Getting Out of Trouble

It is always best to stay out of trouble in the first place and that is why learning to control the ball and place it where it should be is the fastest way to a better score rather than relying on big drives off the tee.

Unfortunately that is not always the case and as golf is constantly challenging us to perform better and better we strive to go for more distance or attempt shots that we aren't 100% comfortable with.

Obviously the inevitable will happen and we will need to decide how to get out of the rough and salvage the hole.

All too often golfers make the wrong decision by not erring on the safe side and accepting that one more shot or a different iron might be a better solution.

You might think you can clear that tree with a 7 iron but if there are any doubts whatsoever it will be wise to select a 'safer' 8 or 9 iron just to be sure.

Consider using a pitching wedge if you aren't completely sure you will make the shot with the 9.

A safe shot can set you up for a good recovery by placing the ball in an easier position whereas taking risks might mean you don't make any gains at all.

It's like a seasoned gambler where you know the odds and playing safe often leaves more money on the table at the end of the day.

Golf is all about making the right decisions more often than not and a decision not to play safe can be detrimental to your score, particularly when the distance you might have gained with another club would probably have been minimal anyway.

Always play within your skills when you find yourself in difficult situations.
Salvage bad shots and then take a few extra chances when there is less likelihood of error.

Get a Grip On Your Game

More precisely the title of this should be to get the 'Right Grip' and that means get one that is specifically correct for you.

You can't expect the grip on your golf club to be the optimum size for both you and someone else with bigger or smaller hands.

How can the grip on the golf clubs of a large man be the right size for both him and that tiny old lady playing alongside him?

What is right for her will probably be too small for him and a grip that is too small will make him tend to hold the club too tight.

Instantly there will be a problem with his swing if he is holding too tight.
Just changing the grip to a bigger one can alter a game dramatically.

Your hands are your link to the golf clubs and everything that goes on below that point.
Your contact point with the clubs needs to be correct if you are expected to play well.

Don't be satisfied with the grips that the manufacturers supply, as they will offer a standard size to suit the majority of buyers.

You need to go one step further and find a grip that will allow you to control the club comfortably without having to hold it so hard that your game suffers.

A slippery grip will force you to hold too tight and that is something you don't want to contend with while you are playing.
Get grips for your clubs that are not only suited in size but also in the type of materials used as this can determine how tight you will hold them.

In addition to this, you need to warm up your wrists before play to ensure they are relaxed and ready for action.
Performing a few simple warm up exercises of rolling your wrist while holding your club lightly will help to reduce the possibility of injury.

Even Tiger Gets Advice

When you know that the best golfer in the world takes advice from others it makes you wonder why so many people think they can play golf without any instruction.

Golf is a highly technical game that involves all aspects of the mind and body yet people still think they can 'sort it out' themselves.

The reality is; Tuition from a good golf professional, not one of your mates, can do more for your game than any amount of advice that you might get from fellow players.

In fact, getting advice from other players, no matter what their handicap is, could be the worst thing you could do.

You need someone experienced, who can see the faults in your stance and swing and then teach you what is needed to correct those problems.

The longer you continue to play with incorrect action the harder it will be to retrain yourself later on.

I had a golfing partner who had a tendency to slice the ball when he was driving and no matter what he tried to do to correct this he couldn't solve the problem.
Rather than get professional advice he changed his game to allow for this problem and would drive the ball allowing for it's expected flight path.

As would be expected, he would hit the occasional ball properly and watch as a lovely straight drive sent the ball sailing through the air to the other fairway.

What a waste of a good drive. He had the ability to drive a long ball but never got the direction right because he refused to get professional tuition.

The difference was probably something minor that he could have corrected and enjoyed the benefits of for the years of his golfing life.

If you have a consistent problem with any aspect of your game, seek advice and get it sorted sooner rather than later.
It will reward you with a more enjoyable game.

Do You Slice

The problem with most poor golf techniques is the fact that they get worse the longer they are left unaddressed.

Many people have a problem slicing the ball when driving off the tee than virtually any other area.

