Welcome to YOUR Swing Support Center, a blog with tips to help you transition to your new straight leading arm back-swing. This blog allows us to share information which we find in articles by golf professionals or success stories submitted by GOLFSTR users. These tips have helped me and I hope they help you too.

Bill Curry, inventor of GOLFSTR

Archives for the ‘Swing Solutions’ Category

Tricks for the Recreational Golfers

We all read golf tips from the pros in golf magazines and watch for them on TV or the internet. You never know when you will find that perfect swing trick that will turn YOUR game around. Every golfer has different mental blocks and body strengths (and weaknesses). All you have to find is the mental and physical tricks that work for YOU. Recreational golfers are NOT in the same shape as pros and we don’t practice anywhere as often. That’s why tips from the pros point-of-view may not be working for you!

This week I just wanted to share a number of tips and tricks from Recreational Golfers who are having the greatest impact on my game. By the way, GOLFSTR+ is a good way to get your mind zoned-in when you are practicing for all 6 of its Swing Fixes.

Feel your heavy club in your back swing to help you hold your lag and then “throw” your club through impact and up the line.

Last week I told you that confidence breeds success. Unfortunately success goes to our heads. We get cocky and think that our last great drive will be even better if we just put a little more oomph into the next drive. WRONG!  I don’t know if its adrenaline or just a mental stupidity but consistent grip, stance and tempo seem to be the most important “tricks” that work for pros and recreational golfers.

Approach every shot using consistent tempo. Start your setup for every shot with the SAME constant demeanor. Get your heart rate down. Get in your comfort zone with your mind totally focused on YOUR shot. If you find yourself thinking about a squawking bird or an irritating person behind your swing path, just step out of your shot, remove the irritation and refocus your mind on your target, relaxation & and a smooth, accelerating swing.

Commitment: Focus on hitting shots to a specific spot. Hit it and builds confidence for my next shot.
1/ Light grip and relaxed shoulders for more power and distance.
2/ Swing with a straight arm take-away, flat wrist at the top and trailing elbow grazing your ribs on the way down to control your draw.
3/ By feeling a “heavy club” your transition allows you to hold your lag and then throw (or whip) your club head from the inside through impact for power and distance.
4/ On the fairway, use 1 more club and swing with more directional control with LESS force.
5/ Plan for less break in your putts when you put with a little more speed if you pass the hole by a foot. [Hint: the worst break happens as you ball slows down.]

If you expect a poor result, it will happen. Recognize the weakness in your game and then practice with GOLFSTR+ to eliminate the FEAR. Build confidence in your game. Buy one today at www.golfstr.com

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When You’re Hot, You’re Hot

Have you noticed that your hot streaks come and go? When you’re hot, you’re hot. When you’re not, YOU’RE NOT. The pros need 4 days of hot streaks to win a tournament. One bad hole seems to be the start of more bad holes so we all must have mental lapses. Recreational golfers have shorter hot streaks and longer cold streaks. Why is this happening?

Golf is a game of perfection. One bad hit can put you in the rough followed by a topped ball and then a brilliant blast over the green into a sand trap can leave you devastated. The wonderful thing about our handicap system is that we can just take a MAXIMUM score on a hole and move on to the next hole. Unfortunately tournaments put a lot more pressure on you as your total score counts.

“Better than Most”.  These words just about sums up Tiger’s streak. Shattered confidence ruined his streak.

For great golfers, the hot streaks seem to just keep-on-comin’. Why do they end?
Tiger Woods’ 142 streak of making the cut ended on a FRIDAY the 13th. Was it his unlucky day or were marriage problems on his mind.
Luke Donald was the first player to win more money than any other golfer on both the PGA and European Tours in the same year. He hasn’t won a tournament since.  Where did his confidence go?
Vijay Singh at 42 in 2005 was the youngest player elected to the Golf Hall of Fame. That was the end of his winning streak.

Recreational players have streaks of success during a single round of golf. Have you noticed that you par a number of holes in sequence or that one nine will be much better than the other nine. Your mental commitment is your turning point. CONFIDENCE and FOCUS must be the key factors in our success.

