Tag Archives: golf swing

Relax for a More Powerful Golf Swing

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A crucial point to be observed in the development of a fluid and powerful golf swing is the concept of letting the arms just go along for the ride. What this means is that you want your arms to be relaxed and free of any tension throughout the entire swing motion – they should simply transfer the power generated by the rotation of your torso. The problem that most golfers have in trying to generate extra distance is that they unconsciously flex their upper arms and forearms at address which carries through their entire swing and actually reduces their swing speed as well as lessening their control. Admittedly, this flexing action feels very powerful but in reality it destroys the transfer of your true power which is generated by the rotation of your torso around your hips.

The culprit is what I refer to as the opposing muscle concept. In other words, the bicep and forearm muscles of your right arm are flexing in direct opposition to the bicep and forearm muscles of your left arm. In addition, the more one arm flexes the more the other arm flexes in response. This flexed muscle opposition has the effect of freezing your arms in place which does not allow for a free and fluid swing movement let alone the ability to act as a conduit of power from your torso to the golf club.

Try the following simple experiment to see exactly what I am talking about. Hold a book between your hands as if you were holding a golf club at address. You will notice that your elbows point out to the sides. Bring the book straight up in front of you and you will feel the tension in your upper arms and forearms as your hands push together in order to keep the book from falling. You will also notice the tension created in your chest as your arms are pushing towards each other. Now swing the book to each side and you will definitely notice the restricted and uncoordinated feeling that the movement generates. This is what is happening in your golf swing although you are not consciously aware of it because you have not concentrated on it before. You will also note that the tension in your arms continues to increase because as the flexing of the muscles of one arm increases the muscles of the other arm respond in kind. It is important to understand that they flex in direct opposition to each other.

The solution to this power and control robbing problem is very simple and I have to credit Ben Hogan for the answer. The key is to eliminate the direct opposition of your arms from your address position and swing. Take your normal address position holding a driver and note that your elbows tend to point out to the sides although not as prominently as they did when you were holding the book in the earlier experiment. Obviously, the more your elbows are pointing outwards the more the inside of your arms are facing each other which is the root of muscle opposition. Still holding the club, rotate both arms so that your elbows are pointing in more of a downward position. You will feel your upper arms pressing against and even constricting your chest on either side with the inside of your elbows facing upwards. You will also notice the lack of tension in your arms which is the result of the muscles of your arms not being able to flex against each other. This position drastically reduces the amount of muscle opposition and enhances the ability to make a fluid swing and power transfer.

Before we go any further let me make it clear that it is impossible to hold onto a golf club in a position where the insides of your elbows are pointing perfectly straight up and the outside of your elbows pointing perfectly straight down. However, to the extent that you can come close to this position the better.

This is something that you will have to practice at the range because your new fluid and powerful swing will definitely require you to develop a new feel and timing. Initially you will feel that this swing is not as powerful which is to be expected since you are not feeling the flexing action of the muscles in your arms. But believe me, your swing speed will immediately jump up five to ten mph and then increase beyond this as your non-opposing swing becomes more ingrained. And remember – just let your arms go along for the ride.

Learning Good Golf Swing Mechanics

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We all want to have more power in our golf swing. Want to see that ball go sailing off the tee straight down the fairway a couple of hundred yards. Now of course we’ve all also seen someone consistently do that at a course on Sunday afternoon, so effortlessly, just like the club was slicing through butter. What do these people with the perfect golf swing and a perfect drive every time have that we don’t have. Is it speed, strength, or a better driver? Chances are none of the above, what they have mastered is their golf swing mechanics.

Of course a better driver made of the latest and greatest material will help add a few yards to your drive, also having strength in the right muscles will help out. How ever all of these things aren’t worth a dime if you’re not using them correctly. And to use them correctly you need to have the right swing mechanics down. Until you understand exactly what happens when you swing a golf club, how the weight is transferred and how mechanics come into play rather then brute force and strength you’ll continue to either duff the ball or be plagued by that evil hook or slice.

So is this to say that you should just purchase an inexpensive club, and any out of shape bum can learn to drive a winning ball? No not at all, your equipment and physical fitness level are very important, how ever you need to learn to use it right. A bad swing will only produce one thing, bad results. Whether it’s a good club or a bad club, or your strong or weak.

