Approach Shots: What it takes to master them

by David Nevogt

Basically, your approach shot is your shot onto the green. One of the things I like to say is this, "You know your game is improving when you start fixing more ball marks on the green". To fix a ball mark on the green most likely means that you hit it on your approach, which is a good thing.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind, and then we'll get to the heart of this article.

Aim for the middle of the green, not the flag. Pin placements and greens are getting tougher to stick all the time. Don't be a "sucker" and go for a pin that you'll most likely miss, which will leave you in a bunker or some other position to add strokes to your round. Focus on alignment, not distance. That leads us into the main part of the article. As you know, it's not an easy task to master the approach shot, but there are some ways in which you can drastically improve the accuracy of the shot. Alignment is the key to improving your approach shots. Most golfers don't practice their alignment too much on the practice range, but they should.

Think about this for a minute. Generally, when you are off the green it is due to alignment, not distance. Chances are, you have your 160 yard club, 150, 140, 130, etc...

And if you hit a poor shot, the ball may go a little further or a little shorter. But even if that happens, most greens are deep enough that you should be on the putting surface if you have selected the club that would leave you in the center of the green.

But...alignment is another story. If you pull the ball, more times than most you really pull the ball, correct?

When your alignment is off, it's off by much more than 5-10 yards!

And if you push the ball, you generally are pushing it for the entire round, correct? Bunkers, water, and uneven lies are the obstacles you face.

How are you supposed to compete? The answer is simple. Practice your alignment.

Take your home course for example. I would be willing to bet there's somewhere in the ball park of a 160-yard par 3 on the course. Now picture that hole. What happens if you're 5-10 yards deep or shallow? You're probably still okay, right?

But what happens if you go right or left? That shot, more than likely, has trouble written all over it.


About the Author
David Nevogt writes golf instruction material that helps golfers of all levels reach their full potential and lower their scores. David is the author of "The Simple Golf Swing" which guarantees to have you shooting 7 strokes lower in only 1 week from today. You can find more of his golf instruction by going to Golfswingguru.com Click Here!

http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=58769

How to Maximize your Distance by Hitting Triples instead of Home Runs

by David Nevogt

This lesson is entitled, "How to Maximize your Distance by Hitting Triples instead of Home Runs" and it's a great overall theory to build your entire swing around. Keep this in the back of your head at all times while you are on the course, and remind yourself of it before every shot. The result will be increased distance and straighter shots because you'll be releasing your hands through the ball better.

Background Info :

Many recreational golfers struggle with slices, blocks, and inconsistency because they don't know how to release their hands through the ball correctly. By "releasing your hands through the ball", I am describing the act of maximizing your club head speed at the moment of impact, and eliminating the "outside-in" movement that creates a slice.

How You Will Benefit:

- You'll learn an easy way of "getting your hands through the ball" - You'll be increasing the speed of the club head through the impact zone - You will ensure that the club head is square at impact (which will drastically reduce any slice that you have) What To Do:

Step 1: Create the "X"

This means that on the follow through, you need to focus on making your forearms cross. This will ensure that your hands have released through the ball correctly. Here's an illustration of what I am talking about.

Notice the "X" that is created after impact and where the shaft of the club is pointed. Practice getting in this position. Practice creating that "X" after impact.

It will be easy to understand the alterative by paying attention to where the club is pointed, which I will explain in the next step.

Step 2: Finish at Third BaseFocus on pointing the club down the third base line on your follow through.

In relation to where my feet are pointed in the picture at left, the club is pointed down the third base line. This is what we want.

Many golfers finish their swing with the club straight up in the air, or even pointed down the first base line in relation to their feet. Try that once, and you will feel the extreme "outside-in" movement that produces a slice. This is nothing more than a habit that can be easily broken. The Simple Golf Swing goes over this step in much more detail.

