Posts Tagged ‘how to’

How to Swing With Your Body!

Tuesday, August 17th, 2010

For those of you who want to really learn to swing with your body, you will want to read the rest of this blog post.

To really swing with your body, there’s one exercise I do and let me tell you how to do that exercise.

First, I want you to setup with a golf club (any will do) and take your address as if you are going to swing a real ball.

Second, I want you to grip it with both of your hands like you would normally then take your left hand off there while leaving your right hand on the golf club.

Third, I want you to use your body to move your shoulders, arms, hands, and the golf club to the top of your swing very, very slowly.  Let me emphasize again that you want to do this as slowly as possible and feel all your big muscles like the torso and the core of your body doing the turning of the backswing.

Also when you use your body to get to the top of the swing, I want you to really “feel” your body “turning”.

Can  you feel it yet?

If you can feel it, that’s how you swing a golf club with your body.

For the downswing, it’s the same thing, you use your body to control the downswing.

Why is this so important?

Because when you swing the golf club with your body, you will be able to swing the same way time and time and also be able to hit the ball longer, straighter, and effortlessly.

Also if you tend to take a lot of time from golf like I have been, it simply makes sense to have a golf swing that’s easy to repeat and uses your body as control point.

Anyways, I’ve been using this new swing (that I’ve forgotten) lately and hitting like every fairway, flawless iron shots that “nip” the grass just right.

Try it, really, and I bet it will help you feel what the correct golf swing motion is like.

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How to Make your own DIY Golf Clubhead Cover!

Friday, July 30th, 2010

Want to make your own DIY golf clubhead cover?  It’s actually pretty darn easy, take one sock and your favorite animal and sew them up together!

Unfold the sock from around the animal. Stuff the filling back into the animal. Make sure you refill the head or toes or tail of the animal if applicable. Do not put all of the stuffing back in. You want to leave enough room for the club head. After replacing the stuffing, sew the toe end of the sock shut so the stuffing will not come back out. Stuff the foot of the sock inside your new Club Head Cover and you are done.

via instructables

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How to Swing Without Using Your Hands!

Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010

In golf, using your hands on the downswing too much or manipulating them can be one of the worst things you can do. In fact, that’s what 99% of golfers actually do, uncock their hands first from the top and then wonder why they didn’t hit the ball far enough nor straight.

Today, I realized something about my golf swing, something I used to do, that is to swing without using your hands.

How to swing without using your hands?

It’s easy, don’t use your hands on the downswing.

What I do is actually think of my hips turn instead. From the top of your backswing, all you really need to do is think about your lower body “clearing” or in simple words, turning towards your target. The rest of your body should follow and you shouldn’t need to “consciously” think of your hands at all.

So, next time you head out to the range, don’t swing with your hands, it can only hurt you.

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How to Swing “Effortlessly” with Rhythm!

Thursday, May 27th, 2010

Yesterday, I showed you how to practice with less balls (and with quality), well today, let me show you how to swing “effortlessly” with great rhythm, something that happened to me by accident.

While trying to take it slow and really focus on every practice ball I hit, one of the things I used to do suddenly hit me.   (I know, it’s slowly coming back, hitting the golf ball pure.)

When I used to hit the ball really well, I remember being able to hit every club in my golf bag effortlessly, even the driver.

Essentially, when I used to hit the ball effortlessly, I could hit thousands of balls continuously without rest.

Well, I suddenly remembered that all I did was think of an “effortless” rhythm.

I started applying an “effortless” rhythm and immediately I began to start hitting the ball pretty darn good, straight and actually longer than ever (because I was hitting the ball squarely on the sweetspot time after time).

If  you watch pros on TV, you know how “effortless” they swing.  Simply copy their rhythm and I bet you will hit the ball better.

The only way you will be able to learn the “effortless” rhythm is by seeing it in your mind and practicing it on the practice tee.

So, let me show you exactly what I mean with bunch of great golf swings that I would call “effortless” on YouTube:

Take a look at Fred Couple’s driver shot on (the first one) on this video:

That would be an “ideal” rhythm where you can clearly see Freddie isn’t trying to hit the ball hard (although he does) but has a great “effortless” rhythm.

