Putting, and Sand Play Advice

You won't believe how easy this method makes one of the toughest shots in the game.

3-Feet from the Hole

The most important aspect of putting is to decide on your line before the stroke. The only thing to be thinking DURING the stroke is how hard you need to hit the ball. Control how far the ball rolls by controlling the distance you bring the putter back during the backswing. The length of the forward swing past the ball should ALWAYS match the length of the backswing.

When determining the "line" for the putt, pay particular attention to the lay of the green within a three foot radius around the cup, as your golf ball will be rolling fairly slowly, and therefore will break more sharply within that area near the cup. You need to determine where you want the golf ball to be when it is entering that three-feet-away radius. Always attempt to putt the ball so it will go about one foot past the hole if it misses. If it misses, watch the break PAST the hole, because that will give you the line for the tap in.

Get out of the Sand

Sand play around the green really is a different concept. Here's all you need to know to have great sand play...Open the blade of your sand wedge so that it is directed about five feet to the RIGHT of the flag. Open your stance so the tips of your feet and shoulders are aligned with each other such that you are aiming about five feet LEFT of the pin.

When you swing back, only swing the clubhead as HIGH as your right shoulder. Don't use more than about 60% power on the swing. The clubface should slice ACROSS AND DOWN THROUGH the sand, behind the ball. More than any other shot on the course, follow through is essential to lift the ball out of the sand. If you want the ball to stop more quickly, hit the sand about 1 inch behind the middle of the golf ball. If you want the ball to run, you need to hit about 2.5 inches behind the middle of the ball. Use this method and your days of poor sand play are behind you, but of course nothing comes without practice. Find a course in your area that has a chipping green with a bunker you can practice out of. After a while, your confidence will skyrocket.

golfswingguru.com

Sincerely,

David Nevogt

What is a Draw and How it will Lower Your Golf Score – Lesson # 1

Here's a great lesson that will keep you on the correct swing path when you initiate the downswing that will enable you to draw a golf ball. So many golfers start the downswing by turning the body and shoulders, instead of separating the right arm from the body. This is one of the most common causes for a slice, and will hinder you from drawing the golf ball.

If this is a fault of yours, most likely you slice the golf ball. Here's why: since your shoulders begin turning before your right arm straightens out it forces the club to enter the impact zone at a very steep angle which, in turn, forces you to cut across the golf ball. This is what causes a slice.

What we want you to start doing, is to start swinging your arms down, focusing on getting separation between the right arm and the body. It should almost feel as if you are starting the downswing with your back still facing the target.

So when you initiate the downswing focus on straightening out your right arm before you do anything else. You MUST keep the right shoulder "back" while doing this. This move will make it much easier for you to start drawing the golf ball.

Please notice the pictures below. They are directly from the new dvd that we have produced called "How to Hit a Draw".

In the picture below please notice that the right shoulder is "back" at the top of the downswing.










In the picture below please notice that the right shoulder is still "back" even though the downswing has been initiated. Notice how much the right arm has straightened, and that the arms appear to be the primary force behind the club's movement on the way down. The shoulders have not caused the club to swing down. Instead it is primarily the arms. This move helps to generate club head speed and it keeps your swing on the correct path as the arms swing down.










Finally, in the picture below, notice that the right arm is completely straightened out at impact. And even though the force of the swing has made my shoulders start to rotate, please notice that my shoulders are now even with my arms and there is a nice triangle formed between my arms and shoulders. One of the biggest mistakes golfers can make is to let their shoulders get way ahead of their hands. Below is the correct position at impact.










golfswingguru.com

Sincerely,

David Nevogt

Illustrated Golf Lesson on Drawing the Ball

I hope this finds you well, excited for the upcoming season, and ready to score lower than ever before. I wanted to catch up with you, and explain what we've been doing lately.

First off, let's be clear about what this post is all about -developing a draw will add distance to your golf shots, and consistency to your swing. I'm willing to bet that after you master this shot, you'll be playing golf like never before. Ready for the good news? We've been hard at work putting together an easy way for you to draw the ball - almost instantly (assuming you practice and understand the technique)!

