Tag Archives: club face

The Width of Your Stance

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How wide should my stance be? Ever stood over the ball and wondered if the width of your stance is the correct one? Always losing balance during the swing? How about on the follow through? Never could get comfortable with the grip or always had trouble aiming the club-face? What about keeping the club-face square through impact? The problem could be you be in the width of your stance.

I have seen many of my students either stand too wide or too narrow. The ones who stand too wide argue that they feel to unstable during the swing and can’t generate power during the swing, and the narrow ones feel that they can’t turn and move freely through out the swing.

So how do you know what is the correct one? Try this; Stand straight up in front of a full-length mirror with your feet together. Note how your hands hang at your sides. Next, spread your feet two inches apart, and note your hand position again. Keep taking wider stances at two-inch intervals until your feet are just outside your shoulders, checking your hand position at each stance width.

At this stance width, my left hand turns in more than my right. I’m out of balance, with my weight distributed between the toes of my right foot and the heel of my left. This will set me up for an outside-in swing and cause a slice.

What You’re Looking For Research shows that when you’re perfectly balanced, your hands hang at your sides the same way as they would if you were standing naturally at attention. This balanced/imbalanced state changes every time you widen or narrow your stance two inches. So what would be good for you? Place a club as a guide at your feet and perform the drill again, and mark the widths that allow your hands and arms to hang exactly the same. Find three of these perfectly balanced stance widths: one for your short irons, one for your mid-irons and one for your driver. Use the club as a guide to set your stance width when you practice on the range. Starting from a balanced address gives you a better chance of swinging on plane and gripping the club without unnecessary hand rotation, so your can set your club-face square at address. This works from the putter all the way through to the driver.

How To Play A Draw Shot

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Considered by many as the best shot in golf the draw shot still seems difficult for most amateur golfers. In this article I aim to show you how to play a draw shot in golf.

The information in this article is describing the draw shot as played by a right-handed golfer.

First let me make it clear that a draw shot is not a shot that does anything other than drop slightly from right to left from its highest trajectory point.

Please do not confuse a draw shot with a hook which starts off left of the target and continues to go way left. This is a very important point so learn the difference between ball flight patterns so that you are certain that you are setting out to learn to play the draw and don’t land up perfecting a hook!

In order to hit a draw two things need to be present through the hitting area.

  1. An in-to-out swing path and
  2. A square (but closing) club-face. Sounds like Martian speak doesn’t it?

There are three basic pre-shot elements that will help you when trying to play the draw.

  1. The grip. How many times have you heard this and why does it make a big difference?
  2. The alignment. Obviously you need aim towards the correct target which is different to where you want to finish up. Martian speak again!
  3. The take-away. No – not a double cheese-burger and fries! If you don’t take the club away on the right line or swing path you cannot return it to the ball correctly.

Let’s start on the grip.

Do the following. Put your hands together as you would in prayer with your thumbs straight in front of you. Good, you now have the basis of how your hands should work together on the club with the palms facing each other. The difference is when you have a club in your hands the right hand would be slightly further down the shaft of the club than the left hand.

In golf terms this would be termed a “neutral” grip with neither hand dominating the other.

The next step is to turn your hands clockwise so that the knuckles of your left hand are on top and the knuckles of your right hand are on the bottom and out of sight, your palms flat against each other. This would be considered a “strong” grip in golf.

Because the hands are working together as you swing through the ball (try it now) you have a natural tendency for your right hand to flip over to the “neutral” position. This is the grip that most people need to adopt to play a draw shot.

The opposite grip (weak) is when the hands are turned anti-clockwise so that the knuckles of the right hand are on top and the knuckles of the left hand are under and out of sight. Again try “swinging” like this and note how the hands tend to come back to a neutral position. Picture a club in your hands and it is immediately obvious that the club face will be open at impact and result in a slice/push/push slice or something just as horrible.

Understanding the ball flight laws makes this a lot clearer.

Experiment with these different grips going from neutral to a very “strong” grip and note how the ball reacts. There will be variations from player to player and one player will need a stronger (or slightly more neutral) grip than the next.

Moving on to alignment.

