It’s been around for several hundred years, and for a while it was the Provence of the elite and rich. If you’ve seen many golf movies you know that women weren’t even allowed to caddy until the middle of the last century. And while it’s still a bit pricey to play a lot of golf, it’s not exactly prohibitive any longer. It’s no wonder that more and more people are picking up the sports as something more than a competitive jaunt. Golf is so enjoyable that it’s becoming one of the more popular hobbies as well.

When you think of the word hobby you might conjure up such indoor pastimes as stamp collecting or knitting. Others will paint or listen to music. But that doesn’t mean that hiking isn’t a hobby at all. In fact, there are quite a number of hobbies that involve using some serious muscle mass around. And while you probably don’t consider golf a strenuous activity, it will give a serious couch potato a decent challenge the first few rounds out.

One of the reasons golf can be a big draw is the setting. Lovely landscapes, the greenest grass perfectly trimmed, trees and water – it’s a nature walk with a little white ball thrown in. You don’t have to be young or in great shape, and you don’t have to be particularly competitive since you’re only really playing against the course and yourself, but if that’s what does it for you, more power to you.

Golf is great exercise as well. Strap on a big pack full of metal, lug it around for a few miles and you would have a great workout. The nice thing about golf is that the pack and the steel have some purpose while you walk it out with them on your back. If you can play a few rounds a week, you would be walking something like ten miles with the extra weight as well as flexing and stretching all of your other muscle groups along the way. Depending on how well you play – that might be a lot of extra flexing and twisting.

Golf requires bending over, twisting around, small muscle precision and large muscle group power. Outside of swimming it’s a little hard to get a more complete cycle of body functions as you can get in a round of golf. And the sights and sounds are certainly right up there with almost anything else that actually requires activity. It is a little tough to enjoy the way a mountain looks when you are hanging onto it for dear life.

All in all, golf is has the perfect balance of physical activity and aesthetic quality. You’ll search far and wide to find a single hobby that has more to offer in a single package. And while it does cost more to take the walk, you might have just blown the cash on hamburgers anyway. Make a little investment in your health and happiness and give the good old game a try.

Having precision in the short game is the key to low scoring in golf. If you can land the ball within a close distance of the hole from inside 120 yards, than consistent pars and birdies are easily attainable. This is where accurate pitching and chipping comes in.

Pitching

Anytime a shot is about 40 to 120 yards from the green, you will most likely be pitching. As is apparent, the best club to use from this range is the pitching wedge. When pitching, set up the same as if you are hitting an iron shot, except when pitching you will have an open stance. This means positioning your feet as if you were aiming slightly to the left of the target (if you are right handed), but keep the clubface facing the target. Line up so that the ball is slightly back in your stance compared to a normal iron shot. In order to vary your distance with pitching, vary the length of your backswing. Bring the club farther back for longer shots, and vice versa for shorter shots. Just like with any normal iron shot, be sure to hit down on the ball; do not attempt to scoop it up into the air.

Chipping

Anytime you chip the ball, it should land within an easily attainable putting distance from the hole. The more accurate your chip shots are, the less accurate your putting needs to be.

With the chip, you will set up almost as if you are pitching, except your feet will be closer together. They should be less than shoulder width apart, but far enough apart that you have proper balance. Again, open your stance so your feet are positioned as if you are aiming to the left of the target. Make sure that the clubface is facing the target. The ball will again be relatively back in your stance. The key to chipping is hitting down on the ball with a solid stroke. Don’t decelerate on the downswing. When chipping, the backswing will be much shorter than the pitch shot, but again, in order to vary the distance the ball is hit, vary the length of your backswing.

Practice pitching, and chipping at a driving range and on a practice green. Obviously, you will be aiming to get the ball within a very close distance to the hole. In order to become more accurate with pitching and chipping, you must get a feel for the distance you are hitting. This can only be accomplished with a lot of practice.

If you want to practice golf then you should do so correctly. Only go to the range if you have a specific purpose in mind.