Tricks to create CONFIDENCE and FOCUS
Minor changes in your setup can destroy your distance and direction control. Determine your swing cues before every round.  Correct YOUR IDEAL grip, stance and relaxed body during your practice and lock them into your memory bank. The pros do it and you should too.

-Putting: Practice your swing for distance, then move up to the ball and focus for 2 or 3 seconds to lock your brain into your target. Refocus on your ball for 2 seconds and swing with your shoulders.
-Driver: Relax your shoulders and grip. Take a controlled backswing to create lag at the top. Feel like your club is HEAVY so that it accelerates as you “throw” it from the inside whooshing through the ball.
-Irons and Hybrids: If you can’t shift your weight to your leading foot during your transition then start your swing with 60% of your weight on your leading foot.

Learn your swing cues when you practice with GOLFSTR+. Straight leading arm, flat leading wrist and 90 degree lag in your transition are great swing queues. Buy one today: www.golfstr.com

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Are you Playing Army Golf? Left, Right, Left . . .

Last week we give you the formula for consistent hits by slowing down your backswing to control your transition and accelerating at 80% in your downswing. So why are your hits still going left or right of your target? The proper grip is important but are you paying attention to the slope of the ground from your feet to your ball?

You should be excited about your wonderful consistent hits on FLAT practice tees before you play a round of golf. Unfortunately, not only are golf course tees often sloped or crowned but you rarely stand on flat ground on the fairways or in the rough.

 

Fairways are rarely level. Using your foot wedge is not legal so you really need to adjust for the height difference from your feet to your ball

Golf Course ratings are measure by the SLOPE of the course. A high degree of the slope rating comes from the uneven terrain where you are addressing your ball. A 5 degree slope from your feet to your ball can throw your golf ball off course by 10 to 20 degrees. When your ball is 2 inches above or below the level of your feet, on a 100 yard hit your ball will end up at least 5 yards left or right from your target. A ball above your feet will tend to hook and that can double or triple your miss by 15 yards to the left (for right handed golfers). A ball below your feet will tend to slice and that can double or triple your miss to the right

Solutions:

1/ Always look for the flattest surface on the tee within 2 club lengths behind the line between the tee blocks.
2/ Raised Tees tend to slope down to the sides causing a crown along the center. If you don’t believe me, stand near the back of the tee when your partners tee off. Decide if the ground is sloping left or right when they tee-up. If a person has a proper swing, they will invariably hit left of their toe line if the ground is sloping left and they will hit to the right if their toe line if pointing right.
3/ The fairway, rough and sand traps will give you another challenge. Not only is the surface from your feet to the ball often sloped left or right but you may also be faced with an uphill or downhill shot on your forward target line. Expect to lose distance. Choose a longer club for uphill shots and more loft for a downhill shot. Setup with your shoulder line parallel to the ground and use a wider stance for balance. Gravity will keep you off balance so just do your best to step out of your stance as you follow-through to avoid falling.
4/ If your ball is slightly above the level of your feet you can choke up on your grip to compensate for the 1 or 2 inch difference in height. Remember to club up for the lost distance when you choke up on the club.

When hitting from any sloped ground, imagine the direction that your club face will launch your ball. Choose the right club and setup in the right direction to compensate or just hit into a level area for your next shot.

5/ If your ball is significantly higher than your feet, you need to judge whether the toe of your club will impact the hill and twist your club in your hand. The blade (leading edge) should be parallel to the ground when you impact the ball. If you are changing to a flatter swing plane to hit a ball above your feet, then you (right handers) need to aim to the right of your target as your ball will be pulled to the left.
6/ If your ball is significantly below the level of your feet, you can only bend your knees or waist to compensate for the extra depth. Plan to swing at a slower speed and lose distance as you try to maintain your balance during the swing. Expect the ball to slice away from your body. BEWARE that an early impact with your hosel on the ground can pull a right hander’s club face and ball to the left. Ideally, you need to aim for a flat landing site to avoid further damage.

