Golf Tuition - Hints,Tips and Instruction (Archive)

[Mike Probert]

Article 11 by Mike Probert

Trouble Shots Part III

The old statement that we drive for show but putt for dough may not be exactly true for all standards of golfer but for sure how you play from 60 yards in to the pin determines how well or badly you score on the golf course.

How many times have you seen people hit the ball all over the place only to finish with a better score than you because they could chip and putt?

Alternatively how damaging is it to hit the ball out of the middle of the club the entire round only to miss-hit shots on and around the green?

The mental impact of this type of play is significant on your level of confidence and it puts stress on your long game as you feel that you MUST hits fairways and greens.

There are normally basic reasons for poor shot making in and around the greens and below are a number of techniques that you can employ to eliminate or reduce poor shots of this type:


Fluffed Chip

This is usually caused by quitting on the shot and can usually be eliminated by ensuring that your hand are ahead of the ball at address and to keep them that way through the swing and ‘feel’ as if the grip keeps moving forward through impact and beyond.

The Thin

This finger stinging shot is cause by the leading edge of the club making contact too high up the ball and is usually cause by the player ‘scooping’ at the ball and again can be corrected by ensuring that the hands stay ahead of the club head through impact with a slight descending blow therefore squeezing the ball between clubface and turf.



Duffed Bunker Shot

This is again usually cause by quitting on the shot and taking too much sand.

The aim is to lift the ball out of the bunker on a wedge of sand with the clubface not actually making contact with the ball.

One good practise drill is to draw two parallel lines in front of and behind the practise balls approx 4” apart and when you swing down at the ball try to enter the sand with the club head on the line behind the ball and exit the sand at the point where the line is in front of the ball.
When you play on the course you should simply ‘imagine’ the lines in your mind and attempt to enter and exit the sand at these points.


Duffed 60-yard Bunker Shot

Without doubt this is probably one of the hardest shots in golf because the amount of sand that you take with the ball is minimal and the club head is travelling at a faster speed.
When you are faced with this type of shot on the course step out of the bunker and take a couple of practise swings then re-enter the bunker and attempt to repeat the practise swing for real.
To assist the process you should put slightly more weight on your front foot to encourage a steeper angle of attack to obtain a ball then sand strike.

There will be significant advantages to your golf game if you can improve this area of your game BUT it requires practise and sometimes you will have to sacrifice playing time for practise time.

If you would like to know more about how to improve the way in which you think on the golf course or would like to improve your golf swing call me today for lessons and see the results for yourself.

The price of the golf lessons start from only 25 Euro’s per HOUR with special discounts for children, pensioners and societies with vouchers available which are ideal as gifts or birthday presents.

For more information and golf lessons contact 966 704 752 or E-Mail
michael.probert@terra.es

[Mike Probert]

Article 12 by Mike Probert

How to use a Weighted Club

Before we start I am not talking about the Fred Flintstone caveman types amongst you.

Increasing and maintaining flexibility in your muscles, particularly in advanced years, will have a positive impact on both your overall performance and will help you to avoid injury.

If you are really serious about your golf you will probably already have a physical fitness program involving a total body workout of approx one to two hours a couple of times per week.

If you do not have the time for such a physical workout schedule then I suggest the use of a weighted club (without a ball) before you play or before a practise session.

An alternative to a weighted club is to swing two clubs at the same time because nobody can swing these too quickly.

The weighted club is ideal your upper body muscles but you MUST swing the club slowly.

If swung properly, a weighted club can also increase your swing speed.

Here are the key essentials to using the weighted club:

1)   Loosen up first to warm up the muscles.
2)   Start each swing from the address position.
3)   Swing slowly to avoid pulling a muscle.
4)   Swing the club and don’t let the club swing you because the momentum can pull you all over the place if you are not careful.
5)   Maintain your body position when swinging the club, particularly your spine angle.

I will discuss in later articles a full fitness and body workout that will help your golf but the simple use of the weighted club will assist those of you with limited time or physical capabilities.

Remember however that if you use the weighted club immediately prior to your round of golf to remove it from your bag because not only could you be penalised for having too many clubs in the bag but you will also find if heavy to carry around for 5 hours.

If you would like to know more about how to improve the way in which you think on the golf course or would like to improve your golf swing call me today for lessons and see the results for yourself.

The price of the golf lessons start from only 25 Euro’s per hour and gift vouchers are available which are ideal as birthday presents.

Mike can be contacted on 966 704 752 or 661 345 931 or e-mail michael.probert@terra.es or at the Fairwayz Golf Academy in Dolores.

[Mike Probert]

Article 13 -Practise Putting – Part 2


Most golfers visit the putting green for a few minutes to pass the time before a round of golf or for hours when they have serious putting problems.

Like every form of practise, putting practise is important and should be taken as so.