I see far too many people at driving ranges with a bucket of 100 balls which they whip through in half an hour – or worse 15 minutes. If you play a round of golf and are a really good golfer (scratch) you will play 72 shots in about 4 hours and 15 minutes. So why do people whack 100 balls in 15 minutes and call that practice?

Firstly I think a hundred balls is far too much for the average golfer (remember the average golfer’s handicap is over 18) per practice session. Let me explain.

When practicing you should have something specific in mind. Whether that is to learn to draw the ball with a driver, practice chips, hit long or medium irons working the ball or whatever it is you should be there with a specific goal in mind.

Before you even start practicing wear the right gear. By that I mean wear the same clothes you would if you were actually playing golf. Put on a golf shirt, golf trousers and golf shoes. Use a glove if you play with one. Do not get to the range from the office and hit balls in your work lounge shirt and work shoes.

To start off your practice session do some stretching. Ninety nine percent of people don’t bother with this at all. They are on their way home from the office and expect their muscles to perform after sitting behind a desk all day. These same people probably warm up their motor vehicle before leaving for the office but don’t give their muscles the same courtesy. How can we expect good results? In fact I’ve seen people injure themselves because of this bad practice.

OK so now you’re correctly attired, you have stretched and resisted the temptation to buy 100 balls, having settled for 50. You have also allowed yourself enough time to do things properly and slowly. With 50 balls I would suggest between 45 minutes to an hour.

Before you hit the first ball go over in your mind what you plan to do and then let your muscles know. The way to do this is to pretend that you have selected a ball, selected a club and are ready to go. Follow the normal pre-shot routine you would if you were at the golf course. With club in hand approach the “ball” from behind, select your target line and step up to the imaginary ball. Go through the motion of a full swing, without a ball. Practising exactly what you have come to work on. Get feedback from the feeling in your hands, legs, club, takeaway, follow through and body. Repeat the exercise one more time without a ball.

If all feels right go ahead this time with a golf ball. Analyze the feedback and determine if the ball did what you intended. Make a mental or physical adjustment if required for the next shot.

Now look over at the cubicle next to you and you will see another player on his 7th ball. He is simply lashing away and getting rid of his bucket as if each ball has the plague!

Repeat the process for each of the 50 balls in your bucket. After about the 10th or 12th ball the neighbor in the next cubicle will have been replaced with a new machine gunner. Do not let this worry you.

With each ball in your bucket go through the routine you would on a golf course and have at least 2 practice swings for each ball that you hit.

By doing this you will have had 150 practice swings, each with a particular purpose in mind. It should take you about an hour and you should have had at least 3 different neighbors during this time – if not you may have gone too fast.

You will probably also find that you will be a bit more exhausted than you normally would be after lashing 100 balls in double quick time.

Slow down, practice with a purpose and enjoy the experience. You will find that practice sessions become beneficial.

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One of the most important shots out on the golf course is the approach shot to the green. If you hit a good approach shot to the green, you set yourself up for a birdie opportunity. If you hit a poor approach shot, you could be looking at trying to save par, or even worse. This is why you should spend some quality practice time hitting approach shots to the green.

Hitting an approach shot can be difficult for most high handicap golfers. It requires a little skill. It’s not like hitting a tee shot into a big open fairway. With an approach shot you’re looking to hit it as close to the pin as possible. Let’s take a closer look at the different kinds of approach shots and what you can do to make some improvements to your golf game.

There are several different approach shots used in golf such as the pitch shot, chip shot and the flop shot.

Pitch Shot This golf shot is used from between 50-110 yards out away from the green. You will be using your pitching wedge for this shot, hence the name pitch shot. Your pitching wedge will allow you to have more control over the distance of your shot and keep you from flying your golf ball way over the green.

Be sure to open your golf stance a little more than usual. Your right foot (if you’re right-handed) should be directly in line with the golf ball. Use a full swing with this shot. Don’t try to use a half or three-quarter swing, because you run a high risk of hitting the ball “fat”. Follow through on your back swing as you normally do. You may want to choke down on the grip to get better control, or to lower the distance the golf ball will travel. Never try to guide the ball, let the golf club do the work.