Summary:

So when you are on the tee next time, focus on just 2 things. Make the "X" and "finish at third". That's it. Swinging easy should already be grooved into your swing from the last tip I sent. Focus on these 2 tips, and you should be on your way to consistently staying out of trouble with your driver, which is the first step to scoring better.

About the Author
David Nevogt writes golf instruction material that helps golfers of all levels reach their full potential and lower their scores. David is the author of "The Simple Golf Swing" which guarantees to have you shooting 7 strokes lower in only 1 week from today. You can find more of his golf instruction by going to Golfswingguru.com Click Here!

http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=58768

Staying out of Trouble with your Driver

by David Nevogt

So what is it that's really causing problems with your driver? Is it a slice, a hook, or just flat-out inconsistency? Well the good news is that, regardless of what problem you are fighting, there are a few things to incorporate into your game that really will help you. If you're the golfer that's saying right now, "I've battled a slice for 25 years", then this is not going to be the undisputed end of your problem. But you CAN reduce the slice or hook, which will help you score better. So here are some tips:

1. Swing Easy. Nothing can be better for your game than learning how to swing the club easier and more fluid. If you go to the range and concentrate ONLY on swinging easy, it will revolutionize your ability to position yourself for a good approach shot when you get onto the course. You will make more consistent impact with the ball, and it will reduce the amount of side-spin you naturally place on the ball because the club head won't be traveling as fast or with as much force. Again, I know you've heard it before, but I ask you to concentrate on this for 1 week. And if you can't physically practice it, visualize it at the office (visualization works great).

2. Switch to a low spin ball. Lower spin off of the tee means that the ball is going to go more straight regardless of how whether your ball moves right or left. I recommend the Titleist DT SoLo, the Precept Laddie, or the Maxfli Noodle. You can find these balls anywhere from $13 to $20 per dozen, and they will play a large role in reducing the side spin that you naturally place on the ball. I realize that this all sounds over-simplified, but it's not. If you are having problems controlling your driver, switch to a low-spin ball, and start swinging easy. When you are on the range, ALL you should be thinking about is swinging the club easy. Incorporate this into your game this week, then next week we'll discuss how to get some more distance with your driver.


About the Author
David Nevogt writes golf instruction material that helps golfers of all levels reach their full potential and lower their scores. David is the author of "The Simple Golf Swing" which guarantees to have you shooting 7 strokes lower in only 1 week from today. You can find more of his golf instruction by going to Golfswingguru.com Click Here!

http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=58767

How Better Course Management Can Lower Your Golf Score

by David Nevogt

Whether you are just starting to learn golf, or you have been golfing for many years and you're just looking to refine your game, this will provide a good direction of focus for this season.

If you want your score to drop by any significant amount, you should learn to hit your 150 yard club, and learn to hit it very well.

By "hitting your 150 yard club very well", I mean being able to step up to the ball, and KNOW that you can hit any green that is 150 yards away. Every time, any condition, with no pressure.

You need to get to the point in your game where you can hit those 8 or 9 irons very consistently and accurately. Anyone can do this. Believe it or not, 150 yards is not very far away, and most greens these days are very big targets. The short irons should be the easiest club in your bag to hit. And if they aren't the easiest clubs to hit, you should work on them until they are.

Once you master that shot, everything else is a simple adjustment. Your swing will be on, and you can simply add or take away a little club to adjust for varying distances.

That's step 1.

Step 2 is designing your game to work around your "guaranteed 150 yard shot".

Let's say you are on the average 400 yard par 4. If you have that 150 yard shot in your bag, then it should be very easy for you to get onto the green in 3 shots.

Think about this...(I know you wouldn't really do this) but if you have the 150 yard shot, you can hit it off the tee, and again for your second shot, and end up 100 yards out hitting 3 from the fairway.

Now you've put yourself in a good position, which is what course management is all about. And better yet, if you have the 150 yard shot down, your 100 yard shots are likely to be working a lot better as well.

Even if you get yourself into trouble off the tee, just lay up to 150 yards out, and use your 150 shot to get on the green. This will do a ton of good for your golf game. You're on in 3, and you can still save par or make bogey with a 2 put.

