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Tips For Sand Trap Play
By Lee MacRae
Sand and bunker shots are some of the most intimidating and yet most rewarding shots in golf. Here are some quick tips to help improve your own shots from the sand.
Ask any professional golfer the toughest shot in golf and he'll say the 60 yard sand shot. Even the top players have trouble deciding whether this calls for an explosion shot or a normal wedge shot. Fortunately, we average players don't have to make that decision. The 60 yard explosion just isn't in our bags. So we'll make do with the normal wedge shot. Stand squarely, with the ball in the middle of your stance. As with the long bunker shot, you should make contact with the ball first, to remain as steady as possible for as long as possible. As this requires you to swing with only your hands and arms, you'll want to take a club or two more than usual [but bear in mind that playing the ball farther back than normal will deloft the clubface slightly]. For anything up to 75 yards, the average players to use a pitching wedge hit with a three quarters swing.
One of the most awkward bunker shots calls for you to stand outside the bunker when your ball is inside it. This usually results in unpleasant bending and a loss of balance. The key here is not to bend the back and stretch out to the ball. Concentrat instead on bending the knees as much as possible. Think of weightlifters. You never see them bending over to pick up their weights. They bend their knees, grab the weights, then simply stand up. Their legs are doing the lifting. Your legs, too, should do the bending on these tough bunker shots.
Simply because the technique is similar to that used for a level lie from a bunker the sidehill lie is not that tough. While you take into account the affect the slope will have on the flight of the ball, you do not alter the steepness of your swing. A ball above your feet will want to go left. A ball that is below your feet it will tend to go to the right. Just adjust your stance accordto the circumstances and swing along the slope. To make this easier, flex your knees more and stand closer to the ball when it lies below your feet; stand straighter and farther from the ball when it lies above.
And no matter what you do, even for sand play, always imagine the shot before you take it. And imagine the shot being succesfull! Not much sense in defeating yourself before you even start. Imagine yourself being successful throughout your golf game and watch your game flourish.
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Quick Golf Ideas
Fat Shots
Hitting the ground before the ball, or "fat shots" is a very common problem that can lead to injury. This is caused by either coming into the ball too steeply, and/or decelerating the club head as you hit the ball. Proper weight shift is important and keeping your right shoulder back on the downswing (opposite for left handers) is crucial. There is a tendency to throw the right shoulder ahead as you come down creating an outside in steep club path. Focus on swinging more around your body to remedy this. A good drill is to strap your upper arms to your body and hit balls. This makes it impossible to throw the shoulder forward. Don't forget to accelerate through the ball. When you slow down at the bottom of your swing, you will hit it fat every time.
...Tom's golf tips
Putting Tip
Wanna be a good putter? Here are some basic fundamentals you should be practicing.
--Get a putter with a very distinct line marked on it to indicate the target line and practice with a chalk line. You can get a chalk line at any hardware store for 5 or 6 bucks, and it's as valuable a training aid as there is anywhere. Find a putt on the practice green that is straight. Snap a chalk line down from about 5 or 6 feet to the middle of the cup. Make sure that the entire length of the line on your putter is exactly on the chalk line. Start making putts. This will train your eyes to "see square" precisely.
--Keep your the pressure in your hands soft and constant throughout the stroke. Sensitivity is obviously a huge part of putting. If your hands are tight on the grip you are diminishing your sensitivity - period. Also, if your grip pressure changes during the stroke, it's probably not "a stroke" but more likely a jab, flinch, spasm, push, hit ... well, you get the point -- good luck with that kind of technique.
--There is no independent action in the hands. Nothing could be more logical: If you do indeed have the putter face aligned precisely, as in the first point above, the last thing you'd want to do is to change the position of the face. Therefore, your hands should not be moving independently of your arms and shoulders. To see if your hands are moving, as a drill try watching your hands very carefully (instead of the ball) a few times. You'll see what your hands are doing quite easily.
There are many more (seemingly endless) details about putting, of course, but if you turn these fundamental concepts into habits it will take you a long way toward being a consistently good putter
...PGA professional golf
If the shoulders are in a closed position (facing to the right of the target) the clubhead travel will be inside-to-outside of the target line. With the shoulders parallel to the target line at impact, the clubhead travel will be inside-to-direct. This shoulder motion allows the clubhead to travel to the target, not away from the target as in the other positions.Remember the shoulders must remain passive, and are a follower in your swing, not a leader.
...Tom's golf tips
Low-Cost Alternatives
If golf sounds like a great idea, the sticking point to getting started can all too often be cost. After all, you need clubs, balls, tees, and in the case of many clubs a strict dress code must be adhered to that makes entry into the sport appear prohibitive. However, it is essential that such enthusiasm should be nurtured by means of the opportunities afforded by low-cost alternatives. So why not start out by identifying the location of the local driving range, or a municipal course run by the council that will be relatively cheap in terms both of green fees and the hire of clubs.
...mastering golf UK
Some things to know and practice: First, and most important search and ask around about a respected golf instructor in your area, and get them to give you information on their program prior to starting an instructional series. You don't want someone giving you advice who is not qualified, and can impart poor information that can create bad habits.
...PGA professional golf
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ping golf
posted by Long Driver @ 4:56 AM
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