Swing Solutions

Our customers invented 4 more ways to use GOLFSTR.    MORE BANG FOR THE BUCK!    Why didn’t I think of that?   Now you get 5 training aids for the price of 1.  We call it GOLFSTR+

Now you can purchase a wonderful Arm Training Aid for every swing in your game: Driving, Fairway Shots, Pitching, Chipping and Putting. It helps you control bent elbow, wrist lag, wrist cupping/bowing in the back-swing, yips in your putt and cupping in your sand, chip and pitch shots.

It really is the complete GOLF SWING Arm Trainer. CLICK FOR Video of the 5 Uses for GOLFSTR+

#1 USE: Straight Elbow Swing: Some of our customers asked about a more intense pressure on the back of the arm. We decided to give you 3 options by adding a rubber EXTENDER with 3 ways to use it: OFF, UP or DOWN.  All future orders will include the EXTENDER at no extra charge for a limited time.  If you want to purchase an EXTENDER it will soon be listed on the Store Page www.golfstr.com for $ZERO + $10 S&H.

#2, #3, #4 USE: Putting, Chipping and Back-swing: Snug it over your golf glove with the curved end running over your knuckles.  GOLFSTR prevents your wrist from bending forward.

#5 USE: Lag Trainer: Reverse the arm band and mount the plastic plate curved up on the back of the thumb on your gloved hand. WARNING If you don’t have an EXTENDER you should ONLY use this application when wearing a golf glove on your leading hand (on the Left Hand when using Right Handed golf clubs). Feeling GOLFSTR  on the back of your thumb helps you learn to hold your lag in the back-swing for more power and distance in your hits.

For Every Swing in Your Game

GOLFSTR+ is still available on this site at $29.99 and will increase to $39.99 this summer.

Buy it now at    www.GOLFSTR.com

LIKE this page to help others start to enjoy golf again.

Chipping close to the pin can save you 1 or 2 shots per hole.  What are you waiting for?  Recreational players often hinge their wrist in the back swing or follow through with an early release cupping the ball.  Often this leads to fat shots leaving it short or thin hits sculling across the green. 

One of the instructors at the Jim McLean Golf School in Doral, Florida recently sent out a great tip to improve CHIPPING.  He called it the Pen Drill. [ Looks like he’s trying to copy the latest release for GOLFSTR. ]

The instructor suggested placing a pen under your watch band on your leading hand to prevent your wrist from bending forward at impact.  Even better, place GOLFSTR  on your wrist over your golf glove for a more rigid control than a skinny pen.

Practice using GOLFSTR: Learn to keep your Wrist Flat when chipping

Close-up view of GOLFSTR locking the wrist when chipping

 The primary use for GOLFSTR  is a training aid on your elbow to keep your leading arm straight in the back-swing.  Fortunately there are 3 more uses for GOLFSTR when you snug it on over your golf glove with the end curling over your knuckles.  Forget the Pen Drill.  GOLFSTR  holds your wrist rigid for putting, chipping, pitching and in the back-swing (to avoid cupping and bowing your wrist).

Practice with GOLFSTR  for the perfect chip.  For shorter chips just open your stance with your feet inches apart and pressure on your leading foot.  Practice the pendulum swing (like a putting stroke) to get the feel for the distance.   Practice with different clubs to see how far they will hit (in the air plus roll) with different amounts of back-swing. 

Your chip swing should always be the same height in the back swing as you swing in the follow through.  Swing the club head directly along the line of your target landing location.   The swing is short so you can almost feel like you are tossing it at the target.

Use GOLFSTR  to master chipping and then use the same motion with more back swing and lower loft clubs for short pitch shots.

ITEMS OF INTEREST

1/ Check www.golfstr.com for more training aid uses for GOLFSTR.   GOLFSTR+  will be announced shortly with 5 training aid uses for every swing in your game.

2/ I just signed a pledge to help SPEED UP THE PACE OF PLAY.   USGA ads just started to run using Rodney Dangerfield’s famous line from CADDYSHACK prompting his playing partner to get moving “While we’re young”.  (We are growing old just waiting for the hit.)   Get with the program and speed up play!  Click to sign-up on the USGA PACE OF PLAY WEBSITE. 

3/ Please LIKE this Swing Tip to share it with your friends!

