By Bob E. Jones

Whenever you learn something new you start with the fundamentals. They are the basics that not only get you started, but they are the foundation upon which every aspect of that new skill is built. They are fundamental because every skilled practitioner does them, and when things get off, you correct yourself by going back to the fundamentals. In fact, to be a skilled a possible, you never leave them.

Golf has four fundamentals. They are a calm mind, the setup, tempo and rhythm, and impact.

Mind leads body. When the mind is calm, it will make good decisions, and the body can perform the skills it has been trained to do. A good setup leads the body easily into a good swing. A bad setup makes a good shot a matter of luck. Tempo and rhythm ensure all parts of the swing occur in the right order and in the right time. To hit the ball straight, the clubface must meet the ball traveling directly at the target with the clubface square to that path.

A Calm Mind. When we play golf we must replace thinking, which is subject to the dictates of our emotional condition, with a state of psychophysical union, a unification of mind and body, that allows us to apply what we’ve learned regardless of environmental stresses.

The application of the psychophysical union to golf is twofold – in planning the shot we are about to hit, and in hitting it. The application is the same for every shot from putt, to chip, to iron, to drive.

You plan a shot by calming your mind and letting the solution come to you. That way you’ll hit shots within your capability, and they’ll be shots that work. The makes golf very easy.

When it’s time to hit the shot, the knowledge in the mind becomes lodged in the body as well. Your body becomes a physical expression of your mind – not taking orders from the mind, but the mind made manifest.

Develop a calm mind away from the golf course. Whatever other people say or do, or what ever happens to you, stay calm and receive it in a positive way. There is good that can come out of any situation. Make it your habit to look for it. Being at peace on the golf course cannot happen unless you’re at peace with your life.

The Setup. The setup varies with the club and the shot. The one common element in every setup, regardless of the shot, is to calm your mind first. The state of your mind is as important as the position of your body. This is the most positive golfing habit you can develop to play better.

Other common principles are to have a good grip so the hands work as a unit. Good posture is critical. Keep your back straight, bend forward from your hips, keep your weight forward, let your arms hang naturally. Align your feet, knees, hips, and shoulders to your target. Hold the club gently, do not squeeze it. You can apply these attributes to every shot from chip to putt.

Tempo and Rhythm. Tempo measures the absolute speed of a golf swing. Rhythm describes the relative duration of its parts. Every good golfer swings the club with the same rhythm. The movement from address to the top of the backswing takes two counts, and from there back to impact takes one count. This fact has long been known. Tempo, however, is a personal matter. Some golfers swing faster, overall, than others.

To find the tempo and rhythm that are right for you, get a metronome and set it to 126. Count the ticks and time your swing so that it starts on the first tick, reaches the top of the backswing on the third tick, and hits the ball on the fourth tick.

You might find that metronome setting to be too slow. If so, move it up to 132 and try again. Keep going until you get to the point that you can no longer control your swing. Slow down the settings until you hit clean, straight shots at the fastest tempo you can comfortably control.

Impact. Impact is the point of golf. The entire swing comes down to that 1/500th of a second when the club and ball are in contact with each other. The clubface must be square, traveling toward the target, and making contact with the ball on the center. That’s a tall order when the club is moving at 90 miles per hour or so, but that’s what a good shot requires.

Practice square, in-line impact by making small, slow swings, no more than one foot long, while your body is in its impact position. Gradually make the swings longer, but as the clubface comes through impact, make sure the clubface is square and traveling toward a hypothetical target.

Keep lengthening your swing until it gets to the point where your hands are hip height on the backswing and follow-through. Swinging back and forth this much with the club passing through impact as it should. Be sure you square the club with your swing, not with your hands.

Building these four fundamentals into your game will have more affect, faster, than any other practice you can do.

Bob Jones is dedicated to showing recreational golfers the little things, that anyone can install in their swing and game, that make a big difference in how they play. See more at http://www.bettergolfbook.com.

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There has been quite a Golf Training Tips about Proper Ball Position in the game of Golf. Jack Nicholas is one that always talked about positioning the golf ball off the inside of the heel of your left foot.

Considering that Jack Nicholas is one of Golf’s legends, it would be insane to question his approach. This approach will work perfectly for those of us that have a similar stance to Jack Nicholas.

Lee Trevino another great golf legend would tend to play the golf a little further back in his stance. Again, who is going to argue with another legend of the game?

Some Golf Instructors will suggest that you move the golf ball in your stance depending on which golf club you are swinging at the time.

So, who is right?

The truth is they are all right. You are probably scratching your head wondering how they could all be right.

If you are a seasoned Golfer you may have completely different thoughts on proper ball position with your golf swing. You would probably be right, as well.

