The Important Of Caddie Tips For The Beginner

By: dechenlau

Caddying for a golfer is not a lot of work, and could be quite enjoyable, specially if you hook up with a good golfer. Like the old saying goes. Watch and learn. There are 8 main job workload that a caddie must do. We will try and take a look at them briefly.

Carrying golf clubs

This task could very well be the toughest of the eight, especially if the golf bag is heavy. Knowledge is not a factor hears, but carrying them properly is. Try resting the golf bag on the small of your back, may be the unmitigated user friendly position. Line up the strap of the bag to accomplish this position. When you carry a golfer's clubs, you should hold the irons steady with your hand. Try to prevent them pass up clanging together by placing your wrist at the edge top of the bag and reaching over them with the palm of your hand.

Placing the golf bag down around greens, fairways, and tee boxes, should be done gently. By doing this routinely, will prevent noise of the clubs around golf greens, tee boxes, and other players. Do not drop clubs.

Washing players golf clubs

This is a fairly simple task, but you have to unite on top of it. Keep a wet towel with you at all times. You may want to keep half of it dry, if you want to carry it with you. Make sure the golfer's clubs are clean and dry at all times. Do not hand your golfer a dirty club. Keep a tee in your pocket to clean the grooves of the clubface and wipe clean with the towel. Make sure golf clubs are dry and clean before every hole. When the golfer is finished with the club. Clean them right away and place in golf bag gently. If you do not put them back in the bag right away, you may forget them on the ground, and find out later the golfer may need that regular club. When you happen to remember leaving one behind. Mention it to your golfer immediately. He or She will give you instructions on what to do.

Washing players golf ball

Ask the golfer well in advance, if he or she would like their golf ball cleaned. Do not wait until the last minute before their shot. Have other golf balls clean and ready, just in case they decide to change golf balls. Do not pick up your golfer's ball, when on the tee box, fairway, bunker, rough, and green to clean it. The ball must be cleaned before the tee shot, and after the ball is marked on the green. The golfer will know the playing rules. Let them give it to you to clean.

Modulate golfer's divot

Usually you will find divots on fairway shots. That is not always the case. Sometimes they will have to be replaced on tee boxes. Wait for all golfers to finish their shot, if they are behind you. When everyone starts to march out to his or her next shot. Simply run out and pick up the turf and place back in divot hole, and pack down with foot. Replace a couple of divots, if you have time.

Repair ball marks on green

The golfer should do this task. The golfer may ask you to repair the ball mark, if he or she is lining up their putt. Simply prop up the grass around the hole with a tee and pack down with a flat surface, such as a putter or sole of foot.

Tending the flagstick

Wait for the golfer to ask you to either pull the pin, or tend it. Be nearby to keep play up to speed. Cleave off of all golfers' lines to the hole, and keep the flag from waving in the wind if holding the flagstick for the golfer. Also keep your shadow away from golfers's line. Make sure the flagstick is pulled when the ball is rolling towards the hole. The golfer may occur a penalty stroke, if they hit the pin when putting. The golfer has the option to leave the flagstick in when off the green. Some golfers like it out. Wait for polity when another player is off the green. Try to stand still when a golfer is putting. After all golfers are finished putting, replace the flagstick and check for golf clubs left behind.

Club selection advice

This upwards of task is for the experienced caddie, and or caddie that has been with the same golfer for a while. Try to memorize the distance of your golfer's shots and what club he or she used. They may ask you for advice on what club to use on any given hole. You may surprise them with your choice of clubs. Let's hope it's a good surprise. If your not sure, do not guess. Just remember. It's only advice. When your not sure of the distance and club selection, instruct them on making the right decision.

Keep sight of golfer's ball

When your golfer and other golfers are taking a golf shot, always watch where the ball lands. Always keep a marker, like a abecedarian or particular field tree when it lands. This precise task is very important. Your responsibility is for the golfer you are caddying for. Try to look out for other players as well. This could be the single sheer important task. No golfer wants to lose a golf ball. When you can always find the golf ball, the golfer will almost always want you to caddie for them again.

