Drive For Show

Anyone who tells you, that he or she would not like to hit the golf ball further is either a liar, or Tiger Woods. Drive for show and putt for dough maybe sound advice, but if you ask the average weekend golfer whether they would like to putt like Brad Faxon, or regularly belt the ball like Tiger, most would opt for Tiger's power off the tee.

It is this fascination with power that prompt's me to write this article. A couple of facts first, that were discovered two or three years ago, by the teaching profession in the USA. These were, that by using the test robotic arm generating a club head speed of 100 mph, then the golf ball, on average, would go around 265 yards. However, if the club face is open by 2 degrees only, then the distance reached was only 225 yards, with the same club head speed. Again by opening up the face to 4 degrees, the distance covered was only 185 yards.

This shows that distance is not just about power, and clubhead speed, but also hitting the ball squarely. This may sound like common sense, however many golfers are trying to hit the ball with the incorrect golf swing. So, what is the secret of achieving maximum power?

Speed, can be increased, by setting the wrists into a cocked position early, and on the downswing keeping the wrists cocked for as late as possible, and then swishing through the ball. This is similar to flicking your wrists, when using a badminton, squash, or tennis racket.

Power, comes from having as full and flexible a body turn as possible, plus creating a wide arc. The powerful muscles of the legs will also help. To generate maximum power, it is essential that the start of the downswing be calm and unhurried. This enables the golfer to build up speed, so that the golf club is still accelerating when it reaches the ball. Finally, ensure that the arms are fully extended through to a high finish.

A key point to note is that the hands control the position of the clubface, keeping it square at impact. Golfers, who are inclined to hit at the ball with their hands rather than swinging through the ball, find that they lose a lot of power, and hence distance. Slow, smooth tempo wins every time.

Common Mistakes Made By Beginners

Learning to play golf for the first time can be really difficult but you can reduce the learning curve by being conscious of some common mistake an errors that beginners make. You have to be aware of some of the more common mistakes that beginners are prone to committing if you want to get off to a quick start.

One common mistake made by amateurs is that they tend to look up (towards the sky) when they are striking the golf ball. It is of utmost importance that you keep your head down and your eyes focused on the ball when you are swing your club to hit the ball. You can penalized a stroke if you swing and miss the ball as well. To train yourself you may want to keep your eyes on the tee for a count of three before looking up to find your ball.

Another big problem for beginners is the number of strokes they use on the greens. You can dramatically improve your putting by envisioning a three foot by three foot square around the hole and jhust aim to get the golf ball in that "square" with your first shot. You can use your second shot to sink the completely makable putt after but the point is to focus on getting the ball within "makable" distance before taking your shots at it. Leave the miraculous putts to the pros and watch your scores soar.

A third common mistake is bad form prior to striking the ball. Prior to setting to strike the ball you should envision a golf club laying on the ground with the grip pointing to where you are aiming to hit the ball. Your feet shyould be perfectly perpindicular to that imaginary club to give you the best chance at hitting the ball flushly with your club.

Hooking and/ or slicing can also be a result of over swinging. In golf it's important to take easy swings and to let your golf clubs do the majority of your work for you. Afterall, that's why you spent a fortune on them!