Start small, and master the 150 yard shot. Then build your game around it. If you do this, you won't have to worry about so many bunker shots, chip shots, and all the other specialty shots that make this game so frustrating.

If you can get this shot down, you've taken the first step to breaking down your game and lowering your scores. Then you work on your putting, and then you work on your driver.

Now, I realize golf isn't as easy as I've made it out to be above, but it really can be if you have the 150 yard shot. I can guarantee that you'll be playing the best golf of your life this season, if you keep focus on improving that 150 yard shot. It is essential!

That's it for this newsletter. I'll be in touch in the next few weeks with some putting tips that should really have you stroking the ball.

If you would like to refine your swing this season "The Simple Golf Swing" is a great place to start. You can get it below. I guarantee that it will cut 7 strokes from your average score almost immediately.


About the Author
David Nevogt writes golf instruction material that helps golfers of all levels reach their full potential and lower their scores. David is the author of "The Simple Golf Swing" which guarantees to have you shooting 7 strokes lower in only 1 week from today. You can find more of his golf instruction by going to Golfswingguru.com Click Here!

http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=58766

Backspin Advice

by David Nevogt

Lately, I have received many requests for 2 things.

1. Advice on how to hit backspin (always a common request) 2. Advice on the short game in general.

So I have decided to focus my next two newsletters on these subjects. Today the focus will be on backspin, and in the next few weeks I'll get one out on putting and chipping, and then following that will be course management.

Honestly, the first thing that you need to realize about creating backspin is that it's a very tough shot to accomplish, let alone control.

The second thing that you should realize is that there are very few situations where this shot is actually needed.

In my opinion, the best shot to master is an approach shot that bounces once, and then stops on a dime. This shot is not easy to accomplish either, but is more realistic and much more effective in the vast majority of cases.

So I'll get in to the basics of this shot now, but please realize that an entire book could be written on this subject, and it would still be very hard to incorporate into a recreational game.

Here are the basic conditions that must be met before the shot even occurs. If these factors are not in place, don't try to create backspin.

Conditions must be completely dry - (the club face, and the ball included) You must be on the fairway - (grass can't get in between the club and the ball) Green's have to be very nicely kept - (very short) Now, let me clarify. Those are the conditions that must be met before the shot even occurs. So hopefully, you are beginning to see just how difficult this shot is and why it doesn't come highly recommended from someone who focuses on making golf simple.

I was thinking of ways to describe the action necessary to create backspin, and I came to the conclusion that the best analogy is one of placing spin on the cue ball in billiards.

Side Note: They say that good pool players are also good putters. So if you want to sharpen your putting skills, I would advise learning billiards as well. It will help you to develop steady hands, "learn to see the line", and it will also teach you alot about spin.

In Pool, to create backspin you have to hit downward on the cue ball with a significant amount of force. Notice that players chalk up before hitting a shot requiring a lot of spin (dry). They also go at the ball with a very steep angle. And they hit the lower portion of the ball.

All of this is necessary in golf as well. The ultimate goal is to "pinch" the ball between your club and the fairway. You must take a downward blow at the ball, you must add a fair amount of velocity to your swing speed, and you must make clean contact with the lower portion of the ball. It is all of these factors combined that make this shot so tough to complete with any accuracy.

It's also essential to have a new ball (preferably a high spin/soft-cover ball), and a newer (clean) club that has some of the grip left on the face. As the ball compresses into the grooves on the face of the club, backspin is created.

On a final note; it's important to realize that if you make course management the foundation of your game, you will rarely be in a situation where you need to use backspin. Course management is one of the true keys to golf. I'm going to publish a newsletter on it in the next few weeks as well, so be on the lookout.


