The Golfers Clinic Golf Tip Library

Back in the old days, your choice of golf balls was simple; high-level professionals would use a three piece golf ball, which had a high spin, and covered with balata. Your every day, normal golf players would opt for the two piece golf ball which was covered with surlyn and was rock solid.

Today, however, there is an enormous amount of golf balls to choose from. For the beginner, making this choice may not be easy, so let’s simplify things a bit and take a look at a few details of today’s golf ball varieties.

The easiest way to look at the types of golf balls that are available today is to view them from a two-sided menu. On one side you have the type of balls that professionals use, which are soft, high spin, very expensive, and three-piece.

On the other side, you have standard two-piece golf balls that are low spin, inexpensive, and are the average choice for beginner and amateur golfers.

Then you have the middle - in between the two general ball types where you will find many kinds of multipurpose golf balls which provide plenty of distance when hit from the tee, yet gives enough control to the player.

Making The Right Choice

You can use the above simplified explanation of golf ball types to make the right choice for your needs. If you are a beginner then you would obviously want to go with the two piece, low spin golf balls. While you have less control, the fact that your swing should have the ball going straight as possible will alleviate potential bad shots, thereby reducing penalties.

As you improve your golfing skills, you can then start to move towards the middle choice of multipurpose golf balls which will start to give you a bit more control over the flight of the ball. Soon enough you will be at the skill level to actually steer the ball in different directions to make more successful shots.

Good golfers want as much control as possible so that they can steer the ball to the left or to the right, depending on their intended direction. Beginners should only be concerned about driving every last yard they can from their shots, and in a straight direction.

There is also 2 more last minute tips:

1. Keep your golf balls warm: Did you know that a ball will suffer the loss of distance if it is too cold? If you are playing during a cold day, hold on to a few balls inside of your coat pocket and handle them here and there to keep the balls warmed up. You can then alternate balls at each new tee so that you can start one that is warm.

2. Golf balls do not last forever: Golf balls have a shelf life. After approximately 1 year, you will lose distance with the same ball. It is best to keep track of how long you have had your golf balls to avoid using them stale. And remember, three-piece balls tend to lose their quality sooner than two-piece golf balls.

Nigel
www.golfers-clinic.com

Have you ever wondered how so much energy can be generated so that when you hit a golf ball with your clubface, the ball is sent soaring through the air with tremendous amount of speed, velocity, and left? In order to produce this energy there are two factors involved:

1) The manufacturing/construction of the ball.
2) The velocity of the clubhead.

The average golf ball is made up and constructed according to rules set forth by the United States Golf Association (USGA). These rules state that a golf ball must be in the shape of a sphere, 1.68” in diameter at the smallest, and a maximum weight of 1.62 ounces.

The golf ball is then tested by specific equipment put out by the USGA. With these proper tests, the ball is not allowed to generate velocity of over 250 feet per second. This equates to approximately 170 mph, and a temperature of 75 degrees (F).

Ever Heard Of “Iron Byron”?

The United States Golf Association also has a very detailed robotic hitting machine which golf balls are tested with, known as the Iron Byron. When this machine is used for such testing, each ball must not travel greater than the distance of 280 yards, with a tolerance percentage of no more than 6%.

The purpose of these guidelines is to prevent professional golfers from using golf balls that may travel farther than other balls. In other words, it is a great checks-and-balances system to ensure that nobody is cheating with a ball that may have been purposely manufactured to fly at greater distances.

What Is A Golf Ball Made Of?

A well thought out design goes into the making of every golf ball you play with. Each ball is either a two-piece or three-piece design. And not every golf ball is made of the same material. Less expensive golf balls are typically made from a synthetic rubber substance known as surlyn.

Then there are golf balls made out of synthetic balata, which are often used by more experienced players who desire a ball that has a softer and generates more spin. This type of ball gives the player better control with steering their shots. Most beginner and amateur golfers stick to the two-piece balls, as they have less spin, thus minimizing poor shots.