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Swing Your Head - a Surprising Golf BackSwing Technique

Image by SerenaMarie via FlickrBy: Paul Wilson..

Trying to perfect your golf backswing? Surprisingly, one of the best things you can do is forget what probably heard a millions times... to keep your head still... and, instead, purposely move your head a little on the way back.

Better advice would be to "move your head a little on the way back" to get a proper golf backswing.

Why move your head as you take the club back during the golf backswing? You want to move your head because in order to backswing in a circular motion you need an axis to swing around. An axis has a top and a bottom. When you set up to the golf ball, you have 1 top to an axis (your head) and 2 bottoms (your legs and feet) to an axis.

Basically, your head should lead the way by moving 5-7 inches to the right as you start your golf backswing. Swing your head to the right, stay in that position as you come down, and move yoru head forward only after the ball has been hit. Watch any touring pro closely and you'll notice moving your head is the proper golf backswing technique. In fact, if a ballerina or figure skater didn't move their head first, they would be unable to start their spin at all. Likewise with your backswing. Don't move your head and you never create the two-point axis needed to get proper a proper circular motion.

Your head should float, not stay stationary. Your head should float like the top axis of a spinning top. This allows your golf backswing be a circular motion, though not a perfect circle. It's slight egg-shaped oval. Which is why you will never hit the ball with 100% accuracy each and every time.

The only time you would keep your head still during a golf backswing is if you had one leg. If you had one leg, you would have 1 top and 1 bottom to an axis. This means that if you moved your head you would destroy this axis. So maybe we should all be playing standing on one leg and keeping our head still? Unfortunately, this will never work because you will not generate enough power and you will probably fall over. Most people have enough trouble keeping their balance with 2 legs never mind 1 so it's best that you keep both legs on the ground and learn to move your head.

Because moving your head at the beginning of a golf backswing is so counter-intuitive, here's a couple of golf backswing tips you can use while practicing. At first, moving your head will feel confortable but these golf backswing practice techniques should help you work through the challenges.

First, consciously think about moving your head at least a full 12 inches to the right at the start of the golf backswing. By mentally picturing your head moving a full foot to the right your head will actually move only 4-6 inches. If you continue to have challenges, practice your back swing in front of a mirrow and watch to make sure you move your head. It will feel unnatural at first but work through it. Moving your head is the key to setting up a proper golf backswing. Swing towards the mirror and watch your head.

Using a mirror for feedback, you can notice if you are moving your head or holding it still. Try it both ways. Now notice how your weight shifts and loads to your right leg as you move your head when you start the golf backswing. Do you feel it? If so, know that you have just created the top axis - a fundamental requirement to create the golf backswing. In fact, the only way to effectively load your right leg is to move your head to the right as you swing back. Don't move your head and you'll lose power.

Another technique you can use to practice your backswing is to wear a hat. Then as you start your swing, check to see if you keep the brim or bill of the hat level to the ground. If so, this means you ARE moving your head. When you notice the brim of your hat tilting to the left, you'll know you didn't move your head and didn't create the first backswing axis.

As a final check just ask a friend to watch your head to see if it moves back a few inches or use a video camera to see for yourself. If your head is too still then constantly remind yourself to move it back or have someone constantly remind you to move your head.

One of the dangers of moving your head back as you swing will be the tendency to hit the ball short and fat. Don't sweat it. This is a good thing because it let's you know you are moving your head properly. The key is simply to realize you are now shifting too much weight to your right leg and pull a little off at impact. Try it. Move your head to the right at the start of your backswing, hold and drop at impact, shift some power off your right foot through impact into the follow through.

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How To Lower Your Golf Handicap Quickly

By: Mary Chillders

Learning how to lower your golf scores can be quite a challenging task. For most high handicap players the short game presents the best opportunity to shoot lower scores. Mastering the wedge game and putting may be the fastest way to play better golf.

However there is no magic solution to playing better golf since it will still require consistent practice. You do not need to spend hours and hours practicing each day. One hour of practice done four to five times a week can often be enough to see good improvements. Be sure to spend a lot of time on short shots inside of 120 yards.

