Top 25 Golf Pro Lesson Momentum Toss part 2
www.shawnclementgolf.com Shawn Clement, Director of the Richmond Hill Golf Learning Centre in Toronto Canada, and top 25 CPGA Teaching Professional as rated by Score Golf Magazine, shows you how to toss and abandon your golf swing for the ultimate in control;
Inside The NBA: Charles Barkley’s Crazy Golf Swing Revisted. and Improved?
With his golf instructor Hank Haney by his side, Charles Barkley shows the improvement in his often-ridiculed swing.
Tom Watson’s Secret to the Golf Swing
October, 2005, Angeles National Golf Course, Los Angeles, CA
Top 25 Golf Pro Lesson Tempo and Timing
www.shawnclementgolf.com Shawn Clement, Director of the Richmond Hill Golf Learning Centre in Toronto and Top 25 CPGA teacher as rated by Score Golf Magazine, shows you how to improve your tempo and timing in your Golf swing;
Golf Fitness Stretching Exercises to Improve Your Golf Game
Golf fitness stretching exercises can improve your golf game. These types of golf fitness exercises will help you in every phase of the golf swing. The golf swing requires you to draw the club through a long range of motion. This allows the golfer to execute a full shoulder turn, perform each phase of the swing correctly, generate clubhead speed, and accurately hit shots on the course. All to often the amateur golfer lacks the flexibility to execute the golf swing correctly. Causing an inability to make a full shoulder turn or efficiently execute the phases of the swing. Resulting in lower clubhead speeds, inaccurate golf shots, and higher scores rather than lower.
The amateur golfer can improve their ability to execute the golf swing, complete a full shoulder turn, generate more clubhead speed, and hit more accurate shots with improved flexibility. The process an amateur golfer can improve their flexibility is through golf fitness stretches.
Before providing information on what are the best stretches for golfer let us define flexibility. Flexibility refers to range of motion. It is defined as the optimal extensibility of all soft tissues in the body (Michael Clark, Director, National Academy of Sports Medicine). The biomechanics of the swing require the golfer to swing the club on the correct plane. In order for the biomechanics of the swing to be executed correctly every muscle, ligament, and tendon in the body must allow for optimal joint range of motion.
Increased flexibility is the benefit of stretching. These benefits occur through the elongation (i.e. stretching) of soft tissues (muscles, tendons, ligaments). Typically certain muscles in your body are in a shortened position (i.e. “tight”), causing restrictions in the golf swing. Golf stretches (i.e. elongating) these muscles alleviates these muscles alleviates these restrictions allowing for the ranges of motion required of the golf swing to develop.
Because the golf swing requires a large range of motion from multiple joints (ankle, hip, thorasic spine, and shoulder), I suggest performing a series of flexibility exercises for the entire body. Many golfers will find “tightness” in the hamstrings, hips, lower, and upper back causing restrictions in their joint range of motions as well as golf swing. This may require additional golf stretches to assist in the restrictions caused by these muscles.
Guidelines to golf fitness stretches are quite simple. A comprehensive series golf exercises that incorporate stretches for golf swing should be completed a minimum of four times per week. If an individual desires these golf exercises can be performed daily. In addition to performing golf fitness stretches multiple times per week, each golf stretching exercise should take each target muscle passively to the point of “tension” and holding the stretch for 30 seconds. Do not attempt to “bounce” or “push” the stretch for this can result in injury. Pay strict attention to technique with each of your golf stretches. It also recommended to perform a golf fitness warm-up program prior to your golf stretches to get more out of each golf exercise. The following are the golf stretches I often recommend to the amateur player; Rotators, 90/90 Hamstrings, Cats Down, Cats Up, Piriformis, Kneeling Hip Flexor, Openers, Standing Calf, and Standing Quadricep.
Remember what is required from the body in regards to the golf swing. One of these requirements is drawing the club through a long range of motion. Golf fitness stretches and golf exercises can help with this part of the swing. To learn more about golf fitness training, golf exercise, and golf stretches go to my website at www.seancochran.com where you will find an abundant amount of information on of these golf fitness related topics.
