Golf Tips

How to Become a Better Golfer

1. Becoming a decent golfer is something most amateurs can only dream about. Here are my tips to improve your game and have fun. The first step is to commit to a regimented routine of exercise and practice. When I first started playing, I was the most horrific golfer on the planet. But I made a commitment to myself to get better. And I started stretching and becoming more fit. There are many different types of stretching exercises that can help improve your flexibility and thus improve your swing. Consult your physician or a physical trainer for exercises that are good for you.

2. Start each day with the same exercise routine. After this spend at least 30 minutes swinging a golf club in front of a mirror. Try to develop good tempo and make sure that the fastest part of your swing is right before impact. Each swing should be completed so that the club and your hands end up behind your head.

3. Do not fall into the trap of thinking...

Relax During Your Swing

Do your scores range from the North to South Pole on a day-to-day or hole-to-hole basis? Do you want to score consistently lower than you have been? If so, read on. One or more of the following suggestions may work for you and your game.

Without relaxation, it is more difficult to maintain your tempo or rhythm from swing to swing and stay in good balance from start to finish. Because it is essential for the golf swing to function properly, relaxation of the mind and body should be our first priority. Please keep in mind that this also applies to the short game, even though I will be referring to the full swing.

Tension restricts movement. A quiet, relaxed mind and body allows you to swing more freely. Simply stated, muscle groups respond more easily to a natural, balanced swing motion.

If your mind is tense, your muscles will be too. If you...

More Tips on Becoming a Better Golfer

Realize that golf is a game of feel, not mechanics. All the knowledge about the golf swing in the world won't help you if you can't feel what you want the club to do.
Don't let anyone change your swing. A small tweak here or there is fine, in fact probably even necessary. Players on the PGA Tour have hundreds of different golf swings. There is no one perfect golf swing and that is why your swing which feels comfortable for you is just fine.
Accept there are only TWO things you NEED to do in order to hit the ball straight and do it consistently. Forget about everything else bouncing around in your head, "Keep your head down", "don't do this", "remember to do that", etc. If you do these...

Hold Your Finish to Improve Your Putts

Early in my career, I had the chance to play several rounds with Jack Nicklaus. On these occasions I studied his putting intently, because he was killing me on the greens. One thing that consistently caught my eye was how he held his finish and watched his putts roll out. It didn't take me long to realize something: Good putters learn from both their makes and their misses. You can watch Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson on today's Tour do the same thing: they store information in their memory banks about how their putts roll versus how well and in what direction they stroke them.

The main benefit from holding your finish comes from internalizing the feel of the stroke you just made, and then correlating that feel with its result, good or bad. This system works because the feel of your stroke is still strong in your...

How to Pick a Club to Chip

This story is for you if...

• You don't know the trajectory of shots with each club.
• You chip with the same club every time (a bad idea).
• You don't feel comfortable hitting bump-and-run shots.

What Club Should I Use?

You know to use a more lofted club if you want to hit a chip shot that carries more in the air, and a lower-lofted club to get the ball rolling earlier, but the key to being a good chipper is to know which trajectory will give you the proper amount of carry and roll to reach the hole for a given situation. Here's an easy way to figure out the trajectory of a chip with any club. Lay the club along the ground with the clubface up and the shaft pointing toward your target. Now step down on the clubface until the back of the club is flat against the ground. The angle that the shaft rises to is the trajectory of the shots you'll produce with that club....