What is your #1 golf tip for golf improvement

[TJBam]

TST certifiable response: Get lessons with a professional instructor.

Gambling lowlife response: Invest $1.79 in a stick of Chapstick.

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by saevel25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fourputt

Not really.  Starting with a good grip makes everything else easier.  I'm not talking about Vardon vs. interlock vs. ten finger.  I'm talking about basic hand position. A grip which is too strong or too weak requires sometimes awkward adjustments in the swing because it tends to put the player in a poor position in the back swing.  Such compensation can result in inconsistent ball striking.  A good grip can minimize other inadequacies in one's swing.  One of Harvey Penick's first moves with a prospective student was to hand him a club grip first.  How the player gripped the club told Penick a lot about where he had to start with the lessons.

Most players will never make good contact with the ball if they have a poor connection with the club.

Ok explain to me what a good grip is?

Too Strong?, how about Zack Johnson, has a very strong grip, says the V's on his hand are pointing to the right of his right shoulder. He's known as one of the most accurate drivers and wedge players in the game. Won the Masters.

Too strange, how about Jim Furyk, plays with a double overlap grip?

Here's a stranger one, what about the guy on the Big Break a few years ago, he had a cross handed grip, right handed golfer, had his left hand low? He played good enough to compete with guys who were trying to get an exemption on one of the mini tours. Meaning he was close to scratch or better.

Really?  You are going to use these as examples to emulate?   There are exceptions to every rule, but saying that one only uses the grip for nothing more than to fine tune your impact is a bit ludicrous.  You're a 10, I'm an unofficial 13 (although I've been as low as an official 9), so neither of us has any business trying to teach anyone what is right or wrong about the grip.  A good instructor starting out with a beginning player is going to start him with a good grip.  That doesn't mean that a  little fine tuning may not be necessary if the player actually reaches a level where his swing is consistent enough show his grip to be at fault.  I've seen far to many players try to cure a slice by doing nothing more than making a ridiculously strong grip, and ultimately it just doesn't work.  You start with a good grip, then groove a fundamentally good swing, then fine tune with minor grip tweaks.  Using exceptions to a rule to refute a rule just doesn't fly.

[saevel25]

Originally Posted by Fourputt

Really?  You are going to use these as examples to emulate?   There are exceptions to every rule, but saying that one only uses the grip for nothing more than to fine tune your impact is a bit ludicrous.  You're a 10, I'm an unofficial 13 (although I've been as low as an official 9), so neither of us has any business trying to teach anyone what is right or wrong about the grip.  A good instructor starting out with a beginning player is going to start him with a good grip.  That doesn't mean that a  little fine tuning may not be necessary if the player actually reaches a level where his swing is consistent enough show his grip to be at fault.  I've seen far to many players try to cure a slice by doing nothing more than making a ridiculously strong grip, and ultimately it just doesn't work.  You start with a good grip, then groove a fundamentally good swing, then fine tune with minor grip tweaks.  Using exceptions to a rule to refute a rule just doesn't fly.

I am not saying a slice is solved by a strong grip. What i am saying is, your saying, "Good Grip," i am saying you can't classify any grip as wrong because there are multitude of examples of people matching different swing types to grips. So the end result is, grips are highly unrelated to a good golf swing. there is little correlation. This is why there isn't one true way to grip the club, and to claim one way as the "good Grip", is misleading

[jshots]

FORWARD SHAFT LEAN

[Inebriated]

Originally Posted by saevel25

I am not saying a slice is solved by a strong grip. What i am saying is, your saying, "Good Grip," i am saying you can't classify any grip as wrong because there are multitude of examples of people matching different swing types to grips. So the end result is, grips are highly unrelated to a good golf swing. there is little correlation. This is why there isn't one true way to grip the club, and to claim one way as the "good Grip", is misleading

I agree, but I do think everyone should start out doing the basics such as a "good grip", and then alter it as they go along. I mean, anyone can make anything work, but it's just quicker (I think) for people to try and follow most of the basics to get started, and then they can start tinkering when they get an idea of what needs to happen for a swing to be successful.

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by saevel25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fourputt

Really?  You are going to use these as examples to emulate?   There are exceptions to every rule, but saying that one only uses the grip for nothing more than to fine tune your impact is a bit ludicrous.  You're a 10, I'm an unofficial 13 (although I've been as low as an official 9), so neither of us has any business trying to teach anyone what is right or wrong about the grip.  A good instructor starting out with a beginning player is going to start him with a good grip.  That doesn't mean that a  little fine tuning may not be necessary if the player actually reaches a level where his swing is consistent enough show his grip to be at fault.  I've seen far to many players try to cure a slice by doing nothing more than making a ridiculously strong grip, and ultimately it just doesn't work.  You start with a good grip, then groove a fundamentally good swing, then fine tune with minor grip tweaks.  Using exceptions to a rule to refute a rule just doesn't fly.

I am not saying a slice is solved by a strong grip. What i am saying is, your saying, "Good Grip," i am saying you can't classify any grip as wrong because there are multitude of examples of people matching different swing types to grips. So the end result is, grips are highly unrelated to a good golf swing. there is little correlation. This is why there isn't one true way to grip the club, and to claim one way as the "good Grip", is misleading

I'll put it this way.  The goal is to return the club to a good impact position.  Starting with a poor grip makes that task much more difficult.  Holding the club at address in way which is comfortable, but which also allows the hands to work together properly is the first step in bringing the club back at impact.  Gripping the club in a way which does not promote a good takeaway is going to make it hard to come back to the ball in the same position.  It's going to require various compensations during the swing or setup to overcome the faulty grip.  Don't you think that it's going to be easier to start correctly than it is to compensate somewhere in the swing?  I'ts certainly going to promote better consistency if the hands are comfortable throughout the swing.  Some players may have the athleticism to make a poor grip work for them, but that still doesn't make it the right way to teach the game.

