Best golf tips

[Hank Hill]

I was wondering what was the best golf tip you were given or read that helped elevate your game more than any other.

I'll start off. "Don't strangle the club, use a light grip pressure as if gripping a tube of toothpaste upside down with the cap off and trying not to let any paste squeeze out".

This tip has really helped me lose a lot of tension at address and release the club a lot better, giving me greater accuracy and distance.

Who's next?

["Richard"]

best tip I got was to to put the ball a bit farther back in my stance and put a little bit more wieght on my front foot to promote hitting dwon on the ball. Its helped me a great deal

[BC MIST]

I'll start off. "Don't strangle the club, use a light grip pressure as if gripping a tube of toothpaste upside down with the cap off and trying not to let any paste squeeze out".

This tip has really helped me lose a lot of tension at address and release the club a lot better, giving me greater accuracy and distance.

Am a strong believer is learning a fundamentally correct, sequence of positions, that when performed with a smooth tempo, results in a good shot. Tips, as I perceive them, don't work, as they are compensations for incorrect motions. Others probably see tips differently.

It is good that the light grip pressure tip has worked for you, however, a grip as light as the analogy suggests, can cause serious problems, particularly for those with faster swing tempos, as it causes the hands to slip on the club, usually at the transition. When the golfer regrips after slippage, the club face is usually altered, and an off line shot results. To check for this, just look at your grip and see if there are any isolated wear spots. If there are, your grip is slipping, and it should not. While somewhat of a contradiction, a firm grip with relaxed arms, IMO, is better.

[byerxa]

Like BC said, no single "tip" has done me much good. Going to a pro and working on the whole package is the only thing that really worked for me. Now that my fundamentals are in the ball park, educated tips on correcting faults that pop up produce immediate tangible results.

[Hank Hill]

Am a strong believer is learning a fundamentally correct, sequence of positions, that when performed with a smooth tempo, results in a good shot. Tips, as I perceive them, don't work, as they are compensations for incorrect motions. Others probably see tips differently.

I have been using the Bertholy method (as recommended by you and others) and have been advocating the sequence of positions that you talk about. I guess "tip" was a bad word.

It is good that the light grip pressure tip has worked for you, however, a grip as light as the analogy suggests, can cause serious problems, particularly for those with faster swing tempos, as it causes the hands to slip on the club, usually at the transition. When the golfer regrips after slippage, the club face is usually altered, and an off line shot results. To check for this, just look at your grip and see if there are any isolated wear spots. If there are, your grip is slipping, and it should not. While somewhat of a contradiction, a firm grip with relaxed arms, IMO, is better.

Yeah I was aware of the club slipping so I tried a range of grip pressures and settled on one that worked for me. At the lighter grips, there is slippage and the resulting shot is downright dangerous but at the firmness I chose, there is no club slippage.

[Hank Hill]

best tip I got was to to put the ball a bit farther back in my stance and put a little bit more wieght on my front foot to promote hitting dwon on the ball. Its helped me a great deal

Would more weight on the front foot promote a reverse pivot? Are you still able to shift your weight effectively with this method?

[leftylucas]

I too adhere to the sequence of movements but one tip on how to address the ball in your stance was to line up the club as per ususal to your target and then align yourself with the club so that the butt end of the club pointing at your belt buckle. This would more or less place the ball ion the correct position between your feet almost everytime, not too far forward or too far back.

[Kilroy]

Tips are dangerous. If a player grips too tight and is told to losen his grip, it will work. He then says to his buddy "It worked for me". This buddy already gripped it fine, but had other issues and was willing to try anything, so he changes his grip preassure to be too lose because of this great tip that worked for his friend.

See a pro. Get "tips" that are specifically for you, or you could make a big mess of your game.

["Richard"]

The tip I got was from a golf coach and later read it in a mag. I don't really follow what people tell me anymore since the lessons are going really well. I've tried tips that my friends have used as a quick fix to their problems and they very rarely work for me since I'm not really having the same problems as them. Anyway, get lessons, not tips. Its the only way to get better obviously you have to practice what they teach you.. alot!