If you’re over the top with your golf swing, or to far on the inside it will come out in the direction of the ball. Being able to correct this error through your swing mechanics is when you’ve really learned to master the controllable par of this crazy game.

Working consistently to tweak your swing through mechanics is how you’ll slowly but surely shave those strokes off of your handicap. The key is know the right way to do it in the first place so you have a base to work from. It is a lot more difficult for us to unlearn bad habits in our swing sequence then it is to take the time to learn the correct movements and technique the first time around. Remember bad habits are difficult to break, and this is no different in golf then it is in any other area of life.

Take advantage of Golf Instruction

One big let down with amateur golfers is that they get discouraged when they don’t see improvement after practicing and practicing at the driving range. All they’re learning to do is slice that ball further and further rather then discovering how to correct it and drive it straighter and straighter. This can all be corrected by introducing the correct instruction to your practicing regime. Whether it’s a quality instructional video or book, or you register for lessons from the local pro you need a solid foundation to understand why a golf ball will tend to slice or hook. Or where the correction can be made in your swing to stop topping the ball. Without proper instruction you can’t fully understand correct golf swing mechanics, and will continue to be frustrated.

How to develop a good tempo in your golf swing

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Many golfers do not understand the necessity of good tempo to a strong and healthy golf swing.  Tempo is an aspect of golf that can not be bought or enhanced, only practiced and found.  From back swing, to ball impact and follow through, tempo can be the cause of any strayed or mishit shot.  First and foremost, the best advice for finding the tempo appropriate to your golf swing is practice. In the discovery of what swing speed and tempo is most comfortable to you a golfer will learn that no one swing speed or tempo is the same.  Uncovered in the following will be pointers on how to develop good tempo within your golf swing.

When practice is discussed here, this does not mean heading out for a leisurely eighteen holes of golf but heading to the range with a certified golf instructor or professional, two or three buckets of balls and a stop watch.  Tempo is not a part of the golf game that is always found easily and sometimes buckets and buckets of balls can be hit before even five or six balls are struck well consecutively.  The best drill to assist in finding ones tempo is to select the most consistently well hit iron from your bag to hit, generally a seven, eight, or nine iron.  After a brief warm up on the range, have your instructor begin timing your swing to find your best tempo. 

According toKeepMyScore.com, “…The number one problem with any golfer’s swing is that they try to swing too hard…”  Swing speed is such an important technical aspect of tempo, if your swing is paced to fast or too slow your club head will not contact the ball on the natural lie and cause a poor shot.  If you quit short in your swing instead of letting your tempo pull you through to finishing, there is more chance of your ball straying to the side.  A great drill to keep your tempo steady during the on and off season, is to choke up on a weighted club with only your lead hand and practice a half swing focusing on the transition point of where your club head would impact the ball.  This is a great drill that can be done indoors or out to slow swing speed and keep your swing in check during off time.   

Another great tip to developing good tempo in your golf swing is to think of a popular saying as a brainteaser, again it is best to consult with a professional before choosing a saying or beat.  When searching for tempo in your golf swing, do not let yourself get frustrated.  It will take time and lots of practice but eventually timing will come like the tick of a clock. The bad news for golfers though, tempo, much like the game of golf, is a life long pursuit.

What Is The Perfect Golf Swing?

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You might be wondering, “what is the perfect golf swing?” Many experienced golfers and golf instructors argue that there is nothing like a perfect golf swing but that it involves a combination of good techniques that are applied consistently to ensure that a person delivers a great shot.

What Is The Perfect Golf Swing – The Grip

The first place to start in answering “what is the perfect golf swing”, is with the grip. A perfect swing starts with good grip something golf instructors always insist upon. Since the golf swing will involve your whole body it requires that your hands firmly grip the golf club as you swing it and deliver the impact. Your hands should act as conductors which transfer speed and power that has been generated by your body’s turning motion to the golf ball. Your hands should hold the golf club in such a way that it approaches the ball in a square position and to achieve this, your hands must be in a neutral position, that is, palms facing each other across the club shaft while being square to the golf ball.

