Golf

Fade

The ball moves from left to right. It, like the draw is much more subtle than it's counterpart, the slice.

Draw

The ball moves right to left. It starts out right of the target, then moves back towards the target. It is much more subtle than a hook.

Chipping

The stroke used when just barely off the green. It is in between pitching and putting. It is a similar technique as putting (no pivot), but instead you most likely use one of these clubs: sand iron, ten iron, wedge, nine, eight, or seven iron.

Driver

This is the club you normally tee off with, meaning that the ball may be placed on a tee. It is considered a wood. It is the longest club in the bag, and it has the least

Eagle

Two under par

The mechanics of putting

• Posture is generally the same as in a full swing: Back straight, bending at the hips, your knees may flex a little more than in the full swing if you like. • Stance can vary from shoulder width to feet almost being together. There is a lot of flexibility here. • A neutral grip is preferred. But a grip is very individual in putting. There isn't one particular grip that's best. • Your arms and shoulders form a triangle. Whether your arms are straight or bent doesn't matter. What's important is that you maintain the way you're holding your arms throughout the stroke. So if they're straight, keep them straight; if they're bent, keep them bent. Don't change the angle of your arms during the putt. • Ball position: There isn't one prescribed ball position, but most of the better players have a ball position that is toward the instep of the left foot. • Eyes directly over the ball.

During the stroke

• Putting is a pendulum motion. Only the shoulders and the arms move. The hips and legs stay still. • Your wrists don't cock or hinge. Remember, they're only clamps holding the club! • There isn't any weight shift in putting. • Eyes are looking at the ball, not tracking the putter. If your eyes are on the ball, you'll see an after image of the ball after you hit it. If you're tracking the putter, you won't. • Learn to have real confidence in your putting by practicing, even in your living room. It's fun and rewarding!

The head

A lot of golf instructors say, "Don't move your head!" What they're trying to communicate is, "Don't come out of your posture by raising your head and shoulders during the back swing." Since that's an awful lot to say, many people just say, "Don't move your head." The concept is good, it just doesn't completely explain the issue. As a result, people often develop other problems because they're trying to make sure they don't move their head. The head does move, and has to in order for you to shift your weight. Power comes from thrust. Thrust is shifting your weight from your right side to your left side. Therefore, your body has to move. If your body is going to move, your head has to move also. The average pro's head moves approximately two inches to the right to get to the top of the backswing. Then at the start of the forward swing, it moves an additional inch to the right. It then moves three inches down, and eleven inches forward through the forward swing. Many people develop a problem in swing because they're trying to keep their head from moving. As a result, they cripple their swing because they don't release their hips through impact. In trying to keep their head down, they don't look up after impact. Then their hips can't rotate forward because of the placement of their head.

Pivot part 1

From Address to the Top At address, the left arm is straight, the right arm is slightly bent, the elbows are close together. You don't want your elbows to look like they are bowlegged. You want the elbows to be turned in. At the top of the back swing, the left arm will be as extended as possible. The right elbow will be bent in and pointing down at the ground. Similar to a waiter's arm when he carries a tray. The arms will go back as far as the tilting of your shoulders will allow. It is different for every person depending on the size of their chest and the length of their arms. Down Swing - Maximum Club Head Velocity At the top of the back swing, the club and your left arm are at a 90 degree angle. In order to reach your maximum club head velocity, you need to maintain that angle as deep into your down swing as possible. The way you do so is to start the down swing with your hips, not your hands and arms. When your hips are pulling, your left arm is the primary lever, and the club is the secondary lever. The centrifugal force caused by your hips will then pull your arm, which in turn pulls the club. The angle between your arm and the club will actually get tighter at the beginning of the down swing because of the weight of the club head and the changing of the direction. The law of the lever states that the club will move as far and as fast as it has to in order to catch up with your left arm. The club is moving fastest when it does catch up with your left arm. This happens at impact. The club is automatically released as a result of the combination of the angle your arm retains and the power caused by centrifugal force. You don't have to force the club to release, or catch up with your arm, the motion your body is making forces it to do so. From Impact to Finish At impact, the left arm is straight, and the right arm is almost straight. The hands are slightly in front of the ball. Both arms stay straight about one-quarter of the way up in the forward swing. Then the left arm starts to imitate what the right arm did in the back swing. It will start to hinge, and the right arm will hinge with it.

