Free Golf Tips Online Archives

Grip, Stance, Follow Through and Perfecting Your Game

Tip 1: The Grip

All great players have good hands, and that's why it's so crucial to develop a proper grip. First, should you use an interlocking or overlapping grip? Someone with large hands probably should use an overlapping grip. Small hands, an interlocking grip.

Next, comes grip balance within the confines of each hand. The weight of the shaft should be balanced so you always have control throughout the swing.

Another important element is the position of your left thumb on the shaft. Players who extend their thumbs hit the ball high and straight. Those who shorten the length of the thumb are likely to hit the ball low and left. Grip pressure is another checkpoint. Try holding the club as tightly as you can, then hold it loosely.

The correct pressure is somewhere in between. Finally, see how many knuckles are showing on your left hand. If you see most of them, you'll likely hit a hook or draw. Fewer, and the ball will go high and right. Experiment with these basics and you'll find a grip that's best for your hands

Tip 2: Stance & Posture

Every well-built structure starts with a good foundation. And that's what you need to develop a good golf swing. Your stance and posture set the stage for everything else that follows. To develop a good stance, line your feet apart about the same width as the outside of your shoulders and keep your body relaxed. Your weight should be evenly distributed on both feet, and planted firmly on the balls of your feet to the heels. This will give you the proper balance while swinging. Next, you need a relaxed posture so there's no tension in the back and shoulder areas. Make sure you stand tall, with your feet shoulder-width apart. Bend at your waist and slightly flex your knees. A proper bend will put your spine at the correct angle for a good swing plane.

When you address the ball, your shoulder on the side facing the target should be higher than the other shoulder. Once you find the correct posture, practice it over and over until it becomes second nature. And if you do, you'll have a solid foundation for a solid golf swing.

Tip 3: Backswing & Follow-through

For years we have been taught that the golf ball is the target. But in reality, the ball should just be an object that we use to play the game. That's the theory behind a teaching philosophy known as "throwing the club." This natural reaction of throwing develops natural rhythm as well as proper weight shift, the correct angle of your left arm and club shaft, a full body turn, and extension and release.

The target becomes a point away from the ball, and the ball becomes simply a point at which the club passes through during the throw. Students also experience a "letting-go" sensation, which results in a softer grip necessary for an accurate and repeating golf swing. Once the student develops this throwing sensation, then we work on setup, grip and posture. It's fascinating to see how quickly students adapt to the concept of "throwing the club."

They will eventually become their own coach and correct their own mistakes.

Tip 4: Tempo & Balance

Developing good tempo not only leads to better balance, but it also sets off a chain reaction of good things throughout your golf swing. Your goal should be to swing each club in your bag at the same pace for all full shots.

It doesn't matter whether it's your driver or a short iron. The goal is still the same: Tempo and balance. First, work to develop a smooth, one-piece takeaway. Let your arms and shoulders start the swing with a consistent and coordinated movement. Next, focus on achieving balance by transferring your weight properly from your rear foot to your forward foot. The great Sam Snead developed a drill that can help you develop good tempo and balance.

Swing the club like you're listening to a waltz -- one, two, three, four. Work on your balance at the same time by lifting your forward foot at the top of your backswing and your rear foot at the finish. Practice this over and over, and you'll find that developing a good swing tempo is as easy as one, two, three -- and four.

Tip of The Week

Putting: The elusive problem for all golfers! How do you putt? For starters: go straight back with the putter - one inch for each foot of distance the ball is from the cup, and then straight though with a smooth swing of equal distance beyond the strike point.

Make the necessary minor adjustments for existing conditions. You must "see" the imaginary line - from the ball to the cup. There are very few putts that you aim straight at the hole!

Having said that, putting is mostly about speed, not aim. If the putt breaks more than a couple of inches, you need to get both right in order to make the putt (or get both *wrong*, such that they cancel out). Aim is more important out to about two feet. Beyond that, you need both. Outside of ten feet, it's all about speed.

You're not likely to make the putt no matter what you do and your read of the break isn't likely to be off by more than a foot or two. But boy, can you get the speed wrong by more than that . . .In my experience, almost all three-putts are caused by poor speed control on the first putt (and a resulting second putt that's more than two or three feet).

From our Readers:

"Sir Majove" of England writes:

"I've been playing golf for 2 years and my score have been staying at around 100-110. Please advise how to score below 100."

Well, play another couple years. OR practice putting until your back hurts. But if you want to get good, fast, you need to work on a proper swing. The majority of weekend golfers have bad form, and that's OK. The key to golf is getting the clubhead on the ball. That is it, in its essence. Hit the ball with the clubhead. Sounds so simple!

What clubs should you carry?

I'm assuming that you are going to carry a driver, a 3-wood, a putter, and a 4-iron to 9-iron. Nearly everyone does. So you have five clubs left to select. The first thing you need to know, of course, is how far you are likely to hit each club. (That's golfs peak for hitting the ball with the club. Don't go smashing your equipment!) After you know that distance, you can look into plugging the gaps. Those gaps are more important at the short end of your set.

I recommend that you carry three wedges/sand wedges, each with a differ­ent loft. I do. I use 48 degrees for my pitching wedge, 54 degrees for my sand wedge, and 59 degrees for my lob wedge. I look to hit each of them 125 (pitching wedge), 105 (sand wedge), and 85 (lob wedge) yards.

That way, the yardage gap between them is not significant. If I carried only the 125­yard wedge and the 85-yard wedge, that would leave a gap of 40 yards. Too much. If I leave myself with a shot of about 105 yards, right in the middle of my gap, I've got problems. Carrying the 1O5-yard wedge plugs that gap.

If I didn't have it, I'd be forced to manufacture a shot with a less-than-full swing. And that's too hard, especially under pressure. Full swings, please!

Okay, that's 12 clubs taken care of. You have two left. I recommend that you carry at least one lofted wood. Make that two. Low-numbered irons are too unforgiving. Give yourself a break.

Carry a 5-wood and even a 7-wood. These clubs are designed to make it easy for you to get the ball up in the air. They certainly achieve that more quickly than a 2-iron, so take advantage of them.