stance
Placing your hands slightly ahead of the ball
Putting slightly more weight on your left side

As for club selection, an L-wedge is ideal because it features greater loft than either the pitching wedge or sand wedge. Therefore, it can help you stop the ball fairly quickly, even from this tricky lie.

With your hands ahead at address, you may feel as if your backswing were a little quicker than that for the lob pitch, although you shouldn't consciously speed up the swing. Your downstroke will automatically be on a more descending plane because of your hands-ahead setup position. You'll hit the ball just before the bottom of your swing, instead of at the beginning of your upswing, since the ball was back a little farther at address. Because you'll strike down a bit more sharply, you'll also find that the impact with the rough grass serves to abbreviate the follow-through slightly.

The result of these changes is that the ball will leave the clubface at a lower angle than for the basic pitch or super-lob: that's the price you pay for making sure you make good contact with the ball from a bad lie. So count on the ball landing at a shallower angle and running farther.

If the pin is either on the middle of the green or on the far side, you can probably land the ball on the green yet stop it at the hole. If the pin is tucked on your side, however, you might be wise to accept your medicine and expect to run the ball by the hole, take your two putts, and go to the next hole.

There are some occasions when the super-lob technique is a great choice for the down lie pitch. It takes practice, but the key is to allow for hitting the grass behind the ball, very similar to a sand shot. If executed correctly, the ball comes out very softly.

A final positive note on the down-lie pitch: if the ball is lying on hardpan, as opposed to down in the rough, you'll find you can put bite on the ball and make it stop quicker than you might think. Factor this quick-stopping action into your strategy.

TOTAL SHOTMAKING, COUPLES ANDRISANI

The Super-Lob

2008-03-24T01:37:00.000-07:00

The super-lob is an extension of the basic green-side pitch, but it flies even higher and stops even more quickly. It is particularly useful when the conditions are similar to those for the basic green-side pitch, except that the pin is tucked close to the near side of the green or the green is fast and running away from you.

Here are the setup and swing adjustments that you need to make to the basic pitch shot to hit the super-lob:

Assuming the lie is good, place the ball more forward, opposite your left instep at address.
Your hands should be positioned slightly farther behind the ball.
You should place about two-thirds of your weight on your right foot at address.
Both your body and your clubface alignments should be slightly more open to the target line.
If you carry an L-wedge, this is definitely the time to use the sixty degrees or so of loft it offers.

The execution of this shot is an exaggerated version of the basic pitch. The right hand controls the stroke and adds even more hinging motion to the top of the backswing and the follow-through. At this point, I make a slight alternation for the super-lob. Starting down, I "loop" the club slightly more inside on the downswing than for the basic pitch. If you get used to setting up well left with the clubface very open you can get this one to stop dead.

Always try to play this shot with a very slow, leisurely tempo so you meet the ball while using the full loft of the clubface. Strive to keep your head very still, because there is slightly more chance of mis-hitting this shot. Finally, remember that the super-lob will require even more length of swing than the basic green-side pitch, since you're hitting a shot that's even higher and softer.

TOTAL SHOTMAKING, COUPLES ANDRISANI

How To Execute The Chip Shot

2008-03-21T01:15:00.000-07:00

The swing motion of the chip shot uses only a 1-to-1 or 2-to-2 swing length, depending upon the distance required. The shoulders, arms, hands, and club move as a unit, with no wrist motion. The swinging motion is a pendular motion, which is smooth and continuous.

The setup position is important in achieving the desired low trajectory. This position differs from the pitch shot and the full swing in the following ways: Your feet are placed narrower than your shoulders, with the alignment of your feet and hips slightly open. To open your stance, move your target-side foot back about 4 inches off of the target line. This makes your lower body turn slightly toward the target, which helps to reduce your lower-body motion on the backswing. Be sure your shoulders remain square or parallel to hte target line.

Your upper body leans toward the target, placing your weight more on the target side. Note that your arms and hands are just inside your target leg, which delofts, or decreases, the natural loft of the clubface. The palm of your rear hand will face the ground. The rear hand wrist is bent and the target wrist is straight. Your arms and shoulders create an isosceles triangle (i.e., both arms extended) that is maintained throughout the swing motion. Your head and swing center are on the target side of the ball. In this position you see more of the target side of the ball rather than looking straight down onto the top of the ball as in the pitch shot and full swing setups.