Proper Ball position in your stance depends on the width of your stance. The most important thing is to have your golf club line up in the middle of your body when you address the golf ball so that the golf ball is just left of center.

Think of your stance as similar to a tripod. In order for the tripod to be stable and not topple over, the tripod must have all three legs equally spread and the weight balanced in the middle. This is exactly the same for your golf stance. In order for you to be properly balanced and not lose your balance during your swing your weight must be evenly distributed.

If you have a wide stance, then the golf ball is going to be further back in your stance. If you have a narrow stance then the golf ball will be forward in your stance.

Some may tell you that your stance should narrow the shorter the golf club and that may be true for that person. The thing that sticks in my head is the more adjustments you make in your stance and your swing, the more things you have to think about.

We all know that the more we have to think about, the more likely we are to make a mistake. Find the stance that you are most comfortable with for all your clubs under normal conditions and stick with it. The rest will take care of itself.

The best Golf Training Tip for Proper Ball Position in my opinion is there is no exact right or wrong way to position the golf ball within your stance. It all depends on you and your stance.

Golf has always been a passion for me. I have spent many years studying the game, honing my skills, playing golf competitively and just plain enjoying the time outside. I have found that while being out on the course I have been able to observe others and offer suggests that quickly improve their performance.

Helping others with the little things in life are always a joy. It makes my day when I can help someone else with their journey in life and on the golf course.

I am the owner of World Golf Emporium, where I post my thoughts on the game of golf while offering golf tips, golf training materials, golf equipment and much more.

This article originally posted at: WorldGolfEmporium.com

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Many people are surprised to learn that Annika did not grow up playing golf. She did not discover the sport until she turned twelve. As a youngster, Annika wanted to be a professional tennis player, and avidly pursued both tennis and badminton.

At the age of sixteen, Annika realized that she would never become a pro tennis player, and traded in her tennis racket for her golf clubs. She had begun taking lessons at fourteen, and decided to pursue golf as her pro sport. She became so obsessed with golf that she would even play in the snow using a bright orange ball! Her goal was to one day win the prestigious U.S. Open.

Annika arrived in the US on a golfing scholarship at the University of Arizona at the age of nineteen. During her first two years of college she won seven collegiate titles. The summer after her sophomore year, Annika was invited to the US Open. While she did not play well, the invitation gave her the realization that she was ready to go pro.

Annika started her pro career in Europe in 1993. She did quite well in this less competitive market, and was named Rookie of the Year her first year as a pro golfer. During this year she also did several tournaments with the LPGA in the US. While she did not win any of these, she did play extremely well, and started to get noticed. She gradually began inching closer and closer to the top. At the age of 24, Annika realized her girlhood dream and won the US Open at the Broadmoor Golf Club near Pikes Peak in Colorado.

From that high, Annika became an instant celebrity. Facing offer after offer for appearances and endorsements, Annika took some time off from golf. After a couple of months of rest, she re-entered the European tour. But the US seemed to be the best place for her game, and she began to blow away the field every time she played on US courses.

After her early success, Annika began to struggle when playing in the majors, both in Europe and in the US. In 2000, Annika began a strict training and exercise regimen, and by the end of 2001 was back at winning tournaments again.

She again made headlines in 2003 when she announced her intention to accept an invitation to play in the PGA Colonial golf tournament, a traditionally all-male field. There was much controversy surrounding her entrance into the tournament, causing Annika’s name to reach headlines around the world. She did not qualify for the cut, yet still made a name for herself by playing against some of the world’s top male golfers.

Annika was entered into the World Golf Hall of Fame in October of 2003. She was notable for being the first international LPGA player entered. Annika’s accomplishments continue to inspire young female golfers around the world. As she heads into 2007, Annika plans to host LPGA tournaments and try her hand at redesigning the Patriots Point Links in Mt. Pleasant, SC. There are many more years of golf left in the spunky Swedish golfer, so you can expect to see the name Annika Sorenstam for many more years!

About the author: Graham Johns owns and writes regularly for GolfingLife.net where you can read many more articles on all aspects of golf. And go to Well Spoken Audio for a collection of entertaining and informative golfing audiobooks on golf and golfing personalities including Tiger Woods and many others.

This single answer allowed me to make a huge leap in my understanding of the golf swing, and in everything I had seen and read about the golf swing none of it emphasized it enough.

I carried out a survey on the Internet over several weeks and asked visitors to my web site the question:- What part of the body contributes the most to generating the maximum speed of the club head?

Only 20% got the answer correct – That’s only 1 in every 5 golfers! And these golfers had a wide range of handicaps down to single figures.