Nigel
www.golfers-clinic.com 

A high quality golf bag is an invaluable investment for the regular golfer. This is especially true if you enjoying walking the course and prefer not to use a cart. Besides, it is highly recommended to walk as often as possible when playing golf. And during your game, you want a golf bag that will be comfortable, yet durable.

Tour Bags

When shopping for a quality golf bag, there are several sizes for you to choose from. If you have ever watched a professional golf game on TV or in person, you will notice that the pros typically use giant leather tour bags. They are waterproof and equipped with large pockets that are able to carry most anything a caddie may need during the game.

Needless to say, these bags are extremely heavy, some weighing over 50 pounds. Luckily for these players, they pay someone to carry their golf bags for them. Many Caddies get paid very well, with some even earning a percentage of their player’s tournament wins.

Cart Bags

The average golfer like yourself will probably never need a 50 pound tour bag just to carry your clubs around the golf course on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. So the next size down that is more ideal for normal, everyday players is called a cart bag.

Cart bags are typically made of leather and nylon. They are also made to fit on a golf cart. On the other hand, cart bags are still a bit bulky and are best suited if you plan on driving the golf cart around all day. Personally, my favorite is the carry bag, as described below.

Carry Bags

Although cart bags are ideal, an even better solution for recreational golfers are called carry bags. These golf bags are much smaller and weigh far less than a full-size bag such as the tour bag and cart bag. You will find that cart bags are able to carry all of your clubs, a few accessories, and of course your golf balls. However, there is little room for anything else.

Carry bags are available in a wide range of sizes, designs, and price. For children you can find these bags in smaller ¾ sizes. For adults who would like a little “extra”, you can pick up a deluxe model carry bag that has more pockets and a backpack strap which enables you to hold onto your bag using both shoulders – quite comfortable.

As far as prices are concerned, with carry bags, you get what you pay for (like any product for that matter). Low-quality bags can sell for $40-$50. However, cart bags in this price range do not have the most aesthetic appeal and are not very comfortable. Cheap carry bags such as this are fine if you only plan on playing golf once or twice per year. It would be a better choice to invest at least $100 into a high-quality carry bag.

Nigel
www.golfers-clinic.com 

The fundamentals of golf are very different than many other sports. Take baseball for example; when you are up at bat to make your swing, your job is to hit the ball as its thrown to you. In other words, the game is built around your reaction towards what someone else is doing. You cannot make your move until the pitcher throws the ball to you.

In golf, however, you are the boss. You are in charge of making every move. The ball just sits there, waiting for you to make your shot. And you are 100% responsible for every play that happens. You cannot blame a bad play on a pitch, another teammate, or any other excuse.

This is what makes golf so difficult, and yet so challenging and fun to play. And on top of that, you have people watching you, all in complete silence. Talk about the need for focus!

A Positive Mindset Goes A Long Way In Golf

Golf requires that you focus and think about every shot you take. Of course in our comparative analysis of the sport of baseball, those players have to think about the mechanics of their game too, but they have little time to really focus and concentrate on what they are doing, as opposed to golf. They are conscious of the pitcher and the person at bat, but everything else is reaction.

Golf requires so much attention to what you are doing that any type of negative thoughts or worries can have a dramatic effect on the quality of your game. Doubt can easily seep into your mind, especially if you are still a beginner. Once this happens, your body tenses up, you may get nervous, jittery, and the next thing you know your ball has landed in the rough. Consider it to be the equivalent of stage fright. Yes, golf can be this difficult.

How can you prevent negative thoughts and feelings from happening while playing on the course? The answer is extremely simple, yet may be difficult to learn.

All you have to do is take action, and do so faster than your mind can start to consider any negative consequences of making a bad swing. That’s the thing about golf – you can literally think your way into a slump.