Who said golf was easy?  Ian Poulter’s second shot out of the rough on the 18th hole at the Players Championship  reminded me that a bad lie is also a recipe for disaster. When in doubt, head for some level ground and enjoy your next shot. Practice with GOLFSTR+ to learn to control all of your shots. Buy one today at www.golfstr.com

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Swing Speed Creates Inconsistent Hits

The primary difference between a recreational player and the professional golfers is the consistency of their hits. The difference in weight and length of each of your clubs as well as the slope of the ground from your feet to your ball are the problems that every golfer needs to overcome. The pros practice for hours each day to perfect their swing for both of these concerns. Recreational players need a trick solution to compensate for their lack of practice. [Swing Tip Next Week: Compensating for Sloped Ground.]

Swing Speed Crisis
Everyone wants to hit their drives as long as the pros. Unfortunately we not only fall short of 300 yard drives but the faster we swing the worse the result. Our faster swings create inconsistent results. Hank Haney tells us to swing faster to generate more club head speed to add 2.5 yards for every additional Mile/Hour in club head speed. He is telling the truth but he wants you to buy his magic swing speed device to help you learn to generate more club head speed. Unfortunately his personal focus is on earning commissions for sales on the product that he’s endorsing.  It’s not helping your consistency.

Ernie Els has this wonderful slow, smooth takeaway and transition which is totally opposite to the bing bang swings of Nick Price or Brent Snedeker.   As a recreational player, you will improve your game much faster with a slower backswing.

The Truth About Swing Speed for Recreational Golfers: The harder you try to rip your club through the ball the more inconsistently you will hit the ball.

A. Solution for your Driver:   Your driver is your longest club and it allows you to generate the most club head speed. It really is the club that you want to hit the furthest to land in a good position to reach the green on a par 4 or get close to the green on a par 5. Unfortunately the faster you swing your driver the easier it is to be INCONSISTENT. Mike Bender confirmed that controlled acceleration in your downswing is important for distance but you should consider a slower back swing to control your transition and allow time for your shoulders (instead of casting your arms) to start your downswing.

Yes, you heard me say a slower backswing. Rushing can kill your timing at the transition from your backswing to downswing. Many LPGA pros and some of the PGA pros create wonderful results with a slow backswing (or even a slight pause at the top). Recreational golfers should benefit from a slower backwing. Give yourself time to transfer your weight to your leading foot during your transition.

Ideally we all want to impact with the ball on the midpoint of the golf club face as our club is moving up our target line. A slight, in to out swing path, creating a draw, is preferred but avoiding a hit on the toe or heal of the club face is critical. A slower backswing and transition will improve your consistency.

B. Solution for your Woods, Hybrids and Irons: Swing all of these clubs at 80% for a more consistent impact point on your club face. [HINT: If you can’t hold your finish in balance then you are probably swinging too hard.]  Slowing down your backswing will give you more control of your club, your transition and acceleration at 80% in your downswing but it will give you less distance. Compensate by clubbing up to add distance and enjoy hitting more greens in regulation.

Mike Bender reminds us that most recreational golfers hit short of the green on their approach shot. Forget the idea of swinging with all of your strength to reach the green. Get that trash talk out of your head. Enjoy the compliments when you swing slower with consistent hits and land on the green using a longer club.

Reach more greens in regulation by playing from the right forward tees for your game. Swinging with a slower backswing and transition to improve your consistency. Practice with GOLFSTR+ for every swing in your game. Buy one today at www.golfstr.com

[Swing Tip Next Week: Compensating for Sloped Ground to control direction of your hit.]

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Golf is a Game of FEEL

Millions of words have been written about the right way to lower your score.  Sure you can read about it and practice until you are blue in the face but hundreds of thoughts in your head will only mess up the moment of truth.  I’m talking about the second or 2 that it takes to hit each golf shot.  If you don’t crystallize your swing for each shot into a single FEELING, you will never create consistent results.