Interestingly this figure corresponds to another golfing statistic – Did you know that only around 20% of golfers have a handicap of less than 18? It made me wonder whether the misunderstanding of the fundamental aspect could be the one thing that is holding so many golfers back.

Which part of the body do you think creates the maximum speed of the club head?

Is it:

Shoulders

Arms

Hands

Hips

Legs

Torso

Wrists

The part of the body that generates the maximum club head speed in golf can also be found in other sports such as Tennis, Baseball and Cricket.

In all of these sports the role of the hands or wrists is such that they contribute the most to generating the speed of the club, racket or bat.

When the club reaches the point on the downswing where it is level with the ground notice the position of the shoulders. Then take a look at the point when the club is parallel with the ground again, after the ball has been hit and again notice the position of the shoulders.

Look at how far the club has moved (over 180 degrees) compared to how little the shoulders and arms have moved (around 45 degrees).

So the answer to the question that I posed above is that it is the hands (or wrists) that contribute the most to generating the maximum club head speed. The club is moved through over 180 degrees while the arms move through less than 60 degrees – all of the rest of the movement of the head of the golf club is generated by the movement of the hands.

Unfortunately, the large majority of golfers think that it is with the shoulders and arms.

So we have shown that the club head travels a long way with very little body movement in the final stages of the swing, and this is how the pro’s generate club head speeds of over 120mph! We have focused on the movement of the wrists but it’s important to point out that the wrists are only really hinges at the point that the two arms meet and are therefore under the control of the arms. At the point we have highlighted in the swing where the club is about to travel through 180 degrees (see images below) the right arm is bent at the elbow and the left arm is straight.

Just put your arms and hands into this position (you don’t need a club in your hands but use one if it helps). Now simply straighten your right arm and allow your straight left arm to move towards the center of your body (simulating the point of impact).

Can you see how the wrists actually move in response to the straightening of the right arm? This is a key factor as developing the correct swing relies upon you getting your right elbow close to the right side of your body – if you move your shoulders early in the swing you won’t be able to achieve this position.

When you get this move it feels like you are throwing the club head into the back of the ball, which in reality is what you are actually doing and it feels great as you release all that power right into the back of the ball!

Let’s see less emphasis on the movement of the shoulders and more control with the wrists.

This will create a totally different feel to the way you’ve been hitting the ball in the past.

About the author: Jon Barrett WAS a frustrated golfer who studied the golf swing for 5 years…UNTIL he discovered what only 1% of golfers know. Read about his eye opening concepts: www.golfswingeureka.com

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In fact, the most crucial aspects of the golf swing and the game, in general, all revolve around the building of a strong and solid foundation fro the body, the mind and the basics of an athletic swing. Specifically, the most important concepts that play a critical role in our understanding of what creates a great round of golf, as well as to what contributes to a lifetime of enjoyment of the game, are stamina, stability, strength, flexibility, spirit, sequence and skill.

Although many golfers tend to ignore the cardiovascular element of golf, the great American golf championship Tiger Woods has stated that fatigue can affect one’s focus and cause the player to make a bad decision. If one considers in addition to this comment that golf walkers cover approximately a distance of 4-5 miles in each round, staying in shape is as important as knowing how to golf.

Then, a golfer has to think about stability. Developing strength from the core region of the body outwards, allows forces to be transferred successfully from one’s feet to his arms and thus to his ball swing. Finding and practicing on keeping a specific posture, stabilize one’s trunk and joints, can separate the good from the great golf player. More specifically, strength comes in many forms with regard to the golf swing. Exercising and developing strong back muscles allow the golfer to exercise greater forces on a swing. In fact, experts support that combined muscle strength produces balance and coordination.

Of course, flexibility is perhaps the most crucial physical characteristic a golfer must possess, as it directly influences a golf swing. Maintaining a tight body might result in a restricted swing motion and produce less that optimal results. Keeping a flexible body posture, while being firm and confident is a goal few golf players in the history of golf have managed to attain. Directly affected by the flexibility factor, a true understanding of proper body motion at each sequence will ensure consistency in one’s swing. Essentially, it is the goal of every golfer to manage to develop and maintain a fluid, but repeatable golf swing. But apart from the necessary golf practice, developing good swing mechanics requires the presence of skill. Considered as an absolute necessity, in every sport, skill cannot be underestimated.

Finally, a golfer should keep in mind that a winning and positive attitude is everything in this game. As in every competitive game, what one thinks, says or how one selects to act can contribute positively or negatively to the game’s outcome. Keeping a positive and hopeful spirit when playing golf can be one of those things that will lead you to victory.

About the author: Kadence Buchanan writes articles on many topics including Golf, Sports, and Recreation.

Check out Golf Training Aids at The Pro-Am Golf Warehouse

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