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For a few golfers improving their score is all about making small adjustments in their mechanics that can shave a stroke or two off their already great score, but for the majority of golfers, learning some basic Golf Tips can knock off several strokes from each round and help them play much better golf very quickly. So here are some tips that have been proven to be very effective in shooting a better golf score for the average golfer.

* Get some golf lessons. Yes, you can just go to the driving range and try to do your best on your own, but if you want to make the most progress in the shortest amount of time possible, you need to get at least a few lessons under your belt. It will get you off to a good start and help you enjoy the game instead of just feeling like you are fighting it all the time instead. And there is no substitute for having a qualified teacher give you personal attention and help adjust your swing mechanics in person.

* Use enough club to get to the hole. Its amazing how many golfers assume that they can muscle a shot up to the hole and use a club that is one or two clubs too short on their approach shot. Instead, get to know your club distances by going to the driving range first and writing down how far each club length carries for you in distance on the average. Then use that as a guide to help you decide how much club you need to get to your target instead of just using the same club that someone else just used, or making an overly optimistic guess. You can shave lots of strokes off your game if you hit most of your greens instead of come up too short and have to pitch it on all the time.

* If your ball is only a foot or two off the edge of the green putt it instead of using a wedge. A lot of amateur golfers think that they need to use a wedge at all times when they aren’t on the green, but that is not necessarily so. In fact, a lot of golfers would be able to get the ball closer to the hole if they putted the ball instead of pitching it in those situations, especially if your short game is not all that good. So if its within a few feet of the green try the putter first and see if it doesn’t give you better results.

* Keep your head as steady as you can in your swing. This is often one of the most common mistakes that golfers make on the backswing. By moving your head this causes quite a few swing flaws that will adversely affect your contact with the ball. Think of your head as the pivot that the rest of your body turns around, almost as if it were nailed into position. Of course, its not possible to keep it absolutely still, but the quieter your head is in the swing, the more solid contact you should be able to make with the ball.

* Keep your sense of humor. Golf is a trying game even for the best players in the world. So don’t expect to be perfect or even come anywhere close to it. Be able and willing to laugh at yourself and not take yourself or the game too seriously, at least not to the point that it loses its fun for both you and others who are playing with you. A little good humor can go a long way.

These tips and suggestions may seem very simple, and for the most part they are, but if you put them in practice you can be sure of both shooting a lower score and having fun every time out on the course.

Fundamentals

Stance

A consistent position helps develop a consistent swing. A square stance will encourage a square impact. Keep feet perfectly parallel to the target line. If you imagine standing on a train track your feet are against one rail the ball is next to the other. Develop a comfortable standing position with your feet directly below your shoulders with your toes slightly outward facing.

Position the ball 2-3 inches inside the left heel for most shots. If it is too far forward you will be more likely to slice.

Moving one foot slightly forward will enable either fade (outside to inside) or draw (inside to outside). Experiment with the shot direction on how much you move your foot.

Do’s and Don’ts

Do always check the position of the ball using your clubs aligned on the ground.

Do take your time to settle into your stance and get relaxed.

Do be consistent with your stance.

Grip

A good grip is the foundation of your golf swing, enabling greater control and reducing your tendency to slice. A good grip helps keep the club-head square at impact and stops the shaft from rotating in your hands.

The most popular grip used by professional golfers is the Vardon grip.

Place your little finger on the lower hand on the club (right hand for a right-handed player – known as the trailing hand) and place it between the index and middle finger on the top hand (known as the lead hand). The thumb of the lead-hand should fit in the lifeline of the trailing hand (the V). Look to get a relaxed and comfortable feel, a tight grip will hinder your swing. The V’s formed by the index finger and thumbs on both hands point between the chin and right shoulder. Turning hands anti-clockwise on the club shaft produces a weak grip, promoting a left-to-right flight of the ball (slice). Turning hands clockwise produces a strong grip, promoting a right-to-left flight of the ball (hook).

Do’s and Don’ts

Don’t grip the club too tightly

Do keep the rubber grips on your club handles in good condition. Worn grips cause problems by forcing you to hold the club too tightly.

Do get a feel for the grip by practising frequently gripping and re-gripping the club regularly.