[jonf]

mine isn't exactly a tip - I had never had any lessons or anything, but had developped a decent natural swing. About 3 years ago I was watching the golf channel and saw an infomercial for David Leadbetter's laser guide - seemed like a gimmick to me, but it did let me know of the importance of getting the club "into the slot" ie, keeping wrist cock as long as possible. This one bit of info has helped me alot, and my swing has become much more consistent since then.

[Hank Hill]

Tips are dangerous. If a player grips too tight and is told to losen his grip, it will work. He then says to his buddy "It worked for me". This buddy already gripped it fine, but had other issues and was willing to try anything, so he changes his grip preassure to be too lose because of this great tip that worked for his friend.

See a pro. Get "tips" that are specifically for you, or you could make a big mess of your game.

Good point! I wasn't asking so I could use any of the "tips" I was just curious if anyone had an epiphany and their game took off from there, or whether it was just steady progress.

[Eldred]

After having worked on my aligment from lessons this past winter, my instructor noticed there still some separation of my arms from the body. We employed the VJ Singh's "glove tuck under left armpit". This "training wheels" really slow me down abit and thus giving me better tempo and improve my swing on plane. Progress has been great so far on the range and hitting 3 or 4 greens on par 3 last round.

[Golf_Putz]

Given my scores, I am probably the last person that should be posting here

For what it's worth, I have also found that many tips about swing, setup, stance, etc. have often lead to more confusion than before. Good reason for a lesson.

However, I have found that the best tips are those related to course and/or round management.

I think that it was one of the golf magazines which mentioned the idea of dividing your score card into groups of 3. That really helped me to stay better focussed - get off any bad set of 3 holes quicker and allowing me to focus on the next set of 3. Each group was kind of like a fresh start.

You all know that feeling of hope that you have at the start of each round, before getting on that first tee... and then feeling it fall apart when you have a few bad holes. Dividing the card into a groups of 3 kind of let's you re-start 6 times in a round of 18 instead of just once.

This approach helps me to keep a more even keel during the round and not getting so upset about some bad holes that will keep me from meeting any scoring goals that I might have set at the start of the round.

It's such a head game and I have enough trouble keeping my old brain focussed on where I put my car keys, never mind remembering all the swing, or setup, or putting keys.....

[jonf]

hmmmm, that's actually a really interesting idea. I find that after a few bad holes I will just kind of give up on my round - realize I can't reach my desired goal - and start making bad decisions. I'm going to have to give this a shot next time out.

["Richard"]

I agree with you about the course related tips, the best tip given to me by a non cpga pro was don't go for par 5s in two.. you aren't a pro. And don't hit a driver just because its a par 5... maybe a 200 yard club or a 230 yard club (like my 17* hybrid). If you hit your driver you might end up in trouble cause its an easy club to get in trouble with (slice, hook). And even if you do hit it well, you still have a 230+ shot to the green and will be temped to pull out a wood and go for it and that can also lead to trouble since par 5 greens are usually pretty prtected to punish people who go far it and miss and reward people who go for it and miss. Just pull out a long iron, hybrid or something, put it up in the fairway (for me...520-230 = 290) then pull out a 6 iron (290-170=120) and then pull out a PW (120-120 = 0..IN THE HOLE!) and hopefully you are on the green and if not you will atleast be close enough to get up and down for par or maybe a 6 if you mess up I very rarely take 7s on par 5s now and I used to take 10s (only get more than 7 if I use a driver). Another tip he gave me was always aim for the middle of the green, who cares if hole is in the from or the back of the green because you aren't consistant enough to hit the yardage you think you hit all the time. Just aim right for the centre and sometimes you will be close to the hole and some times you wont (50/50) but you will hit the green a lot more. Finally best tip he (the same guy) gave me was... its just a game. Have fun, don't break your clubs over your knee and relax. If you have a bad hole who cares, you aren't playing for $1,000,000 and if you have a bad hole, forget about it and move on to the next hole. Now, I must say this guy was 60 years old and shot a 78 and didn't use a driver once and played from the tees behind me. Not a very flashy round and hardly and birdies but tons of pars.. I think I had more birdies than him (2)

[Hacker]

I really like the game management tips as well. My favorite has to do with keeping track of various stats for each hole. I track fairways hit, GIR, up/downs, sand saves, approach club hit, putts. I enter this info into a program that tracks and shows me trends. I use the trend info to help guide my practice time....can anyone say short game??

