6 Ways To Improve Your Putting

We all know that the pros can hit the shots. They can drive the ball a long way in a straight line. They can all hit great iron shots. Sand shots and chipping from around the green is easy for all these pros. Half wedge shots cause them no problem at all. The one thing that really separates the winners from the rest of us is being able to putt the ball.

If you watch professional golfers, you will see that they have developed a routine. They do things the same way each time. After a while, the routine becomes automatic. Professionals follow a routine for each drive, iron shot, chip and putt. To become a better putter, you must develop a good putting routine.  Save putts with a good putting stroke. Tiger Woods even states that when he is going out to play the course, he is “re-playing it”.  He has done the shot so many times exactly the same way that it is not new to him.

1. Mark Your Ball

Once your ball is on the green, always mark it.  Pick up your ball and clean it thoroughly.  If it isn’t your turn, get behind your marker, and get a read of the green. When it is your turn to putt it is time to begin your routine. Developing a routine will help you become a better putter.

2. Read the Line

The key to good putting is to see in your mind the line between the ball and the hole.  However, most golfers make one common mistake.  They analyze the potential trajectory starting from the hole backwards toward the ball. Mistake! You have to do exactly the opposite – you have to mentally visualize the best route of the ball from its current position toward the hole.

3. Change Your Grip

The hands play a very little part in the putting stroke, and should not override the up and down movement of the shoulders.  The most popular grip is the Reverse Overlap which brings the hands together as one unit.  The left index finger is on top of the fingers on the right hand and the right little finger is touching the grip.

4. Place Your Ball Properly

Replace your ball with the printing at a 90 degree angle to the green (from top to bottom). This helps you see how the ball will track. Get behind your ball, a sufficient distance away, to determine the probable path that the ball will take to the hole. There are many methods to use that determine which way the ball will break toward the hole, plum bobbing etc. Use the one that you like the best.

5. Keep Your Head Still

Every good putter keeps their head perfectly still from start to finish of their putting stroke.  The eyes, as well as the head, should be on the vertical of the ball before striking.    Sometimes you may have the temptation to look if the ball strike is heading towards the hole – Don’t! This attitude can cause even the most minimal head movement that may cause putting failure or inconsistencies.

6. Use a Pendulum Swing

Once you’ve determined how the ball will break it is now time to begin your setup routine for your putt. Most of the pros use a strong grip that eliminates the use of the wrists. The really good putters use a pendulum swing that eliminates using their wrists. The wrists are locked and the arms swing in a straight line like a pendulum.

If you watch a pro-player, they set up their stance with their feet about shoulder width apart. Then they take two or three practice swings to get a feel for how far the putt will travel. Then they adjust their stance and make their putt. They use the same routine, whether it is a long putt or a short putt. You can improve your putting stroke by copying them.

Golf Terminology: Part 1 “A-E”

Ace – An “Ace” is made when you sink your ball in one shot on a par 3 hole.

Alignment – The way in which you position the clubface and line up your body at the address.

Approach Shot – Your shot into the green from the fairway.

Attack Wedge – Another name for gap wedge. An attack wedge fits between the pitching wedge and sand wedge in a golfer’s set of clubs.

Away – (Also referred to as “out”) When playing in a group, the golfer who is furthest from the hole, is said to be away.

Back nine- The second half, or last nine holes of an 18-hole course.

Backspin – When the ball hits the green and spins back toward the golfer.

Backswing – The initial part of the golf swing which finishes as the club stops moiving above your head in preparation for the downswing.

Baffie – An old name for a 5-wood.

Bail out – For example: you hit the shot way to the right to avoid trouble spots on your left.

Ball in play – As soon as a player makes a stroke on the teeing ground, the ball is “in play” and remains in play until it is holed. Except if it is out of bounds, lost or has to be substituted for another ball. A ball which has been substituted becomes the ball in play.

Ball marker – Any small flat object that is used to mark the position of the ball on the green.