Stick with the basics and focus on simple movements that are repetitive. Keep your body loose and as you are preparing for your shot, shift the weight of your body from foot to foot, back and forth. Wiggle your club a bit and just loosen up, have fun, and stop worrying about anything negative. Just learning how to play a stress-free game may be the hardest lesson you learn in golf.

Nigel
www.golfers-clinic.com

Even though golf doesn’t require physical contact between players like other sports, such as football or basketball, that doesn’t mean that you cannot take a few preventative measures to stay healthy and keep comfortable.

The Most Common Golf Injury: Blisters

Blisters may not sound like a heinous problem, but ask any golfer about how uncomfortable and debilitating a blister can be to his or her golf game, and I’ll guarantee you they will all agree to how frustrating and painful it can be.

A good set of gloves can prevent blisters, but if your hands to start to show signs of one, be sure to cover it with a bandage. In fact, a package of bandages should be in important part of your golf accessory items.

Bandages are not the only items that you should carry with you to the course. Below is a list of the few other accessories that can make up a perfect golf first aid bag.

1. Sunscreen can keep you from burning out and experiencing sun poisoning. Hot, sunny weather can cause sunburn that can be extremely painful. You can purchase sunscreen in small tubes so that it is convenient to carry. Trust me, when you are playing golf in the middle of July, with the afternoon sun beaming down on you, you’ll be glad you carried sunscreen along.

2. Extra bandages can come in handy anytime a blister pops up. As mentioned at the beginning of this article, blisters are the most common injury on the golf course. If you do not have gloves and do get a blister, having a bandage will be a godsend.

3. Adhesive tape is known as the golfer’s “duct tape”. In other words, adhesive tape can be a miracle in many situations. Not only would you use it in order to secure bandages wrapped around the hand or finger which is blistered up, but adhesive tape can also tighten up a club grip that may loosen up for whatever reason. This is a great temporary solution until you can get the club fixed securely.

4. Pain reliever’s, such as Aspirin can come in handy. I have to admit that I am guilty of not carrying aspirins along with me when golfing, but the ironic thing is that it seems during every game, at least one person will come up to me and ask if I have any Tylenol or Aspirin.

Many men and women have headaches or migraines which are a daily part of their lives. Unfortunately, some of them forget to bring along a pain reliever. I could not imagine trying to play a peaceful game of golf with a pounding headache. So be courteous and carry along a few small packets of aspirin for anyone that may need it.

5. Bug spray can also be a miracle product on the course, especially during mosquitoes season. Of course this problem depends on where you are located, but if you are playing in an area that is loaded with insects ready to bite your skin, a decent bug repellent can do wonders.

Nigel
www.golfers-clinic.com

For the inexperienced golfer, the game will seem to provide never-ending moments of frustration due to making poor contact with the ball. It is impossible not to experience shots that can leave you a bit embarrassed, especially for the beginner.

You may have practiced your swing, producing a fluid-like graceful backswing, come with the club as your body is perfectly aligned with the target, only to make impact with the ball so inappropriately that it hardly moves, or worse yet, a lump of dirt and grass travels further than the ball itself. This ugly scenario is a fat shot.

The Fat Shot Problem

Most likely your biggest problem with contact issues will be making the fat shot. This simply means that the clubhead is hitting the ground first, before making contact with the ball. Not only is the fat shot an embarrassing experience, but wrist injuries are also somewhat common because of the club hitting the ground, which sends a jolt through your hands and wrists.

Fat shots typically result in the ball traveling far less than half the distance desired on the shot, as well as creating a huge divot in the course. Men and women who repeat the fat shot often enough can develop swelling in the wrists due to hitting the ground over and over again.

Most Common Causes Of The Fat Shot

For the majority of golfers facing this issue, their fat shots are typically the result of the bottom of the swing arc being too far behind the ball. The cause of this can vary. One reason is due to having too much bend at the waist and knees during your downswing.

Another reason could be improper weight shift where the bulk of the weight should be shifted to the left, but remains on the right foot during the downswing (right-handed golfers). A third reason is if your swing plane is too steep. And lastly, fat shots can be caused by playing the ball a bit too forward within your stance.

