Greenside Bunker Tips

  1. Improve your greenside bunker play with some great practice tips!

    By Kevin Cotter, PGA

    By far, the most important aspect to successful greenside bunker play is striking the sand an inch or two behind the ball.  As another PGA Professional recommends as a sort of visual is to “Imagine the golf ball lying on top of a dollar bill and you’re scooping the entire bill and ball up together.”The video below from Alan Wronowski PGA Director of Golf demonstrates a great practice technique by drawing a line in the sand to practice striking a specific spot.

  2. Below “Your Best Bunker Tips” from PGA.com offers some interesting comments from Facebook fans on greenside bunker play including some great tips as well, starting out with my favorite of course “Don’t hit it in the bunker to begin with.”

    Enjoy!

Practicing Your Golf Swing in Slow Motion

  1. Slow down when working on your swing for amazing results!

    Practicing your golf swing in slow motion is a concept I’ve always believed in and have religiously articulated throughout my teaching career, “If you can’t do it in slow motion, how could you ever do it in fast motion.”

    Now some have argued they are not one in the same in the sense that with a full speed swing the dynamics are different when considering the impetus generated through centripetal force.  I believe this is true but only to a certain degree as they are overall missing the point that the player first needs to understand the exact positions they need to achieve within the swing and repeat those motions slowly over and over again and habituate them then slowly transgress over to full speed swing.

    Check out the Slow Mo Drill video below:

  2. Amazing, here is a video of Ben Hogan actually practicing in slow motion as referenced above by Brad Brewer.
  3. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5vTfi0gtZ8?feature=oembed&w=400&h=225]
  4. Just for the sake of analysis here is a great slow motion swing video with Professional Golf Coach Mitchell Spearman examining the swing of the 2010 US Open Champion Graeme McDowell.

Executing the Perfect Pitch Shot

  1. This is a great tip to improve your pitching game.  The primary key to the shot is keeping the arms, shoulders and body moving somewhat in sync as described in this article by Krista Dunton PGA, by allowing the right elbow to fold against the right side during the back swing and left elbow to fold against the left side during the through swing.  Check out the article and video below for some great short game pointers.
  2. Todd Anderson on the Pitch Shot
  3. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGA9HofE1Ek?feature=oembed&w=400&h=225]

Hitting the Ball Farther

  1. This is a great tip by Martin Hall PGA.  I provided an excerpt below from my recently posted article referencing the one-piece-takeaway and how it also helps establish the coiling affect described in this video. Combining the two thoughts will certainly go along way in “Hitting the Ball Farther.”

    “The “one piece takeaway” sets the timing of the swing into immediate sync. The desired sequence of movement is; clubhead, hands, shoulders, hips and lower body in that order. This backswing sequencing establishes proper coiling of the upper body against the lower body, providing a power generating spring like action to be unleashed during the downswing.”

    Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7488903

Of course better physical condition can also help you hit the ball farther, check out these drills from PGA.com to help build the muscles you need to hit the ball farther! 

The Golf Grip

By Kevin Cotter, PGA

The grip is the primary connector from the body to the club, and as the great Arnold Palmer once said, “The grip is the crucial junction point from which all the body’s strength and rhythm transferred to the club.”

There are three grip options from which to choose:

The most common grip is the overlapping or Vardon grip, named after Harry Vardon, where the little finger of the right hand (lower hand) is positioned over the top and between the left hand’s first two fingers. 

The second option is the interlocking grip, where the little finger of the right hand is intertwined with the index finger of the left hand. This adjoining or melding of the hands with both the Vardon and overlapping grip helps unify the hands and aids in preventing one hand from overpowering the other, resulting in increased distance and consistency. 

The third option, or the ten-finger grip, sometimes called a baseball grip, is only recommended for very young or physically weak individuals without adequate strength to hold and swing the club.

 
4 Steps to A Solid Grip
Brian Mogg, GOLF MAGAZINE Top 100 Teacher
  • Lower scores are just a click away! Go to www.BestGolfeBooks.com today! Your golf eBook Superstore!

    Also, please check this article out for a great overview on developing a fundamentally sound championship level golf grip!  Click Here

     

Releasing the Clubhead

This story is for you if…
• You want more distance and accuracy
• You often miss your target to the right
• You don’t understand what “release” means
  1. Erika Larkin

    Photo By J. D. Cuban/Golf Digest

    BY ERIKA LARKIN

    It’s no big mystery why you’re slicing your driver. The clubface is open to your swing path at impact. And that slice can get worse if you pull in your arms on the downswing to try to steer the ball into the fairway. Here’s my easy fix: Remember to roll and reach as you swing through. Let your forearms roll over to square the clubface and then reach your arms toward the target.