What Is The Perfect Golf Swing – The Backswing

Next is the backswing, for a perfect golf swing you need to draw the golf club in one motion then as the club starts back it should be accompanied by a turn of the left shoulder and hips so that weight is transferred to the right side. Your hands should begin to set when they are at waist height and your shoulders should continue to turn as the club continues its rise to the top. Your hands should remain set even as you raise your golf club to the top for consistent shots.

What Is The Perfect Golf Swing – The Downswing

The down swing should be delivered in a strong but controlled manner so as to get the best shot possible. The point of the down swing is to deliver maximum but controlled impact to the golf ball. Avoid going too fast or too hard as this will result in bad shots. Too much speed causes the golf club to reach maximum speed and force before reaching the ball and results in weaker shots. Studies recommend that you should either use maximum power to start your backswing or build up the power through the entire swing so that the golf club is at maximum force by the time it hits the ball. There are other studies that suggest that you should increase the torque to a maximum slightly after starting the backswing and maintain the force until you hit the ball. You should avoid pulling your left arm from the top and leading your downswing with the left side as this will result in weak shots.

What Is The Perfect Golf Swing – The Finish

A good finish is also important for a great shot and your finish needs to be high. A low finish results in toppled shots and a hard time getting the ball air borne and should therefore be avoided. The club needs to remain square several inches after impact in order to ensure that the ball attains the proper flight. You should transfer the weight from your left side to your right during the finish and for a proper finish your right knee should be the one facing the target and your hands should end up high and near your left ear.

So if your quest to find out what is the perfect golf swing still has gone unanswered, then you might want to try apply these basic steps to help answer your question for you.

Learn the Correct Golf Swing Mechanics

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Fuji Smart QuickSnap Golf Disposable 35mm Camera

Everyone out there who plays golf wants to improve their golf swing. Unfortunately, many of those people have never taken a lesson and are forced to look at little tid-bits of advice in golf magazines. When you’re trying to learn the correct golf swing mechanics, things can get a little confusing. There is an overwhelming amount of advice out there but many tip givers don’t fit their tid-bits of advice in with the context of whole swing. That little bit of missing information makes it very hard to keep sight of the big picture, and from there it becomes impossible to utilize the advice that they gave you.

“Golf begins with a great grip,” says David Leadbetter. The Interlocking Grip is where the right little finger and the left index finger are locked together. Experiment with your grip by hitting balls with the different grips to see what works best. Golf and baseball have similar grips, but remember, they are different in both sports. Baseball players grip the bat more in their palms. Golfers should grip the club more in the base of the fingers.

If you want to get better at your game, you can observe those professional golfers and see how they play their game. These are athletes who took the time to master their golf swing mechanics and who were also able to learn new strategies and techniques that would help them improve their game with best golf clubs. They do drills with their clubs and make sure that they are holding these properly. They also double check whether they have the right posture that would deliver the strongest swing and would take the ball to where they want it to go in the first place.

There are three components concerning the swing: The body turn, the wrist hinge and the control area. You need to know the right way to turn your body along with the golf swing to create more power and thus have a more powerful swing with RocketBladez Irons . A good wrist hinge will relax your wrist and avoid injury. The control area is where you should hit the golf ball. Knowing precisely where to hit the ball will make the ball go to the direction you want to. With all these, you should now have enough knowledge and be able to begin practicing your golf swings.

When using the practice range to warm up and improve your golf swing mechanics, it is recommended you start with the pitching wedge or rbz irons . Next use your eight or seven iron. Work up from these lower irons to your middle irons, such as the five or four iron. After the middle irons work on your three and two irons. Leave the one wood for the end of your practice session. By the time you get to your driver you will be well warmed up. You will appreciate this when you get to the first tee, as you first shot on the first tee will usually require the use of the driver.

Once you master the basic golf swing mechanics, you can then work on slightly more advanced techniques to improve your swing. But don’t go too fast and take your time because the basics are the most important things to learn and the advanced techniques will take more time to master.

