Infinite Ideas (Firm) - Instant golf: tips and techniques for beginners

Instant golf

Tips and techniques for beginners

Infinite Ideas

Chips with everything

Chipping is often viewed as the less glamorous side of the game. But imagine this scenario. Youre on a monster par 5 hole. You hit a beautiful drive straight down the middle and it rolls for ever. You play a bold 3 wood off the fairway and its straight and true. Youre 40 yards from the pin in two and dreaming of an eagle. You fluff your chip and three putt. Whats the point of the magnificent long shots? So to get consistency with your chipping try this. At the moment of impact ensure your left arm and club shaft are over your left leg and your weights there too. This will give you better shot control and ensure you hit cleanly every time. To control your distance just lengthen or shorten your back swing. If you can learn to consistently chip the ball towards the hole youll give yourself half a chance at making the putt and see your handicap plummet. It may seem dull but practise will make perfect and the beauty of practising your short game is that you can do it in your back garden. So work hard and improve!

Tips for new golfers

If youve just decided to start playing and are planning a visit to the pro shop to stock up on equipment think about your needs before hitting the credit cards. If youll only be playing a handful of times a year simply buy the cheapest set of clubs you can find thatll fit you. Second hand will probably do. If youre going to play regularly and plan to invest in lessons then go to a specialist stockist and take advice. Even if money is no object dont go for the most expensive set just because you can. After all, you wouldnt learn to drive in a Ferrari, would you? Some golf clubs will simply be too sophisticated for you as a beginner. Think about shaft composition and flex, too. Graphite is light and helps swing speed but steel is stronger and cheaper. Women and older players should go for regular or stiff shafts. Younger, stronger men might want regular or stiff shafted clubs but be careful. Lots of pros complain that beginners come to them with clubs whose shafts are just to stiff. Take advice from someone you trust and who isnt on commission!

If the club fits

If youre serious about your golf, you should probably be serious about your equipment. Heres a staggering fact most off the peg mens golf clubs are designed for people who are 5 foot 10 inches in height. Fabulous if youre fortunate enough to be that exact height but assuming youre not, you should consider getting a teaching pro to measure you up properly. Itll only take them 45 minutes to an hour, and you will end up with a set of clubs perfectly designed for your body. Naturally bespoke clubs will cost you more than an off the shelf set, but lets be honest, if youre planning to invest the necessary time into learning this infuriating game properly (and it will take time, trust me) then you may as well invest in kit thats fit for purpose from day one. Correct length clubs will give you a better chance of hitting the ball properly and learning the necessary skills and techniques from day one. So if youre lucky enough to tower over the average 5 foot 10 guy, or alternatively are dwarfed by such a fellow get fitted out properly!

Warming up nicely

Many amateurs make the mistake of simply turning up and teeing off and then wonder why they start off so badly. So plan your round properly and youll benefit accordingly. Your aim is to be relaxed and warmed up by the time you get to the first tee so whenever possible follow this routine. Get to the course as early as you can. Begin on the putting green as this will help you get an idea of the speed of the greens on the course and also warm you up in a low impact manner. For the first five or so minutes putt to a coin or a tee peg from 2040 feet. Why not putt into a hole, I hear you ask? By getting the feel of the green and putting to a small object it will psychologically make the hole seem much bigger when you hit the course. This will build your confidence and half the battle in successful putting is feeling confident. Finish off by hitting 20 or so six inch up hill putts. This again will imprint on your mind the image of the ball going in to the hole consistently.

Warming up nicely 2

After your putting practice stay around the green and spend 10 minutes or so chipping towards a tee or a coin. This will give you an idea of the firmness of the greens and the different kinds of rough youll encounter. Now start your full swing warm up by stretching your arms and legs before going to the practice tee proper. Hit short wedge shots using a short tee for all your shots on the range. This will help you hit the ball crisply, boosting your confidence. After hitting 10 wedges, begin working from your short irons up to the long irons and woods. Make each swing rhythmic and swing with complete balance control. Make your last few full swings with the club you intend to use on the first tee, usually your driver, 3 or 5 wood. Save the last five balls for some smooth, short wedge shots, or make full, slow-motion swings with your driver that only go 50100 yards (known as the Fred Couples drill). This will help you reinforce the controlled rhythm and balance for the course. Time it so youre ready to go to the first tee straight away.

Get a grip 2

Your hands must work together as a single unit when hitting a ball with any power. There are three common and fundamentally sound grips from which to choose. In addition to chosing the right grip a sound grip also requires light pressure. Gripping the club too tightly can lead to weak shots and a tendency to slice whereas a lighter grip enhances wrist hinge a vital power source in the swing. This light pressure also increases the amount of clubface rotation, improving your chance of squaring the club at impact. On a scale from one to ten, where one is light and ten is heavy, aim for a pressure of four or five. This allows the club to be swung with power and control. At address your hands and forearms should be tension-free. Sam Snead reportedly said, Hold the club as if you had a little baby bird in your hand. This pressure, combined with the proper placement of the hands on the handle, will give you your greatest chance to produce longer, straighter shots.

Chips with everything 2

When chipping your aim (fairly obviously) is to get the ball in the air, land it just on the edge of the green and have it roll the rest of the way to the hole. So the main thing that is going to improve your chipping is working on your distance control. You can practice this easily in your garden. Set up a small flat target on your lawn, and practice landing the ball on that target (pretending its the edge of the green). Start from about a metre away. Once you can make five balls in a row land on your target (landing before the target and bouncing on to it doesnt count!) move back half a metre and start again. Be sure to practice this with all of your clubs, not just your wedges the chip shot can be effective with just about any club so undergo this routine with all the irons you usually carry in your bag. When regularly done you should see a huge improvement in your rounds!