There's a reason why almost all professional tour players hit draws instead of fades or slices. But before I get into that, I need to take a step back to make sure that you understand exactly what adraw is, what it can do for you, and finally I'm going to give you some tips on how to actually hit one.

Basically, a draw is a golf shot that gently moves from right to left (for a right hander). You know the shot. It's the one that feels like you hit nothing at all, but you look up and the ball is sailing neatly down the fairway gently moving from right to left. It's not a hook because the movement on a hook is much more severe than a draw.

A draw puts "good spin" on the ball vs. a slice that puts "bad spin" on the ball. "Good Spin" propels the ball much further because it makes the ball cut through wind, and it rolls further once the ball hits the fairway. This all happens because of the top spin imparted on the ball when hitting a draw, vs. side-spin imparted on the ball when hitting a fade or a slice.

Put quite simply, you can hit a draw by learning to swing on an inside to out swing path (there's more to it obviously). Eventhough this sounds easy to complete, without the correct training, the majority of golfers really struggle with it.

The problem is that most golfers have been swinging the club for years in a way that produces a slice- so initially, we're fighting very deeply ingrained habits. But we've got ways to get you out of those habits. The bigger problem is that the swing that typically produces a slice feels very natural for most golfers. That's why slicing is the most prevalent problem that golfers face.

But - through the techniques that you're about to learn, and you feel the swing changes taking place, and you see the positive results, you're going to start developing a whole new set of positive habits. The ones that will bring your swing path from the inside, and will enable you to make solid impact with the ball on a very consistent basis.

What we teach in this system will be revolutionary for your overall golf swing. We're going to correct some basic parts of your swing, (the ones that most frequently produce a slice) and we're going to teach you some great moves to start coming into the impact zone from the inside path - so you hit it further.

One of the neat things about this system is that it will also help if you hook the ball. We've focused so closely on the movements in your swing that produce a draw, you'll be able to recognize those areas as parts of your swing that you may be over compensating on, which in turn would be causing you to hook. There are a few other reasons this could be happening of course, but if you are making all of the moves correctly that we're going to teach you - the result will be a nice gentle draw. No more hooks or slices!

Some of you may have heard that you can learn to work the ball from right to left and left to right by simply changing your stance or altering your grip. However, we believe that getting your shot to draw consistently is really about the golf swing as a whole.

Through this course, you are actually going to be making many positive changes to your full swing. Again, popular belief is that a draw mostly relates to your driver, but we believe this shot should actually be learned with your 5 iron. We want to be clear: The changes that you will be making to your full swing, will be very beneficial for every club that you carry. It's all about making impact with the ball from an inside path.

golfswingguru.com

Sincerely,

David Nevogt

Fix Your Slice or Block by Analyzing Your Finish

A Word on Your Finish

The goal of the golf swing is to make solid impact with the ball. I think that everyone would agree there. However, don't neglect a proper follow-through because the ball is already gone. You can actually correct many of the problems with your swing by analyzing your finish.

Here's a quick check to get you started. Step up to a ball, take your regular swing, but hold your finish. Now look back at your forearms. What you should see is an X. Your arms should be completely crossed. The middle of your forearms should be where the X crosses. Not your wrists, or your elbows, but the middle of your forearms.















Now, if you don't see that X, it means you are blocking the ball, and not releasing correctly. You're also giving up a ton of power and distance.

"The Simple Golf Swing" system will teach you how and when to release your hands through the ball at impact. Your slice or block will be gone. GUARANTEED.

golfswingguru.com

David Nevogt

Experiment with A Weak Grip

In my experience, a weaker grip adds power and height to the average golfer's shot. I recommend at least experimenting with it. When you take your grip, V's should be created between the thumb and pointer (index) finger of your right and left hand. For my example, I'll use the right-handed golfer. Most golfers learn from the beginning, to make both of the V's created point at the right (back) shoulder. The result is a fairly strong grip. Here are the steps you should take if you are interested in trying a weaker grip.