Because the ball will be starting slightly right of the intended target and falling back to the left you need to aim right of your intended target.

Your toe line, hips and your shoulders should all be parallel to the ball to target line.

The best way to get the correct alignment is to have a friend stand behind you and when you think you are aiming correctly have him place a straight edge (such as a golf club) along your toe line. Then he should place another club parallel to this along the ball to target line.

Step back and check that you were in fact aiming where you thought you were. You may find that you are way off line.

To correct this step back into the set-up and have him/her (your friend that is!) set you up so that your toe line is parallel to the ball to target line. Now adjust your body so that your hips and shoulders are parallel to your toes. If it feels uncomfortable it is a good sign. Step out of and back into the correct alignment over and over until you do it automatically and it feels comfortable.

The take-away.

This is the part where I see it all going wrong. You can have the perfect grip and the perfect alignment and will still mess it up if your take-away is wrong.

What causes a bad take-away?

Usually one of two things (or both). Bad balance and trying to hit the ball to hard.

Balance is all about posture and the subject of another article (maybe) but you need your weight on the balls of your feet at address – not on your toes and not on your heels, either way you will have to compensate on the down-swing to get the club back to the ball.

Avoid trying to hit the ball hard! This is the single biggest cause of a slice.

If you are trying to smash the ball chances are you are using your arms to do this.

That generally translates to swinging “over the top” from the top of your backswing. The result is your right elbow comes away from your body and back to the ball on an out-to-in swing path! Hook, pull hook, slice – who knows what the result will be?

Start your take-away by concentrating on rotating your right shoulder around your fixed spine to a point where you are comfortable, well balanced with a straight left arm. Your right arm in contact with your torso – tucked in and just touching your hip. Keep the same connection you had at address between your arms and chest.

At the top of your swing you are looking at the ball from over your left shoulder.

Now the important part – do not use your arms to start the downswing.

From the top of the back-swing simply turn your hips back towards the target until your belt buckle is facing the target. Do it slowly (in slow motion) and note how the arms automatically follow.

At impact your hips should be well clear with your arms lagging slightly behind. Your right arm should once again be straight and extended (as it was at address) with the club-face square to the target. Just past the point of impact your right arm will automatically cross over your left with the club face starting to close. Your left elbow now starts bending in towards your waist.

Your follow is a mirror reflection of your back swing.

The result is a draw shot.

Learning how to play a draw shot is not as difficult as it seems and I honestly believe the main problem is trying to hit a long ball with the wrong basics.

Get the basics right, learn how to play a draw and discover effortless power and accuracy.

I hope this article has helped you in your efforts to learn to play the draw shot.

Play A Draw Or A Fade In Golf – Which Is Best?

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The old argument of whether to play a draw or a fade in golf has historically been won by those in the “draw” camp. Not sure why but I suspect because it gets more distance. It may also be because over ninety percent of golfers have an uncontrollable slice and would love to hit a draw.

whatever the reason a draw or a fade are both great “bread and butter” shots to have. Even better is to play either as the situation calls for it.

So which is better a draw or a fade? As I am one of those that favor a draw I shall just argue the pros and cons of each.

Before I do I think I need to let my readers know the characteristics of a fade and a draw. Do not mistake these two ball flights with a slice or a hook.

The descriptions that follow are for right-handed golfers. For left-handed golfers the ball merely goes the other way but everything else remains the same.

The Draw:

  • Is a result of an in-to-out golf swing with a square club face through impact.
  • The result is the ball starts off slightly right of the target line and when it reaches its peak drops back to the left on to the target.
  • The overall spin of the ball is that of topspin and as a result you should get maximum roll when it lands.
  • Not to be confused with the hook which is the result of an in-to-out swing and a closed club face at impact. Here the ball will still have topspin but will start left of target and keep going left.

The Fade:

  • The result of an out-to-in swing path with a square club face through impact.
  • The fade shot will start slightly left of target and, when it reaches its peak, will fall back to the right and on to the target.
  • The overall spin of the ball is one of underspin so when it lands it will stop very quickly.
  • Don’t confuse the fade with a slice which is the result of an out-to-in swing path and an open club face at impact. The slice starts right of target and keeps going right.

