Golf Tips
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Welcome to hacking for dummies...by a dummy! Basically, this is a page that is designed to help all beginners and experienced hackers in this wonderful sport. We all aspire to be like Tiger Woods or Annika Sorenstam, but it takes hard work to get there. I will admit, I suck at golf. Why do you think I said "hacking for dummies...by a dummy?" -_-' But just because I suck does not mean I do not practice a lot anyway. With the help of some golfers that would definitely defeat me badly on a golf course, I give you golf tips.
Contributors: CH (Cory Houser; 8 handicap), NO (Noah Oesterle; 6), S2X (Aaron, just go here).
(Section last updated: 06/11/2006 11:26 PM HST)
Oh crap...here are S2X's average distances for each club
The Setup
Look at the awesome page
From S2X: "Your feet should set up as follows for a straight shot: left foot flared out and right foot flared out."
If you don't understand that page, I don't know who *could* help you. That webpage even has PICTURES. Then again, this webmaster is a dummy, remember?
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Breaking
down the golf swing Assuming
you have looked at "The Setup," let's break down the golf swing.
Use
a mirror to see yourself do this.
Remember:
QUIET feet! Sturdy base! Relax
the arms if hitting a long club (long irons, fairway woods, and
driver). Try pointing the elbows out a little. For short
irons, keep the arms stiff and reach for the ball. Take
the club back. Do not take it back too far inside or you will pull
the shot. Extend that left arm! When
you get to about waist-high, start cocking the wrists. Make an
"L" with the arms and club. Continue to extend the left
arm as it passes underneath your chin. Keep
your chin up off your upper body. By
doing this, you will allow your left shoulder (for lefties, it will be your
right shoulder) to pass under the chin – and tap another power source. Think
¾ swing! You lose distance by over-swinging!
Club should be parallel to the ground at the top. Stay
compact on the downswing. Very important that your body and arms
are in sync. A good power tip:
your "half-circle" that you make on the downswing should be
SMALLER than the backswing arc! Keep
the wrists cocked on that downswing until you hit about waist level! Slight
forearm rotation at impact and follow through nicely. KEEP
YOUR HEAD DOWN! Hopefully
you were not trying to kill the imaginary ball. DO NOT SWING
HARD! TWIRL
THAT CLUB! Look like a pro! If
you don't get it, read this section again. If you still don't get
it...keep reading. If you don't know how to read English, I am
sorry. If you still have problems, either videotape yourself
swinging and compare, or see a club pro. Heck, this webmaster is a
dummy, remember? Back
to top
Hit a powerful drive:
I assume you have read the first two sections.
From S2X: "If you have a big driver, think of hitting the top part of the tee at a slight angle (upswing). DO NOT swing hard! The most common error hackers have is trying to KILL the golf ball. The two most important parts of the golf swing are tempo/rhythm and balance. Keep the weight in the center of your feet (not the toes or the heels) to promote better balance. The golf club will do the work for you if you give it the chance."
From CH: "By flaring your right foot out at address (left foot for lefties), you will hit the ball farther. It has something to do with your balance."
If you are still hitting drives about three yards...see a club pro. Heck, this webmaster is a dummy, remember?
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Slicing the ball? Hooking the ball?
Are you unhappy with your slice or hook? I can fix it...I think.
If you are slicing the ball...
You probably have an outside-inside golf swing pattern. Bring the club more inside at the start of the swing.
You might have a weak grip. Make it stronger. To do that, turn your top hand over (more on top of the club) so more of the back of the hand can be seen.
You may be swaying your hips. Turn them instead; however, body and arms must be in sync.
Right hand is too dominant (or left hand for lefties). If the right hand is too dominant, the club face will stay open upon impact, leading to a pushed shot. Equal pressure for both hands.
Could be a flaw of weight shifting in your lower body.
Check your feet on the setup. Your back foot may not be flared out slightly. BOTH feet should be flared out to promote a straight shot.
If you are hooking the ball...
You probably have an inside-outside golf swing pattern. Bring the club more outside at the start of the swing.
You might have too strong a grip. Make it weaker. To do that, turn your top hand back (more on the side of the club) so less of the back of the hand can be seen.