Golf Pro Lesson How Much Hit To Apply
www.shawnclementgolf.com Shawn Clement, Director of the Richmond Hill Golf Learning Centre in Toronto Ontario Canada and top 25 Canadian PGA Teaching Professional, shows you how to blend two popular analogies to find the right feel for your golf swing;
Learn Ways To Improve Your Golf Swing
It seems as though many golfers are unaware of the importance the hands play in the execution of the golf swing. Obviously, we know that the hands grip the golf club and attach the body to the club. But what is the importance of them during the swing?
The answer has to do with releasing of the club. Let’s go back and do a quick golf biomechanics review. During the swing, from address position to follow-through, the hands are active in a passive type of manner.
Let me explain. The goal of the golf swing is to move the club on the correct swing plane to induce the intended golf shot that you want. This occurs through the body’s moving through a series of positions. These positions are found within the different phases of the golf swing.
The phases of the swing are address, take-away, backswing, transition, downswing, impact, and follow-through. During all of these movements the body is performing, the golf club is being moved upon a swing plane. The swing plane is the path upon which the golf club is to travel. Proper impact with the golf ball requires the golf club’s traveling upon the correct swing plane.
In order for the club to travel on the correct swing plane it is necessary for the clubface to open and close. Oftentimes, in golf terms the opening and closing, of the clubface is termed “releasing of the club.” This is where the hands become an integral part of the golf swing.
If you talk to almost any instructor, they will say that any good player has “great hands.” This statement refers to exactly what was described above (the releasing of the club correctly). It’s obvious if you look at players such as Tiger, Phil, or Vijay.
I even remember walking the course at Doral in Miami with top-5 teaching instructor, Rick Smith. One point he continued to return to in terms of discussing the golf swing was “hands.” He stated more than once how any PGA Tour player has great hands. This just provides additional support for how important the hands are in terms of the golf swing.
But what does this all mean? Well, we know the hands are involved in the “opening and closing” of the clubface during your swing. This movement allows for the proper release of the club. As I mentioned, the hands are “active in your golf swing, but in a passive manner.”
Again, to open and close the clubface during the golf swing the hands move back during the backswing, hinge at the top of the backswing, return the club to square at impact, and release the club afterwards. In order for this to occur the hands must be passive!
What do I mean by passive?
You cannot force the hands to move through the golf swing and release the club. This creates tension in the golf swing, affects tempo, and, overall, results in poor shots. If you do not believe me, go to the driving range, grip a club as hard as you can, and attempt to swing. The results will be much less than optimal.
I think Dean Reinmuth, ranked by Golf Digest as a top-30 teaching pro, puts it best when speaking about the hands in the golf swing. He discusses “feel” as an integral part of the golf swing. He states that in order to have a successful golf swing you must be “tension free.”
“Feeling” the club move on the swing plane is an indicator of being “tension free.” And in order to have this feeling, your hands must be relaxed (i.e. passive).
How do you develop good hands in your golf swing?
Easier said than done. In order to develop “feel” in the golf swing, remove “tension” from your golf swing and develop great hands, you must develop three fundamentals.
Fundamental number one is an understanding of the golf swing. In order to know what the body and golf club are to do during the swing you must know the biomechanics of the golf swing. If you don’t, how are you going to know what the body and club are to be doing during each phase of the golf swing?
Secondly, you must develop the mechanics of the golf swing. Your body and mind must integrate the movements of the golf swing into a repeatable movement. This occurs through proper instruction and practice of the correct golf swing mechanics.
Finally, it is necessary to develop the body. Yes, the body! Your body must have the flexibility, strength, endurance, and power to perform the golf swing correctly. If the body is inflexible, weak, and powerless, how are you going to be able to perform the mechanics of the swing correctly?
The obvious answer is: you are not! Developing great hands in your golf swing comes down to developing a “basket” of fundamentals within your golf swing. Understand the biomechanics of the golf swing, develop the proper mechanics within your golf swing, and develop a body to support your swing. These are the keys to developing great hands in your golf game.
Golf Fitness Exercises for the Pre-season
Golf fitness exercises can be very beneficial in getting you ready for the upcoming golf season. Golf exercises with swing drills can prepare you for a successful year on the links right from the start.