Fix My Golf Swing – 9 Bad Golf Shots To Avoid

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9 Bad Golf Shots to Avoid

  1. Slice. Perhaps the most common complaint the among weekend golfer — the sliced golf shot has enough clockwise spin to cause the ball to curve to the right (for right-handed golfers), The ball flies through that dreaded curving trajectory to the right ending up in the rough or worse, the woods.
  2. Push. The pushed golf shot also goes to the right, but not as a result of imparting too much spin. The swing seems solid, but the club-head strikes the ball straight on but pushes it off the target line to the right.
  3. Hook. The hook is the opposite of the slice. The ball is hit with enough counter-clockwise spin to cause it to curve to the left. A bad hook can end up in the woods or rough.
  4. Pull. The pull is the opposite of the push. The ball goes off to the left. Instead of curving to the left, it shoots straight to the left.
  5. Skied. The ball takes off on an extremely high trajectory resulting in a very short drive. This happens when the bottom of the downswing is too low, and the strikes the ball with the top of club-head rather that the face.
  6. Topped. When the bottom of the downswing occurs too soon, the club-head strikes the top portion of the ball with the bottom edge of the club face. This drives the ball into the ground resulting in a low bounce and very short rolling drive.
  7. Shank. A shanked golf shot is when the club-head strikes the ball not on the face of the club, but near where the shaft is joined to the club-head. The ball usually flies off to the left.
  8. Toed. A toed drive is the opposite of a shank. The ball is struck near the toe of the club-head rather than in the sweet spot.
  9. Weed Eater. The clubface strikes the ball with the vertical face of the club turned down. A solid hit but the ball simply skims along the ground. The club’s designed loft never comes into play. The player has in effect delofted his or her golf shot.

If you have ever experienced hitting one of these bad golf shots at the first tee in front of your playing partners and other golfers, you probably felt embarrassed and a bit angry at yourself for flubbing the shot. You’re thinking — “Fix My Golf Swing.”

So how do you “fix my golf swing”?

Arrive at the golf course early enough to spend time to do pre-game golf warm-up stretches, and practice pitching and putting on the practice green. Don’t go to the first tee “cold.” and expect to hit a good golf shot on your fist swing.

As you play, evaluate your golf shots. Look at your divot. Is it in line with your target line. A divot pointing to the left of the target line can be evidence of a slice or a pull to the left.

When you step up to hit the ball, take a slow motion practice swing and observe key points in your swing. Look at your left arm and wrists. How upright is your backswing? Check your footwork and knees. Does your belt buckle point to the target at the end of your swing? Make mental notes for future reference.

Work with a golf pro who can help you evaluate your swing. He or she can give you tips and drills that will improve your game.

There is an excellent online golf instructional resource that offers articles, instructional materials, drills, DVDs and more produced by an expert team of golf instructors. Spend time with these resources. Follow the pros’ suggestions. And practice! They will show you exactly how to “fix my golf swing.”

Golf should be fun!

Is the Medicus Driver a Scam?

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Dear Golfer,

Let’s get something dead straight before we start.

I don’t believe in using golf training aids by themselves to improve your golf game.

Really, I don’t. Let me tell you why.

First let me tell you how I got there and why I’m writing this…

A few weeks ago I got a call from a friend of mine who is an avid golfer. He was raving about this new golf training aid called the Medicus Driver.

My friend loves PGA Pro Mark O’Meara and decided to heed Mark’s advice and purchased the product. He told me Mark O’Meara is a big advocate of swinging the club on plane.

I trust my friend’s opinion which is why I clicked on the link in the first place.

“But why don’t I believe in golf training aids?”…

Let me explain. I have reviewed over 100 golf training aids. I know which ones have value and which ones are garbage.

However, I have never been a big fan of using these golf aids to improve your game. These products all have great sales pages promising miracle improvements in your golf swing. New golfers see “improves all aspects of your swing“, and think “wow! ALL aspects of my swing huh, here’s my credit card info.”

Then the same golfers who bought the training aids realize that a list of instructions with some fancy golf gizmo means nothing on it’s own – only after wasting their cash on the training aids…and then the next hot golf training aid comes out and the cycle repeats itself…

Great for the guys who sell them, pretty crappy for the poor new golfer who bought it.

So you can imagine my thoughts when my friend called me recommending the Medicus Driver. As I said earlier, it is only because he normally is spot-on that I even clicked anyway.

When I went to website, I was actually pretty impressed with the sales copy, and even more impressed with some of the features that this appears to have – eliminate slices and hooks and hit longer, more accurate shots time after time, pretty impressive…

But, again, I have to be honest with you…

At this point I’m thinking to myself, “nice sales copy, lots of features, this will sell well…but again, it just isn’t going to be too practical …so forget it“.