These shots can make a huge difference in reducing your scores. Also remember that the longer shots are simply an extension of the shorter shots so if you are struggling with your wedge then you will almost certainly also struggle with the longer clubs. This is another big reason you need to hit more short game shots as this will also make you a better ball striker with the longer clubs.

Many of the top players in the world first learned how to putt, chip and hit wedge shots before they learned the driver and long irons. Also being confident in the short game also will take pressure off your long game since you will not be too concerned even if you miss occasionally since you have a great short game that can help you to get up and down most of the time.

Putting is a very important aspect of the game of golf. Hit a lot of short putts as they are very important in reducing your scores. Also when you do hit many short putts you will inevitably make a lot of them and this will help to build confidence. Never lose your confidence when you are on the green or anywhere else on the golf course otherwise this will adversely affect every area of your golf game.

You must learn to focus on all the great shots and putts you have ever hit instead of all the misses. Thinking of yourself as a great golfer is critical especially if you are looking to become a tournament professional because success at that level is all about how you think and your ability to build and maintain confidence.

It is important to learn how to think when you are about to strike the golf ball. Just before hitting a golf shot your mind must be focused on a target. You need to block out all other external thoughts and stay sharply concentrated on the target. Before you hit any shot pick a small target and then hit your shots with the target in mind.

You must trust your swing and putting stroke when you are on the course. Train your swing and putting stroke off the course but then you need to believe in your game on the course. Also when you are on the golf course, always play within yourself and hit the shot you know you can pull off easily. Do not try shots you have never been able to hit consistently during practice sessions.

Sometimes backing off on a hole and laying up can be the best thing to do in order to shoot lower scores so do not get caught up in trying to hit heroic shots. The professionals on television can hit those flashy shots because they have practiced them and they know they can pull them off but the same does not apply to most amateurs. Keep practicing and learning from your experience and in time you will lower your golf handicap.

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Golf Driving Tips - How To Hit A Golf Ball Far And Straight

Image by windsordi via FlickrBy: Mary Chillders

Learning how to drive a golf ball well is a challenging task. It can take time and consistent practice to become effective at hitting this club. The reason why the driver is the toughest club to hit is because it is the longest club in the bag which makes it the most difficult one to control. Also any small flaws in your swing can result in big variations in the end result so the driver will reveal how finely tuned your swing really is.

Do not expect to become perfect at hitting a driver as even the best golfing professionals regularly mishit this club. Instead focus on developing enough consistency to allow you to hit enough fairways with enough distance so that you can then use your short game to make more birdies and shoot low scores. It is important to learn how to hit a driver far and straight because golf courses are getting longer and tougher so you need both distance and accuracy.

The good news is that there is a direct relationship between hitting a golf ball accurately and hitting it farther. If you consistently hit your driver straight then in time you will also hit the ball far. Remember that crooked drives do not go very far so the first step in hitting a driver further is to focus on accuracy first. You need to develop a swing that consistently strikes the golf ball solidly.

In order to develop an accurate golf swing you must have great control over the club. This means that you will need to develop a more relaxed swing where you do not use your muscles to try to force more club head speed in an effort to hit the ball further. Use your muscles and strength to support your golf swing but let the club do most of the work.

Remember that golf clubs are designed to hit the ball far if you make good contact so you do not need massive muscle power. You need to take advantage of leverage which is what will allow you to generate maximum club head speed. The best way to take advantage of leverage is to think of the club as a whip and to feel yourself whipping the club through the hitting zone. However this does not mean you have really force your downswing.

Rather have a swing that is relaxed both on the backswing and downswing. Always aim to finish in a balanced position. If you find yourself regularly losing balance in your finish then you need to back off a little and stop trying so hard. Most amateurs and even many pros are guilty of having a rushed backswing and this can affect your ball striking.

Also if you are deliberate with your swing both on the backswing and downswing you are much more likely to make better contact and if you do make a mistake then you will be more likely to find that mistake quicker. Another useful tip to help you generate more power is to think of your left shoulder exploding up on your downswing. This will help to keep the swing in the right plane where the club comes from the inside to out and will also allow you to create more leverage.

