Keep Your Eye on the Ball !!!

You hear this mantra in every sport - keep your
eye on the ball!

It's a perfect chant for the golf player at every
turn. If you can't see the ball clearly, your chances
of hitting it are slim to none!

When you look at the ball, you want to keep your
eyes on one spot. Don't look at your club to see
if it's squared to the ball. Don't let your eye
follow the club as you draw it away

Just focus on the ball - nothing else.

Also, when you look at the ball, try to get a bird's
eye view of it. Your eyes are about a foot above the
pivotal center so raising your shoulders isn't going
to help you see the ball better.

Don't gaze at the ball along the line of the shaft
of your club.

Look down on the ball rather than get your angles
along the shaft.

This will give you much better results and you won't
have a tendency to look up too soon.

Now, there's a natural tendency in everyone to look
away when you start to draw the club back. Ignore that
tendency and just keep looking down on top of the ball.

When you're looking down you'll notice that (if you're
leaning over properly) the only way you can keep the
club head in the line of flight is to keep your hands
moving along parallel with that line.

Sweep your hands along with the club head while the
ball and head are in contact.

Mastering the skill of seeing the ball clearly until
you hit it is true of every kind of shot. Whether the
ball is in long grass, on an up or down slope, no matter
what's around you -the main thing is to see the ball
clearly to hit it accurately.

Very few golfers stand still when looking at the ball
and concentrate their attention on seeing the ball
clearly.

A lot of the times people will give a glance in the
direction they want the ball to go, then they look
back at the ball.

Many golfers would be shocked to find out that they
don't stand still and keep their eye on the ball. The
second your gaze shifts from the ball during any part
of the swing, problems occur.

Really, a lack of concentration is responsible for
most golfing mistakes. You can hit the ball well when
you can clearly see the ball at every point in your
swing from start to finish.

If you want to wipe out one of the worst golf faults,
determine that from the top of your swing until you hit
the ball you will keep your eye clearly on the ball.

You'll find your golf game improving so significantly
- your friends may start asking you for lessons!

15 Hot Golf Tips

1. Always always warm up by hitting some balls on the range
before you start. Don't go through the usually-taught routine
of starting with your wedges and working your way up to the
driver.

That's practicing.

Just do some stretches and get a swing weight or use 2 clubs
together to get your muscles going. Then, hit shots on the
range like you will be playing on the course.

Pretend you just got to the course with no time for warmup and
have to go straight to the first tee. Get rid of those first
few bad holes before you get to the first tee.

Start right off with the club you will use off the first tee,
probably driver. Hit your next shot based on how well you hit
your first shot and what the hole demands.

SIMULATE ACTUAL PLAYING CONDITIONS on the range.

This is what you would do if you showed up late right?

And it takes a few holes before you get to scoring well right?

Doing the old standard warmup routine of hitting 5 shots of
each club is nothing like you will be doing on the course.
But this will mentally prepare you to play!

2. Understand that you CAN hit the ball well while nervous.
Those first tee jitters happen to even the best pros. Use
some loosening movements, like shoulder shrugs, and then just
tell yourself that you are going to accept your nervousness
and still hit the ball well.

Tommy Bolt said: "stomach butterflies are ok as long as they
are flying in formation".

3. From here on out, you are done berating yourself for bad
shots. If you were playing a best ball or scramble with partners,
and they hit a bad shot, would you tell them: "that shot was
sorry, boy you stink at this game"?

NO you wouldn't because you know it would only hurt their
confidence and their game and you need them to play well.

So why in the world do we do that to ourselves when the same
results come from talking bad to ourself?

4. Did you ever notice that you play better when you are on
vacation? Or right after hearing some good news?

This isn't a coincidence and you can put yourself back in that
place at any time and get the same benefit. Just spend some
moments during the round remembering some great events in your
life.

Force yourself to smile more often. You cannot have negative
thoughts while honestly smiling.

5. Spend some time learning the rules! I guarantee you that
you have left strokes out on the course because you didn't know
about a rule that would have helped you. I'll be passing some
good ideas for you in future emails about this.

6. Forget your score. Don't even look at the scorecard. Have a
partner do all the scoring from now on unless of course you are
in a tournament and you need to know for strategic reasons.

But even then, you can turn that over to your caddy. All you're
going to think about from now on is THIS NEXT SHOT!

7. Control anger and frustration. Turn it into FOCUSED ENERGY!
Sam Snead talked of playing "Cool Mad". When something gets to
you at work, you usually can't cuss and yell and so you are able
to control it at work.

Use that same skill you developed there on the course. Playing
angry is like adding a stroke to every hole, and I know you've
experienced that!

8. Whenever you are waiting to tee up, you should be chipping.
It's perfectly within the rules. Chip to specific distances you
have paced off. Pay attention to the lie you have and the reaction
off the club for that lie.

Get your 10 yard chip down COLD because you will use it this
round and it WILL save you strokes.

9. Whenever nobody is behind you and you finish up a green, you
should be putting a few more times to get the feel, speed and
read of the greens of that round. Again, within the rules.

