The Golfers Clinic Golf Tip Library

Having a refresher course about the rules golf is always a good idea, especially when it comes to the basics. Beginner golfers, and those of you who have yet to step foot on a golf course, should keep in mind the following basic tips:

1. Follow the rules. I know there are no referees on the course making sure everybody is honest, but have the respect for the other players and play a legitimate game.

2. Take some time to read over the rulebook that the United States Golf Association (USGA) updates annually. Keep it handy on the course. Questions may arise and it’s nice to have the rulebook close by for a quick reference.

3. There are certain circumstances, specifically in reference to hazard shots and other unwanted plays, when you are allowed to pick up the ball and move it to a new location.

Remember: You are never allowed to move the ball closer to the hole, and in most scenarios, you must accept a penalty stroke.

Nigel
www.golfers-clinic.com

It is never a pretty sight to see your ball land in a bunker hazard, but when it does, and a bunker shot is executed perfectly, it’s a wonderful thing!

The club face swings down, sand is flying in all directions like a fireworks display, and out of the dusty cloud comes the ball, soaring high into the air and landing softly on the green, right near the hole.

Keep Dreaming

If you are a beginner golfer, the above scenario may seem out of reach for some time, but nevertheless you should always expect a good turnout when knocking the ball from a bunker.

With enough practice, you will come to the point where every bunker shot will be successfully executed with the ball knocked into the hole in just two swings: One knocking the ball out of the sand and onto the green, and the second putt right into the hole.

Nigel
www.golfers-clinic.com

More advanced golf players have the advantage of doing some creative things with the position of the ball when setting up for a bunker shot.

For the rest of us, it’s best to stick with the basics and play the ball in the middle of the stance, until the shot can be mastered. Once you can step foot into a bunker with 100% confidence that you can make the ball onto the green, you are then ready for more advanced techniques.

Although you may not be ready for such advanced bunker shots, you may be faced with unplanned circumstances. Some bunker shots may not allow you to take an even stance with the ball positioned in the middle, like the following two scenarios:

Downhill Bunker Shots: If you are facing a downhill bunker shot, you must move the ball slightly behind center within your stance to be sure that the ball flies up. The reason is because gravity will naturally pull it down.

Uphill Bunker Shots: When dealing with an uphill bunker shot, move the ball slightly forward of the center to ensure that you splash the sand in the front of the ball.

Nigel
www.golfers-clinic.com

Every golf course provides its players with a scorecard. You should always have one with you, not only to keep score of your game, but it also helps you learn about the course.

A scorecard will explain to you the exact length of each hole, what par the hole is, and the difficulty level of that hole in relation to the others on the course.

Some scorecards will go as far as supplying you with the entire layout of every hole. This map not only provides the layout, but also shows you where the hazard areas are, the trees, and the out-of-bounds locations.

This is an excellent aid that is especially helpful for the beginner golfer, or even a seasoned player that just happens to be new to that particular golf course.

Always study your scorecard, and bring along older scorecards from the same course. By looking them over carefully before you hit the green, taking stock of your upcoming shots, and comparing them to your last set of scores on the same hole, you have valuable information that can help guide you to improving your golf game.

There is an incredibly useful application that can help you understand your scores so that you can learn how to become a better player.

 Discover the Little Known Scorecard Secret Top Golfers use and Shave 7-10 Strokes OFF Your Game!

Nigel
www.golfers-clinic.com

Have you ever wondered why a golf ball is created with hundreds of small dimples all over it?

There is actually a scientific reason why the golf ball is made this way. These small dimples cause the ball to gain lift in the air with the proper amount of spin.

A good analogy would be to think of an airplane. The wings of the plane are specifically built to cause it to move in a specific direction when airborne. Golf balls are made with a specific number that indicates compression. This explains how densely packed the inside of the golf balls components are.

Golf balls range from a soft compression number of 80 on up to an extremely hard number of 110. A golf ball’s compression gives it a specific feel rather than distance. For example, if you are hitting a ball that has a 100 compression number, it is going to feel extremely hard when the clubface makes contact. On the other hand, a ball with a 80 compression number will fill softer.

Nigel
www.golfers.clinic.com

For those of you who want to get into golf, but have yet to step foot on a golf course, you may not know what to expect.

Perhaps you are still learning how to hit the ball on the driving range and are a little nervous to actually play the real game. Whatever your reasons, you need to know what kind of turf the course is made of.

Welcome To The Fairway

The fairway is your guiding path towards the hole. The grass that is on the fairway will be trimmed very closely to the ground, typically between ½ and 1 inch. On either side of the fairway is longer grass which is called the primary rough. A secondary rough goes beyond that area and the grass is even longer than the primary.

The width of the fairway can vary, depending upon the course. The narrower it is, the more difficult the hole is to play. For example, PGA Tours have professional golf players playing on courses that have fairways that are as little as 20 yards wide.

Nigel
www.golfers-clinic.com

During any given day playing golf, there will be times when you will have to use what is called the chip shot in order to hit the ball onto the green. In order to be successful at chipping the ball, you must set your stance up correctly.

Chip shots are made by taking a stance that will put you close to the target line, so that your eyes are directly over it. The closer to the target line you are, the better the chance you have of moving the club back and hitting straight through to your target.

A Matter Of Preference

The stance you choose is largely dependent upon your personal preferences. You should feel comfortable and balanced. Try opening up your stance a bit as it may allow you to see better down the target line, thus making it easier to swing the clubhead at the intended target. When you are comfortable with your setup, your confidence increases.

