The Golf Jock

When playing the game of golf , correct techniques for the golf swing are very significant. To gain the maximum success at the game, proper body postures and hand gripping are key . To enhance your performance, these are some useful   golf swing tips which will surely help you to be the best at your game.

• First of all, hold the club in your left hand . Ensuring that it fits in your palm and that the little finger should be around the grip. This way , the club will not move. Also, keep in mind that two or three knuckles of your left hand should be seen while holding the club .
• Now grab the grip with your right hand in a position that the thumb of the left hand is covered by your right hand. And the right thumb should point to your right shoulder.
• You can select anyone of the following grips according to your preference.
  • Overlapping Grip- It is the most common used grip in which little finger of the right hand is located between the middle and index fingers of the left hand.
  • Interlocking Grip- In this type of grip, the index finger of the left hand and the little finger of the right hand  are interlocked together.
  • Baseball Grip- It is most commonly used by children or people with small hands . In this type, all the fingers of both hands are placed around the club to get a tight hold.
• After one has ensured the proper grip, proper body posture should be maintained to get the perfect golf swing . Your feet should be shoulder width apart . They should also be parallel to the ball. The right foot should be kept at a right angle and little forward from your body. The left foot should remain reasonably open. The back and knees should be bending slightly for an easy golf swing. Remembering that your body weight should not be on your heels but you should be on the balls of your feet . Both of your arms should be in a straight and relaxed position. They should face downwards to the body.
• The back swing will come next after you have maintained the perfect grip and right posture There should be a simultaneous movement of the whole body including shoulders, arms, hands and back. For the perfect back swing, turn your shoulders fully so that your back faces the aim. Then shifting your weight from right foot to left, rotate the whole body and power the club with a blow. As the club touches the ball, lift your head up and smash the ball.   

Safety Concerns
The number one rule is that you shout “Fore” if you hit an errant shot toward other golfers. . This gives a warning to other golfers. . When you are a beginning golfer , you will make many bad shots. Don’t begin throwing golf clubs or other objects. It won’t help , and there’s a possibility that you could injure someone .  

Maintaining the Course
One very important rule is that you should leave the course as you have found it . This will provide the opportunity for you and others to enjoy the course in good condition in the future . When taking a divot while striking the ball on the tee or in the fairway, replace the sod. The will allow the grass to grow back for the next person who hits from that spot . Placing the grass back and gently tapping it down with your feet takes little time but it maintains the course in good condition . Repair any ball mark you might have caused by your ball landing on the green. Even if you didn’t cause it and you see one in the area your ball landed, please repair the mark to allow the green to heel and allow the ball to roll smoothly over the mark. New golfers should have an experienced golfer show you the correct way to repair ball marks . There will be sand on many golf courses. These act as hazards or areas to avoid hitting your ball into it, but occasionally your ball will land in one . Make sure to rake the trap to remove your footprints and damage made from the ball and your club. Again, new golfers should get advice from experienced golfers. . If you drive a cart, make sure to observe any cart rules by the golf course. You may see signs stating that the carts should be on the “Cart Path Only” or to follow the “90-degree rule” when crossing the fairway. Never drive the cart on or near greens and hazards. There is usually a white line marked by the golf course superintendent to denote areas to not cross with the golf cart. Please follow these rules. Newcomers should allow the more experienced golfer to drive the cart. Pay close attention to how that golfer maneuvers the cart around the course. It goes without saying to put trash in designated trash cans. These are found on the tee boxes or at the club house when you are finished with your round.  

Enjoyment for Others
Golf should be for fun . However, the fun should not only be for you, but the others on the golf course as well. Having a conversation with a fellow golfer on the course is commonplace, but try to keep that volume to a minimum. That means no yelling to one another on the course (except to warn someone of immediate danger) and not to talk while someone is getting ready to hit the ball. Extend the same courtesy as you would when you are trying to concentrate on hitting the ball. Cell phone usage is also discouraged on the course . The pace of play is important for not only you and your playing companions, but all others who follow you on the course. Tee times are usually set so many minutes apart to allow a certain pace of play. Generally, golf course wants you to play each hole in approximately 15 minutes. This means that for each 9 holes, 2 hours and 15 minutes should be sufficient time to complete each side. A ranger might be present on the course to tell you to pick up your pace.

