array_files=new Array();
array_files[0]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/index.html","2008-03-24","4K","101 Golf Tips    ","golf tips, golf, game improvement    ","101 Golf tips has been created for your game improvement. Each Golf tip covers a specific area to work on, and easy to follow instructions from a PGA golf pro, columnist and author.    "," 101 Golf Tips home publications 101 golf tips online shop 101 Golf Tips. A PGA Pros game improvement site that took 30 years in “the making.” WARNING This site will tell you what need to know... Explore the 101 Big Golf Thoughts and find that……… “Not only did I enjoy working with Nigel, I also enjoyed the uncomplicated nature of how he saw the golf swing.” Andrew Coltart. European Tour Player and former Ryder Cup Team Member To play like a good player, you need to think like a good player….you cannot have one without the other. This web site gets you into the mind of the Professional Player. Understand the 4 different levels of learning every golfer must go through. Discover exactly where you are on this journey. Ask yourself this. With the mass of golfing information available today through 24 hour golf TV, Instructional DVDs, magazines, books, computer analysis video tuition offered at countless ranges by countless Pro’s, why is it that the vast majority of players will never break 90? Why are most handicap players underperforming and frustrated? This archive of work can tell you just what is holding you back. It will show you how you can get out of your own way and let the natural talent come out to play. “ I spend most of my time, when coaching, taking stuff out of the players head .... not putting more stuff in there.” Nigel Burkitt PGA Coach     ");
array_files[1]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/","2008-03-24","4K","101 Golf Tips    ","golf tips, golf, game improvement    ","101 Golf tips has been created for your game improvement. Each Golf tip covers a specific area to work on, and easy to follow instructions from a PGA golf pro, columnist and author.    "," 101 Golf Tips home publications 101 golf tips online shop 101 Golf Tips. A PGA Pros game improvement site that took 30 years in “the making.” WARNING This site will tell you what need to know... Explore the 101 Big Golf Thoughts and find that……… “Not only did I enjoy working with Nigel, I also enjoyed the uncomplicated nature of how he saw the golf swing.” Andrew Coltart. European Tour Player and former Ryder Cup Team Member To play like a good player, you need to think like a good player….you cannot have one without the other. This web site gets you into the mind of the Professional Player. Understand the 4 different levels of learning every golfer must go through. Discover exactly where you are on this journey. Ask yourself this. With the mass of golfing information available today through 24 hour golf TV, Instructional DVDs, magazines, books, computer analysis video tuition offered at countless ranges by countless Pro’s, why is it that the vast majority of players will never break 90? Why are most handicap players underperforming and frustrated? This archive of work can tell you just what is holding you back. It will show you how you can get out of your own way and let the natural talent come out to play. “ I spend most of my time, when coaching, taking stuff out of the players head .... not putting more stuff in there.” Nigel Burkitt PGA Coach     ");
array_files[2]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/the-winning-ball.html","2008-03-24","4K","Golf Improvement Publications    ","putting, golf, improvement, golf book    ","A revolutionary putting strategy for every golfer, the winning ball is a must read for anyone who wants to imrpove their game.    "," Golf Improvement Publications home publications 101 golf tips online shop Review of the Winning Ball... A Simplified Golf Improvement Publication Handbook 1. A Revolutionary putting strategy for every golfer Instead of marveling at the brilliance of the tour players on the putting green, learn how you can develop the natural skill that makes them what they are. Simple drills bring a whole new perspective to the putting problem. Without this perspective your putting will remain inconstant to say the least. The saying is very true that “If you do what you have always done, you will get what you’ve always gotten.” Discover also how your subconscious will usually work against you until you get it to work for you, the 20 page handbook teaches you just how to do this and as a consequence will knock anything between 3 and 10 shots of your putting statistics. This simple book is different, its revolutionary,……… it’s a must. Select Delivery Area UK £4.95 Europe £4.95 World £7.50 101 BIG Golf Thoughts Handbook With this publication, the golfer learns how to work smarter, not harder, in the pursuit of score reduction. Keep checking this page for publication date.     ");
array_files[3]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip18.html","2008-03-24","5K","18 - The interference and frailty of the conscious mind is the reason as to why golf is not only imperfectable but also the great appealing game that it is    ","",""," 18 - The interference and frailty of the conscious mind is the reason as to why golf is not only imperfectable but also the great appealing game that it is home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 18.The interference and frailty of the conscious mind is the reason as to why golf is not only imperfectable but also the great appealing game that it is. The Game of Golf is Easy,...... we make it difficult - Part 2 This lesson carries on from lesson 13 regarding Iron Byron, the robotic armed, club swinging, ball testing machine, that I pointed out could hit shots to a high standard because it isnt aware of the golf ball having no conscious mind. I have only once witnessed a player hit a ball whilst not been aware of it, how it came about is a lesson in itself but there is a far greater message in this experience that never fully dawned on me until a couple of years after it happened. Nearly 15 years ago, this gentleman came to me for a lesson. His problems started, not like the majority of us when we put a ball in the way of the club, but when he put the club in his hand for his practice swing. So aggressive was his practice swing that I stepped back to a safer position to observe. The usual ways of trying to calm things proved futile so in desperation, I tried an unusual technique that I had read about as a last resort. I asked the man to close his eyes and imagine that his club was a child’s playground swing and sat on the seat was his little granddaughter. With his eyes still closed I told him to now give the little child a swing and as if by magic, a calm rhythm appeared in his action and a good looking swing, that had until now lain dormant, suddenly revealed itself.I moved in closer, encouraging him to stay with this image as he swung back and forth and whilst he remained totally oblivious to what I was doing, I sneaked a ball into the swing path of his club. The ball was struck right in the middle of the club-face. I am not exaggerating when I tell you that you could not hit a better golf sh      ");
array_files[4]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip17.html","2008-03-24","5K","17 - It is our response to the challenge with the constant stream of instructions we give ourselves during play and the misinterpretation and over emphasis of the instruction out of the textbook that keeps us where we are    ","",""," 17 - It is our response to the challenge with the constant stream of instructions we give ourselves during play and the misinterpretation and over emphasis of the instruction out of the textbook that keeps us where we are home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 17. It is our response to the challenge with the constant stream of instructions we give ourselves during play and the misinterpretation and over emphasis of the instruction out of the textbook that keeps us where we are The Game is easy, we make it difficult! Most of the major Golf ball manufacturing companies have in their employ, ball testing machines, the most famous being Iron Byron who I believe works for the Wilson Sports Company. Byron is a double lever robotic arm whose brain is a computer. He can hit golf balls all day long on the range to a consistent high standard that leaves all players for dead except the top Pros. If Byron was taken on to a tough championship course, he would then expose the Tour Pro’s weaknesses as he would consistently dispatch golf balls down narrow fairways with all manner of hazards set before him. Iron Byron, when taken to the course, now stands head and shoulders above the top Pros as he never cracks under pressure. I need to mention before I move on that you must not think that Byron performs to this standard because he has fewer moving parts because we have identified that all the best players, the world over, have a technique that is, like Byron, a simple Two Lever action. Byron succeeds because he is incapable of swinging a club any other way even if he wanted to but the fact is he doesnt want to because he is unconscious, oblivious of the ball and has no pre-conceived expectations or desires for a result. He does not feel the urge to lift the ball over a bunker or keep it out of the left hand rough, so he consequently never tightens with anxiety. So as you can see we make the game what it is. It is our response to the challenge of the game with the constant stream of instructions we give ours      ");
array_files[5]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip16.html","2008-03-24","4K","16 - The greater the degree to which the ball arrests your attention and entices you into pushing for results, the more you end up in a physical state that guarantees you cannot do it    ","",""," 16 - The greater the degree to which the ball arrests your attention and entices you into pushing for results, the more you end up in a physical state that guarantees you cannot do it home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 16. The greater the degree to which the ball arrests your attention and entices you into pushing for results, the more you end up in a physical state that guarantees you cannot do it Several days ago, one of our members happened to ask me Which part of the ball did I look at when playing a shot? It is not the first time I have been asked the question and as in the past, I replied, I cant really say I actually look at the ball at all. He appeared somewhat surprised to hear this so I went on to explain that whilst I do not look at the ball, I am certainly aware of the presence of it on the ground in front of me. In my experience too many players LOOK at the ball to such a degree, they cause themselves eyestrain. It reaches a point were the ball arrests the player’s attention with dire consequences for the impending golf swing. In a separate lesson I discuss the topic of practise drills and the purpose, or design, of them to produce an experience of feeling relating to a change in ones technique. The following drill I want you to try has a difference. This one creates an experience, not of a change in technique but of an alternative way of applying yourself to the execution of your shots. You will need a mid iron and 3 balls. Set up to the first ball and when you are ready, close both eyes and swing. It will feel very strange but you should make a contact with the ball even if it is not out of the middle. Now set up to your second ball. This time raise the club up in front of you about 18 inches above the ground and ball and with both eyes open, play the shot. Very often, players will make a decent strike, which comes as a bit of a shock. Finally, set up to the last ball and when in position, raise the club above the ground as before but then close yours eyes as well. Trust y      ");
array_files[6]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip15.html","2008-03-24","5K","15 - For the handicap player, a dominant body action only ever gives you an illusion of power    ","",""," 15 - For the handicap player, a dominant body action only ever gives you an illusion of power home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 15. For the handicap player, a dominant body action only ever gives you an illusion of power A swing that delivers power and accuracy consists of two levers. The first, or main, lever is the big slow moving rotational action of the body. As it goes through its motion the weight transfers back and forth across the stance. It is essential that the power delivery of this action is kept at a low input for reasons I will discuss later. Virtually everyone in the game picks up the idea of the body action fairly quickly because it is a movement we can identify from other activities in our lives. There is no mystery attached to it. However, as I said at the outset, success requires two levers and unfortunately, the second lever action is not only totally unique it also feels very inadequate when first experienced. The effect the second lever has on the clubface has the unfortunate effect of contradicting many golfers logic of the game. This means that when the first few faltering attempts with this new action deliver the inevitable less than perfect shots, the mind rejects it. It is this rejection that causes many players to fail. It is the failure to see and accept why this action is so important that many players never reach the level they felt they should have. So what is this second lever? It is the supination and pronation of the hands and forearms, more often than not passed off as oh, wrist break. However, it is far more than wrist break. Wrist break is a hinge action but I am talking of a rotational hand and forearm action. Nothing primes you for this movement. It is a unique action brought about out of necessity in order to allow the golf club to be swung in the unique way it is designed to be swung. Master this action and you will have a very realistic chance of bringing your golf ball under control. Unfortunately, not only is it an alien movement to us, it al      ");
array_files[7]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip13.html","2008-03-24","4K","13 - When there is no ball in the way we focus our attention on the swing. When the ball is sat there in front of us, we now focus on the ball. Two different mindsets give us two different swing outcomes.    ","",""," 13 - When there is no ball in the way we focus our attention on the swing. When the ball is sat there in front of us, we now focus on the ball. Two different mindsets give us two different swing outcomes. home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 13. When there is no ball in the way we focus our attention on the swing. When the ball is sat there in front of us, we now focus on the ball. Two different mindsets give us two different swing outcomes. Any golfer knows that the practice swing is easy and that the problems start when we set up to the ball. Well here is a great practice drill to help combat the problem. First of all though, why do we have this problem? To sum it up very short and sweet, when there is no ball in the way we focus our attention on the swing. When the ball is sat there in front of us, we now focus all our attention on the ball and the hoped for result. Two different mindsets give us two different swing outcomes. So we have to find a way of making that wonderful fluid, flowing practice swing but with the ball in the equation also. The following drill does just that and I would recommend that everyone gives it a go. The only downside to the exercise is that you can only do it properly with half swings and a shortish iron for reasons I will tell you of shortly. However the feedback or experience from the drill can be applied to a full swing. So here we go. Get 30 or 40 practice balls and set a target up at no more than 60 yards distance. Then proceed to play every shot without looking for a single result until you have hit all the balls. I must emphasise, no looking until all the balls are hit. As you play the shots, try to assess your results through the feeling of your swing. It does not matter if the results are short or long. What does matter is that you learn to focus on swing feeling whilst playing a ball. The reason why the drill will not work with a full swing is because the follow through position would bring your head up to face the target when you would consequentl      ");
array_files[8]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip14.html","2008-03-24","5K","14 - Aggression kills coordination which results in the loss of timing and the very thing aggressive players are looking for, namely distance    ","",""," 14 - Aggression kills coordination which results in the loss of timing and the very thing aggressive players are looking for, namely distance home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 14. Aggression kills coordination which results in the loss of timing and the very thing aggressive players are looking for, namely distance A lot of people I see ask the question as to why it is that they hit their short irons well but find things gradually deteriorate as they move toward the longer clubs. Here are a few ideas that you may be able to relate to and thereby see a way to remedy the problem. It is an interesting exercise to first of all see where your game really begins to break down and to find out, ask yourself, starting with the pitching wedge, how confident you feel about hitting the green and then ask the same question with the 9 iron and so on. With most players, they begin to feel doubts with the 7 and most definitely the 6 iron. It is no coincidence that when players take out a mid- iron or longer, greater effort becomes more noticeable in the swing. It seems to be the case that the further away the target becomes, the more we fall into the trap of thinking we have to force to get the distance rather than allowing the club to do the work. This aggression kills co-ordination, which results in the loss of timing and the very thing we are looking for which is distance. Very seldom do you see a club golfer swing a long iron or wood easily; you need to watch the top players to actually witness it. The top player knows that the extra distance he wants is sourced from the club, not by extra effort from himself. It is the wrongly held belief that you swing harder and harder as you progress to the longer clubs that keeps the club player frustrated. It is also worth noting that when we pick an iron out of the bag, it is chosen with a limit to how far we want it to go even though this limit is rarely achieved with the longer irons. But when we take the driver out, there is no limit to how far we want th      ");
array_files[9]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip12.html","2008-03-24","4K","12 - Anchoring is an age old science you can utilize to attract the successful state of mind and body that has to be present for good golf performance    ","",""," 12 - Anchoring is an age old science you can utilize to attract the successful state of mind and body that has to be present for good golf performance home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 12. Anchoring is an age old science you can utilize to attract the successful state of mind and body that has to be present for good golf performance Have you ever heard a tune on the radio and found yourself transported back and reliving a significant time and place in your past? It may have been to a place you once lived or went on holiday or somewhere you once worked, an old romance maybe. We have all experienced it and the emotional changes it brings about. This is the science of Anchoring which has nothing to do with sailing. Advertising and marketing professionals have used Anchoring ruthlessly for many years in order to put you into the right mental state so you part with your money. Anchoring is the science of State changing and over the last 20 years or so, it has become utilized in Sport by Peak performance specialists cum psychologists. This is how it works. An out of form player will recall his favourite taste in music, food and books for instance, from a point in his career when his golf was at peak performance. He would then re-introduce these old indulgences into his lifestyle again to resurrect his feelings and emotions from this period. The purpose being to attract the successful state of mind and body that was present with his good golf performance. It is simply getting into the right mood for playing well. If you think this is too far fetched to be real, let me remind you that Ballesteros won his first “Major”, “The Open Championship”, wearing a Navy blue sweater on the last day. Since that day at Royal Lytham in 1979, he has worn the same coloured sweater on the last day in every “major” since. In more recent times, there is a fairly well known player who wears a Red coloured top on the last day and there are no prizes for guessing who that is. What seems like superstitious twaddle is       ");
array_files[10]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip11.html","2008-03-24","4K","11 - One reason we all struggle at golf is that we are told from the beginning how difficult the game is and not only do we listen, we believe it    ","",""," 11 - One reason we all struggle at golf is that we are told from the beginning how difficult the game is and not only do we listen, we believe it home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 11. One reason we all struggle at golf is that we are told from the beginning how difficult the game is and not only do we listen, we believe it The other day whilst on the 15th tee waiting to tee off, my gaze happened upon a Bumble Bee seemingly oblivious to everything around save the flower before him. He was, it seemed, totally immersed in his business to the point that only he and the flower in front of him was all that mattered, or all that existed come to that. He was a fantastic example of a creature at one with itself totally living in the moment. Then again, are not all creatures that walk and crawl the planet more or less the same with the exception, that is, of human beings when on the golf course. There I was observing and admiring in wildlife the very quality I ought to have been applying myself. A further point struck me after I had teed off and was searching for my ball in the trees. I remembered once reading that some eminent scientist, after studying the humble Bumble Bee, declared that it was aerodynamically incapable of flight; in theory according to this boffin, the Bumble Bee should not be airborne at all. Thank goodness no one has told the bees this scientific revelation. Golfers meanwhile are told how impossible the game is and not only do we listen, we believe it. But this has not always been the case. In a book I am reading, it referred to the introduction of golf to America over 100 years ago. One new course just outside New York, holding its official opening day, drew a sizeable gallery to watch the clubs first Captain hit the opening shot to the first hole measuring about 90 yards long. It was not the best struck shot but it was certainly accurate as it ran up the green and into the hole. No one in the gallery cheered, applauded or did even one high five.” It seemed they were all le      ");
array_files[11]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip1.html","2008-03-24","3K","1 - Unconscious Incompetence - First timer and raw beginner    ","",""," 1 - Unconscious Incompetence - First timer and raw beginner home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop Poor golf stems from applying logic to a flawed concept The first four postings on this site outline the Principles involved in learning any skill whether it be working a lathe, driving a car, laying bricks in a wall or hitting a golf ball. There are four levels that must be dealt with in order starting with: 1. Unconscious Incompetence. First timer and raw beginner Because beginners are unconscious of what is required to develop an effective swing, they are generally incompetent. The untutored starter usually responds with what seems the obvious answer only to find the obvious answer is more often than not the wrong one. If you have just taken up the game, I would imagine that this scenario may seem familiar and what you thought was maybean easy game,(as it seems on TV) is not quite so straightforward after all. If you are at this point, it is vital that you get informed by a qualified instructor with what is required. The chances are it will feel strange but persevere with it. I can assure you that good fundamentals, when first experienced, feel anything but good. Avoid the quick fix trap and commit yourself to take each stage as it occurs. The longer you persist with something that is not right, the harder it is to unlearn that idea or action. home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop     ");
array_files[12]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip29.html","2008-03-24","4K","29 - Don’t turn a 5 into a 7 by still going after a 4    ","",""," 29 - Don’t turn a 5 into a 7 by still going after a 4 home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 29. Don’t turn a 5 into a 7 by still going after a 4 Are you a high handicap player? Did you set yourself a goal of reducing your handicap in the coming seasons? Are you finding it difficult? If so, then this lesson is definitely for you. It could well be you are trying to improve your golf by looking at your whole game. It could be you are working on making major swing changes. It could just be you are trying to do too much. If you apply the following idea, then there is every chance you can knock 6 shots of your handicap by in the next year. High handicap players have a very destructive shot in their repertoire and whenever they hit it, it proves very costly. Taking away the par three holes, an average course has 15 holes where a metal wood is usually used. Let us suppose that in a typical round when you play to your handicap, you hit 5 fairways from the tee with your driver or three wood. Another 5 tee shots find the semi – rough which presents not to much trouble but unfortunately, the remaining 5 find the jungle. This is where the score mounts up with penalty drops from bushes, over optimistic recovery strategies and lost balls. As simple as it may sound, if the player could only hit 3 more fairways in a round of golf, then 6 shots minimum could be the saving. Every player has certain holes when the stomach tightens and these are the holes when disasters are most likely to occur. Instead of blasting away with the driver on these holes do something totally radical and hit a 5 iron off the tee. If you hit the same club again for your second, you would be amazed how easy a par 4 hole becomes when all you need for your third is a wedge or 9 iron. On in three and two putts gives you a 5 instead of a 7. Don’t turn a 5 into a 7 by still going after a 4 This simple shift in tactics with course management planning will give you the results You’re looking for. A journey of a thousand miles begins with the      ");
array_files[13]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip28.html","2008-03-24","5K","28 - Here is a strong message for younger players coming into the game. You must decide and set the level you want to play to. Poor goals give poor results. When you set a goal, do not be afraid of asking “How high is high”    ","",""," 28 - Here is a strong message for younger players coming into the game. You must decide and set the level you want to play to. Poor goals give poor results. When you set a goal, do not be afraid of asking “How high is high” home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 28. Here is a strong message for younger players coming into the game. You must decide and set the level you want to play to. Poor goals give poor results. When you set a goal, do not be afraid of asking “How high is high” On tour, a good player shooting 65 would tell you they hit something in the region of 5 or 6 really good shots in the round. The remainders are what they would call “good misses”. How many perfect shots would you say Tiger Woods hits in a sub par round? Would it be 10, or 20 maybe? Tiger Woods, in his book “How I play golf”, gave us the answer to the question. In his record- breaking season of 2000 he claims he hit only one shot that was perfect! (Just in case you thought I got that wrong, yes, I did say season) This was the season when he won 12 tournaments, (3 of them majors) averaged 67.79 strokes per round and amassed 10,000,000 in prize money and he says he hit just one shot absolutely pure, exactly as he saw it in his mind. This “divine blessed” moment occurred on the 14 th hole of the 3rd round at St. Andrews during the “Open Championship” He hit a 3 wood off a tight lie with a touch of draw into a left to right wind and carried it 260 yards. “Moments like that stay fresh in your mind”; he went on to say. What are we to deduce from the above comparisons? Does it imply that the rest of the tour players, past and present, are better ball strikers than Woods as they can hit 5 in a round? Is he saying it with “tongue in cheek” and simply trying to tease us a bit. I think the answer is quite simple. Woods sets higher standards than any other player who has ever walked on a golf course. Because he asks for higher attainment from himself, then it stands to reason that his experience of a perfect shot is beyond the       ");
array_files[14]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip27.html","2008-03-24","5K","27 - The best shot you can ever hit on the range is a good shot. The same shot hit on the course when you need a four to win club championship is immediately elevated to the status of a Great shot    ","",""," 27 - The best shot you can ever hit on the range is a good shot. The same shot hit on the course when you need a four to win club championship is immediately elevated to the status of a Great shot home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 27. The best shot you can ever hit on the range is a good shot. The same shot hit on the course when you need a four to win club championship is immediately elevated to the status of a Great shot As we all know, any golf swing (within reason) is capable of hitting a top class shot yet every swing has its faults without exception. In the comfortable environment that is a practice range, faulty swings have their moments when they perform with some consistency and get ones hopes up. However things most often do not feel quite so secure when we go to the course. The swing that was the hero on the range is now branded the villain on the golf course.After the player has calmed down, he goes back to the range to analyze his technique. Eventually, he gets it together, takes himself to the course again and more often than not, sadly repeats the scenario. It is time to look at what really is the cause of under performing. Most players have a low threshold for pressure; a lot of players hit this threshold when they step on to the first tee especially if there are several people watching. If you simply say it is your swing that failed you, you are not acknowledging the real problem. Something must make the swing fail and that thing is your inability to cope with pressure. Now you can see that it is futile to take yourself off to the range and focus on technique in the comfort of the range. You are deluding yourself and sadly wasting your time because you are not addressing the real need. I must mention as well the fact that pressure is not an external thing but an internal response to what we perceive to be dangerous or of importance to us. It is our doubt in our ability in the pressure situation that causes anxiety or over trying because the shot means so much to us. It       ");
