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How to Get your Golf Ball out of a Bunker

Posted Sunday, April 06, 2008 (1 year 216 days ago.) Viewed 339 times.

Golf would be relatively easy if we never went in a hazard. However, the hazards (basically water and sand bunkers) are put there to challenge us, and like it or not, sooner or later we all end up in a greenside bunker...but how often do you practice the right technique to get out of the sand?

Most important action to take

First and most important is to get out of the bunker!

This may sound obvious, but leaving the ball in the bunker is a wasted shot!

Biggest Mistake

One of the biggest mistakes most amateurs make when playing bunker shots is to decelerate into the ball when taking a shot. The club sinks into the sand and they are lucky if the ball gets out at all. Not the ideal situation.

But it should not be this hard!

Get the Sand out

What you have to understand with a bunker shot is that you are not really trying to hit the ball. You should be sliding your sand wedge under the ball and hitting a "plate" of sand to the hole with the ball sitting on top of it. When you take this into account you realise that you have to strike through the sand much harder than you would if you were only hitting the ball a comparable distance off the grass. The "plate" of sand you are hitting is much heavier than the ball!

So to be sure you are going to get the ball out of the sand, concentrate on getting the sand out!

About the Author

MARK PEARSON plays and coaches golf professionally in the UK . With over 25 years golfing experience, Mark teaches a combination of good technique and proper course management techniques to enable golfers to get the most from their games. Mark is the author of "How to Master Putting and Putt like a Pro" and offers a FREE 7 Day E-Course on "Course Management Keys". More information is available at http://www.masterputting.com

(c) Copyright - Mark Pearson. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

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Controlling Fast Downhill Putts

Posted Sunday, March 30, 2008 (1 year 223 days ago.) Viewed 44 times.

On very fast greens or downhill putts the major problem you face is striking the ball too well and going way past the hole.

Now, you could try and "lag" the putt, but that is a technique used more for very long putts, rather than short but fast putts. What you need on these short fast putts is a way of controlling the putt such that the ball will not fly off the club face. You need to deaden the shot.

So, a great tip for you is to hit the ball from the toe of the putter.

A putter has a "sweet spot" just like any other club, and if you hit the ball at the edge of the sweet spot you actually "deaden" the shot. The ball will not fly off the putter as fast as when hit out of the middle. So even if you swing a little too hard, the ball will not go too far.

A word of warning....just be careful you do not allow the putter to twist off line as you do this.

Next time you are faced with a fast downhill putt, try the tip above....it should help you get it close, if not in!

About the Author

MARK PEARSON plays and coaches golf professionally in the UK . With over 25 years golfing experience, Mark teaches a combination of good technique and proper course management techniques to enable golfers to get the most from their games. Mark is the author of "How to Master Putting and Putt like a Pro" and offers a FREE 7 Day E-Course on "Course Management Keys" at http://www.masterputting.com

(c) Copyright - Mark Pearson. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

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Dynamics of a Sand Wedge

Posted Thursday, March 27, 2008 (1 year 226 days ago.) Viewed 84 times.

One of the shots a lot of golfers dread is the bunker shot. However, we have a tool to help us deal with playing out of sand: The Sand Wedge.

The Sand Wedge has been designed with one primary focus…to easily get the ball out of the sand and preferably onto the green.

To do this it has a reasonable amount of loft (usually 56 degrees) to get the ball up in the air. However if you were to use a normal wedge to play a bunker shot you would have to be very careful that it does not cut deep into the sand. To counteract this effect, the sand wedge has what is called "bounce" – it has a wide curved sole. If you place your sand wedge on firm level ground you will likely notice that the front edge sits up to ¼ inch off the ground…this is the "bounce". What this does is to prevent the sand wedge sinking into the sand as you play a shot. It literally skims or bounces through the sand.

Opening the Club Face

Now, what happens if you follow conventional wisdom and open the club face of the sand wedge when you are in the bunker? Well again try it on a firm flat surface and you will notice how much higher the leading edge is now! So opening the club face creates more bounce…and if you are not careful (especially in firm bunkers), you will find the club will literally bounce through the sand and you can easily thin the ball straight into the face of the bunker!

Square it up!

So next time you are in the bunker, and you have your sand wedge in hand, try setting up much less open, with the club face square to the target. This is how the sand wedge was designed to be used…and you may be surprised how much easier it becomes.

About the Author

MARK PEARSON plays and coaches golf professionally in the UK . With over 25 years golfing experience, Mark teaches a combination of good technique and proper course management techniques to enable golfers to get the most from their games. Mark is the author of "How to Master Putting and Putt like a Pro" and offers a FREE 7 Day E-Course on "Course Management Keys". More information is available at http://www.masterputting.com

(c) Copyright - Mark Pearson. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

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How to Play Golf Shots from Uneven Lies

Posted Tuesday, March 25, 2008 (1 year 228 days ago.) Viewed 187 times.