  Here are some additional tips:

• The person furthest from the hole is the first to hit
• Be ready when it is your turn to hit.
• Don’t spend too much time looking for a lost ball, help look for your playing partner’s lost ball to save time
• Know where to drop your ball if it lands in a hazard, is lost or goes out of bounds
• If you have to keep your cart on the path, then take more than one club when you go to your ball when it will be a distance from the cart
• On the green, do not stand where you can cast a shadow or walk in the line of another golfer’s putt
• Wait until the last person has putted out before going to your cart or going to the next green  

Wear appropriate attire at the golf course you will be playing . This usually means a collared shirt, shorts that come close to the knees and golf shoes (or at worst) tennis shoes with socks. If you do not know, ask ahead when you make reservations or the host you will be playing with. Be sure your golf equipment is prepared for play. This may seem like a lot to know , but many of these rules of etiquette should be common sense, while others will take a little time to learn the more you play this wonderful game. Your equipment can take many forms, name brands, discount golf clubs, etc., but proper etiquette is standard and necessary. Playing with more experienced golfers will help educate you so you are able to share those same values when it is your turn to play with someone new to the game.

Many pro golfers say that putting is the most important part of your golf game. How you practice can also affect your game. Finding a pro and taking a lesson can go a long way to improving your stroke. Here are some interesting tips for beginners or even pros. Since putting skills account for 50% of your game, so, let’s focus on putting.

Putting Lessons
First practice putting exercises by making use of putting drills to improve your golfing skills. Putting drills will help you focus you on routines that become second nature and ingrained as a skill set. 

‘Drive for show putt for dough’ as the popular adage implies. The main focus is to see the line you want the golf ball to follow in your minds’ eye figured out  and not to move your head while you putt. When standing over your putt with your eye on the ball and form the mental image of the path to the hole. Visualize – don’t think speed, think distance.

Some pros even teach putting with your eyes closed to develop feel and consistency. Try a drill of hitting a number of 10-foot putts with your eyes closed. That will help develop your feel and get your mind off the mechanics of the stroke.

Concentrate on the spot where the ball was before impact. Don’t lif your head to see where the ball is going. When you’re not looking and pulling your body up you’ll make more putts. When you hear the ball rattle in the cup you can lift your head.

Practice Your Aproach Address

A minor yet important part of golfing instruction is your stance. Spend some time during your practice session making sure you have a solid putting stance.  Don’t just go out there and start putting, but take time to positions yourself.

The simplest putting method is maintaining a straight back when your hands hang and swing directly under your shoulders.

If your hands are outside your shoulders (that is, farther from your body), it will take on a different stance resulting in an inside-square-inside stroke. Your stance should normally be the narrowest of any shot that you play usually no wider than your hips.

Get A Grip

Always check your grip. It’s important that the consistency of your shot depend on the same grip each and every time. Like the address position, this is an important part of putting that often gets overlooked and cause irratic delivery.

Your club works similar to a pendulum motion. Your arms should be relaxed and your grip light. A smooth one-piece action should be your stroke. When you move your arms backwards, the triangle created by your shoulders and the club work like a pendulum keeping your wrists stiff. The motion begins by dropping yor left shoulder.

Make sure your closing fingers of your grip don’t change the angle of the club face. Try using a very light version of your normal grip.

Go With The Short Putts

How to break 80. Since your score is affected most by your putting skills, take time to master the short putt. Master the short putts and apply those control skills to the long putts.

Carpet Putting

Sam Snead said, “I figure practice puts brains in your muscles,” and so by practicing your putting gives you a consistent and repeatable putting stroke. – a world record of 82 PGA tournaments was won by Sam Snead and about 70 others around the globe.

When moving objects meet head-on , the energy transfer is expressed as a measurement of energy retention or loss, with 0.000 being the loss of all energy and 1.000 being perfect transfer of energy from one object to another.

There are two reasons that a golf club and golf ball can not result in a perfect elastic collision with the COR being equal to 1:

a. Club faces and balls are manufactured from completely different materials.

b. Club faces and balls weigh much different weights .

An example of a collision of two objects where the energy transfer is very high is in the game of pool. A cue ball transfers almost all its energy to the object ball, causing it to speed off at almost the same speed as the cue ball before it struck the object ball, while the cue almost stops. In this case the balls are of the same material and weight.

Here is an example that will give an idea of the increased distance obtainable with increased COR: A driver with a face COR of 0.830 will hit a ball 4.2 yards farther than a driver with a face COR of 0.820, assuming a 100 mph swing speed.

The USGA rules body has limited the COR for golf clubs to 0.830. It doesn’t mean much to the average slow swinging golfer, now that almost all legal drivers are manufactured to be at the 0.830 COR level. It is, however, a distinct advantage for the golfer with the faster swing speed because the high COR produces better for him.

COR limitations affect only drivers , as most are made from very thin and springy titanium. Most club outlets publish the COR for the drivers that they sell. If your unsure that the driver you like is legal, consult the USGA website for a list of non-conforming drivers.