The PGA Golf Tour is in full swing and for many parts of the country and world the golf season is upon us. Many of you are anxious to dust off the golf clubs and get out to the golf course for your first round of golf. A question that may be on your mind is how do I get ready? How do I knock off 6 months of rust on my golf swing, feel comfortable with my driver on the first tee, and post a good golf score at the end of the round?
All questions that are asked often in the world of professional golf and this article will provide you with the answers. Answers to these questions and many more fall under the category of how do I prepare myself for the golf season?
Interesting enough if the guidelines from this article are followed the golf score you post for your first round of the year may be lower than you ever expected, the distance of your drives may well be farther than you imagined, and the number of accurate golf shots you hit may be even more surprising!
The answer to all the questions on how to get ready for the upcoming golf season centers on preparation. Preparation is the key to a successful first round of golf and every round you play in the upcoming golf season.
We all probably understand the definition of preparation but lets take a quick look in order for us to all be on the same page. Preparation can be defined as the work or planning involved in making something or somebody ready or putting something together in advance (Encarta Dictionary, MSN.com).
A definition that sheds light on getting ready for the upcoming golf season. Using the above definition we can see the process of preparing for the upcoming golf season does not begin 10 minutes before your first tee time, but rather in advance of when you get ready to hit driver off the first tee. Bottom line the process of getting ready for the upcoming golf season begins weeks or even months before your’ first round of golf of the year.
To have a successful first round of golf and a good season of golf you must begin the process of preparation well in advance of your first time on the golf course. If you look at professional golfers they begin the process of preparing for the upcoming golf season months in advanced. I would suggest doing the same. Develop a plan that will get your golf swing ready once the snow thaws, the birds are chirping, and the greens are ready for putting.
What does such a plan contain? This type of “golf preparation plan” would contain drills, exercises, and programs to improve and prepare every aspect of your golf game. If we break down the game of golf into categories the “golf program” becomes much easier to understand. Obviously, we have the different shots made on the course. A brief breakdown would indicate the need to implement swing drills to work on the full swing, short game, and putting. We could obviously get a little more detailed than a breakdown of the golf game into three different categories, but lets’ keep it simple.
Now that we have this breakdown of the game of golf into full swing, short game, and putting the next step is to implement a series of drills to work on each of these aspects. Simply put I would suggest devising a series of drills to work on each part of the golf game/swing. This can easily be accomplished by purchasing a few books or videos from one of the top-teaching professionals in the world of golf.
Each one of these qualified golf instructors have numerous materials available to help you with your golf swing. And if you are one of those individuals that lives in a cold climate and is unable to get to a driving range or practice facility, no need to worry. Most all of the instructional videos/books available have drills that can be performed in the comfort of your own home.
At this point we have a couple of bases covered in the “preparation plan” for the upcoming golf season. We understand preparation is key to a successful year on the golf course, the “preparation plan” begins well in advance of the first tee time of the year, and a portion of the plan consists of swing drills. This brings us to final part of your “preparation plan” for the upcoming golf season.
This part of the plan centers on the implementation of golf fitness exercises to go along with your swing drills. We must understand the concept of your body and the golf swing. The golf swing is executed in its’ entirety by your body. In order for your body to execute the golf swing correctly. It requires you to have certain levels of flexibility, balance, strength, endurance, and power within it. If you are lacking in any one of these physical areas compensations will occur in your golf swing.
It comes down to this: In order to be prepared for the upcoming golf season and to improve your golf swing. The implementation of golf fitness exercises geared towards developing your body around the golf swing is necessary. This type of program will prepare the body for the golf swing and the upcoming golf season.
To summarize, the process of preparing yourself for the upcoming golf season begins with a “preparation plan”. This plan begins weeks to months in advance of your first time out on the golf course. Additionally, this “preparation plan” for the upcoming golf season contains a series of golf training drills to prepare your golf swing. The golf training drills break down the golf game into three sections; full swing, short game, and putting. A series of swing drills are implemented to work on each one of these parts of your golf game. In addition golf fitness exercises are implemented into the golf-training program to develop your body around your golf swing. Put all these pieces together and your first time out on the golf course this year should be an enjoyable one.