When the putting stats for Tiger Woods and Matt Kuchar hit the top 10, they win tournaments.   If putting success is so important and they are the best putters in the world we should all try to understand why.  Both Tiger and Kuchar lock their wrists and swing with the rotation of their shoulders and spine but Kuchar is unique.

Kuchar recently started to win by setting up with a longer than normal putter which he lines up with his leading forearm.   (It’s not locked into his  belly but you may see more belly putters cut down to the size of Matt’s now that they are being  banned from tournament play.)

He shifts his body and weight to his left foot and lines up the ball forward in his stance to allow the putter grip to lean directly up his left arm.  His elbows are bent and tucked into his sides.  His feet are wider than his normal relaxed stance.  Like Tiger, he sets up with his shaft leaning slightly ahead of the ball (forward press).

The lineup of his leading arm and putter never breaks.  His knees are locked like a statue so that his only motion is caused by his spine rotation as he rocks his shoulders in a pendulum swing. 

He swings in an arc. Open in the back swing and closed at the finish, exactly the same way Tiger does it.

You can duplicate this swing with your conventional putter!

1/ Practice with GOLFSTR  by wearing it over your golf glove (on your leading wrist) to get the feel for putting with a locked wrist.  Take the same posture as Kuchar and gain confidence as you sink more putts.

2/ To lock your hands together, point the first finger on your leading hand over the knuckles of your right hand.   [This takes the small twitching muscles out of your putt and eliminates the yips.]

Lock your hands by extending your first finger over the knuckles of your lower hand.

You can forget about the benefits of long putters as long as you lock your wrists & hands and use your spine & shoulders to swing the putter.  GOLFSTR  is a great training solution to help your get there.

ANNOUNCEMENT:  GOLFSTR  is a training aid for the straight arm swing as well as the straight wrist putt, chip, pitch and back-swing.  Check out www.golfstr.com for the latest updates.  4-in-1 Arm Trainer.

Please LIKE this Swing Tip to help others enjoy it.

Now that the US Golf Association and the R&A have killed the anchored putter, GOLFSTR has the solution!  Take the small twitching arm and wrist muscles out of the swing.  Lock your wrist during the putting stroke. Tiger did it.  Why don’t you?

Tiger is the best putter in the world.  Why not copy success.  Instead of anchoring his putter to his chest or belly he just eliminates all motion in the arms and wrists.  He simply uses his spine to rotate his shoulders and keeps his arms and wrist in a relaxed and locked triangular position.

•   Take a stance with the forward foot flared about 20 degrees, rear foot is perpendicular to his hitting line.

•  Practice with GOLFSTR mounted over your gloved hand with the curved end over your knuckles to lock your wrist in line with your forearm.  Tiger uses this straight wrist position to keep his hands slightly ahead of the ball.  His shaft angle is at 5 degrees ahead of the ball and directly in line with his wrist and forearm.  NOTE: The GOLF CHANNEL recently showed a slow motion comparison of Tiger and Rory McIlroy.  Rory starts with about a 10 degree angle, bends his wrist in the back swing to create up to a 20 degree angle bend at impact and he can’t sink a putt to save his life.

• Rock your shoulders/spine to swing your putter to practice your locked arm swing and get the feel for the right distance

•  Change the distance of the expected putt by increasing or decreasing  the length of your pendulum swing. 

• When you feel that you have the right amount of swing, step up to the ball

• Choose your perfect line 

•  Keeping your eyes focused directly on the spot where the ball is at rest, repeat the same swing as your last practice swing, pause and look up to see if you picked the right line.  Learn from any break for the next putt.

• Practice using GOLFSTR and you’ll sink ’em like Tiger in no time.

One More Tip: Mike Calbot, our technical adviser at Old Corkscrew Golf Club (Jack Nicklaus Signature Course), Ft Myers, FL locks his hands together by pointing the first finger of the gloved hand over the fingers of the lower hand.  It really works!  Practice helps too!

Please LIKE this page and pass this tip to your friends.  Thank you for promoting this website.  In the last 7 days we  increased our Facebook LIKES from 65 to 157.  Check it out, see why:  https://www.facebook.com/golfstr1

[Why is it that we enjoy seeing the female form of the STRAIGHT ARM SWING?]

