Photo Credit: Jason Lugo

Great Golf Tips to Improve Your Game

Putt Whenever Possible: Often golfers need a few golf tips to help them with their short game. One of the best short-game golf tips will tell you to pick up your putter. All too often golfers grab a sand wedge when they are around the green and try to hit a high, arcing shot to the pin. There is much more room for error in a shot like that compared to one with a lower trajectory that makes the ball roll across the green. The lower the trajectory, the more likely you are to have an accurate shot (McCord). Even if it's not on the green, putt it if you can because there is no club with a lower trajectory.

The Lower the Better in Windy Weather: If you have a few extra balls that you would like to donate to the woods, hit them high on a really windy day. However, if you are like most golfers who want their ball in the hole rather than the woods, listen to the golf tips that tell you to keep your shots lower to the ground when the wind is a factor. You can achieve that by positioning the ball further back in your stance, keeping your hands ahead of the ball and having them ahead of the ball at impact (McCord). I doubt the woods will miss one extra ball.

Press Your Hands to Control Your Club: Swing golf tips are an excellent way to improve your game. If you have trouble controlling your club head during your backswing or you often cast your club head at the top of your swing, you may have an improper takeaway. To solve the problem, focus on pressing your hands forward one or two inches just before you start your takeaway (Mulvoy). Pressing your hands will get your hands in proper position in front of the ball and eliminate slinging your club head about erratically. Your timing and tempo will be much better, and your swing will feel much smoother.


What to Do With a Fried Egg: If you're practically best buds with the bunker, you've probably looked for golf tips to help you sever that relationship. When you hit your golf ball into a sand trap, sometimes it will plunge into the sand, leaving a crater around it.  That's called a fried egg (Mulvoy). At that point you probably cursed your luck, and wondered what in the world would be the best way for you to hit your half-buried ball. Here's the trick. Address the ball in the center of your stance, put 75 percent of your body weight on your back leg, keep your clubface closed and aim at the edge of the crater behind the ball (Mulvoy). Upon impact, make sure to keep your clubface towards you and your arms firm. That will have you back on the fairway in no time.

Line up the Clubs to Cure Your Slice: Many golfers look for golf tips on how to improve their slice. One common cause of a slice is not having an inside to out swing path - one that travels from inside the target line to outside it after impact. A simple drill to lean an inside to out swing path is "Line Up the Clubs" (Hilts). You will need two clubs for this drill. Place one against the inside of your back foot, sticking out in front of you and perpendicular to your swing path. Hold the other club against your chest with your arms crossed. From your address position, rotate your shoulders and torso backwards as if you were doing your backswing. Continue rotating backwards until you see the club in your arms cross over the club against your foot (Hilts). That amount of rotation is necessary for the proper swing path. Repeat the drill as many times as necessary for your body to memorize the position. If you can rotate in that manner when you take a full swing, you will cure your slice and probably add some distance to your shots as well (Hilts).

    If you follow those golf tips, you will be sure to see some improvement in your game. However, golf tips normally aren't always enough to improve your game. Often more instruction is needed. If you are serious about becoming a better golfer, no amount of golf tips will be enough. You should look into golf lessons and training aids. Proper instruction will provide all the golf tips you desire plus the assitance required to master the difficult arts of the golf swing and game strategy. For advice and information about lessons, instruction and training aids, check out the articles Golf Teaching Tool and Golf Instruction.