How To Prevent The Fat Shot

In order to eliminate the chances of creating the fat shot, you need to make a few adjustments, as described below:

1. Watch your bend. Make sure you are not bending into the ball during your downswing. Maintain the same amount of bend within your waist, hips, and knees, throughout the entire downswing. Keeping your spine straight can help.

2. At address, be conscious of your weight and keep it balanced between the heels and the balls of your feet. Always keep your weight off the toes.

3. On the downswing, transfer your weight from the right foot to the left. Doing so will prevent the club from bottoming out too early.

4. Lastly, try adjusting the ball by moving it back approximately 1 inch in your stance. This can help the bottom of your swing to match up with the position of the ball.

Nigel
www.golfers-clinic.com

One of the basic tenets of golf is to take care of your equipment. The appearance of a player and his golf accessories can tell a lot about that person. By taking pride in your golf apparel, especially your clubs and golf bag, and keeping everything in shape, you will look better and most importantly, your expensive golf equipment will last a lot longer.

Keeping Your Club Faces Free From Dirt

Whenever you hit a shot, you will see that the grooves of the face on your iron will be cluttered with dirt. To keep this area clean and free of grime, simply wipe off the clubhead with a rag or small towel and then use the sharp end of a tee to scrape each groove.

Cleaning your club face like this is not just for appearances either. By removing encrusted dirt and mud, your shots will maintain distance. With a dirty club, you can lose control and your ball will not reach the distances desired.

Cleaning Your Golf Balls

When you arrive at each tee box, you will see a small structure on a pole designed to help keep your golf balls clean. Some of these contraptions have a round handle on top, and some have a crank-type handle on the side.

These are called ball washers and the purpose is to enable you to clean your golf balls. You simply place the ball in the designated area and once finished, the ball will come out perfectly clean.

When cleaning your golf balls, keep it courteous. These ball washers can be extremely noisy so be sure not to use the machine when one of your playing partners is about to make a shot. It’s best to wait until the swing is over before you operate the ball cleaner.

Keeping Your Shoes Clean

If you wear spiked shoes during your golf games, as everybody should, keeping them clean is also standard procedure for the player who takes care of his or her equipment. At the end of the day, be sure to scrape off any of the excess dirt and grass from the spikes before taking off your shoes.

In addition to preventing the trunk of your car from getting dirty from your shoes, you’ll also be able to keep an eye on the spikes and know when it’s time to get new ones installed in your shoes.

Note: You can purchase a package of spikes to keep your footing fresh at all times. Each package should come with a small wrench that has two claws. You will insert these claws into the holes at the base of your cleats in order to remove the spikes. Replace them with the new spikes but be sure not to tighten them up too hard because it may be extremely difficult to remove the spikes for future replacements.

Nigel
www.golfers-clinic.com

Welcome to the driving range, the place where every beginner spends hours upon hours hitting the ball in order to perfect their technique. Beginner golfers aren’t the only players that can be found at the driving range, you will also find more seasoned golf players who enjoy sharpening up their skills in their spare time.

The Average Driving Range

Most driving ranges are very similar, which contain anywhere between 30 to 50 separate stalls so that you can have your own individual space and privacy, separated from the other golfers by barriers made from wood or steal.

You will find a tray inside every stall that contains your golf balls and an artificial green turf mat, approximately 6 feet square. The average cost for a bucket of balls, which contains anywhere from 50 to 100 golf balls, costs around $5.

At the end of the artificial turf mat there should be a rubber tee that is sticking out on one side of the area. This is where each golf ball will be placed for your shots. Larger golf clubs are typically used here, especially the driver. Many golf players may even make their shots from the mat instead of the tee, using their irons, because this resembles the feel of hitting from real grass.

Your Goal On The Range

Your local driving range should have measured markers located out into the field which helps you to see the distance your ball reaches. These markers should be 75 yards, 100 yards, 125 yards, 150 yards, 175 yards, 200 yards, & 250 yards.