Setting Up The Ball

The ball should be positioned in the middle of your stance when making a chip shot. It makes it easier for the clubhead to swing right along the target line, and at the appropriate angle. If you move the ball backwards in your stance, it will fly lower, and moving it up a bit will cause the ball to pop higher. However, chip shots do not require any adjusting of the ball, just set up right in the middle.

Proper Weight Distribution

Your weight should be dominating through the center of your stance. This position offers perfect balance and allows you to naturally open yourself to the target. In other words, your front shoulder and toe should be slightly left, or right, of where they would normally be positioned when addressing the ball.

Generally speaking, if you need the ball to fly higher, additional weight should be placed on the front foot. For right-handed golfers, the more weight that is put on the left side, the more the club will swing up as opposed to back, and low to the grass.

Chip shots normally require the ball to fly low with a decent roll. Therefore, the best weight distribution tactic is to keep your balance and all of your weight in the middle of your stance throughout the entire swing.

The Shoulders

If your stance is open, as instructed, then your shoulders should naturally open up or angle slightly to the left of the target. You should be close to the ball so that you can look over and down towards the target line.

The Grip

Remember that the chip is not a strength or power shot. When gripping the club before your swing, you may have the tendency to tighten up too much. Try to resist this urge because too much pressure on the club can make you tense, thereby ruining the shot. A lighter grip on the club will enable you to feel the ball hitting the blade. Your focus should be on touch, not on power.

Nigel
www.golfers-clinic.com 

Even the best of golf players lose a ball every now and again. Some golf courses have areas in the rough and out-of-bounds which can swallow the ball, never to be seen again.

Should your ball become forever lost by a hazard and you must continue with a new ball, the process is easy:

1. Find the nearest spot on the course that allows you a total (complete) relief from the hazard area. Mark this spot with a tee. The term “complete relief” means that your feet and the ball are all clear of the hazard. The area could be as short as a few inches away, or even several feet.

2. Now measure outwards from the area by one or two club lengths away from the hole you are shooting for (based on what the rules of the hazard allow). For example, a water hazard allows you two club lengths for relief, while a cart path or water sprinkler hazard only allows one club length. Take out another tee and mark that spot as well.

3. Now it’s time to drop the ball. Stand where the marker tee was placed, bring the ball out at the length of your arms at shoulder height and drop it straight down to the ground without tossing or spinning the ball. You are now ready to make a shot with the new ball.

Nigel
www.golfers-clinic.com

Do you realise why most amateurs three-putt more times on their first nine holes than on their last nines holes? Because by the time they get to the last nine holes they have the feel of the greens!

An underlying contributory factor to that statistic is that the vast majority of amateur golfers do not practice their putting prior to the start of their round. Most golf courses have an area put aside for putting practice and it is here, perhaps over a fifteen-minute spell prior to the tee-off, that various putting distances should be run through so that by the time the first green is reached and the putter withdrawn from the bag a feel for the greens has already been established.

However, in order to become a great putter you must have the ability to read greens. And you must also have a great touch. The two abilities are unavoidably inter-linked. You have to develop your touch in order to control your speed. How may times have you asked a golfing partner after they have hit their putt if they thought the putt was going uphill or downhill. Most respond with that they forgot about the speed! Simply, most amateur golfers struggle more with the speed element than with the direction element.

An important consideration in putting is to remember that 90% of all putting greens in the world are built low in the front and high in the back. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, the green will hold the shots that are coming onto it and secondly for practical drainage purposes.

So, knowing this means that the majority of putts hit from the front of the green going to the back are going to be slower than putts hit from the back of the green going towards the front. And that also means that when you are facing the green, putts from the right side of the green will have a tendency to break to the left and putts from the left side of the green will have a tendency to break to the right.

An amateur golfer can take up to 43% of their shots just on the putting greens. So if you can putt more consistently imagine how your overall golf score will benefit.

Nigel
www.golfers-clinic.com

 The official rules of golf state that when playing your shots from the green, you have to make an important decision regarding the flagstick. You have to decide whether you would like to remove the pin from a hole or leave it in and have your golf partner or caddie watch over it.

This may not seem like a hard decision, but what happens when you have to play a very short shot, what should you do? There is no right or wrong answer to this question, however there are definitely pros and cons to making each choice. Here are a few scenarios to help you make an informed decision about whether or not to remove the flagstick when the time comes:

Pulling The Flagstick

Pros: The benefit of removing the flagstick is that you totally clear the pathway of the hole so that the ball can make it inside without any obstructions getting in the way. When the pin is removed, there is no worry about the ball bouncing against the flagstick and back out of the hole, which can be very upsetting to watch.

Cons: If you just made a shot and the ball is heading directly for the hole, but is moving too fast, it now has an opportunity to roll right over, skipping the hole entirely.

Keeping The Flagstick Inside

Pros: If you decide to keep the flagstick in the hole, it can serve a good purpose by blocking a ball which is traveling at high speeds. Also, you may even sink the ball into the hole as a result of the pin remaining inside, due to it stopping the ball from passing over so fast.

Cons: If you do not remove the flagstick, it may prevent the ball from falling into the hole. It may bounce right off of the pin and depending upon the terrain of the green, especially if it is downhill from the hole, the ball may roll far away from the intended target.

Last Minute Tip: As we stated earlier, there is no hard and fast rule to making the decision of whether or not to remove the flagstick. We have given you some sensible pros and cons when it comes to the flagstick, but you must also keep stock of other variables on the course you are playing on. Take note of the green. You may want to leave the flagstick in the hole when hitting the ball on a downhill slope, or leave the pin in if you are making a shot up hill towards the hole.

Nigel
www.golfers-clinic.com