Ball marker repair tool – A fork-shaped tool which is used to fix divets made by the ball landing on the green.

Ball retriever – A long pole with a scoop on the end used to retrieve balls from hazards, water or under trees.

Ball washer – A device for cleaning balls found at many tees throughtout the course.

Birdie – A score of one under par on a hole.

Bisque – Handicap stroke given by one player to another. Receiver may choose which hole it is applied to.

Blast – Aggressive shot from a bunker that displaces a lot of sand.

Blind shot – A shot made when you can’t see where you want the ball to land.

Bogey – A score of one stroke over par on a hole.

Borrow (also known as the “Break”) – The amount of curve you must allow for a putt on a sloping green.

Boundary – The edge of the course usually marked by white stakes.

Brassie – An old name for a 2-wood.

Bulge – The curve across the face of a wooden club.

Bunker – A hazard filled with sand, often referred to as a sand trap.

Caddie – The person carrying your clubs during your round of golf.

Carry- The distance between the ball’s takeoff and landing.

Casual water – Water other than a water hazard on the course from which you can lift your ball without penalty.

Charting the course – To pace each hole so that you always know how far you are from the hole.

Chip – a very short, low flying shot to the green.

Choke down – To hold the club lower on the grip.

Closed face – When the clubface is pointed to the left of your target at impact. Also when the clubface is pointed skyward at the top of your backswing. May lead to a shot that goes left of your target.

Closed stance – When a player sets up with the right foot pulled back away from the ball.

Compression – The flattening of the ball against the clubface.

Course rating – The difficulty of the course determined by a formula by the USGA.

Cross-handed – a grip with the left hand below the right.

Cut – a score which eliminates a percentage of the players or field from a tournament. It is usually made after 36 holes of a 72 hole event.

Cut shot – A Shot that curves from left to right.

Deuce – A score of two on a given hole.

Dimple – A depression on the cover of a golf ball.

Divot – When the turf is displaced by the clubhead during a swing.

Dogleg – A hole in which the fairway curves one way or the other.

Dormant – Grass on the course which is alive, but not actively growing.

Double bogey – A score of two over par on a hole.

Double eagle – A score of three under par on a hole.

Downhill lie- When your right foot is higher than your left when you address the ball. (Opposite for left-handed players)

Downswing – The part of the swing where the clubhead is moving down, toward the ball.

Drain – To sink a putt.

Draw – A shot that curves from right to left.

Drive – A shot from teeing ground other than par-3 holes.

Drop – Procedure by which you put the ball back into play after it’s been deemed unplayable.

Eagle – A score of two under par for a hole.

Embedded ball – A portion of the ball is below ground.

Etiquette – code of conduct while on the golf course.

New Cloud Nine Series

The Cloud Nine Series from GigaGolf

GigaGolf has come out with a new series of clubs, possibly the nicest clubs they have ever offered. This series features high quality materials and the latest technology.  The C9 series uses the same materials and design technology as nationally advertised tour player brands costing 4 times as much. Providing you with great performance from the C9 series.

Irons
The C9 irons are the most advanced iron design GigaGolf has sold to date. These irons feature a 6-4 Titanium face insert. Utilizing this technology has several design advantages for cavity backed irons. First, it allows most of the clubhead mass to be concentrated around the perimeter of the iron head creating a larger sweet spot for more forgiveness. Second, Ti faces can be made thinner than stainless which maximizes COR or ball velocity. In order to balance the iron head and lower the center opf gravity a 20 gram tungsten insert was added to the toe. This creates straighter, higher golf shots. This is a high-tech iron at a fraction of the cost you’d expect to pay.

Hybrid
The nicest hybrid with the hottest technology that GigaGolf sells. The C9 475 features a Carpenter 475 super steel face combined with a 17-4 stainless steel body. Combined with a tungsten sole plate this club delivers unparalleled performance and quality by creating a very low center of gravity for higher, softer landing shots. GigaGolf states that the C475 steel produces the longest hitting clubhead faces they have tested.

