Golfer Newbies

Archive for the ‘Skills’ Category

This week I have been watching some golf tournaments on TV – the Omega Dubai Desert Classic and the Northern Trust Open at the Riviera course in Los Angeles. I've been trying to pay attention to what the pros do and learn from them. I found this article – Learn to Play Golf by watching Golf on TV – that I thought was very helpful. In addition to the points made in that article, I also try to watch how the players use their balance, shift their weight on their feet and rotate around their torso. This is because I just finished reading an excellent book – The Natural Golf Swing by George Knudson. In this book George dispels the notion that we need to concentrate on a million different actions in our swing and focus on our balance and the target, not the swing and the ball. Learn to relax! I have found this advice very helpful and highly recommend the book.

See larger image Natural Golf Swing (Paperback) By (author) George Knudson, Lorne Rubenstein List Price: $16.95 USD New From: $10.00 In Stock Used from: $7.37 In Stock Release date April 22, 1989.

In an earlier post I mentioned a book I am enjoying called Every Shot Must Have a Purpose. I thought the chapter on practicing with a purpose was especially helpful. Some of the main points in that chapter are:

• Have a plan when you go to the practice range
• Hitting balls for an hour is not a plan
• Change your target with each shot
• Change your club after each shot
• Putt with one ball to several holes rather than several balls to one hole
• Chip and then putt
• Create a par-2 course around the practice green
• Great play begins with thoughtful practice

These tips are designed to simulate what actually happens when you play a round of golf. Not only am I finding them helpful in improving my game, but they make practice much more fun as well.

In a previous post I mentioned the importance of putting in improving your overall scores. There was a brief sidebar in the Sports section of the Wall Street Journal on November 28, 2009 that provided some interesting data in support of this.

“LIKE THEY SAY, IT’S THE SHORT GAME

Go figure: none of the PGA Tour’s top 10 players in greens in regulation for 2009 won a tournament. But six players who led a tournament field in putting won that event, while five who led the field in getting up-and-down did likewise. Only one driving distance-leader for a tournament, Dustin Johnson, son that event. – J.P.N.”

So, even though it’s a lot of fun to go out on the driving range and hit the long-distance balls, you’ll likely get more bang for your buck by working hard on your putting.

Generally, I don’t enjoy reading the articles and books that offer step-by-step descriptions of various ways to swing the clubs. They are boring, and I rarely can apply much from them anyway. However, the book by Tiger Woods is an exception. I started it the other day, and it is really one of the most helpful books on how to improve your golf game and golf swing I have read. I haven’t yet finished the book, but I was very impressed with the chapter on putting (Tiger says you should start with improving your putting game, then your chip shots, then short irons all the way through to your driver – shortest to longest rather than the other way around). He also recommends that you follow the same routine every time you putt. Developing this kind of consistency will most certainly improve your game. I’ve summarized it here for you, but you definitely should read the book for yourself.

Tiger’s Putting Routine:

1. Take a general view of the putt while standing behind the ball.
2. Walk to the hole while taking a side-view of the line to help determine slope.
3. Examine the area around the hole.
4. Walk back to the ball and crouch behind it to get the clearest view of break and speed.
5. Stand alongside the ball and make two practice swings.
6. Move the putter behind the ball and then shift your feet forward.
7. Take two more looks at the line and the hole.
8. Make the putt.

See larger image How I Play Golf (Hardcover) By (author) Tiger Woods List Price: $19.99 USD New From: $4.99 In Stock Used from: $0.29 In Stock Release date October 9, 2001.