How To Get Your Golf Handicap Down

SKLZ Rick Smith Tempo and Grip Trainer

There are not many products I would recommend but this simple golf gripper is one and it is one of the few I have kept handy and still use for 2 valuable reasons.

The first is because it does as it says by putting and keeping your hands in the the correct position. With the rubber ridges molded into the grip, there is no way you can place your hands in any other way than the correct one.

Secondly, unlike some other grip correctors, it is actually on a shortened weighted shaft so you can swing it as it is was a real club. Because it's shorter than a normal club you can take it indoors and swing it in front of the TV without breaking anything. Just make sure you are not near the light!

I have also used this practice aid to strengthen my golfing muscles too. The base of the "head" unscrews so that extra weight can be fitted inside.

I have personally used this practice aid on and off for years especially in the winter for keeping the muscles loose.

Ever wonder why the Pro golfers on TV make the game look so easy? All they seem do is swing the club easy and off the ball goes down the fairway.

The simple answer is good balance. It looks so easy because they are not falling over after a shot as if they have been on the beer all night! They finish with nearly all their weight on the left foot (if you are right handed) and up on the toe of the right.

Their whole body has turned so that their stomach is facing the target, the right hip pointing to where the ball was.

An easy drill to get this in your game is to just count to three!

Every time you hit a shot finish on the right toe with the club behind your head and stay in that position for a count of three. Do that and your balance will improve very quickly.

If you ever go to a golf tournament and venture onto the practice ground you will see the Pro's and their coach will nearly
always stand behind them in line with the target. Lining up straight is one of the hardest things to do consistently, we are simply not designed to go sideways!

It's easy to hit shots what you think are well off target only to be hitting good straight shots in the wrong direction as you have incorrectly lined up.

Get into a habit of regularly checking where you are aiming at the set up. Ask a buddy to stand behind and check too, a second opinion is always useful.

On the practice ground line up a club on the ground just outside the ball and a second one parallel to that just in front of your toes. It can be easy to line up your feet but be careful that your hips and shoulders are lined up parallel too.

Once you have taken up your address position lay a club against your hips and shoulders to check that everything is lined up the same. It's easy to think that because your feet are lined up that the rest of you is too, that need not necessarily be the case.

Your shoulder line is the most important to get correct so take your time and get lined up correctly.

This one technique will probably add more yards to your drives than anything else. It's one of the fundamental parts of the golf swing and a good turn of your left side during the back swing will create a huge amount of power for your forward swing.

Once you are set up at address, turn your body so that at the completion of your backswing your left side is behind the ball. You do this by rotating your shoulders making sure your left shoulder goes underneath the chin and your back finishes up facing the target.

Ideally, in terms of degrees your shoulders should have turned at least 90°, really long hitters manage to turn a 100 or even 110°. Your left shoulder should be nearly over your right foot in this position.

At the top of the backswing you should feel the tension in your stomach muscles and down the left side of your body. The chances are, if you do not, you are not trying and turning far enough!

It's important that you do not rush turning your shoulders, there is no hurry as you do not hit the ball at the top of the backswing, the backswing is only getting you into a position, creating a huge reserve of power, before you start the forward swing. A lot of golfers who are in too much of a hurry to hit the ball and totally fail to complete a good turn on the back swing.

If you suffer from a little stiffness in your shoulders and find this difficult to achieve then it's okay to lift your left heel a little to help getting your left side behind the ball.

It's obvious isn't it.... the way to hit the ball into the next county is to hit its so hard that the noise at impact deafens everyone within 50 yards. Well not quite. Yes it's true that you definitely need lots of club head speed to hit the ball out of sight, it's totally wrong that you should try to hit "at" the ball.

It doesn't matter whether it's a pitch, putt or full-blooded drive, with every shot you play, the club should always be accelerating past the ball.
Maximum speed in the swing should be just after impact and not at it.

Try to have the thought in your mind, that you just swing the club backwards and forwards and the ball just gets in the way.

A good way to practice this for both accelerating and driving the club towards the target is to place a tall golf tee in the ground about a foot in front of where the ball is positioned. Make sure this is brightly colored so it is easy to keep an eye on with your peripheral vision, and try and knock in the tee out of the ground by clipping the top of it on the follow through.

If you are hitting a driver then in all honesty you should not make contact, but if you are practicing with an iron then it should be easy. In any case a visual reminder of hitting past the ball and not at it is the best way to keep this thought in mind.

Tom Watson Lessons of a LifeTime Golf 2 Disc DVD

I must admit I have a soft spot for Tom Watson, I have been lucky enough to meet him a couple of times and as well as being one the best golfers to step onto a golf course, but he is also a real gentleman.

Tom has been a world class player all of his life and is still winning tournaments in his 60's. You can count the number of people who have done that on the fingers of one hand.

There are very few books or video's that tell you how to play in simple terms that everyone can understand and gain from but this is the exception.

His easy manner explains the basic concepts and fundamentals of the game in a way that is straightforward and easy to put into practice. The 2 DVD set covers everything you need to know to lower your handicap.

I've read David Leadbetter's books and seen some of his video's and yes they do help but do find them more difficult to put into practice than some others.

For my money I will stick with Tom!