Woods
The C9 c455 Metal wood brings high technology to fairway metals. The ball literally explodes off the c455 forged variable face thickness design. Carpenter Technology Corporation, the world renowned steel manufacturer patented its proprietary c455 stainless alloy to be strong and durable. The result is more ball velocity and longer golf shots due to the face being forged thinner than traditional stainless metals. Your best choice from the tee on tight holes is the 3 woods since they have a slightly larger head than standard.

Driver
An understated design conceals core technologies that make the C9 VFT Composite Ti driver an exciting new introduction. A variable thickness face is milled to expand the sweet spot making this an excellent choice for the player that does not have time to practice often. Beta 5-3-3-3 Ti is cut from the crown and filled with an advanced carbon fiber that allows weight to be redistributed to the sole creating a trajectory that optimizes spin rates on today’s high performance balls. Titanium crown structure gives added support and reduces distance loss due to crown deflection. The titanium support also creates a solid impact sound that is sometime missing from other composite crown drivers. Sound is important and the C9 Ti sounds solid.

If you’re looking for the latest technology in golf clubs but not ready to spend your kids inheritance to do it… you might want to consider the GigaGolf Cloud Nine series. These are great clubs at a great price. Like all GigaGolf clubs you can use their eFit System to get a custom fit and choose shafts and grips from the best names in the golf business. You also receive a risk-free 30 Day Play Guarantee.Pretty hard to go wrong with GigaGolf clubs.

Correcting Your Golf Slice

The golf swing is a series of movements directly tied to each other. This chain reaction can either obtain your goal or send you into the woods looking for lost balls. Once you learn the proper series of movements, however, you will hit the ball further and longer more consistently. Be prepared, learning the proper swing takes practice, lots of practice.

There are two main reasons that cause the golf ball to slice.

1. Hitting the golf ball with the club face being open.

2. Cutting across the ball from the outside moving in.

These two faults are at the very end of the golf swing, but not necessarily what you should be directly focused on fixing. When fixing something within your golf swing, you can’t just focus on the final club face impact on the golf ball, however it is important to understand what you are doing wrong. You must actually focus on what you are doing wrong multiple steps back in your golf swing and let that fix the end result.

Some of the things may be that may be causing you to hit that golf slice are main swing faults, such as:

1. Scooping the ball

The first major swing fault committed by beginners which causes a golf slice is that scoop the ball off the ground rather than hitting down on the ball and letting the golf club’s loft do the work. The golf ball should always be struck while the club head is still in it’s downward motion. This can best be seen by the divot of Tiger Woods, it actually starts after the golf ball has been struck.

2.Lunging at the golf ball

The second biggest swing fault which can cause you to slice the golf ball is lunging at the golf ball in an attempt to hit it further. While doing this you move your head forward and ahead of the ball at impact which causes the club face to be left open. To understand this, stand over a golf ball and address it with your head well in front of the ball. You will see how this will jam you up at impact and force the golf ball to start and continue right.

3. Weak grip

The third most common reason that you slice the golf ball could be that your grip is too weak. The lines which are created by your index finger and thumb on both hands points towards your chin. You need to understand that your hands have neutral positions. To see this stand up straight and let your hands fall to your side naturally. You should see the top side of your hands basically facing forward. Next, turn your hands to the left or right and while turned let them relax. Your hands should immediately return to that same natural or neutral position. This is why when your grip is weak (your left hand is turned more left and your right hand is turned more left), you hit the ball with an open club face. Naturally in those positions your hands will want to open the face through the swing.

4. Swing from outside in

Lastly, the final major cause of your golf slice may be that you are swinging the club from the outside to the inside. This means that your swing path is taking the golf club out and away from your body on the backswing and then coming from the out towards your body on the downswing which will cut across the ball causing a golf slice.