You may be restricting your hip turn, causing your club face to close (and a hook will be the result). Turn the hips, but body and arms must be in sync.
Left hand is too dominant (or right hand for lefties). If the left hand is too dominant, the club face will close too much upon impact, leading to a pulled shot. Equal pressure for both hands.
Could be a flaw of weight shifting in your lower body.
Check your feet on the setup. Your front foot may not be flared out slightly. BOTH feet should be flared out to promote a straight shot.
If any one of these solutions does not cure your slice or hook...see a club pro. Heck, this webmaster is a dummy, remember?
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The dreaded shank?
Got the shanks? Yeah, the webmaster of this site gets them too. There are many possible reasons for the shanks and many possible reasons to cure them. Here are some possible solutions:
You could be standing too close to the ball. Stand a little further away at address.
You have a "loopy" swing (like Jim Furyk's). The difference is Furyk brings the club back to hit the ball square. In this case, you may need to turn the forearms over or remember equal pressure for both hands.
Remember to flare out your front foot slightly. In fact, make sure BOTH feet are flared out.
You could be out of tempo. Slow down the swing and remember to turn through the ball. The hands, the upper body, and the lower body should all be in sync.
Keep a stiff left arm (or solid right arm for lefties) throughout the shot! For the short irons, your hands and club shaft MUST lead the clubface for solid hits.
You may be over-swinging! Take shorter shots! Think ¾ swing! You may be surprised (if you are a person that over-swings) that this ¾ swing is actually a correct FULL swing!
Release the club. This means rotate the forearms dude.
If any one of these solutions does not cure your shank...see a club pro. Heck, this webmaster is a dummy, remember?
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The short game - the great equalizer
I assume you have read the part on setup and know how to hit a good, solid shot.
Remember, it does not matter how far you hit the ball; this is a game of putting the ball in the hole in the fewest number of strokes possible! The short game is SO IMPORTANT to lowering golf scores, I mean it.
Focus on hitting balls to a target. Achieve distance control with your short irons. Know how much a full swing, a ¾ swing, a ½ swing, and even a ¼ swing goes with each club! Be a sharpshooter from 100 yards and closer! This can only be achieved through hours and hours of practice!
Be a wizard around the greens! Spend a few hours chipping! Just remember, equal pressure on the hands.
From S2X: "Here's how to hit a flop shot. Pull out your 60º (LW), body to the left of the target, lower center of gravity (which is your behind), open the club face, and swing hard. The key is not to decelerate the club speed on the downswing."
See a club pro if you want to, but even then, the pro will probably say the only way to get good at this is to practice. I'm no dummy there! *thumbs up*
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How to be a great putter
You want to be a great putter? Put time and effort into your putting. Be serious over each putt. I will admit, my putting is my Achilles' heel. If you take the time to practice your putting, you can shave about 5-7 strokes off your game in the long run.
Dave Pelz: "See it (the break). Feel it (touch/speed). Do it (putt). Hold it (feel)."
From CH: "Go to a happy place."
From S2X: "For lag putts, never expect to hole the putt. Think two-putt. Have a routine. Find a spot to roll your ball over. Draw an imaginary line from the putter blade to the spot you pick out. Go for it...just put to the picture (the hole) like Tiger Woods would say. NEVER leave the putt woefully short, but do not KILL the ball. It's all feel, and feel comes with lots of practice."
From S2X: "If you have a problem pushing or pulling your putts, observe how you take your putter back.
If you attempt to take the putter "straight back," you are actually setting up to PUSH your putt.
If you take the putter back too far away from your body (outside-inside approach), you are setting up to PULL your putt.
It is because of this that golfers must employ a slight inside-to-outside putting style, slightly turning the putter over to generate a truer roll. Test it out. You will be surprised."
From S2X: "A common flaw in golfer's games is the tendency to accelerate through the ball too quickly, or "jabbing" at the putt. Think of the putter as a pendulum: easily take the putter back and smoothly let the putter finish roughly the same amount you took it back. In other words, if you took it back one inch, follow through one inch, all the while making a smooth stroke."