The 7-iron and 9-iron are suggested for the chip shot during your initial practice and play. On the golf course, your club selection for the chip shot depends on the distance the ball is from the pin and the amount of green between the ball and the pin. The amount of trajectory and roll varies between these two clubs. The 9-iron creates a higher trajectory than the 7-iron and has less roll. The rule of thumb to use as you play is to select the 9-iron for a chip shot when the distance from the ball to the pin is 10 yards or less, or there is 10 yards or less of green to the pin. Select the 7-iron for longer shots when there is greater than 10 yeards of green to the pin. Begin practicing with other clubs (e.g., 6-, 8-, PW, or SW) when, during actual play on the course, you can succesfully chip the ball within 3 feet of the pin 7 out of 10 times using the 7- or 9-iron. Too many club choices can be confusing. Keep your club choices to a minimum for best results as you are learning the game.

GOLF STEPS TO SUCCESS, OWENS AND BUNKER

The Basic Green-side Pitch

2008-03-20T03:10:00.000-07:00

I refer to the "basic" green-side pitch as any shot of twenty or more yards that must carry over bunkers, mounds, or rough when the ball is lying reasonably well in the fairway or light rough and you have more than enough green to work with to stop the ball near the hole.

For the basic pitch I'll almost always use the sand wedge. As with the lofted chip, I suggest you play the ball slightly ahead of center in a narrow, open stance. Distribute your weight pretty much evenly between the feet or, if anything, place a touch more weight on your right side at address. When the lie is good, your hands should be even with the ball or behind it slightly. Assuming you have a cushioned lie, this hand position will encourage you to deliver the clubhead to the ball with its full loft (usually about fifty-five degrees), for the high, soft trajectory you want.

If you have enough green to work with, your clubface should be just a little open to your target. I like to put a touch of cutting action on all my green-side pitches, and I think you'll find your control will be enhanced if you do so too. So keep the clubface open just a little.

As with the chip stroke, your right hand and shoulder turn should control the takeaway and backswing action. The clubhead will describe a U-Shaped arc on both the backswing and through swing. Let your right wrist and right elbow hinge naturally as you approach the top of the backswing. This will add rhythm and fluidity to the stroke, which you just won't attain with the firm-wristed style. Your downswing should feature the same free right hand and wrist release through the ball, so that the clubhead slides through the grass at a fairly shallow angle, then comes up quickly after impact with a ladling action.

This shallow-bottomed, somewhat wristy style, combined with an open-faced action, produces a high shot that stops fairly quickly. If you execute the shot as described, you'll find you can usually carry the ball most of the way to the hole. For example, say you're twenty-five yards from the flag and pitching to a medium speed, fairly flat green. Using this technique, you'd want to land the ball between ten to fifteen feet short of the hole. Of course, if the green is fast and/or running away from you, you'll need to land the ball farther from the hole; if the putting surface is extraslow, you'll find you can loft the ball to just a few feet short of the hole and it will stop almost dead.

TOTAL SHOTMAKING, COUPLES ANDRISANI

Exercises to develop an arm swing

2008-03-18T23:47:00.000-07:00

ARMS

The primary reason why the golf swing fails is because players have never developed an arm swing. Maintaining the ability to swing your arms, without assistance from your body, is the one key factor that can transform your golf. So learn to swing those arms!

Practice Exercise
Take up your correct address position, minus a club, and let your arms hang down by your sides. Now swing your arms slowly and deliberately up to, or just beyond, your shoulders and down again without raising your body height or head.

Repeat this exercise for a few minutes each day. Do it as a warm-up before you play a round of golf.

HANDS

Unless your hands and wrists are strong and supple, you will not make the top grade. When taking up golf late in life, weak hands often cause the most problems, particularly for people who have never used their hands other than for pushing a pen or whose hands have been in constant use lifting or carrying.

For instance, a milkman's hands are under constant strain. The legacy of such an occupation is that the ligaments are stretched and become set, making some crucial wrist movements difficult, if not impossible.

For that very reason the great Open champion of the thirties, Walter Hagen, would lift neither his suitcase nor his golf bag in order to preserve his hands.

You should start right away to exercise your hands as follows:

Practice Exercise One:
Place the hands together in a 'choir boy praying' position. Lift your elbows, forcing your palms to stay together. Work gently and rhythmically, levering your elbows up and down.

Practice Exercise Two: Assume the position set out above, only make a cage of your fingers. Spring your fingers in and out.

Practice Exercise Three:
For finger strength and wrist flexibility, obtain a squash ball and squeeze it between finger and thumb. Repeat with every finger of both hands.

Grasp the squash ball and make a fist out of your hand. Rotate the wrist clockwise and anti-clockwise, as well as up and down. This is guaranteed to give you a firm handshake. Be careful not to over-do it though!

Practice Exercise Four:
If you have ever wondered what to do with those old newspapers, place a good quantity on a table top, place your hand face down and quickly scrunch the pages into a small ball, working each one of those fingers as you do so.

