Golf equipment

Golf Swing Videos

Golf swing videos are a source of golf instructions for all golfers who seek to improve their golf swing. Luckily, the internet is an abundant resource for finding information on anything you can imagine and more. This includes golf swing videos that assist you as a beginner, as well as improving your swing if you are an intermediate golfer.

One good resource is at Golf.com. They have a series of golf swing videos from their V1 series of golf lessons. These golf swing videos show you how to align your body, proper arc width, and the swing follow through. There are numerous videos for every aspect of your swing. What’s better is that they are online! No need to order them and have to wait the whole 4-6 weeks for delivery of the videos. They can be accessed right away by downloading them to your computer as soon as they are bought. You can begin your golf swing instruction today.

Another place to obtain some videos is GolfSpan.com. They also have several golf swing videos, among other information. However, to get access to all of their videos, you have to join their website, which has a one time cost of $49.95. It does come with a year’s subscription to GOLF Magazine and 10% off of all golf purchases on their site. If you have the cash on hand, there is definitely an opportunity to learn there. They do have a Free Guest Membership which gives you access to a monthly selection of a few videos. GolfSpan.com selects a few videos every month that can be accessed by the free membership.

A more in depth search will undoubtedly reveal additional golf instruction and golf swing videos to assist and improve your golf swing. Visit your local video or golf shop to find more golf swing videos.

Copyright, 2006. Sean Wilson

Super Golf Swing Tips That Work For You Now

Even the guys who play golf for a living and get the best
golf instruction in the world still struggle to improve
their golf; and they practice each and every day! It’s
important to remember, your golf swing is what drives your
score; not your clubs or ball. You need great hand-eye
coordination, balance, athletic ability and creativity to
play golf.

It’s been proven that thinking positively about bettering
your golf game will benefit you more than playing to compete
with your partners and trying to win for winnings sake.
Overall, you generally want to play golf with confidence.
The positive energy you send out will influence your game,
just as negative thinking and therefore negative energy will
affect it also.

At the end of a swing, the weight has shifted almost
entirely to the left foot, the body is fully turned to the
left and the hands are above the left shoulder with the club
hanging down over the players’ back.

The backswing is a rotation to the right, consisting of a
shifting of the player’s body weight to the right side, a
turning of the pelvis and shoulders, lifting of the arms and
flexing of the elbows and wrists. Putts and short chips are
ideally played without much movement of the body, but most
other golf shots are played using variants of the full golf
swing.

At the end of a backswing the hands are above the right
shoulder, with the golf club pointing more or less in the
intended direction of ball flight. After the ball is hit,
the follow-through stage consists of a continued rotation to
the left. Make sure to use the proper technique. It’s
difficult for a golfer to practice hitting shots longer than
short pitch shots unless one pays to play golf or pays to
practice at a driving range or indoor golf training
facility.

Putting can become a nightmare and a condition called the
‘yips’ has affected not only amateurs but professionals as
well; get expert advice and consider a golf swing aid. When
you swing if you have problems with your left knee buckling,
imagine you’re holding a soccer ball between your knees.

Use the muscles in your legs and trunk when you swing.
Accomplished golfers purposely use sidespin to steer their
ball around obstacles or towards the safe side of fairways
and greens. Most golfers don’t know there are techniques
that will greatly affect swing mechanics; you can get an
edge by just changing your approach.

Workouts with straight crunches won’t improve your swing or
driving distance; concentrate on weighted rotational
exercises instead. You can get rid of shoulder problems with
some simple techniques.

Overall, investing in golf swing aids will greatly improve
your golf swing and your golf game. If you’re a golfing
novice just starting out, it’s easy to become overwhelmed.
Golf swing aids will improve your golf game.

Before buying any golf swing aid, check with an expert to
get an idea of what problem you need to work on first;
backlift of golf swing, momentum of downward thrust or
stance for example. Golf magazines often review the newest
golf swing aids and are reviewed by golfers, making it easy
to choose the right one for you. There are a number of good
golf swing aids on the market today.