Here’s Tiger’s iron swing back in 2005:

I like the rhythm on this one, that’s what you should be trying to look at, trying to grasp the “rhythm”.

Also check out Jack Nicklaus’s iron shot rhythm on this one:

A bit fast but the rhythm is “effortless”, you can see how smooth Jack’s transition is from the top to the downswing, that’s what you want.

Also check out Greg Norman’s short iron shot from his prime:

Greg Norman’s wedge shots are a thing of beauty, especially his rhythm, looks so “effortless”.

These are just the “best” examples I could find of many golf pros that looks “effortless”.

Watch these videos over and over and try them the next time you are on the course or the practice range.

Happy golfin’~

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How To Practice “Right” on the Range with Less Practice Balls!

Wednesday, May 26th, 2010

If you asked me how to practice “right” on the range with less practice balls, you could probably start learning by hitting 1 golf ball over and over as I showed you couple years back.

Seriously though, that’s only going to get  you far enough to get good at hitting a trick shot and even more seriously, let me tell you how to practice “right” on the range with less practice balls.

First of all, something interesting happened to me today.  I hit up the grass range today and started making some horrendous, humongous divots.   I’ve actually been doing this for awhile now, all through this year and especially on the golf course.

Before when I used to strike the ball pure, I barely even made any divots nor did I feel nothing else but the clubhead hitting smack in the square of the golf ball, nothing else, perhaps few hairs of grass.

Anyways, I’ve been sorta mindlessly banging balls on the range for quite awhile.  Of course, hitting a lot of balls can help to you a certain extent but after you reach a certain level, you need to focus on “quality”, not “quantity”.

I’ve just realized that even me, myself, I love hitting a jumbo bucket every time I go out on the range (135 balls) but today because I also had a dinner appointment to make, I hit a regular (90 balls) bucket.

Because I had limited number of golf balls, I had to make the most of each ball.

So, this is how I hit every golf ball since I could only hit 90 balls today:
(also “how to practice with quality”)

1. Visualize the flight of your ball.

2. Make two practice swings thinking about what you are working on such as I want to not “dip” my whole body on the backswing.

3. Align, get comfortable, hit the ball.

4. Analyze your results.  If you hit it perfectly straight and at your target, pat yourself on the back.  If you didn’t, make a mental note of what you did wrong such as big divot, banana slice, duck hook, etc…etc…

5. Repeat from 1 to 4 for about 5 to 10 balls and if you are doing something wrong , you should see a pattern here.   Really take a long pause and try to analyze what you did wrong, you should be able to find it.

For me, that pattern was that I was making these huge divots plus it hurt my hands because my clubhead digged so much into the ground.

So, I stopped after 10 golf balls and analyzed what the heck was I doing.   I went through my “check list” of things that can go wrong.

Usually, fat shots mean that I didn’t do a proper takeaway, perhaps not rotating my clubhead to the right enough.  But the thing was, I was doing that properly, I’ve been really focusing on my takeaway for the last whole week!

So, then I thought it was perhaps my follow-through, I tried couple different follow-throughs (such as swinging a bit more inside-out) but still same result.

Next, I tried changing my backswing a bit flatter, perhaps I was swinging too vertically?

I kept making HUGE divots.   Then, it hit me!  While I was trying to change my backswing to be a bit flatter, I noticed that on my backswing, I would dip my shoulders about 3-4 inches so I can get into position, or at least it felt naturally comfortable for me to do that.

I have absolutely no idea how I started dipping my shoulders (or the whole upper body) that much.  I think perhaps because I haven’t took a video of myself lately.  (which I despise to do so, I think video should be only reflection of your results, you shouldn’t use video to fix your swing although I have been guilty of doing that most of my life.  Trust me, video drives you nuts!)

Finally, I started getting my backswing in the correct motion of rotation without dipping.  Immediately, I noticed that I no longer made those weird, thick divots but very shallow ones and none for my longer irons.

