There have been many golf movies made over the years. Golfers and non-golfers alike have their favourites. If a movies is well made, the fact that it is wrapped around the game of golf should not matter. In fact, all good golf movies are stand alone movies that simply use golfing as an incidental part of the movie’s overall plot.

Tin Cup is sometimes ranked as one of the best golf movies. It starred Don Johnson and Kevin Costner. The storyline involves a one-time golf pro who has seen better times. When a former friend shows up at his run-down driving range and asks him to be his caddie in an upcoming competition, his desire to be a champion once again is renewed. This easy-going comedy has its best laugh in the fact that Kevin Costner took 86 attempts in real life to make one of the neat perfect shots seen in the movie.

The Greatest Game Ever Played is based on the 1913 US Open. This is where a young Francis Ouimet, played in the movie by Shia LaBeouf, lines up against his golfing hero, Harry Vardon, 1900 US Open Champion who is played in the movie by Stephen Dillane. There are those who say that as golf movies go, this one was a bit boring. It tried too hard and didn’t succeed enough.

Bagger Vance is perhaps the most unusual of all golf movies. It stars Will Smith as a mystical kind of caddie who wakes up the dormant genius a run-down former local champion in Atlanta, played by Matt Damon. With Charlize Theron somewhere in the middle providing the glitzy female allure, this movies emphasises the mental aspect of the game. It comes across in a gentle, but wonderful way. You certainly do not have to love golf to like this, one of the best ever of all golf movies.

Not all golf movies are serious. Comedy lends itself well to some of them. Caddyshack is memorable only for its attempts at trying too hard to be funny, though some of the gophers did well, but Happy Gilmore on the other hand, just about made it. Starring Adam Sandler and featuring appearances by real golf stars, Bob Barker and Lee Trevino, Happy Gilmore is about the unlikely antics of a hockey player who discovers that his hockey skills can accidentally produce some of the greatest golf drives ever made. It has some very funny moments.

There have been golf movies that have displayed the lives and successes of famous names, such as Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan and others. Some are simply golfing stories that have fictional characters who are golfing champions, and of course, some work better than others. Given the great passion many people have for golf there will likely always be new golf movies to watch and enjoy.

I’ve put together a couple of great golf tips to cure your slice and hook and help you get more distance and more fairways. Being able to drive a golf ball straight is a result of practice, but fixing small issues with your swing can help you improve quickly. Let’s assume you have at least developed a good consistent golf swing. Regardless, after impact your golf ball is flying right or left.

There are a lot of ways to try to correct this problem. Don’t be too concerned, millions of golfers have corrected a slice or hook, so you can too. In fact, I’d only briefly hesitate to say that the majority of golfers have a consistent slice. Also, there are usually corresponding problems, like pop-ups and over correction.

Do you usually hook it right after cracking a horrible slice? That’s how I used to play. So you’re not alone. It’s possible the reason you have problems with your slice or hook is an off-plane backswing. This is one of the major things you need to overcome to learn how to drive a golf ball straight.

Let me give you a great tip. Try holding your golf club parallel above the ground across your shoulders. If you are right handed your clubhead should be on your right. Address the bass and take a backswing. Now, just a caution. This drill of often done incorrectly. See, your shaft shouldn’t point at the ball. If it does then your angle is too steep – which is what may be causing your slice. On the other hand, a flat golf swing that results in your handle aiming beyond the ball leads to a hook. To drive a golf ball straight your handle, over your left shoulder if you are a right-hander, should be aiming about a foot past the ball. If it is you have got it right. Now practice integrating this shoulder motion into a smooth swing and you’re almost there.

Let me give you another example of a drill that can be effective. If you are a right-hander, put your watch on your left wrist (if it isn’t already). Now sneak a pen under the watch face pointing into the back of your left hand. Take a swing. Did the pen dig into your hand? If it did, then you’re cupping your wrist at the top of the backswing. This will cause a wide rotation of the clubface and you’ll have to compensate in your downswing. Doing anything that causes you to have to compensate is a mistake. You need to have your left wrist flatter at the top of your take-back. That will help open your clubface at impact. Don’t overdo it though. Bowing your wrist will have the opposite effect, causing you to exaggerate your hook.

Practice is the only way to eliminate all of these small problems and overcome a slice or a hook. Finally, take note of your head position. This can have a big impact on whether you are able to get a clean inside-out swing. Usually, this will only cause a subtle slice. But if you can eliminate this you should. I find taking my focus off the golf ball and onto the swing path helps here. Otherwise my swing tends to follow down the target line instead of coming from the inside. You could try rotating your head to the right for a right-hander so that your eyes go ‘inside-out’ and off the line.

These golf tips should help you to hit the golf ball straight and stop the cutting motion at impact that is one of the biggest problems for most golfers. If you can get control of this then you are also in a good position to start developing a well executed and controlled draw. Learning how to drive a golf ball straight can be very hard. You need to practice these golf tips to succeed. Don’t give up. If I can do it and millions of other golfers can then so can you.