1. Put the strong grip on the club. (Both V's pointed at your right shoulder)

2. Don't move your left hand

3. Keeping your right pinky in place, unlock the rest of your right hand, and rotate everything over the top of the grip. Your left thumb should be totally enclosed by your right palm. Now the V formed by your right hand should be pointed more at your head, or maybe even toward your left shoulder.

This new grip is going to feel strange at first, and may not work with your particular swing. But with certain swings, this weak grip is the missing link.

The Ball of Choice

I am recommending the Srixon AD 333. You can get them for about $20 per dozen, and I find that they perform much better than other balls in that price range. If you want to upgrade look into the Srixon UR-X. Srixon makes the best balls available today, and many of the tour players use them. They are top notch, and if you haven't tried them, you'll be very pleasantly surprised with their performance. The UR-X is very comparable to the Titleist Pro V1.

golfswingguru.com

David Nevogt

How "The Simple Golf Swing" Will Lower Your Score

Most golfers swing at the ball, but never really THINK about what they did wrong, or more importantly, what they did right.

Thinking about the possible corrections usually will not work because there's always a little wrist cock, or a certain turning angle that could have influenced the good or bad result.

What a system does for your game is it allows you to proactively analyze each shot after you hit it and realize the result, good or bad.

For example, I hit the ball and it slices. Now most golfers are going to hit the ball again and slice it again. Maybe they hit a good ball every once in a while, but they'll never know what MADE them hit the good shot.

With this system you'll get 5 simple steps to go through for every swing you put on the ball. Now you'll start to see trends developing, and you can always tie those trends back to one of the 5 steps you are most likely forgetting about which is causing the negative trend.

So in my example, I hit a slice. Now because I have this system in place, I automatically know what I have to concentrate on for the next shot. I know that I did one of 2 things. I let my body get ahead of my hands, or I failed to start the downswing with my arms. If I top the ball, I automatically know that I failed to keep my leading shoulder down on the ball.

So the point is that having simple but effective controls in place will really help your game. You'll be really surprised how much you'll learn about your own game, and how easy it is to develop and maintain good habits once you understand how to recognize them.

golfswingguru.com

David Nevogt

The cure for a fat shot

This problem may be easier to fix than you think. You may not realize it, but your back shoulder may be dipping towards the ground. This move forces the club to hit the ground too early. Most of the time it happens when you are really trying to get into the ball. Imagine...You're 200 yards out and you've chosen to hit the 4 iron. When you've got it in your head that you have to hit the ball hard to get it there, it's the natural tendency to start your downswing with the hips in an effort to "really get into the ball". That may work in baseball, but not in golf.

I'd like to take you through what happens if you make that move in golf. First, get into your setup position, now take your backswing and hold it at the top. Now move only your hips horizontally towards the target, and notice the way it forces your back shoulder to "dip". If you've made that "dip" with your back shoulder, it's over. You are going to hit behind the ball 90% of the time, and if you do make good contact, you'll probably end up with a killer slice. Lateral movement is no good for the golf swing.

To avoid this problem, and to simplify your golf swing, keep the lower body out of the equation. If you really want to get into the ball, start your downswing with your arms. It's tough to do if you have a habit formed, but once you get used to it, you won't be hitting the ball fat anymore. Most golfers over-emphasize the weight shift. If you keep your hips still, the weight shift will still occur, but it will happen naturally.

Get to the top, keeping your leading arm as straight as possible. Now start down at the ball with your leading arm fully extended. Your head hasn't moved laterally, and your hips haven't moved laterally. Now imagine the entire golf swing, through impact, occurring underneath the upper body.

Concentrate on keeping your front shoulder "down" on the ball. This will enable you to keep your swing on the correct plane, and it will help your hands to keep up with your body. Don't let that shoulder come up and away from the target before impact as that will cause your body to get ahead of your hands leading to fat shots and slices.

golfswingguru.com

David Nevogt

An Easy Way To Add 20 Yards

Here's a really good tip that may help you to get rid of your slice. Best of all, it's really pretty simple once you get the hang of it, and understand why it's being used.