In recent PGA Tournaments the pros averaged 53% to 73% hitting Greens in Regulation.  Recreational golfers average well below 40% for GIR.  Chipping close to the pin and finishing the hole with one putt is critical for the weekend warriors to make par.    You really should spend more time pitching, chipping and putting if you want to get your score down.

Mike Calbot, Golf Doctor USA, developed a product called Wrist Lock to help golfers practice short range shots with a flat wrist.  When GOLFSTR  was presented to him as a training aid to keep the leading arm straight in the back swing, he immediately recommended it for use on the back of the leading wrist (or golf gloved hand).  Locking the wrist flat is so critical for consistent short range shots.  [Not very flattering but that’s Mike demonstrating with GOLFSTR on his wrist.]

Golf Tips Magazine and Revolution Golf Blog both provided recent articles covering the following points for chipping close to the hole.

1/ Take a narrow, open stance: Heels are 2 to 6 inches apart and the leading foot is moved a few inches back from the direction of the hitting line.  This give you room to swing along the target line (without bending your wrist)

2/ Weight is on the leading foot:  Shift forward so that 70% of your weight is on your leading foot to ensure that you impact with the ball before your club gets caught in the grass.

3/ Ball Back in your Stance:  Having the ball lined up with your rear heel forces you to sweep down and through the ball to finish straight up the hitting line.   Let the loft of the club do the lifting.

4/ Flat Wrist: Keeping a flat wrist prevents scooping the ball and flipping it off line.  Low back swing and low follow-through will allow you to get crisp shots at the pin.

Direction and distance are critical for this shot.   Knowing the right club to choose for the density of the grass and the distance to the pin can only be learned with practice.  You need to feel the shot and know what the loft of each club will do for you.

I thought that this series of shots from Golf Tips Magazine is a great chipping illustration.

If you enjoyed this Golf Tip, please LIKE it and spread the word.

GOLFSTR is designed to remind you to keep your leading arm straight in the back-swing and through impact for more power and consistent hits.  Best of all you can wear it while you play 18 holes as a constant reminder and watch your game improve.

Thanks to the comments from many of our customers and also from Mike Calbot, Professional Golf Swing Analyst, Master Instructor and famous golf trick shot artist at the Old Cork Screw Golf Club (a Jack Nicklaus Signature Course) in Ft. Myers, Florida we have discovered 3 more Training Aid Solutions for GOLFSTR.

GOLFSTR has 3 New Training Aid Features when mounted on your wrist and over your knuckles.

Each of these Training Aid Solutions use GOLFSTR mounted on the wrist over your golf glove with the curved end over your knuckles.  (Applies to GOLFSTR with a One Size Fits All arm band)

#2:  Flat Wrist Putting Solution:  Hinging your wrist in the putting stroke causes inconsistent control of the ball.  For consistent, straight putting strokes you need to lock your leading wrist and let your shoulders and spine rotation create the swing. 

#3:   Flat Wrist Swing Solution:  A cupped or bowed wrist on the gloved hand at the top of the back-swing causes inconsistent hits.   For straight shots with controlled trajectory your gloved hand should remain in-line with your arm.  A flat wrist keeps your club face square to the arc of the swing plane. This makes it easier to square the club face at impact for more consistent straight hits.  [The Flat Wrist Swing Solution uses GOLFSTR as a training guide and should only be used when wearing a golf glove and is intended for limited swings to recognize if you have this fatal problem.]

#4:  Chipping Solution: Cupping the leading wrist and scooping the ball at the point of impact creates mishits.  For chip shots your leading wrist should bow slightly at the point of impact and never cup to allow the head of your club to flip ahead of your leading arm.  GOLFSTR prevents you from cupping your wrist and give you more control and distance in your chips.

GOLFSTR sounds like Golf-Stir and it stands for GOLF STRaight.                                          Straight Arm = Straight Shot

Please LIKE this article to share it with your friends and spread the word about GOLFSTR.   We hope to hear about your success with these new Training Aid Solutions. 

Pro golfers achieve excellence when they are in control of their mind, body and focus.   The MIND understands the swing mechanics.  The BODY must be in shape for endurance and strength.  And your FOCUS needs to be in a relaxed state of mind.  Have you figured out how to control your FOCUS?