Of course you need to take time to prepare for every shot.  Driving, fairway shots, pitches, chips and putts all require a different set of preparation thoughts.  From that point forward you need to use the feeling that you want for each shot.  Tempo is part of the feeling as you need to create a calm and relaxed straight arm backswing.  You don’t have time to look at your club position in the backswing.  You may want to use a rehearsal backswing like Ricky Fowler or Lydia Ko.  They create a rhythm with their rehearsal and then with that feeling they let it go.

Each club needs a different “feeling” so I like to say my feeling as a reminder of the motion of that

You can feel the power as this golfer launches his drive.

particular club.

LAUNCH is the feeling (word) that I use for my driver.  You are actually impacting the ball on your upswing (after the bottom of your swing arc) to launch the ball for distance.  I can feel my club face open in my backswing.  I can feel my wrist lag, then release from inside and up the line as I LAUNCH my ball as it disappears in the distance.  Don’t think it, just feel LAUNCH.

POWER is the feeling (word) that I use for my fairway woods and hybrids.  These clubs need to impact the ball at the bottom of your arc as you POWER through the ball and up your target line.  I can feel my club face open and wrist lag in my backswing.   I can feel the delay as my weight shifts to my leading foot at the top of my swing and the club POWERS through the ball with a woooosh from the inside and up the line to a balance finish.  Don’t think it, just feel POWER.

CONTROL is the feeling (word) that I use for my irons and wedges to ensure that I control the direction of the face of my club at impact.  These clubs are lighter so you need to avoid the ease of swinging too fast.  I can feel my club face open, weight shift, whipping release with a squared up face through the ball as I bottom out in the turf after the ball and up the target line.  Don’t think it, just feel directional CONTROL.

PUTTING is a totally different feeling because you have more time to make your swing.  You need to focus on locking your legs, hips and wrists while you only swinging with your shoulder rotation.

  1. First you have time to line up your exact target line by picking a spot.
  2. Then you have time to make the perfect practice swing to rehearse the FEELING that you need to pass the hole by 12 to 18 inches (to avoid a dramatic break or indentation on your path to the hole).

Focus on your shoulder rotation to control the swing weight up your target line.   To imprint the FEELING OF YOUR PUTT CADENCE on your mind: say the word “ONE” for your backswing and “TWO” for your forward swing for an  IDENTICAL practice swing to your putt.

And here is the training aid that will help you with every swing in your game.  Please watch this video and add a LIKE and a comment to help us get more attention for GOLFSTR+.

Get your FEELING and use these mental words before you swing and then again as you swing for LAUNCH, POWER and CONTROL.  Change gears for PUTTING to feel distance with your practice swing. Practice with GOLFSTR+ to train for F E E L I N G.  Buy one today at www.golfstr.com

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Can Your Stats Lower Your Scores?

The movie “Moneyball” helped us understand that knowing the right player stats in baseball can help baseball teams make the better player selection decisions. Getting a walk is almost as important as getting a single.  After all, getting on base is the only way you can score runs. The same applies in golf. Driving to the fairway, Greens in Regulation (GRI), chipping for 1 putt are the most critical factors in lowering your score. You just need an easy way to record your progress to lower your scores.

Of course your score for 18 holes is one way to measure your success but it doesn’t tell you where to focus your practice for your next round. The pros are hiring “stats guys” to advise them. Mark Solda is the chief executive and president of Every Ball Counts. His evaluation of one player revealed that the tour average of making 3 foot or shorter putts was 99.42%. Solda showed the player that if he improved from 98 percent to 99 percent from that distance, he would increase his earnings by $412,000. Amazing fact!

You are not a pro. The pros have amazing stats recorded for every tournament round that they play. Hank Haney talked about the best stats are “strokes gains” for the pros which take into account the weather and competition. Those stats will never be available for your game. Hank suggests that you focus on a step-by-step improvement plan.

Diagnose your weaknesses by analyzing your stats in three key areas:

Plan where your ball will land before you hit it. She looks committed to this shot.

1. Long game: Land in the fairway in a good position to hit the Greens In Regulation.
2. Short Game: Avoid 2 chips, 2 pitchers and 2 sand trap shots. Get on the green.
3. Putting: Avoid 3 putts by landing closer to the hole and learning to read greens.

