Proper Alignment for Your Golf Swing

To develop a way to spot check alignment problems. Make sure your shoulders are properly aligned. Your shoulders are the most important element because your swing path will follow the alignment of your shoulders at impact. Subtle compensations can creep into your swing if you are not properly aligned. Without help even the best golfers can have trouble recognizing this. You must constantly check your alignment to be consistent. Poor alignment is a major problem for golfers who slice. Align the clubface squarely then align your body. Check the position of the ball by using alignment clubs also. Most golfers think they play the ball further back than they really do.

To start your practice sessions properly aligned. Don.t assume you are lined up correctly. Remember practice makes permanent, so make sure you are starting off positioned correctly. Learn the square stance first. Later, as the need arises, you can experiment with other stances.

To double check your target line. If you don.t accurately know your target line, you cannot easily tell if you are making swing path errors. Before each shot approach the ball from behind and pick your target line. Then when taking your stance align yourself toward your target. Better players align themselves much more consistently than poor players. Hitting balls without aiming at a target is an invitation for swing problems. Tape, clubs on the ground, or and "practice partners" are all good ways to check alignment. Learn to identify the different between a poor shot and an error in alignment.

Do's and Don'ts
Don't leave the club between your feet longer than needed to check proper ball position. Many good players leave one club on the ground parallel to the target line whenever they hit practice balls. This "drill" is a good way to begin every practice session.

Special Golf Shots - The Short Game - Ball Against the Collar By Tom Wilson

By now you know the way to shave strokes from your golf game is to improve your short game. Driving the ball is essential to playing well but even the pros only hit about 65 to 70 percent of the fairways when they tee it up. The best way to lower your scores is to focus on the short game.

Understanding that golf is comprised of many different types of shots will help you to categorize and understand the shot that you need to hit when you need to hit it. One of the golf shots that can come in handy is when golf ball rolls off the green and winds up against the collar. When the golfball is against the collar you have two options. Either use the putter or your wedge. You can use the leading edge of your wedgee to try to hit the equator ( ie the middle ) of the golfball.

Alternatively, you can you use the putter by placing the ball back in your stance ( ie back of the center - between your ankles closer to the right ankle ) so that the face of the putter strikes the golfball with a descending below causing the ball to pop up slightly and begin its roll towards cup. The advantage of moving the golfball back in your stance comes from the fact that there are fewer blades of grass between the putter face and the golfball enabling you to provide a much more accurate stroke on the ball. Do not forget when putting with the ball back in your stance up against the collar if you're on the first cut you need to strike the ball slightly firmer then if you were on the putting surface. This is because the higher grass provides more friction and slows the ball down so you will not get an even pace on the ball from start to finish.

Practice this shot in your local practice area. Statistics show that this shot is needed about once per round. Knowing how to knock it close or into the hole will save you strokes.

Coil For More Consistency By Matt Holin, Teaching Professional

The primary benefit of having the proper amount of hip bend in your swing is that it allows your body to coil effectively to create an efficient source of power.

While testing the PGA and Champions Tour players' golf swings, we discovered that a proper coil of the body is a simple way of achieving a repeatable power source. Average touring professionals turn their shoulders 41 degrees further on the back swing than their hips. This coiling action allows for a proper weight shift to occur, while maintaining a solid base, by keeping the hip motion in the golf swing to a minimum.

Typically we see most amateurs have two flaws with the coiling action in the golf swing. The first flaw is when a student's hips and shoulders turn together to create a long backswing with no coiling action. This swing usually produces action that takes the club significantly past parallel and is very difficult to repeat from swing to swing. The second flaw is the opposite. A student will not rotate their shoulders at all, leading to a lifting of the club with their arms. This invariably produces a reverse weight shift, which robs power and produces inconsistencies.
Test Your Coil
1. A simple way to test your coil is to set up in proper posture.
2. Now place a golf club in front of your shoulders.
3. Your goal is to turn the club across your shoulders over to your right foot. When you have done that you have created a sufficiently long turn with the shoulders.
4. Now comes the tricky part. Look and see where your belt buckle is facing.

If it is facing inside your right toe, you have a fantastic coil and are ready to hit long consistent golf shots. If your belt buckle is facing right of that point, your hips have rotated too far and you are losing power in you golf swing. By improving your coil you can maximize the efficiency of your swing and improve your ball striking.

A Good Golf Pre-Shot Routine: Necessity for Every Golfer

You might ask yourself, "Why do I need a pre-shot routine?" Or for that matter, "What is a pre shot routine?" A pre-shot routine is quite simply the habits or actions one takes in the few seconds before the golf swing is made. So, why is a good routine necessary?

It is important because it allows us to relax, and it enables us to develop something that is repeatable in a game where even the best players in the world struggle with constancy, accuracy, and repetition. The next question to ask yourself is, "Do I have a pre-shot routine?" If the answer is "yes", is it a good one? If the answer is "no", your golf game will benefit from developing one.

Let's take a look at some components of professional's pre-shot routines vs. amateur's routines to see how yours measures up. The difference that I see between most amateurs and professionals lies in the quality of their pre-shot routines and their ability to repeat their routine time in and time out. Most amateurs will hastily walk up to the ball and then make two practice swings, then one time they will make no practice swings, and then waggle three times the next. These random actions breed inconsistency.

Meanwhile, professionals will go through the same repeatable course of action each time. This enables them to put their mind at rest. By knowing you have done your routine thousands of times, it allows the mind to focus on the actual shot at hand, thereby eliminating negative thoughts, which wreak havoc on most amateur golfers. A good pre-shot routine will also distract you from the pressure of each shot. You can concentrate on repeating your routine, rather than worry about the possible negative outcomes of the shot at hand. A great example of this would be David Toms' performance during the 2001 PGA Championship at the Atlanta Athletic Club. Toms had a 12-foot putt on the 72nd hole to win his first major championship. Toms was able to focus on the task at hand by relying on his pre-shot routine. It enabled him to put his pounding heart and shaking hands aside and concentrate on his speed, line and stroke. When the ball was halfway to the hole, Toms knew he had sunk the putt and won his first major championship.

A good pre-shot routine is beneficial to players of all abilities. Not all pre-shot routines should be the same, but yours should be one that is repeatable and relaxing. Here are a few tips to work with to develop a good pre-shot routine. Start behind the golf ball and envision your target. Once you have focused on a target, make a practice swing with your eyes remaining focused on your target. As you swing, envision the perfect result from your shot. Now step up to the ball and take your address. Once you are comfortable with your address, take a deep breath, releasing the tension in your body as you exhale.

Finally, take one last look at target to improve focus and let it rip.