Practice Exercise Five:
Knock a nail into the middle of a broom handle and suspend a small weight on a string. Now wind it up on the fingers and down again. Done properly, this is agony, but well worth the pain.

CROWOOD SPORTS GUIDES GOLF, BILL BRAMPTON

Tension Control

2008-03-18T00:32:00.000-07:00

One of the biggest problems in golf is trying too hard. When you really want to hit a shot well, or when there is a small safe landing area and all you can see is the water hazard or the traps surrounding the green, you must be able to control your tension. If you are distracted by such challenges, you will probably hit poor shots because of the added tension, which can especially affect your hands, shoulders, and back. Imagine where your shot would go if you held onto your club like a hammer - a "white knuckle" or "gorilla grip". Some golfers perceive excess tension most at the end of a practice session or round of golf, when their hands feel achy or their shoulders tight. If you grip your club too tightly, you cannot release your hands through the area of impact with the ball; the result is a slice. How do we know that? Remember when you observed the ball flights, the fact that when a ball curves as it flies through the air, it is because of the spin imparted to the ball due to the angle of the clubface at contact with the ball. The most common result of too much tension is a slice, which occurs when the hands do not release and the face of the club is open.

It is important to learn to feel tension so you can control it before it controls the flight of your golf ball. In order to understand what happens when you are tense and to be able to feel when tension is a problem, practice this exercise: Imagine that the best, semi-relaxed grip on a golf club is a 3 on a scale of 1-5, a much too tight grip is a 5, and a very loose grip is a 1. Now hit a few golf balls using 5, 3, and 1 grips. (just be careful that with a 1, you do not let the club fly out of your hands!) Compare the different feels and the result on the flight of your ball.

GOLF STEPS TO SUCCESS, OWENS AND BUNKER

The Short Swing: Direction, Not Distance, Is the Priority

2008-03-16T22:30:00.000-07:00

There are five specific setup adjustments you should make when moving from the long swing to attacking the flag with the short iron. They are described below.

Put more weight on your left side. Whereas you might favor a fifty-fifty weight distribution at address with the long clubs, you should put 60 percent of your weight on your left, or forward, foot when setting up to play a typical short iron or wedge shot. Your head will also be over, rather than behind, the ball. This simple adjustment ensures that your downswing arc will be a bit steeper than for the long clubs, with no conscious swing adjustment on your part.

Move the ball back slightly in the stance. When playing any of the short clubs, position the ball about two inches back from a spot opposite your left heel. Note that your stance will be getting narrower as the length of shot decreases. This, plus the fact that the ball is a little farther back, actually puts the ball just ahead of the center of the stance. This ball position also acts to guarantee the ball-first contact your need for these shots.

Place your hands just ahead of the ball. Basically, you'll position your hands at address in relation to your body the same way you would for the long clubs. However, because the ball is a bit farther back in your stance, your hands will now be positioned slightly ahead of the ball.

Square your right foot to the target line. In the long swing, I asked you to "toe out" both feet as a means of encouraging as full a backswing and downswing turn as possible. When you're moving into the short-swing zone, however, stability over the ball should take precedence over the degree of turn and the power generated. For this reason, you should turn your right or rear foot in a bit, so that it's nearly perpendicular to the target line. This will slightly curtail your body turn and thus your backswing turn, but it will add control to your swing arc.

Open your stance slightly. The shorter the shot, the more open your stance should be compared with your long-swing alignment. There are two reasons for this. First, it's easier to get a good visualization of your target from a somwhat open position. Second, which I've never heard mentioned before but which is significant to me, is this: with the ball a little farther back in your stance, the clubface doesn't have quite as much time to get squared up at the point of impart. (Or you could say impact occurs a little "earlier.") For this reason, if you were aligned dead square to the target, the clubface would tend to be just a fraction open at impact for the short swing. By opening your stance and body line a bit, you're effectively allowing yourself to bring the clubface into the ball right along the target line.

TOTAL SHOTMAKING, COUPLES ANDRISANI

Pre-swing Routine: Part 2

2008-03-13T04:59:00.001-07:00

For a wood, move your target foot, positioning the ball under your target shoulder. Move your rear foot about 14 inches away from the target, which produces a shoulder-width stance (about 16 inches). The ball position is shifted toward the target relative to your body, the center of your body behind the ball.

The position of the clubface when it is resting behind the ball is called the clubface alignment. For almost all shots in golf, the clubface should be perpendicular to the target line (i.e., the desired line of flight of the ball). As you become more advanced, this position can vary to produce different ball flights.

For now, though, be sure that your clubface is square to the target.