[iacas]

Originally Posted by Fourputt

You're a 10, I'm an unofficial 13 (although I've been as low as an official 9), so neither of us has any business trying to teach anyone what is right or wrong about the grip.  A good instructor starting out with a beginning player is going to start him with a good grip.

Do I qualify?

If I have an hour with a student, I'll spend about five minutes on everything non-dynamic: how you grip the club, where the ball goes in your stance, how you set up to the golf ball, the works.

It's not that important early on. Early on, it's important for the student to hit the ball every time and, ideally, to hit it in the air every time.

I've taught beginner clinics. Our beginners start smashing draws (often low draws because we exaggerate a little bit of the weight forward stuff ) very quickly. Spending more than a minute or two on grip at that time is, IMO, pointless. It's boring, and it doesn't begin to affect their swings or where the ball is going nearly as much as several more important things. So long as they're not gripping the club in a completely non-functional way, we don't spend much more time on it until much later.

Originally Posted by Fourputt

Using exceptions to a rule to refute a rule just doesn't fly.

I don't really see them as exceptions.

Pros grip the club in the fingers more than most amateurs, who grip the club in the palm. Other than that, there's really almost no commonality among PGA Tour Pros or the game's best players. "Grip" is not one of the 5 Simple Keys®, after all. Clubface Control is, but that's #5 and often comes as one of the last pieces. First goal: strike the ball. Second goal: strike it reasonably solidly. Your grip, so long as it's reasonably decent, is well down the list of influences for those two goals.

P.S. I can take all manner of goofy grips and break 80. Probably not cross-handed - I'll leave that for Josh Broadaway - but all kinds of grips are "good" grips, and it doesn't take more than a minute to get someone into a "good" grip or a "good enough for now" grip.

P.P.S. Note also I tweak a lot of grips in regular lessons… because it's generally pretty easy to do.

[Peak2Creek]

Relax!

[WilsonWedgeMan]

rotate around an imaginary steel rod running thru your spine...do not sway

[bubble]

using an appropriate strategy, helped a couple of friends play signle digit with this.

you only need 9 pars and 9 bogey to score under 10.

so play within yourself, shoot short controlable shots with short clubx and take the regulation green on the 4-5 short holes. that leaves 13-14 hole to try to scramble 5 or 4 pars.

the best about this is understanding that it is not a disapointment to lay up on a long hole. playing a chip or pitch shot from the fairway is pretty fun and more stress free than the same shot from the rough or hazards.

[Hacker James]

The best tip I have discovered is to  " not give tips"  unless you are prepared for lots of criticism from those with lower handicap. So, to get around that I try and preface everything with  "This works FOR ME".  I appreciate the feedback (especially from those qualified), but at the same time, do not always accept "conventional wisdom" which is in itself an oxymoron. Listen to everybody, but give weight  to what "works" for you.

[GoalsAndPar]

Keep your head down and keep your posture in check. I think I might just get a shirt with that sentence printed on it

[nevets88]

Two words. Clone teacher. Optimally, if you had a good teacher with you whenever you practiced, wouldn't you improve in the shortest amount of time?

[Slice of Life]

Don't ever give up on a hole.

God knows I've had my fair share of disaster holes...as I'm sure everyone here has. However, don't give up on a hole if your first couple shots are bad, or you're guaranteeing a blow up hole.

I've had many holes when I duff a drive, and follow that with another mishit.

One example was on a medium length par 4, about 380-400 yards. Pop the drive up to the right about 200 yards, right in the fairway bunker. Grab my 6 iron, and duff the sand shot 60 yards. Now, at this point I could have gotten really frustrated, but instead, I grabbed my wedge, and hit it within a foot of the pin, and 1 putt for par.

[JAY1987]

#1 tip I give to my friends that are learning to play is 'forget about your last shot! hit the next one with confidence'. A lot of new players to the game often get really anxious about other people on the course watching them, especially at peak times and people are waiting to tee behind.

I try and get them to convert that pressure into confidence, I think it's very important...... and it speeds the round up!

[Joe Jordan]

Number one tip for a beginner or someone improving on their game: Don't keep score! Settle yourself down and don't think about a shot. Play it as if it were an extention of yourself. PRACTICE every swing and find the swing that feels right. Eventually, you'll keep score when playing with buddies. Playing without the harassment of a scorecard is the most liberating feeling on a course.

[kw purp]

Think and analyze less, naturally react more.

When your playing basketball for example, you are just doing what comes naturally in the moment.

In golf, it's easy to get caught up (especially if you go to the range a lot) in every tiny detail of your game. This is heading down the path to disaster.

Once I realized, the more swing thoughts and different techniques you try, the worse you are going to play. My game started improving dramatically.

[Slice of Life]

Originally Posted by kw purp

Think and analyze less, naturally react more.

Yup. Can't tell you how many times I've hit terrible shots after analyzing it, taking practice swings...blah blah blah, then I get pissed, walk up to the ball and whack it without any routine or thought, and it's a purely struck beauty. lol