Golf Central

The Flop Shot

2012-03-01T10:54:00.001-08:00

Sometimes specialist shots can help us get out of difficult or tight spots. Phil Mickelson is one of the masters at this. We should get the technique of this shot into our heads, then practice, practice, practice...

Get Your Putter Right!

2012-02-28T10:30:00.000-08:00

Forget searching for the right driver and think about honing your skills with the right putter. Hunter Mahan felt that just a slight change in putter was able to help him sink a few more putts. Make this your new aim, "get the right putter!"

In the Bag, Luke Donald

2012-02-28T10:20:00.001-08:00

There is no doubt that seeing into a Pro's bag will help us shape what equipment we buy and take with us out onto the course!

Target Alignment

2012-02-27T16:13:00.000-08:00

Amidst all the tweaks to your swing and things to remember, don't forget to hit the ball in the right direction! All the hard work you put into a good swing can be counteracted by not aiming properly. Once we get a good technique we need to make a move toward aligning ourselves to the target. Know what type of shot you hit. If you hit a fade or a draw, then aim a little left or right.

You should always envisage the flight of the ball. See it happen in your minds eye, and feel the exact direction you want your ball to go. This lesson will help you toward that end, giving you a tip on how to get that good alignment.

Pitching around the Green

2012-02-25T08:43:00.000-08:00

Sometimes our golf game can really suffer from short pitch shots around the green. If we are 20 yards or less, we need to be getting up and down. Saving par is the most important thing for any golfer. If we can knock it close with our wedge then we are, more times than not, going to keep our scores down.

Get a natural technique. Take the advice of Luke Donald here and make the shot your own. You don't have to copy him, but do try and get a consistent controlled strike.

Driving Accuracy

2012-02-24T11:08:00.000-08:00

Your obsession with driving distance is not worth the bother. Seek, before all things, accuracy. Off the tee you should look to get the ball on the fairway, it's as simple as that. Make fairways hit off the tee a priority over drives over 250-yards. The competition is to get the ball in the hole, not hit the longest drive!

Once you can naturally and instinctively get the ball on the fairway with the driver, then look at pushing the distances. So, get your priorities right, and cut your handicap (and your ego)!

Take a look and listen at the mindset of a tour pro:

Course Management

2012-02-23T16:05:00.000-08:00

An essential part of our golf game is course management. We need to know where to aim and which shot to hit. Off the course we need to mentally prepare our game to attack the course. We can't hit a high shot into high winds, just like we can't always hit a driver if danger surrounds that distance. The type of shots we can hit need to very too. Mentally and physically we need to be prepared for managing our game around the course.

I think this video from Martin Kaymer helps us see that there are certain shots to hit. There are a number of things, therefore, to think about before we hit a shot!

-Identify Dangers

-Identify Ball lie

-Foresee the path of the ball

-Make Club Selection

-Confidently go for the shot

Inserting some new calculations like assessing danger and going for the safer shot could cut 2 or 3 shots of your game, or maybe more!

My Predictions for todays WGC Matchplay

2012-02-23T08:56:00.000-08:00

Match	Players	My pick
33	Steve Stricker vs. Louis Oosthuizen	Stricker
34	Y.E. Yang vs. Hunter Mahan	Yang
35	Matteo Manassero vs. Martin Laird	Laird
36	Ryo Ishikawa vs. Paul Lawrie	Ishikawa
37	Robert Rock vs. Mark Wilson	Wilson
38	Dustin Johnson vs. Francesco Molinari	Johnson
39	Jason Day vs. John Senden	Day
40	Charl Schwartzel vs. Sang-moon Bae	Schwartzel
41	Martin Kaymer vs. David Toms	Toms
42	Matt Kuchar vs. Bubba Watson	Kuchar
43	Lee Westwood vs. Robert Karlsson	Westwood
44	Nick Watney vs. Tiger Woods	Woods
45	Ernie Els vs. Peter Hanson	Els
46	Kyle Stanley vs. Brandt Snedeker	Stanley
47	Rory McIlroy vs. Anders Hansen	McIlroy
48	Miguel Angel Jimenez vs. Keegan Bradley	Bradley

Gripping the Golf Club

2012-02-23T08:23:00.000-08:00

This is as important a lesson for seasoned golfers as it is for novices. The fundamental of golf is gripping the club properly. If you do not grip the club properly you will not progress. There are limitations in your golf game if you cannot have full control over your swing. You will not have full control if you do not have a good grip!

Try to get the most comfortable position of these three:

There is still a common problem within the average golfer's grip that causes inconsistent swing lines and off-center strikes. To reach your full potential you most also eradicate the wandering thumb! Note the right and wrong right hand thumb positions:

You need to get this 'V' shape in your right hand, where the thumb sits on the left side of the club grip and the 'V' of that right hand is aligned with the club itself. Copy the middle picture as best possible no matter what position you go for with your fingers above!

Putting Tips and Exercises, by Thomas Bjorn

2012-02-22T16:37:00.000-08:00

The most used but usually least practiced part of your golf game is putting. If we took more of our time to putt and less trying to get an extra 50yards on our driver, we would become better golfers very quickly. Challenge yourself to put 50% or more practice time into your putting and the improve will appear automatically.

If you can reduce your round by one or two less putts your scoring will drop immediately. If you can drive further, you have no guarantee! So get out on the practice greens and drop shots on the course.

Here Bjorn gives us some very natural practice tips. These exercises will help straighten our natural putting game and give us a more instinctive putt when we play in competition.

How Important is Golf Fitness?

2012-02-22T12:11:00.000-08:00

This is a major issue in the modern golf game. Much promoted by the infamous Tiger Woods, golf fitness is becoming a core part of the game. I'm not totally convinced though. Fitness needs to be at a certain level, and although you will definitely get more power from being stronger, you do not get more accurate.

Fitness is still something important for two reasons: 1. Your general good health, but also 2. It will allow you to play at the top of your game for longer. So fitness is a major issue in your game, especially for the future!

Advice for Beginners, by Bubba Watson

2012-02-21T09:11:00.000-08:00

Golf is a competitive and intricate sport; for beginners, it can be a daunting prospect. Bubba gives some advice to those who are intimidated by the game and are just starting off.

This is a key for all golfers. Whether you are in the big tournament or just practicing, always make sure you are having fun!

Luke Donald: Bunker Shot Lesson

2012-02-20T19:24:00.000-08:00

The sand is a place that some novice golfers can find difficult. The key is to get a method that works for you and get enough confidence in that method that you never doubt it. When you step into the bunker don't think negatively. Be confident in the practice you've put in and give it a full swing.

Two very basic principles run in this order:

1. Get it Out!

2. Get it Close!

Luke Donald shows how:

Rory McIlroy's Swing Analysed

2012-02-20T19:03:00.000-08:00

It is important to analyse differnet swings in order to understand its different parts. Do not imitate another's swing, but take lessons from every good golfers swing. When you understand the different parts of the swing, then you can take helps from the best golfers and sculpt your own swing.

Rory and Tiger are mentioned in this video analysis:

Pitching from Distance

2012-02-20T17:05:00.000-08:00

Here is a tutorial by Luke Donald. This lesson is for 112yard pitch shot. It describes how to set up for pitching outside the distance of your wedge.