It is important that your clubs are fit for you. Whenever possible the ideal is to have your club fit to you. This is called a dynamic club fitting. If a dynamic fit is not possible in your setup position, the bottom of the club should rest flat on the ground. Every club has a nearly flat bottom (the sole) designed to rest on the ground and be most efficient when the full length of the sole contacts the ground at setup. If in your setup position your club rests with the toe or the heel off the ground, you may want to have your teacher or local professional check to be sure that your clubs are the right length and have the right lie for you (i.e., the way the club sets to the ground). If you are over 6 feet tall, or under 5 feet, 5 inches, the standard, off-the-shelf club may not be appropriate for you.

GOLF STEP TO SUCCESS, OWENS AND BUNKER

Pre-swing Routine: Part 1

2008-03-13T04:57:00.001-07:00

To take the setup position with either a wood or an iron, start from directly behind the ball in line with your target. Select an intermediate target about 1 to 3 feet in front of the ball. A blade of grass works well, or a divot – anything you can distinguish. This intermediate target is easier to see and use for alignment than a distant target. Grip your club in both hands. You may do this from behind the ball or from the side (parallel to your target line). Align according to the ball’s position. Stand erect with your feet together and extend your arms, allowing them to rest lightly on your chest. Keeping your back straight, bend from the top of your thighs to a point where the club touches the ground behind the ball and your arms are hanging relaxed. The club should be aligned behind the ball in a position square to the target.

For the full swing using an iron, position the ball about 2 inches target side of center in your stance. For a wood, place the ball about 1 inch to the rear side of your target foot. The ball position for the wood is more closely aligned with your target shoulder. This difference is due to the lengths of the clubs and the intended angle of contacting the ball. The wood is designed to sweep the ground or contact the ball at a shallow angle, whereas the iron contacts the ball at a more downward angle of the club.

For an iron, move your target foot toward the target about 6 inches and your rear foot away from the target about 8 inches. This produces a ball position just to the target side of center in your stance for the iron.

GOLF STEP TO SUCCESS, OWENS AND BUNKER

Why is the full swing motion important?

2008-03-12T00:31:00.000-07:00

On the golf course, the full swing motion is used for about 50 percent of the shots. So, if you can master this one motion, you’ll be halfway to becoming a good golfer!

The game of golf lets you use one consistent swinging motion for most types of shots. Because the design of the golf club largely determines the trajectory and distance of the shot, golfers carry a set of 14 clubs that vary in shape and length. There are many different clubs to be used on any one hole, depending on how far you must hit the ball, the trajectory needed, and the situation from which the shot starts (e.g. tall grass or sand). Yet, the basic full swing remains the same for every shot. In contrast, the pace of a racket sport such as tennis requires that you play all the shots in a point with a single racket. As a result, for different types of shots, the racket stroke varies considerably. Because the golfer can switch to the ideal club for the shot, there is no need to vary the swing. Having such a wide selection of clubs allows you to rely and concentrate on a single, consistent swinging motion for most types of shots.

Each club is designed to hit the ball in a way that makes it fly higher or lower and cover shorter or longer distances. In general, the higher the number of a club, the higher the ball’s trajectory and the shorter the overall distance. The 3-wood hits the ball farther with a lower trajectory; in contrast, the 9-iron makes the ball fly higher for a shorter distance.

No two golfers using a given club hit the ball the same distance because each person has different skills and strength in accelerating the club throughout the swing. For example, in a group of four beginning golfers, if all four were about 150 yards from the hole, each player might hit a different club. Some might hit a wood and others an iron, depending on individual swing characteristics (i.e., how fast they swing the club and how accurate they are) and their preferences for using one club over another. In each case, though, a full swing motion would be applied.

GOLF STEPS TO SUCCESS, OWENS AND BUNKER

Grip Pressure and Pressure Points

2008-03-11T23:44:00.001-07:00

It is very difficult to convey in words just how light the grip pressure should be, but holding lightly can be compared to the strength required to hold a fledgeling in your hands without harming it.

If a top professional were to offer his club to you, you could pull it easily from his grasp. Try the same with the average amateur and it would become a tug of war! This is because amateurs believe they must hold it tight to control it.

Gripping the club too tightly has the very opposite effect. Excessive pressure not only renders the fingers totally insensitive, but also creates initial tension which then spreads like a steel girdle throughout the rest of the body. Such tension can cause a multitude of wayward shots. But do not get alarmed if you feel the need to grip tightly. It is only natural that you would want to do so.

You must get to work to undo this tendency immediately by working at strengthening your hands. When your hands are stronger you will feel confident enough not to hold the club in a vice-like grip.

