GOLF INFO

Back 9 Strength: The Ultimate Golf Fitness Rolodex.

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Back 9 Strength: The Ultimate Golf Fitness Rolodex.

Junior Golf Instruction – When Should They Start?

A question we hear all of the time is “When should we start junior golf instruction for our junior golfer?” Obviously, there is no real answer. For example, you have Tiger that started at the tender age of three and other successful tour players started their junior golf instruction much later. With many differing opinions are out there about when to begin junior golf instruction, you must remember that opinions are like belly buttons and everyone has one! Hale Irwin was once quoted as saying, “If a parent brings a young child to a Pro and says I want him/her to be a Golf Professional, chances are they won’t be.” The two most important part to the answer the question of “When should we start golf lessons for our junior golfer?” is that no matter what age your junior golfer is to make sure golf is something the junior golfer wants to do and to keep it fun for them.

First, you need to ask yourself some questions about what your motivation might be for getting junior golf instruction? Typically, there are four reasons that parents want junior golf instruction for their young child (under eleven):

1. Because of golf’s reputation for rules, fair play and self-policing, the parents have a genuine interest in seeing their children attempt to play the game.

2. A babysitting service, parents get a time out from their kids for a while.

3. Parents want to spend more time with their child and have decided that golf will be the vehicle to do this.

4. As so many do, parents feel that their children must be in as many activities as possible.

Again, whatever the reasons, the important thing is to let the kids have fun, enjoy themselves and let them decide for themselves whether they want to play the game of golf or not.

Regardless of how brilliant parents think their child is, young children (under eleven) do not have the attention spans. However, they do like to have fun and to some hitting balls is fun. As soon as you make it a chore by hovering over them with instructions, they will not want to play the game anymore. Think about it, would you?

If you want your youngster to enjoy golf, then don’t force the action. If they want to hit balls, let them. If they want to pick golf balls up and throw them, as long as they will not disturb anyone else, let them. If they want to hit their ball into the bunker, let them. When you think about it, a bunker is much smaller than the green and in theory, much harder to hit. Depending on their age, let them tee it up from 100 yards or 150 yards. Again, keep it a positive experience and fun for the junior golfer.

If you do decide to take junior golf instruction the Golf Professional should concentrate mainly on short game, putting chipping etc. The Golf Professional should show you as well as your junior many different games that you can play to keep it fun. In the meantime, the games will instill solid fundamentals which will help you and your junior to improve!

THE GOLF SLICE AND THE BASIC SIMPLE FIX

Following through the swing plane and finishing over the shoulder is the simple fix for a golf slice if you have a proper grip, stance and clubface position. Quitting the golf swing halfway or three quarters of the way through the shot could be a sure way to steer a golf ball out of play.

Amateur golfers are able to control the problem once and awhile by closing the clubface and aiming a little more left or right depending on which way you play golf. It does not cure the problem, but it only controls the ball flight to get one a little closer to the center of the fairway. This is a very common fix for a lot of amateur golfers. We sometimes hit the fairway and say to ourselves; I am hitting the ball straighter today. What am I doing right?

What we probably did without realizing it could have been keeping the head down and following through the swing, or finishing the swing. The golf swing is finished when the hands are above the top of the shoulder after the follow through. This is not always the case for punch shots or trying to take a little distance off of the golf club.

Have you ever finished your swing and stood there posing like a pro watching the final results of a well-struck ball? Have you noticed the way your body, hands and arms are positioned? Probably not because you’re smiling and looking at the ball in flight feeling like a pro, because you finished like a pro.

Straightening the golf slice and correcting the problem depends on the final finish of the swing. One of the main problems in an amateur’s swing is not following through and completing the golf swing.

One of the most common problems during the swing is picking up the head too soon creating an urge to quit near the top of the swing too early. Which is a common problem for a lot of amateurs. Have you ever been anxious to see the results of the ball in flight? Notice how the arms are positioned, and how the club and hands are pointing out towards the fairway after picking up your head too soon? Typically the golf club and arms are stretched out in front of you as you watch the ball slice. This is a proper golf position finish if a golfer is planning to steer around trees and control the distance with their irons.

A simple fix for eliminating the slice, if the clubface is square to the target with a proper grip, would be to keep the head down and only to pick it up after the right shoulder touches the chin for right-handed golfers, and left shoulder for the left-handed golfers. Only at this point in the swing plane it would be difficult for the golfer to stop the golf swing from finishing all the way around without loosing balance. Lifting your head too soon will throw the upper portion of the body out of position creating the arms, hands and golf club to move away from the proper swing play and quit before it nears the top preventing maximum distance and accuracy.

Keeping your head down and making it a habit will assist in guiding the arms, hands and club through the proper swing plane to the top for a proper finish and a straighter ball flight. Keep in mind this is one of the basics of the golf swing, but a very important one to master.

Self-instruction is the long road to good golf and correcting problematic swing flaws. Taking golf lessons and finding Professional golf tutorial books or videos, will speed up the process in playing great golf.

Golf Is Called A Gentleman’s Game For Good Reason

Golf has long been known as a gentleman’s sport. This sport even has its very own rules of etiquette. Despite the common assumption that these rules of golf etiquette are all about maintaining the gentlemanly state of the game for the most part, they each have practical purposes. The general reasons behind the rules of golf etiquette are 1) to insure the safety of golfers on the course 2) To keep the flow of the game going or 3) to assist in the maintenance of the golf course.

Let’s break these down for a few specific rules of golf etiquette:

1) Safety of Other Golfers:

a. Don’t swing your club until the area around you has been cleared of people. You do not want to risk hitting a fellow golfer.

b. Do not hit your ball until the group playing in front of you is completely outside your range.

c. If you find that your ball is heading in the direction of another player or group of players, be sure to yell “Fore!” to signal that they should be watchful of your incoming golf ball.

d. Never throw your golf clubs. Besides being unseemly, you could injure others in the process.

2) Flow of the Game:

a. You want to keep the game moving by being ready to take your shot when it’s your turn. By being ready at the ball you save time walking to and from and setting up your shot.

b. The ?away’ player (the player whose ball is farthest from the green) always hits first. This saves time debating about whose turn it is and allows everyone to go ahead and get set up for his or her next shot.

c. If you are searching for a lost golf ball, wave ahead the next group.

d. Leave the green immediately after you’ve finished putting so the group behind you can continue their game.

3) Maintenance of the Golf Course:

a. You want to be certain to follow the golf cart path and stay off the greens with your cart as much as possible. Carts can cause damage to the course that will be costly to repair and make the game play for those behind you much more challenging.

b. Never drive a golf cart onto the green. The greens are probably the most delicate and often abused part of the golf course it is not designed to handle the weight or the abuse that golf carts can place on them.

c. Repair all divots and ball marks on the green. This is a no brainer, golf balls falling at high speeds are damaging to the delicate greens, you want to leave your greens in good shape for those behind you and hope those ahead of you did the same for you.

d. Always rake sand traps to erase footprints and ball marks.

While these rules aren’t all inclusive, they are general guidelines that will get you off to a good start on the golf course. Cheers!