[zoic]

That is good advice thotho, and I find since I started playing all par 5's to get on in 3, I have many more pars now and only a rare 7. In that hole you mentioned I could not get home in 2 with my best two shots probably, but a 3W, 7W and 8I would put me there just fine. I think I have finally learned the value of avoiding the risk, and still getting the reward by playing it safe (a par or better), instead of misery.

[Darin_CS]

The best tip I had was years ago before I even had a handicap. I was about 14 years old, my pro saw that my swing was completely upper body and I was coming from the outside. He made me hit several hundred balls on the driving range over and over for a while with my back foot pulled backwards about a 1-1.5 feet (pull back as in to close your stance, not widen). When you pull your foot back, make sure you dont change the alignment of your hips and shoulders. This would force me to bring the club from the inside to impact and inevitably forced me to use my hips because I had to clear them out of the way to hit. After a month I went up 2 clubs in distance and started hitting the ball much straighter and much higher.

[dmr]

Last summer I started playing again after a 5 year layoff. After several games in the 100's I was getting frustrated (I used to shoot in the low to mid 90's). I was topping the ball a lot and not hitting it well on full swings and just not enjoying myself.

One night at the range on Limebank road, the pro (can't remember his name) is getting ready to go home and as he walks by he says "You've got a pretty good swing but your upper body moves too much". I look at him quizzically, he puts a club on my shoulder and asks me to swing without moving his club. I swing and hit it straight and true. A few more good shots and I'm convinced.

I broke 100 almost every time after that and more importantly started to enjoy playing golf again.

[Andru]

I was wondering what was the best golf tip you were given or read that helped elevate your game more than any other.

I'll start off. "Don't strangle the club, use a light grip pressure as if gripping a tube of toothpaste upside down with the cap off and trying not to let any paste squeeze out".

This tip has really helped me lose a lot of tension at address and release the club a lot better, giving me greater accuracy and distance.

Who's next?

Jackie Burke RE: "My Shot" Golf Digest.

To succeed at golf, you have to master the art of not being embarrassed. It's incredibly hard to erase thoughts of how you're going to be perceived by others, and the challenge never ceases. You think Arnold Palmer doesn't feel embarrassed when he yips a four-foot putt in front of a big gallery? He mastered the art of not being embarrassed years ago, and now he's learning it again.

[el tigre]

These are not so much tips as lessons that get reinforced every time I play:

1) You must have good balance and a smooth tempo throughout.
2) You must accelerate through the ball on all shots (even putts).
3) A "full swing" is shorter than you think.

[dbleber]

Am a strong believer is learning a fundamentally correct, sequence of positions, that when performed with a smooth tempo, results in a good shot. Tips, as I perceive them, don't work, as they are compensations for incorrect motions. Others probably see tips differently.

It is good that the light grip pressure tip has worked for you, however, a grip as light as the analogy suggests, can cause serious problems, particularly for those with faster swing tempos, as it causes the hands to slip on the club, usually at the transition. When the golfer regrips after slippage, the club face is usually altered, and an off line shot results. To check for this, just look at your grip and see if there are any isolated wear spots. If there are, your grip is slipping, and it should not. While somewhat of a contradiction, a firm grip with relaxed arms, IMO, is better.

That happens to me all the time. I have always been told to hold the club as if you were holding onto a babies arm. I do this, but I find that sometime a can feel the club move and it causes me to regrip in my down swing. I also have those isolated wear spots. I try the firm grip with relaxed arms next time at the range to see if that stops the slipping. Thanks.

[Eldred]

Regarding softhands, the best tip I had was to relax the shoulders, yours arms and hands are then relax, promoting feel of tension free swing. My bigger issue at the moment right now is the course management. Sometimes the round may be going well next you think you're a scratch golfer. At Cartier the other week started off with par, par, bogie, birdie then a snowman!!! on a par 5...why? because I thought I could go home in two over the Ottawa River... braking 40 on a nine hole should be my first goal.

[Golfbum]

BEST GOLF TIP
When you step on the first tee be tension free. Remember, you are not a PGA player trying to make a living playing golf. You are a HACKER, if you are not then you should be on tour.

