Why Most Golf Swings Are Inconsistent
August 4, 2019
Ask almost any golfer what they would like to improve on and they will say they would like to have a more consistent golf swing. That’s a great goal. What they don’t realize is that they already have a consistent swing. It’s just one that delivers inconsistent results.
You get inconsistent results because you are not able to put your best swing on the ball time after time. You don’t have to be off by much for a good swing to turn into a bad one. Most of the time it’s not a technical flaw. It’s because you’re not paying attention to the fundamentals of the golf swing, which are: a calm mind, setup, tempo and rhythm, and impact. Let’s go over each one.
The mind leads the body. The state of your mind is reflected in the condition of your body. When the mind is calm, the golf skills that you have practiced will come out. When there is worry or doubt or distraction in your mind, your body will not perform the way you trained it to. You take a calm mind to the course if you have one in your daily life. Practice not getting easily upset, distracted, or stymied by obstacles. Getting good at this takes as much practice as any golf skill does.
Any pro will tell you that the setup is the entree to a good golf swing. They work on their set up constantly and the setup is the first thing they check when their shots start going awry. Good shots flow out of a good setup. The only thing that comes out of a bad setup is luck. See a pro learn the principles of a good setup and practice it continually.
I watched a professional clinic on TV once, that featured major championship winners, and every one that talked about the swing said what they were working on at the moment was their tempo. Not their backswing, not some esoteric swing detail. It was tempo, and every pro said that. Tempo, and the rhythm that emerges from it, is the glue that holds the swing together. Most recreational golfers swing too fast, and speed up especially on the downswing. If you think to swing at the ball rather than to hit the ball, you’ll likely be alright.
Square, in-line impact is what the swing is all about. Every good golfer gets there in his or her own way, but they all get to the same place. And impact isn’t an effect. It’s a cause, and you can practice it as well as any other part of your swing. Take short, three-foot swings through the impact zone, memorize what your body feels like when everything is just right, then build that feeling into your full swing.
To get consistent results, be consistent in how you apply the fundamentals. They’re easy to learn, easy to maintain. When you hit a shot that’s not to your liking, go through the list and see which one you didn’t apply, because odds are that’s what caused it.
Bob Jones is dedicated to showing recreational golfers the little things, that anyone can install in their swing and game, that make a big difference in how they play.
Pre Golf Practice Routine
July 28, 2019
In order to consistently score low, it is highly recommended to form a regular pre golf practice routine before teeing off. A pre golf practice routine will warm your muscles up, and give you the chance to start out on the right foot.
I would recommend stretching for at least five minutes before starting; especially the back and the arms. It is best to take a few minutes to swing a club and warm up your muscles before stretching.
After stretching, spend some time and the putting green and driving range. In the putting part of the pre golf practice routine, bring three balls to the putting green. Start putting from a close distance to the hole, and slowly work your way back. I usually start about two feet from the hole, sink three putts, and then move back a foot. Make sure that you are making your close putts before moving back. It is important to concentrate on the close putts, because if you are not sinking those, you probably will not sink the longer ones.
After putting, move to the chipping portion of the pre golf practice routine. I usually chip about ten shots before moving onto the driving range, but however many you decide to do is up to you. Just remember to take your time, and concentrate on every shot. Do not just go up and hit 20 chips and hope that one gets close.
When hitting balls at the range, it is not the quantity of balls hit, but the quality of your shots that matter. It is much better to hit three or four good shots than to hit 100 bad shots, and reinforce bad habits. Therefore, I suggest hitting three or four good shots with each club. Be sure to take your time on each shot. Start with the higher degree irons, and work your way down to the driver.
Remember, this is just a guideline. Depending on the amount of time you have, and what you feel comfortable with. What works best for one person may not work best for everyone. Use these guidelines to develop a pre golf practice routine that works best for you.
The United States Golf Association, explores the science of golf. In this video segment, the USGA Handicap System and the math and logic behind it are discussed.
Know exactly where you stand next time you tee it up!
Learn Your Handicap – This video explains how to calculate your Handicap so the next time you play golf your game will be much more competitive.
The Hardest Golf Course | Bethpage Black Part 1
May 8, 2019
Playing Bethpage Black from the tips on the last day before the PGA Championship! This should be fun! Comment your score predictions! Subscribe Today!
Build A Strong Mental Game In Golf
May 7, 2019
Having the Correct Golf Mentality
You may have wondered, in a moment of idle reflection about this game, why more people don’t play better golf than they do. It should be a simple game. You are hitting a ball that doesn’t move.
You are swinging clubs that have been designed with a great deal of care, involving time, money, and engineering skill. No one does anything to hinder you, either, or even to distract you.
One reason most of our scores stay high is our mental approach to the game. We are beaten before we start. The golf game has defeated the player for so many generations that the player now has an inferiority complex that would defy the combined skills of Freud, Jung, and Adler. To the man who habitually goes around in 93, the thought of breaking into the 70’s is the height of absurdity.
A complete reorientation is necessary in golf. This has been accomplished in other sports, particularly in track and field. The four-minute mile, the seven-foot high jump, the sixty-foot shot-put are only three examples. It would take a superman, the track experts said, to run a mile in under four minutes. But once Dr. Roger Bannister did it a new plateau was established, onto which many other milers soon proceeded to climb. Back in 1920 Dick Landon won the Olympic high jump with 6 feet 4 inches. At Rome in 1960 a leap of 7 feet 14 inch was good for only third place.
The point here is that mental barriers were broken, as well as those of time and altitude. The normal golfer has a similar mental barrier, and it, too, must be shattered. Once you believe you can improve your golf game, it will all become much easier.
Naturally, Dr. Bannister and the other pioneers in the track and field record-breaking did not set their marks merely by thinking they could. The new marks stemmed from improved training methods and, especially in the field events, from vastly better techniques. This is true in golf.
Here we come very close to golf. Golf is a game of techniques. Training, in the sense of physical conditioning, is relatively not of great importance, unless we are engaged in tournament play. The average man, once he gets out on the course a few times in the spring, finds no physical difficulty in playing an eighteen-hole round. Often he is fresh enough to play eighteen more holes, or nine, anyway.
So get the best advice and practice as much as you can. Your golf game will improve no-end.
Is Your Golf Course Management Up to Par?
April 30, 2019
Golf course management is essential to your success as a golfer. Do you know what separates the great players from the good players? It is course management! While you may not be able to hit the ball like a pro or putt like a pro, you can learn to think your way around the golf course like a pro. Here I am going to give you 3 tips on how you can manage your game better.
1. First and foremost you need to realize the number one mistake that many golfers make is that we all tend to not take enough club. By this I mean that most golfers, especially men try to hit the ball hard and think they can hit their clubs further than they really can. I know for the longest time I tried to hit my 9 iron 150 yards on every shot, and then I realized that I have much more control from that distance with an 8 iron. The point is that in most circumstances it is better to hit too much club than not enough.
2. Another thing that many golfers do is try to get too close to the greens on a par 5. This may sound weird but what you need to do is lay up to a yardage that is comfortable to you. If this means laying up to 60 yards or 80 yards then that is what you should try to do. Most professional golfers tend to lay up at around the 100 yard marker because this gives them a full sand wedge to the green. This is a great way to improve your golf course management.
3. Last but not least you must remember that every golfer has weaknesses, but you must play to your strengths. Every successful golfer at every level does this. If you have trouble with your driver, then hit 3 wood off of the tee, if you have trouble with hitting your wedge then try to hit bump and run 8 iron shots around the greens.
Golf course management is crucial to your success, so to maximize your potential make sure you do not neglect this vital part of your game.
