You know that a golf stretching program will improve your golf game but I want you to be aware that there are a few guidelines you need to follow.

Stretching Guidelines

There a 2 basic techniques for stretching. There is dynamic stretching and static stretching.

Dynamic stretching is movement oriented and static stretching is holding the movement.

The main difference between the 2 techniques is really the hold time. Static stretching, like yoga, involves long hold times to stretch the muscles. Dynamic stretching is moving from one stretch to another with minimal hold time. Dynamic stretching is similar to the golf swing in that the golf swing is never held in one place for long moments.

Stretches Specific To Golf Swing

The only way you could even call it a stretching program for golf is to make it as specific to your golf swing and flexibility weaknesses as you can. When you take this approach, your golf swing will benefit the most.

Take a look at all the phases of a single golf swing and there is a dynamic stretch you can do to improve it. For example, halfway back; top of the backswing; halfway down: halfway through; and to a FULL finish. Look at all those stretches right there!

Stretching Not Straining

An important thing to remember is stretching within your limits. If you feel a hint of pain…stop! Stretching should never hurt! It may be uncomfortable, but should never cause pain.

To improve your current range of motion, you need to go slightly beyond your current range, but that’s it! No further, or you will get injured. When stretching for golf, you need to really pay attention to how your muscles are feeling.

7 Minutes Golf Stretching DVD

There is no denying the extreme importance of a golf stretching program, and I can assure you the golf stretching dvdby Mike Pederson will quickly and effectively get you smashing the ball down the middle of the fairway and farther than you expected!

By Marc Solomon

The question is often asked – ‘I have so much trouble coming back after a bad hole. What trick can you give me so that I can forget about that last hole and get back to playing good golf?’

First, stand-up straight making sure that you feel as if you’re elongating your spine. You want to feel as if the top of your head is reaching for the sky. Second, close your eyes to block out the world around you and take some deep cleansing breaths – breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Third, start to jump up and down as high as you can as you flap your arms furiously like a bird coming off the ground. Fourth, now start spinning in circles (continue jumping and flapping) as you chant over and over – ‘be gone blow-up hole demons, be gone – I rid myself of you’.

If you do this in the exact order and with meaning – once you open your eyes you’ll totally forget about your blow-up as you see the other Golfers around you gasping with open mouths (or possibly running away as fast as they can).

There’s no trick or tip or special thought that’ll automatically bring you back after a bad hole.

In order to come back after a bad hole – you most have a PLAN. Though, the problem for most Golfers is that you can’t just formulate your PLAN after the bad hole. That PLAN must be in action before that bad hole occurred.

You just can’t say – ‘Oh, that 7 on the last hole was terrible. I need to start making my PLAN or I’ll have another blow-up hole right now.’ Having a PLAN doesn’t work that way. You can’t be going along without a PLAN and then turn it on when you want it. It needs to be on before you even reach the golf course and it doesn’t end until you have a chance to sit down, look at your scorecard and relive each shot as you review the round.

Imagine if you got in your car to go to work and every time you got to a red light … you turned off the car. Then when the light turned green … you started up the car to go. Start, drive, stop, turn-off, start, drive, stop, turn-off, start, drive, stop, turn-off, start ……

Well, if you do that with your PLAN – it’ll be just as ineffective as if you did it with your car. They say that you’d use more gas each time you stopped and started your car at a red light than if you were to idle during the red light. The same can be said about every time you start up your PLAN after a bad hole.

To get yourself to regroup, settle your nerves down and make a PLAN after every Blow-up hole uses more gas than necessary for the Golfer that doesn’t have a PLAN in constant use. The Golfer that doesn’t have a PLAN that begins before they get to the golf course uses their PLAN only when needed. And thus, they get into the – Start, drive, stop, turn-off, start, drive, stop, turn-off mentality that actually helps you to accumulate Blow-up Holes.

Where does Tiger’s PLAN start? His PLAN starts months before the tournament. He goes to the golf course weeks before the tournament begins to play a practice round. During that practice round he’s determining what type of shots the golf course requires. He then goes back home to practice those shots. And all through the day, he’s imagining the golf course, how each hole plays, what each green is like – he’s playing the golf course in his mind withoug actually being there.

Before he leaves his hotel to go to the course on the tournament day – he’s going through the whole check-in process at the golf course, the walking to the practice range, his stretching, his Warm-up PLAN, his Putting Warm-up, etc, etc, etc. – before he even leaves the hotel.