array_files[15]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip26.html","2008-03-24","5K","26 - It’s not how good your good shot is but how good your bad shot is    ","",""," 26 - It’s not how good your good shot is but how good your bad shot is home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 26. It’s not how good your good shot is but how good your bad shot is Possibly the most impacting lesson, or experience, I had at golf was back in the late 70s in a tournament in London. I was having what is best described as a roller coaster of a round with career best shots and career worst shots yielding birdies and double bogies. A revelation hit me upon completion of the round when we were checking and signing the cards. My playing partner’s score was a 1 under par 69 which amazed me because he had never hit one shot that I could recall as anything special. This was a big shock to me as I was brought up believing that you could not shoot under par unless you hit it like God. What became more impressive on reflection was the fact that the shots he hit had never looked like finding much trouble and this was not down to luck. The realization that golf is about the quality of your bad shots, not good ones, meant a massive change in the beliefs I had held until then. It was a great example of Self Management as he kept focused and unruffled and another thing that struck me weeks after was the way he appeared to blend into the background as he went round in his own self created world. He was efficient and effective. A time and motion inspector would have been impressed. I am reminded of this experience by many things but one that stands out in particular is reading the First Rule of Golf as laid down by the Royal and Ancient. It reads: The Game of Golf consists in playing a ball from the Teeing ground into the Hole by a stroke or successive strokes in accordance with the Rules. There is no mention in Rule One or any of the other 32 rules that says anything about the quality of shots having to be top notch. I know that many players set themselves up with an incredible amount of unrealistic expectation by thinking they have to strike the ball pure in order to be able to play. I know tha      ");
array_files[16]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip25.html","2008-03-24","5K","25 - The quality of swings, not quantity, will lead to a quantity of quality shots    ","",""," 25 - The quality of swings, not quantity, will lead to a quantity of quality shots home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 25.The quality of swings, not quantity, will lead to a quantity of quality shots Since the mid 80s, practice facilities have improved greatly with new Golf Course developments providing big practice grounds and Driving Ranges springing up adjacent to most built up areas. Driving ranges make winter practice a reality and if you are thinking of undertaking a winter workout on your golf game, I suggest some ideas that may save you from wasting your effort. Warm up by swinging softly and to allow time for the club to begin to feel familiar in your hands. If you are not use to practicing, do not go at it like the couch potato who having watched the London Marathon on T.V., decides, I can do that. The first half mile of his run is on his own 2 feet, the remaining 3 miles is in the back of an ambulance on his way to casualty. It takes a long time to build up the reserves to be able to hit balls for an hour or more. To start out, buy just one basket of balls and take plenty of time between shots. Avoid turning the driving range into an artillery range by attempting to launch 200 balls in 20 minutes with your driver, this is not practice, this is self destruct. Remember, there are targets short of 300 yards and discipline yourself to devote a big percentage of your time to the markers at a 100 yards and less. Take advice from your Professional, (not a quick tip from a golf magazine,) as he will know what you need to be working on. Take a couple of minutes break after every 10 shots to make sure you are still clearly focused on your aims. I say this because concentration levels with most people are short and on an exercise like golf, with all its distractions, they become even shorter. To see for yourself how difficult it is to stay focused, get someone to time a minute as you picture in your minds eye the image of a candle flame and nothing else. Do not let any other thought come       ");
array_files[17]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip24.html","2008-03-24","4K","24 - Knowledge of what to do is of no use until you can do what it is you know, and do it without thinking    ","",""," 24 - Knowledge of what to do is of no use until you can do what it is you know, and do it without thinking home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 24. Knowledge of what to do is of no use until you can do what it is you know, and do it without thinking Did you know that no one can teach you how to play? You can be taught basic swing movements but it is you that has to learn how to use them. On the face of it, it sounds rather bizarre to be told no one can teach you to play especially when it comes from a coaching professional. It may sound like a contradiction but it is not. You can be taught all there is to know about the game and achieve an Honours Degree in the subject for your efforts but its no guarantee you will be able to play. Knowledge of what to do is of no use until you can do what it is you know, and do it without thinking. What you have to do is learn the experience of making unfamiliar movements. Eventually you become familiar with them and then discover how these movements have an effect on the ball. The process takes time. Frustration inevitably builds up and the pupil seeks out the coach hoping to be taught a magic movement that solves all ills but there is no magic move that will instantly cure your problem. You have to serve your apprenticeship. I attended a coaching seminar several years ago and the presenter, who is a coach too several tour players, highlighted the point in the following way. He got 3 volunteers from the audience, made one lie flat on the floor and instructed him to do only what the remaining two told him to do. He then turned to the 2 standing and instructed them to get the third person up off the floor by just giving verbal instructions to him. After a few minutes, everyone in the room, having found it very amusing, realised how impossible it was. There was this poor fellow, still on the floor and nearly tied in a knot. The longer it went on, the worse it became. The two instructors, visibly stressed, had run out of ideas. Very similar to the scenario t      ");
array_files[18]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip22.html","2008-03-24","4K","22 - The good players learn the script and identify the characteristics associated to a good player and ultimately express the part as if it is an act    ","",""," 22 - The good players learn the script and identify the characteristics associated to a good player and ultimately express the part as if it is an act home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 22. The good players learn the script and identify the characteristics associated to a good player and ultimately express the part as if it is an act The other evening I was discussing with my son what he was doing in expressive arts at school and it seems the teacher had been explaining the procedure how actors get into whatever part they are playing. My lad is into the game and several times over the years, I have mentioned that the playing of the game is very much an act. The good players learn the script and identify the characteristics associated to a good player and ultimately express the part as if it is an act. From these preparations comes good golf. (Take note those of you who blast golf balls relentlessly down the range night after night thinking that’s all you need to do.) Anyway, the teacher of expressive arts told the class that the actor uses three stages to get into the role and they are situation, intention and action. When my lad told me this, it instantly reminded me of a routine that Jeff Hawkes, the South African tour pro, used. He had a routine worked out with his caddy that whenever he felt he was losing his concentration (felt he was libel to fluff his lines) he would say to his caddy, “Who am I, what am I and what am I doing?” The caddy would then tell him that “You are Jeff Hawkes, a European tour pro, stood on the 14th fairway in the third round of the French Open at Lyon, 3 shots off the lead. You are looking at hitting a low 4 iron into the green, working it left to right on the wind etc, etc. His caddy was his auto cue or prompter in the wings bringing him back into the moment.. The dialogue ties in exactly with the actor’s routine. Situation as in “Who am I where am I?” Intention, as in the club and the shot he needs to hit, leaving him therefore focused to produce the Actio      ");
array_files[19]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip21.html","2008-03-24","5K","21 - When teaching new players I always tell them that in the early lessons I am simply teaching them to swing the golf club; not how to hit a golf ball    ","",""," 21 - When teaching new players I always tell them that in the early lessons I am simply teaching them to swing the golf club; not how to hit a golf ball home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 21.When teaching new players I always tell them that in the early lessons I am simply teaching them to swing the golf club; not how to hit a golf ball It is a poignant time in ones life when you make a statement starting, When I was a lad but something I read in the last week stands out in stark contrast to what was once, for me, an accepted belief. Tiger Woods in a latest national golf magazine was quoted No matter your level of expertise, you are going to miss greens, especially on courses that are set up tough. For a while as a young Assistant Pro, I was exposed to the view that missing greens was not acceptable. To make par, you had to hit the green in the regulation figure and then 2 putt. Having to chip and 1 putt for a par was not the done thing young man. What Woods said is the reality of the game and I hasten to add, I did realise this many years back now thank goodness. However, I can vividly recall the pressure I felt when faced with what was, and still is, an unrealistic situation and it certainly was not helpful to me in those important early years. Like many things in this game that sound illogical, you find that when you are not burdened by the pressure of having to hit greens in regulation, lo and behold, you actually do hit a lot. A good player’s level is achieved by a sound short game. Having good recovery skills does take pressure off having to hit the green and when they do miss one, they still make par anyway I am a great believer that the game if taught with the short shots first, developing pitching, chipping and putting skills, working back to the long game later would be far more beneficial on two fronts. First, learning to strike the ball consistently with a short swing is far easier to achieve than the inevitable mis-cues beginners have with the full swing. As your strike gets      ");
array_files[20]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip20.html","2008-03-24","4K","20 - One of the problems of swing analysis is not only fragmenting the technique into many bits and pieces but also losing sight of its purpose    ","",""," 20 - One of the problems of swing analysis is not only fragmenting the technique into many bits and pieces but also losing sight of its purpose home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 20. One of the problems of swing analysis is not only fragmenting the technique into many bits and pieces but also losing sight of its purpose One of the problems of swing analysis is not only fragmenting the technique into many bits and pieces but also losing sight of its purpose. Its like studying an object with an electron microscope; you get in to its structure so closely that you cant make out what it is you are looking at. It is what some people call getting caught up in the thick of thin things whereby we miss out on the bigger picture. This week, I want to give you an image that relates to the bigger picture. Set yourself up to the ball and imagine that your head is poked through the hub of a 12ft diameter cart wheel that is sat on your ball and angled so that it rests on your shoulders. This should give you three focal points wrapped up in one image. The first is the body can now be seen as a pivotal point that rotates about itself as the clubhead (second) is swung on a defined arc, this is a point often missed by over analysis of the human involvement (remember that the whole purpose of the action is to swing the clubhead) and thirdly, the defined image of the arc leads to a completion of swing or follow through. Run this sequence through your minds eye and think in terms of the ball just happening to be in the way. It is a point well worth remembering that if you are after a swing thought, make it a thought that embraces the whole thing. A good swing has a feeling of wholeness, not several separate pieces that are all too often out of sync. I will leave you with the following quote by a deceased notable whose name escapes me at the moment, with my own addition added on. You can search the heavens with a telescope and not find god, peer into the human brain with a microscope and not find the soul and a      ");
array_files[21]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip39.html","2008-03-24","5K","39 - Pressure creates negative emotions which affects your ability to perform. Therefore work on reducing pressure by playing shots within your capability    ","",""," 39 - Pressure creates negative emotions which affects your ability to perform. Therefore work on reducing pressure by playing shots within your capability home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 39. Pressure creates negative emotions which affects your ability to perform. Therefore work on reducing pressure by playing shots within your capability Most players can get a good strike going on the range but struggle to take it on the course. The reason for this is PRESSURE. On the range where there is no trouble and always another ball, hitting shots can quite often be, dare I say, fairly easy. However, the course with all its hazards and you with one ball is another thing. What all golfers need to do is what the best players can do; that is reducing the pressure that you play under. Easier said than done for most players but then most players do not use a Game Management Strategy. You need to play within your capability on all shots and by asking yourself two questions every time, you can achieve this. The two questions. 1) Am I capable of making this shot? 2) Am I comfortable with the choice of shot? This is how it works; as you stand over your shot, first ask yourself if you are capable of playing it, the answer mostly is yes but now ask yourself if you are comfortable with what you are wanting too do. A knot of anxiety in your stomach means no. The answer to the first part comes from the head while the second part comes from your feelings. So if the answers are YES and NO, then you need to play with another option because you are creating to much pressure. Never fall for the mistake of believing that because you can play a certain shot in a friendly you can play it in a match. Club golfers too often expect to hit career best shots in match environments when the pressure is on. Most matchplay ties are lost through self inflicted pressure rather than won by one player playing great golf. Strokeplay rounds are determined by your ability to limit the destructive big scores. Pressure creates negat      ");
array_files[22]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip38.html","2008-03-24","4K","38 - A good swing is an artistic expression, not a physical confrontation    ","",""," 38 - A good swing is an artistic expression, not a physical confrontation home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 38. A good swing is an artistic expression, not a physical confrontation Possibly the most common cause of many swing faults is too much aggression. Slicing, pushing, pull hooking hitting heavy, hitting thin and topped shots are just a few of the unwanted shots encountered because of this problem. Lack of distance is another frustrating by- product caused by flexing too much muscle, which is particularly annoying because it prompts the player to then try and hit the ball even harder. Result; even less distance and so it goes on. However, there are also a lot of players who do not try and hit the ball aggressively enough. You usually find these people are quite analytical by which I mean they have studied the ins and outs of swing theory and are able to construct a swing piece by piece. The problem is however that they pursue this routine every shot, on the course as well as the practice ground, giving conscious commands to the body as the swing progresses. What we end up with is a swing that contains lots of correct detailed movement, but also a swing that does not produce results. Why? Because it is totally devoid of energy or life. It simply slaps the ball along. These golfers seldom lose golf balls because they do not hit it far enough to find the trouble. Their swing is golf’s equivalent to painting by numbers. It may look like the desired image but it is not the real thing; it is not a dynamic artistic expression. What do I mean by Artistic expression in the golfing sense of the term? Quite simply, a good golfer’s swing is a seemingly carefree, flowing, rhythmical, well balanced, choreographed expression of a basic set of technical movements performed with a dynamic commitment to swing a club-head upon an arc around us, the pivotal point the action. Key words here are balanced, rhythmical, flowing and most importantly as far as the analytical player is concerned,..... carefre      ");
array_files[23]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip37.html","2008-03-24","6K","37 - It is not how good your good shot is it’s how good your bad shot is. Every player should Aim to develop a good quality bad shot. Perfectionists do have a problem with this    ","",""," 37 - It is not how good your good shot is it’s how good your bad shot is. Every player should Aim to develop a good quality bad shot. Perfectionists do have a problem with this home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 37. It is not how good your good shot is it’s how good your bad shot is. Every player should Aim to develop a good quality bad shot. Perfectionists do have a problem with this Possibly the most impacting lesson, or experience, I had at golf was back in the late 70s in a tournament in London. I was having what is best described as a roller coaster of a round with career best shots and career worst shots yielding birdies and double bogies. A revelation hit me upon completion of the round when we were checking and signing the cards. My playing partners score was a 1 under par 69 which amazed me because he had never hit one shot that I could recall as anything special. This was a big shock to me as I was brought up believing that you could not shoot under par unless you hit it like God. Upon reflection, what became more impressive was the fact that the shots he hit had never looked like finding much trouble and this was not down to luck. The realization that golf is about the quality of your bad shots, not good ones, meant a massive change in the beliefs I had held until then. It was a great example of Self Management as he kept focused and unruffled and another thing that struck me weeks after was the way he appeared to blend into the background as he went round in his own self created world. He was efficient and effective. A time and motion inspector would have been impressed. I am reminded of this experience by many things but one that stands out in particular is reading the First Rule of Golf as laid down by the Royal and Ancient. It reads; The Game of Golf consists in playing a ball from the Teeing ground into the Hole by a stroke or successive strokes in accordance with the Rules. There is no mention in Rule One or any of the other 32 rules that says anything about the quality       ");
array_files[24]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip2.html","2008-03-24","4K","2 - Conscious Incompetence. New beginner and infrequent new player    ","",""," 2 - Conscious Incompetence. New beginner and infrequent new player home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop You have to hit a lot of bad shots before you are able to hit a lot of acceptable shots. 2. Conscious Incompetence. New beginner and infrequent new player Assuming that you are a beginner and have had a few lessons over a period of weeks or months, you could at this time be of the opinion that you are either (A) a very slow learner, (B) totally useless with no ability, or (C) you have been told the wrong things. These are the doubts and frustrations that exist when we become Consciously Incompetent i.e.; aware of what to do but still cannot do it. In golf, we are driven for the want of instant great shots but we must remember we need sound fundamentals to bring this about. In the pursuit of instant success and the Want of the very next shot to be perfect, we fill our heads with a stream of technical chatter and create paralysis by analysis. Our lack of success creates more theorising which sets us on the downward spiral to golfing frustration and feelings of inadequacy. It is at this point in your development where real damage can occur if you give in to temptation and are seduced by the lure and promises of the Quick fix. I must stress that any swing is good for one shot, but the swing that you should be trying to learn is one that is still effective even on a bad day because it delivers a respectable bad shot. If there are any perfectionists out there reading this, they may find this hard to come to terms with but it is a fact that even golf at the Top Level is a game of imperfection - the player who has the best quality bad shot will come out top. If you are, at this moment in the Conscious Incompetence stage, you will do yourself a favour if you accept that you have to hit a lot of bad shots before you are able to hit a lot of acceptable shots,stick with what you have been told to do and before long, you will reach the next level. home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online       ");
array_files[25]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip36.html","2008-03-24","5K","36 - This is the paradox that is golf, we have to try without trying, want to win without thinking of winning and take care without caring    ","",""," 36 - This is the paradox that is golf, we have to try without trying, want to win without thinking of winning and take care without caring home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 36. This is the paradox that is golf, we have to try without trying, want to win without thinking of winning and take care without caring In a separate lesson I speak about the uniqueness of the physical action that we strive to perfect in order to play the game effectively. In this piece I want to discuss the Uniqueness of the game itself. First of all we must at all times remember that the game is Imperfectable. If we play the game with this concept in mind, then that offers what I feel the best chance of playing well. If you stop trying to conquer the game then we have a chance of getting some competent level of control. On the face of it this seems like a total contradiction but we can see sense in it when we first of all look at what happens to us when we attempt to perfect something that is imperfectable, or try controlling something that does not respond to a controlling mind. When we experience the inevitable failure that this approach serves up, we respond in one of several ways, it may be a feeling of total frustration that can eventually lead to anger or aggression or it may be your wayward shots create a sense of anxiety. You will never play to your best potential if you allow emotions to surface and control your actions. Even excitement can prove disastrous. Many a good round is a lost when we allow ourselves to think we have the game licked. Our best golf has to be coaxed into our reaches like a wild animal into a cage but the important thing when we have it there is not to slam the door shut in an effort to keep it because it will suddenly, as if by magic, just simply disappear. This is the paradox that is golf, we have to try without trying, want to win without thinking of winning and take care without caring. The more you can quieten the emotions, then the easier you will find it to play to your best      ");
array_files[26]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip35.html","2008-03-24","6K","35 - As a beginner at golf, we strive to create a swing to give us a shot, with the accomplished player however, his choice of shot creates the swing. There comes a point when in order to improve, you must tackle this transition    ","",""," 35 - As a beginner at golf, we strive to create a swing to give us a shot, with the accomplished player however, his choice of shot creates the swing. There comes a point when in order to improve, you must tackle this transition home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 35. As a beginner at golf, we strive to create a swing to give us a shot, with the accomplished player however, his choice of shot creates the swing. There comes a point when in order to improve, you must tackle this transition There is a well known principle in the world of successful big business I once read about that says “If a problem is encountered, make sure you focus at least 80 % of your time and attention on what you need to do to put it right and not on the problem itself.” The principle is called the 80 / 20 rule and I soon realised that this rule has great potential to help golfers with their game. There are so many players at club level who have great knowledge of their swing problems and are able to tell just what it is they are doing wrong. Unfortunately, they only succeed in identifying what is wrong because they mistakenly think that is all they need to know . The consequences of only seeing the problems results in too much practice time devoted to trying to take the bad movements out of the swing. This will not succeed though because you cannot take something out of a swing and leave a vacuum, you must replace it with a positive alternative but if most of your time has been focusing on the fault, you will have little idea of what it is that you need take its place. If you cannot replace it with an alternative, then when it comes to making the swing the old muscle memory will re-assert itself because there is nothing else to do the job. This ineffective approach results in legions of golfers on the course everyday, desperately “trying to not hit the shot they don’t want. Here is an alternative way to tackle the situation. I start by turning the above statement around and ask the player to identify the shot they      ");
array_files[27]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip34.html","2008-03-24","4K","34 - Technique equates to about 30% of what the game is about. Sadly many players put 100 % effort into that 30%.    ","",""," 34 - Technique equates to about 30% of what the game is about. Sadly many players put 100 % effort into that 30%. home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 34. Technique equates to about 30% of what the game is about. Sadly many players put 100 % effort into that 30%. There are an estimated 10 million golfers in the U.K., the majority of whom scan one or more of the many Golfing Publications in the relentless search for Golfing perfection. The Golfing public, it must be said, are very knowledgeable on matters relating to the Technique. There are however two problems that I see: Firstly, a player can acquire a lot of knowledge by what they read but knowing what to do, is of no use if you cannot do what you know. The written message, most often is not received as it was intended, through over emphasis and misinterpretation or just poor communication. Golf should never be over intellectualized because it creates unnecessary confusion. Remember that we do not need to know how all the parts of a car work in order to drive it. The Second problem relates to a very fundamental point. It is generally accepted that the Game is approximately 30% technique;Unfortunately many thousands of players apply 100% effort to just this 30% and sadly miss out on what they can achieve. Is there any wonder why the world is full of under-performing players? The other 70% of the game is the Psychology department and it is here where golfing dreams are realized and your true performance potential is found. It requires however, reframing and changing a lot of dearly held beliefs to enable the player to move forward. Trying harder with an incomplete / wrong strategy is no use. home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop     ");
