How to Play better half swing shots around 40-60 Yards
Steve Buzza gives some quick advice on how to improve your half swings or pitches from 40-60 yards.
Follow the Buzzman on Twitter @SteveBuzzaGolf
How to Play better half swing shots around 40-60 Yards
Steve Buzza gives some quick advice on how to improve your half swings or pitches from 40-60 yards.
Follow the Buzzman on Twitter @SteveBuzzaGolf
Many newer golfers (and a few older ones, too) have a tendency to misalign themselves when they take their stance. Normally, what they will do is aim way right of the target and they do this for a reason. Players who are misaligned from the get go and aim right are usually players who try to swing with their arms. When they do this the ball will almost always take off to the left. So what they are doing with this “right side” target trick is trying to fix a problem before it even happens!
In theory, this should not be a problem … but this is not theory, it’s golf. When an “arm swinger” forces his ball back on the fairway by overcompensating his alignment, he thinks he’s doing himself a favor. But on those occasions when he actually makes a good, solid full body swing, his ball zips off into the trees on the right or into a right side bunker and he gets mad, and what’s worse is that by using this misaligning method he’s never going to reach his full potential as a golfer.
These players need to work on the basics of their swing, using their body as a whole and not just their arms. But they also need to know what their alignment is.
So how can you (or anyone else for that matter) see what your alignment is to the target?
Well, here’s a simple and very effective tip to determine what your target alignment really is.
Take a stance (your usual stance), aim at a target that you would hit at, and then lay a club down on the ground from toe to toe. Now step back about 8 or 10 paces behind the ball and club that you laid down and sight down the club. Sightseeing down this club will reveal your alignment.
If the club is a bit left of the target, then you’re fine. But if it’s to the right of the target, you are out of alingment. Simple but effective.
If you discover that you are out of alignment (that the club on the ground is pointing to the right of the target) then you need to work on squaring up your stance.
Being square to the target is one of the most important tips in golf. Every ball you hit will be affected by this stage – either in a good way or if (if you’re in a misaligned stance) a bad way. It really is that simple.
Now when you are certain that you are in a square place, hit a few balls. If the ball goes way left of the target, you know you are pulling it by trying to use too much of your arms. If the ball goes way right, you know you are allowing your body to slide too much through impact.
By being in a square situation and evaluating a few practice shots, you can determine a lot about your swing and those areas that you need to work on.
Drills for Better Golf Swing, Pitching and Full Shots
Here’s a simple little drill to help you focus on making great contact with your pitch shots and full swing iron shots. Send your swing to …
Nets are a great way to improve all aspects of your golf game regardless of your skill level. Having a net is also a great way for beginning golfers to learn the fundamentals of the game.
If you want to teach family members to golf having a practice net at home is a great idea. It can also be used for recreation with friends and family. Having a good net is like having your own driving range.
Try to find a net that will accommodate all kinds of practice drills tee shots, fairway shots, pitch shots, chip shots and putting and will allow you to use all the clubs in your bag. Driver, woods, irons, wedges and putter.
You will also want a net that can be set up quickly by one person and requires only minimal space to use
a net that be set up anywhere indoors or out. Home, office, garage, backyard.
Nets that return the ball to you are a good idea. This way it requires only one ball. No more buckets of balls and the time it takes to collect them. These type net allow you to stay focused on your practice session.
Another good feature is a net one that will return the ball in a straight line from the point it contacts the net giving you instant feedback as to your ball flight. Golf hitting mats or indoor outdoor carpet create a putting green like surface that will insure a smooth and consistent return.
Select a net that is made of high quality materials that will not rust and comes with a guarantee. If you are serious about your golf game you need a good quality practice net.
Learn How to hit 3 wood off the Ground
3 wood off the ground shots are possibly the hardest in golf, especially as we potentially face them 2-3 times per round. Approaching the shot strategically and …
It’s a question that is commonly asked by amateurs who just simply can not fathom how someone can crush the ball so far down the fairway! The thing is if you meet these guys, you ‘re realize that they’re just human and are not built like brick houses either!
Secret Number 1 – Power Techniques
The technique that these guys have developed over the years means that they can seemlessly effortlessly transfer all their power into the ball with maximum efficiency.
But How Do they do this?
Well, they get their main power from two main points:
– Full shoulder rotation so that the shoulder sets underneath the chin.
– A firm base and coiled, resistant lower body
All the power in the golf shot comes from rotation in the shoulder and resistance in the lower body. Consider it like a coil, you wind up your body to the top of the backswing, drop the plane of the club slowly but steady into the correct position and then EXPLODE into the downward swing.
Secret Number 2 – A Wide Arc away from the ball
All the long hitters take the club back away from the ball on a nice long arc. Butch Harman, Tiger’s coach, used to preach this religiously and give Tiger a good old clout if he ever became too narrow.
Secret Number 3 – Incredible Weight Transfer
If you ever watch anyone who can hit the ball a long way in golf, you’ll notice that their weight transfer is always really good. This means that on the backswing their weight is on the foot that’s located behind the and then on the follow through they bring everything onto their front foot in unison.
If you do not do this correctly you’ll end up with a reverse pivot. This is where your weight is on the wrong foot in the backswing. In terms of technique, this is catastrophic to your golf swing and to your chances of getting any decent distance whatever
Secret Number 4 – Timing
In the downswing a lot of amateurs try and smack the ball too hard and bring their hips through faster than their arms. This is not really very good for power because your body is not working in unison.
Your body is always going to be the most powerful working as a unit. In Tiger’s early days, he was guilty of bringing his hips through far too fast for his hands. Butch put a stop to that pretty quickly because it was to the detriment of his power control.
Secret Number 5 – Tailor Made Equipment
Last but not least, these guys have their own customer made drivers that suit their swing and their biomechanics perfectly. They generally have low degree drivers – I think Tiger has a 7.5 degree Titleist which would end in catastrophe for a beginner. The less the angle on the club face the more chance there is of the ball slicing or hooking into trouble.
So what should I do to improve my distance?
Simply, you need to learn the correct technique and apply it to your game religiously down the driving range. I am now the longest hitter at my local club and clear the range with my three wood. The only reason I can do this is because I have studied books and pictures of what similarities the professionals have with eachother and applied to my game while practicing down the range. Choose your golf bible wisely, study hard and launch that ball into the distance!
Golf club lag describes the trailing or following condition of the golf club in the downswing. A lagging golf club helps to keep the golf club accelerating steadily.
In this video golf instruction lesson from top PGA golf instructor Lawrie Montague will show you a simple way to create more lag in your golf swing.
Many amateur golfers over-accelerate the golf club leading to many problems like fat golf shots and thin shots.
Over-acceleration occurs when the golf club head accelerates too soon in the downswing leading to the golf club slowing down rapidly as it strikes the golf ball leading to much shorter distance and inconsistency.