Have you identified which golf swing error causes your slice? The next step is fixing the problem. In the next several posts I will individually address each mistake and give detail instruction on how to fix the problem. If you can’t wait for those posts, check out “golf swing basic for beginners.”

Top Gifts For Golfers 2010

Top Gifts for Golfers in 2010

1.The Garmin Approach G5 GPS for Golfers

The Garmin Approach G5 is not a converted road/travel unit, something put together on a whim. The people at Garmin designed it specifically for the golf course. They sealed it in a rugged, waterproof case that makes the G5 unit durable for any type of weather you may experience and the continual banging around the unit is sure to endure on the golf course. The unit features a 3” color touch screen display that’s viewable under all light conditions, including direct sunlight, and the highly sensitive GPS receiver is designed to ensure you get the most accurate position reading possible.

2 .NYX Golf Sunglasses

They have large, wrap-around, interchangeable lenses that keep out the breezes and dust but do not seem to restrict the light. This, for me, is extremely important, because my eyes are not what they once were. I find I can see just as well with the NYX’s on as I can with them off; not so with standard sunglasses. 2: There is a large number of lens and frame options available. 3. They are designed specifically for golfers, which is important because we have have a whole range of unique needs and problems.

3. Electric Caddie STEWART X1R CART

If you enjoy walking the course but don’t care to lug your clubs, fire up the Stewart X1R, a battery-powered caddie whose sporty European styling makes it the Porsche of golf carts. The X1R works off a remote that you can control from more than 50 yards away, and can last up to 27 holes in between charges. The TX1R has a special place for your balls, tees, scorecard — even a cupholder for your drink. Vroom!

4. No More Lost Balls RADAR GOLF BALL FINDER

The bane of most golfers is the time and money wasted on hunting for lost balls — as well as the penalty strokes for putting a new ball in play. Radar Golf has come up with a high-tech solution: Balls that can be located with a special handheld receiver. Radar Golf’s ball looks and performs like any other golf ball (and, in fact, is comparable in performance to the Titleist NXT or Callaway HX Red balls) except that it contains a tiny microchip. So the next time you hit your ball into the woods, simply turn on the transmitter. As you get closer to your ball, it beeps. Extra balls run $40 a dozen, but the hope is that it’ll be a while before you need to reorder.

5. SUUNTO G6 WATCH A Watch That’s a Real Pro

If your swing is out of sync, you could get a few tips from a teaching pro — or you could strap on Suunto’s new G6 watch. The G6 captures more than 200 measurements during each swing, then provides digital readouts of everything from the speed, tempo, and rhythm of your swing to the length of your backswing. For an extra $100 you can transfer data captured by the Suunto into a special software program that will help you further analyze your practice session or round. The G6 is now used by some PGA Tour pros right before a round to run last-minute diagnostics on their swing. It might help improve yours as well.

6. NIKE SLINGSHOT OSS IRONS

When Nike first unveiled its Slingshot irons in late 2003, they constituted a breakthrough product. The innovative “bridge” on the back of each iron moved the center of gravity well behind the club face, creating one of the easiest-hitting irons on the market. Now the second generation of the Slingshot — the new OSS version — takes forgiveness to a whole new level. Designer Tom Stites succeeded in pushing out the center of gravity even further by deepening the Slingback design, widening the sole, and using a thinner Cyro Steel club face. The result: Longer, more accurate shots. You may never hit another worm-burner.

7. GRIPBITE GLOVE

In the dead of summer, when the days grow long and humid, by the end of a round your golf glove can be soaked with sweat — leaving it too slippery to provide a good grip. And on a drizzly day, most gloves are of little use. The new GripBite glove from Dimplit is guaranteed to give you a tight grip, rain or shine. That’s because the GripBite isn’t made with leather but with a waterproof silicon rubber overlaid with thousands of small honeycombs that provide extra traction. When the humidity is high, that can spell the difference between a solid drive and a flubbed shot that sails off line.

