Quick Tips to Complete the Proper Golf Stance Setup

Your stance is vitally important to fix and get correct to improve your golf game so I have given you some quick tips to complete the proper golf stance setup. The golf stance you use really affects the flight of your golf ball which will considerably influence where your golf ball will end up.

When you consistently adopt an incorrect stance so are not properly facing your target it will not matter what other aspect you fix, the ball will never go in the intended direction. So practicing your stance, firstly at home in front of a mirror and then on the driving range, is a must to perfect the proper golf stance setup. Don't worry with enough practice at home and at the driving range your golf stance will become completely natural.

When your stance and body position is quite poor to the target this can ensure a slice will occur and during your downswing your club will go outside the ball-to-target line which will likely get you into trouble and it will be extremely hard to stop the slice from happening.

Here is how to fix your golf stance.

Before even trying to hit the ball you should ensure that you're set-up correctly. During your pre-shot routine go behind the ball and select your target which can be a set area on the fairway where you are looking to hit the ball, or a section of the driving range. Make sure you setup your club towards your chosen target line first, then ensuring your body (hips, feet and shoulders) are parallel to the target line.

To quickly check that your hips, feet and shoulders are parallel to your target line use one of your golf clubs as an aid, this can be put on the ground and pressed against the back of your feet. You can then check the club to see if it is in line with the target. If the club is not on target re-address your stance until it is.

Your golf stance should be about as wide as your shoulders, with your right foot pointing straight and your left foot slightly to the left. Make sure both of your elbows hang down very relaxed. Get this right and you are on your way to hitting the ball straight.

Ensuring you have the correct golf stance is attainable providing you follow the proven tips in this article. Ensuring you have the proper golf stance setup is not a dream or only for the professional golfers. Use these tips and soon you will be hitting the golf ball straighter and longer.

James Powell has put together a complimentary report on the golf slice which will help you cure the golf slice quickly. To download it instantly visit http://www.golfslicenomore.com

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Advice on Common Golf Shot Problems

This article looks at some of the common problems that cause the golf ball to deviate from its intended target and how you can go about fixing the problem.

Let's start with the Push shot. A shot falls into the push category when the shot veers to the right of the intended target. The problem is immediate as the ball does not just fade to the right after you hit it but is immediately traveling to the right on contact. If, when playing your shot, your body does not rotate far enough left during the downswing you will probably "push" the ball. It can also happen if your arms swing to the right. You must really focus on keeping your body rotation going all the way through the downswing and this will help fix the problem.

The Pull shot is the opposite of the push in that the ball veers off the left immediately after contact. This is caused by an inaccurate downswing that pulls across your body. Your shoulders are opening too quickly during the downswing; you must keep the shoulders parallel to the target line as you make contact with the ball. One reason the pull can occur is if your grip is not firm enough, so try a harder grip on the club. Another reason is poor alignment; make sure you keep your weight on the left side as you perform the downswing.

Another common problem is that of not getting enough distance out of your shots. One of the main factors in delivering club head speed and the power comes from your shoulder rotation. You want to uncoil like a spring on the downswing, this is where the power comes from so make sure you rotate you shoulder fully during the backswing. You should aim to have your left shoulder over your right foot at the apex of the backswing. Flexibility is also very important and if your hands are gripping the club too tightly, it wall cause tension across your upper body in general and you will lose valuable club head speed. Try to relax your grip and you will see definite increased yardage.

If you are suffering from poor direction and the ball is flying in random directions on every shot you should look carefully at two things, alignment of your body and the position of the ball. Your shoulders, feet and knees must be aligned in a parallel line with your target. You should be fastidious in checking this alignment before every shot. Once you have your alignment sorted you can look at the position of the ball relative to your stance. If your stance is too close to the ball you will hit a lot of pull shots. If your stance is too far away you will hit a lot of push shots.

These are just some of the problems that can affect the direction of the golf ball during a shot. Hopefully this has given you some tips to rectify the problems. We will be looking at some more common directional problems in later articles.

Patrick Attlee is an online journalist and keen amateur golfer. One of his other interests is antique door hardware and storm door hardware and he is currently upgrading the doors in his house in the style of a Victorian gentleman's residence.