However that does not mean that you can’t have fun or be imaginative with your practise.

Here are a few examples of putting drills or games that you can adopt into your practise regime to make it more enjoyable.

Plant Pot

Similar to a ‘plant’ in a game of pool or snooker, simply place one ball approx 3 inches from the hole and try to ‘pot’ it by striking another ball into it from approx 2-3 yards directly behind and on the same line.
If you strike the putt correctly the ‘target’ ball will go into the hole and this method will help you to be more positive with your stroke, particularly around the hole.

Through the Gate

Put two tee pegs into the ground four inches apart and both approx three feet from the hole and place a ball them a putter head length back from the tee pegs and try to hole the putt without the putter head following through far enough to strike the tee pegs.
This technique will bring back a confident rap into your putting stroke,

Leapfrog

This is a good but difficult exercise in distance control.
Position a ball approx 6 ft in front of you and attempt to hit a putt which JUST passes the first ball and continue working your way across the putting green hitting each putt just past the previous one until you fail to hit past the last ball or if you run out of room.
If you fail to hit a putt past the previous ball go back to the start and begin again.
For fun you can keep a record of how many you fit in across the putting green and try to beat your best score.

Tee Time

When practising your putting immediately prior to a round of golf use a tee peg in the ground as your target because once you get onto the course the hole will appear to be the same size as a ‘Kentucky bucket’ and will assist your confidence because your mind will not register it as a ‘miss’ if you don't hit the tee peg.

Boxing Day

The most frustrating fault of all is leaving putts short and this method will assist to eliminate this problem.
Simply place two three-ball golf ball boxes approx 18 inches directly behind the hole and ensure that if you miss the putt that you at least hit the boxes.
When you play on the golf course the boxes will make a good mental ‘image’ when you are putting.

Pencil Push

If you are consistently short or tentative on ‘tiddler’ putts then this method can assist you with this problem.
Place a long pencil approx 4 inches from the hole and directly across the line of the putt and hold it into position at each end with two pitch mark repairers.
Place your ball approx 18 inches from the hole and try to hole the putt by hitting the ball hard enough to go over the pencil and into the hole.
This will promote a firm positive putting stroke.

Euro for Euro

The purpose of this exercise is to place a euro coin on the back of your putter and to keep it there on the back swing and through to impact and this will help to maintain a smooth putting action.

No matter how good a golfer you are, at some time you will experience problems with your putting and as this represents at least 40% of your game these techniques will help you get through these frustrating times.

If you would like to know more about how to improve the way in which you think on the golf course or would like to improve your golf swing call me today for lessons and see the results for yourself.

The price of the golf lessons start from only 25 Euro’s per HOUR with special discounts for children, pensioners and societies with vouchers available which are ideal as gifts or birthday presents.

                             
For more information and golf lessons contact 966 704 752 or
michael.probert@terra.es or visit Mike at the Fairwayz Golf Academy in Dolores or at Lo Romero
                 

[Mike Probert]

Article 14 by Mike Probert

‘Common Sense Putting’

The practise green is a place where golfers ‘assemble’ because they either enjoy being there or because they are about to play in a competition but do we see them practising to hole putts or do we see them practising how to miss?

As you all know, golf is often won and lost on the greens, so you must feel relaxed and confident when it is your time to putt and you must practise before you play using a sound common sense method that will give you the surety of mind required to do the job.

It is important to hit putts which go into the hole and this can be achieved by starting with four or five balls at a distance of no more than two feet but when you are confident at this distance you should move further away – 6 inches at a time – until regular misses occur, then you must move back closer to the hole.

Finish the practise session with a few long putts to help feel the ’pace’.

Fear is the emotion, which makes putting very difficult when the ’pressure’ is on and there is a simple method to help the golfer overcome these knee ‘trembling’ situations.

You must hold the putter very lightly, breathe out fully and then hit the ball without hesitation because you all know through bitter experience that at these times it is not easy to think straight, so the simpler the method the better chance of success.

There are some ‘interesting’ tests that you can do to improve your understanding of putting.

You are all aware that if you hit the ball too hard it will hit the hole and jump over the back, sometimes it will fall back in – but not when you need It, however find out how hard you can hit the ball without it going over because you may be able to forget about borrow on some short putts.

Another thing you can try is to putt with the toe or heel of the putter because putts come up short if hit this way, which can be very useful on fast downhill putts.

Spending your time practise putting has to be taken seriously and don’t be there to pass the time but be there to remind yourself that you can make the short ones because the long ones will then be so much easier to play.


For more information and tuition reservations contact 966 704 752 or michael.probert@terra.es

[Mike Probert]

Article 15 - PLK

‘PLK’

Remember what your Dad said to you when he gave you your first putting lesson.