Chances are that you have battled with a slice at some point in your golfing days. To be completely direct with you, dealing with a slice really sucks. It hurts your golf game in many more ways than one.

Luckily, it's fairly easy to fix. I cannot claim that this small tip will completely cure your slice, but there's a good chance that it will, and I hope it does.

When you come into the impact zone, there are really only 2 factors that can determine the "shape" of ball flight.

1. The angle of the club face at impact.

2. The Path the club is taking at impact.

You'd agree, that's really not that tough to understand. The tough part is explaining how to correct it, and keeping this post short at the same time.

Anyway, here's a few things your should concentrate on.

Try to keep your leading shoulder "down" on the ball through impact. This is called staying strong through impact. Lots of times the leading shoulder (left shoulder if right handed) flies up before impact. Now just for a minute, think about what that does to the club head when it's in the impact zone.

Golf is all about thinking and analyzing your shots to get better. A huge part of this game is understanding "why" you're getting a certain result, and the physics behind that result. Thinking through your golf swing will provide huge dividends if you're willing to invest the time it takes.

Get up from the computer and actually go though the motions slowly. Let your leading shoulder fly up as you approach impact and you'll actually be able feel and see the clubface coming from an outside-in path. That causes a slice every time.

So what can you do to correct it? Well, for starters, try to learn to keep your leading shoulder strong. Keep that shoulder "down" on the ball all the way through impact, even after the ball is gone and flying straight down the fairway. Here's an illustration of what I'm talking about.

As you can see, the leading shoulder is still down. The triangle is still there. Most importantly, my body has NOT gotten ahead of my hands. This is a HUGE distinction. As you may notice, the left shoulder is actually higher than the right shoulder. So what do I mean when I say "leading shoulder down"?

You have to envision yourself from the back looking down on the ball. When I say "down", I mean that the leading shoulder and chest are still facing the ball through impact.

So even though it may seem like the leading shoulder is higher than the trailing shoulder, it's still facing the ball at impact. NOT TOWARDS THIRD BASE in comparison to the ball. That would mean that you have let the leading shoulder fly up.

Hand action is huge in this game. You must learn to release your hands correctly through the ball. Meaning that you release the hands while the leading shoulder is still "down", or facing the ball.If you are currently playing with the conventional swing method, it's really easy to let your body get ahead of the ball. One of the many things you will learn in "The Simple Golf Swing" is how to avoid that trap.

Keep the leading shoulder down and let your arms and hands release through the ball and you will see the ball go farther and higher. This will take a while to get used to.

The key is to let your arms release through the ball, while your left shoulder is "Down" on the ball. To do this you will need to rotate your forearms correctly, and use your leading ELBOW (not shoulder) as a hinge. So another way to explain this movement would be that your hands are still moving towards the target, but your leading elbow has almost stopped.

Another one would be to initiate the downswing with your arms. I'm sure that's the exact opposite of what you've heard before. Starting the downswing with the arms is a tough thing to do.

You want the ball to go the maximum possible distance. So subconsciously, many people have the problem of letting their body get way ahead of their hands. That's the number one slice-producing move among golfers today. It's probably the toughest one to fix, because when you're at the top of your backswing, all you can think about is crushing the ball.

Instead of thinking maximum distance, think minimize slice. Start the downswing with your arms. Get to the top of your backswing, and then the first move should be with the arms. Put this move together with keeping the leading shoulder down, and it will do wonders for both your woods and your irons.

If you look at any of the really good players, you will see that they actually initiate the downswing by "pulling" the club down with their arms. They do NOT start the downswing by twisting the chest towards the target. That is a very important distinction to make.

golfswingguru.com

David Nevogt

The Setup Routine

The way you set up to hit a golf ball may be the most important factor in determining your score. We don’t take that statement lightly. This section will likely be the most important in the entire book. Do not underestimate the importance of the setup! Luckily, the setup is the easiest part of the golf “swing” to change. It's the easiest of all the bad habits related to your golf swing to break because it occurs before the swing. If you set up to the ball in the manner described, your golf swing will change for the better.