Alignment

When you are practising, make sure your use you clubs as alignment. Lay one club on the ground parallel to the target line and another from toe to toe indicating the direction of your stance. To indicate the ball position, lay another club at 90deg’s to the target line extending backward from the ball toward your feet. Now check it all. When you are happy with the alignment you can a club across your shoulders, hips and thighs to check everything is aligned parallel to the target!

Do’s and Don’ts

Do check, check and check again, it will be invaluable to troubleshoot any problems.

Don’t leave the club between your feet longer than necessary but feel free to leave one club on the ground parallel to the target line during practice sessions.

Swing Path

To get a straight shot you require an inside to square i.e. hitting the ball squarely swing-path. An inside to outside swing-path encourages a hook, outside to inside swing-path a slice. Imagine a line extending through the ball to the target, your goal is a swing-path that starts on the inside striking the ball while moving slightly to the outside.

Also you can direct the ball with the club face – straight 90deg to the ball

Clubface open (>90deg) to ball encourages a slice or fade

Clubface closed (

Do’s and Don’ts

Do take some time and watch golfers practice. If you stand behind a practising golfer you can watch the variations in swing path and club face and see how it affects the shot, note the variations in swing path path and divot direction to see the shots produced..

Your pre shot routine

These tips may seem very time consuming at first but soon they will become second nature. When planning the shot ahead, look from behind the ball. Pick a target a few feet away (e.g. a leaf or divot) is easier and more accurate than aiming at 200 yards away. Stand about a foot behind where you will make your next shot and take a smooth practice swing or two focusing all your attention on the shot. Check the advice you have already learned above and build it into a routine, apply the thoughts and techniques in a particular order. Then and only then, take your final stance and start your shot. It is important to develop your own routine but make sure it is consistent for every shot, it enables the brain and muscles to develop memory.

Do’s and Don’ts

Do practice your pre-shot routine on the range you can ‘zone in’ without too many distractions. It is more difficult to develop when playing with other people or on the course.

Fault Fixing

Do’s and Don’ts

Do firstly identify the problem (whether it is slicing, hooking, lack of distance, etc).

Do verify the problem is there by asking another golfer to watch you take a few shots or video’ing yourself.

Don’t ignore it, it bad habits can be difficult to shake off over time.

Do find the cause of the problem. Start with the fundamentals of grip, stance, balance, alignment, etc. Take some shots changing each fundamental one at a time.

Do plan your course of action.

Do practice it again and again, repetition will help you build confidence.

Do try to give it enough time to fix.

Don’t be afraid of taking further advice.

Do look at the best golfer you are with and observe carefully. Check out for body position, stance, how high they lift the club and the motion used when they swing the club. Then apply it to your own game.

Golf swing

You really do need to have a handle on the fundamentals before you will be able to move to perfecting your swing. Although there is no such thing as a perfect swing, every golfer does it slightly differently. Once you have read the tips and advice, you need to put those techniques to work. Practice as often as you can until your you have found what works for you and best swing has become second nature. You can never practice too much!

Observation

Observe other players whether on the range, course or TV, you can always buy an instructional video. What are they doing that you are not?

Do’s and Don’ts

Do speak to other players, they will usually be happy to share some tips with you.

Do video tape golf on tv and watch them in slow motion.

The Mirror

Practice your own swing in a mirror or video yourself so you can see the differences between what you think you are doing and what you are actually doing, you may be surprised!

Do’s and Don’ts

Do check back on a regular basis to see if any bad habits have developed over time.

Head Position

Keep your head still and look straight at the ball. The position of your head should be straight in line with your spine, and your nose should be raised up a bit so that when you start to swing, your left shoulder fits under your chin. Don’t tuck your head into your chest as you will not be able to perform a proper swing.

Do’s and Don’ts

Do try to lean your body slightly forward to try to find the best place to keep your head so it doesn’t impede your swing but you can see the ball clearly.

Relax

A very basic step but crucial to your swing and your game in general, easier said than done I know, especially when tee-ing off with an audience. However, relaxing your muscles will enable your body to perform exactly as it needs to perform a great golf swing. When you have lined up your shot and taken your stance, systematically think about relaxing every muscle group in turn from your feet, lower legs, upper legs, lower back… all the way to your head. Continue this flexibility through your swing and it will work wonders.