And that was that…I left the site. But then my friend emails me and tells me his slice has all but gone away and his drives have increased by 40 yards. He said I needed to drop whatever I was doing and get this. So I half-heartedly purchased this training aid.

I swung the Medicus Driver for about 30 minutes in my backyard then headed off to the range.

Does it work?… – read on…

- Is this training aid the best way to improve consistency and control?

- Can it work for golfers of all levels?

-…And does it allow you to develop muscle memory so you develop a perfect and repeating swing?

The thing I really liked about the Medicus Driver is you can hit balls with it, even with the 460cc head.

It took me a few swings as I had some obvious flaws in my golf swing I had no idea were there.

Once I got the hang of hitting balls (after about 20 minutes), my swing was no less than amazing!

I suddenly realized before I had been rushing my take away, now I’m giving my golf swing the time to develop into a powerful and repeatable swing!

Even my 13 year old daughter was hitting balls with it in no time and she’s a beginner golfer!

Well, I became a true believer in the Medicus Driver and now keep it in my bag!

Tips For Proper Golf Swing Takeaway

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Your golf swing can be made or broken as early on as your takeaway, so getting some tips on a better backswing and takeaway can dramatically improve your consistency and ball striking.

I personally have struggled with my takeaway, and I know firsthand it has caused a ton of other issues in my swing, so I am currently working hard on the critical aspects of a proper takeaway and backswing, so I’ll mention them here and maybe they can help you too!

Quiet Hands

Keep your hands (and wrists) quiet during the initial part of your takeaway. This is CRITICAL to setting your club in the proper motion and getting it on plane later in your backswing. There should be no rolling of the hands, or premature cocking of the wrists at this early stage. You should merely take it back on “one-piece”, with your shoulders move the club, not your hands or arms independently.

One-Piece Takeaway

You’ve probably heard this phrase once or twice, but I can assure you most amateur golfers do not make a proper move this is connected with the shoulders, arms and hands moving in one piece. This one tip right there can have a major impact on your golf swing consistency and ball striking.

The initial 2 feet or so of the takeaway, should all go back together, with no independent manipulation of the hands, wrist, arms and even elbows.

Right Shoulder Back

This is a BIG one!

Many golfers (myself included) have a lateral move of our right (or back shoulder) in the takeaway, and this causes a slide in our golf swing, which moves our center of gravity too far to the right, making it extremely difficult to come down into a good impact position.

So when you start your swing, think of your right shoulder going directly behind you. It is “rotating” not sliding in your backswing.

Stable Right Knee

Here’s another biggy that I struggle with. You MUST keep your right knee very stable in your backswing and takeaway. If the knee moves it will create a reverse pivot, where you hang on your left side going back, instead of loading up your weight transfer to the “inside” of your right foot.

At the top of the swing, you should feel lots of pressure in the big toe of your right foot. If not, you’ve transfered your weight beyond your right foot, and now will have a difficult time getting back in your downswing.

Golf Swing Aids That Help

I am a huge believer in using swing aids to improve swing faults, and two that I currently use are the connected golf swing trainer which will keep your arms connected as you go back, and also your elbows level. You can actuallly hit balls while using it for instant feedback and faster learning.

The other aid I use is the golf swing plane trainer which will give you the feel of an on-plane backswing and downswing, resulting in better ball striking and power.

The Senior Golf Swing – Golf Driver Tips

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Imagine that little white ball soaring, straight as an arrow, down the centre of the fairway…Great!

You will find Golf Driver Tips everywhere, both online and offline. This particular club can be difficult to master, its size and length can be intimidating, especially for beginners. Golf Driver Tips are aplenty, and here are some of the best and most effective for the senior golf swing.

A solid, reliable drive off the tee is a key element to a lower score. Hook or slice and its bye bye birdie. A few wayward drives off the tee will ruin your score for the entire game, and probably your day.

Conversely, Senior Golfers (and others) who are prepared to review these Golf Driver Tips will often see lower scores if they apply them to a senior golf swing.

A great drive, combining both distance and accuracy will have your ball end up closer to your target, the green. You now have an advantage; a shorter shot to the green makes the possibility of a birdie or even an eagle easier. A few of these shots will certainly help to lower your score significantly.