HOW do you easily keep track of all of this data?

SOLUTION: Code your score card with a letter as you enter your score after each hole.
M– Mishit: Not hit in the center of the club face and lost distance.
R– Rough: Hit the ball into the rough or behind trees or in an avoidable location.
S– Sand: A good approach shot, pitch or chip should miss the sand.
P– Penalty: Water, Lost Ball or Out of Bounds are the dumbest penalties to take.
# of Putts: Almost 50% of your strokes are putts so you need track your 3+ putts and total your putts.

At the end of your round, total up your mistakes and pay attention to your problem areas. For example if you are mishitting your driver or fairway clubs: set a plan to minimize the problem.

1. Your primary focus is to consistently hit every shot in the center of your club face.
2. Increase your length of drives with proper body rotation and wrist lag.
3. Swing in control so that you finish your swing in perfect balance for 3 seconds.
4. Control the direction of your hit for draw or fad to land in the fairway.
5. Plan to avoid hazards by hitting short of them to allow for your perfect chip to within 6 feet of the hole. Eliminate the blow-up holes and possibly save a par.

GOLFSTR+ is a training aid to help you correct the position of your arm or wrist for 6 swing problems. Sort out your big miss and then fix it with the correct swing. Buy one today at www.golfstr.com

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Is Golf YOUR Passion Too ?

GOLFSTR+ was designed and manufactured by a golfer who was anxious to improve his game. That would be me, Will Curry. My distributors encouraged me to share my story with you. After all, I am an aging golfer with an aging body (just like you) who wants to avoid the problems that cause the occasional round over 100. My goal has always been to shoot every round in the 80’s and occasionally get into the 70’s. This seems to be the goal of every golfer I know.

I write these weekly blogs based on my experiences with friends, comments by professional PGA golfers and observations about successes and failures in golf. I have released 236 of these weekly blogs to build an awareness for GOLFSTR+ and to help me improve my game. The social awareness has helped me sell a lot of GOLFSTRs. If only I could apply every thought that I publish. I have my wonderful rounds but my consistency always needs work. My aging body, which is hitting another milestone on May 4, is constantly recovering from historic back injuries and strained muscles from too much tennis.

 

Again we wintered in Florida at a golf and tennis community where the weather was perfect and the comradery was wonderful. I was really looking for an excuse to share this amazing photo of Old Glory over our practice putting green. I’m not sure how the cloud was formed in a circle but it was an awesome moment when I looked up.

I work from Florida so I only have limited time for tennis and some golf. The golf course view from my office window was like watching the Golf Channel version of “Groundhog Day”. I watched the tee shots on a par 3 which has water on the left and trees up the right to a well trapped green. It was fun to see that only about 30% of the golfers hit and stayed on the green. About the same as my game.

About 70% of the female golfers had no idea of the concept of creating lag in their backswing. I guess the women don’t want their husbands telling them how to improve their game so they continue to swing with 2 straight arms in their backswing and hit their drives about 75 yards. The same problem applies to about 30% of the men. Aren’t these people taking lessons? At least they should be buying a GOLFSTR+ to help them train for wrist lag in their backswing. They just don’t understand the concept of creating lag with their wrists in the backswing to unleash the power of the club head through the ball. LAG, RELEASE, WHOOSH and BINGO for double the distance.

We golf to enjoy the exercise and friendships but each course has its own beauty. In Florida the course layouts through forests and ponds are spectacular. The wildlife is also an interesting addition. Sure there are plenty of birds but when you see a pelican grabbed from below by a lunging alligator and all that remains are floating feathers, you know that golfers should beware. After a few months of watching our friendly alligator (Herkimer) we heard that he was feasting on local cats and small dogs. His capture took 2 days as he broke the line from a 3 pronged fishing hook on their first try.   I thought you might like to see the video of his capture on our front lawn.

I thought you might like this break for a week from your GOLFSTR+ SWING TIPS. I just wanted you to see that I’m like any other golfer who enjoys the game and all the fun that comes with it. I hope you are getting ready for your summer golf season by practicing with GOLFSTR+. Buy one for yourself or a friend, who may want to improve their game, at www.golfstr.com

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Can You Swing Like a Robot for Consistency?