8. REDE GOLF CLEATS

For all those times when you get to the course and realize — rats! — that you left your golf shoes at home, Rede Golf has an answer: Adhesive-backed cleats that convert any pair of shoes into a temporary set of golf cleats. Simply peel off the plastic from each of the cleats (which come in the shape of a “red E” — get it?) and attach five or six to any shoe for a round (or rounds) of golf. When you’re done, run a knife under each of the cleats until they pop off. Rede Golf sells 20 cleats for $20 in a nifty pack that’ll fit comfortably in your golf bag until that fateful day when you need them.’

9. CLUB GUARD Bye-Bye to Lost Clubs

Every golfer’s nightmare is when he accidentally leaves a club on the course — which, given the cost of some putters these days, could be a $250 mistake. The new Club Guard device could mean never having to say you’ve lost your club again. Simply attach it to your golf bag, put the shaft of a wedge or putter between the two prongs, and you’re good to go. From then on, every time you remove your club, the device pops up and flashes a bright red — until the club is secured again between the prongs. That flashing red light could be your reminder that you’ve left a club on the green or in the trap. At $29 each, the Club Guard is well worth the money if it spares you from losing your favorite putter or wedge.

10. BAG BOY NXO REVOLVER BAG

Nothing can drive a golfer crazier than hunting through the thicket of clubs in his bag for that one that he needs. Hunt no more. Bag Boy’s innovative NXO cart bag revolves so that you get 360-degree access to each and every club. What’s more, the proprietary Shaft Lock System also allows golfers to secure every club in place, reducing the chance that clubs will spill out if the bag is accidentally tipped over.

Neutral Grip For All Golfers

The whole swing starts with the grip – If your grip doesn’t work, why should anything that follows work?

There is a neutral grip for any golfer. That grip is where your arm hangs down from the shoulder socket and the angle of your target side hand. It makes no difference whether you use an overlapping, interlocking, or ten-finger grip. What is important is the angle the club lies in your hand.

The correct grip gives golfers distinct advantages. To a large degree the grip controls the face position of the club at impact. With the correct grip you have a better chance to hit straight, solid shots.

Secondly, if you place your hands correctly on the club, you can be a powerful golfer. Gripping the club too tight can cause weak shots that slice. A lighter grip enhances wrist hinge – a point of power in the swing. Clubface rotation is also increased when using light pressure, thus improving your chance of squaring the club at impact.
Finally, during the course of the swing, the club travels some 35+ feet and the entire time you must keep your eyes focused on the ball. If you place your hands on the club correctly you will be able to feel where the club is in space to optimize both power and control.

Finding the Neutral Grip

First, get in your stance, but without a club, and let both arms hang downward from the shoulder sockets. Stay relaxed, there should be no tension in your arms or hands. For most golfers their target side arm hangs somewhere between the middle of the target side thigh to the inside of the thigh. This varies slightly with the width of their stance and the width of the chest.

As you look down at your target side hand pay attention to the angle it hangs. Some golfers will see two knuckles of the hand, some will see three, and some may even see four. All of these are acceptable.
Whatever the number, this is your body’s natural tendency and the neutral angle for your grip. When you place your target side hand on the club it should be at the same angle as when you didn’t hold the club.
The club then runs diagonally from between the first and second joint of the index finger to the base of the pinkie finger. Close the fingers and then close the hand with the heel pad on top of the shaft and the thumb to the backside of the shaft.

This supplies pressure from the heel pad downward and the last three fingers exert pressure upward. Then take the lifeline of the trailing hand, located between the thumb and heel pads, and place it on the thumb of the target side hand. The lifeline against the thumb exerts the pressure. The right forefinger should be separated, in a “triggering position”, but with no pressure. For the best support the forefinger and target side thumb should both be on the same side and angle of the shaft.

The trailing thumb should be on the target side of the shaft. You never want the thumbs to exert any pressure. Finally, in order for the hands to work together, they must be parallel to each other.

Remember, light pressure and correct angle are what make your grip the backbone for a great swing.

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