Do’s and Don’ts

Do try on and off course techniques, consider cardio exercise, yoga or meditation.

Balance

Balance is very important through the whole duration of your swing, just like everything else it needs to be practiced. A good way to practice improving your balance is to get in the address position with your club (in stance with the club out in front behind the ball), relax your body and try holding it completely still for about 30 seconds (closing your eyes may help). Does it feel unbalanced like you have more weight on one foot or the other? Is one part of your body tighter or more tense than another? Adjust your balance accordingly so everything feels balanced.

Do’s and Don’ts

Do try slow practice swings to see if you get off-balance at any point during the swing.

Wrist Strength

The wrists play several roles the wrists in your golf swing, but the two most important are:

Controlling throughout the swing and with the proper clubface alignment.

Adding extra power at the point of impact.

You need to resist temptation to tighten your grip, so your wrists need to be strong to control the club throughout your swing. A simple exercise to improve wrist strength:

· Stand with a club at your side

· Lift the club up to 90deg by keeping your arm by your side, only using your wrist.

· You should feel the wrist and forearms taking the pressure, repeat 15-20 times as often as possible. Try longer clubs for more difficulty.

Do’s and Don’ts

Do try other gym based exercises to maximise your wrist, arm and torso strength.

Try reducing your backswing

There is a tendency for inexperienced players to have too long a backswing. You may lose accuracy or balance by swinging too far. Try varying your backswing from very short to very long to see what suits you best. Twist your shoulders until you feel tight, this should be the place to start, don’t rotate your hips to try to lift the club further. You can increase power by hinging your wrist up to 90deg to make them more flexible rather than keeping them locked. Keep it relaxed and you will notice the difference.

Do’s and Don’ts

Do experiment with different combinations of backswing and wrist flex.

Slow it down!

If you swing your arms too fast, your body can’t keep up, therefore you do not get the full power of your trunk and legs. You will also have difficulty keeping your club straight as it swings through impact.

Try this technique: hold the club at about waist height and swing the club, do it a few times and note how your body feels while doing it. As you swing, the club makes that sweet swishing sound, make a note of how it sounds. Now the challenge is to make the club swing faster, shift your body weight during the swing from the right leg to the left leg allowing your body to turn. By letting your arms swing freely you will notice the swishing sound is faster as you increase the speed of your body. Apply this now to your actual hitting swing, by increasing your trunk rotation but keeping your arms free.

Do’s and Don’ts

Do keep trying this until the swing becomes second nature.

Don’t think about putting power into the ball, this will only speed your arms up again. Just think about body rotation and shifting body weight your arms will follow your body through. The body is where the real power comes from.

Trying too hard – topping the ball

You really want to whack this next ball 100s of yards, but all you do is ‘top’ it and send it dribbling down the fairway. Why does this happen? It is usually one of two reasons. The first is down to poor stance (see above) because your body was not balanced when you assumed your stance position, leaning over too much. Your body instinctively tries to re-balance, raising up mid swing, your club comes down off the ground higher than you started, causing you to hit the top of the ball.

Another reason is because you set up with your arms extended, then bending your arms during the swing.

To stop this from happening, don’t try so hard, stop trying to get too much power in the shot. Focus on getting the ball in the air rather than power. If you get every ball airborne, rather than on the ground, you will be consistently hitting shots correctly, this will give you more confidence.

Do’s and Don’ts

Do try to get it up in the air before concentrating on extending the distance.

Do keep your arm extension the same throughout the swing.

Download Part 2 of this report – Short Game and Putting Tips at http://winning-golf-tips.freehostia.com

Often called, “the best loved golf teacher in America”, Harvey Penick has mentored and taught literally thousands of amateur and professional golfers. The author of several best selling books on golf, Harvey is known for his sense of humor and passion for the game. This article will feature several of his most fundamentally important Golf Tips .

* Warm up by practicing without a ball. Use a middle iron to aim at a blade of grass or a twig. Do not begin hitting a ball until you can hit the object you are aiming at consistently. This will help your concentration and ease tension.

* Believe in your “gut” instincts. When selecting a club, the 1st club that comes to mind is generally the club you should select. Trying to “outsmart” yourself will only hurt your confidence.

* While talking during a round, make sure you use positive words and expressions. For example, do not say,”I have to use my sand wedge”, you want to say, “I GET to use my sand wedge.”