Contrast that to the Monkey who’s always at the Golf Shop desk checking in a few minutes before their starting time – ‘Do I have enough time to hit some balls on the range?”

You should be doing the same as Tiger. Maybe not in the detail that Tiger is, but you should be starting your PLAN before your left foot touches the parking lot at the golf course (or right foot in the UK).

Though, if that’s too much for you – you can always rely on the trick I listed above of jumping up and down in circles flapping your arms like a bird while chanting -’be gone blow-up hole demons, be gone – I rid myself of you’. I’ve seen it work and I might’ve even tried it once or twice myself.

The Monkey is looking for Tricks for improvement

The Player is focused on their PLAN.

You can lower your golf scores by learning to control the distances of your golf shots.

Do you actually know how far you can hot each of your golf clubs?  Most weekend golfers have no clue how far they hit each shot.  If you are one of them the keep reading so you too can learn to control the distances of your shots.

When selecting a the proper golf club for a given shot, professional golfers take into account the distance they want the ball to travel and the trajectory on which it will fly. The best way for you to learn is by hitting some full wedges to determine the average distance and the average ball flight.

When determining the distance you hit each club in the air, you should begin by hitting 10 – 20 full wedges to pinpoint your average distance. Then you should repeat this same process with the other clubs in your bag.

You’ll gain confidence by knowing exactly what club to hit for any given distance. The key to determining accurate distance for your clubs is to replicate the same trajectory for every shot. When practicing at the range, try to block out everything around you so that you can concentrate and focus.

Now get out there and learn how far you can hit each shot so you can lower your scores.

Why is the golf grip so important to a successful golf shot?

Every great shot starts with the golf grip.  Without the correct grip, a good golf shot is doomed from the beginning.

Having a poor grip will effect everything, such as your set-up, your takeaways, your downswing, and the ability to square your clubface at impact. You should never underestimate the way you grip your golf club and how it affects your swing.

There are three basic grips used in the wonderful world of golf, the overlapping grip, the interlocking grip and the baseball grip. The most common is the overlapping grip. In the overlapping grip, your little finger overlaps the forefinger of your left hand. Place your left hand on your golf club so that the back of your hand is facing the target. Place the shaft of your golf club under the muscular pad at the inside heel of your palm, your golf club shaft runs diagonally across to the top point of your forefinger. Hook your forefinger around the shaft of your golf club and close your hand with the rest of your fingers with your thumb down the top of the shaft. You should have a V formation between the thumb and forefinger, which will point towards the right side of your body. Remember, too tight of a grip will immobilize your wrist and create tension. To complete the overlapping golf grip, place your golf club in your right hand so that the shaft lies across the top joint of the four fingers and directly below the palm. Overlap the little finger of your right hand with the forefinger of your left hand. Bring your right thumb down, somewhat centered on the shaft. Work with your grip and find out what is comfortable for you. The proper golf grip will enable you to have the greatest amount of controlled clubhead speed. Keep your fingers together on the golf club shaft and deliver a square clubface to your golf ball at impact.

The second most popular grip is the interlocking grip.  In the interlocking grip, you interlock your little finger with your forefinger. There are a lot of Professional Golfers who use this golf grip.

The third grip is the baseball grip. I definitely would not recommend the third grip as it restricts the wrist from hinging properly.

Figure out which golf grip works best for you and practice, practice, practice.

Leave a comment below as to which grip method you prefer.

Lets look at the second hardest uneven lie to hit.  If you have a tendency to struggle with this shot, you usually top the golf ball.

Follow the steps below and you will see a positive change in your down hill shots.

1. Because the ball will fly lower, you can take a more lofted club to help the ball go a little higher.
2. The ball will have a tendency to curve to the right.  You will need to aim a little to the left.
3. To avoid topping the ball, check your shoulder alignment and make sure they are parallel to the ground you are standing on.  Your front shoulder should be a little lower than your back shoulder.  This will encourage the club to swing DOWN into the ball (correct) and not up in the down swing.
4. Play the ball in your stance according to the club you are using (a little forward for a longer club and a little back for shorter clubs).
5. You want to make sure you follow through LOW to the ground after impact.

Give this tip a try.  I know that it will work for you! Leave a comment below with all of your golf successes.