Go to and public golf course any day of the week and you will be sure to find someone slicing the ball.
Even players with single digit handicaps can slice the ball on a regular basis.

Some people even adjust their game to allow for a slice that they can't seem to cure.

The more most people try to cure their slice the worse it seems to get and even professional tuition from golf pros can take quite some time to resolve this issue.

And what makes it all the more frustrating is the fact that during the week when you were at the golf range all your drives where as straight as a die.

So you arrive at the course for your weekend game and it all falls apart again.

The majority of golfers just accept that they have a problem and do nothing about it, resigned to the fact that it is an inherent problem with their game that they can't seem to fix.

Unfortunately problems like this put a dampener on the pleasure you can get from your game, so it is certainly worthwhile addressing the issue.

Spending money on new golf clubs, or changing the types of golf balls you use won't solve the problem.
It needs to be addressed as soon as possible as it will generally tend to get worse.

The problem is so widespread that one golfer dedicated his time to a study of golf slices and created a guide to help people eliminate this problem and open up their opportunity for rapid improvements in their game.

It is called the 'Dave Way' and is well respected as getting many distraught golfers back onto the 'straight and narrow' - that being the center of the fairway.

If you have a problem with slicing the ball you need to address the issue with the help of your golf pro or the information that is available in Dave's guide.

By pinpointing what you are doing wrong, rather than guessing and possibly messing up more of your game, you can target the most common flaws that lead to this problem.

Just like practice and education can improve your short game, eliminating your slice when you drive will result in more distance and the ability to ensure that your approach to the green won't be coming from somewhere out in the rough.

Do Warm Balls Travel Further?

It is a fact that a warm golf ball will travel further than a cold ball all things else being equal.

The reason for this is the fact that the added heat affects the compression of the ball.

It is hard to say how much heat would be needed to gain extra length and the gain in distance would be relatively minimal anyway.

Having said that, golf is all about making gains, no matter how big or small in as many areas as possible.

There are some golf pros who prefer to carry their golf balls in their pocket as this helps to retain heat in the ball, so whether it helps mentally or actually enhances the actual distance they get, it is going to benefit them at the end of the day.

If you are playing in particularly cold conditions the ball will lose it's heat quite fast so you will only get the benefit of the first shot in all likelihood.

Once again, even if you can make one gain in one area of your play on each hole, that can add up to a lot of good when the score card is tallied after a round.

You can always heat the balls before a tournament but you had better be sure that you don't damage the inner core while doing so or you will be doing more harm than good.

With the mental part of golf being such an important part of the game, having your golf balls warm might just be the edge you need to give you the confidence to pay better.
If that is the situation, then the benefits will be far more than any increase in distance you might possibly get.

You could always practice with a few balls having heated some of them and the others at normal temperature.
If you notice a difference then you should run with it.

Do Balls Make a Difference?

What are the benefits of changing your golf balls?

As there are continuing developments in all aspects of the sport, from the design of the golf clubs to the type of golf balls we use, it becomes all the more important that you use what's best for YOUR game, and that can even mean a change of the type of golf balls you use.

To ensure consistency with your game you will need to use the same balls in practice that you intend to use when you are playing in tournaments.

This is not quite so imperative when practicing at the driving range where you won't be expected to lose a bucketful of high dollar golf balls amongst the driving range hacks.

You will need to use your preferred balls when practicing your short game, as the type of ball you use will determine the distance you can expect from your swing.
You need to be assured that the practice swings you do in training, will equate with the same performance on the course.

Golf balls have had more development than any other sports ball and that development continues to improve the quality of our game beyond what many golfers understand.

You need to choose the ball that best suits your swing and this decision can have as big an impact on your game as choosing the correct golf clubs.

There are three main categories of golf balls.
The first and cheapest balls are the solid two-piece balls that consist of a hard shell covering an inner core.
These balls are the best for beginners because they allow for less than perfect swings and they are easier on the pocket when they get lost in the rough or the water.

The intermediate style balls are three piece or multi-layered.
These are for more advanced players as they allow better control and the ability to add spin to the ball.
The downside is the fact that the ball is softer, and a softer ball won't have the distance of the harder and cheaper balls.