Golf swing aids come in all shapes and sizes including
apparel type accessories to correct alignment or a golf club
add-on accessory to monitor your swing. Golf swing aids can
be found online and are often cheaper. You can find golf
swing aids that will help you with your wrist and arm
position.

In any case, stick to just one golf swing aid at a time;
don’t load up on them. If you’re looking for an aid to
improve your stance they’re not hard to find.

If you’ve hit with your golf driver perfectly once, you can
do it every time. Practice, practice, practice! Having a
plan and working on specific aspects of the swing or game
should be your goal.

For more information on golf swing improvement golf swing
aids and golf swing fitness go to
http://www.Best-Golf-Guide.com specializing in golf tips,
help, advice, resources, and instruction including
information on golf swing tips.

Article Directory: EzineArticles http://ezinearticles.com

Improve Your Ball Flight and Lower Your Score

Ever wonder why some days you strike the ball so well and others you hit the ball thin, fat, left, right, or just no consistency?

The posture in which we stand while swinging the golf club is important because it allows the club to swing on the proper plane. In this article we will look at spine angle and spine tilt and how they affect the plane of the swing.

Spine Angle

Spine angle can be defined by the angle that the spine and the ground create. The spine angle is created when we bend from the hips to take our stance. Once we have taken our stance we want to maintain this spine angle for most of our swing. At this point we can think of the spine as the axis or the pivot point for turning our shoulders.

Another image you can use is imagine your spine and shoulder create a t-square. While maintaining the angle between the spine and the ground begin to turn your shoulders. Your shoulders should pivot around your spine, done correctly the line created by your shoulder will point to the ground. Turn your shoulders so your chest faces the target, the line created by your shoulders should point along the same line as when your chest faced away form the target.

To illustrate this better, take your stance and place a golf club across your shoulders. Turn your shoulders so your chest faces away form the target. Here you can see the shaft’s end point towards the ground. Now take note to where the shaft is pointing. Turn your shoulders so your chest is facing the target. At this point your spine angle should remain the same as at address. Also the shaft’s end should point along the same line as before.

If during the golf swing we stand up, the spine angle becomes more vertical and this causes the golf club to come outside the target line. Normally if a golfer stands up during the swing it occurs in the backswing. In order to make contact with the ball the club must travel from outside the target line to inside the target line through impact. This outside to inside swing path creates a steep plane angle and causes fat shots, pulled shots, severe slice (open club face), smother hooks (closed club face).

Spine Tilt

When we grip the golf club our trail hand grips the club lower than the target hand. Since the trail hand is lower the trail shoulder should be lower than the target shoulder. This creates a spine tilt.

Spine tilt benefits in two ways. First, it allows the trail arm to be level with or slightly lower than the target arm. This will encourage the club to be swung on the proper inside to inside path.

Second we can align our shoulders parallel to the target line. If we did not have a spine tilt the tendency to to open the shoulders to the target line. Meaning a right handed player’s shoulders would be aligned facing left of the target line not parallel to the target line. An open shoulder alignment will cause us to swing the golf club on an outside to inside swing path.

Conclusion

Spine angle and spine tilt are often over looked fundamentals of the golf swing yet they play an important of the golf swing. Spine angle in the golf swing determines the plane the club is swung and how solid we strike the ball. Spine tilt has a direct affect in our shoulder alignment. Pay attention to these elements of the golf swing and you will reap the rewards of a a more efficient and powerful golf swing.

About the author:
Keith Thompson

Creator and Webmaster of TP Golf Online. Has taught golfers of all levels as a CPGA Professional in Canada.

Golf Training Equipment, Just What You Need To Master The
Game

For a person to excel in a sport, or any activity, they need
some kind of training. Only when they understand the sport,
learn the details, and terms used while playing it, will
they excel or be able to survive. The same applies to golf
enthusiasts, they need to undergo a certain amount of
training, else they will end up embarrassing themselves out
on the golf course. They might know all that goes into the
sport, but if they are clueless about how to play the game,
or hold the club, it is lost. Golf training equipment is
readily available in most sports good stores and online
stores as well.