Which shot is the better shot to play is entirely personal.

The trade-off for a draw with the greater distance is the ability to control the stopping distance.

With a fade you won’t get the distance but you will know you can stop the ball quickly.

Maybe a combination of the two is the way to go: Play the draw off the tee and on the longer fairway shots but use the fade for the approach shots.

If a draw is your stock shot learn to play the fade and conversely if a fade is your bread and butter shot try to master the draw for that extra distance.

Of course you may well be one of the ninety percent that is simply struggling for any consistency at all in which case you need to look at your overall swing and get it grooved before you try working the ball around the course.

Great game isn’t it?

Trust your Unconscious Golf Mind to Align Your Club for a Better Pre-Shot Routine

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How much is the accuracy of your golf shot influenced by club alignment at address and how much is down to your instinctive or unconscious golf ability? Now I’m not talking here about the complexity of aligning the various parts of your body when you address the ball. That’s a subject for your golf pro, not your golf psychologist. All I’m interested in here is the alignment of your club face at address.

I’ve been writing a lot recently about the importance, in golf psychology terms, of a quick transition from the conscious processes of planning your golf shot and selecting the right club and the unconscious process of taking your stance and hitting the ball. What concerns me most is that while the best golfers seem to take as little as 11 seconds to complete this transition the average golfer seems to take that long just to align their stance and the clubface.

Now, I don’t want you to go straight out and time how long you take, as that would introduce an unnecessary conscious activity into what should be an unconscious process and I don’t want you blaming me for making you play worse. You probably already know whether you are quick or slow in this area and if you don’t, just ask a golfing friend to tell you.

How accurately can you consciously aim your club face? Well, let’s look at a few technical facts. A typical club head is about 3 inches long from heel to toe and the hitting area is less than 2 inches wide. With a mid-iron, those two inches sit on the ground about 4-5 feet from your eyes, depending on your height and style.

And how precise can you be with the alignment of that clubhead from that distance? If you were an eight of an inch out with the face alignment, then your club would be facing about 10 yards wide of your target 160 yards away – the difference between hitting or missing an average green. Now, I know that the path the club head takes at impact has more affect on the direction the ball starts flying than the alignment of the clubface, but that’s more than compensated for by the slice or draw swing created and the tendency for us golfers to swing square to our clubface.

So, how do the better golfers maintain their accuracy if it’s so difficult to align the clubface accurately? Well, let’s look at other sports where the action is so rapid that we don’t have time to think consciously about alignment. How often have you seen a top-class cricket fielder throw the ball from maybe 40 yards more than a yard either side of the wicket-keeper? That’s despite having to run some way for the ball, pick it up, turn and throw it back as quickly as possible. I suspect that something similar happens in baseball. Now, do they spend any time aligning themselves consciously before they throw the ball? I don’t think so, they just turn and throw the ball and trust their amazing bodies and unconscious mind to assess all the variables and let fly.

The same goes for tennis where there’s little or no time for alignment. Timothy Gallwey’s original Inner Game book made similar arguments for the capabilities of the unconscious mind in the game of tennis. When he talked about Self 1 and Self 2 he was talking about what I describe as the conscious and unconscious minds. Even with the dynamic nature of tennis, he found a need for a distraction to stop the conscious mind interfering with the shot – calling out "Bounce" and "Hit" when the ball bounced or you hit it with the racket.

Now, what are you suggesting I should do to shorten my alignment time, Andrew? Well, all I’m saying is to think about taking less time with your club alignment when you’re setting up to play your shots and trust your unconscious to hit the shot where you want it to go. Work on it on the practice ground and in your mental practice until it becomes second nature and you know it works well for you. Then take it to the course and enjoy the results.

Golf Club Reviews – Finding the Center of Gravity on Your Golf Club

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Knowing which club to buy for your golf style will play a major role in whether or not you have a great game of golf. The standard golf set includes three woods, ten irons and a putter. Your golf experience will determine the type of clubs to pick. This article will help break down how to select clubs for all levels of play. Follow this advice and you will be out on the green with your new clubs in no time!Here’s my method-

1.First! Choosing the Correct Golf Club.To maximize your potential, buying shorter clubs will have more accurate ball contact when you swing. For beginners, it is recommended they select woods or irons because the large and flat soles make it easier to make ball contact which results in shots that go farther. One specific club type suggestion for beginners is the mallet putter. Mallet putters are very well aligned and will make it easier for short putts.