The only difference between you and an Iron Byron, the golf ball testing robot, is that you have emotions and adrenaline to change the consistency of your swing. You know what you want to accomplish with every swing but your mental state, physical condition and levels of adrenaline will affect every swing that you make.

Bobby Jones, the founder of The Masters at Augusta National gave us the quote that was plaguing Sergio Garcia: “Competitive golf is played mainly on a five-and-a-half-inch course… the space between your ears.” Sergio’s win at the Masters tells us that he finally mastered his head and his adrenaline.

 

Sergio Garcia has finally found confidence with the new love in his life. Try CALM and RELAXED when you golf and let it all out when you win.

YOUR GOAL IS CONSISTENCY: We all hit great shots for a percent of our hits using every club. Your goal is to repeat that swing with each club. So why is it so difficult to repeat that swing?  You have to swing with the same emotional tempo. When you are excited or your adrenaline is pumping, you are a different person than the person who is confident, relaxed and just trying to layup a perfect shot.

How often do you say to yourself “Just swing easy”? Then you step up to the ball and try to knock the crap out of that ball. What were you thinking?

I recently played in a tournament where I stepped up to the first tee and felt like it was the tee-off at the Masters. Adrenaline?  You bet!  I topped the ball 100 yards down the fairway. After this embarrassing start I proceeded to swing harder to catch up to my competitor on my next shot. Too bad, same result.

SOLUTION: RELAX, PERFECT PRACTICE SWING and PERFECT HIT
1/ When you make a poor shot, accept the fact that you may bogie the hole. You need to change your goal for that hole as if you are playing against yourself to avoid a double bogie.
2/ If your shot puts you in a poor position behind trees or in the rough, accept the fact that you may bogie the hole. Select the right club to get your ball back in play on the fairway. Avoid the blow-up hole.
3/ Whether you are on the tee at the first hole or hitting from a poor location or you are headed for a bogie, you need to calm your mind. Relax your body. Accept the fact that your next shot is the only shot that matters.
4/ As you prepare to setup for your next shot mentally say the words “calm and relaxed”, drop your shoulders and make the practice swing with the exact tempo that you plan for your hit.
5/ In your practice swing, relax your arms to ensure that your wrists are loose to allow your club enough time to reach the perfect lag position in your backswing (as your weight shift from your trailing leg to your leading leg). Hear the whooshing sound when you execute the release of your wrists.
6/ You know how to swing from the inside to up the line. Once more, mentally say “calm and relaxed” and duplicate your perfect practice swing as you hit the perfect shot.

RELAX, PERFECT PRACTICE SWING for the identical PERFECT HIT

You can’t be successful in golf unless your mind is focused on the perfect swing and your adrenaline level is low. Practice with your GOLFSTR+ at the driving range before you play to get the feeling of the perfect release [without killing the ball]. Learn to lag with your wrists in your backswing so that you can create a whooshing sound as you whip the club head through the ball. Buy a GOLFSTR+ TODAY for 6 swing fixes at www.golfstr.com

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Pros Zone In and You Should Too !

There is a big difference between your game and the way the professional golfers approach their game. You have limited time and they make a living with their full time occupation. As a recreational golfer, you need to accept this fact and focus on the key tricks that will help lower your score.  You spend less time working on your game than the pros  so you have to do the little things that will work best for you.

Slow Down: Arrive early for your round of golf and get your body and mind slowed down. Always work on getting in the zone to play golf and enjoy it. You can’t do this if your mind is listening to rock and roll music and you are driving like a demon to get to the course.

Warm Up: Take your time to stretch your body and then hit some short and progressively longer shots at the range. Tight muscle will stain and ruin your game if you don’t start swinging with a full range of motion and comfortable timing.

What’s Working?: Figure out what is working at the range with your wedges, irons, woods (hybrids) and driver. Set a game plan for each type of club to ensure that you are setting up correctly and swinging with a consistent tempo. Use that feeling for each club throughout your game.