About the Author
David Nevogt writes golf instruction material that helps golfers of all levels reach their full potential and lower their scores. David is the author of "The Simple Golf Swing" which guarantees to have you shooting 7 strokes lower in only 1 week from today. You can find more of his golf instruction by going to Golfswingguru.com Click Here!

http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=58765

Getting Your Hands Through the Ball at Impact

by David Nevogt

Have you ever thought about what your hands and forearms are actually doing at the moment of impact? If not, please give this a try because it's one of the most important parts of the swing. The Simple Golf Swing explains this move, and others, in much more detail.

Try to get into the impact position, like you are about to make solid contact with the ball. Now flip your trailing wrist like you were casting a fishing pole. This is referred to as a wrist break, and it's not a move that you want to make in golf. So if you are trying to "flip" your hands through the ball at impact, this tip may help you understand the correct way to make this happen.

If you put a wrist watch on you'll be able to visualize the correct moves to make. As your leading arm approaches impact the watch face should be getting close to pointing exactly down the target line, or to the flag. Now simply ROTATE the watch face so it's pointed at the ground. With a club in your hands, you'll see that this move makes your trailing wrist and forearm "flip" on top of your leading wrist and forearm.

You also see that this will help to "close" the face of your club nicely, that will both reduce your slice, and add distance. This is the correct move to be completing through impact.

It's important to note that your forearms should be working together as well. Try to keep your forearms as close to each other as possible through the impact zone. If you can master this move, you'll find increased distance and it will also do wonders for your slice.


About the Author
David Nevogt writes golf instruction material that helps golfers of all levels reach their full potential and lower their scores. David is the author of "The Simple Golf Swing" which guarantees to have you shooting 7 strokes lower in only 1 week from today. You can find more of his golf instruction by going to Golfswingguru.com Click Here!

http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=58764

The Cost/Benefit Analysis

by David Nevogt

There is a very useful method that many accountants use called "The cost/benefit analysis". You may be familiar with it. The analysis is done to cut the company costs that do not provide a specific benefit. It's done on all the different costs of the company, and then the accountants can then analyze which costs provide a lot of benefit, versus which costs provide little benefit. Then quite simply, the costs that provide little benefit are cut.

The golf swing is really quite complicated. The reason that I wrote "The Simple Golf Swing" was to get rid of all the unnecessary movements that end up causing many golfers trouble. To do this, I applied the cost/benefit method, but I did it in golf terms.

Just as an example, we'll use the wrist cock. In analyzing the golf swing, I found that the wrist cock at the top of one's backswing, produced great results for a few golfers. However, for the vast majority of golfers, it actually proved to cause MANY inconsistencies.

So it was simply cut out of "The Simple Golf Swing". That may sound too simple of a solution, but it really works. You'd be amazed at the consistency that is added by removing this one small move. See, the difference is that golf magazines or videos, want you to spend countless hours of your time correcting this small move. You would have many disappointing rounds if you tried to do that. It's simply not worth it for most golfers.

I agree that you must have a significant wrist cock to compete on the professional tour. However, it has been proven to me many times over that you do not need a wrist cock to hit the ball 250 down the middle of the fairway. You do not need that extra 40-60 yards that professionals need. All you need to break 80 is to be able to hit the ball 220-250 yards down the middle of the fairway. More importantly, you need to be able to do this every time.

Other examples of what you could easily cut out of your swing would be the following:

- Lateral (horizontal) movement to achieve the proper weight transfer - All lower body conscious movements. (The Simple Golf Swing will help you to make the correct lower body movements happen automatically, and cut out all the unnecessary actions) - Extended backswing

Those are just a few examples. The list goes on and on, but the point of all this is that "Simple is Better" for the vast number of golfers. I could write forever on this subject, but I won't take up all your time. If you would like to see the simple method I've been talking about please check out "The Simple Golf Swing".


About the Author
David Nevogt writes golf instruction material that helps golfers of all levels reach their full potential and lower their scores. David is the author of "The Simple Golf Swing" which guarantees to have you shooting 7 strokes lower in only 1 week from today. You can find more of his golf instruction by going to Golfswingguru.com Click Here!

http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=58763