Later today, I was up at my parent’s house and went into the swimming pool to also practice the correct motion.

It’s actually a really good exercise to really feel the correct backswing.  Or if you can imagine yourself standing in a pool with just your chin touching the top of the water, then try to make a backswing with your whole body turn without getting your nose wet.

I know, I was crazy and I actually just did this about 100 times in my parent’s pool and I think I’ve got the correct motion going.

I’ve actually never had this problem of dipping my shoulders on the backswing but I believe while I took couple years from golf, somehow my body picked up some bad golf moves.

Anyways, tomorrow will be a huge day to really get my golf swing together, I feel like I am almost there, back where when I was shooting 4 or 5 under par.   Well, it’s always work in progress.

And yeah, don’t forget the next time you go out on the range, buy less balls, I bet you will try harder on every shot.

P.S.  One more tip, if you are hitting your ball wayward and simply cannot figure out what the heck you are doing wrong, try doing a “slow-motion” swing very, very, very slowly. (without hitting a ball of course)

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How to Make a Consistent Golf Swing with an Image Thoughts!

Wednesday, May 12th, 2010

One of the ways you can make your golf swing consistent is to have a consistent backswing where you are swinging to the same point every time.

Over the years, I have found that image swing thoughts work the best to achieve the desired consistency above all other as your brain somehow manages to get your muscles right when you think of an “image”.

So what is this image?

Well, I will let you on a little secret.  For me, I imagine my hands about level with my eyes above my shoulders.   When I imagine my hands being in that certain position, I inevitably swing back correctly with my body.  From there, it’s piece of cake, just rip through the ball and same results every time.

Imagery is probably the most under-rated forms of swing thoughts, stuff that can actually hold up under pressure.

Instead of thinking, “keep my head down”, see an image of your head being in the position where you want while you swing.

Instead of thinking, “follow through”, see an image of yourself following through the golf ball while you swing through the ball.

You see, swing thoughts are only good if you can make an image of it.  I assure you, this results in more consistency in you golf swing.

P.S. My golf swing is coming back a bit, today I hit the golf ball really far, I will be playing for Pepsi Tour mini tournaments probably starting in July, wish me luck!

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How to Putt Better by Slowing Down and Lightening Your Grip!

Wednesday, April 28th, 2010

Well, today was the best putting practice session I’ve had in a long, long time.  I practically sank every 1 out of 3 putts I looked at.   One of the things I was practicing today was putting a “solid” stroke on the ball, like I was telling you the other day. (For those of you who haven’t read, please read how to putt better by trying less.)

While trying to get my putts down super solid, I stumbled onto more putting secrets.

Since I don’t like keeping secrets just to myself for my benefit, let me tell you and they are rather simple.

First, if you are not hitting every one of your putts solid, try slowing down a pace or two.  I slowed my putting stroke about a pace or two and bam!  I started hitting every one of my putts SOLID.

Second, you can also try lightening your grip as much as possible while you slow down your putting stroke.

If you already have a really, really slow putting pace, you might actually want to try the opposite, speed up a bit.

The trick here is to find the right rhythm and speed that gives you the best results, solid-feelin’ putts.

Try these small tips next time you are on the putting green.

And if you are never on the putting green, you know why your putting never improves.  I go to the putting green like it’s the most fun things to do in the world, and it is.   It’s like playing 8-ball but better.

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How to Hit Downhill/Uphill/Sidehill Shots!

Wednesday, April 28th, 2010

A lot of you may play great golf on flat courses where there are no hills but suffer bad scores on courses that have lots of hills.   I personally grew up playing very, very hilly golf courses and practically 90% of all my shots were either downhill, uphill, or sidehill.

If you don’t know how to hit these shots, you might want to keep reading as I can show you that they are not that hard, you just need to understand the fundamentals behind it.

How to Hit Downhill Shots!

Downhill shots are probably the hardest of them all to hit because most of the time, the downhill slope de-lofts your clubface.  For example, on a downhill shot, your pitching wedge will be more like a 9-iron or even 8-iron, depending on the angle of the slope.

