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Sand Trap Tips And Tecniques
By Lee MacRae
A bunker beside the green is a fearsome place to be. Surprisingly, this is one of the easiest shots to perfect and can actually be an enjoyable part of your golf game. Just learn the proper techniques and apply a few tips and your bunker game will flourish.
When sand is wet or really firm, your sand wedge, with it's wide flange may very easily bounce off the surface and blade the ball. In such circumstances, it's better to use a pitching wedge or, when the flag is a long way off and you want your ball to run more, then use a seven, eight, or nine iron. Play your ball back in an open stance [much as you would do when playing a chip from the fairway] and position your hands just ahead of the ball. Unlike most sand shots, this one requires that you concentrate on hitting the ball first and not the sand. Work out your "landing area" before hitting the shot, and try to hit that area. If you miss it, don't worry. With all sand shots, it's far more important to get out the sand and to leave your ball close to the hole.
There are occasions when it's a good idea to putt out of a bunker, or use the "Texas wedge". The bunker should have firm sand and little or no lip, and there should be a smooth surface between the ball and the edge of the bunker. Address the ball as you would a putt, with the ball in the center of your stance. Swing with the arms and shoulders, but keep the wrists firm and the rest of your body, especially your head, absolutely still. The key is to make solid contact. Be careful not to ground the putter. If you do, you will be penalized.
Ask any professional golfer the toughest shot in golf and he'll say the 60 yard sand shot. Even the top players have trouble deciding whether this calls for an explosion shot or a normal wedge shot. Fortunately, we average players don't have to make that decision. The 60 yard explosion just isn't in our bags. So we'll make do with the normal wedge shot. Stand squarely, with the ball in the middle of your stance. As with the long bunker shot, you should make contact with the ball first, to remain as steady as possible for as long as possible. As this requires you to swing with only your hands and arms, you'll want to take a club or two more than usual [but bear in mind that playing the ball farther back than normal will deloft the clubface slightly]. For anything up to 75 yards, the average players to use a pitching wedge hit with a three quarters swing.
Knowing the basic techniques of bunker sand play and understanding the subtleties of the various problems you can encounter will actually lead you to even enjoy the play from a sand bunker. I'm sure these tips will help you to enjoy your next round of golf.
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Additional Info On Golf TodayDon't grip the club too tightly. A tight grip inhibits a smooth swing and follow-though. Also, keep the grips on your clubs in good condition. Worn grips force you to hold the club too tightly. Replace the grips on your clubs as they get worn and smooth. When first learning the grip, keep a club around the house and practice gripping and regripping the club a few minutes each day. Remember to keep fingers secure and arms relaxed.
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PGA of America
Be sure to check the location of the ball with clubs aligned on the ground. Step away to check that you are positioning the ball properly. Ask someone to double-check your positioning. It is hard, without alignment tape or clubs, to visually gauge the proper placement of the ball.
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PGA of America
Come to the Golf Course with Strategy in the Bag
Every good golfer knows that golf is not all about mechanics. There is a strategy to playing the game, and the golfer who develops the best strategy has a much better chance of coming out on top. There are ways to prepare yourself before you get to the course�and ways to react to conditions within a round�that will save you trouble and give you an advantage most golfers fail to seize.
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by T.J. Tomasi, Ph.D.
Hitting behind the ball or too high on the ball.
This is often caused by swaying during the swing. Any side-to-side or up and down head movement should be avoided. To get the right feel, hit some practice shots with feet together. During your weight shift, concentrate on keeping the weight On your right foot on the inside of your foot. Check your progress by taking practice swings with sun behind you and watching your shadow. Don't let the clubface get ahead of your hands at impact. To avoid hitting chips and pitches fat: Don't sole the club at address. Use an open, narrow stance. Keep arms connected to chest and rotate body rather than sliding hips laterally and jabbing at the ball with your hands. Focus eyes on front of ball, with weight on front foot and wrists ahead of ball at address and through impact. Be sure to make a complete follow-through.
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Tom's golf tips
When you want to get some extra distance out of your drives, it�s natural to think that your right or dominant hand (for right-handed golfers) should supply the power. In reality, however, maximum power is a result of a left-hand lead.
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The Golf Channel
Prime Movers
Notice how my upper left arm and chest are connected. It's this connection that initiates the backswing and encourages the club to be moved by the pivot of the body and not the hands and arms moving independently. In addition to the left arm and chest, movement of the shoulders and back should also contribute to the finish of a powerfully coiled backswing. Don't ever begin your backswing by lifting your arms or rolling your wrists by themselves.
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Golf Tips magazine
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Cast Iron Golf Clubs Or Forged?