Put together all the items you need to play a game of golf,
and imagine how it would be to use them all at the same
time. That would be next to impossible, which is why you
need to pick up the right kind of training equipment. You
need to make visits to a store that stocks all the products,
have a discussion with the expert and then pick up what you
need. For some, they might require a trainer to help them
get focus, and be able to play well, but others might pick
it up on their own.

Picking out the right kind of golf clubs, ball, a tee and
other accessories is important to play well. Another thing
to keep in mind, is that this is a sport that requires more
of brain work than physical effort. If the person is able to
judge the distance, and knows which driver to use, half the
battle has been won.

They could pick out a swing speed meter which will keep them
posted on the speed of their swing shots, which will teach
them to use the right driver. After this, a stability ball
should also be purchased. This is not to play golf but to
keep the body fit while bending or flexing the muscles.
Since they are not very cumbersome, they can be stored in
small spaces and used. Buying a vision track is optional,
this comes with instructional DVD that allows the person to
see how far the hole is or what kind of shot they need to
take. Ideal for practicing at home, or when the player wants
to get comfortable before getting out on a range.

There are some training equipment that come with a golf cage
with net, that one can install in their backyard. These are
like a practice area, within which the player can take as
many shots as they want to understand how the ball moves.
The swing turner is a golf training equipment that helps
correct the strokes taken. It helps the person position
their clubs in the right manner giving maximum leverage. An
inside approach is a good alternative for beginners, giving
the player the assistance to get high impact on the ball.
There are also videos and tutorials available which help the
person learn about the game.

Article written by Cassaundra Flores, who is the owner of
skyfireproducts.com. Where we sell a large selection of
sports items such as golf training equipment, Personalized
golf balls and golf tournament gifts.

Article Directory: EzineArticles http://ezinearticles.com

Balance Your Checkbook And Golf Swing

We all search for it. Balance in our daily lives. Balance while riding a bike. Politicians are always debating a balanced budget in Washington, and most of us could use a little balance in our checkbooks. Balance is a term used in golf quite often as well. It’s a “buzzword” and almost a clich? when it comes to the golf swing. I am sure you have heard numerous times from swing coaches that “you have to stay balanced when swinging your club.” Others phrases that I hear when we talk about golf and balance are the following: “When it comes to a sand shot, dig your feet into the stand so you can stay balanced,” “If the ball is on an uphill lie and above your feet, make sure you swing through the ball, and stayed balanced,” and “Stay balanced when hitting the driver and get to the finish position in perfect balance.” The list could go on and on, and I am sure all of you could probably add to the short list above. Two questions always arise in my mind when I hear the word balance in association with golf: 1) what does balance exactly mean, and 2) how do I create balance in my golf swing? I am guessing quite a few of you have these same questions, or similar ones, when you talk about the subject of balance in relation to the golf swing.

I am going to answer both of these questions. We will first define balance and its relation to the golf swing. Secondly, we will discuss how you develop the balance capacities of your body in relation to the golf swing. So without further ado let’s get started.

What is Balance?

This is a really great question and the perfect way to begin. So let’s hear it! What is the definition of balance? Think about it for a minute and then write down a couple of your answers. I understand that this is not the easiest question to answer (trust me, I have asked it plenty of times), and it is okay if you are not able to create a good working definition of balance (that’s part of what we are going to do with this article). Okay, time is up, what did you write down?

Well, let me tell you some of the replies I have received for this question and we will take if from there. Here are just a few that I hear: “head over your belly button between your feet,” “swinging a club on the correct path,” “knowing where your body is in space,” and “kinesthetic awareness.” All of these answers are somewhat correct, but none of them gives us a good sound understanding of what balance really means.