10. Drink more water! Yep, there is no easier way to reduce your
score on any given round. Lack of water will simply make you
tired and lethargic. You will lose focus.

One moment of low concentration can equal one bad swing that can
easily turn into a double, triple or worse bogey.

11. When in doubt, use more club. If you feel you are in between
clubs, take the higher one and grip down a half inch. Keep the
same swing and tempo, don't slow the swing down to adjust.

12. From here on out, once you decide on a club or a specific shot.
Don't look back. Commit to it. Confidence is far more important
according to all the golf psychologists than making the "correct choice."

Brad Faxon said: "It's more important to be decisive than correct.

As far as I'm concerned if you're decisive, you are correct.

The closer to the hole, the more valuable that philosophy becomes"

13. Change your mindset from "How many pars and birdies can I make
today" to: "I will have zero balloon score holes today".

I know you've done this. You finish a round, go to the 19th hole,
tally up your score and then kid yourself by saying "I played pretty
well today except for that triple on #8 and double on #17".

I hate to tell you this, but, those holes count too. When playing
for zero balloon scores, you will be playing a lot smarter. More
on this coming emails.

14. Forget that old school teaching that says you have to "identify
your weaknesses." You know darn well what holds you back in your
game. Start focusing this round, for every shot on what you do well.

ON WHAT WENT RIGHT! Build a storage of good things you are capable
of to come back to time and time again. When you do something bad,
quickly analyze it for what can be learned AND THEN FORGET IT! FOREVER!

15. For putting, you can solve most of your problems with this one
tip: Always hold your finish. Hold your putter in the air, pointing
at the target after you stroke the ball.If you do this, it is necessary
that you had to have had a smooth, controlled stroke and didn't jab at it.

This is big and it works for every putting style. Do it!

How to Develop a Fluid Golf Swing

Every golf player knows it from experience.
Tensing up during play courts disaster.

Your golf swing should be easy and fluid.
But just how do you develop that kind of
free swing?

The real pivotal center of the stroke isn't
the hands wrist or head. It's the point
exactly between the two shoulders.

All of the muscles of the body are below that
pivotal center in action and putting energy in
propelling the club forward.

Now let's address the muscles that are controlling
the head. If you keep your head still, you can
preserve the pivotal center constant in relation
to the ball.

Balance is paramount and if your arms are straight,
the elbows are bent and you hit the ball at the toe
of the club instead of the center of the face, this
will give you the correct distance.

When you come back to the ball, there's more power
transferred to the arms by the shoulders and back
when the arms are extended than when they are bent.

So you have more narrowly a fixed guide for guiding
the club and the club shaft when the club shaft and
the left arm are in line.

When making the swing most players spend too much
time on their address thinking about this angle and
that angle.

What results is they move their heads and stiffen
their muscles. Where's the freedom in this swing?

You will be a better golf player the second you
find the muscles getting tense at any point in the
stroke find a way to loosen up because the tension
will destroy your accuracy and reduce the power of
your swing.

It's an advantage to you to keep your arms well in
toward the body, because it's easier to control the
amount of play you will allow the arms in the downward
stroke if you'recoming down inside the ball than if
you're going beyond it.

So you'll only have to yield a little to reach the
ball. But if you're going beyond the ball you have
to overcome the centrifugal force) (force which tends
to pull the club outward) when pulling in the hands.

So it's a good idea to keep your arms in toward the body.

Let the centrifugal force carry your club out in the
downward swing until it reaches the ball. Then you can
put all your energy in to propelling the club. You won't
need much effort to guide it.

Also, make sure that you don't reach for the ball in
the address because that will stiffen your muscles.

Beginners usually swing too short. Because the amount
of centrifugal force is so great, the beginner will
involuntarily pull in his hands because he's scared
he'll go beyond the ball.

If your hands and arms were in motion in the address it
would be necessary to have them reaching for the ball.

But since they're still, the idea should be to obtain
the easiest and most comfortable position so that as
the player reaches the top of his swing his muscles
won't be tired from holding a set position.

The angles at which you address the ball have little
influence. It's the way you take your gauge at the top
of the swing that counts.


This will give you firmer control of the club with your
left arm or guiding arm than if your left arm was bent.

If you practice these tips, your swing should become
more fluid and free. Above all, relax. Breathe deeply.
Approaching the game with a fun spirit encourages freedom
of movement!

Stop the Yanks! Slow and Easy Does IT

You're in the tee box staring down a 450 yard par 5. You need a
good long drive here. So you take a couple easy practice swings
with your driver... line up your shot... take the club back...
then -- somewhere in the back of your mind -- a little voice
whispers to unload with everything you have.

And that's where the problem lies.

You should NOT be thinking about "unloading" anything at the
top of your swing. This leads to one of the biggest
power-robbers ever conceived by man or beast -- the dreaded
"yank" from the top. It activates your left shoulder, arms and
hands (ALL of which should remain loose and tension free) and
promotes a poor pivot (because your brain thinks your power is
coming from the "yank" -- which is doesn't. It comes from the
PIVOT).

The classic "yank" also results in your arms and hands coming
"over-the-top", pulling the club off-plane, and eratic shots
that spray the course like buck shot.