The high performance balls are for advanced players and offer the best of all options with more control and the ability to go the distance.
These top-of-the-range balls are considerably more expensive and unless you can exploit their benefits the intermediate balls are probably a better option.

Constant Small Improvements for Long-term Success

You should analyze your game after the shot.
Look where the ball went and question what you did to get that result.

Information and education will assist in improving your game.
Get that information from recommended books and videos.
Get it from golf professionals who know what they are talking about, but always be wary of getting advice from friends and playing partners.
There are always people willing to give you advice but bad advice is a lot worse than no advice at all.

If the ball has gone somewhere other than the right direction, check your alignment and see if your final stance is correct.
There will be a lot of information as to why your shot has gone astray.
You can look at the ground and observe the path of your club.
Look at the position of your feet after the shot.
Maybe your shoes are letting you down by allowing too much movement in the conditions you are playing in.
Look at the final position of your golf club.
Consider how you were holding the club and whether you were gripping it too hard.

You shouldn't over analyze during the course of a game but making small improvements throughout play, when you notice areas that need adjustment, can pay dividends at the end of play.

By constantly chipping away at all aspects of your game you will see noticeable improvements that can take your handicap to the next level and that is why practice is so important.

And the practice that is most important are in the areas that you find you have the biggest weaknesses.
While it might be more fun to go to the driving range and hit the ball as far as possible, you will probably see better results from practicing improving your short game or getting better at getting your distance right on the putting green.

Consistency is the Key

Consistency is the hardest part of golf.
It is not possible for any human, Tiger Woods included, to hit the golf ball perfectly 100% of the time.
What good golfers can do however is consistently hit the ball very well most of the time, and near perfectly quite a lot of the time.

It is this consistency that sets them apart and even those at the top of their game have days when they don't get their shots right enough of the time.

There is only one thing that can really help any golfer get that consistency and that is through practice.

But there is another matter that needs to be addressed when talking about consistency and golf and that is - Consistently bad shots.

The more you do anything consistently the more it will become natural behavior and this applies to poor technique too.

The sooner you address poor golf techniques, the sooner you will be able to practice the correct methods that will replace them and make those actions second nature.

This is why it is recommended that everyone should get professional instruction before learning bad techniques that will need to be relearned at a later time.

I would even go to the extent of advising a newcomer to the sport to have lessons before ever attempting to play a round.
Or alternatively, learn how to use one club well, probably the 7 iron, and play a whole round, or nine holes, using only the 7 iron and a putter.

I knew of one player who made dramatic improvements to his game by using this technique and he had been playing for years.
He started playing golf with only the 7-iron and his putter, until he perfected his swing, and then introduced other clubs one at a time.

After getting his swing right with the 7-iron, mastering the other clubs was relatively simple.

Are You Still Thinking about Your Last Shot?

Will the last shot you played determine where the golf ball goes this time?

You might be surprised to realize that for many people the shot they have just played will have a major impact on their next shot.

The golf player who can switch his mind off that last shot, and move on, will always have a decided advantage over the competition.
If you are one of the many golfers who let their previous performance affect the rest of their game, then retraining your mind will do more for your game than all the tuition that any golf pro can give you.

How many times have we seen Tiger Woods play winning shots from out of the rough?

How many times have we seen him come from behind to win major tournaments?

There is one thing that other players will never do, and that is to write Tiger off if he has not been having a good game. This is because they know he has the mind power to put everything behind him.
In doing so, all the subsequent strokes are focused on winning the tournament.

Even the best golfers in the world duff their shots on occasions, but the way they handle those situations is a major reason why they are at the top of their game.
They don't let mistakes have any impact on the rest of their game, as they know that if they do, they will have no chance of recovery.

Your mind and the thoughts that you allow it to have, are the most powerful influences on the performance of your game.

It impacts on so many areas of play that it is often the downfall of so many golfers who could be better than their handicap suggests.