The definition of balance is simply the ability to control your body during movement. Sounds pretty simple, does it not? It really is when you think about it, but let’s break this definition down so we understand it completely. Starting with the first portion of the definition: “the ability to control” means what? Well, it is probably easiest to imagine what “out of control” looks like. Take the mental image of a racecar crashing into the wall. We could describe the car as out of control. Now take the flip side of this, and what would this car look like if it were in control? It would probably zoom around the track without hitting anything. The body is the same; if your body is out of control it will, in a sense, crash or fall over. If the body is in control, then it performs whatever movement you are asking of it without “crashing.” Take the example of a toddler running. Sometimes they get going so quickly that they get out of control and fall over. Other times they stay in control and are able to run.

Moving onto the second part of the definition: “your body.” Pretty easy concept to understand, don’t you think? Your body includes your torso, head, arms, legs, and anything attached to the arms or legs, like a golf club. Up to this point we can put together the first two parts of the definition and summarize it as: the body (including your arms, legs, torso, head, and golf club) must be under control. Let us add the final part of the definition into the mix to complete our understanding.

The final piece of the definition is: “during movement.” This simply means anything your body is doing. It can be walking, running, throwing a baseball, or, in our world, swinging a golf club. Swinging a golf club is “our movement” when discussing this definition. We are now at the point to put the whole definition together. Let us use the example of a golf swing to create the connection we are looking for in terms of the definition.

Balance is the ability of your body (i.e. nerves, muscles, and skeleton) to swing a golf club effectively and efficiently on the correct path without changing the position of your body in such a way that it is detrimental to the swing and its outcome (i.e. contact with the ball). Pretty simple definition when you break it down, and from now on when your swing coach says, “You have to stay balanced,” you know what he is talking about.

Developing Balance in Our Golf Swing

Okay, we now know the definition of balance and its relationship to the golf swing. Now, for the second question of this article: “how do we develop balance in relationship to our golf swing?” This next section will answer this question for you. I would also bet that the answer is not as obvious as it appears.

I will first say that developing balance in your swing is a combination of a couple of factors. The first and probably most obvious factor is mechanics. The golf swing is a biomechanical movement that requires the body to take the club through a specified swing path in a certain sequence and timing. The body must learn the biomechanical movement of a golf swing to become efficient with the movement. As your body becomes aware of the movement, more efficient with the movement, and has a better “feel” for the movement, the concept of balance in your swing will improve. So the first part of developing balance in your swing is linked to the mechanics of the swing and becoming more efficient with these mechanics. This all funnels down to two things: 1) proper instruction about the swing, and 2) practice. Practice, practice, and more practice is necessary to create better balance in your swing.

The second factor has to do with a term that many of you have probably heard before. That term is “muscle memory.” Realize that within your body the skeleton is controlled by your muscles, muscles are controlled by nerves, and the nerves are told what to do by your brain. The messages sent to your muscles through your nerves by the brain create movement (i.e. muscles working to make the body move). These movements can either be efficient or inefficient. Inefficient movements by the muscular system tend to be “sloppy” and “unrefined.” Efficient movements are just the opposite. Efficient movements by your muscular system are refined and technical. Improvement in balance is a result of the latter (i.e. efficient muscular movement). Efficient muscular movement is developed through training the muscles and nerves of your body to become more efficient. This is not done through typical exercises like bench press or leg press, but through stabilization and balance exercises.

As golfers we have our priorities. Let’s get some balance in our golf swing by training our bodies, getting proper instruction, and certainly a lot of practice. Once we’ve got balance there, then we’ll start talking about balancing our checkbook or helping Washington balance the federal budget.
About the Author

Sean Cochran is one of the most recognized golf fitness instructors in the world today. He travels the PGA Tour regularly with 2004 Masters Champion Phil Mickelson. He has made many of his golf tips, golf instruction and golf swing improvement techniques available to amateur golfers on the website http://www.bioforcegolf.com. Check out his manual and DVD, on BioForceGolf.com

Written By: Sean Cochran