Here’s THREE simple rules to remember about downhill shots:

One, setup with your ball further towards your right foot.  Because of the downhill slope, your clubface will contact the ground much sooner, meaning you need to place your golf ball where you will hit it, further towards your right foot.

Two, obviously you will need to lean a bit more toward the hillside, the right, otherwise you will lose your balance.

Three, because your ball is now further towards your right foot, you need to aim left as your clubface will be slightly open at impact.   Most of the time, I hit a 5-10 yard fade on downhill shots, just a rule of thumb I follow so I aim about 5-10 yards left target.

There’s more things you can do to enhance your downhill shotmaking skills but I am only going to make you learn the first three I mentioned here because these are perhaps the most important.  One more thing, try to keep your best balance here and swing smooth and easy.  This isn’t the best time to swing all-out.

For golf strategy, when you are on a downhill, your percentages are against you so play the safer shot instead of going for the green.

How to hit Uphill Shots!

Uphill shots are probably the easiest of them all because you are hitting into the slope and usually you can get by hitting it pretty hard.

Uphill shots are just the exact opposite of downhill shots, here’s THREE simple rules to remember about uphill shots:

One, setup with your ball further towards the left foot.  Again, the sloper will dictate that the best chance of hitting the ball is further towards the left foot.

Two, again lean a bit more towards the hillside, the left to keep balance.

Three, most likely you will hit a nice little draw because your golf ball is placed further left, aim 5-10 yards right of your target as a general rule of thumb.

For golf strategy, uphill shots are the ones to go for.  If you are in a grey area where you could make a potential eagle/birdie by going for the green, by all means, this is the time to go for it, just aim right enough and make sure to follow through all the way to your target on the finish.

How to hit Sidehill Shots!

Sidehill shots are also one of the hardest to master, especially the ones where your body is sitting higher than your golfball.

For sidehill shots when your body is sitting higher than your golf ball, try to stand a bit closer to your golfball and also as tall as possible.  From there, make a very smooth and easy swing.   Remember, this is one of the most delicate shots (because of the angle) so take it easy!

Also, don’t forget to aim about 5-10 yards left (depending on the side slope) as your ball will be not fading but actually going at a different angle!

When your body is sitting lower than your golf ball, grip down about 1-2 inches on your golf club and make the same golf swing.  No need for any changes other than that and also your golf ball will travel slightly from right to left so aim 5-10 yards right.  This is much easier shot in my mind (because of the angles) so play more aggressive when you have lies where your golf ball is higher than your body.

For shots that are mix of an uphill and sidehill, you will have to take everything into consideration.

For example, if you have a downhill shot on a right-to-left slope (where your ball is higher than your body), you might want to put the ball slightly right toward the right foot, grip down about an inch on the club, and aim slightly right of the hole.  Of course, the aiming part might be completely different depending on how much downhill/sidehill slope you are facing.

The important part is that you actually practice these uphill/downhill/sidehill shots with every club in your bag so you have your own “feel” of how the distance/aiming vary.

Trust me, these are one of the hardest shots to master but they could potentially be your best weapon when you are playing a hilly golf course.

You won’t be able to practice most of these shots on a practice range so I suggest you to practice them on the golf course.  When it’s not too busy on the golf course, just make sure to hit 3-4 shots whenever you encounter these hilly shots.

Most importantly, know that you need to make these small adjustments on these shots, even on a slight slope.   When you don’t, that might be the reason why you “duff” or “skull” the golf ball because you don’t play the slope, the slope plays you.

Practice, practice, and practice.

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Posted in A+Featured Swing Tips, Downhill Shots, Golf Swing Basics, Special Shots, Swing Tips | 1 Comment »

How to Putt Better by Trying Less!

Tuesday, April 27th, 2010

If you want to improve your putting, first thing you will want to do is “stop trying” to sink your putts.

I know, I know, the whole point of putting is that you want to make the ball go in the hole but if you keep your focus there, you will inevitably make less putts.

