March Golf Trip
Get Ready for the Golf Season
Are you tired of the seemingly endless days of a cold, snowy
winter? Have you gotten the golf bug after watching golf on
television with telecasts from Hawaii, California, Arizona and other
wonderfully warm locations? Thankfully, the golf season is fast
approaching and it’s time to get your golf muscles in shape so you
can enjoy the golf season as soon as it begins.
Many golfers enjoyed the unseasonably warm weather late in 2007
and had an opportunity to play some late season golf. For some of
you, it has only been about two months since you last hit a golf
ball. For others, it has been much longer. With even somewhat of a
short layoff from the game, many golfers feel like they are starting
over every spring, almost learning how to play the game of golf
again. Here are some tips on how to get in golfing shape for a great
early season:
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Start walking as much as possible – endurance plays an important
factor in the golf swing, especially if you walk during a round
of golf. Tired legs contribute to poor golf shots, affecting
your timing, distance, and the ability to hit solid shots.
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Swing a golf club as frequently as possible. If you can’t go to
an indoor range or heated outdoor range, swing the golf club
outside in your driveway or yard once the snow melts. Make sure
that you had solid footing so as not to slip while swinging.
Also, be careful not to hit your club on the pavement, a mat of
some sort would be helpful. Swing with long, slow swings,
working on flexibility and tempo. There is no substitute for
using golf muscles to get ready for the season, so swinging is
essential.
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Get to a practice range as soon as you can. You need to see the
ball flight for error correction and to build confidence.
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Don’t forget to practice your short game – chipping and putting.
Remember, most of your shots take place on or near the green so
this is the area that can lower your score the most.
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Don’t procrastinate. Schedule an early season golf lesson. Don’t
wait until your golf game falls apart. Work on building good
fundamentals.
Finally, check your golf clubs for worn or slippery grips. Worn
grips cause you to grip too tightly, leading to a loss of distance
and miss hit golf shots. April Golf Tip
Relax Your Grip to Improve Your Swing
Hopefully, you have replaced your worn or slippery
grips. Worn grips cause golfers to grip too tight, leading to poor
golf shots. A tight grip is the number one mistake golfers make, but
is so simple to correct.
Relax your grip pressure. Setup over the golf ball with a very
relaxed grip, not so loose as to throw the golf club, but not so
tight that there is considerable tension in your fingers, hands,
arms and shoulders. Golfers naturally grip tighter as the golf swing
is under way, so relax your grip while you are in the address
position. This is particularly important on tee shots, the golf shot
that creates the most tension in a golfer.
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Relieving tension in your fingers, hands, arms, and shoulders
creates a longer, smoother, slower backswing. This should add
more distance to your golf shots.
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With a more fluid golf swing, you will have much better tempo –
arms and legs working together. This will not only improve your
distance, but will eliminate miss hits such as topped shots, and
hitting the ground behind the golf ball.
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You will also hit straighter shots with less tension. Your golf
swing will become less of just a shoulder swing. The more you
can use your legs and wrists, the easier it is to hit the golf
balls straight.
Try a relaxed grip. You will be amazed at how much better you will
play when you are able to lengthen your swing, improve your tempo,
use your wrists and legs more, and slow down your golf swing.
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