* Do not be influenced by what your opponents say. Concentrate on the success of your next shot. Get your Golf Tips from professionals.

* If you hit an unsuccessful shot, do not immediately try and change things. Only when you are consistently hitting the same variety of bad shots should you make adjustments. Quite often it is your grip that is at fault.

* Many problems get worse when golfers start rushing. Do not address the ball until you are ready. Very often, taking a deep breath will help calm your nerves.

* Your eyes are a critical part of the success of your game. Be sure to see the whole ball, not just a part of it. Make sure that your vision is checked regularly.

* Do not overswing. Many golfers worry about hitting the ball a great distance. Create a belief system that the ball will go a long way if you do not worry about it. Just be concerned with making solid contact.

* Without fail, your left arm should be straight when striking the ball.

* When in doubt, check your grip and stance

Hopefully these tips will help you with your game. Harvey Penick is a great advocate of ENJOYING golf, not just playing the game. And the suggestions in this article are some of his most famous Golf Tips .

Here are some great ways to focus on your game that will make a big difference, almost immediately, if you take a little time to work them into your play.
1. Prepare Yourself Well
Mentally give yourself the time to start to calmly prepare for your game. This simple golf tip is to try not to rush to get there and be exhausted. More, it’s about giving yourself the space to mentally prepare for your game – and be at your best.
Whilst golf can be a relaxing experience, it’s also vital to remember that it is quite a strenuous exercise. True, you are able to take your time while you walk the 4 or so hours (unless, of course you have a cart!), but you also have to use a lot of energy both swinging your clubs as well as psychologically getting into the right frame of mind for every shot.
2. The Hands Have It
The second of our simple golf tips is to ensure that you get your hand muscles prepared as well. The most vital components of your golf swing are the two things at the end of your arms – your hands. Every shot depends on how well they are prepared.
By making sure that you have the time to get a few practice swings in – both the big clubs right down to the putter, your hands will prepare themselves to be in the right shape for a great game’
3. Swing, Swing and Swing Again!
Whilst on the topic of swinging to get your hands into shape, remember that every swing is the same, and yet every swing is different too. All the muscles in your body need to both relax as well as to develop those excellent muscle patterns that you will use through out your round.
So all your muscles can be warmed up with a focused and prepared stretch and swing routine, which will then give you every chance of making it without damaging yourself – as well as a great round and score too.
Swinging can effectively pull out any stressed or rigid muscle in the hand. It’s best to keep on practicing swinging. Experts say that almost 50% of a golfer’s ability is based on swinging.
4. Choose Your Club Wisely
One of the biggest distinctions between the great golfers and the adequate is how they use their clubs. you often hear ‘he’s a club short’, or he needed ‘half a club less’. The great players have perfected the art of having the consistency of swing and then matching that with the very best choice of club too.
That’s why one of the most important simple Golf Tips is to get your swing into order before you start and then club your shots accordingly. When you are not playing, but merely practicing, take time to ‘play’ with club selection to get used to the best ones to use in exactly the right circumstances
5. Get To Know Your Swing
It’s a common understanding that a golf swing has a number of components. When you are developing your game, understanding what is working well with your swing, and what needs attention, makes it useful to get to know all the elements of your swing.
The key components are:-
a) Club alignment
b) Setup of your position and posture
c) The back-swing
d) The backswing
e) The take-away
f) The follow through
Get to know them well and set-by-step recognize when each or any of the are not working well enough.
6. Know the course
If you want to succeed in your golf, it’s important to know all you can to make yourself effective. So far, we’ve looked at all the things you are in control of. Next up needs to be an understanding of what you aren’t.
The final of our simple Golf Tips , is to remember that the course may be unfamiliar to you, so it’s critical to your success to at least have a close look at it, even if you can’t walk it.
Most courses have a map where, if you are observant, you can make out those places where you might have problems and prepare yourself for them. No longer a blind swing and hope – now you are fully prepared for what the course can throw up for you.
These are just six simple golf tips that you can consider before you go out to play. By preparing properly, thinking about your game and getting to know what’s out there coming at you, you will have every chance of making the most of your game.
Remember, it’s down to you, and you alone. The difference in not in these tips, but how you personally take the time to use them.