Swing freely, have fun, enjoy the sunshine and the walk. Most of all enjoy the company of your playing partners. Afterall, we are here for a good time not a long time. Some of my best rounds of golf were so easy to play simply because I was having so much fun with my playing partners.

It's fine to set goals as long as those goals are within reach of your talent level. Otherwise forget them, you will just walk off the course frustrated. Take it one hole at a time too, do not think ahead. If you double boogie a hole, relax, you are still alive aren't you? Far too many people take this game too seriously.

I realize none of the above tips have anything to do with your swing, ball position, shaft flex, wedge spin etc etc. But to me they really are important parts of the great game of golf.

[ironmaster15213]

The best golf tip that I ever learned is not to bet Geoff on who's going to shoot a better score no matter how many shanks he says he had on the previous round.

[Sweetche]

Hi... Good day to all.
All i know is you need great hand-eye coordination, balance, athletic ability and creativity to play golf. The biggest concerns of golfers today are inconsistency first of all, followed by slicing and distance. Finding ways to improve your golf game, then applying what you've learned and practicing, is the number one way to get ahead of the game.

______________________
Sweetche

I love Cheap Golf Balls

[kerisb]

Not realy a tip, but what I tell the new golfers now and what I believe is......take tips from people and lessons, but you need to have a swing that feels right to you.
Every pro I watch swings differently, and when some one tells me you have to do it like this, then I question that. If you don't feel comfortable ten you won't likely keep it up. I have seen people with ridiculous looking swings and they get great results. So my advice is work on what you have instead of trying to change everything............just maybe tweak it abit!

[dhacker1956]

NEVER take a tip and try to incorporate it into your swing on the course!!! The course is for playing not tinkering. Tips go to the range!!!!

[eaglesback]

Any 'tip' that simplifies the game is a good one. I have found that, for the average golfer, ‘tips’ tend to complicate the game.

I think this is because they don’t understand ‘root’ cause or why the ball does what it does. If the average golfer understood ‘cause and effect’, they would be a lot better off both in terms of simplifying their swing and being able to self-diagnose/correct the problem on the course.

For instance the flight of the ball never lies but I don’t believe the average golfer understands why the ball does what it does. Hence, a slice only seems to get worse or mysteriously (and temporarily) corrects itself somehow on the course without any seeming cause.

So the key ‘tip’ would be to better help understand why the ball does what it does – then you can easily focus on the things that cause that to happen and the drill to fix it (and it’s not 1000 different things).

The key factors are:

Clubhead path:

• Travels down the target line (a good thing);
• Travels ‘out-to-in’ across the target line (pull – when combined with an open club face causes a banana slice, the most prevalent problem for the average golfer)
• Travel ‘in-to-out’ across target line resulting in a push

Club face angle at impact:

• Square – a good thing
• Open – resulting in a slice
• Closed – results in a hook

Knowing that these factors determine the flight of the ball and that there are only 9 possibilities greatly simplifies the game and you can then make the appropriate adjustments to your golf swing to fix it and keep it fixed.

So…

Hitting down the target line but with a slice? Your club path is great but club face is open.

Pulling the ball with a slice? You’re over-rotating (probably staying on your back foot) and club face is open…etc.

[Chambokl]

The best tip I had was years ago before I even had a handicap. I was about 14 years old, my pro saw that my swing was completely upper body and I was coming from the outside. He made me hit several hundred balls on the driving range over and over for a while with my back foot pulled backwards about a 1-1.5 feet (pull back as in to close your stance, not widen). When you pull your foot back, make sure you dont change the alignment of your hips and shoulders. This would force me to bring the club from the inside to impact and inevitably forced me to use my hips because I had to clear them out of the way to hit. After a month I went up 2 clubs in distance and started hitting the ball much straighter and much higher.

This has been my best tip ever. Too bad I didn't know this 35 years ago but better late than never. I did this now for about 3 weeks and also have relax my grip. I use a lighter grip and what a difference... not more fade... mostly straight shot and even once in a while a draw. I now aim a bit right of the target because if anything I might draw the ball a little bit. Darin, I would like to say thank you to your coach and to you.

Awesome...

PS: If you are swinging from outside/in this is the drill for you...