Consider the additional tension in your body when you are thinking about the last shot and how the next one needs to be so much better to compensate for your error.
That tension is translated into your swing and the possibility of a great shot is diminished accordingly.

Are You Playing with the Right Golf Balls?

Many people buy their golf balls based on economics.
If your game is not up to par and you think those water holes are looking a little ominous, you are more likely to buy a box of cheaper balls knowing that the pain won't be as great if a few of them get lost in the 'drink'

If you are looking for peak performance, then your choice of golf ball is crucial.
Golf ball selection can be as important to the success of your game as the clubs you will be carrying around the course.

Your golf balls need to be matched to your swing and your style of play.
If your style and golf balls are mismatched then you cannot hope to get the best results.

Sure, they might all look the same, but golf balls are technologically advanced balls, and all of them are designed with a specific purpose in mind.

There are balls for all different levels of skill, from the beginner to the pro, and within those levels there are balls designed specifically to match various playing styles.

The balls are designed with different densities that allow for varying levels of spin, distance and control.
The various types of covers on the balls and the core of the ball determine these factors.

Before you even consider buying a golf ball, you need to know what your style of play is and what type of ball you need to maximize your performance.
This will change if you are still progressing through the game, and as you master new skills you will need to change the type of ball you use accordingly.

If you are unsure of your style, spend a little time with a golf pro and get him or her to watch you play some shots.
Ask them to tell you what type of ball you should be using.
If they are any good at their job, they will be able to advise you what balls to buy.

Good ball choice can also help correct some errors that you might have in your style of play.

It could be that the balls you are currently using are mismatched to the way you are hitting them and this is actually more prevalent than many people understand.

Are You Better on the Front or Back Nine?

Looking at the way you perform through the course of a game can give you a lot of powerful information that can be transferred into results the next time you play.

I have talked to many golfers and there seems to be a consistency with a lot of them relating to their performance on the front nine compared to the way they play on the back nine in most tournaments.

Not that there is a consistency in their game, but a consistency in the part of the game where they consistently fare worst.

Some people struggle to get their game right for the first nine holes and then improve on the back nine, whilst others start off fine and then fade on the last nine holes.

It is like there is a switch that gets flicked half way through the game and their performance changes in one direction or another.

There is always a reason why this is happening and targeting that reason can result in some excellent improvements to your score.

More often than not the second nine holes result in a poorer performance and this can be due to a number of factors.

Those factors can be fatigue or a lack of hydration.
Hydration in itself will result in fatigue.
These are simple factors that can be easily addressed with regular intake of water and foods containing some carbohydrate content to keep the energy levels up.

Other people find they perform worse on the first nine holes and that can often be from tension where they tend to relax later in the game and start playing better.
Once again, if you are aware that this is happening you can address the problem by making an effort to relax.

Learning relaxation techniques can do more for many people's game than all the advice in the world and it might be just what you need to take your game to the next level.

Are You a Leftie?

We can't blame the golf club manufacturers for targeting their most profitable market of right-handed golfers, but it is quite difficult for those golfers who play left handed to find the selection offered to the mainstream players.

I have known a few golfers who made the change early on by training to play right handed but this is unrealistic for most people.

You should be playing in the most natural manner possible and if that means left handed then so be it.

Unfortunately with everything these days it all comes down to economics and profitability and there just isn't enough money to be made for many manufacturers in the left-handed market.

The percentage of left handed players to right handed players is somewhere in the region of 8 percent so the market is quite small, although it is a niche market that some manufacturers are targeting albeit at more expense in most instances.

But there is always a silver lining to the problems that we might encounter.

At a recent after tournament function I was introduced to an elderly gentleman who was playing on a low handicap and had done so for many years.

During the discussion he mentioned left-handed clubs and the fact that he had started playing left handed initially.

He hadn't learnt how to play from a professional and had developed some bad techniques.

Eventually, due to frustration with his game and the inability to source the clubs he wanted to, he enlisted some professional help.
After much discussion it was decided that he should try playing right handed and the golf pro would give him the necessary tuition.