The grip

Grip is how you hold the club. Your hands should be fixed on the club; they don't move. Their only job is to hold on, like clamps. They don't manipulate it by snapping the wrist or forcing the club. We'll discuss the hand and arm relationship more later. There are three conventional grips, in order of preference: • The overlap, called the single overlap: The pinkie of your right hand overlaps the index finger of your left hand. • Interlock: The pinkie of your right hand and the index finger of your left hand intertwine (interlock), or wrap around each other. • Ten finger, commonly known as the baseball grip: All eight, actually ten, fingers touch the grip of the club; they don't overlap or interlock. Any of these grips are fine as long as you also meet these basic guidelines: • The grip is neutral, so the backs of both hands oppose each other, and the palms are facing each other. • The club is held in your fingers, the middle digits of the fingers, and not the palms. • The butt end of the club is held down by the palm of the left hand. • The thumb of the left hand is extended right down the center of the shaft. • When you close down with your right hand, the "V" formed by your thumb and index finger points towards your right shoulder, or somewhere between your chin and your right shoulder. • Grip pressure needs to be medium. So on a scale of one to ten, ten being a death grip on the club, and one very loose, you want between a four and a seven. Your wrists, however, need to be relaxed. A grip that's too strong is when the hands are turned to the right too much. If the hands are turned to the left too much, the grip's too weak. Crossing yourself up is when your right hand is turned to the left too much, and your left hand is turned to the right too much - - that's death. If you develop blisters, it's probably not because you're holding the club too tightly or too loosely, but because you have a problem with the quality of your grip. The grip is something you should evaluate right off the bat. Make sure you have a proper grip, and then check it every time you set up to the ball.

Pivot part 2

In the back swing, think of your back. It connects your hips, torso, and shoulders. It allows you to make a one-piece motion when you shift your weight, and tilt your shoulders to get to the top of your back swing. Your back has the large muscles that allow you to raise the club with minimal force from your arms, which have smaller muscles. Pivot and weight shift happen and work together. In one motion, you need to: • Shift your weight with your hips and back directly over your right hip and foot, not beyond them. This is a slight lateral motion from left to right. If your hips or head go anywhere outside your right foot, it's considered a sway, and it wasn't a slight motion, you went too far. • Tilt your back (which is still flat), so that the right shoulder points up and the left shoulder points down. Your flat back will actually now be behind the ball. • Don't come out of your posture by raising your head when you move into your back swing. Your head moves horizontally as your shoulders are tilting. • Your hips and back move together. Rotate your left hip down, forward, and to the right, so that it moves with your back. • Don't over rotate your hips, or twist them too much. If you don't force it, it's likely to come naturally. If you keep your back flat, when you tilt your shoulders, your hips and shoulders will move together. All these things need to happen at the same time. They really can't be separated because they work together. I've listed them here separately for sake of clarity. That's the back swing, now on to the forward swing.

Birdie

One stroke less than par

Posture

Posture is how you set up to the ball. Everything is built on this foundation. If you have a problem here, it'll show up later in your swing, possibly disguised as something else. This, like your grip, is one of the first things you think about when you set up to the ball. Stance: Feet should be shoulder width, both feet slightly flared, toes pointing out about five to ten degrees. Knee flex: Minimal knee flex. If you lock your legs and then unlock and slightly bend them, that's all the flex you need. Bending from the hips: It's important to bend over from the hip sockets, don't slouch from the shoulders. Back: Your back remains straight, then bend with that straight back from your hips. Proper posture allows you to make the golf swing and protect your back. Hands and Arms: Your hands and arms should hang directly below the shoulders. To check the location of your hands and arms, set up to the ball as described above. Then let your left arm hang loose. See where the hand is, that's where you should be holding the club. Posture isn't negotiable. It's a requirement to being able to make a good swing. Without it, you'll never be able to move on and progress. It's basic from a physical stand point, protecting your back, and from a motion stand point, being able to make a good swing. Nothing good can come from poor posture. Good posture protects the back and puts the body in the right position to make a good swing.

Forward swing

• Your hips start the forward swing. Your left hip shifts all your weight directly over your left foot. This produces a whip-like effect, where your hips are pulling your shoulders, which pull your arms, and finally the club. As a result, the club head is moving much more rapidly than your hips, arms, or hands. • Your shoulders follow your hips, and your arms follow your shoulders. Follow means they come behind. Never push with your hands or arms. The arms must come behind the hips and shoulders to reach their maximum velocity. Maximum club head velocity is good, very good. Because this is where you get distance. • At impact your back and legs look like a letter "K." The left side of your body is straight, and the right side is angled in. • After impact, your hips will continue to rotate toward the target, your shoulders and arms will follow. About 95 percent of your weight will be on the left side of your body now. Your hips, belly button, shoulders, and eyes are facing the target.