Grip pressure can also make a big difference to your swing and hitting it further. You want to use your left hand to apply pressure to the grip and your right hand should stay passive. If you try to get your right hand involved too much in the swing you will end up casting the club or coming from the outside to in which will result in hitting a lot of slices. Use some of these strategies to help you drive the ball better.

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GOLF--It's Easy To Improve Your Golf Swing With The Proper Grip

By: Justin Flowers

Have you achieved the consistency you are looking for in your golf swing? Knowing what to expect when you tee off will help you achieve the golf scores you want. But to achieve that kind of swing, it's essential for you to get the basics right. You must realize that one of the essentials of a reliable golf swing is your grip, or in other words the way you hold the club. Lots of sloppy golf shots can be traced to an incorrect grip.

So what's the big deal with the grip? Your golf grip is the connection between you and the golf club. What your club face is doing at the point of impact all depends on your grip. The correct grip helps you create more power in your swing.

Most of today's golfers use one of these three grips: the interlocking grip, the overlapping grip and the two handed or baseball grip.

The overlapping grip is the most common. It's especially well-suited for golfers with larger hands. An overlapping grip is accomplished by placing the little finger of your trailing hand between the index and middle fingers of your leading hand (for right-handed golfers, your trailing hand will be your right hand). Always ensure that the golf club is held more in your fingers rather than in the palm of your hands. It should assist you to get a better feel. It should also provide for more wrist action, which will given time increase the power of your swing. Should you end up slicing the ball or don't appear to have power, look and see if your club has moved into the palm of your leading hand.

You will spot golfers on the LPGA using the interlocking grip pretty often. One reason is that this grip happens to be a useful solution for players with medium-sized hands. But don't let anybody tell you it's for ladies only. Golfing greats Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods have both used the interlocking grip in their careers. A big plus of the interlocking grip is how it locks your hands as a unit. But it's also a simple matter for the golf club to move into your palms. If you use the interlocking grip, don't forget to use a light grip pressure. If your grip is too tight, you'll start to see your golf ball slicing weakly away from the tee. The lightness of your grip is what will provide the proper amount of club rotation. What is the best way to tell if your grip is too tight? A good indication is that your hands start to ache before you finish playing.

Should you suffer from stiff joints, or if you have smaller hands, you might wish to think about the intertwined grip. It's also called the 10-finger or baseball grip. Not as many golfers use this grip, although there are some benefits. Utilizing all ten fingers provides increased support and more power for your swing. A disadvantage is that precision club head control is more difficult to accomplish.

Putting in plenty of time on the driving range is a great way to improve your grip. Regular, dedicated practice will assist you to become more confident with the feel of your grip and help with your swing. If you are under tension, you tend to squeeze harder, and that is always bad for your golf swing. You will find the best way to limit tension and improve your grip, and your golf swing, is to make a regular appointment at the driving range.

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GOLF--You Can Immediately Extend Your Golf Chipping Ability

Image via WikipediaBy: Justin Flowers

Golf rounds are frequently won or lost in the "short game." You will be aware that the short game includes golf chipping and pitching. To be successful in the sport of golf, you need to master the art of chipping. A golf chip is not a pitch; pitching is more lofted and uses a wedge. Golf chipping comes into play when you're around 10 to 15 yards off the green.

A bad chip often results from hitting the golf ball too high or too low. One possible result is a "fat" chip (also known as a "chucker") that dies where it lies. Or you may end up with a "thin" chip (also known as a "skull") that goes flying over the green, giving you another chance to chip from the other side.

Proficient golf chipping requires that you hit the ball first, not the ground. Some players describe it as "squeezing" the ball between the club head and the grass. Getting sufficient acceleration into your golf chipping swing is difficult to achieve. The most widespread concern that players have when chipping is hitting the golf ball too far. Decelerating the golf swing is often an unconscious result. Slowing down is exactly the opposite of what you want. To keep your acceleration without overrunning the green, take a shorter backswing. A good rule of thumb is that your chipping backswing will probably be from a quarter to a half of your normal backswing.

