Bunker Tips By Team Titleist
Bunker Golf Tips by Team Titleist
My name is Anders Mankert from Colsby golf club. Today we’re going to talk about the bunker shots.
First thing we have to establish with the bunker shot is having the right equipment. The bounce of the club is the most important aspect when it comes to choosing a wedge. The bounce of the club is the amount of angle the sole has which forces the club into the sand along the sand then back out again. If you have too little bounce it will dig. If you have too much bounce it will hit the sand and bounce straight back out with a thin result.
If you’re not sure what type of bounce you should have, you should visit your local vokey fitting centre and they would be delighted to advice you on what type of bounce you should have. The correct bounce is your friend and makes these shots very, very simple because it becomes more forgiving.
People who tend to dig a lot on their shots are very steep and take a lot of divots should generally have a higher degree of bounce. And people who are pickers of the ball take it very cleanly can have a lower degree of bounce. But speak to somebody at a local vokey centre and they will tell you which is best for you.
When it comes to playing the bunker shots there are a couple of principles that always apply. Number one we open the club face of the sand wedge. What this does it creates more loft but it also create more bounce which in turn means forgiveness. So when we open that club face it effectively aims the club over to the right. If I play my shot from that my ball will go to the right every time. So to counter that, I position my feet, hips, and shoulders to the same amount to the left of the target. So my feet, hips, and shoulders are aiming left while my club face aims to the right.
When the bounce of the club is utilized properly it makes a popping noise when I hit the sand and it slides through the sand. A great way to get the feel of this is to hold the club with one hand only, the right hand or left hand if you’re a left hander open the face and take a couple of one handed swings. What you’ll find is that when it’s done properly it feels very, very light through the sand. If I haven’t opened the face enough or I’m not using my wrist well enough it will hit the sand and then it tends to dig. This is detrimental to your bunker play. So lest you open that club face first, position your feet, hips and shoulders left of the target and weight forward, the swing is a full, long swing with lots of wrist break and a full follow through.
Alignment Tips by Team Titleist
November 8, 2012 by admin
Filed under Golf Tips, Guest Articles
I’m Anders Mankert from Colsby golf club. And one of the things I’ve noticed about the amateur golfer that differentiates from the professional golfer is how little care they often take with their alignment.
The alignment is absolutely critical in a golf game because the problems that happen in the alignment are then manifested in the golf swing. If you have a problem with the alignment there has to be a problem with the golf swing to compensate. So if we can sort that out in an early stage we’ll be on our way to better golf.
Now a good exercise I found to get the alignment absolutely perfect is to pick an intermediate target between yourself and target itself. Pick something in between. On this occasion I’ll put a tee peg here. But off the teeing area you could always pick a tee peg or a divot that is in your line to line your ball up with. For instance we could tee our ball up here to aim across this to get to our target.
The first thing we do once we’ve picked our intermediate target is that we set our club face up square to that similar to lining up a putt really. So once the club face is aligned to these two tee pegs I’ve got here then I set my feet square to the club face. Now I know I’m already pretty much on line but the last thing and the most important thing that I see amateurs doing wrong is that they tend to look up like this to find the target. A top player never do that. A top player would always turn their head like this. The right eye is going down as the left eye is going up.
Club golfers tend to be too absorbed with the target and they can end up way off line without realizing it. A top player would always turn their head like this to see where they’re aiming.
Remember a top player is looking up to see where he’s pointing. A club golfer generally look up to see where the target is. It’s a big difference. If you can turn your head like this you’ll be on your way to better golf.
The Takeaway By Team Titleist
My name is Anders Mankert from Colsby golf club. Today we’re going to talk about the importance of the takeaway in a golf swing. Most faults in a golf swing occur very early in the takeaway particularly. Then another fault creeps into trying to correct for it.
I’m going to show today how we do a proper and perfect takeaway to stop those corrections from creeping in.There are two aspects of the takeaway we’re going to discuss.