Okay... so here's the big tip of the day.

You must think "slower" and allow your pivot to take over your
swing. Let the club accelerate near the ball instead of
"blowing your wad" at the top. Think to yourself "I'm just
gonna hit a nice easy shot about 180 yards". Do that and "whap"
-- suddenly your shots are longer, straighter, and a heck of a
lot more consistent.

Don't worry about how long you need to hit it, or "hitting it
hard", or getting the club to the ball quickly, or anything
like that. This is what prompts your brain into activating the
"yank".

Instead be patient and concentrate on keeping your left
shoulder, your arms and wrists loose and limber.

Do this and you'll instantly have a slower, smoother,
effortless looking power swing (your buddies will swear
you're just coasting).

If it feels fast, it's not. If it feels slow and easy, it's
fast. How's that for irony.

Drive for Show aned Putt for Dough

Practice makes perfect, and the more you practice
your putting, the better you should become at it.

The other saying that rings true is, "Drive for show
and putt for dough".

You may get the ego boost of being a long hitter,
but at the end of the day, it's those eighteen greens
that you putt on that will have a bigger impact on
your scorecard than those ten tee boxes that you
were able to launch monster drives from.

The key to becoming a better putter is developing
a consistent putting stroke that you can rely on
every time you reach the green.

Putting is one of the few shots in golf that should
not change significantly based on distance and ball
lie.

The best part about practicing your putting is that
it can be done virtually anywhere, whether it be
on the course, on a practice putting green, on a
practice turf mat, or even on the carpet.

Though the surfaces you practice on may be different,
and may cause the ball to roll differently, there is
no replacement for the muscle memory that your body
will gain with each practice stroke.

If you watch the pros putt, you will notice that they
are perfectly still over the ball, and their heads
do not move.

A good drill to help you keep still is to lean your
head against a wall while you take some putting strokes.

You should be able to feel your forehead move against
the wall if you are not perfectly still.

This perpendicular alignment to the wall should also
show you if you are taking the putter head on a
straight line back and forth.

Playing a game called "golf ball bocce" is another
good practice drill, and one you can play at home.

To play the game, take out about five or six golf balls,
including a colored ball.

Putt the colored ball a distance away from you, and then
try to hit the colored ball with the other white balls.

This is a good drill to gauge speed and distance on
flat surfaces, but it gets really fun on practice
greens that have undulations that will force you
to read the break of the green.

Another good drill is called "around the world, and it
should be played on a practice green.

Take four golf balls and place them at equal distances
around the hole (start at three feet away).

Putt around the hole from the same distance until you
can sink all four balls from the various points
surrounding the hole.

Good luck on the greens!

Forward Press for a Smoooth Transition

WHAT IS A FORWARD PRESS?

The forward press is simply a device that gets us from the
passive into the active stage smoothly, without a jerk.

Standing in a stationary position, even for a few seconds,
is tiring.


THE TRUTH IS ....

We don't pass easily from a stationary position into
a big move.

The trick in golf is to go from the stationary position of
address to the big movement of the backswing without a
jerky effort.


UNDERSTANDING THE FORWARD PRESS

The forward press provides this transition. It is the little
move that leads into the big one.

It can be done in several ways, with the right knee, with
the hips, with the hands, with a turn of the hips.


THE LATERAL MOVEMENT OF THE HIPS

We want a lateral movement of the hips, no turn. It is a
slight pushing of the hips to the left, laterally, about an
inch or two.

This press is in the opposite direction from the big move.

But as the hips come back from their little pushing motion,
they keep right on sliding and go into a lateral turning
motion to the right--the beginning of the backswing--and
we are off.

This makes for the smoothest transition of all.

"Soften" Your Swing

Most high-handicappers have a few things in common:

1. A white-knuckled strangulation grip on the club during
address...
2. Gnashing teeth while simultaneously holding the breath on
backswing (a great skill to have while snorkling, but not so
much golf)...
3. A sudden and severe tightening of the all muscles during the
downswing and impact...

Okay... the solution is to (as the pros say) "soften" your
swing.

Watch any world class sprinter. What's he doing just before the
race? He's loosening his muscles, isn't he?

You have to do the same in the golf swing. It's a chain
reaction that starts from the ground, then moves through the
pivot into your arms, down the club shaft into the golf ball.

The idea is to STORE power until the exact right moment. Let
the "chain reaction" work it's magic (don't rush it for pete's
sake), and keep your muscles soft so that power can be
delivered to straight into the ball.

Pow! It'll feel effortless too.

In the end, I'm not just talking about loosening your grip
pressure, but releasing the tension in your shoulder area and
neck. Yes... you need a structured swing but not all the
tension.

So here's what you should do before you drive the ball:

1. Do a quick body scan... notice where you're holding your
tension...
2. Take three deep breaths (but please, not so deep that you
pass out). Remove all the worry and tension out of your
muscles...
3. Keep your swing soft and slow. Allow the pivot do all the
work.

The sprinter knows relaxed muscles fire stronger and more
effectively -- and now you know too. Let that chain reaction of
power happen in your swing and keep it all soft as a baby's
butt.