Golf Lesson Fundamentals

photo credit: preciouskhyattLet’s face it, not everyone can afford golf lessons but if you are fortunate enough to be taking lessons make sure that your instructor is zeroing in on all of the basic swing fundamentals.

When the golfswing is broken down, as it should be, there are two categories:  Preswing and Swing. 

Pre-swing, or address position, consists of:  (1).  Grip  (2).  Posture  (3).  Ball Position  (4).  Alignment of Feet  (5).  Body Alignment  (6).  Aim  (7).  Weight Distribution.

Swing consists of:  (1).  Clubface Angle During Swing  (2).  Left Arm, Shaft and Clubface Angle  (3).  Follow Through.

If these topics are not being addressed write them down and present them to your PGA Professional Instructor or check out www.purepointgolf.com for the best in affordable online instructions.

Golf Lesson Expectations

photo credit: mahalieWhat can you expect from your golf instructor? You should expect patience, understanding, a willingness to help and real devotion to you as a student. Yes, that’s right, your golf instructor should be all of the above and if he or she is not, you need to find one who is.

A good instructor is patient and should display a sincere willingness to help you. Your instructor should understand that you are a student, nothing more. There shoud be a keen interest in making you a better player. If you are taking one hour lessons and your teacher stops at exactly one hour even if you are still trying to work something out, it’s time to get a new one. Oh, one last thing, instructors can’t make you practice, they are not magicians. Need I say more!

Golf Flop Shot

photo credit: foxypar4 If executed properly, a flop shot will save strokes. Use your most lofted club like a 58o or 60o Wedge. Choke down slightly and play the ball towards your left heel. Make sure that at address, your hands remain slightly behind the ball otherwise you will deloft the club.

Your swing should be very upright with a quick hinge of the wrists. Your weight should be evenly distributed and your swing should continue to accelerate through the ball. Do not shift your weight to the front foot on the downswing as this will also deloft the club.

Flop shots are great for flying the ball over trees, traps, water hazards or any obstruction. Practice this important recovery shot for lower scores.

Golf Putting Instructions

photo credit: mandj98 A standard putter usually has a lie angle of seventy-one degrees with 3 degrees of loft, however, most golfers need 69 degrees of lie angle and 5 degrees of loft. It is important to achieve a smooth roll at impact and 5 degrees of loft seems to accomplish this very nicely. A flatter lie angle with more loft also makes the club feel more comfortable when stroking the ball.

Most golfers take the time to get properly fitted with all of their clubs except one, the putter. Guess which club can save you more strokes than any other? A putter that is not correctly fitted can cause overcompensation in your stroke. Matching your putter to your style and stature is amazingly simple and not at all costly and
doing so will shave strokes off your game.

Good Golf Putting

Good putting is determined by one critical factor, speed. No matter
how good your green reading ability is or how perfect your setup,
if your putts do not have the correct speed they will most likely miss
the cup especially if there is any break in the green.

In order to increase your speed sensitivity stand approximately 20 ft.
from the edge of the practice green. Instead of aiming at a cup, aim
at the edge of the green and try to putt so that the ball will stop
as close to the edge as possible. Do this exercise from varying
distances and watch your putting stroke average drop. Improving
your speed sensitivity on the greens is sure to lower your handicap.