You may believe that the way you currently set up to the ball assures a consistent and reliable striking of the golf ball. But, if you have a nagging (or worse yet, unpredictable) slice or hook, hit behind the ball, or even top the ball, the problem may originate in your current setup. If you experience one or more of these problems, there is a high probability that:

1. Your setup puts you in a position to allow for these frustrating results, or
2. You have, at some point, adjusted your set-up or swing to compensate for the problem, which has done nothing but facilitate a complicated golf swing. A complicated golf swing is the last thing a bogey (or higher) golfer needs.

The process for “setting up” a simple golf swing puts you in a position to go through the five steps of the golf swing, and come back to the starting position with power and control. The combination of power and control is what every golfer strives for, and it all starts with a sound and repeatable set-up.

In the beginning, it will take an open mind and some work to get used to this new set up. For some of you, it will be close to the set-up you are currently using. For the rest of you, it will require that you drastically change your set-up. The description will be fairly technical, and it may be difficult to get used to this new set-up routine. However, if you want to succeed, the first thing that you have to do is to be willing to accept change. As stated earlier, the set-up will be one of the most valuable parts of “The Simple Golf Swing” system, so please focus on it.

The Mechanics of the Setup

Position yourself so that your feet are shoulder width apart. It’s fine if you are more comfortable with a slightly more narrow or wide stance. You should be comfortable. For the longer clubs, you may need a wider stance to support yourself, and for the shorter clubs you may want a narrower stance. That's fine too. A stance that is too wide will make it difficult to turn. A stance that's too narrow will result in loss of balance. The width of your stance should not vary by more than the width of your foot in either direction. Feel free to get comfortable, as long as your feet are approximately shoulder-width apart. The toe of your left foot should be pointing straight out, NOT pointing to the left at all. If you angle the toe out, it will prevent you from completing a full shoulder turn.

The ball should be half way between your left and right foot. For simplicity reasons, you should play the ball in the middle of your stance for every shot. Some of the equipment you use may perform better if you play the ball a bit forward or backward in your stance. That's fine, but you shouldn't position the ball more than its’ width forward or backward in either direction. With the Simple Golf Swing process you will soon be learning, positioning the ball in the middle of your stance should be best for every shot to begin with. Once you master the Simple Golf Swing, you may wish to experiment by moving the ball off-center by as much as one ball width toward your trailing foot for the shortest irons and as much as one ball width toward your leading foot for long irons. For now, however, place the ball in the middle of your stance as shown below!

Position the golf ball in the manner previously described, then stand straight up. Your knees are not locked, but they are close to locked. Your back is perfectly straight. Your chest should be out. It won’t feel right to have your back straight and chest protruding. It will look and feel “exaggerated”, but that is alright. It is supposed to feel like that, when you first adopt this new setup. Your spine has to remain straight throughout the swing. It is most important that your spine remain straight during the setup and throughout the swing. Your spine will be acting as the axis for your swing.

For a moment, I want you to imagine something rotating around a bent axis. A tire, for example, turning about a bent axle…How would you describe the pattern regarding how that tire was rotating? Complex? Unpredictable? It would be really difficult to steer a car down a straight line on a bent axle wouldn't it? Bent axles are worthless, and so is your swing if your back isn’t perfectly straight. Similarly, it is difficult to “steer” a golf ball along a predictable path when the axis about which your swing rotates is not straight. You must eliminate the curvature in your spine (back) if you ever hope to strike the ball with precision and power. It is impossible to overemphasize this point.

Now, focus on a straight back and spine, which allows for a very predictable, smooth, and consistent path of the club head. This will be the core of your new golf swing. Your whole swing will rotate around a straight spine. This is an extremely important and valuable new concept! Luckily, it is one of the easiest to apply and remember. Right now, even if you were to use your old swing to hit a few balls, remembering to keep your spine perfectly straight throughout the swing, you would see and feel immediate results. If you were not to see immediate results at the practice range using the “spine as axis” approach, you would definitely see results after applying the proper set-up and the Simple Golf Swing process.