array_files[28]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip33.html","2008-03-24","5K","33 - A slump is not something you catch; it is something you unwittingly create    ","",""," 33 - A slump is not something you catch; it is something you unwittingly create home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 33. A slump is not something you catch; it is something you unwittingly create The high point of Tiger Woods career so far was in the year 2000. However in 2004, he had a string of results below what we had come to expect. It brought the inevitable suggestions from the media that he was in the decline. Had he listened to the media too much, there was the very small possibility of doubts rising in his own mind. Athletes are always judged on past Peak performances and when these performances are not repeated, it is nearly always with a negative slant There are 3 descriptions for less than best performance. A dip in form; a slump or freefall decline. When a young sportsperson starts out, they are the underdog playing second fiddle to the leading player in that particular sport. Up and coming athletes seldom attract negative press. Whenever any athlete is said to have reached the top of their particular field, they can only expect several weeks’ good press until the reports start to filter through of less than best performances. Here is an important point to remember for any aspiring young player. Dont forget that Peak performance is just that, a peak. Dips in performance define the peaks. Dips in form are natural and should be expected. There is a difference though between a dip in form and someone who is in decline but the danger is that to much negative attention on a dip can result in a slump and then a total decline. What most people fail to realise at times is that we have more control over certain things than we think. A slump is not something you catch; it is something you unwittingly create. If we can create it, we can therefore get rid of it. For this reason, any player including Woods is only in a slump if they allow it to happen. One of the worst things you can do is believe you are at the top. This is not a problem for the average player. This is why top players, to      ");
array_files[29]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip32.html","2008-03-24","6K","32 - Remember that a Top player does not have just one swing but as many different swings as shots he can visualise    ","",""," 32 - Remember that a Top player does not have just one swing but as many different swings as shots he can visualise home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 32. Remember that a Top player does not have just one swing but as many different swings as shots he can visualise Have you ever wondered why a golf ball has dimples? The dimples make the ball aerodynamic which means that the ball will have flight capability; something that a smooth surface cannot give. Playing with a golf ball that has a smooth surface would result in the ball ducking and weaving with unpredictable flight. A golf ball with a smooth surface would bring all golfers more or less down to the same level. It would eliminate the gap between the accomplished player and the struggling high handicap player and in this fact lies the explanation as to why some players can play well whilst most struggle. In essence, a better player is better because they control the spin they put on the ball so a ball with a smooth surface would take away the advantage gained. Notice I use the word gained because everyone is able to some degree in achieving this control. Many players at club level mistakenly think that all this talk of fancy spin is only for the better player, wrong! It is why a player is better. Good players move the ball left to right and right to left not to impress but because it is the easiest way to play. They would hardly make the game more difficult than it is. You must not bury your head in the sand on this issue because the fact of the matter is that you are going to put spin on the ball whether you like it or not, so it is better that you learn to make it the spin you want. Most erratic players attract wayward shots because they are attempting to hit straight down the line all the way to the target. The ball may set off on line but the further it travels, the more off line it gets. Compare this to the better player. His ball is hit off the line either to the right or left but the spin he puts on it brings it back onto the l      ");
array_files[30]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip49.html","2008-03-24","5K","49 - A good golf swing is a dynamic, flowing, synchronised movement working in conjunction with a faculty we all possess in abundance, Hand & Eye co-ordination. It is the culmination of years of practise and while it is available to virtually everyone, it is only truly mastered by a small percentage of players    ","",""," 49 - A good golf swing is a dynamic, flowing, synchronised movement working in conjunction with a faculty we all possess in abundance, Hand & Eye co-ordination. It is the culmination of years of practise and while it is available to virtually everyone, it is only truly mastered by a small percentage of players home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 49. A good golf swing is a dynamic, flowing, synchronised movement working in conjunction with a faculty we all possess in abundance, Hand & Eye co-ordination. It is the culmination of years of practise and while it is available to virtually everyone, it is only truly mastered by a small percentage of players I am not saying for a moment that every player can have a swing like Ernie Els but everyone could develop certain beneficial characteristics of it to a lesser degree. There can be no doubt that starting as a youngster has distinct advantages as a child’s mindset is wonderful for learning the all important basic principles without the burden of adult inhibitions. Most of the worlds Professional tours started between the age of 8 and 12. So if a dynamically synchronised powerful swing is there for grabs, why do we not see more of them? Well here is one reason I can offer that affects many players. Have you ever tried that memory challenge when someone recites to you a list of say 20 everyday objects and you have to try and recite the list back? Most people can remember the first 4 or 5 objects and the last 1 or 2. The first golf lessons an adult has are the ones usually the best remembered. The mind at the beginning is totally devoid of any golf clutter so the first snippets of instruction taken on board are the ones that form the platform for your golf game. This is where the problem starts. Nearly all the early instruction is of a STATIC nature. The set up is a static position and keen student spends endless time on checking this position and making minor adjustments. The swing is often taught in stages with the first stage ending at somewher      ");
array_files[31]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip31.html","2008-03-24","5K","31 - The purpose of the Golf action is, To Swing the club head. Many of you will now be thinking that this is stating the obvious and that you already do this. But do you?    ","",""," 31 - The purpose of the Golf action is, To Swing the club head. Many of you will now be thinking that this is stating the obvious and that you already do this. But do you? home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 31. The purpose of the Golf action is, To Swing the club head. Many of you will now be thinking that this is stating the obvious and that you already do this. But do you? When asked the question, What is the purpose of the golf action?, Most golfers usually give one of two answers. The first is To hit the ball and the second, To Create power. Bothanswers are aired with a sense of Stating the obvious. Hitting the ball and Creating power are very important considerations but they are in fact effects, determined by something else. The purpose of the Golf action is To Swing the club head. Many of you will now be thinking that this is doubly obvious and that you already do this. But do you? Striking the ball and creating power are effects caused by swinging the club head. It need be said that the better you swing the club head the better the effects. It is amazing how caught up we get in other ideas and neglect this primary objective. We invest hundreds of pounds in the latest golf equipment yet fail to give it its proper Recognition when we stand on the tee. Talk about buying a dog and barking yourself, we buy golf clubs yet throw ourselves at the ball. The two clubs in the picture ( one is a 3 wood with a rubber hose for a shaft and the other is a 5 iron with a hinge - need images!!!!) are the tools of the trick shot artists trade but they both demonstrate wonderfully well the point I am making. We call them trick shots when we see the clubs used but there is no trickery involved just sound principles at work. There is no way you can play the clubs unless you literally swing the club head. I demonstrate both clubs when necessary during a lesson and let people have a go with the hinged club but the rubber hose club is much too dangerous for the handicap player to use. If a higher handicap      ");
array_files[32]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip30.html","2008-03-24","4K","30 - Step back from this conflict with the ball, swing the club, engage your hand and eye co-ordination, and just let the ball be in the way    ","",""," 30 - Step back from this conflict with the ball, swing the club, engage your hand and eye co-ordination, and just let the ball be in the way home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 30. Step back from this conflict with the ball, swing the club, engage your hand and eye co-ordination, and just let the ball be in the way The working relationship between a player and a golf coach is 50/50. A coach can give you a real good grounding and understanding of the fundamentals but the “thing” that makes it work comes from you, the golfer. The “thing” that makes it work and turns you from a frustrated beginner into a good golfer is something you are born with and possess in huge quantities. The “thing” we are talking about is hand and eye co-ordination. The problem is it is not fine tuned to the accuracy required for consistent success. This fine tuning takes time. Hitting a golf ball is, dare I say, easy once you develop the accuracy to put the club head where it is needed to be, on a consistent basis. To get you to see the point in practical terms pick out a distinctive small piece of turf. Set up to it so it is in the ideal ball position and make some swings, trying to swish the patch. Until you can swish the same patch of grass 99 times out of a 100, then you will never have the game you desire. Catching it 3 out of 10 times is not acceptable. Swishing this specific point of grass consistently is the first objective; learning to do the same with the ball in the way is the next. This requires trust. It does not easily gel in the golfers mind that this seemingly pointless approach will deliver the club to the ball in an effective fashion. It all seems too simplistic. Once you have it, you never lose it. The presence of the ball unfortunately tends to draw us into a direct conflict with it as we try to force a result. Step back from this conflict, swing the club, engage your hand and eye co-ordination, and just let the ball be in the way. I must stress that success at swishing the grass does not take in      ");
array_files[33]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip48.html","2008-03-24","5K","48 - To know the mind of a better player is very difficult but you can begin by watching, or noticing, their body language    ","",""," 48 - To know the mind of a better player is very difficult but you can begin by watching, or noticing, their body language home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 48. To know the mind of a better player is very difficult but you can begin by watching, or noticing, their body language Only the other day, I overheard a group of people discussing diet and the best way of losing weight. Everything from cabbage soup brews to mouth watering fruit and lettuce leaf programmes were suggested along with the more extreme measures of having either your jaw wired up or stomach stapled to half size. Eventually, one of the group piped up and agreed that whilst all the diet plans had merits, true dieting as in losing weight and keeping it off is a Holistic thing. She went on to explain that it can only be successful if you embrace a whole new way of living which requires a totally new mindset. Effective dieting, she explained, is more than eating less food; it requires you live and think as a lighter person would live and think and do it consistently for the rest of your life. This really struck because it reflects totally the golfing problem. Many times, I tell players that to play to a 9 handicap, you need to think as a 9 handicap player thinks. Cast your mind back to several years when Justin Rose turned Pro immediately after his 4th place Open finish. He was still an amateur player, even though he signed his Pro papers, because his mindset was still in the amateur mode. His journey through the wilderness of 21 missed cuts on the Pro tour was when he took on the mindset of the Tour Pro until finally in 2002 his great talent revealed itself with 4 tour wins and a strong showing in the Open that year. Repeating 10 times a day, I want to get better and expecting it to happen is a complete waste of time. Start your route to improvement by trying to get into the mind of a better player. Good Golf is a Holistic experience. It is far deeper than making a good pivot in the backswing or hip release through the bal      ");
array_files[34]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip47.html","2008-03-24","4K","47 - When you book your next lesson, remember you are purchasing a feeling to take away with you    ","",""," 47 - When you book your next lesson, remember you are purchasing a feeling to take away with you home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 47. When you book your next lesson, remember you are purchasing a feeling to take away with you I mentioned in the last posting about finding the right coach who can keep things simple. There are other requirements also that are equally important if your game is to move in the right direction. A golf lesson or coaching programme has to be a 50/50 relationship. Further to this, you have to have faith in what your Pro tells you even though some of the stuff may sound very odd and strange. A good coach is always trying to find better ways of communicating what he is looking for. It is not easy to communicate through words what is going to be after all a physical experience, programmed into your muscle memory so it performs without you thinking about it. A quick example of how difficult this is – can you imagine the challenge of describing to a person who is blind from birth what the colour red is or what clouds are like. It might be overstating it a touch but you get the idea. The philosopher, John Locke was quoted as saying, “No mans knowledge can go beyond his experience.” So there you are, when you book your next lesson, remember you are purchasing a feeling to take away with you. That is why you need a coach with great communication skills and knowledge for the simplicity. That’s the Pro’s 50 percent of the deal, your 50 percent is to watch, listen and most important of all, put aside your pre-conceived ideas and notions. Was it not these very things that drove you to his door for help in the first place? Work as a team – a good coach wants you to be successful as much as you do but he needs your help. home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop     ");
array_files[35]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip46.html","2008-03-24","5K","46 - A lot of the awkward movements we see in poor swings are instinctive corrective     ","",""," 46 - A lot of the awkward movements we see in poor swings are instinctive corrective home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 46. A lot of the awkward movements we see in poor swings are instinctive corrective movements as our instincts try to make the most of a bad job in an attempt to get the club to the ball Did you know that going for quick golf swing fixes may sometimes give Short term pleasure but generally compound the golfer’s misery with Long term pain. To see why this is lets take a player of say 3 years duration who has developed a quick fix mentality. Every other round sees yet another theory put into practice as our golfer reacts to nearly every bad shot he hits. After 3 years of this approach the resulting swing has become an amalgamation of theories, many of them contradicting, and it is loaded with a lot of excessive movement. Result; the more complex the swing, the more there is to go wrong. Inconsistency now becomes the poor soul’s companion. If his quick fix mentality is not corrected after 5 years say, he may well be of the opinion that he is now going backwards. His poor swing action has become the product of reaction rather than sticking to a simple correct direction. Let’s pursue a philosophical angle to the golfing problem from which you can draw your own conclusions. Let’s wipe the slate clean and start afresh. On a table is two sheets of written instructions relating to two swings which are available to us, all we have to do is choose the one we want. Option A has few details listed and it appears very simplistic by comparison to Option B. Option B reads like legal small print, very difficult to grasp, and there is lots of it. Obviously you would rightly pick option A” because it looks the easier option. Isnt it bizarre though that many in fact end up with the harder impossible option B caused by our failure to stick with simple basics because they are tempted by the misguided belief that there is a quick, magical short cut. The simple swing A is lost somewhere in the      ");
array_files[36]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip45.html","2008-03-24","5K","45 - A faulty swing can hit very acceptable quality shots as well as disastrous shots; it simply depends on how great the error shows itself. The swing line through the ball that gives Montgomerie a graceful controlled fade turns into an uncontrollable slice if exaggerated. However, when the ball is under control, who is to say it is a fault    ","",""," 45 - A faulty swing can hit very acceptable quality shots as well as disastrous shots; it simply depends on how great the error shows itself. The swing line through the ball that gives Montgomerie a graceful controlled fade turns into an uncontrollable slice if exaggerated. However, when the ball is under control, who is to say it is a fault home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 45. A faulty swing can hit very acceptable quality shots as well as disastrous shots; it simply depends on how great the error shows itself. The swing line through the ball that gives Montgomerie a graceful controlled fade turns into an uncontrollable slice if exaggerated. However, when the ball is under control, who is to say it is a fault Here are two positive questions that can lead you to a better game. The two questions are: “What shot would you like to hit? What must the clubface do in order to achieve this shot? You must bear in mind that a straight shot is not a good answer to the first question. Study the illustration to see what needs to happen. The game we want is between two extremes, on one side of the course we hit a violent hook and a disastrous pull and on the other side, we have the wild slice and catastrophic push. In the middle of these two extremes is the shot we all hit now and then as a fluke and that is the straight shot. The precision that is required to hit it is so fine that it renders it impossible to predict, even for the best players in the world. This is why top players favor a fade or a draw shot because they can hit them to order. As you can see, a faulty swing can hit very acceptable quality shots as well as disastrous shots; it simply depends on how great the error shows itself. The swing line through the ball that gives Montgomerie a graceful controlled fade turns into an uncontrollable slice if exaggerated. However, when the ball is under control, who is to say it is a fault. To play a fade and a draw, begin by looking at the slice and the hook. The fade favored by Montgomerie is       ");
array_files[37]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip44.html","2008-03-24","4K","44 - Contrary to what many golfers think there are only three ways you can hit a ball    ","",""," 44 - Contrary to what many golfers think there are only three ways you can hit a ball home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 44. Contrary to what many golfers think there are only three ways you can hit a ball In this posting, I would like to try and simplify and make sense of what has become more complicated than it need be. Contrary to what many golfers think there are only three ways you can hit a ball. They are, hit early, hit late or to hit on time.” When we hit it on time, shouts of jubilation are generally heard - the problem is that it is too infrequent. Let me now explain what we mean by late and early. In a golf swing, we have two primary movements, the body action rotating around itself with weight transference from one foot to the other is the first. Second, we have the hand and forearm action, often called the wrist action. When we hit on time, these two actions co-ordinate perfectly. Most of the time, they do not. Now if you are more body active than hand active, the chances are you will not get the club to the ball early enough, resulting in a LATE hit. If on the other hand, you are more hand and arm active, the chances are you will get the club in ahead of yourself resulting in hitting EARLY. All the bad shots you will ever hit come from these two tendencies. As a general guideline, LATE hitters have a tendency to either fade, slice, socket, thin or top their shots while EARLY hitters draw, pull, hook, hit fat, thin, toe end and top. It all depends to what degree we are hitting early or late that determines whether we hit a nice draw or a terrible hook or a gentle fade or vicious slice. Identify the shot or shots you suffer with which will give you an idea of which way your swing is working. I think it is very important that we realise that one swing can hit a multitude of different shots. If you are one of those people who believe they have several bad swings you are making the game more complicated than it need be. home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop     ");
array_files[38]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip43.html","2008-03-24","4K","43 - The best deal in golf; put less in and get more out!     ","",""," 43 - The best deal in golf; put less in and get more out! home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 43. The best deal in golf; put less in and get more out! Balance is a quality we all admire about a good player; in fact it is an important reason why the player is good. It is a lack of balance however that that we all too often see in the struggling golfer. Many of these players are actually blissfully unaware of this lack as they are too occupied with the ball and result to notice they are on the back foot or stranded in a flat footed follow through position. To find out if you are in balance with your swing, I suggest you try the following drill the next time you are on the range. Try hitting a few shots with your feet together using no more than a 6 or 7 iron, be sure to swing a bit softer, especially if you have a back, hip or knee problem. If you find yourself falling over swinging from this narrow base it could well be that you are over applying the body action. Be sure to persevere because self preservation will come to your aid as you instinctively quieten down the over working body. (Further reading in lesson 11 on this subject.) When this happens you may well experience a magical thing because the hands and arms will now come into play which the dominant body did not allow before. When you swing the hands and arms, you also swing the club and more often than not, you will find you hit the ball just as far and in some cases further as well as gaining more consistency with half the effort you previously applied. It can be the best deal in golf; put less in and get more out! The aim now is to take this emphasized hand and arm swing and apply it to a conventional stance. Do not allow the body and its big muscles fool you into thinking they are required for long shots. If you can achieve this you will have a follow through position that would grace the front cover of any national golf magazine and a more effective golf game as well. home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop     ");
array_files[39]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip41.html","2008-03-24","6K","41 - The best definition I know that defines a good player is this. A good player is someone who controls the spin they put on the ball    ","",""," 41 - The best definition I know that defines a good player is this. A good player is someone who controls the spin they put on the ball home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 41. The best definition I know that defines a good player is this. A good player is someone who controls the spin they put on the ball Dont think that better players do not suffer fear on the course because they do. It is just that when fear (pressure) does appear, they are more able to cope with it. This lesson looks at why this is and how you can begin to improve your scores by learning to cope with fear. The reason for this is simple; a good player does not try and build his game on a foundation of perfect shots whereas the lesser player believes that is how the game should be tackled. A perfect shot is a fluke when it occurs with any player from the best to the worst. Because it is a fluke, it is unpredictable. Whether you like this idea or not doesnt matter because it is the way it is and no matter how hard you try to make it otherwise, you will not change it. You will fail. The perfect shot happens when everything from the address position to the complex movements of the swing all align into a state of perfect synchronisation. It gives us that shot that is so pure and satisfying. I am sure you will have already worked out that when you are wracked with fear on the infamous water hole, the chances of “perfect synchronisation” becomes extremely remote. In this situation, you fear the worst and it usually happens. Here is the start of the problem. The players who suffer the worst are usually of the opinion that a straight shot is what they must strive to achieve. They play golf like a tight rope walker. They think in straight lines. They run in fear of the curving shots but if they only realised, the cure to their problems actually lies within these offending shots. Better players, from an early age, actually practice these wayward shots because they know they will need them. Just watch the tour players on tree lined      ");
array_files[40]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip58.html","2008-03-24","6K","58 - The closer you can match your real swing to the practice swing, the better player you will be. Make it a goal to do it. You will have to forget about results for a while but if you can stick with it, then in the long term, this single idea can transform you game    ","",""," 58 - The closer you can match your real swing to the practice swing, the better player you will be. Make it a goal to do it. You will have to forget about results for a while but if you can stick with it, then in the long term, this single idea can transform you game home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 58. The closer you can match your real swing to the practice swing, the better player you will be. Make it a goal to do it. You will have to forget about results for a while but if you can stick with it, then in the long term, this single idea can transform you game Many years ago an old famous Scottish Professional called Tommy Armour once remarked that You need to know the game in its complexity to be able to teach it in its simplicity. Years later, John Jacobs (who is one of the most respected coaches around) said that, The ideal golf swing is simply Two Turns and a Swish. When one looks at the mass of written material devoted to the analysis of the technique, Jacobs’s statement comes as a welcome breath of fresh air and I am sure you will agree, he certainly fits Armours ethic. Everyone is able to perform this simple swing but most can only do it when the ball is not present. Yes, the practice swing is performed and paraded up and down the land every weekend as the heads of daisies are clipped off with remarkable ease at the side of the first tee. So why is it things go wrong when we tee the ball up and address it? Well, to what degree things go wrong is determined by which way, and by how much, the ball Arrests your Attention. There are several ways you can be sidetracked but for today we will look at the player who is duped into seeing the ball as a ballistic missile and goes for distance. First though at this point, just bring to mind the wonderful feeling of your practice swing or should I say swish. Recall how full and “flowing” it feels with a sense of complete wholeness. Putting the ball into the equation changes the scenario because its introduction creates an event in the middl      ");
array_files[41]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip57.html","2008-03-24","5K","57 - It’s a fact that whilst most players are disappointed when they miss a makeable putt, they aren’t surprised. The truth is they never really expected to hole it    ","",""," 57 - It’s a fact that whilst most players are disappointed when they miss a makeable putt, they aren’t surprised. The truth is they never really expected to hole it home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 57. It’s a fact that whilst most players are disappointed when they miss a makeable putt, they aren’t surprised. The truth is they never really expected to hole it Link to book purchase. The Winning ball Want to hole more putts? Of course you do, don’t we all? Here is a great tip I read from a well recommended book called the Inner game of Golf written by an ex-tennis pro by the name of Tim Gallwey. As the title implies, the author is keen to promote the flexing of the Grey muscle rather than the more widely used physical muscle. As is often the case with psychological drills, they can appear to be some what bizarre but if you reserve judgement long enough, I am sure you can experience some positive benefits. The drill is based upon a principle that runs through all aspects of life which is,” What you focus on, you usually attract. Most players whilst not aware of it actually focus on the ball not going in the hole. You will perhaps be thinking that this statement is rubbish but just for a moment look at the following list of thoughts that invade 98 % of player’s minds whilst on the green. Here is the reason why Don’t leave it short! Don’t hit it long! Don’t miss it on the low side! Get it up to the hole! That spike mark is on my line! I never hole any this length! ..... and finally, in desperation, have we all not prayed to heaven ..... Get it close! It’s a fact that whilst most players are disappointed when they miss a makeable putt, they are not surprised. This is before we begin filling our heads with distracting thoughts of mechanical instruction during the execution of the stroke. All the above thoughts have one thing in common, they all focus on the ball not going in rather than going in. In fact, we focus on the ball finishing elsewhere. It is as though we delete the hole from the eq      ");