First you must get your balance, because golf is a game of balance.

Then try and keep your head still, lead with the left hand and PLK.

What is PLK I hear you say?

PLK stands for ‘putt like a kid’

What does this mean?

Kids are fearless putter, just watch them, they are as un-mechanical as you can get.

They set up, aim and pull the trigger without a lot of second-guessing and no body tension.

Their sole objective appears to be to move the hole back a foot or two.

If it is this easy WHY do things go wrong and the shortest of putts seem almost impossible to hole?

Why do great golfers and champions stop winning when they reach their 40’s despite still hitting the ball well?

The answer is almost certainly the pressure and scars of having faced and missed so many important putts in previous years coupled with the inability to remove the outcome of the putt from the mind.

I am sure that all golfers at some time have stood over a putt and had the thought, if hole this I will…….... or if I miss this putt I will…..…….

Remember what I stated in a previous article and play NATO golf and try to be not attached to the outcome.

Will this be easy?

The answer is no but if you try to eliminate the negative thoughts and putt like a kid at least you may find that you are less stressed on the course and start to enjoy your golf more

If you would like to know more about how to improve the way in which you think on the golf course or would like to improve your golf swing call me today for lessons and see the results for yourself.

The price of the golf lessons start from only €25 per hour

For more information and golf lessons contact 966 704 752 or 661 345 931 or
michael.probert@terra.es

[Mike Probert]

Article 16 by Mike Probert

‘Golf Equipment - Clubs’

Golf has entered a new technological era with terms such as launch angle, spin rates and COR ratings in almost daily use.

Manufacturers will attempt to convince you that they can save you ‘shots’ and reduce your handicap if you use their clubs, shoes, gloves, socks, etc but in reality the time and money spent on equipment and tuition will be wasted if you attempt to play with clubs not suited to your ‘automatic swing’

Other than a well-fitted and maintained grip the most important part of a golf club is the shaft, especially for the long irons and metal woods.

Golfers with a high swing tempo and fast hands should avoid regular or ‘whippy’ shafts, using instead stiff or firm shafts and only the older golfer should consider using graphite-shafted irons.

How does this type of thing impact on the way you think I hear you ask?

I am sure that you have all heard the words “I always do that with this club” after a bad shot has been played by an opponent or partner

If you have such a club in your bag remove it and check for what is different to the other clubs in the set (loft, lie, swing-weight, etc) BUT do not attempt to use it because under pressure you will carry negative thoughts about the club and the shot to be played.

Remember that to continue to do the same thing repeatedly and expect a different result can only result in frustration and a loss of confidence.

Contrary to this if you have a favourite club in your bag, use it in pressure situations because you will approach the shot with more confidence.

Confidence is POWER and you cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought on the golf course.
For more information and tuition reservations contact 966 704 752 or 661 345 931 or michael.probert@terra.es with lessons from as little as €25 per hour.

[Mike Probert]

Article 17  by Mike Probert

'Golf Equipment  - Golf Balls'

Do you use a type of golf ball because you found it, were given it as a present or because it is the latest being used by the golf pro’s?

To understand the importance of selecting a golf ball to suit your ‘game’ you need to know a little of golf ball aerodynamics and ball flight.

Put simply every golf ball is hit with back spin and when any rotating spherical object comes into contact with a horizontal surface in a different plane, the object will reverse it’s rotation and that is why a golf ball back-spins on the second bounce.

In addition under laboratory conditions using a robotic arm on a perfectly flat surface putts of 6ft were missed on a regular basis as a result of the reaction between the dimples on the ball and the putter face

Still with me, I bet that you will not think about a golf ball in the same way again?

Now I know that a golfer receives a small confidence boost on the first tee from his Titleist Pro V1 golf ball costing 5 Euro’s but this soon disappears as the ball curves left or right either out of bounds or into the nearest lake.

Remember that these balls are designed to spin at a higher rate BUT this means laterally as well as backspin and therefore poorer shots with a hook or slice are accentuated.

In addition here in the Vega Bega the courses are generally over-watered with resulting soft greens and landing areas so the new balls cannot spin as designed because the surfaces are not firm enough to react against.

How can this help my thinking process I hear you ask?

Do not use a ball because of it’s name but choose one that suits your game and a harder ball with a longer flight time is better suited to the conditions here on the Costa’s.

If you consistently use the same golf ball and you understand the flight characteristics relative to your ‘game’ you will find club selection easier and eliminate doubt about how the ball will fly from rough or distances to carry bunkers and water hazards therefore allowing you to play the shot in a more positive manner.

Remember that confidence is POWER and clear thinking is POSITIVE.



For more information and tuition reservations contact 966 704 752 or michael.probert@terra.es

[Mike Probert]

 Article 18 -Nutrition

Just how serious are you about your golf?