Next, hold the club out straight in front of you. Extend your arms as far as they can extend out in front of your body. You are holding the club, with the correct grip, straight out in front of you. Now, while keeping the club parallel to the ground, arms extended and elbows locked, move the club and your arms down so the club is even with your belly button or waist. Your wrists will have to bend slightly to do this.

Now, you should be standing up straight, with your chest out, and your shoulders back. Your arms should be straight out in front of you, your elbows locked, and your wrists level with the height of your waist, while holding the club parallel to the ground. Next, bend over AT THE HIPS until the club touches the ground. Move towards or away from the ball according to where the club touches the ground.

After some practice, you will be able to judge the distance well enough so that you don't have to move around to get into position. Keep your chest out and straight while bending over at the hips. It is impossible to overstate the importance of this…You should not be bending with the back at all to reach down to the ball; you should be bending AT THE HIPS. This is one of the most common mistakes made by amateur golfers. If you look at any professional golfer on the tour, they will ALWAYS have a straight back, and they will ALWAYS bend at the hips to get to the ball.

You will feel like your “seat” is protruding backwards more than usual. That is what we want here… Also, it’s okay if the toe of your club is not flush with the ground. It should be that way, especially for the long irons.

As you can see in the image to the left, the back remains straight while bending over to the ball. All of the bending is done at the hips. Bending at the hips and keeping a straight back will promote great ball flight and consistency. The relationship between the arms and chest has not changed.








This is the final setup position. The back is still straight. All you need to do is bend at the hips until the club touches the ground. As you can see, the arms are still stretched out, and the hands are at waist level. They seem lower, but the relationship between the arms and chest has not changed. Your legs remain in a fixed position, while you move the arms and chest together to the ball. This is the key to a good, simple setup.





Now you are in a position to hit a golf ball straight and consistently down the middle. Every time you hit a golf ball, go through this set-up drill. It will become easier each time you hit a ball. It will soon become a habitual routine that you go through on the course as well as the range. More importantly, it will give you confidence, knowing that you are in the right position to make solid contact with the ball every time.

Now hit a few balls after going through this set up routine for each ball. Get used to it for a few days and then we'll move on to the Simple Golf Swing. Congratulations, the hardest part is over. We realize that may be difficult to believe.

* Just a quick word on the driver. Woods are designed differently than irons. With an iron, you should essentially be hitting "down" on the ball. That's not really the case with the woods, so it may cause problems if you set up to the ball in exactly the fashion that I described above. Here's the solution.

First, get in to your normal setup position, as I describe above. You've got the driver in hand, you're bent over at the hips, you're back is perfectly straight, and you're ready to take a good swing. Now, all you have to do is stand up a bit straighter. You should have already determined the correct distance between your feet and the ball. You just stand up a bit more straight, and reach out with you arms to bring the head of the driver back to the ball.

You will need to experiment with the amount that you need to adjust (it shouldn't be much). Your chest may move about 1 - 3 inches. It doesn't seem like very much, but the change will be very noticeable. Just remember that nothing else in your swing or setup changes. Your lower body doesn't adjust because you have already determined the correct distance between your feet and the ball. It's just a matter of standing up a bit straighter, and then reaching out a bit more with the arms to compensate.

After we get through the remaining sections, you will understand that this will change your swing plane a bit. Your swing plane will become more horizontal, the straighter you stand up. Please realize that nothing else should change. You will swing each of your clubs in exactly the same fashion. This repositioning at setup will have a huge effect on the outcome of your shot, so please take some time to see where you are the most comfortable.

Please try this method out and see your results, literally soar. Moving to this new setup routine will do so much good for your golf swing, because it puts you in a repeatable position to make solid impact with the ball, each and every time that you swing.

golfswingguru.com

David Nevogt