    You can get a feel for this full release by hitting some “bunt” shots with your driver. Tee up a ball and take your driver back until the shaft is parallel to the ground and the toe of the club points straight up (see photo). From there, focus on extending the shaft toward the target so it mirrors that halfway-back position, with the toe up again. Bunt some balls down the range, and don’t worry about distance.

     

     

     The Standard Advice

    Try to square the clubface at impact for straighter and more accurate shots.

    Why it’s Misleading

    Impact lasts only a few milliseconds, so trying to perfect that moment is nearly impossible.

    The Tip You Really Need

    A solid release guarantees proper clubface rotation through impact, so perfect it instead. Plus, it’s easier to control your release. As you drive through the hitting zone, give the ball a slap with your right hand, changing your right wrist from bent back to bowed. Check the positions at left to see what it looks like.

     Elbow In

    Your left elbow should hang tight against your torso as your hands release. You can’t unhinge your wrists if your left arm bows out (no chicken-winging).

     Shoulder Under

    Your right shoulder moves under your chin, not in front of it. This allows your hands to power the clubhead correctly through impact and then around your body.

     KEY MOVE – Active Wrists

    Prior to impact your right wrist was bent. Now it should be bowed. This doesn’t happen by itself—”slap” the ball with your right hand to release the club properly.

     Club on Line

    A proper release whips the clubhead around your body in a circular motion and into your finish.

     

My Favorite Shots To Save Par

See on Scoop.itgolf instruction

Brandt Snedeker shares his favorite shots around the green. (RT @GolfDigestMag: One of Brandt Snedeker’s favorite shots around the green? The hands-free lob.

BestGolfeBooks‘s insight:

The "Hands free lob" is an adaptation to the pitching swing and is a great tool in and around the green.  The firmness in the hands provides a high degree of consistency.

See on www.golfdigest.com

How to Start the Golf Swing

By Kevin Cotter, PGA

The takeaway or start of the golf swing begins with combined movement of the clubhead, hands, arms and shoulders.

This movement, commonly referred to as the “one-piece takeaway” is quickly followed by the hips as they begin to turn in response to the shoulders.  As the hips rotate the lower body (knees and feet) become active as the weight begins to transfer back onto and eventually around the right leg.

Soon after the “once piece takeaway” begins, allow your right elbow to fold somewhat against your right side, at least in the early stages of the backswing.  This allows the arms to remain connected to the body.

The “one piece takeaway” sets the timing of the swing into immediate sync.  The desired sequence of movement is; clubhead, hands, shoulders, hips and lower body in that order.   This backswing sequencing establishes proper coiling of the upper body against the lower body, providing a power generating spring like action to be unleashed during the downswing. Correct timing also helps establish a square clubface position at the top of the swing.

In addition to timing, the proper takeaway is crucial in developing power through angular momentum or also known as the “lever system.”  Proper use of the “lever system” not only unleashes tremedous power but helps establish a ball first then turf strike when playing shots directly off the turf.  Learning to strike the ball with a descending blow is vital, a downward strike to a ball sitting on the turf provides the much needed spin necessary for the ball to stick and hold in the intended target area.

Also, the path of the club is hugely influenced by the natural flow of the “one-piece takeaway.” When not contrived in any way the club moves straight back then slightly to the inside around then up. Eventually, the club returns somewhat along the same path on the way down, creating a semi-circle pattern starting from behind the ball through the ball and into the through swing.

If the club is forced quickly to the outside during the initial stages of the backswing an out to in swing path is likely to be created. Conversely, if you force the club back too quickly to the inside,  the club eventually has nowhere to go but to be forced to the outside and then back across the ball resulting in pulled or sliced shots.

So, as you can now clearly see, the “one piece takeaway” is the crucial first step in developing a powerful repeating golf swing, and provides the ability to consistently strike the ball cleanly and squarely,  leading to longer and straighter shots.

For the best golf training and instructional aids on the web please go tohttp://www.BestGolfeBooks.com your golf eBook superstore andhttp://www.EasytoLearnGolf.com blog for more great stuff to improve your game. Lower scores are just a click away!

Happy golfing!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kevin_R._Cotter