array_files[42]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip40.html","2008-03-24","4K","40 - Its said that Knowledge is power but for golfers too much knowledge can sometimes be a bad thing    ","",""," 40 - Its said that Knowledge is power but for golfers too much knowledge can sometimes be a bad thing home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 40. Its said that Knowledge is power but for golfers too much knowledge can sometimes be a bad thing Do you think only club amateurs suffer “paralysis with analysis” or swing thought overload? You can bet your last penny that they don’t. A well known European Tour player and former Ryder Cup team member who was suffering with his game opened up to me one day and with a tone of exasperation said,“I can’t understand it, I know more about the swing now than I did 5 years ago when I was playing my best.” He had got caught in the analysis trap. Its said that Knowledge is power but for golfers too much knowledge can sometimes be a bad thing. I think it was Tommy Armour a well-known coach from yesteryear, who once said, “You need to know the game in its complexity to be able to teach it in its simplicity.” That’s a very astute observation but when it comes to playing, and I mean playing well, the emphasis is upon simple. From the player’s angle, there should be no room for complexities on the golf course, or on the practice ground come to that. So the advice for you is this, never let a golf coach fill your head with too much detail. Find a coach who just tells you what you need to know to improve. Avoid coaches who give you “Don’t do” lists because you will end up doing what it is you shouldn’t be doing. Some of the best players in the world got to the top by applying what it was that worked for them and kept it at that. Some of these players like Lyle, Woosnam and Ballesteros lost the “Magic” that got them to the top by tinkering with their swings in an attempt to stay there. Bizarre really that the best should fall foul of what us mortals suffer with. Find out what works for you and remember the old true saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop     ");
array_files[43]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip4.html","2008-03-24","5K","4 - When you see a Top player hit a shot, he is in that moment showing the rest of the world, in the physical, what he was moments experiencing internally    ","",""," 4 - When you see a Top player hit a shot, he is in that moment showing the rest of the world, in the physical, what he was moments experiencing internally home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 4. When you see a Top player hit a shot, he is in that moment showing the rest of the world, in the physical, what he was moments experiencing internally. Unconscious Competence; very low amateurs and Pro’s. This is the final destination on the journey that is golf. This is the place where all who aspire to compete at the top level must find. If you remember, in the first part of the Skill Learning Principles, I made mention that the principles apply to any skill that you wish to develop. An everyday example of what Unconscious Competence is would be your natural ability to drive competently across a busy town or city, in one piece, when your mind is on other things. Yet another example would be a Tennis player instinctively reacting to what their opponent hits at them. The opponent asks a question of you every time he sends the ball your way and you have an instant to respond with a reply. There is no time to think. Tennis is a game of continual questions and answers and most of the answers are an instinctive response. In golf the course is the opponent and asks us the questions in the form of the Architectural design laid out before you as you survey the hole. (Weather conditions are also a factor). You could reply with several variations of shot but one of the options is superior to the rest. The best players have the ability to not only play all the shots but their answers are nearly always the right ones, and they come instinctively from the subconscious. Unconscious Competent Players see the best option of shot and feel the necessary swing before the club even comes out of the bag. When you see a Top player hit a shot, he is in that moment showing the rest of the world, in the physical, what he was moments before experiencing internally. They know they only have to set up to the ball and swing,       ");
array_files[44]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip56.html","2008-03-24","3K","56 - I feel it is important you understand that changing one part of your swing will alter all of it    ","",""," 56 - I feel it is important you understand that changing one part of your swing will alter all of it home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 56. I feel it is important you understand that changing one part of your swing will alter all of it When I started playing, I use to cut out and collect as many action pictures of the top players as I could find as any golf mad junior would do. However, analyzing still action shots can be misleading and one of the main reasons it can be harmful is as follows. If you try to achieve a position you see in a golf magazine, the chances are you will find it disastrous. You cannot change a position in the swing without altering the whole swing. To give a graphic idea of how it will not work, think of your swing as a series of pictures drawn on a deck of blank cards. If you flipped through the cards, you would see the multiple images of your swing as one flowing movement. Now if you wanted to change a certain position by taking out the relevant card, rubbing out the unwanted image, pencil in the change you desire and replace it back into the deck, you would see that when you flipped the cards again, your amendment did not fit in with what went before or after. It would appear as a distinct blip in the action sequence. I feel it is important you understand that changing one part of your swing will alter all of it. home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop     ");
array_files[45]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip55.html","2008-03-24","5K","55 - The moment of truth in a golf swing is not impact but 5 or 6 feet before impact    ","",""," 55 - The moment of truth in a golf swing is not impact but 5 or 6 feet before impact home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 55. The moment of truth in a golf swing is not impact but 5 or 6 feet before impact This one needs graphics!!!!!! Many analysts of the swing would say that the moment of impact is the golf shots defining moment. It is certainly the moment when the swings potential is imparted on the ball but for me, the sequence of pictures shows the golf shots defining moment. When we reach the part of the swing in the first picture, what has gone before stands for little, it is what you do now that determines your fate. Getting into the position as shown in the first frame still gives you no guarantee. Your success is determined by releasing into the final position of the last frame. Every good player swings identical through this sequence. Very subtle differences occur for high shots, low shots, fades and draws but if the worlds top players all wanted to hit a low shot, they would all exhibit identical dynamics that bring that shot about. There are many theories but only one set of Physics. At high speed, the differences are nearly impossible to see which is why coaches to the best players spend their time watching the balls flight for clues to what’s going on in the swing. How you get to the top of the backswing is up to you as is how you start the first part of the downswing. The ball is not in the least bit bothered about style, just effect. A tennis player could perform cartwheels across court as long as he could get into position in time to deliver the racquet. In a golf swing, you have to get into the right position for the club head to be released and that position is approximately our first picture. The moment of truth in a golf swing is here, not impact. If you are right here you have a great chance of success but if are wrong at this point, you are doomed.This sequence is the heart and soul of the swing. I would even go as far as to say that if you were to learn just this m      ");
array_files[46]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip54.html","2008-03-24","4K","54 - If you swing the club as it is designed to be swung, you will hit a right to left flighted ball most of the time    ","",""," 54 - If you swing the club as it is designed to be swung, you will hit a right to left flighted ball most of the time home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 54. If you swing the club as it is designed to be swung, you will hit a right to left flighted ball most of the time Dr Bob Rotella, an American sports psychologist and coach wrote a book a few years back called, Golf is not a game of Perfect. It is one of those books that for a long time now I have meant to read, but never have. However, the title conveys the message of what’s inside. Golf is not a game of perfect so any perfectionists out there thinking of taking up the game, be warned. However, this is where the game becomes distinctly odd by many peoples reckoning. As I just stated, the perfect shot is possible by anyone but it does not require a text book swing to be able to do it. Every week, scores of club players will hit that one truly magical shot that stays etched in the mind forever and all these shots will be produced by swings that are miles away from the Perfect textbook model. How is this possible you may be asking? There are many golfers who believe that in order to hit perfect shots, they need perfect swings. The fact is, a swing that follows the text book model, or as near as one can get to the model, will only on odd occasions deliver the perfect result which is a ball that flies arrow straight The rest of the time, it will tend to deliver a right to left ball flight otherwise known as a draw shot. I like to look at this another way;if you swing the club as it is designed to be swung, you will hit a right to left flighted ball most of the time. John Jacobs who is one of the world’s best coaches has always taught the game as a right to left game. I prefer to say swing the club as it is designed to be swung for the simple reason that if you get over involved with the individual parts of the body action the club can easily get ignored in the scheme of things. We must try to bond with the club as an extension of our physi      ");
array_files[47]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip52.html","2008-03-24","5K","52 - You don’t have to look at the ball during the swing, only be aware of its presence on the ground in front of you    ","",""," 52 - You don’t have to look at the ball during the swing, only be aware of its presence on the ground in front of you home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 52. You don’t have to look at the ball during the swing, only be aware of its presence on the ground in front of you Most golfers find it extremely difficult to make the swing with the ball the same as their practice swing. It seems the very presence of the ball fills the golfer with violent intention! It’s easy to make a swing without the ball because you are under no pressure to produce a shot. Achieving an effortless swing and a balanced follow- through seems a natural thing when there is going to be no result involved. It does not seem natural to be effortless however when the ball is present. It now seems more logical to put ALL the effort into that part of the swing before impact in what is the mistaken hope that this will give maximum output in the shot. So the practice swing that had a feeling of “Oneness” about is now split into two parts and they are before impact and after impact. The very presence of the ball for many players literally dissects their swing into two pieces. To the greater degree that you are obsessed with “hitting” the ball the more this dissection of the swing comes into existence. The more split the swing, the worse your results become. An imbalance occurs because all the effort is loaded into the before impact half of the swing, where the ball isn’t, leaving the after impact part drained of dynamics. Martial arts students can relate to this point as they are instructed to punch beyond the target It needs mentioning at this point that the top player will not “look” at the ball as much as a struggling handicap player. This means he will be less physically involved with an action that is directed at the ball. He simply makes a swing that the ball happens to be in the way of. That is why top players are able to swing with an effortless grace whether the ball is there or not. Struggling golfers remember; you don      ");
array_files[48]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip51.html","2008-03-24","5K","51 - Higher handicap club players would improve dramatically if they spent more    ","",""," 51 - Higher handicap club players would improve dramatically if they spent more home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 51. Higher handicap club players would improve dramatically if they spent more time educating their hand action and letting the body action follow there lead To start off this lesson, take a look at the following four groups of players Before we discuss what I believe to be the most important part of the golf swing. 1. The player who makes all the right moves and plays great golf. These people are usually seen on the Pro tours or are top amateurs. 2. The player who appears to make the right moves but struggles off a high handicap. These players are usually seen on any course and practice ground anywhere in the world. 3. The player who appears to make all the wrong moves and struggles to consistently put the club on the ball. This is the ultimate frustrated golfer. 4. The player who appears to make all the wrong moves yet somehow plays to a top standard. Getting right down to the nitty gritty, the message is that the best players, whether the swing appears good or not, are the players who use their hands correctly. A lot of club players have a fairly decent looking swing which comes as no surprise when you consider the amount of time people put into their games. The problem it would seem though is that the majority of these same people are attending to what could be called cosmetic detail rather than getting to the heart and soul of the swing that is hand action. I am convinced that good education of the hands is the seed from where a proper correct swing evolves. Do not mistake a good looking swing with a proper correct swing. Many body actions do look good (2nd category) but they flatter to deceive for the simple reason they are over exerting in an effort to make up for inadequate hands. A correct proper body action is one that has a better contribution to the whole thing and it does not necessarily have to be very pretty to look at ( 4th category). This better “body” contr      ");
array_files[49]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip65.html","2008-03-24","5K","65 - Using your strength at golf is quite often a sign of weakness    ","",""," 65 - Using your strength at golf is quite often a sign of weakness home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 65. Using your strength at golf is quite often a sign of weakness It has been written that one of the main reasons for Tiger Wood’s success is the wonderful mix of character traits inherited from his mother and father. His dad has instilled into him a tenacious competitive attitude where anything other than number 1 is not acceptable whilst his mum balances this with a softer more spiritual side that embraces aspects of Buddhism and Eastern philosophy Several years ago during a windy “Open Championship” at Murfield, we witnessed how fine the line is between top-level performance and shooting high scores. We witnessed how easy that balance can shift. The elements that year did what no player on the planet could do and that is ruffle the Tigers fur. Picture of a wind swept golf scene We have all played in wild conditions and we have all foolishly thought we can beat it by swinging harder. From where I was watching, Woods fell for it as well. He swung very hard and ripped at the ball finishing in his trademark, full follow through. Pride it seemed would not let anything, other than himself, change his strategy. He tried to slug it out toe to toe. The balance of character traits inherited from his folks was lost as he dropped into the mindset of his father side. Had he not met a violent wind with his aggressive shot making and had he allowed his mother’s mindset to influence the situation, I am convinced that he would have been on top on Sunday evening. Read the following extract from Lao Tzu’s “Tao Te Ching” adapted by Ray Griggs that describes the art of T’ai Chi. T’ai Chi is the art of attuning to the way of things, of using with instead of against.Timing is crucial. Instead of struggling against things, T’ai Chi finds the opportune opening into the within of them. As a consequence of being at one with things, energy moves unforced. Thus thinking and doing seem to occur effortlessly and h      ");
array_files[50]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip50.html","2008-03-24","6K","50 - A great looking body action with poor hand action cannot play good golf but Educated hands with a limited, or eccentric body action can play stunning golf     ","",""," 50 - A great looking body action with poor hand action cannot play good golf but Educated hands with a limited, or eccentric body action can play stunning golf home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 50. A great looking body action with poor hand action cannot play good golf but Educated hands with a limited, or eccentric body action can play stunning golf If you were to stand on a practice ground at any top tournament, any where in the world, you would witness a similarity in the swings of most of the players from the well known to the unknown. Most of these actions would ooze smooth, coordinated, rhythmical simplicity resulting in great visual pleasure and great shots. Then suddenly, your attention is caught by someone who stands out like a sore thumb. It is highly probable you will be looking at a player who the worlds leading Coaching Gurus give a wide berth to, contradicts the technical swing manual because he has more movements than a Swiss watch yet makes a VERY tidy living from his profession as a successful tour pro. His name could be Mark James, Jim Furyk, Eamon Darcy, Ray Floyd, Lee Trevino, Kenny Perry..... the list could go on. These players are in a minority compared to their cosmetically better swinging fellow competitors yet all however are extremely effective. How can it be that these two groups of players, though technically very different, can produce identical shot characteristics? If you had a technically near Perfect swinger like Frank Nobilo or Steve Elkington and put him alongside Jim Furyk, Ray Floyd or Mark James and asked them to play a repertoire of shots from a high draw to a low fade, you would never be able to tell by watching the ball if the Perfect swinger or the Eccentric swinger was hitting the stated shot. By looking at the player swing, you can identify who it is but by looking at the ball, well, a low fade hit by Furyk would look the same as a low fade hit by Elkington. So if two vastly differing swings can produce identical shots when asked, it means tha      ");
array_files[51]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip5.html","2008-03-24","5K","5 - A good swing when first experienced feels anything but good    ","",""," 5 - A good swing when first experienced feels anything but good home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 5. A good swing when first experienced feels anything but good When you engage in either a lesson or a series of golf lessons, to get the best from them, you must look upon it as a shared responsibility. It must be a 50/50 arrangement for it to produce real improvement. This is how it breaks down. The Pro brings his knowledge of the mechanics, knowledge of golf psychology, understanding of the pupils needs and wants, patience, positive attitude, an understanding of cause and effect, communication skills in audio, visual and kinaesthetic modes, his experience, an approachable manner and last but not least, a shoulder to lean on. The pupil needs to bring 3 things. A willingness to listen to ideas, (ideas that may sound irrelevant and sometimes strange) commitment and patience. You must be willing to learn new strange concepts that initially make no sense at all. I often tell players that a good swing when first experienced feels anything but good. More often than not, better swings do not work straight away either which is why you need a commitment to stay with the idea until your natural hand / eye co-ordination re-adjusts. This can take time especially if you inwardly resist the idea or display commitment in a Bull headed fashion. The harder you push the more resistance you meet. If you can back off from this kind of confrontation, you will often find the game then comes to you. A calmer commitment is required which is, in a way, another form of Patience. Patience and golf are not naturally compatible because golf, and the challenge of it, brings out the worst aspects of the human condition. It is extremely difficult to quickly change several million years of conditioning in a few hours or days. A friend of mine, a fellow Pro, is a very good player but a reluctant coach. He once felt obliged to give one of his members a lesson and on the way to the range, the pupil spelt out what he expecte      ");
array_files[52]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip64.html","2008-03-24","6K","64 - Learning and practicing how to hit your opposite “Bad Shot” on the range, as bizarre as it may seem, helps you eliminate the destructive bad shot on the course. Facing and embracing the bad shots by learning to hit them and not hit them deliberately takes the fear out of them. After all, it’s the shots we fear that we attract on the course    ","",""," 64 - Learning and practicing how to hit your opposite “Bad Shot” on the range, as bizarre as it may seem, helps you eliminate the destructive bad shot on the course. Facing and embracing the bad shots by learning to hit them and not hit them deliberately takes the fear out of them. After all, it’s the shots we fear that we attract on the course home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 64. Learning and practicing how to hit your opposite “Bad Shot” on the range, as bizarre as it may seem, helps you eliminate the destructive bad shot on the course. Facing and embracing the bad shots by learning to hit them and not hit them deliberately takes the fear out of them. After all, it’s the shots we fear that we attract on the course How do you find the center between two points when you are only given one point as a reference to calculate from? The answer is, you cannot do it without a second point of reference. You can have as many guesses as you like as to where the middle is but you can never know for sure. What has this to do with the game? A player who slices will have good days when he hits acceptable fades but he will always be at the mercy of his destructive slice. There will always be a sense of anxiety as the player hopes the slice will not come back. Each drive is like a game of Russian roulette. This has serious limitations for the player because Hitting and Hoping is no foundation for building a better game upon. In an attempt to find the answer to the golfing problem a player can also have many guesses, but just as in solving the math’s equation, you can only truly cure a slice and be free of its influence over you when you find the opposite point of reference. In golfing terms this is a hook. Ben Hogan and Gary Player, to name but two quite tidy players both suffered with a hook in their early careers. They only became dominant world class players when they learnt how to hit the fade/slice shot. Stand any of the worlds top players on a practice ground and ask them to hit extreme shots an      ");
array_files[53]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip63.html","2008-03-24","4K","63 - I personally believe that prolonged exposure to the standard on the Tour can in a lot of cases impair the ability to explain and deliver the relevant and realistic message to the ordinary golfer. We could argue that TV expert analysis should carry a golfing health warning    ","",""," 63 - I personally believe that prolonged exposure to the standard on the Tour can in a lot of cases impair the ability to explain and deliver the relevant and realistic message to the ordinary golfer. We could argue that TV expert analysis should carry a golfing health warning home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 63. I personally believe that prolonged exposure to the standard on the Tour can in a lot of cases impair the ability to explain and deliver the relevant and realistic message to the ordinary golfer. We could argue that TV expert analysis should carry a golfing health warning Quite often, the analysis of the top player’s swings on the TV by the experts can be very misleading for the club player. It is not that the information is incorrect, just that it is directed at the wrong standard of golfer. The emphasis all to often is on the big muscle groups as a we are told to develop Lower body resistance against upper body rotation to maximize the backswings coil effect. A Lateral shifting / rotating hip release to start the downswing is a must if you want power. Not only is this very technically loaded, it is also virtually impossible to achieve for the lesser able and older player. It is the equivalent of a person trying to sprint when they are hardly able to walk. Dynamic body action is only relevant to the top players, but catastrophic to the club player and here is the reason why. Good players, in order to be good, have developed the all important effective hand action first which then makes it possible to apply the more” aggressive body action and get the benefits from such an action To do it the other way round is just not feasible but the power of the TV with its expert analysis and video playback hooks our viewer and seduces him into a situation that is not possible for him. Our only contact with the club is our hands and it is the hands that put the club on to the ball at impact. A great body action without good Hands cannot play good golf but good Educated hands with a limite      ");
array_files[54]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip62.html","2008-03-24","5K","62 - “Great looking swings can hit bad shots and bad looking swings can hit good shots.”    ","",""," 62 - “Great looking swings can hit bad shots and bad looking swings can hit good shots.” home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 62. “Great looking swings can hit bad shots and bad looking swings can hit good shots.” Here’s a statement to make you sit up and think! “Great looking swings can hit bad shots and bad looking swings can hit good shots.” There I told you so. Before we go on, this has nothing to do with luck, either good or bad. Golf is not one-dimensional; neither is it black or white. Any decent coach can demonstrate a dodgy looking technique but still hit a good ball and likewise, he can then make a visually great looking movement and totally duff the shot; both on purpose I hasten to add. One of the saddest spectacles on a golf course is the man who mystifies everyone in that he has regular lessons, has a great looking swing but hits very poor quality shots and plays off an 20 or 22 handicap. This poor soul is simply lacking one element in his technique that makes the difference. So what defines a good swing? A great swing is one that gets the club head into the back of the ball, right on the button, consistently. If you have a slightly eccentric loop or an extra couple of movements somewhere but regularly strike the ball solid and in the right direction, don’t, whatever you do, change it, or let anyone else try either for that matter. Many a decent player has tried to make big changes to his swing in order to lower his handicap and ended up sending his game backwards. For many players wanting to lower their scores they would be better of spending more time on the practice green working on the 60 yards and less shots rather than going on the range hitting full irons and woods. What’s that statistic? Is it something like 55% of the shots we hit are played from less than 100 yards out? Have I missed anything out on this subject? Has anyone thought, “Hang on a minute, how do we learn how to get the club head in the right place at the right time? ” That’s a difficult one but there is      ");
array_files[55]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip61.html","2008-03-24","6K","61 - Positive thoughts should be so natural that you are not even aware of thinking them    ","",""," 61 - Positive thoughts should be so natural that you are not even aware of thinking them home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 61. Positive thoughts should be so natural that you are not even aware of thinking them The next lesson for you to contemplate starts with a story I heard years ago of an American military man called Col. Nesmith. He was captured by the Vietnamese during the war and while he was imprisoned in dreadful conditions, he visualized a perfect round of golf, using a perfectly balanced powerful swing, in his mind every day for months on end in an attempt to blot out the terrible conditions he was held in and keep his sanity. Thankfully he survived his ordeal and after his liberation and rehabilitation, his next round of golf was a gross 74. Not bad you might think but it becomes remarkable when you consider he had never broken 90 before. I know it’s easy to think “That’s impossible” but when you consider that the majority of players visualize poor shots and performances unwittingly in their minds, is there any wonder that they keep re-running the same results and consequently, never improve. We all dream of the “Power of Positive Thinking but isn’t it more accurate to say we are controlled by the Effects of Negative Thinking. How many times have we seen players reduced to nervous wrecks when they play over the Water hole for instance or chipping over a Bunker or play a hole with Out of Bounds close by? The reason for this effect is that they have been re-running previous failures through their minds so often that it becomes a self- fulfilling prophecy. Failure becomes their reality. We can all improve if we visualize the outcomes we desire on a regular basis. But positive thinking and affirmations on their own are of no use. Telling yourself 20 times every morning “I can do it” means nothing until you can see yourself doing it without effort. This creates very powerful positive feelings and beliefs which then make the difference. Positive thoughts should rise so naturally t      ");