It was a godsend as he was effectively starting from scratch and he learnt how to play golf without any of the bad techniques that he had developed on his own.

The change from left to right, along with the professional training had held him in good steed for the rest of his golf playing life.

Sure, it was a major decision that most golfers wouldn't make, but you can never beat a golfer at trying to improve his game no matter what steps they might take.

Add Variety to Your Practice

I see many golfers practicing the same shots over and over again.
That's Ok if it is an area that needs concentrated attention, and the more you practice a shot the better you will become at it.
If you practice a shot enough you will virtually do it on autopilot when you get to the course, but you must also remember that variety will make you a better all round golfer.

The more techniques that you can master the better you will be on competition day.
You can do this by trying new techniques when you practice.
Observe the results you get when you use different clubs or try different techniques.
Try adding some spin to the ball and see how this affects the flight.
Use different types of golf balls to see whether your level of expertise has changed and allowed you to get more benefit from the different ball compressions.

Even consider testing new golf clubs.
As your game progresses, so will your need to change equipment accordingly.
You won't want to be using the same clubs you had when you started playing and you will probably not want to be using the same golf balls either.

Better equipment will allow you to make shots that weren't possible before, and practice will help get you to the next level where you can take advantage of this equipment.

Try adding more backspin to your shots and see if this helps position the ball better for the next shot and offer more control on faster courses.

Your practice time should also be a time where you allow yourself the opportunity to experiment and try to broaden your game.

Having the ability to add spin to the ball might be the difference between hitting a tree and landing on the green.

You can never learn too much in the game of golf.

Accuracy First and Distance Will Follow

Most beginners have one thing in mind, and that is to hit the ball as far as possible.
Many golfers never quite get out of this mindset and this is one of the reasons why they will never get the distance that they are capable of hitting the ball.

The wise golfer will practice for accuracy first and concentrate on the distance once they have mastered the art of control.

It's not much point hitting the big yards off the tee if the ball is going to end up on another fairway or in the rough.
All you will succeed in doing is make the following shots all the more difficult.

A drive down the center of the fairway, albeit a few meters shorter, will set you up for a better approach shot and a lower round score.

By playing with smaller, more controlled swings, you will gain control of your shots sooner and you will progress to the longer distances faster.
You will be learning correct techniques that will hold you in good steed for the rest of your playing career.

By developing accuracy first, you will also be lengthening the distance of your drives and will in fact hit the ball further.

By starting with smaller swings it will be easier to train your body to develop the correct actions, and these actions will always be needed when you progress to the longer drives.

As you master your swing, you can progress to a full swing knowing that you will have the control to hit the ball in the right direction.
This combination of correct action and a full swing will ensure you will hit the ball further than would be possible if you had only aimed for the big shots from the outset.

If you find that your drives are going wayward, then it would be wise to focus on control, even if that means limiting your swing until you are hitting the ball straight.

A Unique Putting Tip

Here's a simple technique to improve your putting.
Before you can expect to putt well on greens with a slope, you need to learn to putt well on the flat.
This will train you to swing your putter through a straight line and hit the ball squarely on the face of the putter.

Now you need to get a putter that has a line on it that you can see clearly, as this will be the line that you will follow through to the center of the ball.

On the practice green (preferably one that you have at home, as this technique might not be appreciated) you will mark straight lines with a builders chalk line in several directions from the center of the hole spanning out around the green.

Getting someone to hold the chalk line at the center of the cup will make the process easier.
Now move around the green flicking the line to leave chalk marks along the ground.

Next - place your golf ball on the line leaving some of the line on the ground visible behind the ball.
This will help you to guide your swing.
You will then be able to swing your putter using the line on the ground as a guide and the line on the putter itself to connect with the center of the ball.

In a very short time you should find that you are managing to putt from a relatively good distance and get the ball in the hole most of the time.

This will help you to develop the correct posture and consistency to putt well.

After doing this for a while from different positions on the green, move the ball off the line and visualize that there is still a line on the ground by creating it in your mind, looking from the ball to the cup and back again several times.

Line up your putter as before and look at the line on your putter to hit the center of the ball with this spot on your club.