Golf Driver Tip #1 – “Relax”.

This is extremely important and requires you to practice patience and concentration. Master it and you will enjoy your game to the full. You have heard it before “let the club head do the work” Muscling your way through a tee shot is a sure way for you to wind up looking for your ball in the woods. Trying to Rip the ball down the fairway will almost always result in a hook or a slice. The Senior Golf Swing should be a thing of grace and beauty.

Golf Driver Tip #2 – “Clear your Head”

The last hole is gone. If you had a poor showing do not take the baggage with you to the next tee. Anger and Frustration over a bad score on the previous hole will almost certainly lead to a bad drive. Before addressing your ball, or even before your it is your turn to tee-off, take time to calm down, breathe deeply, and most importantly, go through your pre-shot routine.

Golf Driver Tip #3 -”Practice”

The Golf driving range is the place to hone your skills. Repeated practice of the senior golf swing, especially with the modern great big oversized drivers is the key…Why?

• Oversized clubs can be difficult to square up at first. To find the “sweet spot” with the heavier and larger head requires plenty patience and practice.

• Gaining confidence to use these big drivers is essential and golf practice is the only way to get it

• Oversized clubs require the ball to be teed up higher. The best place to test and practice using the correct height is on the range…not on the first tee!

Golf Driver Tip #4 -”The Grip”

Resist the urge to strangle the club when you take it into your hands. Chances of slicing the ball multiply in direct proportion to the force of the “death grip” Golf 101 teaches various grips but all of them teach you to use “light pressure”…Why?

• Light pressure enhances the wrist hinge which is a vital power source in the swing.

• Light pressure increases club face rotation resulting in improved square contact.

This Tip also applies to all the other clubs in the golf bag, and more importantly to a senior golf swing.

Sam Snead – “Hold the club as if you had a little baby bird in your hand.”

Practicing these golf driver tips will result in Senior Golfers achieving better distance and accuracy with your drives off the tee. Remember: the only way to learn new skills is to get out there and practice.

Gary Player – “The harder you work the luckier you get”

“Carpe Diem”

what is the Correct Golf Stance Width

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That is one of the majority puzzling aspects of the golf swing set up which divides thoughts and opinions among golfers in the world. Many may believe the proper golf stance wider is a new wide golf stance and others counsel the narrower golf stance. There are usually two or even three rules that require to be taken into account before one can recognize any perfect or perhaps completely wrong answer.

Golfer’s come in all of shapes and sizes and this influences on the wider of your stance. Just what form of golf swing you get furthermore represents a big part in determining the golf stance wider which will work finest for you. Other factors which get a have an effect on are your elevation, weight and the energy and rate of your golf swing with taylormade r9 fairway wood.

Here are a few simple recommendations of which can help you decide what the appropriate golf stance width is for you.

Normally the taller you are the wider your stance should be. The higher your centre of gravity is the wider your golf stance needs to be to maintain the proper balance. On the other hand, the quicker particular person needs to have a relatively a lot narrower stance because their centre of gravity is a lot lower.

Almost all golf instructors acknowledge that the appropriate golf stance size is about shoulder size apart. This is the width throughout between the inside of your feet as you stand parallel to the golf ball and not the outside. The stance can be relocated a little bit bigger for your longer clubs such as the driver and fairway woods as these clubs are a few instances much longer and thus produce a larger arc of the golf swing with discount golf equipment.

Golfers along with powerful, more powerful golf swings can come to feel a lot more balanced using a bigger stance. Golfers using slower, smoother golf swings will sense more comfortable by using a lot narrower stance. It’s important to remember this although: too broad a new stance can restrict a new golfer from filling out a great move back and through the golf swing. This can result inside any lot of blocks, catapults and slices of the golf ball. Conversely, too narrow a stance can result in too a lot side sway and a new lack of balance. This ends up with drags, hooks and a lot of badly timed golf shots.

You need to find the balance and what thinks almost all comfortable for your golf swing. Sense free to experiment together with various stance widths and analyze the results. Try to stick to around shoulder width apart and adjust consequently for the much longer and reduced golf clubs in your golf bag. Give these tips trying and you ought to be able to pick the ideal golf stance size inside no time.