So, how do you putt better by trying less and “not” trying to sink every putt?

I want you to try this exercise, I assure you, this will help you putt better.

The next time you go out to the putting green, I want you to practice putting by hitting towards “nothing”.

What do I mean?

I want you to actually don’t worry about where your golf ball goes but rather, focus on your putting stroke.  Keep putting the ball into “nothingness” while focusing on achieving solid hits.

When you start letting go of everything including that of making putts into a target, you will inevitably start developing a better putting stroke.

Having a good solid contact on all your putts is not only essential, it will pretty much determine whether your putt has a chance to go in the hole or not.

99% of amateurs I have seen play don’t hit their putts solid, the main reason why putts don’t go into the hole.

What does hitting putts solid mean?

When you hit a solid putt, you will be able to feel it in your hands.  This will happen because you made a good, free putting stroke without trying to manipulate it.  When you hit your putts solid, you will be hitting them squarely in the center of the putter’s sweetspot.

When you hit putts solid, two things happen.

One, your putt won’t be affected as much by the slope nor the putting surface.

Second, you will inevitably sink more putts because your putts “roll” true and smooth.

On the other hand, if you don’t hit your putts solid, you probably don’t even have a chance of making it. (unless you got lucky)

Most pros on tour don’t miss putts because they mis-read the putt, they miss them because they didn’t hit their putts solid.

Once you have mastered your putting stroke, then you can start trying to sink putts on the practice green.

If you keep hitting putts that don’t feel good in your hands, it’s always a good idea to focus on your putting stroke by practicing the stroke itself.

Even one of the best putters in the world Ben Crenshaw tells you to do this in his instructional putting video.  Plus, did you know that Ben Crenshaw used to sink putts from everywhere with 1 quick look at the hole when he was a teenager?  This is because when you hit your putts solid as hell, you will sink a LOT of putts, as simple as that.

If you don’t believe me, try this next time you are on the putting green.

I really could give a damn how you putt whether that’s left hand down the shaft, criss-cross, or whatever but if you can hit your putts solid, you are gonna be winning more skins and your friends will wonder why you are such damn good putter. (and them always buying you dinner)

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Putting Tips – How to Putt Consistently!

Thursday, December 17th, 2009

Last time I showed you some putting secrets of how to roll the putt better by hooking it.  Well, today, let me give you couple tips that will help you putt even better.

First, I don’t really care how you grip but your putter should “hang” naturally from your hands.  This fixes many putting flaws.  When your putter is “hanging” naturally by gravity from your hands, your putting stroke will have consistency.

To do this, simply feel the weight of the putter head and make sure you can feel it “hanging” off your hands and arms right before you begin the putt.  You will also find this is easier to achieve if you stand up as tall as you can.

As for the putting grip, I find that the one with your thumbs going down the middle of the shaft works best.  Also, I have tried “looser” putting grips where your thumbs are placed diagonally across the putter grip.  These are good for light hands but ultimately make you miss short putts, where it counts.

For your putting stroke, make sure it’s a “stroke” back and forth, not a “hit” back and forth or any other fast, jerky movements.

Try to keep your putting clubhead on the ball as long as you can and that is what I mean by “stroking” the golf ball.

When you do this right, you will find you hit more putts solid and they also “feel” right in your hands.

As for the putting rhythm, try to mimic a metronome.  Just like an old wall clock that goes back and forth, your putting stroke is the same.  No need to get more complicated than “1-and-2″ rhythm.

Remember, when you practice putting, you are striving to achieve a putting stroke that will roll your ball smoothly on the green.

A great way to test your roll is to putt on a humid green when there’s a lot of fog.  Try a long putt about 30 feet and see if your golf ball “jumps” or “skips”. If it does, that means you are not doing it right, apply my tips until your golf ball “rolls” smoothly.  When you have truly master the art of putting, your golf ball should never “jump” or “skip” on foggy greens.

It’s Friday, I hope y’all have tee times, and I will have more golf tips next week!

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