2.In golf, various types of golf clubs are used. In fact, a golfer may carry up to fourteen clubs during a round as per game rules. The principle of this is that in playing golf, it is easier to keep your swing as invariable as possible and attain variable lengths and distinctiveness of ball flight using different club for each shot.There is a technique for finding the center of gravity on your club face. Finding the center of gravity is crucial to your success! I would rather swing the golf club 85 miles per hour and hit the center of gravity than swing 95 miles an hour out on the toe of the golf club.

3.Hold the clubface up close to your ear and bounce a golf ball off the face. Bounce it all around the club face. You’ll notice a different sound and a different bounce off different positions on the face of the golf club. Of course we haven’t mentioned that hitting the ball off the center of gravity also creates additional torque that will open or close the club face and send your shots off line.

4.Continue to bounce the ball until you find one spot that seems to sound the best and you get a better bounce off the face of the club and the club face doesn’t wiggle as much, (torque) in your hand. On most golf clubs, the center of gravity will not be the exact center of the club face.

5.When, Once you find what you think is the center of gravity put some face tape on your club face. You can buy some at most golf stores or go on line to a company called Longshot and buy it by the roll. If you’re serious about your golf game you should be checking yourself for centeredness of hit constantly so you will use up the roll faster than you think.

6.Don’t fall for the gag the golf club companies tell you about having a bigger sweet spot. Bravo Sierra! Center of gravity is center of gravity! You may need to set up your driver at address with the ball appearing to be a little inside of center to get your eye used to hitting the ball where you’re suppose to. Most golfers don’t realize that they hit the ball out on the toe with their driver.My suggestion is to get some face tape, find the center of gravity, hit balls until you can get your contact as close to the center of gravity as you can.

7.And most important, The Golf clubs in different materials are also often being reviewed especially by golf experts and professionals. Golf club reviews will help you get views on what club you should get and what specific brand fits your golfing styles. Reviews about damages and shipments may also help you be very particular about golf club dealers.

The TaylorMade Burner May Be the Best Golf Driver for You

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Are you frustrated with looking for a better all around golf driver? Are you tired of not being able to find one that will suit your needs and skills, having to try many clubs at stores which promise false returns? If so, this is the place for you. I’m going to tell you about a revolutionary driver designed by TaylorMade, which appeals to many golfers at all skill levels. So why do hundreds of thousands of golfers choose the TaylorMade Burner? Simple: it makes you a better golfer.

Modern golf drivers tend to over-focus on things such as club head size, face loft, and club head weight. While these things do affect how well you play golf, if you’re a beginner to intermediate player, they won’t do much. The minutiae and details of club construction go deep into the mechanics and physics of swing, and factor in many details about the weather also, such as wind. As a novice or even intermediate golfer, it will be very difficult for one to distinguish between a 1 or even 2 degree difference in face loft, not to mention a couple ounces of club head weight. That’s why the TaylorMade Burner is well constructed for players that are both advanced and novice.

If you have ever read about why golf clubs are designed the way they look, you might have read about how important center of gravity is. The TaylorMade Burner has a distinct advantage in this area, as the CG is further back on the club head than many other drivers, giving you more of a push when you hit the ball. The added momentum helps accelerate the ball faster than your normal swing would allow, and could add up to as much as an extra 80 yards on your drives! Another factor that contributes to making you a better driver is the perfect combination of club head weight and shaft stiffness. While most clubs will have a deficiency with one or the other (sometimes both!), the Burner’s reduced weight and increasing stiffness as you head up to the club head allows the club to produce an immense snapping action which in physics, produces a more efficient mechanism by which to accelerate an object. This results in less effort on your part.