Wouldn't be nice if all our golf ball lies were as level as they are on the driving range? Unfortunately they are not...and golf would not be as interesting if they were!

We often find ourselves in situations where the ball is above of below our feet, or we are hitting from an up or down hill lie. All of these lies affect the way the shot is played and how the ball will fly. So how should you play these shots?

Uphill Lies
When you are hitting from an uphill lie, the ball will fly higher than normal. The slope you are hitting up effectively adds loft to the club. So take an extra club to compensate. Always try and align yourself perpendicular to the slope. This will stop you coming in too steep on the shot.

Downhill Lies
When you are hitting from a downhill lie, the ball will fly lower than normal. The slope you are hitting up effectively removes loft from the club. So take less club to compensate. Again, always try and align yourself perpendicular to the slope. Play the ball slightly back in your stance to reduce the chance of hitting the ground first.

Ball above feet
When the ball is above your feet, you are standing more upright and therefore the swing becomes flatter. A flat swing will encourage a draw or hook, and the ball will tend to have a lower trajectory, flying further. To play this shot take less club and align yourself slightly right of target to allow for the draw/hook effect.

Ball below feet
This could be the hardest shot in golf! The ball is easily caught thin as you are "reaching" for it. The ball will also have a tendency to fly to the right of the target because of the fade/slice spin applied by coming in to the ball from a slightly steeper angle. To play this shot well you need to make sure you "sit" in your stance a bit more and align a touch left of target.

One Final Tip
Most important in all these shots is to maintain your balance.

Next time you are practicing, try and find an area to play from that is not level so you can learn to play uneven lies.

About the Author

MARK PEARSON plays and coaches golf professionally in the UK . With over 25 years golfing experience, Mark teaches a combination of good technique and proper course management techniques to enable golfers to get the most from their games. Mark is the author of "How to Master Putting and Putt like a Pro" and offers a FREE 7 Day E-Course on "Course Management Keys". More information is available at http://www.masterputting.com

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Hit Long. Hit Straight. How to Choose a New Driver to Improve Your Golf.

Posted Tuesday, March 11, 2008 (1 year 242 days ago.) Viewed 915 times.

Wouldn't you like to hit your drives long and straight every time? If you have a driver that works well for you then you should be able to improve your drives significantly.

However, choosing a driver can be a lot like choosing a putter. There is a lot of choice: Big drivers; Bigger drivers; Square Drivers; Deep Face Drivers; Drivers with adjustable weightingand so on.

Drivers are not cheap, so you want to be sure of getting the right one. So how do you select a driver that will work for you?

Here are 3 criteria you should bear in mind when you decide to buy a new driver.

Firstly, does it look good? Does it inspire confidence when you address the ball? Does it feel good?

Golf is such a "mind game" that it is very important that you feel confident. If you like the look and feel of the club it is a big step in the right direction.

Secondly, has it got the right flex for your swing?

There are no "standards" for flex in a shaft. Regular is not regular - one manufactures R-flex may be the same as another's S-flex

Cut out the ego!

It is not macho to get a "super XXX-tour-stiff" shaft...unless you can swing at the necessary speeds (well over 100mph)....and not many golfers can!

It is also not macho to get a driver with only 8 degrees of loft...unless you are hitting the ball hard enough!

How do you think you really look when you have your XXX-tour-stiff 8 degree driver and cannot hit a ball further than 180 yards with it?

So, thirdly, make sure the club has enough loft to get the ball airborne for as long as possible. Too little loft and the ball will hit the ground too soon. Too much, and it goes too high and comes down too soon.

The general rule is: slow swing = more flex and more loft; fast swing = less flex and less loft

If the right driver is not available off the shelf then you should get the club properly fitted by a custom fitting specialist. Custom fitting should not cost you extra - but it will save you loads on the course as you blast the ball consistently down the middle.

Long and short of it, the selection criteria are:

1. Get a driver you really like the look of.

2. Get a driver with the right flex for your swing speed

3. Get a driver with the right loft to keep the ball airborne as along as possible

Simple!

oh, and before I forget...don't break the bank!

MARK PEARSON plays and coaches golf professionally in the UK . With over 25 years golfing experience, Mark teaches a combination of good technique and proper course management techniques to enable golfers to get the most from their games. Mark is the author of "How to Master Putting and Putt like a Pro" and offers a FREE 7 Day E-Course on "Course Management Keys". More information is available at http://www.masterputting.com

(c) Copyright - Mark Pearson. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

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