From NO: "Putting is the most tedious part of golf. About ONE HALF of the strokes you take each round are putts. It seems logical to focus ½ of your practice time to putting. There are five common flaws that I see a lot in amateur golfers, each of equal importance:
You have a poor setup. The setup is just as important in putting as it is in the full swing. There are three parts to this. First, as Dave Pelz would say, hit the putt slightly on the upswing. Second, place the ball just to the left of center in your stance. Third, you must have your eyes directly over the ball for best results. Your eyes will be looking directly down the line you are going to be putting the ball down, and it is much easier to hit the ball down that path. A simple test: take another ball, hold it on the tip of your nose and drop it. If it hits the ball, your eyes are directly over the ball.
You are not keeping the head down. Keep your eye focused on the spot where the ball lays until the ball goes past your field of vision. Only practice can keep your eye on the ball.
You have an inconsistent stroke. An easy drill to correct this: When practicing, hum as you putt. This promotes a smooth, consistent stroke. If your stroke is smooth, the hum will stay at one tone and speed. If you start going out of rhythm, that means your stroke is not smooth and consistent.
You have a poorly fit putter. The putting mistake that is most missed by the amateur, and even by club pros, is not having a putter that fits you properly. A poorly fit putter will throw off the fundamental basics of putting. The arms should be relaxed on the putt, so stand nice and tall over the ball, and then let gravity drop your arms. Now just bend over into your stance position, and without adjusting your arms, put your hands on the putter. That is the position your arms must be at to create a consistent stroke. If your putter is too long for you, the arms get bent and make it much more difficult to make a straight back and through stroke. Almost 90% of the golfers I play with have putters that look to be too long for them. I speak from experience, most club pros will not bother to look at this, so you must take it upon yourself to do so. If you can only change one aspect about your stroke, this is the one because the proper equipment is essential. Any putter is fine as long as the length is right.
You have the inability to correctly read greens. There are two parts to this. First, I believe the basic problem is your eyesight. Being able to see the green exactly as it lays is critical, so if you have glasses or contacts for nearsightedness, you should wear them for golf. Then, there is the actual reading of the green itself. A good tip: For putts with a good amount of break in them, take how many inches you think the putt will break, and multiply it by 2. So, if you think a putt will break 3 inches, go up to the hole, go three inches to the side of the hole that the putt breaks, and then double it. Them aim at that spot 6 inches from the hole. If you have made a good read, the ball will start on that spot 6 inches out, hit the apex of the break, and have a good chance of going in the hole. This may sound complicated, so try it out on the putting green first."
Look at it this way: We all cannot drain EVERY putt. Even pro golfers are unable to do that. Heck, if Tiger Woods, the #1-ranked golfer in the WORLD, can three-putt a hole, ANYONE can have an off day. The main point is to be as consistent (a great putter) as you can.
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The mental game
(Section courtesy of NO, contribution from NO)
The mental game is probably half of the game of golf. You can play 15 holes even par, play 16 bad, then bad thoughts start to creep into your mind and you end up shooting 10 over the last holes and that great round is gone. The mental game is what separates Tiger Woods from the rest of the professionals. His ability to recover after a bad break is amazing. There are 3 simple things that the average player can do to help the mental game.
Develop a pre-shot routine. Pre-shot routines help to clear out past emotions and get golfers focused on the shot at hand. If you get over the ball and you are not confident about the shot, back off and start over. The pre-shot routine can be as simple as taking a deep breath or as elaborate as waggling and taking numerous practice swings. A good pre-shot routine must be performed before EVERY shot to be effective. Once you develop a pre-shot routine, it will help your entire game in any situation.
Always try to find positive results from ANY situation. Finding a positive side to a bad situation calms golfers down and allows them to get back on the good pace they had before. No one has ever played 18 holes without at least one bad shot. For example, if you carded a 10 on a hole, say, "At least I didn’t make an 11.” Ingrain this in your head: it could have been worse.
Play in the present and not the past. Playing in the present is essential. If you step up on tee #2 still thinking about the errant shot from tee #1, chances are you will hit this upcoming tee shot into the boonies. The walk from the green to the next tee is where you should follow the above rule (finding a positive result from the negative situation). You will then be prepared to make par on the hole, get back on track, and avoid the chain reaction amateur golfers usually have after a bad hole.
By applying these three ideas to your game, you have improved HALF of your game, which can mean a lot of shots, and a few dollars in your Saturday morning $5 Nassau's. Good luck and play well.