array_files[56]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip6.html","2008-03-24","4K","6 - What you think the top players and top coaches mean and what they are truly trying to communicate are quite often miles apart    ","",""," 6 - What you think the top players and top coaches mean and what they are truly trying to communicate are quite often miles apart home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 6. What you think the top players and top coaches mean and what they are truly trying to communicate are quite often miles apart Top level golf and golf instruction is as confusing to the average golfer as the Chinese language is. What you think the top players and top coaches mean and what they are truly trying to communicate are quite often miles apart. The true message, with all its subtlety, is hidden within a language all of its own. It requires time and patience for it to be revealed or translated. It has been my belief for quite some time that the top players and top coaches do not necessarily make the best instructors for the masses as they are too wrapped up in swing theory and concepts at an elevated level; I apologize if it sounds condescending but it is not unlike a University Professor of maths trying to teach his theorems to first grade pupils. Enter the PGA Teaching Pro in the role as a middle man. Myself, and thousands of coaching pros like me, are the bridge between top level players and club level. Using our own golfing experience and knowledge, we can see where the best players are coming from whilst identifying with the club players situation. A good coach acts as the translator of the language that is advanced swing theory, filters out what is realistic and relevant and then communicates it in a form that is more understandable thereby making it more applicable to the masses. That is our job. Bypassing the middle man and going it alone will eventually, if not sooner, lead to a lot of confusion and frustration. It is not a place you want to be. home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop     ");
array_files[57]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip77.html","2008-03-24","4K","77 - There are clubs that suit players and clubs that certainly do not and Professional help is essential to get you on the proper path    ","",""," 77 - There are clubs that suit players and clubs that certainly do not and Professional help is essential to get you on the proper path home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 77. There are clubs that suit players and clubs that certainly do not and Professional help is essential to get you on the proper path The Annual International Golf Trade shows are where all the well known and not so well known Manufacturers try to convince the retailers that their latest Technological designs are going to fulfill the dreams and aspirations of the nation’s golfers. I think we have long since past the point when the endless stream of phrases like counter torque shafts, matched frequency shafts, low kick points, high kick points, swing weight matched sets, E.Q.L. sets, inertial dynamics, (the list is endless) has deflected the golfers attention away from the real and only thing that can improve his or her game. It gives golfers more excuses as they attempt to avoid responsibility for their poor performance caused by poor technique, poor thinking and poor course management. Don’t get me wrong, there are clubs that suit players and clubs that certainly do not and Professional help is essential to get you on the proper path. During the Open in 1976 I happened to be staying in the same guest house in Southport as Sam Torrance. In the morning I went to the closet under the stairs which was set aside as a club store to get my golf bag. I happened to notice Torrances bag and a close inspection revealed that his long irons did not match his mid irons and the wedges had not only had a grinding wheel on them but were also rusting in the faces, the woods also were not related save for the fact that each felt compatible in his hands. The Great Bobby Jones was yet another top player who had a bag of allsorts, collected on his travels, because they looked and felt “RIGHT. It did not matter that the clubs were different because each club is different. They were picked for their individuality. Even in a so called Matched      ");
array_files[58]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip75.html","2008-03-24","5K","75 - The physics of the game tells us that club-head speed is essential for distance but too heavier a club-head simply slows things down    ","",""," 75 - The physics of the game tells us that club-head speed is essential for distance but too heavier a club-head simply slows things down home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 75. The physics of the game tells us that club-head speed is essential for distance but too heavier a club-head simply slows things down How many golfers I wonder think that a heavy-headed driver would give them extra distance? I remember years ago, players would invest in rolls of lead tape and proceed to stick it on the back of their drivers believing an extra 25 yards distance was guaranteed. They would always come back in exhausted, disappointed and their arms about 2 inches longer than when they went out. The physics of the game tells us that club-head speed is essential for distance but too heavier a club-head simply slows things down. I have a “weighted” driver that in the past I used for practice swinging in order to build up strength. It weighs in at about 22 ounces, which does not seem a lot until you compare it to a standard driver which has an overall weight of around 12 to 13 ounces. On the occasions I have hit a ball with it, I struggled to get it much past 175 yards. I was recently reading an excellent book which covers the physics of hitting a golf ball and pulled out some facts that I thought you might find interesting. Long hitters get their length by swinging the club-head faster than their shorter hitting peer’s. In order to carry a shot 280 yards with a club-head weighing 7 ounces, he would have to have a swing speed of 130 mph to enable the ball leave impact at the required 175 mph. An average hitting top player with a swing speed of 100 mph and a 7 ounce club-head would see his ball set off at 135 mph. The same swing speed with a club-head weighing 14 ounces, or twice the normal weight, would only send the ball packing at 149 mph. A club with a 16 pound head swung at 100 mph would only dispatch the ball at 165 mph. Finally, a club-head weighing 10,000 tons travelling at the same 100 mph would on      ");
array_files[59]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip73.html","2008-03-24","6K","73 - Simply stand back, get out of your own way, and let your natural ability move in and take over    ","",""," 73 - Simply stand back, get out of your own way, and let your natural ability move in and take over home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 73. Simply stand back, get out of your own way, and let your natural ability move in and take over If you are an avid reader of golf reports and golf books, you will no doubt be aware of the vague phrases I stayed Focused or I was in the zone used by the top players when referring to a winning performance. Many readers would nod in agreement saying, “Yep, that’s what you need to do to win,” genuinely believing that they actually know what is meant by the statements. However, many thousands would openly confess that they are confused. Focused on what ? or What do they mean by zone? ” are common, head scratching responses. However, some strugglers of the game believe it simply means Concentration. A conclusion which is as equally vague as the above two statements because you could say Concentrating on what? As we all know, our best golf often occurs when we least expect it. The opposite is also true. When we are feeling up for it, we often play our worst game for months. To play at your best gives you an experience which is unique. To explain in words what this experience is like and how to encourage it more often is extremely difficult because it is, quite simply, beyond words. In a vain attempt to shed some light on this issue, I will use ideas from two writers of the mystical aspects of life. Links to amazon for these 2 books Eckhart Toll, a spiritual teacher, whose book, The power of Now is one; the other is called Awareness by the Indian mystic, Osho. Both publications draw heavily on Eastern philosophy. They both talk of the need to become centred to live fulfilled lives. In Oshos book, he calls upon people to become centred which he says is only really possible by becoming a witness to the incessant chattering that goes on in our heads. Elkhart Tolle calls it watching the thinker. Both authors ask us to step back and observe our actions and thoughts       ");
array_files[60]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip7.html","2008-03-24","5K","7 - If you are finding the game difficult, it may just be you’re attempting the impossible    ","",""," 7 - If you are finding the game difficult, it may just be you’re attempting the impossible home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 7. If you are finding the game difficult, it may just be you’re attempting the impossible A friend of mine recently told me a fascinating bit of information about the legendary Swedish Tennis star, Bjorn Borg. Someone it seems had taken the time to record all his training details and then studied all of his Wimbledon finals and came up with this incredible statistic. For every point he played in all of his 5 finals, he had put in 46 minutes of practise. This chronological foundation he laid down made him believe in himself when it came to the big points. This kind of statistic is consistent with all the top performers in any sport. World class Marathon runners build up their mileage to well in excess of a 100 miles a week for several weeks prior to a World championship, anything less than this mileage would mean they will not feature on the big day. Gary Player estimated he had hit his 1,000,000 practise shot sometime in the late 70s.This commitment to the game yielded 9 major titles and a further 150 tournament victories world-wide. Tiger Woods has been swinging a golf club since a toddler and we can only speculate as to how many shots he has dispatched down the range in his quest for immortality. There are many more devoted practise ground disciples around like Vijay Singh and Nick Faldo but strange as it may seem, there is a growing number of players who would rather go out and play a few holes instead hitting 2 or 3 balls in the process. They have done the graft that all top players have to do to reach a high level. But now, unlike tennis players or marathon runners who have to keep up a high level of cardio- vascular fitness, golfers only need a certain amount of physical conditioning which they achieve by walking round the course. For the golfer, mental training now becomes the priority in order to put the “swing muscle memory” to work on the golf course whe      ");
array_files[61]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip42.html","2008-03-24","8K","42 - In order to become better, you need to have a greater command of skills to include, a wider variety of shots, course management, self management and positive attitude    ","",""," 42 - In order to become better, you need to have a greater command of skills to include, a wider variety of shots, course management, self management and positive attitude home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 42. In order to become better, you need to have a greater command of skills to include, a wider variety of shots, course management, self management and positive attitude In this posting I have produced a general game development table to offer you some guidance for improvement. To use the guide, look at the handicap range you are in and read the different sections under the four headings. Work on the ideas in your sections to lay down the necessary foundation to achieve the next level up. It is a general guideline and to be honest, there could be up to 8 categories at least making the handicap ranges closer together, especially in the lower handicap range. For example, the 0 to 5 handicap category would be split from 0 to 2 and 3 to 5 as the difference between a player on 2 and one on 5 is huge even though it is only 3 shots. It is as hard to get from 5 handicap to 3 as it is getting from 28 to 18. As you can see, in order to become better, you need to have a greater command of skills to include, a wider variety of shots, course management, self management and positive attitude. Handicap Category Long Game Driver thru to 4 iron Mid Game 5, 6 and 7 iron Short irons and less than full shots Chipping & Putting Handicap range: 0 to 5 Focus on ball flight shape and placement of ball in favourable side of the fairway. Long approach shots should always be aimed into the largest part of the greens. Try to play these clubs into the part of the green so as to leave yourself either flat or uphill putts. You will need to hone your ability to hit ½ and ¾ shots with all these irons. These are the attacking irons. Practise a wide variety of shots to suit all eventualities. In most cases, the hole is your target with these clubs. At least 50% of your practice time is required in this department. All      ");
array_files[62]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip9.html","2008-03-24","5K","9 - Golf improvement requires an understanding not only of what we want to learn but of the learning process as well    ","",""," 9 - Golf improvement requires an understanding not only of what we want to learn but of the learning process as well home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 9. Golf improvement requires an understanding not only of what we want to learn but of the learning process as well February and March is the time of the year for some golfers to think about having a swing check up and assess the state of their golf health in readiness for the new season. Bad habits do set in from time to time and as everyone knows, if left untreated they bring our games down. The process of breaking these bad habits and making changes is far from easy. In virtually every case during a lesson, a player will make, on several occasions, the changes we are looking for. Come their next lesson though the Old muscle memory has re- asserted itself in a case of Better the devil we know than the one we are not to sure about. A good swing when first experienced feels very strange so consequently hard to trust. This can be very off-putting for the pupil who usually thinks the whole thing is a waste of time. But take heart, this is a normal human response to skill learning. When you understand how we learn, you will see that it works very much on what I call a Rubber Band Principle. So let’s see how this principle works. In the first lesson, I would metaphorically grab the person and pull them into the new experience we call the desired change”. This is basically stretching the person into different territory to the one they are familiar with. However, once they are left alone to practice over the coming days, the subconscious longing for a comfort zone means they pull back or contract back to the original swing. If we had an observer taking notes at these lessons, he would probably record that on the second session, the pupil is back at square one and will have to start again but they would be wrong. Likewise, the pupil thinking they cannot do it would also be wrong. On the face of it, nothing appears to have changed but something h      ");
array_files[63]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip8.html","2008-03-24","5K","8 - Game management; your choice of every shot on the course must be aligned to your ability to perform it given the pressure you are under at the time    ","",""," 8 - Game management; your choice of every shot on the course must be aligned to your ability to perform it given the pressure you are under at the time home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 8. Game management; your choice of every shot on the course must be aligned to your ability to perform it given the pressure you are under at the time Pressure is the constant companion of every golfer. Pressure has many different levels. Hitting a golf ball on a deserted practice ground at dawn before anyone is up hardly registers and every player can cope with this situation. However, let’s turn the screw a notch by now standing on the first tee, still at dawn, when the course is empty. It is possible there could be players with dry mouths and sweaty hands. Now make it mid morning, a number of players hovering round the same 1st tee waiting to start, waiting for you in fact to tee off. A substantial number of players will now be at their threshold for pressure. Once the round is under way the first tee panic melts away but pressure situations keep coming along with various amounts of intensity. Some players seize up when confronted with water. My father in law has a resigned fear of bunkers. When faced with a chip shot over a sand trap, he calls the shot a NITBY which stands for “Not in the bunker yet.” Sure enough in it goes. In the general scheme of things a Game management strategy will reduce the pressure on the course. Quite simply your choice of every shot on the course must be aligned to your ability to perform it given the pressure you are under at the time. Good players are good because they can cope with almost all the pressure that comes their way. I say almost because even the best have their threshold and the game is littered with stories of self doubt in the crunch moments. I read once of Davis Love so overcome with pressure on the first morning foursomes in his debut Ryder Cup that he asked his partner if he cared to drive from the first hole because he had visions of actually missing th      ");
array_files[64]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/101-golf-tips.htm","2008-03-15","33K","Untitled Document    ","",""," Untitled Document home publications 101 golf tips online shop Welcome to 101 Golf Tips. 101-Golf-Tips is a Game Improvement Site packed with essential game improvement information for every golfer. Actually, 101 Golf Tips is not strictly accurate. Over the last 16 years I have written over 350 different lessons on golf as a Pro and freelance writer. I could have called the site 300+ Golf Tips but instead chose to start with 101. Before long the entire archive will be available on this site so you can be sure there will be many more Golf tips in the future. Golf Tips by game improvement area... Golf Technical matters - read more... Golf 60 yards and in - The Short Game - read more... Golf - The Inner Game - read more... Game Management in Golf - read more... Self management - The Good Golf Players Mindset - read more... Understanding how we learn - Your Golfing learning strategy - read more... General Observations on the Game of Golf - read more... The four levels of skill learning - does this still need to be in ??????- read more... Golf Tips have been around for decades, some are good and some not so good. Many Golf Tips have been recycled many times over in the last 40 years resulting in the real message they held been lost through mistranslation. The archive you have in front of you contain Golf Tips of a slightly different nature. Some may seem a bit abstract when first read but the full message will be made clear when you read the full lesson from which the Golf Tip originated. Where do I start? You may just wish to ponder the one line Golf tips on there own but I am sure the bigger message behind them will encourage you into looking at the game in a different way. It is a fact that most players put 100% effort into only 20% of what the game is about. The 101 Golf Tips site is designed to get you thinking like a better player thereby using more of the dormant 80% potential. Dont be tricked into thinking a golf tip is the answer. You must discover for yourself as an experience just what point the golf tip       ");
array_files[65]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/golf-tips-Golf-learning-strategies.htm","2008-03-15","9K","Untitled Document    ","",""," Untitled Document home publications 101 golf tips online shop Golf Tips on Golf Learning Strategies 1 Poor golf stems from applying logic to a flawed concept. read more... 2 You have to hit a lot of bad shots before you are able to hit a lot of acceptable shots. read more... 7 If you are finding the game difficult, it may just be you’re attempting the impossible. read more... 9 Golf improvement requires an understanding not only of what we want to learn but of the learning process as well. read more... 16 The greater the degree to which the ball arrests your attention and entices you into pushing for results, the more you end up in a physical state that guarantees you cannot do it. read more... 17 It is our response to the challenge with the constant stream of instructions we give ourselves during play and the misinterpretation and over emphasis of the instruction out of the textbook that keeps us where we are. read more... 18 The interference and frailty of the conscious mind is the reason as to why golf is not only imperfectable but also the great appealing game that it is. read more... 21 When teaching new players I always tell them that in the early lessons I am simply teaching them to swing the golf club; not how to hit a golf ball. read more... 24 Knowledge of what to do is of no use until you can do what it is you know, and do it without thinking. read more... 25 The quality of swings, not quantity, will lead to a quantity of quality shots. read more... 30 Step back from the conflict with the ball, swing the club, engage your hand and eye co-ordination, and just let the ball be in the way. read more... 35 As a beginner at golf, we strive to create a swing to give us a shot, with the accomplished player however, his choice of shot creates the swing. There comes a point when in order to improve, you must tackle this transition. read more... 42 In order to become better, you need to have a greater command of skills to include, a wider variety of shots, course management, self management and positive attitu      ");
array_files[66]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/golf-tips-Golf-Short-Game.htm","2008-03-15","3K","Untitled Document    ","",""," Untitled Document home publications 101 golf tips online shop Golf Tips on The Short Game 13 When there is no ball in the way we focus our attention on the swing. When the ball is sat there in front of us, we now focus on the ball. Two different mindsets give us two different swing outcomes. read more... 19 It is better to set a very high long term goal and fall just short of it than to set a goal that is achievable without you breaking sweat. read more... 42 In order to become better, you need to have a greater command of skills to include, a wider variety of shots, course management, self management and positive attitude. read more... 57 It’s a fact that whilst most players are disappointed when they miss a makeable putt, they aren’t surprised. The truth is they never really expected to hole it. read more... 60 Many players do not have to do much special to make a par on any hole; well, if you don’t do much 18 times in a round, you can play to scratch. read more... 62 Great looking swings can hit bad shots and bad looking swings can hit good shots. read more... 72 It is well worth remembering that if getting chewed up actually helped our cause, anyone who has played for at least 5 years would be extremely proficient by now. read more... 90 To improve your iron shots into greens, practice getting out of bunkers. If you get fairly proficient at sand shots, bunkers become less of a worry which consequently makes you less anxious on the shot to the green. Theres a bit of lateral thinking for you but it is true. read more...     ");
array_files[67]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/golf-tips-Golf-Technique.htm","2008-03-15","13K","Untitled Document    ","",""," Untitled Document home publications 101 golf tips online shop Golf Tips on Golf Technique 3 Instead of trying harder and going after the game, try to let the game come to you. read more... 10 The more you fight the wind, the harder it seems to blow. Learning how to hit longs clubs with quiet swings can help turn gales into breezes. read more... 13 When there is no ball in the way we focus our attention on the swing. When the ball is sat there in front of us, we now focus on the ball. Two different mindsets give us two different swing outcomes. read more... 14 Aggression kills coordination which results in the loss of timing and the very thing aggressive players are looking for, namely distance. read more... 15 For the handicap player, a dominant body action only ever gives you an illusion of power. read more... 17 It is our response to the challenge with the constant stream of instructions we give ourselves during play and the misinterpretation and over emphasis of the instruction out of the textbook that keeps us where we are. read more... 20 One of the problems of swing analysis by fragmenting the technique into many bits and pieces it actually losing sight of its purpose. read more... 23 You must understand shot patterns and ball spin aerodynamics before you even think about self analysis. read more... 24 Knowledge of what to do is of no use until you can do what it is you know, and do it without thinking. read more... 30 Step back from the conflict with the ball, swing the club, engage your hand and eye co-ordination, and just let the ball be in the way. read more... 31 The purpose of the Golf action is, To Swing the club head. Many of you will now be thinking that this is stating the obvious and that you already do this. But do you? read more... 34 Technique equates to about 30% of what the game is about. Sadly many players put 100 % effort into that 30%. read more... 35 As a beginner at golf, we strive to create a swing to give us a shot, with the accomplished player however, his choice of shot creates t      ");
array_files[68]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/golf-tips-Golf-general-observations.htm","2008-03-15","8K","Untitled Document    ","",""," Untitled Document home publications 101 golf tips online shop Golf Tips on Golf General Observations If the game was so easy that we could all play it well, we would be so bored with it that we couldn’t be bothered to. 5 A good swing when first experienced feels anything but good. read more... 6 What you think the top players and top coaches mean and what they are trulytrying to communicate are quite often miles apart. read more... 7 If you are finding the game difficult, it may just be you’re attempting the impossible. read more... 11 One reason we all struggle at golf is that we are told from the beginning how difficult the game is and not only do we listen, we believe it. read more... 15 For the handicap player, a dominant body action only ever gives you an illusion of power. read more... 26 It is not how good your good shot is it’s how good your bad shot is. Every player should aim to develop a good quality bad shot. Perfectionists do have a problem with this. read more... 28 Here is a strong message for younger players coming into the game. You must decide and set the level you want to play to. Poor goals give poor results. When you set a goal, do not be afraid of asking “How high is high”. read more... 31 The purpose of the Golf action is, To Swing the club head. Many of you will now be thinking that this is stating the obvious and that you already do this. But do you? read more... 32 Remember that a Top player does not have just one swing but as many different swings as shots he can visualise. read more... 33 A slump is not something you catch; it is something you unwittingly create. read more... 34 Technique equates to about 30% of what the game is about. Sadly many players put 100 % effort into that 30%. read more... 53 The swing most players have today owes its existence to the early ideas and beliefs formed from their first introduction to the game. read more... 54 If you swing the club as it is designed to be swung, you will hit a right to left flighted ball most of the time. read more... 56 I feel      ");
array_files[69]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/golf-tips-Golfing-mindset.htm","2008-03-15","9K","Untitled Document    ","",""," Untitled Document home publications 101 golf tips online shop Golf Tips on The Golfers Mindset 4 When you see a Top player hit a shot, he is in that moment showing the rest of the world, in the physical, what he was moments before seeing and feeling internally.read more... 8 Game management; your choice of every shot on the course must be aligned to your ability to perform it given the pressure you are under at the time. read more... 10 The more you fight the wind, the harder it seems to blow. Learning how to hit longs clubs with quiet swings can help turn gales into breezes. read more... 14 Aggression kills coordination which results in the loss of timing and the very thing aggressive players are looking for, namely distance. read more... 16 The greater the degree to which the ball arrests your attention and entices you into pushing for results, the more you end up in a physical state that guarantees you cannot do it. read more... 21 When teaching new players I always tell them that in the early lessons I am simply teaching them to swing the golf club; not how to hit a golf ball. read more... 25 The quality of swings, not quantity, will lead to a quantity of quality shots. read more... 26 It is not how good your good shot is it’s how good your bad shot is. Every player should aim to develop a good quality bad shot. Perfectionists do have a problem with this. read more... 27 The best shot you can ever hit on the range is a good shot. The same shot hit on the course when you need a four to win club championship is immediately elevated to the status of a Great shot. read more... 29 Don’t turn a 5 into a 7 by still going after a 4. read more... 32 Remember that a Top player does not have just one swing but as many different swings as shots he can visualise. read more... 33 A slump is not something you catch; it is something you unwittingly create. read more... 36 This is the paradox that is golf, we have to try without trying, want to win without thinking of winning and take care without caring. read more... 41 T      ");