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How Overcoming Golf Swing Inertia Will Improve Your Game

Overcoming golf swing inertia is an important part of improving your swing. But first you must know the two basic laws of inertia before you can make an improvement.

The 2 Basic Laws are:

1. An object at rest will stay at rest until a force is imparted to set it in motion.
2. An object in motion will continue in motion in the same direction at basically the same speed until a force is imparted to change it.

The relation to the swing and inertia is as follows:

During a golfer's set up the club is at rest. Then the golfer imparts some force to his swing to set it in motion. The golf club will continue to swing back until another force is imparted to stop it and then start it in motion again in the other direction.

Your body wants to maintain a natural state of equilibrium or balance as directed by our inner ear. To start overcoming golf swing inertia our body senses this on our back swing and will naturally redistribute our weight to overcome this by stopping and redirecting the club in the reverse direction on the down swing.

To begin overcoming golf swing inertia you simply utilize this natural tendency and not fight it. This will help you in overcome this in your golf swing and even use it to your advantage.

Important Keys & Drill

A) good balanced set up
B) proper grip
C) transfer of weight from back swing to down swing
D) proper release of club to a balanced finish

The next time your at the range practicing your game one of the best drills you can work on to start overcoming golf swing inertia in your swing is to try the step drill.

The step drill is performed basically by putting your feet together with the ball placed in the middle of your stance. Take the backswing and as you start the downswing take one step forward right before you make contact with the ball.

By performing this drill you will be well on your way to overcoming golf swing inertia in your swing and start seeing great results with your game.

To get more free tips and drills on how to start overcoming golf swing inertia and improving your golf swing to start hitting longer, straighter, more accurate golf shots, click here.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_L_Masters

The Secret to Gripping the Golf Club to Improve Your Swing!

You are eagerly flipping the calendar pages until the days when the weather is balmy, and the Country Clubs are open. Well, before you get too excited, we should take a moment to review a couple of things.

First of all, your clubs. Are they the right height? Clubs should come up to your waist. If they are too tall or too short, not only will your game suffer, but you will also not be as comfortable, and your game won't be much fun.

Once you have ascertained that your clubs are the right height, you should now work on your grip. A golf glove may help here by increasing the grip you already have. Not only that, a glove will give you a little bit more comfort as well.

Your grip is your most important tool. No matter what kind of shot you need to make, your grip is going to determine success or failure. A proper grip is very simple. Place your left hand around the club about half an inch down the shaft. Your thumb should run down the club, parallel to the club face. Next take your right hand and wrap it around the club as close to your left hand as you can. Your left thumb should be underneath your middle, ring and pinky fingers.

Once you have your hands in place, remember to let your left thumb guide the club. Do not move your wrists. The tighter your wrists, the better your shot.

Keep your head down, and see you at the 19th hole.

For more golf tips visit: How to Grip a Golf Club Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joe_Rinehart

Golf Swing Flexibility - 7 Things You Must Do to Guarantee Swing Flexibility

You should always arrive at the golf course at least 45 minutes to an hour before your tee time. It's insane to come rushing up to the first tee box on a dead run because you are late and your foursome is "up" on the first tee. Good luck trying to hit a decent tee shot after that crazy man's display.

You need to arrive early so you can do a reasonable amount of warm up and flexibility drills to get the most out of all phases of your game. All other sports have a ramp up period of varying length to assure the athletes peak performance and to avoid injury if at all possible. Golf does too. You rarely see it because golf's warm up routines are not anywhere near as --TV sexy-- as Tiger or Phil sticking an eight iron within a foot of the pin from 165 yards away.

Here's what to focus on...

Focus Area # 1: The area between your shoulder blades. You guide the golf club with this important group of muscles so loosen them up thoroughly.

Focus Area # 2: Think hips and waist on this one. How you turn on both the back swing and through the striking of the ball is critical. If they are frozen up like a blown engine you won't be driving very far.

Focus Area # 3: Your hamstrings take a big beating in multiple ways during a round of golf. Make sure you have them as limber and supple as a ballerina.