By: Lee MacRae
Are you looking to buy new
golf clubs? Finding it difficult to determine what will work the best for you? Newcomers especially can become bewildered by the large variety of golf clubs you see when you are looking to buy.
Read along as we discuss the types available and what they each can do for your game of golf.
First of all, it can be stated that standard golf clubs will work for just about anyone standing between 5 to six feet in height. The principle applies to both sexes. Anyone else should consider looking to custom clubs for the best fit.
Cast Iron or Forged Iron?
Well, the best answer is usually "cast iron".
Why, you ask? Because of the bigger "sweet spot" we tend to find on clubs made with cast iron. That term refers to the area in the middle of the face of the club head where the ball should be struck for maximum distance and accuracy. A larger sweet spot gives you a larger striking area and greater odds for a well-hit shot. You can still be a little "off center" and the ball is still struck well because you have a larger margin of error. Beginners especially benefit from that standard cast iron feature. Until their swing plane is more developed, they will have an easier time striking the ball on a consistant basis with the cast iron club. That is why clubs like "Big Bertha" came on the market. The large oversized head obviously gives a much larger sweet spot than a normal driver. Average golfers get longer and straighter drives on a more consistant basis.
Forged iron clubs are generally the opposite. Harder to hit with because of a smaller sweet spot on the club face.
So why even make golf clubs out of forged iron, you ask?
For a very simple reason. Cast iron is a softer metal that offers a better "feel" on a shot. The better players, on the other hand, will give up that larger sweet spot [and even some distance] to get that better feel of each and every shot they take. With a more consistant swing, they usually strike the ball dead center on most shots anyway. With the better feel of the forged iron club, they can draw, fade, hook or slice the ball deliberately when circumstances on the golf course require it.
The next thing to look at is the shaft itself. Will we get one made from steel? Or will it be a composite material?
The important thing to look at here is your club head velocity. Any typical Sunday golfer will generate a club speed of 80 to 94 mph. With speeds registering lower than that, you ought to think of using a composite style of shaft on your clubs . With a slower swing speed comes less distance on your drives. Less distance means more shots needed to reach the putting green. Not a good thing if you want to lower your score. And that is where the composite golf club shaft enters the picture. It gives you a lot more distance than you would get with your normal swing and a steel shaft.
For those of you with faster swing speeds, and subsequenlty good distances, steel shafted clubs will give you a lot more control on your shots. This is very similar to the advantages of iron over cast clubs.
Visit your local golf pro shop or look for a store that offers custom work and they will help you to determine your own club head speed and which type of shaft you should use. Or you can buy one of the many swing speed radar devices on the market and clock your speed yourself.
With merely these few starting points, it is usually best if you rent a few different sets of clubs as you play and take note of how each club aids or hinders your game. You are seeking to see your individual strong points or weaknesses. Try the various types and kinds of golf clubs available to you and, in time, you will be able to determine which clubs offer the best advantages for your game.
If you implement these tips and work on them, you will be certain to develop a better drive within a short period of time. Just keep on practicing and working on your improvement. It's only a matter of time before your scores begin to drop.
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Quick Golf IdeasUse Your Body For Power
Every good golfer knows that power comes from the body, not the arms. To learn to power the club with your body instead of your arms and hands, put the club behind the ball at address, with your body in a dead-stop position. Without taking a backswing, try to drag the ball into the air. If you're a player who uses his or her hands to control the club, you'll probably struggle at first. However, you'll quickly find that once you start moving the club with your body, you'll begin to get the ball in the air more consistently. This helps you turn fully through the ball on the downswing.
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Golf Tips magazine
The shove type: The word shove is misleading. An actual shove is illegal. It's only a feel. What gives this shove feel is the stroke is made with a very short backswing and a long followthrough. The advantage of this type of stroke is the shorter the backswing, the less chance of error.
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World Golf
Assuming the texture of the sand is similar, and the ball is not plugged, the technique for hitting out of a greenside bunker remains the same for shots up to 30 yards (27m). The key to making this shot is hitting the sand about 1 to 2 inches behind the ball, throwing the sand forward with the ball. For longer shots the only thing that changes is the swing's length. Rhythm and tempo remain the same.
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PGA Tour
To check to see if the wrists are in the proper position that was mentioned above, swing the club half-way back about hip-level high with the clubshaft in the position horizontal to the ground. If the left wrist is in this flat position the clubface will be parallel to the target line, or the toe of the club will be pointing vertically towards the sky. Half-way through the forward swing with the shaft horizontal to the ground again the clubface should be parallel to your target line or toe facing upwards towards the sky. In these positions the left wrist has remained in the flat position throughout your entire swing which translates into a solid straight shot on line to your target. Finally, remember that any attempt to hit the ball with your hands will force the wrists out of position, and the cause them to break down which results in wayward shots.
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PGA
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