You are now retraining yourself to see an invisible line from the ball to the cup that you can use on any green you play on.

A Few Putting Tips

How often have you been frustratingly close to sinking a putt only to come up short?

Or maybe you have only just missed the hole to see your ball go sailing past adding too much distance for the return putt.

A lot of games have been lost on the putting green and in most instances it has been due to the wrong distance, rather than the direction of the ball.

Most beginners quickly get a feel for the direction the ball will travel, even on sloping greens.
You've probably seen it yourself when a newcomer to the game places the ball within inches of the hole on a sloping green time and time again.

What you won't see quite so often is the ball stopping a few inches past the hole when they miss.

There are many factors that come into account when determining the distance a ball will travel on the green, from the slope, to the preparation of the green and whether it is wet and slow or dry and fast.
It can make a huge difference depending on the time of the day with greens getting faster as they dry off in the afternoon sun.

So reading the distance of a putt is what you really need to concentrate on to get your ball to drop in that hole.

Once again it all comes back to practice and there is no better practice than on the day of the tournament in the conditions that you will be playing in.
Always take some time to have a few practice putts before you start play to 'dial in' your distance.

One thing you must always remember; the golf ball will never drop if it doesn't reach the hole.
Sounds too obvious to even need mentioning doesn't it, but more often that not putts will come up short.
Always aim for the back of the cup so that, provided you have your direction right, you are going to have a chance of making the putt.

A Balanced Approach

Golf is all about balance.
You need to get the right balance on your feet, in the movement of your body, in the swing of the clubs and so on.

Balance goes further than just the body however.
You need a balanced approach to the game with your mind in sync with your body.

You need to only consider the one stroke that you are playing and not let other holes impact on your balance.

When we get golf lessons we're taught about the distribution of weight on our feet and the weight distribution when we swing to strike the ball.

Many of the techniques seem foreign to the beginner but it is all about training the player to find balance in their game so the actions are effortless and natural.
Our balance should flow through with the movement of the swing in one fluid action to the striking of the ball and even after the ball has been hit with a balanced follow through.

It is a natural feeling that will become second nature with practice.

It is through finding balance in your mind and body that you will start hitting consistently good shots.
Without this it will be very difficult to find any consistency in your game.

Once you get your upper body correctly positioned behind the ball, you will find that you are naturally placing more weight on the back foot.

Try it next time you have a practice swing.
Stand balanced on your feet with no more pressure on the front of the foot than the back.
Position yourself behind the ball and gently swing through without making any effort to concentrate on the distribution of the weight on you feet.

You will find that this will come naturally with no effort at all and that is precisely how you should feel when you are striking the ball.

Your Own Personal Golf Pro at Every Game

Have you ever considered what the source of your problems might have been when you just finished a poor round of golf?

Many people will be surprised to know that most of their problems stemmed from the way they were holding their clubs.

You probably already know the situation I am about to describe.
You hit a bad shot and then you tell yourself that the next shot has to be better to compensate and the pressure begins to grow.

Along with the increasing pressure is a tendency to grip the clubs too hard.
Tension has a tendency to make us do that.
Along with this tight grip we have on the club goes a corresponding loss of control.

The ball starts flying in all directions, and the tension builds ever more, until you look at your knuckles and they are white from the pressure.
If your clubs had to breath you would have choked them by now.

I had a playing partner who had a simple list of instructions that he would read when his game started to fall apart and at the top of that list was 'don't strangle the clubs'

It's simple and we all know about it, but this visual reminder was all that it would take to get his game back on course and ensure that the tension wasn't there in the rest of his game.

This technique of having written guidelines was so powerful that several other people started using it.
It was like having your own personal golf pro walking with you and giving you the necessary instructions when things started to go wrong.

Those words would allow him to focus on the next shot and release all the tension that would have otherwise crept into his game.

Try carrying your own list of 'game savers' around with you next time and don't hesitate to read them at the first sign your game might be falling apart.

It is an incredibly powerful technique.
More Informaiton:
Golf Swing Guru