Chip Shot The chip shot can be a great shot to master for your golf game. The idea of the chip shot is to hit it a short distance and let the golf ball roll toward the hole. Ideally, you want the ball to travel 1/3 of the way to the hole and let it roll the other 2/3 of the way. So, use the chip shot when you have a lot of green in front of you to work with.

When hitting the chip shot you will want to use a less lofted club, like a 7 or 8 iron. Line yourself up with right foot across from the ball. Keep more of your weight on your left side. You will use a half swing for this shot and finish with a half follow through. Again, don’t try to guide the ball, let the club do the work.

Flop Shot This shot will take a lot of practice to master. You want to use the flop shot when you have to fly the golf ball over a sand trap, or perhaps a small tree that is in front of you and the pin. You will use the highest lofted golf club in your bag, usually a 60-degree wedge. The object is to get the ball up as high as possible and have it drop down and stick where it lands. Use a wide-open stance with this shot and try to pop the ball up. It will take a lot of practice to hit this shot effectively.

By practicing these different types of approach shots, you’ll be hitting the golf ball a lot closer to the pin and begin lowering your scores!

I would like to offer some tips on equipment purchase and what would be required to get started playing golf. Beside club purchase, there are additional items necessary to prepare yourself for play. The next most obvious items are a golf bag and golf balls. If you are purchasing a starter set of clubs many come with a golf bag included. If you like to walk and enjoy a little workout as you play there are carry bags, which are light weight and are slung over your shoulders. There are other bag options for you to choose from and I would suggest that you speak to the sales representative in your local pro shop or golf store (ie; Dick’s Sporting Goods and Golfsmith would provide this service) and ask him to explain the different types and price range to best suit your needs. Golf balls can also vary dramatically in price – from about $9.99 /dozen to $45.99 for the best balls on the market – Titleist Pro V and Pro V1x.

As a beginner I would recommend that you buy the more economically priced balls. The difference in performance will be negligible and you will have a tendency to lose more balls as a novice so why waste money ? As you improve, you can always upgrade the type of ball that you use – I would recommend purchasing about two dozen balls to get started. There are also different compression golf balls made. 80, 90 and 100. The compression selected is directly proportionate to how fast you swing and your golf mechanics. I will not elaborate on this right now but an 80 or 90 compression ball should be more than adequate for now. If you have some power and a fairly quick swing, I would opt for the 90 which may give you a bit more distance. NOTE: The professionals and low handicap players use the higher compression balls because their impact speed and swing mechanics will allow the ball to compress properly, thus attaining the maximum result in distance. Some other equipment I would strongly recommend would be as follows:

A golf towel, golf shoes ( though not absolutely necessary it will assist with stability as you swing), Golf tees ( Note: there are different height golf tees made for different drivers, woods and irons – I would recommend that you pick up an assortment of sizes – 2 1/8″ for woods and irons & 2 3/4″ or 3 1/4″ for Drivers depending on type and size. Check with golf pro or sales person for recommendations if not sure), a golf glove ( not required but it will give you a definite advantage in gripping and holding the club more effectively), ball markers ( used on the green to mark your ball so you will not to block the path of your fellow player – a rule of golf etiquette), and a divot repair tool ( used to repair the indentation made in the green when the golf ball lands – one of the rules of etiquette to be addressed in a future writing ). Although not required to play golf, you may want to consider packing the following ancillary items : Band-aids, sunscreen and insect repellent. You never know when you may need them and it’s better to be prepared to allow for maximum comfort while you play. I think we’ve covered most of the essentials and if you have any questions please feel free to submit them to me. Now you’ve got the Desire, you’ve got your equipment, next step is to learn how to play- “The Right Way”.

There are a number of different options available to learn how to play golf. You can self teach ( read books and watch instructional videos), ask a relative or friend who knows how to play to teach you, if you are in a high school or college that offers a golf program – enroll in the program, take lessons from the golf pro at your local driving range, take golf lessons from the professional at your local golf course, golf store, private club or pro shop or enroll in a golf school. The method you choose can greatly effect your results so be sure to make the right decision for you.