Golf Tips for Beginners

The following Golf Tips are adapted with permission from the "Golf Beginner Guide", a full 272 page resource for Golf Beginners. For only $29.50 you get an incredible amount of invaluable tips, lessons and advice - great value for money. Click the above link to find out more!

Many golfers are afflicted by a poor ball flight pattern. Poor pattern can cause you to lose up to 5 strokes in a round the ideal is the high, penetrating shot that comes down to land softly. A low trajectory stops will mean the ball won't stop where you want. The ball will roll off the green, somewhere you don't want it to go. on the other hand, if the flight pattern is too high, you lose distance, which will stop you from clearing hazards, or reaching the green. If you have a bad ball flight pattern the problem might lie with the shafts on your clubs.

The shaft should be a major consideration when buying your clubs. The primary variables of shafts are flex, torque, length, and weight. If just one of these features is off, it will affect your swing, and prevent you from getting that ideal trajectory.

Flex

Flex should be at the top of your list of variables when buying a shaft. The term "flex" refers to the amount the club bends during a swing. For optimum performance, the flex should match your swing speed. With too much flex, you lose control of the ball on impact. You will tend to draw or hook the ball. Not enough flex, and you lose distance as a trade of for your gain in control. You will tend to fade or slice the ball.

Torque

"Torque" refers to the amount the club head twists when you swing the club. Torque, like flex, should match your swing speed. If you're after the maximum distance and control from your shafts, you need clubs with a torque rating that suits you. If you have a shaft that has a rating of 2.5 stiff and you hit 275 yards without roll, then you most likely aren't getting the most out of that shaft. In order to maximize the club's torque rating, you need to put enough load on it, otherwise the shaft will not unload to its maximum effect.

More torque means less control. But if, like many of us, you need some help getting the clubhead to release better through impact, then you should consider changing the torque ratings on your shafts.

Weight

All golfers like a different feel to their clubs, and shaft weight affects how the clubs feel. You might like the weight to be in the head of the club, or more spread out. There are many preferences to choose from, but remember to find what's right for you. It will affect your mental game more than you might think.

Length

If you find that you often choke up on your clubs, or that your back hurts the morning after a game, then your clubs are probably the wrong length. Your body try to compensate for the wrong length clubs by changing its motions. This utilizes new muscles, which then causes pain. The change will also mess with your rhythm, which will affect your swing negatively.

• A low hook, higher ball flight, fat shots, worm burners, pushes and slices are all symptoms of your clubs being too long.



• A low hook is caused by the long shaft making the club's toe stick up, so the heel contacts the ball first. This will create right-to-left spin, and cause a low trajectory.



• Higher ball flight is usually caused by leaning back on the downswing, in an effort to compensate for long shafts. This creates extra loft, which in turn causes high trajectories that lose distance.



• Fat shots are caused by making contact with the ground a little too soon, because you forget to compensate for the extra length.



• Worm burners are caused by over-compensating for the extra length, and hit the top of the ball, resulting in a low, skipping shot.



• When your clubs are too short, you'll generally hit pushes and slices and catch the ball thin.



• A push or a slice is caused by irons that are too short so the toe points downward, which will grab the ball early. Short clubs also push you forward, meaning you get left-to-right spin which means a push or a slice.



• Catching it thin is a sign the clubs are too short for you, so if you hit weaker shots that lack distance and height, you need longer clubs.

Custom club builders can tailor a set of clubs to your swing. They can custom build an iron or a wood so it matches your swing exactly. Pro shops really couldn't care less if your clubs match your swing; they just want you to buy them. If you want clubs that are actually suited to your build and style of play, see a custom builder. That way, you can realize your full golfing potential.