Focus Area # 4: The groin area should command your special attention. You will be on the sidelines for many weeks of missed golf if you strain this sensitive area. Golfers use many specially designed and effective stretches to avoid injury.

Focus Area # 5: Doing modified deep knee bends will address the upper thigh muscles which are so important in balance and follow through. If you are not able, do not squat all the way down and risk injury.

Focus Area # 6: It sounds crazy but I spend time rotating and loosening up my wrists and fingers. It seems perfectly logical to me that my grip and the position of my wrists at impact make a difference for good or bad results.

Focus Area # 7: Seeing to it that your arms and shoulders have the stiffness worked out is another must. Like a baseball player swinging a weighted bat, you should swing two or three irons at a time to get that near weightless feel when you pick up the club you choose for your shot.

Discover the secrets of slashing your handicap. Find out how to hit the ball 50 yards farther and perfectly on line. This simple, scientific method designed for the average golfer will amaze you. Click Here Now to get immediate access.

Allen Royal has been chasing that elusive, perfectly repeatable golf swing ever since taking up golf 35 years ago. Sharing his accumulated knowledge and experience with his fellow non-professional players is his passion and joy. To discover how quick and easy the perfect golf swing can be, use the "insider secrets" Allen discovered. Click Here Now

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Learn Proper Putting Technique - Putting's Biggest Myth That Costs You Strokes - EXPOSED!

So you want to learn proper putting technique huh? Great. I bet right now you have some days where you can't seem to even hit the hole, yet other days you barely miss anything. I'm also willing to bet that you have many more bad days than you have good days. Why? Well you see those days that you putt well are the days where you are actually trusting your natural stroke. You're not forcing anything and you're not thinking about every little movement. You're just letting your stroke take over.

The Proper Putting Technique Myth - EXPOSED

This is the key to putting, but first you must learn proper putting technique. Here is where nearly EVERYONE falters when trying to learn proper putting technique. They try to take the putter straight back, and straight through. Sounds good right? Well it's absolutely NOT. You see if you take the putter straight back and straight through, you are telling your brain to keep the putter face square right? Well because of your orientation to the ball (off to its side) it is 100% impossible to keep the putter face square without manipulating the face of the putter with your hands, which is the reason most players struggle with putting.

What do I mean by this? Well like I explained earlier, you are standing to the side of the ball when putting right? As in your hands have no way of being directly over the ball (its illegal). Because of this your natural putting arc has to curve slightly as the hands move back and through. The only way your putterface can remain square to the target line when you take your putter back is if you go outside the natural line of your stroke, and close the putter face. It might appear like your putter is square, but it is not.

This causes you to have to open it back up, and come back inside to the ball on the way back to it. What does that mean? It means unless you do this with absolute perfection you are going to miss with a dead pull caused by the putter face being closed and the putter coming in, or a weak dribbler out to the right caused by a slicing action of an open putter face.

Actual Proper Putting Technique - The CW Golf Instruction Way

Now, if you were to follow your natural putting arc, an inside to inside motion for EVERYONE, you would not have to manipulate the clubface at all to keep it square to the ball. Just like your goal with your swing is to keep the clubface square to the swing plane, your goal with your putting stroke is to keep your putterface square to the putting arc, something I like to call the Perpendicular Putting Principle.

Think what would happen if you tried to keep your clubface square to the ball in your swing. Your club turns upside down! You couldn't do it! There is no difference with putting.

I've taught thousands of students proper putting technique using this principle with my short game course. Nearly every person who takes the course ends up emailing me saying they've seen an easier to understand breakdown of putting.

Oh by the way, you'll learn the rest of the short game as well. To learn proper putting technique <--- visit this link. There mini-course and a drills printout available just for visiting.

Your putter will thank you!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cody_Wheeler

Power Golf - Add 30 Yards to Your Drives by Maximizing Your Leverage

rchimedes once said "Give me a lever and a place to stand and I can move the world."

Power Comes From Leverage

You don't need to be muscle-bound to hit longer drives. But you do need to take advantage of all the power you have available to you. You maximize the power in your golf swing through leverage.