One final component of the Burner is a radical club face that is much more forgiving than most other clubs I have used. The only problem being, that if you don’t hit the club face right, your drive will still go super far, where you may get into trouble in the rough. The spring action on the face creates a distinctive sound when you hit the ball, and though the area suited best for coming in contact with the ball is smaller than other club designs, the advantage is that there’s more “pop” in your hits, which once again, results in longer drives. So do yourself a favor and check out the Burner. It won’t make you an all around better golfer, but it can make you look better in the tee box.

Golf Club Review

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You swing and you swing and you miss, slice, hook and whatever else you might do to miss the target. You are getting frustrated. You swear you are not doing anything wrong. If that is truly the case, look at your club and complete a golf club review.

Are you looking at your golf club? It just sits there doing nothing. Look at the club again. Now look at the other clubs in your bag. Do a comparison check. Take the time to check out what each club does when you hit the golf ball. Take time to analyze what happens when you hit the golf ball with the club face.

After you have studied the golf club, have someone take a video of you in action hitting the club face. If your photographer is able have that person zoom in for a close-up shot of how your club is actually striking the ball. Take time to review the video or photos. Observe and watch closely.

Did you notice that when you had your body in proper alignment and the golf club was also properly aligned with the target which allowed the club face to strike the ball correctly the ball flew long and straight and with accuracy? That was one successful shot. Really think about this for a moment.

We learn from our mistakes. The ball will slice or hook when our body is out of alignment from the target or we are compensating for the design of the golf club. Depending on the height of the grass and or the placement of the ball your view may be blocked causing you to not see the slope or where along the length edge of the club you are hitting the golf ball incorrectly.

Perhaps you are aware of the golf club slope and angle and you are trying to realign your body to compensate for the design of the club and there again you will hook or slice. It would be easier to look at your club and have another look at the design. Do a golf club review.

With corrected clubs you will have less stress or strain on your golf swing which will help to lower you score and help you become a better golfer. It will also help you to get on track with accuracy and a long straight shot to the target.

Have you begun to notice the fact that whenever we start adjusting our body to make up for our club alignment we develop bad spinal posture habits? Do not forget to maintain proper posture of heels, hip and shoulders parallel to the target line. Understand the necessary body mechanics when initiating and completing your golf swings.

However, do not overlook that you still need to understand basic fundamentals of golf, have a good and proper grip, know the different types of golf swings, and maintain proper health and fitness.

Be open to learning new techniques. Visit the sports section of Tricia Deed at infotrish.vpweb and review Welcome to the Golf Swing Book PurePoint Golf.

A Golf Swing Slice – 3 Reasons and How to Cure It

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One of the most common problems for beginning golfers absolutely has to be a golf swing slice.

Here are some solutions.

1. It is possible that you are swinging what they call over the top. If you don’t know what that means you can easily do a Google search and find some videos on YouTube showing you what that means. By swinging over the top you almost can almost guarantee a slice. The proper way for your club to come at the ball is from the inside. If you can get your club to come from the inside you have a much better chance at solid contact and straight ball flight. 

2. When you swing the club and strike the ball, your club face may be making contact with the ball from an open position rather than square. This means that the ball never really gets a chance to start out going in the right direction. When you address the ball make sure that your club face is square. When at address lift up the club so that the club head is right in front of you at about belt height. Check again to make sure that club is square to target. Sometimes when the club is on the ground what is truly square can be deceiving.

3. Make sure that your grip is either stronger rather than weak or even neutral. A neutral grip should be ok, but a strong grip will more seriously help you to avoid a golf swing slice.

Try these changes and watch your ball fly straighter and farther than ever.

How to cure a snap-hook

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There is no more ugly shot in all of golf than the snap-hook. It flies wildly off line and loses a ton of distance in the process. Here are a few tips on how to eliminate the dreaded snap-hook from your game:

Only two things cause a hook: first would be that the club face is too closed at impact, second would be that you are swinging from inside to out.

If you aim down the middle of the fairway and your ball starts out to the right of your target line then hooks back across your target line, you have an inside-out swing.

If you aim down the middle and your ball starts on line then hooks to the left, you have a closed club face.

One quick thing I must mention. If your driver is the only club in your bag that you snap hook, you probably need a different shaft in your driver. Visit your nearest club fitter and get yourself measured for the right shaft.