A top player at all times senses the position of the club throughout the swing. He seemingly performs the miracle of effortless control that baffles the high handicap player. This is possible because he holds the club with a sensitive grip.

The pressure points in the grip are the last three fingers of the left hand and the middle two fingers of the right hand. There should be no pressure with the finger and thumb of the right hand. The above rule is not disputed by the vast majority of world class players and teachers.

Please do not be deceived by recent (1990) regression to the right index finger as a trigger. This was a 1920s and 1930s gimmick and still rears its ugly digit from time to time. It is positively harmful and leads many golfers to release the clubhead too early in the swing sequence.

CROWOOD SPORTS GUIDES GOLF, BILL BRAMPTON

What to do when in doubt reading the green for a putt

2008-03-11T23:04:00.001-07:00

There may be times when your normal green-reading process doesn’t provide you with the clear and certain image of the break you want. If so, I recommend that you try the plumb bob method of reading the break. Here’s how.

Stand behind the ball so that you could draw a perfectly straight line from your dominant eye through the ball and to the cup. Make sure to stand so that your shoulders are parallel to the horizon.

Next, hold the putter grip in front of you between your thumb and forefinger, so that the clubshaft “covers” the ball. Close your nondominant eye. If the shaft is now covering the hole, this means the putt should roll straight. If the clubshaft seems to align to the left of the hole, the plumb bob indicates that the ground falls off to the right and the putt will break that way. If the putter shaft aligns to the right of the cup, it means the putt will break to the left.

Two notes:

You really only need to use the plumb bob method when the putt is straight or close to straight. You should be able to notice substantial breaks in either direction without this method.

You need to be sure you know which of your eye is dominant. To determine this, hold an index finger up in line with some object. Now close your left eye. Did the object appear to move? If so, your left eye is dominant. If the object appeared to stay in place, it’s your right eye that’s dominant.

TOTAL SHOTMAKING, COUPLES ANDRISANI

Common errors and their corrections

2008-03-10T02:10:00.000-07:00

Direction: Path

Error 1:

Ball travels straight but lands left or right of target. A path error due to an alignment problem.

Correction 1:

Adjust alignment of body to square position. Stance should be parallel to target. Check feet, hips, and shoulders.

Explanation 1:

Directional errors are primarily caused by one of two problems: lack of square alignment or club swung on a path not aligned to target.

Error 2:

Ball lands right or left of target due to path on which you swing club.

Correction 2:

Swing club on path to target. Check alignment and use club alignment to visualize desired path of ball flight.

Explanation 2:

Direction of ball flight is primarily the same as the direction in which you swing the clubhead.

Direction: Clubface

Error 3:

Ball slices.

Correction 3:

Allow clubhead to return to square at contact. Check to make sure hands are relaxed. Check release at contact. Check grip.

Explanation 3:

The angle of clubface in relation to the path of your swing determines sidespin imparted to the ball. An open clubface produces a slice.

Error 4:

Ball hooks.

Correction 4:

Arms are stopping too soon and hands uncock early. Increase tension in hands slightly to change timing of release; be sure hands and arms start down as a unit.

Explanation 4:

Angle of clubface in relation to path of swing determines sidespin imparted to ball. A closed clubface produces a hook.

Distance

Error 5:

Ball lands short of target, but flight looks about the right height.

Correction 5:

Increase length of swing or swing speed.

Explanation 5:

Distance a golf ball travels depends on four things: the length of swing, speed of clubhead at moment of impact, squareness of contact made by club on ball, and angle of approach of the club to the ball.

Error 6:

Ball travels too high with an iron and lands short of target.

Correction 6:

Angle of approach is too steep. Adjust angle of approach to be shallower or less steep by extending swing (making it wider on backswing and forwardswing).

Error 7:

Ball seems to pop up in the air on the tee shot due to a steep approach.

Correction 7:

Adjust angle of approach of club by extending swing (making it wider on backswing and forwardswing).

Error 8:

Ball lands short of target, but swing seems about the right speed and length.

Correction 8:

Check for square contact of clubface on ball. Club selection may need to be changed.

Explanation 8:

Each club has a sweet spot (also called a centroid), which is its center of mass extended to the clubface surface. This is the point on the clubface that can impart the most force to the ball, which can then travel its maximum distance. The farther away from the sweet spot the ball is hit, the more its distance and direction vary.

Error 9:

Ball shoots off sharply in front due to being hit in the hosel – a “shank”. Upper body falls back on forwardswing.

Correction 9:

Contact ball at sweet spot of club by keeping proper posture over ball in fowardswing.