So which of your clubs is best for golf chipping? Golfers argue over the proper club to use. Ultimately, the most suitable club for you is the one that you like better, the one that gives you the best backspin, and the one that gives you better overall control. Try out each of your clubs to find one that seems to work best. After that spend all your time practicing with that club. A majority of players believe that it's preferable to master one club and control the flight of the golf ball by adjusting your backswing. By following such a course you don't have to master four or five clubs and then decide which one to use based on the distance factor alone.

The stance for chipping should be narrower than the normal stance. You should also be closer to the ball and choke up on the club. To make sure of a more solid hit on the golf ball, try to keep it closer to your back foot.

Effective golf chips are low and designed to get the ball rolling as soon as you can. With golf chipping, you're not trying to hit the golf ball up and high. The only occasion that you really need lift when you're chipping is if there is an obstacle in your way that you need to get over like a bunker or high grass. Otherwise, get the golf ball onto the green as soon as possible and let it roll.

A winning short game is mostly based on feel, which can only be consistently learned with regular practice. The only way you can discover which club chips proficiently for you is to practice with all of them. Getting the best physical form comes next. There is really no requirement to go to the practice range. Lay out a target in your garden and then practice chipping the golf ball into that spot and notice how your game improves.
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Elements Of A Golf Swing

Image by endbradley via Flickr

By: GolfSwing

There are 6 basic steps in the golf swing that each golfer should be aware prior to each golf shot. Step number 1 is body alignment relative to the target. Start by standing 2 to 3 yards behind the golf ball, with your body and the ball forming a straight line to the target. Pick out a guiding target directly behind and directly in front of the golf ball that is in the line your body and the golf make toward the target. These targets could be anything on the ground inches in front and behind the golf ball like leaves, grass, a broken tee, whatever. Focus on these ground targets that fall on the line you picked out to the target as you approach the golf ball.

Step number 2 of golf swing involves club face alignment. We already have our body aligned from the previous step. Now let's get our club face aligned. Set the golf club face behind the golf ball, aligning the middle of the golf clubs face with the targets you picked out on the ground directly in front and behind the golf ball. Gripping the golf clubs with a tension-free grip will allow you to be relaxed through out the duration of the golf swing. Line your feet up about shoulder width apart on a line parallel to the line made by your golf ball and the ground targets directly in front and behind the golf ball. As Tiger Woods has mentioned, you should have your knees slightly bent in an athletic stance. In order to allow your hips to rotate without restriction, the front foot should open a little toward the target.

Tilt your torso slightly towards the ball while keeping your back straight. The arms should now hang freely in front of the body to grip the club. The shoulders should be parallel with the ground targets and the toes, and your head should be tilted downward with your eyes on the ball. These motions described are known as the set-up, or addressing the ball.

This element of the golf swing is the back swing or take away. Your back elbow should remain closely tucked to your ribs as you slowly take the golf club back. The golf club should remain on a straight line along the plane of your alignment toward the target on the ground. The front arm should remain straight throughout this part of the swing and always keep your eye on the back of the golf ball where you want the club face to impact the ball. This back swing motion should instinctively place your chin into your front shoulder. Your hips should stay still and tilted a bit, while your front knee will turn in. At the top of your back swing, your wrists should cock a little. This allows for a more powerful down swing and more distance on your golf shot.

Step 5 of the golf swing is the down swing. During this element of the golf swing, you will be bringing the golf club down toward the ball on the same plane with the line formed by the ground targets you have setup directly in front and behind the golf ball. The wrists will start uncoiling and your weight will be shifting from the back foot to the front foot. This part of the golf swing will produce the speed and force to carry the golf ball toward the target. Keep the golf club face on the target line throughout the down swing and your eyes always on the back of the golf ball. The golf club face should strike the golf ball and then the ground directly in front of where the golf ball was resting. This will take a divot out of the ground approximately where your ground target was located directly in front of where the golf ball was resting.

Finish the golf swing with a nice, high follow through of the club. Your hips should be turned toward the target. Your weight should have shifted, and should now be firmly on your front foot. Smile and watch the ball fly toward the target.

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