As for the two swing problems: first determine which kind of hook you have, then work from there.

If your club face is too closed, the first thing to check is your club face at address. Make sure you are setting up to the ball with a square club face. If that isn’t it, then it is in the timing of your hands releasing through the ball. Start swinging the club as if you never want to release the club or never want your hands to turn over. It is impossible for your hands not to turn over in the golf swing, so you will not be able to prevent it no matter how hard you try. Just swing with that one thought of not letting your hands turn over. Do this until the ball starts to fade to the right and you are cured.

If your swing is coming too far from the inside, then there could be all kinds of problems. Most likely, though, it is simply because your swing is too flat, or too much around the shoulders as opposed to above the shoulders. To fix that common fault, simply focus on raising your hands on the back-swing so they are positioned directly over the right shoulder at the top of the back-swing. This will feel uncomfortable at first. It will feel like you are swinging the club up over your head, but you won’t be. As always, a swing change like this will take lots of practice to groove into muscle memory.

Eliminating the snap-hook is essential to good golf. Ben Hogan went to a weak grip for that very reason. There is nothing worse than having a good round of golf going only to lose it to that shot that dives out of bounds or under some bushes straight to the left.

You will know you have it eliminated from your game when your ball flight consistently flies high and moves to the right with a little fade. Keep practicing and you will wave good bye to the snap-hook forever.

Golf Club Reviews -golf Clubs 09

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Knowing which club to buy for your golf style will play a major role in whether or not you have a great game of golf. The standard golf set includes three woods, ten irons and a putter. Your golf experience will determine the type of clubs to pick. This article will help break down how to select clubs for all levels of play. Follow this advice and you will be out on the green with your new clubs in no time!Here’s my method-

1.First! Choosing the Correct Golf Club 09.To maximize your potential, buying shorter clubs will have more accurate ball contact when you swing. For beginners, it is recommended they select woods or irons because the large and flat soles make it easier to make ball contact which results in shots that go farther. One specific club type suggestion for beginners is the mallet putter. Mallet putters are very well aligned and will make it easier for short putts.

2.In golf, various types of golf clubs 09 are used. In fact, a golfer may carry up to fourteen clubs during a round as per game rules. The principle of this is that in playing golf in 2009, it is easier to keep your swing as invariable as possible and attain variable lengths and distinctiveness of ball flight using different club for each shot.There is a technique for finding the center of gravity on your club face. Finding the center of gravity is crucial to your success! I would rather swing the golf club 85 miles per hour and hit the center of gravity than swing 95 miles an hour out on the toe of the golf club 09.

3.Hold the clubface up close to your ear and bounce a golf ball off the face. Bounce it all around the club face. You’ll notice a different sound and a different bounce off different positions on the face of the golf club 09. Of course we haven’t mentioned that hitting the ball off the center of gravity also creates additional torque that will open or close the club face and send your shots off line.

4.Continue to bounce the ball until you find one spot that seems to sound the best and you get a better bounce off the face of the club and the club face doesn’t wiggle as much, (torque) in your hand. On most golf clubs, the center of gravity will not be the exact center of the club face.

5.When, Once you find what you think is the center of gravity put some face tape on your club face. You can buy some at most golf stores or go on line to a company called Longshot and buy it by the roll. If you’re serious about your golf game you should be checking yourself for centeredness of hit constantly so you will use up the roll faster than you think.

6.Don’t fall for the gag the golf club 09 companies tell you about having a bigger sweet spot. Bravo Sierra! Center of gravity is center of gravity! You may need to set up your driver at address with the ball appearing to be a little inside of center to get your eye used to hitting the ball where you’re suppose to. Most golfers don’t realize that they hit the ball out on the toe with their driver.My suggestion is to get some face tape, find the center of gravity, hit balls until you can get your contact as close to the center of gravity as you can.

7.And most important, The Golf clubs 09 in different materials are also often being reviewed especially by golf experts and professionals. Golf club reviews 09 will help you get views on what club you should get and what specific brand fits your golfing styles. Reviews about damages and shipments may also help you be very particular about golf club 09 dealers.