I was surprised to learn that success using the Straight Arm Swing depended on controlling my focus and my subconscious mind.

Your conscious mind sees the target, the ball and that irritating guy standing beside you.  But your subconscious mind is the accumulation of memories that make you bend your leading arm to swing faster for longer shots.   So how do the pros control their focus and subconscious mind?

• Tiger is a devout Buddhist who has learned to control his inner emotions and focus as he prepares for a shot and executes each swing.  He visualizes each component of the swing in slow motion.
• Jack Nicholas focuses on visualizing the trajectory of the shot.
• Rory McIlroy said that he totally blocks external thoughts.  His focus during the swing is 100% committed to the motion of his swing.
• Successful pros use sports psychologists for mind control to learn the process of relaxation and focus during their swing.

Fortunately, while golfing with a sore back I had to slow down my back-swing and the results were surprising.   A fast back-swing has little to do with the speed of the forward swing.   Now with a STRAIGHT ARM and a SLOWER, FOCUSED back-swing I have learned to reach my ideal position at the top of my swing for a smooth transition into an accelerating forward swing. 

My golf world has changed and yours can too.   Focus 100% on a  relaxed swing!  Just focus on the words ” Calm and Relaxed ” before you swing and hold that thought as you begin you slow and deliberate straight arm back-swing.

$10 Discount:  Now that GOLFSTR is about to be stocked in PGA TOUR SUPERSTORES and EDWIN WATTS GOLF STORES (south east USA) for under $30, we are offering a limited time $10 Spring Discount when you purchase on-line at www.golfstr.com  .  

CLICK TO enter your order on the STORE page and enter the coupon code:     bent elbow

Commentators during the Masters said that the long ball hitters like Dustin Johnson, Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and even Fred Couples had the best advantage on the 7,435 yard Augusta course.  So why is it that a 14 year old makes the cut and wins youngest amateur in the history of the Masters? 

Every struggling recreational player should pay attention to a few details of Guan Tianlang’s game. 

On the first day he said that he was nervous on the 1^st Tee.  His drive landed dead center up the fairway.  He hit every drive as long as Ben Crenshaw, a 62 year old and PGA Tour winner (about 250 yards).  He had no 3 putt holes and only had 1 bogey and a 1 shot penalty.  He’s 5 feet, 9 inches tall and weighs 150 pounds.  What’s your excuse?

To achieve this amazing feat his accuracy had to be exceptional and he has nerves of steel.  Let’s look at his swing:

-his takeaway is to the inside, [contrary to what Tiger and many of the pros are doing]

-club head is kept low in the back swing with a lagging elbow into the side, [similar to Sergio Garcia’s power plane swing] 

-his leading arm is dead straight from takeaway to transition at the top and all the way through impact. 

CLICK HERE for a 31 second slo mo video of Guan’s swing.  

The moral of this story is straight arm, practice and take control of your mind.

Check out next week’s Swing Tips about body, mind and soul, with emphasis on “soul” and your subconscious mind.  Why do you think the pros hire sports psychologists?  We have a break through for you.

Swing Tips are free from GOLFSTR  to build interest throughout the world.  We appreciate your support.

If you enjoyed this article please select LIKE to help others improve their game too.

About 50% of golfers swing a golf club with a bent leading arm!   This appears to be the #1 swing flaw.  The National Golf Foundation  estimates that only 25% of golfers break 90.  A straight leading arm in the back swing and through impact will really help you consistently break 90.

If you watched the Masters, you saw that the pros keep their leading arm straight for more power and consistent connection with the ball. If it was easy you would have done this long ago. 

The key to improving your swing is to first learn the correct swing (video below).  Then you need to continuously repeat this straight arm swing as you practice and as you play (when the pressure is on). 

CLICK HERE for Video: Right Way to Keep Your Left Arm Straight by Golf Info Guide at ThomasGolf.com 

It’s not easy to make the change and that’s why GOLFSTR is such an important brain trainer to help you repeat a successful swing.  It helps you build muscle memory.  So warm up your swing before each round with GOLFSTR and practice with it on the golf course TO KEEP YOUR MIND FOCUSED on the straight arm swing.

The pros make it look easy:   Straight Arm – Straight Shot.