Distance Comes from Speed

Hitting your drives farther is not so much about power as it is about speed. You want to have your clubhead traveling as fast as possible through impact.

Leverage Provides the Power to Generate Speed

The power in your golf swing should be used to rotate your core through impact to the target in an efficient pivot. Faster core rotation will generate the clubhead speed you want.

The common mistake most golfers make when trying to drive the golf ball farther is to throw the clubhead at the ball with their hands and arms. The challenge is that the hands and arms are not nearly as strong as the big muscles in the core - from the hips to the shoulders. The strength in your hands and arms is used to control the club face, not to generate clubhead speed.

The Key is Good Foot Work

Jack Nicklaus believes that a good golf swing begins with good foot work. Creating more leverage in your swing - and consequently effortless power - starts with your feet.

Your Leverage Point is the Ball of Your Right Foot.

At the top of the swing you should be loading power and energy on the inside part of the right foot, right on the ball of the foot. The inside part of the ball of the right foot is your action position. If you don't have your weight set on the inside part of the ball of your foot at the top of your swing, you are robbing yourself of power and distance.

Leverage Examples

Picture a basketball player on defense. In order to stay in front of the dribbler the defensive player has to shuffle their feet from side to side as the ball moves. They push from the inside part of their feet - the ball of the foot - to move sideways.

That same pushing motion, when combined with a pivot, is what adds power to the golf swing.

Another example would be a baseball pitcher. On the mound there is a rubber slab that pitchers use for leverage to push off of and pivot towards the plate when they throw. It is not arm strength that creates ball speed. In fact, their arm needs to be relaxed in order to maintain accuracy and to make the small positional adjustments that mean the difference between fastballs and curve balls. It is leg and torso strength maximized through the leverage position on the inside part of the right foot that creates speed.

The same concept applies to distance and your golf swing.

The next time you are on the range working on adding distance to your drives, pay attention to your leverage position at the top of your backswing. If it is not on the inside part of your right foot, you are losing power.

Pigeon Toe Drill to Help Feel Leverage

To help get the feel of good leverage, try the "pigeon toe" drill.

Take your normal driver stance. Before swinging, turn your right heel out so that your right foot is "pigeon toed." Square up your hips and keep a little flex in your right knee. Make a ¾ swing and pay attention to the tension that builds in the right leg. You will likely find that it is very easy to push towards the target with the lower body when the right foot is turned in a bit.

Maintain Your Leverage For More Distance

If you want to add more distance to your drives with effortless power, maintain your leverage position throughout your swing. Leverage allows you to make efficient use of the power in your big muscles, which in turn allows your hands and arms to remain supple enough to control the clubface and produce consistent golf shots. Your leverage point is the ball of your right foot, and that is where you should load energy at the top of your golf swing.

Eric Jones is a Class "A" PGA Professional with a Masters Degree in Sport Psychology who is dedicated to helping golfers learn, play better golf, and have more fun. He is a World Long Drive Champion and author of the best-selling eBook on distance "The 5 Keys to Distance." Eric teaches golf at the Pleasanton Golf Center in Pleasanton, CA.

Eric's professional Long Drive accomplishments include winning the 2003 Re/Max World Long Drive Championship, Senior Division, 6 consecutive appearances in the World Championship Finals with 5 top-10 finishes, the 2004 LDA Long Drive Tour Senior Rookie of the Year, and winner of the 2006 Players Tour Championship, where he became the only long driver to win both the senior and the open division titles in the same event. Eric played college golf at Stanford University. He began his teaching career in the early 90's as the Stanford Men's JV/Assistant Coach and as lead golf instructor at the junior summer camps. He has also taught at the Golf Lab facilities in Palo Alto, and was Director of Golf Instruction at Poppy Ridge Golf Course in Livermore, CA. Prior to turning pro Eric spent more than 20 years in a variety of executive leadership positions in high tech software companies, biotech, apparel, banking, and running his own management consulting firm. Eric is the grandson of Charlie Seaver, a top amateur player during the Bobby Jones era.

In addition to his teaching, Eric is an accomplished speaker and mentor on maximizing the profitability of your golf business through the use of internet and social media marketing.