array_files[70]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/golf-tips-Golf-Inner-Game.htm","2008-03-15","5K","Untitled Document    ","",""," Untitled Document home publications 101 golf tips online shop Golf Tips on The Inner Game 5 A good swing when first experienced feels anything but good. read more... 12 Anchoring is an age old science you can utilize to attract the successful state of mind and body that has to be present for good golf performance. read more... 16 The greater the degree to which the ball arrests your attention and entices you into pushing for results, the more you end up in a physical state that guarantees you cannot do it. read more... 18 The interference and frailty of the conscious mind is the reason as to why golf is not only imperfectable but also the great appealing game that it is. read more... 22 The good players learn the script and identify the characteristics associated to a good player and ultimately express the part as if it is an act. read more... 42 In order to become better, you need to have a greater command of skills to include, a wider variety of shots, course management, self management and positive attitude. read more... 45 A faulty swing can hit very acceptable quality shots as well as disastrous shots; it simply depends on how great the error shows itself. The swing line through the ball that gives Montgomerie a graceful controlled fade turns into an uncontrollable slice if exaggerated. However, when the ball is under control, who is to say it is a fault. read more... 67 We are our own worst enemies when it comes to our golf performance; for a start, we over complicate the technique, then we try too hard to make things happen and finally, we beat ourselves up when we under-perform. read more... 70 If great golf is a gift from God, then so be It; but the gift is available to most if you can reframe your ideas. The main challenge in golf is getting your mind round the right ideas. read more... 72 It is well worth remembering that if getting chewed up actually helped our cause, anyone who has played for at least 5 years would be extremely proficient by now. read more... 73 Simply stand back, get out of your       ");
array_files[71]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/golf-tips-Golf-Game-management.htm","2008-03-15","6K","Untitled Document    ","",""," Untitled Document home publications 101 golf tips online shop Golf Tips on Game Management 8 Game management; your choice of every shot on the course must be aligned to your ability to perform it given the pressure you are under at the time. read more... 10 The more you fight the wind, the harder it seems to blow. Learning how to hit longs clubs with quiet swings can help turn gales into breezes. read more... 21 When teaching new players I always tell them that in the early lessons I am simply teaching them to swing the golf club; not how to hit a golf ball. read more... 26 It is not how good your good shot is it’s how good your bad shot is. Every player should aim to develop a good quality bad shot. Perfectionists do have a problem with this. read more... 27 The best shot you can ever hit on the range is a good shot. The same shot hit on the course when you need a four to win club championship is immediately elevated to the status of a Great shot. read more... 28 Here is a strong message for younger players coming into the game. You must decide and set the level you want to play to. Poor goals give poor results. When you set a goal, do not be afraid of asking “How high is high”. read more... 29 Don’t turn a 5 into a 7 by still going after a 4. read more... 39 Pressure creates negative emotions which affects your ability to perform. Therefore work on reducing pressure by playing shots within your capability. read more... 42 In order to become better, you need to have a greater command of skills to include, a wider variety of shots, course management, self management and positive attitude. read more... 45 A faulty swing can hit very acceptable quality shots as well as disastrous shots; it simply depends on how great the error shows itself. The swing line through the ball that gives Montgomerie a graceful controlled fade turns into an uncontrollable slice if exaggerated. However, when the ball is under control, who is to say it is a fault. read more... 60 Many players do not have to do much special to make a par      ");
array_files[72]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/golf-tips-4-levels-of-skill-learning.htm","2008-03-15","2K","Untitled Document    ","",""," Untitled Document home publications 101 golf tips online shop Golf Tips on The 4 Levels Of Skill Learning 1 Poor golf stems from applying logic to a flawed concept. read more... 2 You have to hit a lot of bad shots before you are able to hit a lot of acceptable shots. read more... 3 Instead of trying harder and going after the game, try to let the game come to you. read more... 4 When you see a Top player hit a shot, he is in that moment showing the rest of the world, in the physical, what he was moments before seeing and feeling internally.read more...     ");
array_files[73]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip101.html","2008-03-15","4K","101 - All successful players draw from the huge reserves in the “Psychological Well    ","",""," 101 - All successful players draw from the huge reserves in the “Psychological Well home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 101. All successful players draw from the huge reserves in the “Psychological Well. It has been the intention through these lessons to try and bring to the golfer’s attention a bigger picture of the game of golf. There is a lot of complexity associated to the game that creates confusion. There are parts that are over emphasized and parts that are under emphasized and parts not emphasized at all through ignorance. Quite often, contradictions occur, most notably in the case of a good looking swing playing poor golf when a poor looking swing can produce good golf. It has been the aim through these posting’s to pinpoint what really needs addressing in a players game with the aim of getting that player to PERFORM. Everything that can be written about the technique has more or less, been written in many hundreds of publications over the last Century. The part of the game that has been under emphasized until recent years is the Psychological side. It is possible nowadays to buy some excellent books on the subject but it does sadly seem to be the case that people look the other way when words that start with PSY... come into the text. It is widely accepted that the Technique accounts for approximately 25% to 30% of the game while the huge 75% is the domain of the mental side. It is a fact that most frustrated Golfers apply 100% effort to the 25% in their search for Answers. Is there any wonder that they remain dissatisfied players. All successful players, either consciously or unconsciously draw from the huge reserves in the 70% “Psychological Well. It is in this area where Golfing Dreams are realized and where ALL players find their real Performance Potential. home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop     ");
array_files[74]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip100.html","2008-03-15","4K","100 -Many bad shots and spells of poor form experienced by better players is down to nothing more than mental laziness    ","",""," 100 -Many bad shots and spells of poor form experienced by better players is down to nothing more than mental laziness home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 100. Many bad shots and spells of poor form experienced by better players is down to nothing more than mental laziness Early this year a player came to me with the dreaded shanks. It turned out that I was the third Pro he had approached in an effort to rid himself of the disastrous shot. During his warm up at the start of the lesson, the shank showed itself. It was still there and he was waiting for it. He told me how in the previous lessons he had been given certain technical instructions ranging from the position of his right elbow and ball position at the setup to starting the downswing from a different position. He was expecting much of the same because he looked surprised when I told him that I was not interested in his shanking problem. I simply asked him, what shot do you want to hit? This was a complete shift in approach. After a long pause, he said A draw shot. I then simply showed him what the club-head had to do to achieve this desired result. Within 3 or 4 shots, he was hitting the draw shot. He began to look noticeably more relaxed after 10 minutes. It must be said that this particular fellow was a decent player and already had knowledge of the shot he wanted. He was not suffering from a Shank, it was more Learned Helplessness. A condition we can all suffer from caused by a failure to see or act clearly for whatever reason. Over the years I have found that many bad shots and spells of poor form experienced by better players is down to nothing more than mental laziness. Like all shankers, he was so consumed with fear of the shot that it was all he focused on. You cannot expect positive outcomes if all you focus on is the problem itself? So we set a positive plan of action. In this case, a plan of what he wanted and what was needed to achieve it. There was no cure as such, just a set of more desirable results brought about by      ");
array_files[75]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip99.html","2008-03-15","5K","99 - Being told to use a short iron when coming out of the rough is one thing but I think that understanding why it should be used will result in more chance of this sound advice been taken    ","",""," 99 - Being told to use a short iron when coming out of the rough is one thing but I think that understanding why it should be used will result in more chance of this sound advice been taken home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 99. Being told to use a short iron when coming out of the rough is one thing but I think that understanding why it should be used will result in more chance of this sound advice been taken Every player I imagine has been told at least once, that when in the rough, take nothing more powerful than a 7 iron to get out. It’s amazing how much this advice is ignored. Many players fail on two counts when it comes to a shot out of rough. First of all, they are over ambitious with their choice of a longer club because they do not realize that just a little grass behind the ball is all that is required to make it a bad lie. Secondly, the handicap player does not find it easy to accept the wayward shot into the thick grass and tries to pull off unrealistic recovery shots with too long a club to get back on track. Being told to use a short iron is one thing but I think that understanding why it should be used will result in more chance of this sound advice been taken. You first need to realize that the longer the club, the flatter or shallower the arc of the swing becomes through the impact area. The shorter iron however produces a more circular arc of swing resulting in a steeper approach into the ball. It stands to reason that if your club head is down at ground level for a longer duration, you are going to encounter a lot of grass before you get to the ball which massively reduces the power and results in a duff shot. The steeper arc of swing though is going to have a far clearer approach into the ball as it descends. The result is a cleaner more predictable hit. If you take a wedge for a recovery shot, try putting the ball slightly back in your stance as this will have the effect of de-lofting the angle of the club to make it play more like a 9 iron. You can try doing the sa      ");
array_files[76]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip98.html","2008-03-15","4K","98 - If your weight remains static through out the action, the result will be powerless    ","",""," 98 - If your weight remains static through out the action, the result will be powerless home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 98. If your weight remains static through out the action, the result will be powerless When teaching, I frequently come across a player whose swing appears very wooden and restricted thereby making powerful shots very rare. After a bit of probing, it emerges that they have either read or been told that they must keep their left heel down to the floor in the back swing. For some players it can be beneficial if you are as supple as Tiger Woods, Adam Scott and the new breed of young tour players but for every single amateur player it helps, there are maybe half a dozen it hinders. For this “upper body coiling” against a “lower body resistance” to work, you need a certain amount of athleticism. If however you are thicker set around the midriff yet still attempt this position, you run a great risk of becoming wooden in your action and also falling into a reverse pivot which means that too much weight stays on the left foot as the club is taken back creating a powerless position. To find out what is best for you, see if you can move your centre of balance, which is situated just behind your navel, over to the instep of your right foot with the left heel in contact with the floor. If you cannot do it, then you must allow the left heel to rise for this all important weight transference to occur. This movement loads the dynamics into the back swing for the release in the downswing. If your weight remains static through out the action, the result will be powerless. You may feel you are swaying a little when you first try lifting the heel but it will not be as much as you think nor will it be a problem as long as you move back in the downswing. As a word of encouragement, many players both past and present come off their left heel in the swing. The most notable being Jack Nicklaus so not only will you be in good company if you allow this simple action happen, you will also crea      ");
array_files[77]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip97.html","2008-03-15","4K","97 - Avoid choking in the stroke play events by disciplining yourself to digest the round in small bite size bits; ie one shot at a time    ","",""," 97 - Avoid choking in the stroke play events by disciplining yourself to digest the round in small bite size bits; ie one shot at a time home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 97. Avoid choking in the stroke play events by disciplining yourself to digest the round in small bite size bits; ie one shot at a time How often do you hear the leaders of tournaments state that in order to win, they have to stay focused on one shot at a time? I remember reading a piece after Tiger Woods won the Masters a few years back that so focused was he in the process; it suddenly dawned on him that after the last putt had dropped that “there were no more shots to hit, it was over”. It is this ability to see one shot at a time that enables a Top player to perform. Lesser mortals when they hit a bad shot carry the mental baggage, in the form of anger, frustration and negative vibes, to the next shot and so on and so on etc; Good players seldom hit two bad shots together but to do so requires mental discipline. You must first of all look at a round of golf as many separate shots and treat each shot with the same respect. By that, I mean give yourself the very best chance by not allowing bad emotions to rise when you stand over the shot. To help you achieve this, avoid judging the shot just played be it a good one or a bad one because both are impostors in this situation as a good shot can generate excitement which can distract you from your next shot. (Many a player has rehearsed a winning speech with 3 holes left to play and has not been called to use it.) Judging shots incites emotional response, which reduces your ability to perform. Have you ever had a bad first 9 holes and followed it with a great back 9, I bet you have but why wait till the 10th tee to wipe the slate clean and start afresh, do it on the very next shot. Avoid choking in the stroke play events by disciplining yourself to digest the round in small bite size bits; ie one shot at a time I will leave you with this quote from the great Bobby Jones,      ");
array_files[78]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip96.html","2008-03-15","4K","96 - New players should measure their progress on a monthly / yearly basis. Not on a daily basis and definitely not on a shot by shot basis as many players sadly do    ","",""," 96 - New players should measure their progress on a monthly / yearly basis. Not on a daily basis and definitely not on a shot by shot basis as many players sadly do home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 96. New players should measure their progress on a monthly / yearly basis. Not on a daily basis and definitely not on a shot by shot basis as many players sadly do Today’s posting is targeted at the new player brimming with confidence and eager anticipation. You would expect from that opening that I am about to deflate the poor soul but I am not. I am simply trying to keep you focused with realistic expectations rather than heady ones. A coach should always keep things within a realistic framework Golf can be very rewarding but soul destroying also and it is the latter that I am trying to protect you from. I am here to get you up and running as quickly as possible and avoid those confidence sapping experiences. What I am about to tell you is the fast way to learn but it will sound strange and maybe unconvincing to start with. When I start new players off, I go to some length to stress that all I am doing at the early stage is coach you in how to swing a golf club. I can hear you saying, well that’s obvious! But I know from experience that even the total novice is looking for great shots straight away. I know I was when I started out. Expecting great shots in the early days is the fastest way to get onboard the carousel of quack theory*. A bad shot prompts analysis and where does the analysis come from, the beginner himself or maybe the fellow in the next practice bay who plays off 28 handicap and works as an accountant, or a builder; hardly qualified to tamper with something that means so much to you. The early lessons can be boring and the more boring you keep them the better player you will become. By boring, I mean simply apply yourself to the disciplines you have been shown by someone Pga qualified and keep performing them until you can do them without thinking about it. There will be pl      ");
array_files[79]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip95.html","2008-03-15","4K","95 - Game management is very important, but self management is at the heart of every great player    ","",""," 95 - Game management is very important, but self management is at the heart of every great player home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 95. Game management is very important, but self management is at the heart of every great player Every year, people ask me who I think is going to win this years “Open” believing me to be a top tipster with inside knowledge of a dead cert who they can load their wages on at favourable odds. Even though no one can put a name to the winner, I do know what his character will be. He will be player who puts himself into as real a playing situation as possible even when he practices. He will control his reactions and inner feelings on a shot to shot basis and align his game strategy accordingly. He understands that if he cannot control himself and his emotions he will lose the focus of the calm state that is essential for performance. He is positive as in the sense of thinking the right things and seeing the right mental pictures with powerful imagination. He leaves all technical detail on the range but brings the feeling and the essence of technical working to the course and applies it as an artistic expression. He understands that the shot he sees in his mind is created by the controlled spin applied to the ball by his hands through the clubface. (Good golf is imagination with the hands) He also understands that the power he generates is from swinging the club head and not by heaving with the body. He never entertains the idea of attempting the impossible by trying to hit straight shots with the long clubs. These traits are developed over many years, not days and weeks, and it gives us an individual who at a deep level is supremely competent and confident but at the same time, mindful of the fact that the game is not perfectible. He will also know that when he gets these many attributes at their respective peaks, good performance is guaranteed and great golf a distinct possibility He knows that the right “golf character” is essential and just like an actor; the      ");
array_files[80]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip94.html","2008-03-15","4K","94 - Remember, before you take the medicine to cure a slice, make sure it is a slice you are suffering with    ","",""," 94 - Remember, before you take the medicine to cure a slice, make sure it is a slice you are suffering with home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 94. Remember, before you take the medicine to cure a slice, make sure it is a slice you are suffering with If you visit the “Open” in July or any tournament for that matter and spend time on the practise ground watching the players, you would find quite often that the coaches in attendance spend more time watching the ball rather than the player himself. The reason for this is quite simple; the ball tells the coach what is wrong in the technique. When a player at the top level loses his game, the glitch is more often than not so small in the swing that even the most astute eye in the world cannot always pick up the fault in such a brief moment. It is then that the focus turns to the ball for the answers to the swing problem because the golf coach understands the workings between cause and effect. Cause being the swing, effect being the shot patterns. An understanding of shot patterns is essential along with an understanding of the correct golf terminology used when describing certain shots. A lack of this understanding can be disastrous. Needs the graphic to go with it. The following conversation occurred only last week when a fellow booked a lesson out of desperation saying, “I cannot get rid of my Hook. I have read the lessons in golf magazines, bought the latest coaching video, and still it’s no better. In fact it’s got even worse!” was his cry. After watching him make one look swing, I asked him, “Which direction does your ball leave the club at impact, left of target or right of target, before the hook comes in?” I knew the answer before I heard the reply; “Left” was the inevitable response. “There is your problem,” I said, “You have been trying to apply a cure for a problem you do not have.” You have a “Pull Hook” not a “Hook” so your remedy will not work. It is like taking cough medicine for a sprained ankle. Identify what really blights yo      ");
array_files[81]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip93.html","2008-03-15","5K","93 - The leading edge of the club face (bottom quarter of an inch) is the point where the top players feelings are focused    ","",""," 93 - The leading edge of the club face (bottom quarter of an inch) is the point where the top players feelings are focused home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 93. The leading edge of the club face (bottom quarter of an inch) is the point where the top players feelings are focused If you struggle to get the ball airborne and hit a lot of shots along the ground, then this weeks column is for you. For the time been, put aside all the swing cures you may be attempting to solve your problem and pay some attention instead to the Leading Edge of your golf club. The Leading edge is the bottom quarter of an inch strip of the club face below the lowest groove and is, in my opinion is the most important part of the club. This is where you to start correcting the problem. If you think of the ball as a mini Earth, then a topped shot occurs when the leading edge of the club contacts a point in the Northern Hemisphere as it sweeps through. A thin shot, the one when the ball rockets away 3 ft above the ground and sends shock waves through your fingers, happens when the Equator takes the brunt of the leading edge. Successful shots happen when the Leading edge contacts a point in the Southern Hemisphere. Graphic of club face and ball showing the relevant points Consistency is therefore dependant upon you delivering this leading edge to the correct part of the ball every time. The problem is that competence in doing this cannot be taught, it is a skill that improves gradually with practice. This is why a new player too the game can make what appears to be identical looking swings but one shot sails away in style whilst the second ball skids across the ground. The difference between the shots is about three quarters of an inch on the ball which a new player cannot make allowances for. The parameters that a top player works within are about an eighth of an inch so on this basis the difference between a tour player and a club player is just over half an inch. Every player can improve their accuracy of strike.       ");
array_files[82]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip92.html","2008-03-15","4K","92 - The golf ball can teach us everything we need to know if we only learn to understand the language it speaks    ","",""," 92 - The golf ball can teach us everything we need to know if we only learn to understand the language it speaks home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 92. The golf ball can teach us everything we need to know if we only learn to understand the language it speaks When one has grasped the idea and had the feeling of the club head Swinging, (in the literal sense of the word) on the desired arc of swing, any conscious analysis of the mechanics of the technique are in my opinion a backward step and are irrelevant and generally harmful to the production of future shots. The golf swing that the magazine instruction pages and teaching manuals advocate should be a natural response to your understanding of what the club head must do in relation to the ball to give the desired effect. If you believe the desired effect is a straight shot, then think again as that should never be considered an option. The golf action should be an instinctive response to the shot you want to play. Most players are locked into a mental running commentary with themselves as they go through their technical check list whilst standing over the ball. Unfortunately, they are totally dependant on good fortune playing its hand to produce the desired effect. They may win the odd battle with this approach but will always lose the war. So, how do we develope this natural response? The path starts to reveal itself to you when you begin to understand ball spin and flight. Whether you accept the idea or choose to ignore it, you can never get away from the fact that when you play a shot, you are going to put spin on the ball. It is this spin that either makes your ball fly into a bush or a lake or soar majestically into the fairway or green. What I would suggest therefore is to make sure the spin you get is the spin you want, applied out of choice. The golf ball can teach us everything we need to know if we only learn to understand the language it speaks. It does not matter how you get the club to the ball as long as you do it consisten      ");
array_files[83]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip91.html","2008-03-15","4K","91 - It is very difficult for the conscious competent player to accept that in order for him to improve he has to now learn to” let go” of his mental checklists and allow the subconscious and muscle memory to run the swing    ","",""," 91 - It is very difficult for the conscious competent player to accept that in order for him to improve he has to now learn to” let go” of his mental checklists and allow the subconscious and muscle memory to run the swing home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 91. It is very difficult for the conscious competent player to accept that in order for him to improve he has to now learn to” let go” of his mental checklists and allow the subconscious and muscle memory to run the swing In this lesson we will look at the Unconscious Competent (stage 4) player whose Golf game is aligned to an elite group of golfers commonly referred to as Tour Players and Top Amateurs. The world is full of Unconscious Competent people when it comes to driving a car, typing, catching a ball or running down stairs but not when it comes to hitting a golf ball. Everyday, we perform many complex tasks without so much as a passing thought as to how we do it but when it comes to golf the majority of players never get past the Conscious Competent stage. You may have played for 15 years, hit over half a million practice shots, had regular tuition from a Pro and developed a tidy looking swing in the process but if you retain the habit of Consciously working the swing, you will never leave stage 3. After all those hard years of analysis and application it is very difficult for the golfer to accept that in order for him to improve he has to now learn to let go of his mental checklists and allow his subconscious or muscle memory to run the swing. It will seem a reckless and foolhardy approach after all the years of calculated attempts at controlling your shots. Switching off the conscious mind is what makes the best players in the world what they are because it enables them to now use their mind for the task of visualizing the shot at hand. Unconscious Competent Players see the shot and feel the necessary swing before the club even comes out of the bag. They only have to set up to the ball and swing, to get the result because the      ");