Sean Cochran is one of the most recognized golf fitness instructors in the world today. He travels the PGA Tour regularly with Masters and PGA Champion Phil Mickelson. To learn more about Sean and his golf fitness programs go to http://www.seancochran.com
Golf Fitness: the Easiest at Home Golf Fitness Program
How do golf and fitness go together? Why do I need golf fitness training? What difference would a golf fitness program make to my golf game?
I can tell you all about that from what I have seen with my friend and golfing buddy, Dooley Duffer.
Dooley had been away from the game for some years. His career and family took priority over his time and golf, although he loved it, it just would not fit into his schedule. As he advanced in his career he became less physically active. He even moved to a management position so time in the office was nothing like the work he had been doing.
His body began to show his change in lifestyle. Don’t tell him I told you this, but his middle seemed to grow faster than his salary. Bet you know how that story goes, huh?
He had only played very occasionally during that time. So I don’t think he realized how much being out of shape affected his golf swing performance.
Then Dooley changed companies and began to play golf regularly again thanks to his new boss who had recently taken up the game. With his kids grown Dooley now had more time to devote to golf and it only took one round back on the course to re-ignite the passion which had burned so brightly in days gone by.
As he began to play more often his physical limitations became a more and more of an issue. He struggled at times to finish a round; scores would escalate due to inconsistent swings, loss of concentration and general fatigue. He would even huff and puff when walking up hills in spite of always riding a cart. I can remember having to wait for him to catch his breath before he could putt on elevated greens. No chance he could walk when he played.
Then over a few weeks I began to notice improvement in Dooley’s game. Less and less of the struggles I had noticed before and more successful golf shots, better concentration and less fatigue. He even began saying he wanted to play an extra 9 holes!
You see, conditioning is critical to your overall golf performance. And poor physical conditioning will certainly ruin your golf performance. Just ask Dooley about that.
What was Dooley’s secret? Had he hired a golf fitness trainer? Did he use golf fitness videos? What had he done to improve his fitness for golf and his golf handicap?
Turns out he had not done any of those things exactly. He said he found this golf fitness eBook called “Ultimate Golf Fitness Guide” by Mike Pedersen. Seems Mike’s eBook is about how to improve your golf fitness at home in less than 30 days. Mike says that the secret to lower scores and longer drives is all about getting your body to move just a little bit better.
Dooley said he that he took the advice seriously and began to feel results quickly. Then he began to notice he felt better on the course. That was very encouraging to him and he was able to keep at it. He had tried exercising before but soon lost interest but this was different. He could see improvement and he knew why! The Ultimate Golf Fitness Guide had delivered on its promise. Dooley says this is the kind of thing anyone could and should do from home to improve their fitness for golf.
Having watched Dooley now for these past few months make such wonderful progress, I too can recommend “Ultimate Golf Fitness Guide”. (Yes, I am on it now too.)
If you need help with your golf fitness program, if you run short of breath at times or struggle scoring over the last few holes of a round then please look into how Ultimate Golf Fitness could help you see the same kind of improvement Dooley is experiencing.
Golf fitness training found here. Ultimate Golf Fitness Guide
Key Elements Of A Great Golf Swing
All great golfers will do certain things really well in their setup and their golf swing. Common elements that all the pros have include a good setup. A fundamentally correct setup consists of having a good grip, correct alignment, good posture, as well as having good ball position in your stance. Often times just making adjustments in your setup will be half the battle in getting your swing more on the correct path. When you are misaligned in your setup, you’ll have to make compensations in your swing to offset it which will never really allow you to reach your potential.
The swing plane is a common thing many golf instructors talk about when referring to the path of the golf swing. Basically, swinging the club on plane correctly consists of a good takeaway and wrist set, and then swinging the club over the right shoulder in the backswing(for the right-handed golfer). The impact position should mirror the setup position other than the hips will be slightly open and the hands forwards and a little ahead of the golf ball through the hit. After impact, the club continues to swing all the way over the left shoulder and the body should end up facing directly towards the target.
I like to encourage my students to swing with good balance and smooth rhythm. You never want to swing so hard that you find yourself off balance anytime during your golf swing. Typically the backswing will be about three times as long as the downswing. You want the club to swing fastest right when it is at the bottom of the swing arc hitting the golf ball.