GOLF. STEPS TO SUCCESS, DEDE OWENS AND LINDA K.BUNKER

Ball flight feedback success stoppers

2008-03-10T01:17:00.000-07:00

There are two primary types of errors that can be observed in the flight of the ball: directional and distance errors. These can be summarized as follows:

The direction is primarily affected by

the aiming (alignment) of your body and the clubhead at setup,
the path through which you swing the club, and
the position of the clubface when it contacts the ball.

The distance the ball travels is primarily affected by

how squarely you hit the ball on the clubface,
how fast the club is traveling when it hits the ball, and
the club’s angle of approach when it hits the ball.

The most fundamental problem causing errors in the direction of ball flight is poor alignment in the setup. In addition to this basic aiming problem, there may also be problems with the path of the club when you swing or with the angle of the clubface when it strikes the ball.

The way in which the clubface is aligned with the target line during the swing is another important factor. The angle of the clubface when it strikes the ball determines the ball’s spin. Just like spin on a curveball in baseball, spin affects the way the golf ball travels through space. The face of the club should be square at contact (perpendicular to the target line). If it is open, a slice results; if closed, a hook.

To tell what happened when your ball lands off-target, ask yourself these two questions: (1) Did the ball travel straight toward the right or left of the target? If so, your error was probably a path or alignment error. (2) Did the ball curve excessively while in the air? If so, your error was likely a clubface error.

GOLF. STEPS TO SUCCESS, DEDE OWENS AND LINDA K.BUNKER

How to learn from the flight of your ball - Part 2

2008-03-10T01:04:00.000-07:00

Each club is a different length and has a different clubface angle. These two factors influence how fast the club moves when it contacts the ball and the angle of the force that is imparted. In addition, it is possible to control the trajectory of the ball flight by changing the angle at which the club is swung downward at the ball or changing the ball position. If you contact the ball above its equator, or centerline, it travels at a lower angle; if you contact the ball below its equator, the ball travels higher. That is why irons are designed to hit down through the ball and strike the ball below its center, whereas fairway woods typically are swung in such a way as to strike the ball just after the club reaches the lowest spot in its pendular swing. Note that your setup position for woods with the location of the ball to the target side of center also facilitates the flatter trajectory and results in longer distances. In contrast , the putter is designed to hit the ball squarely in its center and is swung in an essentially straight or horizontal line.

The golf swing is fundamentally a very simple pendular or arc motion. If you think of your arms and the club as a pendulum, the swing is a very understandable motion. The position and speed of the club when it contacts the ball determines how far the ball goes. The path on which the club swings determines the starting direction, whereas the angle of the face of the club determines the spin imparted to the ball. Because the club controls the ball and you control the club, you can become your own self-corrector by understanding the ball flight influences.

GOLF. STEPS TO SUCCESS, DEDE OWENS AND LINDA K.BUNKER

How to learn from the flight of your ball - Part 1

2008-03-10T01:03:00.001-07:00

There are two important things to remember when trying to learn from the flight of your ball: (1) always aim at a specific target and (2) use a consistent setup position so that you start each swing in the same way.

Observe the flight of your ball to determine whether it starts out traveling in a straight line or curves in the air from the very beginning. If you are a right-handed golfer and your shot curves dramatically to the right, it is a slice; if it curves to the left, it is a hook. If you are left-handed, your slice goes to the left, your hook to the right. Hooks or slices result from the clubhead being at an angle when it meets the ball, thereby imparting spin to the ball. A slice is a result of an open clubface, and a hook is the result of a closed clubface.

Sometimes a golf ball travels in a straight line but still lands off to the right or left of the target. If you were lined up straight at the target when you hit the ball but it went straight and landed off-target, it is probably because the club traveled in a path that aimed or pointed in that direction. This is quite similar to a right-handed baseball batter who hits the ball over first base or pulls it over third base even though he or she is lined up aiming toward second base. When a right-handed golfer pushes the ball, it lands to the right of the target because the clubhead has been pushed in that direction during the swing. On the other hand, the ball is generally pulled across the normal target line when the ball travels in a straight line but lands to the left of the target. For a left-handed golfer, a ball traveling straight but landing to the left is a push, whereas one landing to the right of target is a pull.

The only thing that directly affects the flight of your ball is the way your club contacts it at impact. There are five club factors that affect the way energy is imparted from club to ball:

Clubhead speed at impact
Path on which the club is swung
Position of clubface at impact
Squareness of contact of clubface with the ball
Angle of approach of clubface

Each of these elements may be affected by your setup position in relation to the target.