array_files[84]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip90.html","2008-03-15","5K","90 - To improve your iron shots into greens, practice getting out of bunkers. If you get fairly proficient at sand shots, bunkers become less of a worry which consequently makes you less anxious on the approach shot    ","",""," 90 - To improve your iron shots into greens, practice getting out of bunkers. If you get fairly proficient at sand shots, bunkers become less of a worry which consequently makes you less anxious on the approach shot home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 90. To improve your iron shots into greens, practice getting out of bunkers. If you get fairly proficient at sand shots, bunkers become less of a worry which consequently makes you less anxious on the approach shot In this lesson we will look at a helpful strategy for Par 3 holes. Par 3s have a maximum length of 245 yards and thankfully, there are very few at that limit. Making par at a hole this long will feel like a birdie. A four is a very acceptable score for most and never be ashamed of treating the extremely long par 3s as Par 4s. If you are a high handicap player and require a Driver or a fairway wood to reach a par three, then my advice is to lay up short and pitch on for two. Most trouble is focused around the green so your tee shot is not under threat and the trouble evaporates at the green when you have a wedge in your hand for the second. You will make more 3s with this approach rather than the hero going for it in one. With a hole that is well in range however, the problem quite often is not so much as been unable to reach but rather taking a club out the bag that you cant reach it with; under clubbing in other words. Most greens are protected at the front and all too often I see players choosing clubs that are coming down first bounce in this trouble zone. The player may be adamant that he can hit a 6 iron 155 yards but at times, you have to acknowledge that the pressure caused by looking at a shot into a tightly guarded green can cause you to tighten which affects your timing and club head speed. Take a club extra and swing fuller but softer. About 75% effort. Also, to improve your iron shots into greens, practice getting out of bunkers. If you get fairly proficient at sand shots, bunkers become less of a worry which consequen      ");
array_files[85]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip89.html","2008-03-15","4K","89 - I stress the importance of the club head becoming an extension of your arms and hands by saying that if I was to stick a pin in the clubface; the player holding the grip should go “Ouch!”    ","",""," 89 - I stress the importance of the club head becoming an extension of your arms and hands by saying that if I was to stick a pin in the clubface; the player holding the grip should go “Ouch!” home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 89. I stress the importance of the club head becoming an extension of your arms and hands by saying that if I was to stick a pin in the clubface; the player holding the grip should go “Ouch!” I believe that in order to succeed in golf, the swing has to be an instinctive response to the particular shot that you desire. The analysis of technique should only go as far as is necessary to give an understanding of how various actions impart the spin that gives the ball its shape of arc. This idea when really understood creates a oneness between the club and the player. I stress the importance of the club head becoming an extension of your arms and hands by saying that if I was to stick a pin in the clubface; the player holding the grip should go “Ouch!” To take this to a clearer level, the physical action should be a response to how the clubface should move into and through the ball in the required fashion that gives the shape of shot we want. (Bear in mind that a straight shot is not a sensible option.) Good golf is played in this order: The layout of hole (visual) Subconscious recognition of desired shot that best suits hole Instinctive feel of what clubface has to do to bring shot about Instinctive physical response to create the required club face action Or put in another way; Stand on tee Visualising instinctively the best shot required of that hole Seeing in your mind the clubface in action to achieve the desired shot Feeling required of body action to deliver the clubface action Then JUST DO IT Many players say you need to have a grooved a (singular) swing; I say there are as many different swings used by top players as there are shots they can visualise. Extract from ZEN AND THE ART OF ARCHERY If one really wishes to be master of an art, technical knowledge of i      ");
array_files[86]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip88.html","2008-03-15","5K","88 - Poor golfers are continually trying to not hit the shot they do not want    ","",""," 88 - Poor golfers are continually trying to not hit the shot they do not want home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 88. Poor golfers are continually trying to not hit the shot they do not want It has been mentioned on many occasions that Severiano Ballesteros hits his best shots when recovering from trouble. If he has to drill a low shot under a branch or bend the ball 50yds round a forest, it is “ no problemo”. However, put him in the middle of the fairway with the ball sat up and it is a different matter for him. To the average player, this scenario may seem absolutely ridiculous but I first heard of this dreadful affliction back in the late 70s with a promising young player from Merseyside. This lad was beginning to make a big impression on the North Region Pga scene with some very good tournaments and finishing high on the order of merit. It was half way through one season though when he suddenly became noticeable by his absence. We were to learn that it was for the very same reason as Ballesteros many years later. I remember hearing one of his close friends say that if he managed to get it on the fairway, he hoped and prayed that it was in a divot hole just so he would not have to attempt to put a good swing on it. He would have felt much happier manufacturing a punch shot out of the bad lie. There are two points well worth highlighting here that are central to this bizarre situation. One reason they are able to hit the “get out of trouble shots” is for the same reason why you must always be wary of the ailing golfer. Having a bad lie or a bad back gives you a ready made excuse in case the shot does not come off, so reducing the pressure that accompanies the expectation of any given shot. Reduce the pressure and you have a greater chance of success. Compare it with the ball sat well in the middle of the fairway or the player saying, “I have never felt better”, and the expectation and consequently the pressure goes up. There is now no safety net for your self- esteem and pride. The seco      ");
array_files[87]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip87.html","2008-03-15","6K","87 - The top player does not picture himself failing so he is not surprised when he hits a great shot. He is temporarily stunned though when on the rare occasion, he does miscue badly    ","",""," 87 - The top player does not picture himself failing so he is not surprised when he hits a great shot. He is temporarily stunned though when on the rare occasion, he does miscue badly home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 87. The top player does not picture himself failing so he is not surprised when he hits a great shot. He is temporarily stunned though when on the rare occasion, he does miscue badly The subject for this lesson is Hypnosis and I do not mean the type displayed on stage by characters in glittering suits who go by the name of The Great Marvo. I am relating to Self Hypnosis. Many people from Actors to Public Speakers, Politicians to Professional sportspersons use Self Hypnosis as a means to enhancing their ability to perform. The technique makes you more receptive to positive suggestions and mental imagery which in turn creates greater confidence in your ability, so making you capable of better performance It is impossible cover the subject in a 500 word column. There are many great publications in the book shops for that as well as practicing Hypnotherapists listed in yellow pages. All I aim to do is bring it to your attention and ask you keep an open mind and hopefully pursue it. It is a must for the serious competitor, and can prove helpful for the fun player. I dare say there are plenty of skeptics still about but I can assure you, you will find few skeptics in the ranks of the modern successful sports performers. The top performers are at the top because they are better mentally prepared. Lesser able golfers instinctively gravitate to the negative side of the game when for instance they are faced with a bunker in front of them or maybe a long carry over water, or maybe a 3 foot putt. They are never surprised when they fluff the shot because they are always seeing themselves failing. They are however very surprised when they hit a great shot The top player on the other hand does not picture himselffailing so he is not surprised when he hits a great shot. He is temporarily       ");
array_files[88]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip86.html","2008-03-15","5K","86 - For many players, to grip the club correctly would be an instant disaster and the reason why is because the new hand position would not be compatible with their current body action    ","",""," 86 - For many players, to grip the club correctly would be an instant disaster and the reason why is because the new hand position would not be compatible with their current body action home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 86. For many players, to grip the club correctly would be an instant disaster and the reason why is because the new hand position would not be compatible with their current body actionBen Hogan, Gary Player, Tom Watson, Nick Faldo and a host of many other world class players and coaching Gurus over the years have all stressed the importance of a correct grip and I, like many others, would agree but there is an additional point that is all too often left out. For many players, to grip the club correctly would be an instant disaster and the reason why is because the new hand position would not be compatible with their current body action. A great grip requires a great swing for it to work. Thankfully, sometimes at golf, two wrongs make a right as an incorrect grip can suit an incorrect body action. A classical example of this was, and still is, Lee Trevino. Trevino’s distinctive action is one of huge upper body movement leading the down swing and through impact with the club head following. At impact, Trevino’s hands are well ahead of the ball. To get in this position with a conventional textbook grip would produce a shot well right of the target but he avoided this because of his strong grip position on the club. Remember that the term strong grip does not relate to how hard one is gripping but to the position of the hands on the club. In this case, the player shows more than two knuckles on the back of the left hand with the right hand fairly well underneath the grip, (moving clockwise round the grip). Its counterpart, the weak grip is where one or possibly no knuckles are visible on the back of the left hand but some are visible on the back of the right hand now. (Anti-clockwise round the grip) Because Trevino never corrected his grip in the early years, his unique swin      ");
array_files[89]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip85.html","2008-03-15","5K","85 - Your current swing is the end result of the thoughts and impressions you have created from day one of your golf experience    ","",""," 85 - Your current swing is the end result of the thoughts and impressions you have created from day one of your golf experience home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 85. Your current swing is the end result of the thoughts and impressions you have created from day one of your golf experience Have you ever had a lesson and had confirmed by the Pro what you already knew? Are you like many others suffering the same experience and have become frustrated why you cannot make the changes that the videos have highlighted, the magazines have repeated and the Pro has backed up? The usual response at this point is to declare with a sense of finality that I cannot do it and end up going back to your old game. What a sad scenario. It need not be this way. I can assure you, the ability to make the change is there but first, you need to address what it is that holds you back and the answer is usually at a deeper level than the technique. Your current swing is the end result of the thoughts and impressions you have created from day one of your golf experience. There are even the remnants of early wrong ideas lurking deep down in the Top players psyche that on occasions rise to create havoc in even their level of performance. These faulty concepts you hold are so central to your golfing profile that they stamp what becomes your own personal identity on your swing making it as unique to you as a fingerprint. Sadly in a lot of cases, these deep rooted home grown ideas are not only damaging to your game today but hinder your chances of making changes in the future. A solid action cannot grow from wrongly held ideas. They are simply incompatible. You wouldn’t expect to grow an oak tree from the seed of Beech Tree. Poor golf is the result of applying logic to a flawed concept! A good solid game naturally springs from a foundation of correct principles. It follows the laws of cause and effect and to get the effect you want, you need to have in place a whole new cause from which it is created. Any real lasting cha      ");
array_files[90]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip84.html","2008-03-15","5K","84 - It is said that the space between the notes creates the music. The same could be said of golf. If you really value good golf, put more value on the time between shots    ","",""," 84 - It is said that the space between the notes creates the music. The same could be said of golf. If you really value good golf, put more value on the time between shots home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 84. It is said that the space between the notes creates the music. The same could be said of golf. If you really value good golf, put more value on the time between shots Learning to hit good shots is one thing, getting the ball round the course is another! Other skills need to be developed. Here is a list of a few of those skills. Keep the emotions quiet Visualize positive outcomes Avoid reactive response to poor shots Stay in the moment The list could go on but we will keep it to a minimum for now and look at the last thing in our list first. I would imagine that a lot of you have heard the phrase Stay in the Moment but quite a few of you perhaps have difficulty really doing it or maybe know what it means. A 4 hour round of golf if you shoot 80 entails approximately 2 minutes of actually swinging the club based on about 1.5 seconds per shot. The Moment though that I am relating too is the 20 or 30 seconds that make up your pre - shot routine. In this short space of time you must mentally put behind you what has just happened, be it good or bad. Because all Fear is of the Future, you need to visualize clearly what you desire of swing and shot to counter the fear of what is ahead. Selective memory can be a great asset when it comes to visualizing, this means running your better swings and results through your mind as a reference prior to playing the next shot. It helps to put feelings of confidence into your system. All the top players do it. So taking the 4 hour round and shooting an 80 with 20 to 30 seconds of pre – shot routine each time means we have accounted for about 45 minutes of the round. The remaining 3 hours 15 minutes is the time between shots and there are a multitude of distractions that can affect your ability to not only get into The Moment but also the quality of you      ");
array_files[91]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip83.html","2008-03-15","6K","83 - A Perfect straight shot, even for the top players, just happens. It is not predictable and because it is not predictable, the smart golfer does not entertain the idea of attempting it     ","",""," 83 - A Perfect straight shot, even for the top players, just happens. It is not predictable and because it is not predictable, the smart golfer does not entertain the idea of attempting it home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 83. A Perfect straight shot, even for the top players, just happens. It is not predictable and because it is not predictable, the smart golfer does not entertain the idea of attempting it The late Great Ben Hogan was once quoted as saying “If you see me hit a straight shot, I have just mis-hit it. Because Hogan is remembered by most as a superlative ball striker with fantastic control, his quote may seem a little strange. What a lot do not know however is that in his early career, he suffered with a terrible hook that plagued him under pressure. What baffled me years ago upon first hearing this is that his remedy for the hook was to quite simply learn how to slice. A lot of the difficulty arises in the game when a player expects the Cure for the wayward shot to leave a Perfect straight shot in its place, not replacing it with its opposite number. As I have stated before, a Perfect straight shot, even with the top players, just happens. It is not predictable and because it is not predictable, the smart golfer does not entertain the idea of attempting it. Hogan, like many others, knew this, so instead, he set about making himself a truly complete player by learning the whole gamut of shots from one extreme (hook) to the other (slice) knowing that if he could become familiar with these experiences, somewhere between the two he would have the ability to embrace a predictable long game that is not reliant upon good fortune. A hook and a slice are at opposite extremes and both can be equally disastrous but if you become familiar with the mechanics that produce these shots, then with a bit of application and experiment, you can refine them into very effective Draws and Fades. If you are a Hooker (pardon the term) or a Slicer, you would be wise if, instead of trying to wipe y      ");
array_files[92]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip82.html","2008-03-15","4K","82 - Slicer’s struggle because they make the mistake of trying to square the clubface with body action    ","",""," 82 - Slicer’s struggle because they make the mistake of trying to square the clubface with body action home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 82. A Golf club can only ever work in a pair of hands that are in communication with the right ideas There are three things that define a good shot which are; 1. Getting the ball airborne. 2. Accuracy. 3. Distance. Straightforward enough as Im sure everyone will agree. Strange is it not that player’s often strive for just one of these characteristics without realising the damage they are doing to their chances of developing a solid game. Trying to achieve just one of these characteristics quite often becomes the golfer’s main objective. It is not uncommon to see people pre-occupied with just trying to get the ball off the ground. Others meantime are trying to knock the skin of the ball in pursuit of distance whilst on another part of the course, we see players attempting to steer a ball down tree lined fairways. Which one are you? Trying to steer a ball even if successful will lose you distance. Trying to power a ball will be all too often at the expense of accuracy and simply trying to get the ball airborne will lose you everything. The actions employed in the vain effort to bring about these three results individually, range from a scooping movement more aligned to shovelling snow, a stifled, short tense action and finally, an overactive aggressive movement. That’s the downside. Here is the upside. It is possible to achieve all three without thinking in triplicate. You simply need to apply yourself to swinging the golf club as it is designed to be swung. A Golf club can only ever work in a pair of hands that are in communication with the right ideas. Remember the golf club is not a sledgehammer, a shovel or equipped with a gun sight. It is a uniquely designed instrument that requires a unique action to make it perform. Apply yourself to the correct principles, as strange, detached and powerless as they may feel and in time you will get all three char      ");
array_files[93]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip81.html","2008-03-15","5K","81 - Slicer’s struggle because they make the mistake of trying to square the clubface with body action    ","",""," 81 - Slicer’s struggle because they make the mistake of trying to square the clubface with body action home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 81. Slicer’s struggle because they make the mistake of trying to square the clubface with body action Picture the Slicer stood on the tee, rough down the left hand side with the dreaded out of bounds fence tight down the right. A strong breeze is blowing from left to right. Our golfer has a problem. How does he tackle this demanding hole? For a split second, he contemplates aiming down the middle but puts that out of his mind because he knows where it will end up. He decides instead to aim well to the left and immediately feels a sense of relief because the out of bounds is now taken out of his mind. He sets up, swings, watches the ball set off left and .........it stays left; the ball disappears into a clump of thick grass deep into the left hand rough The above experience has frustrated many players over many years. They slice all the way round the course and when a demanding hole forces them to really allow for their slice, they then lose it. Out of the blue, the ball goes straight left. The answer to this frustrating occurrence reveals the subtle connection at work between the mind and the body. If our player had gone for the down the fairway choice of shot, he would have set up to the ball racked with anxiety and tension. His ability to swing would have become very limited and the result he feared would most likely have become a reality. By aiming to the left, to the degree he did, he took the out of bounds out the shot, so much so that the anxiety and tension did not materialize. Swinging without tension and anxiety generally results in the correct movements that square the clubface, hence the straight shot. Slicer’s struggle because they make the mistake of trying to square the clubface with body action. When this happens the right shoulder comes over the top in a desperate attempt to get the ball left but all it creates is the across the line o      ");
array_files[94]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip80.html","2008-03-15","6K","80 - By the time you have felt the contact of the ball on the clubface, the ball is between 12 and 15 yards into its flight; when you feel impact, you are in fact experiencing history    ","",""," 80 - By the time you have felt the contact of the ball on the clubface, the ball is between 12 and 15 yards into its flight; when you feel impact, you are in fact experiencing history home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 80. By the time you have felt the contact of the ball on the clubface, the ball is between 12 and 15 yards into its flight; when you feel impact, you are in fact experiencing history Struggling golfers will buy anything that claims it will help improve their game. Golf is the Marketing mans dream come true. Looking through a catalogue the other day of more than a 100 training aids, I found one which caught my eye nestling between a variety of velcro straps and webbings for the wrists, upper arms, back and legs and a selection of elbow braces, leg supports and what looked like a shin pad you put down the back of your gloved hand. Some, I am certain, are endorsed by the Marquis de Sade. However, the saying that nothing is new in the game struck me when I came across the Impact Bag.” The Impact Bag highlights the moment of truth in the swing which as the name implies, is the moment club and ball meet. Over the years myself and many other Pros have resorted to using a car tyre for this drill which I believe first came to prominence through the late, Great, Henry Cotton. At the end of his very distinguished career, Henry took himself off to Portugal to retire but ended up developing the golf complex at Pennina where he carried on his involvement in the game by teaching. Back in the sixties and seventies, young promising players would fly out to seek Henrys wisdom and find themselves on the practice ground hitting old car tyres. It is a fact that many cynics observing this thought the old maestro had lost his marbles. The reality is that good players can appreciate both the idea and the benefits more than the lesser able players who sadly regard it as a very strange exercise outside the boundaries of accepted golf instruction. Impact represents an incredibly short space of time.      ");
array_files[95]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip79.html","2008-03-15","6K","79 - A youngster and an adult taking their first swings on the range together. The adult hits 100 balls, 99 badly. The youngster hits 100 balls, also 99 badly. The adult takes the 99 shots home with him, the youngster takes just 1    ","",""," 79 - A youngster and an adult taking their first swings on the range together. The adult hits 100 balls, 99 badly. The youngster hits 100 balls, also 99 badly. The adult takes the 99 shots home with him, the youngster takes just 1 home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 79. A youngster and an adult taking their first swings on the range together. The adult hits 100 balls, 99 badly. The youngster hits 100 balls, also 99 badly. The adult takes the 99 shots home with him, the youngster takes just 1 Have you ever wondered why your progress at golf is nil or at best, very slow. This week we will look at the psychology of learning by drawing on comparisons how children learn golf skills compared to adults. How often do we see youngsters who start at around 10 years old and reach category one handicap (0 - 5) by the time they are 16? Every adult beginner wishes they had started when they were young believing, and rightly so, that this is the best time to start if you want to be good. So what have kids got going for them that adults have not? Obviously they have not got strength nor maturity. Nor have they got advanced analytical reasoning plus they do not know how serious a business this difficult game is, or should I say how difficult adults would have them believe it is. Quite simply, kids greatest assets are their vivid imagination coupled to a desire to have fun along with no inhibitions. They also have a very high threshold for disappointment. When they start, it is usually because they have seen golf on T.V. and latch on to a hero. Tiger Woods is perfect for kids at the moment because he is so young himself, they can identify with him easier. When given a club and a ball on a practice field, childrens imagination switches on. Adults forget how powerful a child’s imagination is. The youngster instantly plays the part of his idol and begins to physically express the swing he holds in his minds eye. They are not embarrassed to play this part because to a young mind, it is reality. They may hit lo      ");
array_files[96]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip78.html","2008-03-15","6K","78 - “Over trying” prompts the breakdown of your game. It dismantles the co-ordination of your swing in proportion to the degree that you over try    ","",""," 78 - “Over trying” prompts the breakdown of your game. It dismantles the co-ordination of your swing in proportion to the degree that you over try home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 78. “Over trying” prompts the breakdown of your game. It dismantles the co-ordination of your swing in proportion to the degree that you over try According to a well known phrase “Words can be cheap” but the majority of players, do not realise is that in golf, words can prove to be expensive, not in the monetary sense but rather at the expense of your present performance and your ability to improve in the future. Now, before we get to the point, who knows what N.L.P. stands for? New Long Putter did someone say! Wrong, N.L.P. stands for Neuro Linguistic Programming which is a title for a science that while simple to understand, its effects should never be underestimated. Studies have revealed that our use of words shapes our thought processes, which in turn shapes our values, beliefs and ultimately our lives. N.L.P is a science that enables you to make changes and take control of the way you live from kicking bad habits to achieving improved performance in business sport or whatever by substituting disempowering words with empowering alternatives. Now, what of words and golf! The main fundamental problem we have, and I am speaking on behalf of all golf coaches, is that we are set the task of verbally describing or communicating a golf swing that is ultimately a set of feelings which you can only really know through experiencing them. It is very much like trying to explain the colour red to a person who was born blind. Sure, we can demonstrate the swing visually but it will still require dialogue to accompany it and it is our choice of words that usually make the biggest impact on a pupil; especially the mature student. A wrong descriptive word can set a player back drastically in their quest for improvement. For instance, I avoid at all cost using the words HIT and TRY. Even though they are just 3 letters spok      ");
array_files[97]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip76.html","2008-03-15","4K","76 - Going for quick fixes gets you on board the Carousel of Quack theory where you keep going round year on year only to keep arriving back at the same place and still no better a player    ","",""," 76 - Going for quick fixes gets you on board the Carousel of Quack theory where you keep going round year on year only to keep arriving back at the same place and still no better a player home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 76. Going for quick fixes gets you on board the Carousel of Quack theory where you keep going round year on year only to keep arriving back at the same place and still no better a player Have you ever noticed how no one recognizes their golf swing when they see it for the first time on video? The image we hope to see gracing the screen like some Oscar nominated inspiring production more often than not looks like some dreadful third rate offering from Hammer horror. Why it happens goes like this. We see good swings from all the worlds pro tours every week. We listen and watch the swing instruction from the worlds leading coaches. We then go to the range with a mental image of a good swing to apply the technical information as we are told. But the concept as seen in our mind gets cross wired in the application. We only realize this unfortunately when we are videoed. What we see and what we feel we are doing become two different things. It takes hundreds of repetitions to “hard wire” the correct instruction into muscle memory and it feels very awkward in the process. Most players at this point go for quick fixes. Going for quick fixes gets you on board the Carousel of Quack theory where you keep going round year on year only to keep arriving back at the same place and still no better a player. If it were possible for players to experience Ernie Els or Vijays swing via some fancy machine, the experience would leave them very puzzled, possibly murmuring to themselves What the hell was that. The bad news is that 99.9999 percent of players have faults in their swings; the good news is that you dont need a model swing to be good. If that were the case, the leading 100 players in the world would all swing identical. So if your swing is instantly recognisable when you first see       ");
