Right Foot Out

When standing and getting ready to swing the golf club,  there are several things the golfer needs to remember.  For me, thinking about what to do and the steps to take can be overwhelming to some.  My main objective is to “keep my head down.”  Not an easy command for me.  For some reason, my head just wants to pop up and do something.  Actually, I don’t even know that I am lifting my head.

“Arms away from the body” is another command that I just can’t seem to handle.  My arms just want to come close to my body and hit the ball that way.  That does not work and I have to keep telling myself, “arms away from the body”, over and over again.

“Take the club back slowly and accelerate down.”  I am ready to hit and run, so forgetting to go back slowly is a real problem with me.    Someone told me that I hesitate when I am coming down with the club.

I found this “Right Foot Out” tip from Golf Tips Magazine.  This is interesting and I can’t wait to try it out the next time I am out on the course.  Please click on the picture for the article that, I hope, will help you.

Head down and arms away from your body

I try to remember a few things before I swing and hit that golf ball.  My husband, Joe, has given me several golf  lessons.  I walk over to the tee box, put my tee in the ground and put my ball on the tee.  Then I check out the location that I am hoping the ball will land, and remember what Joe has told me to do so many many times:  “Keep your head down and look at the ball, keep your arms away from your body–like you are shaking hands with someone, take the club back slowly, accelerate, hit the ball,  follow through, and don’t step out of it.”   When I am on the first tee, I forget everything and usually hit the ball poorly.  By the third hole, I am more relaxed and am hitting the ball with more confidence.  I have such a problem keeping my arms away from my body.  When I play golf with Joe, he says to me, “you did not keep your arms away from your body.”  I say to him, “I thought I did.”  I am really not conscious of my mistakes.  When I have a good shot, I think, “now what did I do and how can I do that each time?”

When I have to hit over the water, Joe tells me to pretend it is not there.  I try, but the ball doesn’t hear what Joe says.  Invariably, most of the time, when I try to get over the water, the ball goes right in.  So before I hit over the water, I think, “the water is not there, and I know I will get over this easily.”  I am thinking all of the things that Joe has told me.  So I hit the ball and the ball hits the water.  So much for thinking.  Then Joe tells me that I lifted up my head.  I tell him I was thinking to keep my head down.  He says, “you wanted to see the ball go over the water, and so you looked up before you hit the ball.”  Sometimes he is right.

I would be interested in what you think before you hit the golf ball.  Send any pictures, too.

When hitting a golf ball, it is very easy to lift your head to see where the balls goes.  I do that all the time.  My husband, Joe, always says, “Keep your head down and your eyes on the ball; I will watch where the ball goes.”  “I thought I was keeping my head down”, I tell him.  He insists that I was not.

Keep Your Head Down

Joe told me to mark my ball and look at that mark.  I do mark my balls and put my initials on each one.  I do that so that I don’t hit someone’s ball by mistake.  So I look for my initials and stare at the mark.  I have hit someone’s ball and that is not a fun time.

Marking your ball is a good habit that helps you keep your eye on the ball and also identifies yours from others.  It is an easy drill and helps quite a lot.

There is a lot of contemplating  a golfer must do when the golf ball is not on the green, but is close to it.  Do you chip with your wedge or putt with your putter?  It is a decision that is hard to make.

Putting or Chipping

If you are not on the green and you decide to putt, you might strike the putter hard and go past the hole.  You might strike the putter to soft and not even make it to the green.  If you decide to use your wedge, you might hit the ball too hard and go over the green.  You might hit it too gently and not make it to the green.

My husband, Joe, told me to use a 6 or 7 iron and pretend to be putting.  He figures the ball will go faster using one of the irons.  I have tried it, and it worked for me.  I sometimes listen to him.  I am interested in hearing what club you use when you are not on the green, but are very near.

“Here’s a great little check from PurePoint Golf to check if your club head is going to be square when you bring the club head down in your swing.”

“PurePoint Golf gives you some easy to follow tips on how to hit a lofted pitch shot”

“These putting tips to improve stroke rhythm on the golf course will help you putt consistently and smoothly. Here are some putting tips to improve stroke rhythm that are easy to learn and implement.”

“Posture is of great importance when you set up to the golf ball. Use this easy tip from PurePoint Golf to check if you’re too Tall or too Bent when you address the golf ball.”  Click on the picture for the video.

“When it comes time to work your way along those long pars, or out of a difficult lie, having a few trusted fairway woods in your golf bag can be an invaluable asset.”  Click on the picture for the complete article.

“PurePointGolf.com shows you how to correct a hook or a slice off the tee just by adjusting your tee height.”  Click on the picture for the video.

One of the most popular problems with people’s golf swings is that when they take the club head back, their entire body goes back. This means that when the club comes back down it won’t meet the ball correctly! Check out this great tip from PurePoint Golf.  Click on the picture to see the video.

To hit longer drives, you have to get aggressive. And more importantly, you have to get aggressive in the right way. In the example here, let’s look at the first move you ought to make as you descend from the top of your swing and into the golf ball.  Click on the picture for the rest of the lesson.

Using PurePoint Golf’s chipping tips, you can vary the distance of your chips by using different clubs – try using your 5 iron, 7 iron or 9 iron and only ONE SWING instead of using your Sand Wedge and 3 different swings.  Click on the picture to see the video.

“The putt-chip is a shot that I encourage all of my students to learn at our golf school. It’s easy, it’s reliable, and even the pros use it to get up and down in a hurry. By keeping the ball low, you eliminate the need to worry about how much carry you need or how much the ball will spin.”  Read entire article by clicking on the picture.

Some people use one pitching wedge and several golf swings to work their short game. This is an inefficient and unpredictable way to manage your short game. Why not use the same golf swing and different clubs to work your short game? Watch this short video clip and our pro will show you the basics.

This video from PurePoint Golf shows you the secret tips for a better, more consistent golf swing.

The golf ball should be higher than the center of the face of the club.  Click on the picture for the video.

Don’t have your shoulders off to the left; just square them.  Click on the picture for the video.

In golf, stretch before hitting balls on the driving range to help warm-up the body for practice. Learn a few golf stretches with tips from a professional golf instructor in this free video about golfing.

“Acceleration is the increasing speed at which the clubhead moves through the ball and is important not only for hitting shots of substantial distance, but also for short putts. In fact, if you find that you’re missing too many short putts, the cause may be failure to accelerate the putterhead. Here’s a drill that will help.”…..  Read more by clicking on the picture.

Here’s a great little check from PurePoint Golf to check if your club head is going to be square when you bring the club head down in your swing.

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Sporting goods and household items are the key to a softer swing!  Read more by clicking on the picture….

The putter head has to go straight back to putt and your eyes need to be directly over the ball. Use this great tip from PurePoint Golf to check if your eyes are over the ball.  Click on the picture to see the video.

“One of the most popular problems with people’s golf swings is that when they take the club head back, their entire body goes back…”  Read more by clicking on the picture.

A couple simple tips to help you try to fix your slice from PurePointGolf.com.  Click on picture to see the video.

 
While a buried bunker lie might be a bad break, it’s certainly not impossible to get it up and down from here. But you need to blast it out onto the green and factor in how it’ll behave after it lands.