Easy ways to improve your golf game
Tips from a pro ■ Next, revisit the practice green and practice a few up-and-down (holing the ball
in two strokes) scenarios incorporating your
wedge and a putter. The goal is to get up and
down a few times. This will give you confidence if you happen to miss a green.
At this point you will be on your way to
the first tee, remembering the feeling of the
great shot you hit at the practice range, which
you can now relive on the first tee.
FRANCE FREEMAN
Buyer’s
pıck
58 ;e Costco Connection JANUARY 2010
By Richard Sweeting
THERE ARE A vast number of ways to speed
up your curve in regard to learning golf.
A great way to prepare for a game is to be
at the golf course 45 minutes before your tee
time. This is not always possible; however,
simple pieces of this approach can help in several ways.
■ The first step is to go to the practice
green and hit putts from various distances for
five to 10 minutes.
■ Take the club that you are most comfortable with around the greens and practice
your short game for five to 10 minutes.
■ Hit 10 to 20 shots to minimal-distance
holes (from 100 to 150 yards). This will help
you to get the feel of making contact with a
short stroke.
■ Next, visit the driving range to help
loosen up the larger muscles. Make sure you
stretch properly so you don’t hurt muscles.
Start by hitting shorter clubs, such as your 9
iron. Five to 10 shots per club is sufficient.
Generally hit with three different irons, starting with a short one and finishing with maybe
your 5 iron. Then move to a fairway wood.
The best advice I can give is to always finish on a positive note. If you have six balls left
and you have just hit a great shot, leave the
remaining balls there.
58 ;e Costco Connection MAY 2010
Fixing a fade or slice
If you’re still having trouble with your
swing, here are some common problems and
how to solve them. For example, when using
the driver, golfers often have a swing that
results in a fade (when a ball moves to the left
before curving back to the right) or a slice
(when a ball curves in the shape of a banana).
Because the speed of the ball off a driver is
much quicker than off the irons, the effect on
the ball’s flight is much more dramatic.
EYEWIRE
A slice or fade occurs if the club face is
very much open at the point of impact, which
creates varying amounts of side spin.
This problem can be addressed in a couple of ways. First, an open club face usually
occurs because of an incorrect swing path.
One way to improve this swing path is to simply place a small golf towel under your right
armpit (if you’re right-handed). The idea is to
not let go of the towel while swinging your
club to the target. The towel will fall out as
you get the club to your finish position. If you
practice this technique over a period of time,
you will find yourself staying more connected
at the impact position and perhaps swinging
the club from the inside and not the outside.
Another factor in hitting a fade or a slice
is not releasing the club at impact; releasing
the club means getting the club face to a
square position at impact.
It’s easy to improve your release. If you
have ever thrown a stone into a lake and tried
to make it skip, you are on your way. Think of
the simple way you can hinge your wrist to
create power and then unload your wrist to
release the stone into the water. The feeling is
somewhat similar when you are unloading
the club just prior to impact. If you have
access to an impact bag, this is a great tool to
see if you have released your hands or not.
Have a great day on the links. C
Richard Sweeting is a Canadian Professional
Golfers’ Association professional consultant.
Shane Williams
Sporting Goods Buyer
MY PICKS FOR this month represent
a great value for golfers.
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