Would you change your diet and avoid eating some of your favourite ‘junk food’ to improve your golf game?

If you would then this article is for you.

I can’t plan your diet for you because we are all different, however there are some foods that are not conducive to good health, energy and stamina.

To improve your diet you should eat foods that are high in nutrition but low in fat, such as, vegetables, fruit, turkey, whole grains, baked or boiled fish, skimmed milk, and egg whites. rice and fruit juices.

Unfortunately this means dumping some of your favourite foods which are loaded with empty calories, such as, pizza, ice cream, cheese cake, red meat, fried chicken, fried fish, gravy, chips, ham and soft drinks.

Getting withdrawal symptoms already?

Remember that good nuitrition, including plenty of water is fundamental to success, especially under difficult and trying conditions, such as excessive temperatures and humidity.

Here are some dietary do’s and don’ts in preparation for and during the round of golf:

1)   Don’t play on a full stomach (allow 2 hours for food to digest).
2)   Do drink plenty of water before and during the round.
3)   Do carry food nutrition bars for instant energy.
4)   Do use sports drinks to help avoid dehydration.
5)   Do eat apples and bananas for energy.
6)   Don’t eat chocolate during the round (avoids sugar highs).
7)   Don’t eat heavy foods like burgers & hotdogs (they cause lethargy).
   Don’t eat late meals (allow time for food to settle before you lie down).
9)   Don’t eat desserts (replace these with fruit or frozen yoghurt).

In general limit the amount of your sugar and salt intake.

Remember that a little bit of what you fancy does you good and a little bit of fat helps you maintain your weight but don’t overdo it and get carried away.

Nobody can tell you what to eat but we are all aware that not all foods are healthy for you.

You will decide when the time is right for you to eat healthier but for the majority of people they feel better for it and on the golf course you will discover that you do not tire as easily late in the round and that your thinking will remain consistent and clear for the whole round.

If you would like to know more about how to improve the way in which you think on the golf course or would like to improve your golf swing call me today for lessons and see the results for yourself.

The price of the golf lessons start from only €30 Euro’s per hour and gift vouchers are available which are ideal as birthday presents.

Also available discounted green fees and car hire.

Call Costa Blanca Green Fees on 966 704 752 oe 661 345 931 or e-mail info@costa-blanca-greenfees.com

[Mike Probert]

Article 19 by Mike Probert

‘Swing Faults  – Part I’

The hardest shot to play in golf is the STRAIGHT shot.

Even if you are successful the main problem with a straight shot is that unless it is EXACTLY on line, the ball will always be going away from your target.

With a fade or a draw the ball is always moving in the direction of the target.

Think about it!

The problem here of course is when a draw becomes a HOOK and when a fade becomes a SLICE and more importantly what do you do to correct it when it does.

Before you can cure any swing fault you need to understand the basic problem and have methods to correct the situation.

This article will discuss the two most common faults in golf, the slice and the hook and provide you with some cures.

Slice
The left to right shot is caused by swinging the club to the left and across your target line with an open clubface therefore imparting left to right spin on the ball and possible cures are:

a)   Imagine a high voltage power cable running 18” above and along your target line and above the ball and focus on hitting the ball without making FATAL contact with the cable therefore creating an in to out swing path rather than out to in.
b)   Alternatively to avoid over rotation of your left arm on the back swing and the resulting ‘fanning’ open of the club face simply hood the club face at the point the club shaft reaches parallel (to the ground) on the back swing.
c)   Mentally you should attempt to maintain a vision of the leading edge of the clubface and ‘feel’ the toe of the club turn over as you swing through the ball therefore preventing the club opening at the point of impact.



Hook
The right to left shot is caused by swinging the club to the right and across your target line with a closed clubface therefore imparting right to left spin on the ball and possible cures are:

a)   Attempt to take the club head away from the ball more on an outside line and avoid the ‘feel’ of the club and shaft going behind you and the back swing.
b)   Mentally imagine the type of swing path needed to create a divot, which is deeper at the heel than the toe of the club.
c)   On the downswing and at the point of impact prevent your hands from rolling over too soon.

Clearly there are many other possible reasons for golfers hooking and slicing a golf ball but the result is the same, the club head crosses the target line either to the right or the left instead of travelling down the target line.

There are also many other different ways to cure the problems but your golf coach needs to assess both your golf swing and physical capabilities before offering corrective advice to you.

If you would like to know more about how to improve the way in which you think on the golf course or would like to improve your golf swing call me today for lessons and see the results for yourself.

The price of the golf lessons start from only 30 Euro’s per HOUR with special discounts for children, pensioners and societies with vouchers available which are ideal as gifts or birthday presents.

For more information and golf lessons contact 966 704 752 or 661 345 931 or E-Mail
info@costa-blanca-greenfees.com