Number one is the line of it. Now this yellow shaft on the ground illustrates the target line to my potential target. As I take the club away using my hands, arms, and shoulders the sweet spot of my golf club follows this yellow line. Back, back, back to here. And at this stage my club shaft is directly over the shaft that is on the line of my toes. The reason it is so important is because it makes life easier to get the club back to where it came from which is square and hitting down the line.
If we have a club that was vertical the obvious path or plane would be straight back and straight through because it is the easiest way to deliver it back. The same applies here. So if we can take the club back pointing on that yellow shaft all the way back here, at this stage my shaft is over the shaft on the ground, which makes it easier to bring it back to square.
The second aspect but equally as important is the club face. If we take the club face back in the right way, at this point, the toe of the club is pointing straight up in the air. The way that we will check and make sure that it is correct is to hold it there, turn towards it and put it back down. As you can see I’m back down exactly as I started. If I have a problem here and I’ve taken the club back like this, as you can see if I held it turn towards it and put it back down, my club face is now very open and it’s easy to identify.
The important thing is that the wrist are cocking and not rolling. If they roll the club goes inside and very open. It nearly always leads to this down in the downswing which is a slice.
So to recap the sweet spot follows the yellow shaft back and at this point the toe of the club is straight up in the air and from there you have a great opportunity to swing straight down the line and play some good golf.
Swing Tip From Ernie Els
At the moment I’m thinking about getting out of the ball in an athletic position. You know I feel like my hips are very still over the ball. Feel strong over the ball. And then you know just get the back swing nicely.
If you look here, if you address it here you almost form a little triangle here. I want to move the triangle back. When you start cocking your wrist. You start seeing a little box effect. You got a little box there. I want to finish at the top of the swing, keep the box, and then when I make the transition I want to keep that same angle. I don’t want it to straighten or get too close to me. I get to the box at the top and then keep that angle into the shot. That keeps me connected with my upper. And just give it a left.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzIRQXMMIG4&feature=autoplay&list=UUDifOmdDEDNZkV0eZl2soQg&playnext=1
So I get over the ball nice and comfortable in neutral position. Easy back keep the box and off you go. When we keep that angle, when we always top of it keeping this fine angle, it’s when we keep this angle you stay in the shot longer. Coz when you straighten this that’s when you get out of the shot. Got to keep that angle and that keeps you in the shot.
All the great players like Hogan, Niicklaus, Tiger, they’re all in the shot. And I think with the angle it helps you
Putting Tip with Oliver Wilson Golf Professional
One of my favourite putting drills to do is basically to work on getting the arms, the hands, and body all working together using your bigger muscles to get the putter in alignment loft on it.
What I like to do get my normal posture, grip the club, and then take the right hand off and I’m gonna hover the hand about 2 inches behind the shaft and I’m gonna try to keep that same distance throughout the stroke. This will show difference in the consistency between the body and arms.
If you can practice this and get to the stage where they’re both working together and then keeping the distance all the way through to the end of the stroke. You’ll end the game really good putter
A couple of inches back. The key is to finish with both exactly the same distance between the shaft and the hand right here. That means you get through where the putter is overtaking the hand.
That’s my putting tip for today.
Seniors Golf Tip
If you have very little time to warm up put two clubs together to make a heavier club and make 10 to 15 practice swings with the heavier club.
This will help get you loose when you are rushing to get to the 1st tee.
Ideally get to the club early and stretch like mad but try the above as it is better than nothing and may well stop you from pulling any muscles.
Hookers Do Play Golf
My Golfing Life As A Hooker!
Here is a warning to all wannabe golfer’s, if you start in this sad way, and do nothing to stop, then a life of pain and anguish awaits you.
All my life as a golfer I was a hooker.
How it happened i do not know.
I never wanted to be one it just happened.
Hooking when It started, was not every shot. It’s just sort of creeps up on you, gradually over days, weeks or even months and progressively worsens, until almost every shot is calling a TAXI left. And I do not mean just a little to the left i mean boomerang benders.
