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A consistent golf swing requires a smooth tempo and good balance. Just as a house needs a solid foundation, so does your golf swing. Practice hitting some shots with your feet close together (about six inches apart). This forces you to maintain better balance, tempo, and rhythm and will prove effective when you go back to hitting from your normal stance.

As published on:
http://www.learnaboutgolf.com/beginner/swing_tips.html

Labels: Swing Improvement

Here's what one golfer had to say about Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix:

PHOENIX, Ariz. - At first, the sign comes off as a joke. Then you think about it for a second and ... well, you're not going to be the one who disobeys it in some unofficial test.

"Enter This Gate And You Will Be Killed," it reads, simply and coldly.

Hey, who wants to turn out like those college kids from a bad horror movie who escape a rollercoaster collision or similar improbable disaster and end up having Death chase after them for 90 full minutes - give or take a preview? Why don't you go ahead and stick a toe in?

"I guess you don't want your golf ball ending up there," my playing partner, Darren Janke, says with a laugh.

The sign threatening death may be the last surprise on the Arizona Biltmore Links Course, but it's hardly the only one. This Bill Johnson design is packed full of drama and a definite theatrical flair. Which is about the last thing most people expect from the Arizona Biltmore Resort - a storied place known for hosting presidents - or the golf club that features old black and white photographs of figures like Teddy Roosevelt on the front of its Web site.

Only Biltmore's Links Course doesn't play that. Instead, it's more like one of those Hollywood starlets that like to get trashed in neighboring Scottsdale's trendy clubs: A little wild. Only it manages to stay classy as it swerves all over the place. Including right near the death sign on 18.

This sign happens to be on the gate of an actual Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house - which means it's worth millions and a lure to architecture geeks (who are about as threatening as bird watchers). Yes, essentially this sign of doom is the world's most ominous "Keep Off The Lawn."

Somehow, it fits right in with Biltmore Links Course. This is a course that goes by many impressive homes. Radio icon Paul Harvey - he of "the rest of the story" - has a huge white house right on the second hole.

Biltmore Links also flaunts much of golf convention. Fairways are tilted at crazy angles here, up on hills, down in washes. Holes take dramatic sharp turns that render the term dogleg flimsily inadequate.

Arizona Biltmore Links - No.15There's one short par 3 where you cannot even see the green from the tee (it's tucked around a bend). There's another where you can see almost all of Phoenix from a high, high perch (No. 15). This is the best view in the whole area and completely different from every other hole on Biltmore Links.

It might sound scatter brained. But it adds up to one rollicking, fun play that's going to stick in your mind long after the day's done.

"I like it because it really makes you think," said Janke, who's the manager at Wright's, Biltmore Resort's recently-redesigned restaurant.

After the thought, you'll usually be grinning. Or shaking your head. Or both. Biltmore Links is a course where you'll find yourself in more uneven stances than a ballerina. You'll have shots with one leg on the side of the hill and the other on level ground, shots where you're trying to land on a green you cannot see.

"We call Links the players course," Biltmore Golf Club General Manager Dick Bates said. "Because you have to be a player to get a good score out there."

Arizona Biltmore Links - FairwaysShows you how much distance can mean. The 6,300-yards on Biltmore Links' scorecard is even 128 yards less than its sister course Adobe plays. But while Adobe's a leisurely green stroll in the park, Links tests you like a high school teacher in love with those dreaded pop quizzes.

You never know what could be waiting around the corner (often a tucked-away green) or what creative trouble a wayward shot can find if it bounces off the often-skinny fairways.

"It's a golf course with a lot of little secrets," Janke said.

Including word on what's happened to those who've tested that sign of death.

Arizona Biltmore Links Course does not carry the coast-to-coast reputation of some of Phoenix-Scottsdale's vaunted resort courses. It's no desert forced-carry beast that's going to scare you from the glossy pages of a golf magazine. It is one of the more enjoyable, quirky courses you'll come across anywhere.

Book a discount tee time at Arizona Biltmore

As published on:
http://www.golfarizona.com/departments/coursereviews/arizona-biltmore-links-6743.htm

Labels: Course Reviews

Overswinging is very common among players striving for more distance.

Mathematically a longer arc should create more clubhead speed. Not so,unless done correctly. Overswinging will definitely throw the clubhead in a very poor planeswing. How far should you take the club back? Only as far as you can turn your shoulders-with balance. If the club goes back farther than the shoulders,the left wrist will break down. This will not only open or close the clubface but will take the pulling action away from the legs,thus allowing the shoulders or hands,or both to take over and dominate the forward swing. This type of motion puts the club in an outside-in plane (Over the top).

How does a player cultivate the proper length of backswing? We are all individuals and our muscle coordination is not the same,therefore it would be foolish to try to force the club to a parallel position at the top of the backswing. Trying to take the clubhead to parallel will not only shorten your distance it will wreck your accuracy as well. So returning to the earlier premise:The club should not go back any further than you can turn your shoulders.

How can golfers learn this? By feel, Keep the left wrist in a flat position in relation to the back of the left forearm and back of left hand. This will allow the wrist to hinge naturally,not break,which will allow the club to go back only as far as the shoulders turn. Practice this drill daily,and before you know it your muscles will get conditioned and trained to stretch further under control to create the arc you desire without overswinging. Going to parallel is not the answer to solid shot making,and power. Distance is the speed of the lower body pulling the speed of the motion of your left arm corresponding together to launch the ball towards the target.

As published on:
http://www.worldgolf.com/protips/tomward/ward10.html

Labels: Swing Improvement

Have you ever consistently hit great long range precision shots at the driving range only to find yourself disappointed with lack luster performance on the fairway? Your falling off in performance is most likely to do with your mental game. With the much less structured environment of the fairway, your brain has many more distractions to contend with. In much the same way as a race car driver recovers from a skid, it is crucial that you withdraw your focus from where you do not want the ball to go, like bunkers and such and focus instead on where you want it to go.