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Choosing Golf Clubs - Choose the Right Golf Clubs For Yourself From the Wide Selection That Is

Golf is a very popular pastime among many. Well, popular enough that more and more golf clubs are becoming available in the market every year. It is something of an understatement that choosing new clubs can be a challenge. It is easy to be left in awe at the range of golf clubs that you can choose from (a complete golf set comprises 14 clubs including sand wedge and putter). But choosing the right clubs for you is important - not just with regard to costs, but also for the possibility of how much your game will improve with a particular club, and if so by how much. This article will discuss the factors to take into account when you are considering which new golf clubs should purchase.

Many find that the most important aspect to consider with any golf club is its shaft - that is, the metal rod that separates the grip from the head; how long is it, and how dense? These criteria vary from club to club - and playing with the wrong club is likely to prevent you from playing golf at your best (it may be simply a case of it being impossible to find a natural, comfortable posture as you line up a shot using a particular club). You may well be used to playing golf with clubs that have specific values, but that is no reason not to keep your options open.

It is unlikely that anyone would disagree that how you swing the club during a game of golf, is a key factor in how well you play the game. Of course, this is all the more reason to consider the size of your club's head. A smaller head may allow for greater control, but a larger one will definitely make you more able to hit the ball, for the larger surface area on the side. You may find that the type you choose will have an affect on your swing - people continue to affirm that different materials rather have different weights and feels. Test swinging clubs can help you to ascertain what you are really dealing with.

It is wise to consider the grip of any golf club. The grip on the club should be comfortable, so as to prevent the club from flying out of your hands or any similar mishap. If you are a person whose palms sweat a lot it would probably be worthwhile to make a choice of grip different from that of the person who does not have such sweaty palms. In short, consider your personal factors as they are important.

Probably the most obvious thing to consider is how much new clubs will cost you. If you are a beginner and you are not interested in playing golf on that much of a regular basis, stay clear of anything obscenely expensive; it is not that hard to find clubs that are cheap but still good quality; and it is not true that you need a complete set in order to play a "proper" game of golf. Of course, if you really are seriously investing in ways to improve your game and harbour a sincere ambition to play in tournaments, then you should probably be prepared to spend a larger amount. Start by asking yourself what you really want in conjunction with exactly where you intend to proceed. It's as simple as that.

Any reputable golf retail store should be able to provide helpful, coherent and worthwhile advice. I recommend experimenting with as many clubs as possible, especially if you are one to be playing the game truly seriously.

Discover how to choose golf club as well as tips in choosing the flex in a golf club when you visit http://www.howtochoosegolfclub.com.

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3 Golf Backswing Tips to Improve Your Game!

Are you struggling with your golf game? If so the problem could lie within your backswing. In this article I'm going to give you 3 golf backswing tips that I'm sure will dramatically improve your game.

Tip #1- Be sure you are rotating your shoulder enough?

When you start the backswing you first must make sure you are rotating your shoulders enough for the proper turn. A good way to ensure you are doing this is on the backswing touch your chin to your front shoulder. By doing this you will know you've made the proper rotation.

Tip # 2- Make sure your back leg is in the same position

After you've gotten the proper rotation on the backswing make sure your back leg is still in the same position. On the backswing there your leg should not move and there should be no flex in the knee. By doing this will allow you to be in the proper loading position.

Tips # 3- Keep your hands close to your belt buckle

One last golf backswing tip I would like to give you is to be sure to keep your hands close to your belt buckle through out the backswing. As you are taking the club back, imagine that the hands are attached to your belt with this rubber band and do not lift your hands until your shoulders have completely turned away from the target. By doing this will allow for you to make the proper rotation in the swing to help add control and power.

In Closing

If your struggling with your swing one of the most important parts is the backswing. The next time your at the range working on your game make sure to try the 3 golf backswing tips mentioned above and you will be amazed at the results.

For more golf backswing tips and other ways to improve your game CLICK HERE

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Custom Golf Clubs

As we get older we cannot do some of the things we did earlier in life, especially playing golf! For me it is the lack of flexibility in my lower back because of medical problems and major surgery last year - as you might guess my swing has changed, causing havoc to my game? For my partner, Jan, she was having problems with her irons, only using the irons for close in approach shots and chipping. What did we do - we got rid of our old clubs and got custom golf clubs.

