If, like me, you've caught the golf bug, you'll know how frustrating it can be to play what you think is exactly the same shot as you've played before, only to find the ball sailing off at a 90 degree angle from where you aimed it.
This is where some proper advice from a real professional can help. Over the past 3 years I've taken many lessons from my golf coach, and I'm putting down some of the best bits of the advice I've been given in a series of coaching articles. I'll start off with the most important of the lot - keep the ball moving forwards.
My coach told me that the vast majority of amateurs will waste most of their practice and playing time by trying to achieve the perfect swing, grip or stance. What he told me is very few amateurs - and not even that many professionals! - will ever be what could be called textbook golfers. For instance, there are so many elements that make up perfect technique - stance, grip, swing, follow through etc.
But above all this, if you can hit the ball the right way - ie forwards and towards the green - perfect technique is almost irrelevant to how well you'll play the game. My coach demonstrated the truth of this to me.
He took the club back in a swing that would make any amateur blush, even letting go of the club at the top of the swing. However, when he hit the ball, it travelled in the direction he was aiming, not especially quickly, but was definitely on target.
This showed me that the fundamental issue in golf is ensuring that the head of the club meets the ball in the right position to send the ball off in the right direction. Which is where I realised I should concentrate my initial efforts.
Obviously, the more control you have over the backswing and other elements, the more power you'll be able to get into the shot and thus hit the ball further. And your club selection is going to be important here, too, for getting more distance on the ball.
The main lesson I learnt from this, though, was that if you can get the ball heading in the direction you want it to, you're halfway to becoming a good golfer. After all, the aim of the game is to get the ball from the tee into the hole. This is where I concentrated my efforts for quite some time, which has made me a better golfer, and hopefully will help you, too.
This is where some proper advice from a real professional can help. Over the past 3 years I've taken many lessons from my golf coach, and I'm putting down some of the best bits of the advice I've been given in a series of coaching articles. I'll start off with the most important of the lot - keep the ball moving forwards.
My coach told me that the vast majority of amateurs will waste most of their practice and playing time by trying to achieve the perfect swing, grip or stance. What he told me is very few amateurs - and not even that many professionals! - will ever be what could be called textbook golfers. For instance, there are so many elements that make up perfect technique - stance, grip, swing, follow through etc.
But above all this, if you can hit the ball the right way - ie forwards and towards the green - perfect technique is almost irrelevant to how well you'll play the game. My coach demonstrated the truth of this to me.
He took the club back in a swing that would make any amateur blush, even letting go of the club at the top of the swing. However, when he hit the ball, it travelled in the direction he was aiming, not especially quickly, but was definitely on target.
This showed me that the fundamental issue in golf is ensuring that the head of the club meets the ball in the right position to send the ball off in the right direction. Which is where I realised I should concentrate my initial efforts.
Obviously, the more control you have over the backswing and other elements, the more power you'll be able to get into the shot and thus hit the ball further. And your club selection is going to be important here, too, for getting more distance on the ball.
The main lesson I learnt from this, though, was that if you can get the ball heading in the direction you want it to, you're halfway to becoming a good golfer. After all, the aim of the game is to get the ball from the tee into the hole. This is where I concentrated my efforts for quite some time, which has made me a better golfer, and hopefully will help you, too.
About the Author:
Mike Jackson runs an online golf equipment store, where you can buy golf clubs, golf balls, golf gifts, golf bags etc.
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