9 Golf Tips you Should Ignore on the Course – #5 is so true!
9 Golf Tips you Should Ignore on the Course – #5 is so true!
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The worst golfing partner you can ever have is the wannabe golf instructor. He wants to constantly give you advice on how you can play better golf while at the same time hacking his way around the course. Most top golf instructors will tell you that trying to change your swing on the course will usually result in your golf getting worse, not better. So, to handle these pesky players, just say, “Thanks, I’ll try that on the practice tee tomorrow.”
Thanks to Joel Beall of Golf Digest for these 9 “not to do” tips on the course!
As we’ve noted in this space before, it’s bad enough to give unsolicited advice to a playing partner on a golf course. It’s a different animal of awfulness when that counsel is wrong.
It’s one thing to find your center of balance, but that doesn’t necessarily equate to zero movement from your hips. Quite the opposite, actually. “Ideally, your hips turn away from the target as much as they can,” says instructor Sean Foley. “Here’s a great drill for feeling the proper rotation: Make practice backswings while posting up on your right toe. Your right foot should be set back about two feet from its normal position. This allows the hips to turn freely. If you don’t turn them, it’s difficult to keep your balance at the top.”
The reasoning is sound, but it’s technically “swing at the target.” Which, at times, could be the flag. But amateurs shouldn’t necessarily use the stick as a bull’s-eye. Potential trouble — like water or bunkers — and the slope of the green should dictate your aiming spot. The Masters is a perfect example of this idea, as players aren’t necessarily hunting the flag as trying to avoid trouble.
Don’t misconstrue this as a green-light to go Happy Gilmore. However, many players, if struggling off the tee, will be told by their playing mates to take an easier cut with the big stick. According to Jack Nicklaus, this will lead to further trouble. “Letting up with a driver almost always leads to quitting on the shot or attempting to steer the ball into position,” the Golden Bear once told Golf Digest. “And the results are equally poor.”
Close to 90 percent of golfers battle a slice. To instructor Hank Haney, one of the biggest factors that causes this problem is a weak grip. “Many players use a grip that’s too weak–with the thumbs pointing straight down the handle,” said Haney. “Make your grip stronger, so your hands are turned away from the target and your palms are parallel with each other.” Warning: Don’t go too far on this spectrum, as holding the club too tightly will prevent you from releasing through the shot.
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Tags: bad advice on the course, golf instruction, golfdigest.com, on course golf tips