GOLF. STEPS TO SUCCESS, DEDE OWENS AND LINDA K.BUNKER

Your follow-through and finish

2008-03-06T02:08:00.001-08:00

The follow-through

At a point beyond impact, when you arrive in the classic “early follow-through” position, your right arm should be fully extended. If your right arm is not fully extended, it means you hit with your shoulders. In other words, you were holding the club up through the impact zone, not releasing it. The butt end of the clubshaft should be pointing at the ground and your hips and shoulders should be rotated around your spine angle to the left.

As you reach the complete follow-through, your entire chest, midsection, and hips should point directly at or even left of the target. If you’re not in this position, you neglected to rotate your entire body during the downswing. It also proves that you didn’t make a full body coil on the backswing, and the timing of the reaction between your body and arms was poor. Think of the big circle on the left side of your body and let your left arm fold.

The finish

In the finish position, almost all of your weight should be planted solidly on your left foot and you should be up on a pointed right toe. If you find you’re back on your right foot rather than up on your right toe, you know that you didn’t execute your initial shift and/or your circular body rotation, thus you hung back on your right foot.

The club should be dangling at an angle behind your left shoulder. Both arms should be bent slightly at the elbows. Your hands should be just above your left shoulder. Many handicap players finish with their arms extended stiffly, so the club is pointing either at the target or up to the sky. Such a position tells you there was an extreme amount of upper body and arm tension throughout the swinging action. It suggests a need to review your address posture to make sure that you’re gripping the club very lightly and allowing your arms to hang down loosely from your shoulders, rather than extending them stiffly outward.

Your release

2008-03-06T01:50:00.000-08:00

Release

This is the fun part of the swing. I truly believe that this next series of moves is what to a large degree accounts for my strong ball flight and day-to-day consistency of flush contact. Think about the release and practice it over and over.

Imagine the clubhead flying around your body up and to the left as if on a circular rollercoaster, with no time to stop for the ball. To accomplish this, your left arm (which has been straight all this time) will fold or bend at the elbow closely to your left side. Your right arm (which has been cocked) now straightens through and past the ball. Your wrists (which were cocked deep into your downswing) now quickly uncock and recock so that the butt end of the club (which was pointing behind the ball at the ground) is now pointing at the ground in front of where the ball was. As this hinge motion takes place your hips and shoulders swivel around the spine angle that you had at address. You’ll notice in the photographs of my swing that this continuous rotation carries me way around to the left so that the club very comfortably ends up on my left shoulder. It’s the very circular motion of my swivel and the clubhead up and to the left that takes me there.

One last note on the release: I feel a very coordinated relationship between the shift and rotation of my body and the whiplike hinge motion in my arms and wrists. At times my reactions are so good that I feel I can snap the clubhead off the end of my shaft through the impact area with my aggressive releasing motion. It’s ironic that under pressure it’s this free releasing that I rely on to hit accurate, strong shots – instead of obvious overcontrol that I see so often in Wednesday proams. Let’s agree that from now on you’ll work to be smooth and let the clubhead fly. Overcontrolling the ball and early exertion of the upper body to hit turns golf into a frustrating ball hunt.

Your shift and drop

2008-03-06T01:49:00.001-08:00

Shift

For the right-handed player, the shift refers to a smooth movement of the weight from the right foot at the top of the backswing, onto the left foot to start the downswing. Notice my emphasis on tempo. Most amateurs know they’re supposed to shift their weight onto their left foot. The trouble is that many of them overdo it. Instead of a smooth transition, they make what I called a hard drive toward the target. This is a lurching lateral move that actually prevents the body rotation and clubhead release from occurring with proper timing through the impact zone. So, although you definitely should shift your weight from the right foot to the left, it must be a smooth move, so the body stays poised and balanced. It’s not a big move. I would describe it as a slight lateral motion toward the target with your hips, followed by a turn to the left of the hips.

Drop

This is a really obvious movement in my swing and it should be in yours. Blended into, but momentarily following, the shift to the left, your right arm (that is high in the sky at the top) quickly but smoothly drops to your side. As this happens your right arm and wrists stay cocked and the butt end of the club descends toward the ball with no hint of a hit or strike. It’s important to note that this movement is coordinated with the shift, and is largely a movement of your arms – not your right shoulder. You can practice this move by keeping your shoulders turned and just letting your club and arms fall straight down. Do it several times daily, from the top of the swing down, then back up. You’ll quickly feel why having loose arms is so important. If you can get this into your swing it will leave you loaded with power.

Putter, shoes and balls

2008-03-04T00:14:00.000-08:00

Putter

Here you are quite at liberty to indulge yourself from the wondrous selection of different sizes and shapes of heads. Not to mention the broom-handle-length models!

As a starter it would perhaps be preferable to select one from the three basic models: ping shape, centre shaft or blade. Even here there is a certain amount of interbreeding. The answer is to try them out in the pro shop or adjacent putting greens, if allowed, before deciding on your purchase.