Webmaster's note: And Noah is no dummy, my friend. I have taken such a mental game to heart even in my bowling, and it has worked wonders. Hmm...I should start betting. *thumbs up*
Note from S2X: On 12/21/03, I FOUR-putted the first hole and made double bogey. Instead of getting pissed off about it, I told myself to move on. On the next hole, a par 3, I hit my tee shot to 30 feet and eventually made par. I shot 7 over for nine holes, but it could have been a lot worse. Having a strong mental game helps.
Some Q & A
(Section courtesy of S2X, contribution from S2X)
Q: Would you
recommend steel shafts or graphite shafts on your clubs?
A: It depends on you, the golfer. If you have a lot of power in you
and can generate a ton of swing speed (100+ MPH), then I would get a steel shaft. If
you swing slow or average, go with graphite. I use graphite for my woods and steel
for my irons. However, the steel on my irons is light so I can generate
more swing speed on my shot and hit it farther.
Q: How many wedges
would you recommend and what model would you get?
A: I would recommend three wedges: a pitching wedge (about 45-48
As for a brand of wedge, I cannot answer that one. Go ahead and test out any brand, but you cannot go wrong given today's technology. For me, Taylor Made proves sufficient for my game...chipped and pitched in my share of shots already.
Q: How much money
should I spend on golf clubs?
A: I would not spend more than $500 on a set of irons. As the price
of an iron set increases, you should become aware that the extra money you would
spend for better technology is just not worth it. I got a like-new Taylor
Made RAC oversized iron set for $375 and can barely tell it has been used.
While I do recommend a buyer to always get a brand new set of irons, I bought this set
because I know the seller very well and he gives me honest opinions. So
yes, it does help to know your seller - the trust factor is key.
Q: Where can I go to
get great deals on golf equipment?
A: Search around in your area for golf places. Small golf
businesses usually sell new and old clubs for very reasonable prices. If
those places do not exist in your area or do not carry a club you want, eBay
is always the next best option. From 11/03 to 1/04, I bought four clubs
off of eBay (driver, 3-wood, 5-wood, and sand wedge). These clubs would
have cost me roughly $1000+ in retail stores, but I got all four for a COMBINED
$503.50 (this includes shipping). On top of that, my ENTIRE (decent) golf
set of 13 clubs - about a $2,000 value - only set me back $908.50 (bought my
putter for $20, my 7-wood was $10 and my 21º
5-wood was already provided
for me). Now THAT is a steal.
Q: How do you know if
a putter is right for you?
A: Test it out. Make sure it putts true so you sink a ton of
putts. All you need is one putter that feels right. I do not care if
the putter is 2 seconds old or 2 centuries old. Remember, you can have the
most expensive putter in the world, but if you cannot sink a one foot putt with
it, then you just wasted your money. The putter I have right now only cost
me $20 (hey, compare that to a Scotty Cameron), but promotes that great feel
which I can sink a lot of putts with.
Q: What is the best
advice you have ever received?
A: Just play the game...it loosens up the body. For golf, this
allows you to hit the ball with your "natural" swing. My dad
once told me this after a few bad outings at the range. He had a story
too: he has a friend that always hit duck hooks and "dive bomb" balls
off the tee (even though the iron shots were fine) because the friend was too
concerned with his golf swing. I remember the times when my swing was on
autopilot...the swing was effortless and I could bomb it a mile.
If you hit the ball very far, do not laugh, or I shall give you a Stone Cold Stunner. -_-'
| 1W: 215 (off tee) | 7I: 125 |
| 3W: 190 | 8I: 115 |
| 5W: 180 (graphite) | 9I: 105 |
| 5W: 170 (steel) | PW: 95 |
| 7W: 155 | SW: 75 |
| 6I: 135 | LW: 55 |
Average distances are listed. Distances are in yards and only take solid hits into account. Assuming calm conditions. Obviously, shots will be shorter playing against the wind and/or going uphill. Shots will go farther playing down wind and/or going down a hill. Distances will also be farther when ball is teed up.
I'm trying to get better, but unfortunately school has to be evil and take lots of time out of my schedule. Trust me, my goal is to be as close to a scratch golfer as I can get.