Tips and Guidelines – How to Play Golf

December 17, 2011 by  
Filed under Golf King Blog

While your fellow golfing buddies are open to helping you out, it’s still better to learn golf instruction tips elsewhere. Believe it or not, it can compromise your game more than improve it. Learn more about basic golf instruction tips as you go through this article. Once you start playing, you won’t swing like an obvious rookie.

Balance

The ten-time PGA Tour driving accuracy champion Calvin Peete says that the key to a winning drive is balance. Once you have perfect balance, you’ll be swinging easy and hitting hard– just like the pros. There are different positions to attain that kind of balance. One is to have your weight evenly balanced between your feet with the middle and long irons. You know you’re doing this right if you feel balanced between your heels and toes.

When you’re doing a back swing, you are balanced when about 75% of your weight is on your back foot and the remaining on your front foot. Once you finish your entire swing, 90% of your weight should be on the outside of your front foot already.

Stance

Professional golfers say that you should keep your feet apart further. This gives your body a more solid base. You should also keep in mind that your chin, hips and knees are well aligned as well.

First tee off

One of the really good golf instruction tips is controlling your first swing. While it’s common for people to drive for greater distance, accuracy should be first in line. Most professional golfers practice on accuracy before they start gaining distance. This is the most important of all golf instructions tips there is. If you don’t master controlling your swing, you’ll end up with a very bad ball contact.

It’s recommended to use 80% of your full swing power– or even less. This will give you better control of your shots overtime. It’s important to do this slowly and surely. Once you’ve mastered your controlled swing, you can progress into swinging with everything you’ve got.

Swing tips

Swinging may look easy on TV. But it’s actually the toughest part of learning how to play. The following are some golf instruction tips you can use so you can enrich your swinging.

1.     The Grip- The grip is the foundation of your swing. If you have thick and or short hands, you should use the interlocking grip. The overlapping grip is commonly used by men because they have strong forearms and wrists. If you’re a beginner, start with the baseball grip. But overtime, you need to learn other kinds of grip since this will better your game. 

2.     The backswing- It is important to keep your left arm straight in a backswing. You need to go back as far as you can so the distance will be farther.

3.     The downswing- You need to keep your head in the same exact position during a downswing. You shouldn’t depend on your hands to make a good downswing. This swing highly depends on the angle between the wrist and the golf club. Remember: do not rush the downswing. Take your time and make sure you swing with balance and control.

4.     The follow through- Treat your follow through as guidance to where you want to drive the ball. Keep your head facing the target with your chin over your right shoulder.  Make sure you do not stop at the ball at any given time.

 Choosing the right ball

Another one of many golf instructions tip is to know which ball to use. Some players think it’s because of a bad swing that they didn’t get a shot right. But in some cases, it’s because of the ball that the swing was bad. Here are a few things you need to know about choosing the right golf ball. So the next time around, you won’t have to blame your ball on a bad play.

 

  1. Balata VS 2-piece- Tiger Woods is a low handicap player. This means he aims for the best control and spin possible. He uses a balata which is a softer ball and provides better spin. If you’re a higher handicap player, a 2-piece ball is recommended. This is where you go for more distance and durability. Since it is harder, it will move farther. 
  1. Rainy VS sunny- The weather also accounts for what kind of golf ball to use. If the course is drenched in rain, you should have a ball that spins less but moves farther. If the weather is sunny and the course is dry, a softer ball that spins more is needed. 
  1. One VS many- It’s important to have many golf balls with you whenever you play. The weather can be unpredictable. That’s why it’s best to come prepared. Practice with your golf balls as often as you can so you know how they feel like.

Choosing the right club

It’s crucial to know how to choose the right golf club. This is one of the golf instruction tips that should never be overlooked. When you buy an expensive golf club, it doesn’t follow you’ll have a good game.

The following are some techniques on choosing the right golf club.

  1. Shallow face metalwoods- This is a kind of golf club every golfer likes. Shallow face metalwoods has perfect quality but can be expensive. What makes this different is that it has a low gravity center, making it more accurate. 
  1. Hybrids for beginners- Hybrid golf clubs consist of both iron and wood. This is recommended for novices since they aren’t that heavy and provides good balance. 
  1. Standard length clubs- Whether you’re a pro or a rookie, all golfers are recommended to use standard length clubs. It only is a different story if you’re shorter or taller. Standard length clubs lets players hit the center of the ball which increases distance and accuracy. The disadvantage of using longer clubs is it demands more control. This means your accuracy is less. But the advantage is you’ll have a better distance with longer golf clubs.

Golf instruction tips could come from anywhere. Whether you have a really good golf buddy with you or you are subscribed to golf magazines, it’s vital to keep these golf instruction tips in mind. If you’re aiming to become a golf champion, perfect the basics so you’ll have a better foundation.