Whilst you may gain an affection for the first putter you buy, I guarantee that before the end of your career you will have a cupboard or attic full of rejects. Never do affairs so quickly fade as when your favorite putter lets you down, so pick a cheap one if you have a short fuse!

The best guide of all when it comes to putting is, if it feels right, it is right!

Golf shoes

The best advice is get them! You cannot play golf without a pair. Many professionals will not even give you a lesson unless you are wearing a pair of spiked golf shoes. I agree. Good footwear is vital because a good swing starts from the feet up.

The cheapest shoes are injection molded plastic. They are totally waterproof but are inclined to be heavy. Many claim they hurt your feet. This could be true on a hot day, but they can be very comfortable if you are forced to play in inclement weather with lashing rain and a howling wind. Cheap, hot and heavy they may be, but far better than the universal trainers, which the serious golfer should never contemplate wearing.

I recommend that you use a spiked rather than pimple soled shoe for two reasons:

Spikes allow you a firm, safe footing no matter what the conditions or the severity of the slope.
Spikes are better for greens than pimple soles, particularly if the surface is soft. In fact, some courses ban the pimples.

Balls

My advice to beginners is to take your pick from the ‘pick-ups’. Do not waste your time trying to convince yourself that you need what the manufacturers say you need. At beginner or high handicap level it makes not the slightest difference what you use, provided it is 1.68 inch (4 cm) in diameter and dimpled.

If you want to delve into the performances of various dimple patterns from a scientific viewpoint, fine, but a mishit ball still goes crooked. As 99% of shots enter that category, what does it matter which ball you play? But if you have to choose, seek a two-piece Surlyn-covered ball from the medium price bracket.

Do not waste your money on the Balata three-piece balls that tournament pros play. The outer layer is very soft and a light mishit could render the ball unplayable. The ball is also designed to take spin, and that can work against you as it will accentuate the flight on any misdirected shot. Finally, the Balata ball does not go as far as the Surlyn two-piece and beginners never want to lose distance!

CROWOOD SPORTS GUIDES GOLF, BILL BRAMPTON

Choosing a wood

2008-03-03T23:38:00.000-08:00

This can be either of the metal or laminated variety. A laminated wood will be quite adequate and is about half the price of a metal wood (Yes, metal wood).

A set of woods these days consists of numbers 1, 3, and 5. The numbers 2 and 4 are virtually extinct because the modern range can be supplied in various ‘in-between’ lofts. You will also come across a no. 7 wood, which is equal to a no. 5 iron for distance but flights the ball higher. Likewise the no. 5 wood is a useful substitute for the no. 3 iron.

If you are a beginner, do no be tempted to buy a driver in expectation of greater distance: it will not happen. A no. 3 wood is an ideal substitute during your early development. Only when you have the technique to bring the clubhead squarely to the back of the ball with your body behind it will you be competent enough to use a driver. So do not kid yourself. Most handicappers would knock ten shots off their score if they left the no. 1 wood at home!

For example, Nick Faldo frequently plays an entire round using his driver only once or twice. He cannot always rely on hitting the ball accurately enough with it. If he can admit to that fact, so can you!

This does not mean you should never buy a driver. It mean, be patient. You will know when it is the right time: namely, when you have the confidence to use one.

Your first driver should have a minimum of 12 degrees loft. Do not be tempted by ‘tour loft’ and ‘tour grind’, or any other such description of de-lofted drivers. As the names imply, they are designed to be used exclusively by touring professionals!

CROWOOD SPORTS GUIDES GOLF, BILL BRAMPTON

Choosing the right equipment

2008-03-03T22:51:00.000-08:00

A player cannot buy a swing. Once you appreciate that, you will save both time and money, particularly money, when it comes to choosing clubs. Do not be misled into believing that a club that costs $100 is technically better equipped to hit the ball straighter than a club costing $25. It is not!

It is difficult to make inaccurate clubs with today’s production technology. A club consists of a precision cast head, a shaft and a grip. The manufacturing price at cost at the time of writing is about $5. No matter what its selling price.

The difference is so infinitesimal as to make not one iota of difference to anybody, except a low single-figure player or a professional (who will have each club microscopically balanced against the next so that they are ‘frequency matched’). They do this because they are precision players. The average player need not be so meticulous.

The vast range of prices that exists for a manufactured club is the result of marketing; nothing else. So when you are starting out do not be hoodwinked by the manufacturer’s blurb and do not think that having ‘the best money can buy’ means you will play better.

CROWOOD SPORTS GUIDES GOLF, BILL BRAMPTON