The purpose of these measurements can mean multiple functions for each golfer. The beginner has an opportunity to find out how far each of his clubs will hit the ball. This is essential knowledge to have when actually playing the game.

Always Focus On A Target

Some driving ranges offer simulated green areas that have flagsticks set up at different lengths. This enables you to swing right for the hole. However, regardless if there is a flagstick up for you or not, always have a target in mind when swinging. By hitting balls aimlessly, you will not learn how to focus on a target and control your shots as needed.

Nigel
www.golfers-clinic.com

The driving range is where you should be spending most of your time when just starting out with the game of golf. It offers you the opportunity to learn the distance at which each of your golf clubs can hit at, teach you to focus on a target, and help you to make contact with the ball every time you swing.

Practicing Your Short Game

Many golf ranges also offer an opportunity to improve your short game skills. Some of these facilities offer one or two green areas that are set aside for men and women to practice their shots which require shorter distances.

If you are fortunate enough to have a local driving range that offers such an area, be sure to invest just as much time there as you would at the regular range.

This is a big mistake many beginner golfers make. They spend an enormous amount of time hitting long-range shots, yet never practice with the short game plays. A great schedule would be to simply split your time up, perhaps one day at the standard range and the next at the short game area.

The Hunt For Real Grass

Although hard to find in most locations, a driving range that offers real grass to practice on is invaluable. Most private clubs and high end golf courses offer access to a driving range that has natural grass. The reason why real grass is preferred over turf is simply because it mimics the exact conditions you will play in during a real game of golf at the local course

Be Considerate When Hitting Balls On Real Grass

While utilizing a driving range that offers real grass to hit the ball from is preferable, some beginners may not be ready to handle such a quality service due to their inability to control their swing.

It is good etiquette to take care of the grass as best possible. For example, when taking a nice shot with an iron, you will almost always create a divot, which is simply a large chunk of grass cut out from your swing.

Too many of these shots can ruin the turf temporarily, until the grounds keepers shut down the area and reseed with new grass. Try to hit every ball as close to where you hit the last ball. Doing so will reduce the areas of divots created to just one spot in particular.

It is inevitable that the grass to be damaged, and the facility understands this, but your job is to minimize this damage as best possible.

Nigel
www.golfers-clinic.com

If you are like me, then most of the fun and challenge of a good game of golf is making successful recovery shots from unsuccessful tee offs. Of course the goal is to avoid these type of hazard areas altogether, but like I said, it’s a lot of fun working your way of trouble.

Below is one tough area to shoot from when your ball gets in trouble, in addition to some tips on working your way out of the situation.

Hitting The Ball From A Divot

As you know, a divot is the term to describe a small chunk of grass that is sliced out of from the course by most iron shots. The entire patch is scooped out, roots, dirt, and all. Most of the time, courteous golfers will replace any divots that they make and the grass will re-root itself in a few days making the area appear brand-new. However, not all players are as kind to the course as you and I are. Many people do not take the time to replace their divots.

When this happens, the course is left with a hole in the ground which causes a headache of a shot for you, especially when the ball snuggles right inside the divot hole. Now you have a shot to make that is resting on top of sandy soil instead of grass. This can be disastrous.

When you hit the ball from such a divot hole, you must make contact with the golf ball first, instead of the ground. Many beginners have a tough time with such shots because if the ball is hit even a bit flat, it’s not going to move very far at all. You must adjust your stance so that you can make the downward swing steeper than normal, making sure to tap the ball first before hitting the ground, if at all.

Choose The Right Iron

When facing a divot hole shot, your best bet is to choose an iron that gives you a decent amount of loft. Remember, you might not be able to get ball onto the green with your iron in this particular situation, but the important goal here is to simply get out of the divot entirely. And because you will be adjusting your stance in your swing so that you de-loft the clubface, the ball should go further than normal.

Nigel
www.golfers-clinic.com