On those days, you don’t play anywhere near your golf handicap. When you find yourself playing poorly, you should make every effort to salvage the day. It can be frustrating but you can turn a bad roundinto a good if you try. A good way to do that is to get back to the basics.

Start by working on your driving, it sets you up for good approach shots and creates the right “tone” for the hole. It can also help turn around your game that day. The key is driving it straight and that, as I’ve said in many times in my golf tips, is correct alignment.

Align Yourself Properly At Address

If you’re not aligned at address, bad things happen. You’ll have to make swing difficult adjustments mid-stream to compensate. For example, if you’re right-handed and you’re aimed too far left, you’ll have to swing across the ball at the bottom to correct for the mis-alignment. That’s not an easy adjustment to make. It takes a highly skilled player to make adjustments and still hit the fairway consistently. There may also be clubface issues to address as well.

If you align yourself at address, you’ll dramatically increase your fairways hit per round. That in turn will impact your scores and your golf handicap. Good drives leave you in position for easy second shots and eliminate wasted shots designed to get you out of trouble. But there’s more to hitting straight drives than just aligning yourself correctly. You also have to swing along the target line while the clubhead is in the hitting zone. The longer you can keep the clubhead on the target line the straighter your shot.

Below is a drill that teaches you to do that.

Target Line Drill Helps

This drill trains you to keep your swing along the target line. Tee up a ball. Place two dowels in the ground spaced a foot apart three yards in front of your ball. Your goal is to practice hitting your drives through the window formed by the dowels. With a narrow yet close target like the dowels, you’ll be less likely to come over the top with your swing. On the course, use imaginary dowels to remind you to swing down the line through the hitting zone.

As for aligning yourself correctly, below is a six-step alignment routine that can serve as a model for yours:

1. Stand behind the ball. Pick out a target.

2. Take your stance where you’re standing. Draw an imaginary line from your target back through the ball. Square your clubface to this line.

3. Make a full practice swing from there. Sense the clubhead moving down the target line through impact. Visualize the ball flight you want to use.

4. Focus on the target line in front of the ball. Walk into your stance from the left (if you’re right-handed), keeping your eye on the target line.

5. Set your clubhead behind the ball. Point the face down the line. Maintain your focus on the line in front of the ball.

6. Set your feet perpendicular to the line. Look at the target one last time. Turn your eyes to the ball and pull your trigger. Once you set your feet set, take a slight step back with your back foot.

It’s a trick Tiger Woods uses. It keeps you behind the ball when swinging, increases stability, and provides a firm foundation for a powerful drive. Making sure you’re correctly aligned and staying on the swing path are two keys to hitting straight drives. Use an alignment routine on every driver swing, as I tell students in my golf lessons. It helps you find the target line and align your body and clubface to it.

Practicing the target line drill improves your ability to keep your clubhead on the right swing path. Going back to basics starts in the tee box. It’s a great way to salvage a bad round and keep your golf handicap from increasing.

–
About the Author:
Golf Swing Tips
Article Source

There are hundreds of variations of putters out there, but there are three basic types when it comes to putter length: the conventional, belly and long putters.

What putter length is best for you? The easiest answer is that it’s completely a matter of personal preference. If you’re thinking of going away from a conventional putter to a belly or long putter, you simply need to get on a putting green and see which putter length feels best and produces the best results.

Each type does have qualities, however, that might narrow the choices. And we’ll take a look at those now:

Conventional Putter
Teaching pros are nearly unanimous: If you can use a conventional putter, then you should use a conventional putter. And a short one at that.

To achieve the ideal putting posture, take your stance and lean forward so that your eyes are directly over the line of the putt. Let your arms hang loosely down, then bring your palms together. Voila – your ideal putting posture.

Obviously, you can’t take that posture unless your putter length is a conventional one.

So why do some pros (and more amateurs) go to the belly or long putters? Conventional putters require nerves of steel and an absolute minimum of wrist action. Poor putting nerves are often call the “yips”; those with excess wrist action are said to be “handsy.”

If you suffer from the yips or are too handsy in your putting, then trying a belly or long putter could be for you.

Michael Lamanna, director of instruction at San Antonio’s Westin La Cantera Resort, says of the conventional putter, “It allows for the perfect blend of feel and mechanical precision. The problem for poor putters is that it allows some wrist action to occur.”

The Belly Putter
The belly putter provides a third point of contact – the abdomen (along with each hand) – between the putter and the player, which provides stability and balance to the stroke.

The main advantages of this putter length are that the putter is anchored against the body, and wrist action is easier to control, while the player remains in a posture that is close to the ideal.

However, since belly putters are longer and generally have a thicker grip, feel is reduced. Distance control is dicier as well due to the longer shaft.

The Long Putter
The long putter turns the putting stroke into a true pendulum swing, totally eliminating wrist hinge. Golfers take an upright stance, so those who suffer from weak or aching backs get a bit of a break.

But the long putter is even longer than the belly putter (it ain’t called the “long putter” – or “broomstick putter” – for nothing!), and that means even less feel and feedback. It also means that controlling distance becomes a bit more problematic.

But it does have the advantage of taking wrist action out of play. As Lamanna says, “This is usually the last hope for a bad putter. If this one does not cure the yips, you have to take up tennis!”

–
About the Author:

Article Source

I’m all set to watch the Masters online this year where two golf legends – Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer – will be the Honorary Starters when golfers from throughout the world tee it up at the storied and venerable Augusta National Golf Club starting April 5. The great buzz around the “clubhouse” is if the world’s preeminent champion, Tiger Woods, will make his first showing after his recent self-imposed exile. Wouldn’t it be great to see Tiger back in action watching from the comfort of your computer-side seat?

That’s what I’ll be doing this year since I discovered this fantastic software that will gain me access to all televised Master’s events the week of April 5-11. I easily downloaded the software from the Internet and followed instructions making installation a breeze. There is a version for either Mac or PC, so everyone can get in on the viewing action. Once you hook up to a high-speed Internet connection through DSL or cable – you’re set.

Now you’ll have a better view than if you were at Augusta in the gallery when you catch all the dramatic high-quality golf action viewing streaming video over the Internet right on your own computer. Watch as Nicklaus and Palmer get things started.

The Honorary Starter tradition dates back to 1963 when Jock Hutchinson performed the duties with Fred McLeod. Others selected through the years have been Byron Nelson, Gene Sarazen, Ken Venturi and Sam Snead. Palmer has had a short “solo” starter career having executed his duties since 2007.

Nicklaus joins Palmer in 2010 as the most celebrated champion in Master history. He won six Green Jackets in 1963, 1965, 1966, 1972, 1975 and 1986.

This software is a great choice for people who travel a lot since, when installed on a laptop, you gain access to Masters competition no matter where you are.

–
About the Author:
Don’t miss this year’s Masters golf tournament.  Get instant access to live PGA Golf at http://watchthemastersliveonline.blogspot.com.
Article Source