It got so bad I spent more time in the trees, searching for lost balls that my friends thought I was gardening.
Then came the dreaded day. I remember it so clearly that it was almost as if it happened yesterday. I ran out of golf balls during a round. Was soooo embarrassing.
I needed professional help.
After walking off in the afternoon, I went straight to the clubhouse and talked about the pros. When talking to the Pros, they admitted that they had heard of my problem. It seems that some of my so-called friends had talked to them, to find out if it is contagious.
There is a cure. And it is really easy. Senior Golfers Just read on:
The problem:
Hitting the ball with a closed clubface, which results in the ball going dramatically) to the left.
The first thing you should do is check your grip.
If the grip is good, and still Hooking, try to weaken the grip gradually moving both hands to the left.
Check your alignment to make sure that the feet, knees, hips and shoulders are all parallel to the target.
Another reason may be the position of the ball. If it is too far back, it may produce an excessive in to out swing path.
Try grabbing the club more in the palm of your hand, not fingers, to reduce wrist action and the premature closing of the clubface.
Make sure that the left wrist is not too loose. If so, the right wrist will control the clubface close it too early.
Make sure that the action begins in the legs and body. This will stop the wrists unhinging and closing the clubface too soon.
There, you see. I said that it can be cured. Although perhaps not completely cured. Even now many years later, sometimes it happens.
But the main difference is that now, as I’m walking toward the woods to search for that wayward shot, I’M SMILING - because I know it is not my ball im looking for.
Why Tiger Woods’ Golf Swing Technique is so Effective and Senior Golfers can follow
As he starts the swing, his level of fitness and muscle strength enables him to build up club head speed by turning his trunk and rotating quickly pushing the right leg forward. There is a minimum of energy waste as he maintains his posture over the golf ball.
Driving through, Woods uses the hips, shoulders and wrists to create a high initial ball speed. Research has shown that a couple of feet off the tee, the ball is usually traveling about 180 miles per hour. The average tour pro usually only manage 160 miles per hour.
Tiger’s golf swing technique can not be achieved on the basis of someone who is not physically fit or somebody who does not work out regularly. In fact, the achievement of an effective golf swing technique these days it is necessary to condition the muscles,
Gone are the days when golf was viewed as a leisure sport where players would move around in an electric golf cart to avoid breaking sweat.
This does not mean that a good golf swing technique calls for rigorous exercise of power training, and stretching. In fact, the most critical golf-specific exercises involve stretches and core strength training combined. There is also light weight lifting to build strength not the muscle.
Obviously golf-specific exercises are the only way to develop a good golf swing technique.
Do Not Think Too Much Just Hit It Don’t Let Slow Play Spoil Your Game
This is a good idea, hire a professional and make sure that he is a great player and teacher as well. If they just stand there and watch you without actually showing you the swing that can get you out of the sand trap, or hit the Fade or the proper way to putt then what are you paying for. The best teachers will try to understand what you can do first, and then adjust the advice to suit your needs.
If you’re ready to play, it’s important not to think too much before taking your shot. I have played with people who have taken so long over the ball trying to remember everything the pro taught them, you wonder how you ever got through 18 holes. It is impossible to think of a dozen things while thinking about the grip, where your feet are, where the ball is, keep an eye on the ball, keep your head straight, and so on.
My advice is see the shot first feel the shot and then do it. (pull the trigger)
As you’re learning the game there are certain principles which must be respected.
Here are two basic tips to help you improve your personal game.
An important foundation you need, no matter what shot you make, no matter what club you’re using is balance. You must be balanced when you swing the club..
And do not forget, of course; always keep an eye on the ball. Make sure that the stance allows you to see the ball at every point of the stroke.
Take your time and develop methods that work best for you. Unless you’re playing golf for a living, you have all the time in the world to get it right.
Like everything else in life, golf, takes time and practice and, if you take your time, and try to do everything as natural as possible, you will quickly get the first birdie and before you know it you will break 80 regularly.
