Yes, the Driving Range

But NOT for pounding balls like a wild monkey.

Instead, we started with our 7-irons, and tried to hit an imaginary spot say 10 or 15 yards out, then 30, then 50, then 70, then 100.

We graduated to 5 iron, 3 wood, etc for further targets - the idea to hit the target, NOT to blast the ball.

100 s of balls for this golf teaching aid.

A mirror?

Not for admiring ourselves, or even our swings.

It had written on it some important concepts about addressing the ball, and getting set up for the swing.

It had an axis on it, symbolizing how moving away from dead on target moved the ball away from straight.

Started with the club head, get it lined up behind the ball flat and straight.

Continued with the angle of the club, both the "chipping angle" ie - the angle of the blade contacting the ball - and the side-to-side angle of the clubface at impact.

Finished with the grip of the club, holding it in a position where the club was softly but firmly gripped, and you were able to swing softly and gently back and forward, keeping the swing plane straight and comfortable.

Worked on % of a full swing - ie if a full swing goes 100 yards, with a 9 or 7 iron, say, then working on a half swing, quarter swing, three quarter swing - leave all variables the same and simply, gradually, very casually, swing half-way back and follow through halfway forward.

Worked on corrections - if you swung at half speed, and ball went left - why? Hand was jarred loose at impact? Club was aimed to the left? Swing started off fine, came through with a hitch to that side?

Make the swing so that you could do it with ONE HAND - just back and follow through - at different speeds for different distances

Video! Now we're talking!

Wierdly, this didn't help NEARLY as much as the instructor looking at you and telling you to figure out what caused ball to go left, right, far or short and what would fix it, and swinging again and again until you had it right - most of the time!

The video by this time just confirmed a good swing - and was able to stop it at different spots and re-confirm what we had already learned about how we were swinging, if all the parts were set up right.

You HAVE to be able to hit the ball straight for 100 yards, and repeat that, and finish up with a shorter "chip" type shot to get close to the green - its that simple - no booming 300 yard drives, just pop it forward 100 yards, but accurately!

Once you get close to the green, this is the most stroke intensive area - where most strokes are lost, and can be gained.

First, we practiced chipping from just off the green, using a 9 iron and a 7 iron. The 9 iron was for popping it in the air half of the distance to the hole, and rolling it the last half.

The 7 iron was for keeping it rolling more - say popping up for 25% of the distance and rolling 75%.

If there was enough room to use the 7 iron, it was the more accurate method - great tip!

We worked on reaching a circle the size of a golf club distance from the hold - chip it to within 3 feet, and you'll likely sink the putt.

Same thing with putting - "lag putting" means to putt to try and be within 3 feet, then put it in - it greatly improves scoring as opposed to a wild shot that misses and screams down the green for another "long bomb" attempt.

Lastly, putting practice was simply starting from the hold and putting down balls 1, 3, 5, 7, 10 feet away from the hole, and starting with the closest (sometimes with our eyes closed) dropping the closest and moving further away.

This was repeated from all 4 directions, on a variety of holes. The putting method was to swing much like the bigger golf swing - over top of the ball, very steady and repeatable swing - back and forwards, follow through the same amount as the back swing, and break it down into one foot back, one foot forward - goes 3 feet - for example, 2 feet back and 2 feet forwards goes further, etc - leaves you with a mind map of how far the ball will travel, adjusted for the slope and break - but aiming for that 3 foot circle around the hole.

The accuracy drops off dramatically from outside the 3 foot circle!

Ohhhhhh!

The boogieman!

The infamous sand trap!

With practice, this is a piece of cake, though it can throw even Tiger Woods for a loop every now and then!

It boils down to getting behind the ball a bit, gripping lower down on the sand wedge, and swining so that you take the ball AND about an inch of sand with it, out onto the green, where the ball will continue rolling for a bit.

Think banging an inch of sand out takes a namby pamby little gentle shot? Nope!

Think swinging hard and only grabbing a millimetre of sand will send your ball about 100 yards past the green? Yep!

With practice, you'll swing to contact the sand an inch or tow behind the ball, with a sharp, strong full follow through, and lift almost a cup of sand, with the ball floating on top - up in the air and onto the green.

Don't swing too lightly, or the ball won't get out of the trap.

Don't skim the top of the sand either.

It needs a solid, practiced, full swing that grabs the sand and thropws it onto the green, with the ball.

Now Go golfing!

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Simple Golf Swing!

Did you know that a few simple golf swing tips may be all you need to avoid hitting those slices, hooks, or fat shots? One simple change such as moving the ball position may fix that thin shot that you keep hitting off the tee.

Today, it's very easy to find a good place with good golf magazines or books. Spending an afternoon in the sport section of your local book store can give you free valuable golf tips. Here you can find golf swing tips from professionals or teachers and coaches of professional golfers. Books and magazines with the latest golf swing tips can also be found online.

Here are 5 simple but very powerful golf swing tips that cover the golf swing basics.

1. One of the most important golf swing tip is to keep your club face square. Striking the golf ball with a square club face will allow it to fly straight and far. You need to maintain a consistent golf swing plane in order to keep your club face square. Take the golf club straight back and then following through on the same swing plane.

2. Timing is essential when it comes to your golf swing. Do not take the golf club back slowly and then accelerate down through your swing. A consistent swing speed throughout the entire swing is the key.

3. Golf fitness is another important factor for improving your golf swing. A few simple flexibility and strength exercises can change your whole golf game.

4. What about your golf grip?. Do not keep your golf grip too tight, it will hinder your golf swing movement. One way to determine if you were gripping the golf club the wrong way is if your hands or arms ache after playing golf.

5. The very best golf swing tip may not be what you want to hear, but practice, practice, practice, is what will ultimately improve your game. The more determined you are to practicing, hitting on the driving range or practice green, the better your golf swing will get. I have followed these basic golf swing tips and they have helped me cut my handicap by 12 strokes.

If you are serious about receiving some essential golf swing tips, and lower your scores then sign up for your free golf secrets newsletter at: http://www.golfsecretsnews.com

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

For Golf Putting Tips

Many golfers throughout the world do not concentrate on improving their putting by looking for golf putting tips because they think it is such a minor portion of the game of golf. I believe that they are sadly mistaken. Just think of the par threes. The putter on the par threes is usually more than fifty percent of the strokes made. If someone shoots an 82 then usually the amount of putts are 32 or 33, which is more than 40% of the strokes for the round of golf. It only makes sense that this may be one of the easiest ways to shave 3 or 4 strokes off of your golf score just by practicing a few golf putting tips.

Many golfers think that just by changing putters or trying harder will improve their putting and sometimes it does. Several golf putting tips that have helped me putt better have been:

1-Prepare on the practice green to get extremely confident by sinking at least 2 or 3 consecutive 6-7 foot putts.

2-Practice getting the right distance especially for long putts by visualizing the strength needed to roll the putt by hand and duplicating that strength into the putter head.

3-On longer putts it might be better to think of having to putt to a bucket and end up close to the hole.

4-Make sure you are very comfortable with your current putter.

5-One of the most important parts of the putting stroke is the few inches before and after hitting the ball.

There are many other golf putting tips in magazines and on line golf tips that are available for improving your putting. Keep trying them until you find some that work consistently for you and go for it. This could be the easiest way to shave a few strokes off your score.

If you want to enjoy and play golf better, you must conquer the putting side of golf.

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