Putting: Don’t start your game until you test the speed of the greens on the practice green. As greens dry out during the day they will speed up but you need a baseline to start from for your first putts in your round.

Be calm and relaxed. Sort out the swing that is working for you and get in your zone for total focus for every swing.

Get in YOUR FOCUSED ZONE: Take your comfortable swing tempo from the driving range to the first tee. Snap your mind into a focus on each hit. You have a routine so stick with it. Use it to control your setup and your mind. Seeing others swing like a mad man should have no effect on your next swing. Line up your target. Take a full practice swing exactly the way you want to hit the ball. Step forward to the ball, relax your shoulders & grip and complete your swing in a calm and relaxed zone.

Your Game Plan:  You only need to hit 1 shot at a time. Forget any other shot and only focus on your next shot. [Ben Hogan said that the most important shot in golf is your next shot.]  Tiger Woods seems to get into a Zen State and Jason Day goes into a trance as he squints his eyes. You can’t play well if your mind is not on your game. Jason showed this when he had to drop out of the Dell Match Play Tournament after the first few holes when his concentration was on his mother’s struggle with Cancer. Above all else your mind and focus has to be on executing your next shot.

Learn the key basics for your swing with GOLFSTR+. See the results at the range and build confidence in your swing with your GOLFSTR+ for 6 swing fixes. Buy one today at www.golfstr.com

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Will New Clubs help YOUR Game?

I love to find shocking articles by credible writers to give me the real truth about ways to improve my golf game.  Stephen Altschuler – in a recent GolfWRX BLOG wrote “Forgiving irons? A perspective you might not like.” I just wanted to share the abbreviated version of his comments because I always thought that this was the truth.

“Club manufacturers have glommed onto the term “forgiving” to coax golfers to their products, and I think it’s done more to detract beginners from learning the game properly and eventually dropping out. In the process, people try the game thinking their forgiving clubs will essentially do it all for them, almost by magic.

Today, with irons looking more like garden tools, and drivers more like battle-axes, forgiveness is the keyword. As the commercial for the XE1 wedge says: “The XE1 is awesome. It just popped the ball right up,” says a guy with a swing not unlike Charles Barkley’s. Effortless? The club does all the work? Right: All you have to do is take the same lousy swing you’ve brought to the course for 30 years, and it bounces right on the green. I kid the XE1. It’s probably a fine club, (tongue-in-cheek) but we all know down deep the club is probably not much better than Gene Sarazen’s sand wedge he invented in 1928. You still need to swing the club properly to make it do what it was intended to do. That takes good instruction and lots of practice.

Back in the day, with a 200cc persimmon driver, you had to have pretty darn good technique to make solid contact, so the emphasis for the recreational golfer was solid contact and not so much club head speed. Swings then were smoother, better paced, slower and more athletic.

Do you really believe that these beauties will make all the difference in your game. It will cost you $300+ to find out for sure.

But in one of the greatest marketing ploys in sports history, golf club manufacturers have convinced us that salvation was in larger and larger club head sizes for both irons and drivers, digging out huge cavities in the backs of irons, switching to whippier and ever-lighter graphite shafts, and fatter, flatter, less tapered grips. These days, young golfers wouldn’t know what Trevino meant when he joked, after being struck by lightning with a long-iron in his hands, “Only God can hit a 1-iron.”

You can’t reliably buy a guaranteed better game, unless you’re talking about lessons. If you practice the wrong fundamentals, you will dig yourself a deeper golf hole. As Palmer says in a recent TV spot, “Swing your swing. Perfect in its imperfection. Swing your swing. I know: I did.” And, please, don’t buy a club because it’s more forgiving. Just forgive yourself for not using your pro more often, and squeezing in just a bit more time for practice and playing.”

I love to read the hype about new club concepts that will turn my game on fire. It’s just lots of hype. Save your money for lessons after you get a good club fitting to match your strength and ability with the right clubs for you.

To help you hone in the right swing with a straight leading arm, flat wrist and lag, why not buy a GOLFSTR+ to help you with 6 swing fixes. Buy one today at www.golfstr.com

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