Are you a baby boomer or senior golfer or a golfer of any age that likes to play golf but sometimes playing a round of golf is a lot of work! new clubs might help?

Have you lost some flexibility or strength because of injuries, stiffness or other medical problems or conditions? New clubs might help?

Are you a man over six feet four inches tall or a women golfer around five feet tall - you need custom golf clubs cut to the correct length for you?

The golf clubs being made today incorporate the new technologies which makes the clubs easier to play, bringing fun back to your game. The new 460cc Titanium drivers have a much larger "sweet spot" making it much more forgiving than the older drivers. Graphite shafts with 4 or 5 different flexes to choose from - giving you the flexibility needed. The hybrid clubs - a cross between the irons and fairway woods - much easier to hit coming out of the tall grass or rough. The new belly or long pendulum putter with their larger grips that also include the new technologies?

Tied to the new technologies your clubs should be custom golf clubs, that have been fitted to your: gender,age, height, weight, grip size and the abilities - how far do you now hit your 5 iron now? How far do you hit your driver now, etc.? This information is put into a computer program that tells us the correct fit for your clubs. These clubs are lighter, more flexible and will help you enjoy a round of golf and more than likely will help you lower your score.

After switching from our old clubs to custom golf clubs both Jan and My games have improved and the game is fun again and easier to play. Why not try custom golf clubs - I bet you will be surprised and hopefully your game will improve as ours has.

James Rash - living in Denver, CO - A 69 year old avid golfer, having played golf most of my adult life. I was having problems with my golf game because of lack of flexibility in my lower back, my solutions was to get a set of custom golf clubs fitted for me. Are you a golfer of any age that would like to play a better game of golf - score lower and have more fun playing the game - custom golf clubs might help -
see: http://www.golfclubs4seniors.com

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Don't Buy Another Golf Bag Before You Read This

A golf bag is an essential accessory for those who are extensively involved in playing golf. The bag is such an accessory without which the game cannot be played with a calm mind and fit body posture.

Imagine yourself carrying all you golf clubs and balls in hand and moving around the golf club with that weird smile because you don't have a good quality golf bag. It is much better to have a good quality golf bag that safely holds all your essentials including golf clubs and balls.

If you have decided to buy a golf bag for yourself then these are some important aspects you must look for before you make a final decision.

There are various types of golf bags available in the market for you to buy. The most popular amongst all types of golf bags is the bag which caries the golf clubs. A golf club is the main piece of sport accessory any golfer carries with him.

A bag, which carries the golf club, can also accommodate other accessories such as balls, towels. Some golf bags have stands too so that you don't have to keep them on ground. Stan helps to keep the bag upright position for easy access to it's internal pockets.

Another type of bag, which is popular amongst golfers, is the one with a stand on wheels. As the name suggests this has a wheeled stand, which can be easily dragged along the lawn for easy maneuvering. This type of bag is called as a cart bag and is heavier than the first type.

Apart from these two types of bags the third type of bag is the largest in size that can accommodate al the accessories you may ever need while on the golf club. The caddie or the electric golf cart can be used to carry this type of bag typically named as a staff bag.

Apart from choosing the correct type of bag for your needs we will have a look at the price range of most popular type of golf bags so that you get a fair idea of which golf bag to buy.

For basic needs a carry bag is the best choice which comes in the price starting from $15 and can go up to $25. For the second type of golf bag, that stand bag prices start from $25 and can go up to $200. The third type of staff golf bags is available for a price range of $200 and above.

Before you finalize any type of golf bag make sure you observe what kind of playing activities or movement you will be involved in during your plating schedule. This will make it easier for you to make the correct choice of the golf bag and your buying experience will be a joyful one.

I strongly recommend reading real customer reviews from online marketplaces before you buy a golf bag Visit http://www.golfbagreviews.info to read such reviews and compare rating for the best-selling bags today to save your money for the best golfing experience.

Copyright Samir Joshi

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