Introduction- Ball Positioning Tips
In this mini report, we are going to cover a grab bag of assorted tips to help your game advance. Let's start off with ball positioning....
Where you place the golf ball in your stance should depend upon the type of club you are using.
For example, when making a shot with your driver, you will usually want to play the ball off of your left heel.
When using a fairway wood, move the ball over about 1 inch to the right. When using long irons, the ball should be roughly in the same position, or maybe a little bit behind.
Middle irons typically need the ball placed an inch or so towards the left. And lastly, wedges & short irons should be played from the center point of your stance.
A. The Ball
Beginner golfers should concentrate on the basics and learn to make contact with the ball as cleanly possible. Once you are confidently making contact each time you swing, you can start to experiment by varying the positions of the ball.
This will inevitably change the flight path of the ball. However, this is often necessary when you are playing a "non-traditional" hole.
Let's look at an example: By moving the ball an inch or two to the right for your short iron, you will come into the contact zone at a steeper angle. The result is a lower shot, which is necessary when playing the ball into fierce winds.
If you move the ball to the left side of your position, a higher shot will result which may be required if you are trying to get over a tall bush or tree.
Another way to get a higher shot is to tee the ball up a little higher when preparing to drive. (Teeing the ball lower will, of course, cause the ball to move closer to the ground.)
B. Practice Goes A Long Way
You've heard it before (and in a lot of MY other mini reports too):
Practice makes perfect! This is especially true with regards to ball position. Whenever you are on the practice range, spend time adjusting your tees & making shots to find out what happens when you do so. Significant changes can result from the slightest adjustment of the tee.
Regardless of your current skill level, you should take the time to practice. You never know what type of shot you will face in a game.
Being prepared & well practiced can really help out in a sticky situation & it's the mark of a great player.
Accuracy Tips
Accuracy should be one of the focal points of your game. You can increase your accuracy by keeping these points in mind:
1. No matter where your ball is fixated, you should always aim for a target. Developing accuracy & playing with a strategic mindset means choosing a target. Even if you can't see the hole, pick something to go for.
Choose a small target, such as an object or location on the fairway, & visualize the ball heading in that exact direction. This technique has helped thousands of golfers hit more accurate shots towards their targets.
2. Just because you are teeing off, that doesn't mean that you should use your driver. Yes, the driver will hit the ball the farthest, but it also has the least accuracy of any club in the bag.
What if you are facing a very narrow fairway or perhaps major hazards are located on each side of it? Either way, your driver may not be the best choice. Instead, consider using your woods, preferably a 3 or 5-wood. You could even use an iron when hitting the ball from the tee, if it looked appropriate.
3. Learn to take your ego out of the game when you need to. Always take the safe shot if you are unsure of what to do. Trying to be a "hero" may ruin your score. The goal is to simply keep the ball on the green & finish the job with your putter.
4. Regardless of skill level, most golf players have a "lucky club."
They call it their "go to" club. It is the one club in the bag that they consistently hit the ball well with.
Your lucky club comes in handy whenever you have a very important shot to make. Remember, different clubs are designed to hit the ball in different manners. But most clubs will work for most shots.
For example, imagine you are on a a par-5 hole. But, you need this shot to absolutely go well. What if your lucky club is a 5-wood? Use it! What if the 9-iron is your go to club? Use that! This is more a tip for veteran players, but everyone can benefit from using their lucky club...
3 Basic Tips
Even if you just like to hit a few rounds during your leisure time, you can lower your score by using some basic common sense. Here are some tips to improve your game. These aren't rocket science, but are worth mentioning.
Here they are:
1. No switching balls during a hole. The rules state that you must play with the same ball from the tee to final putt. Wherever the ball lands, that is where you play it from. Get used to following the rules.
2. Carry a scorecard with you. Carrying a scorecard is a great way to track your progress.
3. The best way to keep track of your progress & improve your short game is to keep & compare older scorecards. In other words, if you just hit the course last month, bring along that scorecard the next time you play. You now have an opportunity to look at how you played the hole last time & improve on it.