Focus, Focus, Focus - Your brain works to render the dominant image that you hold in your head. If your image is one of not hitting the bunker, the bunker is the most likely outcome you will create. Instead, concentrate on where you intend the ball to go at the exclusion of all else. Choose a narrow feature of your target area like a tree branch or a distinctive patch of grass. Visualize the ball landing exactly where you want it. With intent focus and only thoughts of where you want the ball to go, you will produce your desired result. Focus, focus, focus is your key to ensuring the ball goes precisely according to your intention.

As published on:
http://www.golflink.com/golf-tips

Labels: Golf Psychology

Here are some tips for losing distance:

• Be sure to make a full turn.



• Maintain a relaxed body with light grip.



• Keep left side firm with left knee bent through
  impact.



• Swing through the ball, not at it.



• Keep arms fully extended through impact.

As published on:
http://www.tomsgolftips.com/

Labels: Swing Improvement

Pulling the ball is often caused by rushing the downswing, maybe when you're trying to swing too hard.

Let the lower body lead the downswing in the proper tempo, so that the arms and hands can deliver the clubhead along the right swingpath.

Also, when you don't have enough coil in your backswing, this can produce an out-to-in
swingpath that can result in a pulled shot.

As published on:
http://www.tomsgolftips.com/

Labels: Swing Improvement

If you release your hands too soon, it's a sure bet you're going to lose power! Now some argue that amateurs should release the hands sooner than touring pros, and I agree. But if you're too soon, you run the risk of "casting" the club, which seriously leaks horsepower from your swing. It's also a sign of hitting the ball as opposed to swinging through the ball. An early release is sometimes caused by an overactive right hand (left for southpaws). In this photo, my right hand has taken over, and I'm on the verge of hitting a weak, sweeping duck hook to the left. The face is already square, and you can only imagine how shut it'll be on the ball.Turn the body before you release the hands.


See a trend here? The gist of this article is to get the body turning properly! In the critical nanoseconds before impact, it's imperative that the body continue turning well into the finish. And regarding your wrist cock, if you continue your body turn, I guarantee your hands will release. The force of your rotation, along with gravity, will cause your hands to unfold at the lowest point on your swing arc. It's here, where the arms and wrists extend and maximum clubhead speed is achieved. By the way, it's also where today's modern clubshafts are designed to release, resulting in even more power. As for accuracy, by not manipulating the hands and turning instead, you'll see shots that fly straighter than shots.

As published on:
http://www.golflink.com/golf-tips

Labels: Grip

If you are topping the ball, don't follow your friend's advice and "keep your head down."
Keeping your head down could be contributing to the topped shot. You must keep your knees and head at the same level and your elbows together throughout the swing. To keep your head level you must keep your center (the upper front of your torso) moving in the forward swing, and to keep your center moving through the hitting area and to the finish you must let your head move with the center. Keeping your head down too long stops the center preventing the arms to continue through the shot.


Watch David Duval and Annika Sorenstam on television and you get a perfect picture of what the head should be doing through the hitting area.

As published on:
http://www.golflink.com/golf-tips/tips/stafford004.asp

Labels: Posture

Many students of mine tend to be to hard on themselves on the golf course. Constantly berating yourself is a recipe for disaster.


The dialog that you hold with yourself is critical to your development as a player and as a person.


Self-talk can be encouraging or it can be detrimental, according to how you present it to yourself. Remember: Your mind doesn't have a sense of humor. If you program it to do something and the message is negative, it will respond accordingly.


This is why it's important to monitor your inner dialog; what you say to yourself after a poor shot can be self-destructive.


Even the best players in the world are guilty of this mistake, and if they don't make corrections immediately, the round or tournament is lost.


We've all beaten ourselves up after a bad day on the links, or when things don't go our way. If you watch a tournament on television, periodically you'll see a player bad-mouthing themselves. They might be saying things such as, "I'm the worst golfer in the world," or "Why can't I hit that simple putt? I stink." These statements or other expletives will bring the golfer down.


The key is to change how you talk to yourself while practicing or on the course. I've taught and worked with a number of sports psychologists over the years who gave me some good insight about how to break negative self-talk patterns.


First, you need to be aware of situations when negative thoughts can occur.
Here's a simple method to get you started on the right track: The next time you head out to play a round of golf, put a handful of pennies in your right pants pocket. Not too many to weigh you down, though.


Every time - and I mean every time - you become aware of negative images or internal dialog where you're speaking poorly to yourself, transfer one penny from your right pocket to your left pocket. By learning to monitor your thoughts, you're on the right path to correcting your inner demons.


When you're finished playing, count out the number of pennies that made the journey from one pants pocket to the other. Then write down the total as well ... try to remember what words you used, and what situations prompted them.


Then, start setting some new, clearer goals. In this case, the goal is to attempt to cut down on the number of negative self-talk speeches. Just like you have goals to shoot certain scores, you need to apply this same attitude with correcting this debilitating self-talk.


Once you have been able to calmly re-examine your round and your outbursts of negativity, imagine yourself reacting to those circumstances in a different way and replacing those negative statements with positive thoughts. Learn to laugh with yourself and say, "I can do this shot," and other such positive feedback to reinforce your self-worth.


With each round, make a conscious choice to reduce the negativity and try to remain positive-remember, it's only a game. With some diligent practice and commitment, you're on your way to erasing bad thoughts about your golf game.


Now doesn't that make more cents!

As published on:
http://www.golflink.com/golf-tips

Labels: Golf Psychology