array_files[98]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip74.html","2008-03-15","4K","74 - The top players in the world all share several fundamental characteristics in their swings even though no two swings are the same. One of these similarities is they all retain their head position behind the ball until after impact and all club players would do well to emulate them    ","",""," 74 - The top players in the world all share several fundamental characteristics in their swings even though no two swings are the same. One of these similarities is they all retain their head position behind the ball until after impact and all club players would do well to emulate them home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 74. The top players in the world all share several fundamental characteristics in their swings even though no two swings are the same. One of these similarities is they all retain their head position behind the ball until after impact and all club players would do well to emulate them The pivotal point or hub of the swing is dead center between the shoulders at the base of the neck. The head, been situated on top of the neck is a great indicator to the position of the hub so when we talk of head position, we are in fact relating to the pivotal point which is several inches below.The hub position is of vital importance as it creates the correct right for the arc of the swing in to relation to the ball. If we lose our center, the club will come off line in relation to the ball and result in undesirable shots. This message however must never be stated or thought of as simply keeping your head still. In a separate lesson I stated that certain words used in coaching, though spoken with good intention, actually convey the wrong idea. The word Still, as in trying to keepyour “Head still more often than not produces a tight and stifled action, and in a lot of cases actually makes your head move! Studying video film of the top players however does reveal stationary head positions, in the majority of the swings, slightly behind the ball position. This is achieved not by forcing the head still, but as a result of correct emphasis placed upon swinging the club head. Recall the recent column when I related the principles behind playing shots with the rubber shafted club. To swing the rubber shafted club without doing damage to yourself would find you holding the hub of the swing sligh      ");
array_files[99]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip72.html","2008-03-15","6K","72 - It is well worth remembering that if getting chewed up actually helped our cause, anyone who has played for at least 5 years would be extremely proficient by now    ","",""," 72 - It is well worth remembering that if getting chewed up actually helped our cause, anyone who has played for at least 5 years would be extremely proficient by now home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 72. It is well worth remembering that if getting chewed up actually helped our cause, anyone who has played for at least 5 years would be extremely proficient by now For none golfers, here is an insight into the wonderful and weird world that is the game of golf. I remember reading about one golf writer who upon witnessing Mum, Dad, Grandma and several children playing on the Arnold Palmer putting green on an day trip to the seaside, was overcome with both awe and amazement. There was Grandma, adorned with hat, long overcoat and handbag, shuffling round the green, and holing putts from everywhere. The grandkids were running round screeching and fighting but the old dear never batted an eyelid. The irony of it all was captured later when having got back home, he put on the T.V. and watched the best players in the world at the US Open writhing in torment when they missed from 3 feet on perfectly prepared putting surfaces and in a theatre of Cathedral Calm. However, sometimes even Cathedral Calm is too rowdy. One well known former Open champion, it is said, could be put off on the green by the noise of butterflies alighting on flowers in an adjacent meadow. What a crazy game. It has been documented many times that the best players seem to play as if it means nothing, when it means everything. There can be no doubt that the answer to the majority of our golfing afflictions is entwined within this quote. There is certainly no doubt that knocking a little white ball into the hole meant absolutely nothing to Granny at the seaside which is why she was able to do it. However if the receiving of her pension next week depended on the holing of putts, it would put a different perspective on the old dears short game. All of us have experienced the ease of hitting a second ball down a fairway after the       ");
array_files[100]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip71.html","2008-03-15","4K","71 - There is nothing in our human experience that serves as a frame of reference to help us to relate to the physical action required that is compatible with the unusual design of the Golf club    ","",""," 71 - There is nothing in our human experience that serves as a frame of reference to help us to relate to the physical action required that is compatible with the unusual design of the Golf club home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 71. There is nothing in our human experience that serves as a frame of reference to help us to relate to the physical action required that is compatible with the unusual design of the Golf club Golf as we all know is a difficult game due to the fact there is such a small margin for error. Coupled with that is the ever changing weather and course conditions along with our own feelings on any given day. These are the every day problems which face a player who has made progress but what of the person taking a swing for the very first time. He or she is asked to hold a club which is of a design unlike any other implement used in any sport and hit a ball that is extremely small and stationary. If that person then takes a lesson, he or she is asked to make a series of body actions which feel impossible and swing the club at the same time. Winston Churchill once said “Golf is a game where one has to get a ball into a hole with an instrument that is ill designed for the job.” How true that statement reads. There is nothing in our human experience that serves as a frame of reference to help us to relate to the physical action required that is compatible with the unusual design of the club. We cannot redesign the club but we can and have designed a swing that suits it. The problem is, because it is unique, it feels totally awkward when first attempted. Quite often, I have told new students that if they comfortable when they first try, the chances are they are doing it wrong. If you are just starting out in the game follow this sequence. Learn to swing the club first. Then learn how to get the swing to the ball. Then learn how to play. Don’t make the mistake of attempting and expecting all three aspects within the first week month or year even.Golf experience is a slow lea      ");
array_files[101]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip70.html","2008-03-15","6K","70 - If great golf is a gift from God, then so be It; but the gift is available to most if you can reframe your ideas. The main challenge in golf is getting your mind around the ideas that work    ","",""," 70 - If great golf is a gift from God, then so be It; but the gift is available to most if you can reframe your ideas. The main challenge in golf is getting your mind around the ideas that work home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 70. If great golf is a gift from God, then so be It; but the gift is available to most if you can reframe your ideas. The main challenge in golf is getting your mind around the ideas that work In these days of mass media coverage, there are many columns and reports every single week when the word Genius is used to relate the fantastic exploits of the likes of the top players, especially Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia. When the same two are discussed in the Golf Club bars around the world, more often than not, it is unanimously agreed that they are Born with a Gift Quite often, such descriptions are overused when applied to Stars in other sports Woods and Garcia however are special as was Ballesteros in the 70s in so much that they have achieved such high level of performance and golfing maturity at such young ages. How is it that such performance is possible in one so young? I honestly believe that in a game such as golf, where physical prowess does not have such a bearing as in other sports, the question of performance is between the ears. How this is so can be understood by the following example. The story goes that a Maths lecture in a University was proving to be a bit tedious for a particular student and he subsequently spent the time daydreaming of other things. At the end of the period, the class dispersed and the student hurriedly scribbled down the equation on the blackboard believing it to be the assignment for the next lecture. At the next period he handed in the completed paper only to be informed that there had been no work set at the last lesson. It transpired that the equation written on the blackboard that the student copied down and later solved, was supposed to be unsolvable. The student you could argue is now elevated to the level of Genius but       ");
array_files[102]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip69.html","2008-03-15","5K","69 - Thinking is not Doing and too much thinking effectively kills of any chance of been able to do it at all.    ","",""," 69 - Thinking is not Doing and too much thinking effectively kills of any chance of been able to do it at all. home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 69. Thinking is not Doing and too much thinking effectively kills of any chance of been able to do it at all. I recently heard a story about one of Europe’s Young Stars who was asked by his equipment supplier to give them a quote to run with an advertisement. They asked him what it was he thought about at the top of his backswing and after a long pause and a bemused look he replied, Nothing really. It was left to the marketing whiz kids to think up something relevant to fit the ad. Good players are no different from anyone else with thinking thoughts of Technique but once the thought has become feeling, or muscle memory, they forget the thoughts. For the average player it is the forgetting that is the problem. If you think about it, the club player is usually pre-occupied trying to remember everything. Thinking is not Doing and too much thinking effectively kills of any chance of been able to do it at all. It is important that when you stand over the ball put a little trust in your technique and give yourself the best possible chance of success by trying some of the ideas used by the best players in the worlds. The Great Ben Hogan used a waggle of the hands and club head to avoid his mind and body Freezing at the setup. So important was this to him that he devoted an entire chapter to the Waggle in his book The modern Fundamentals. He also developed certain waggles to suit certain shots, if he wanted to hit a sharp penetrating punch shot into the breeze, he had a brisk waggle to prime his action for the swing. On shots where he wanted a softer strike, the waggle became a lighter gentler affair. Nick Faldo has always had movements at the address position as a prelude to the swing. Jack Nicklaus had not only a waggle but also a pronounced head turn to start the action where as Gary Player had a forward press of the hands and right knee. Mike Weir      ");
array_files[103]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip68.html","2008-03-15","4K","68 - Experience the body playing a more complimentary role in your action rather than a dominant role    ","",""," 68 - Experience the body playing a more complimentary role in your action rather than a dominant role home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 68. Experience the body playing a more complimentary role in your action rather than a dominant role In a separate piece, I related the wonderful and simple statement by the well respected John Jacob’s, which summed up his idea of a good swing which was “Two turns and a swish”. This lesson, I want to tell you what gives us the swish, where it occurs and how you can develop it. But first of all, why do you need it?Quite simply, you need it because the swish is club head speed and it is club head speed that gives us distance. The swish, for it to be effective, will be at its most audible peak through the locality of the ball. Maximum club head speed can only be achieved by the correct use of the hand and arm rotational action. To develop swish in your swing, I suggest you try the following drill the next time you are on the range. Try hitting a few shots with your feet together using no more than a 6 or 7 iron; be sure to swing a bit softer and a bit shorter. (If you have a back, hip or knee problem, put your feet about 6 inches apart and be careful.) If you find yourself falling over swinging from this narrow base, it could well be that you are over applying the body action. Be sure to persevere though because self preservation will come to your aid as you instinctively reduce the over working body action. The reduced body action will now take on more of a complimentary role rather than dominant role. When this happens you may well experience a magical thing because the hands and arms will now come into play which the dominant body did not allow before. When you swing the hands and arms, you also swing the club head and swinging the club head creates the swish.* More often than not, you will find you hit the ball just as far and in some cases further, as well as gaining more consistency with half the effort you previously applied. The aim now is to take       ");
array_files[104]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip67.html","2008-03-15","6K","67 - We are our own worst enemies when it comes to our golf performance; for a start, we over complicate the technique, then we try too hard to make things happen and finally, we beat ourselves up when we under-perform    ","",""," 67 - We are our own worst enemies when it comes to our golf performance; for a start, we over complicate the technique, then we try too hard to make things happen and finally, we beat ourselves up when we under-perform home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 67. We are our own worst enemies when it comes to our golf performance; for a start, we over complicate the technique, then we try too hard to make things happen and finally, we beat ourselves up when we under-perform There can be no doubt that we are our own worst enemies when it comes to our golf performance. For a start, we over complicate the technique, then we try too hard to make things happen and finally, we beat ourselves up when we under-perform. We can help ourselves enormously if we change our mode of operation in the three areas mentioned above. We need a simplified understanding of the technique to produce a repetitive effective swing. We need to understand that the correct notion of trying at golf is not the bull at a gate approach but rather what seems a contradictory state of trying without trying. To put it simply, most players play their best when not under pressure; we all hit our best shots when we are not trying to. The harder we try, we more we find ourselves moving in the opposite direction so what do we do, try harder and before you know it we are on the downward spiral. To achieve a state of golfing nirvana then, we simply have to take all the pressure of ourselves and not try, even when playing in club championship. Sounds easy doesn’t it.) Finally, we must stop beating ourselves up when things get rough. To help do this you must re-define the meaning of the word FAILURE. There is no word in the English language that makes you feel down and dejected like failure. (This subject comes under the science of Neuro-linguistic programming or N.L.P. for short.) Being called, or thinking yourself, a failure makes anyone feel wretched. It certainly made me feel that way until I read the story of Thomas Edison inventing the      ");
array_files[105]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip66.html","2008-03-15","6K","66 - Many people are conditioned into looking for the reasons why it can’t be done. They spend more time focused on their faults than on what is actually required to make things happen    ","",""," 66 - Many people are conditioned into looking for the reasons why it can’t be done. They spend more time focused on their faults than on what is actually required to make things happen home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 66. Many people are conditioned into looking for the reasons why it can’t be done. They spend more time focused on their faults than on what is actually required to make things happen Are great golfers born great or are they made? The argument strays into the world of philosophical reasoning. The proponents of Divine intervention make a good argument for their case as do the Nurture brigade. As with most elevated thinking though, it all ends in a sigh,...... and no definite conclusion. Graphic of God touching life into Adam Which side of the fence do I stand when the issue is raised on the golfing scene? Whilst I accept that there may well be something special added at birth from above, I am firmly of the opinion that it is possible to create a great player or even a superstar, from a clean slate. I am not saying it has been done but that does not mean it is not possible. I should mention however that my opinion is based on more than just optimism. Over the years, I have seen people from active sporting backgrounds pick up a golf club and struggle in even making the start of a good swing, let alone hit the ball. On the other hand, people from sedentary, non- sporting backgrounds and desk bound occupations have taken to the game like ducks to water. All we need is a blueprint of what makes successful players what they are and nowadays we know more about the science of physical training and psychological profiles of top performers than ever before. The information is available to us and within the profile of a successful golfer, the majority of the vital elements are in the mental side of the equation.. In other sports, physique plays a huge part. We know it is extremely unlikely that someone who is 5ft 2in will ever become a high jump champion or a runner with low twitch f      ");
array_files[106]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip60.html","2008-03-15","4K","60 - Many players do not have to do much special in order to make a par on any hole, well, if you dont do much special 18 times in a round, you can still play to scratch    ","",""," 60 - Many players do not have to do much special in order to make a par on any hole, well, if you dont do much special 18 times in a round, you can still play to scratch home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 60. Many players do not have to do much special in order to make a par on any hole, well, if you dont do much special 18 times in a round, you can still play to scratch Back in 1981, the Australian, David Graham won the US Open at Merion in Pennsylvania. His terrific achievement contained a remarkable feat on the last day which was, and still is, a benchmark in defining quality performance. The US Open venues are notoriously demanding with narrow fairways lined with heavy semi rough. Graham, on the last day just missed just one fairway and that was on the first hole. He still managed to find the green with his second shot though and made a birdie. From that point on, he never missed another fairway and if memory serves me right, he only missed one green in regulation figures. In the playing of a near “perfect” round from tee to green, he shot a 67 and won the tournament. Many newer players to the game I find have the wrong perception of golf played at the top level. It is a widely held belief that the best players hit the fairways and greens with monotonous ease all the time but it is far from the truth. Ballesteros for instance played his best golf from the trees, rough and in winning the 1979 Open championship, from a car park as well. He lost his form and confidence when he attempted to revamp his game in pursuit of the impossible. The Swedish Golf Federation instill into their elite players that hitting just 12 greens in regulation should equate to a scratch handicap level. The tour Pros are the best scramblers in the world. Every week, players hitting maybe 12 greens in regulation and only 6 fairways from the tee record sub par rounds. It is their remarkable powers of recovery from 75yds in that enables them to do this. Do yourself a favor and get the notion of perfect regulation g      ");
array_files[107]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip59.html","2008-03-15","4K","59 - To truly understand what is meant by passive hands, you need to have an understanding of what active hands are. In other words you need to have educated hands    ","",""," 59 - To truly understand what is meant by passive hands, you need to have an understanding of what active hands are. In other words you need to have educated hands home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 59. To truly understand what is meant by passive hands, you need to have an understanding of what active hands are. In other words you need to have educated hands An American by the name of Joseph C. Dey is quoted as saying, “One of the reasons we cant always translate the words of our instructors into effective swings is we really dont understand what our instructor is saying As I have mentioned in another Lesson, golf coaching language is a language all of its own and there is no doubt that a lot of the essence of the golf swing is lost in the words we try to describe it with. A pro can often come out with a statement that makes total sense to himself but leaves the pupil scratching their heads. I remember reading once that some of the top players felt they hit the ball through their stomachs. It sounded so bizarre that I thought it must be a misprint, but no, as the years went by the statement slowly began to make sense through my own experiences and improved ball striking. Another often used bit of golf speak is the term passive hands. To most players, they would immediately think from this that the hands do nothing more than simply hang on to the club but to truly understand what is meant by passive in this case, you need to have an understanding of what active hands are. In other words you need to have educated hands. Lowering your centre of gravity and body dynamics are two more terms that fall way short of describing the message totally and holding the power on thru the ball is a disaster if taken at its face value. They can only be really known through your own findings. As a famous philosopher once said and I have quoted him before in these lessons, No mans knowledge can go beyond his experience. Remember that the words are only clues, or rather signposts, that send you off in a dir      ");
array_files[108]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip53.html","2008-03-15","4K","53 - The swing most players have today owes its existence to the early ideas and beliefs formed from their first introduction to the game    ","",""," 53 - The swing most players have today owes its existence to the early ideas and beliefs formed from their first introduction to the game home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 53. The swing most players have today owes its existence to the early ideas and beliefs formed from their first introduction to the game I have been of the opinion for a number of years that the swing most players have today owes its existence to the early ideas and beliefs formed from their first introduction to the game. These ideas and beliefs are formed as Logical answers to the challenge that is hitting a golf ball. These so called Logical Answers become imprinted deep down and ultimately express themselves as the movements that become your own unique golf swing. These first impressions form the foundation that you then attempt to build a game on. Herein lies the problem. The Logical answers arrived at early on are invariably the wrong answers and will prove to be limiting the more into the game you get. Sadly it takes too long for the beginner to realize this and in the meantime, the wrongly contrived swing becomes deeply rooted as muscle memory. The point that is nearly always overlooked is that correcting the technique in future golf lessons is impossible if the correction does not come from a new enlightened Idea that replaces the original old wrong idea. There is a saying that goes, “If you do what you have always done, you will get what you have always gotten. The same applies if We think as we have always thought. New better ideas are quite often the opposite to the first wrong Logical conclusions and it is often difficult to accept them as a better option. An old friend summed the situation up several years back during a lesson when he said Our problem it seems is when we start out, we try to apply Logic to what is an Illogical game. It is more accurate to say poor golf stems from applying logic to a flawed concept. Back in the mid 80s, the most publicized swing change in the entire history of golf took p      ");
array_files[109]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip23.html","2008-03-15","4K","23 - You must understand shot patterns and ball spin aerodynamics before you even think about self analysis    ","",""," 23 - You must understand shot patterns and ball spin aerodynamics before you even think about self analysis home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 23. You must understand shot patterns and ball spin aerodynamics before you even think about self analysis Many players it seems believe that to crack the game requires a “Grooved” swing. By this it is meant a swing that repeats without deviation. Well I have some “Good news,” some “Bad news” and also some “Different news” for you. The Good news is that every golfer already has a grooved swing. The bad news is that they are all grooved with bad faults to a greater or lesser degree. The different news is,.... you do not need“A grooved swing” (as in one single swing), but rather, you need as many swings as shots there are to hit. A better player normally has a variety of shots he or she can play with one club. Extend this through every club in the bag and the number increases greatly. Obviously, it is impossible to hit all these shots with one swing. Each shot is unique in its own way and requires a slightly different action to produce it. Below is a list of the basics shots that any Good player worth his salt will be called upon to use at any given time. If grooving a swing is as important as people are lead to believe, then a “would be” top player has, according to the following list got 145 swings to groove. It is a logistical impossibility to do this by technical analysis of all the different subtle components. All a top player does in order to achieve mastery of these shots is to learn a simple basic movement and then learn to express his imagination through the hands and club-face. To do this requires a clear understanding of ball spin and aerodynamics. It is worth mentioning here that you must understand shot patterns and ball spin aerodynamics before you even think about self analysis. Sound technical? Well you can make it so but it need not be. To put it in perspective, hitting a tennis ball is a far more technically difficult action than a      ");
array_files[110]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip19.html","2008-03-15","4K","19 - It is better to set a very high long term goal and fall just short of it than to set a goal that is achievable without you breaking sweat    ","",""," 19 - It is better to set a very high long term goal and fall just short of it than to set a goal that is achievable without you breaking sweat home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 19. It is better to set a very high long term goal and fall just short of it than to set a goal that is achievable without you breaking sweat When I was a junior, I remember once reading a tip that said “When chipping, aim for a 5ft diameter circle around the hole.” Another tip from another book said “You should aim for a circle around the hole the size of a dustbin lid.” Then I read Gary Player’s advice on this subject which was, “When chipping, you should be looking to hole the shot”. It is a fact that the higher the goal you set, (in this case the smaller the target) the better the results or level you will achieve. The man chipping at a 5-ft diameter target will see a percentage of his shot’s finish outside a 7-ft diameter circle. The man who aims to hole it will seldom leave a ball outside the “dustbin lid” diameter. The same applies to goal setting. Take two young players of equal size, age and ability who are both off a high handicap. Tell one of them it is possible that in 3 years, he might get down to a 15 handicap. Then tell his counterpart that in 3 years, he has the ability to easily make it to a single figure handicap. I can tell you now that the 1st would be lucky to be down to 20 handicap whilst the 2nd would be off 15 at the most. Many players I come across need their goals setting for them as poor self-image and negativity burden them. If you keep seeing yourself as a player unworthy of a better game, then you should hardly be surprised if you never achieve it. When you set a goal, you should be outrageous and unreasonable and demanding. It is better to set a very high long term goal and fall just short of it than to set a goal that is achievable without you breaking sweat There are no lazy people, they just have dis-empowering goals. Tony Robbins   home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) o      ");
array_files[111]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip10.html","2008-03-15","5K","10 - The more you fight the wind, the harder it seems to blow. Learning how to hit longs clubs with quiet swings can help turn gales into breezes    ","",""," 10 - The more you fight the wind, the harder it seems to blow. Learning how to hit longs clubs with quiet swings can help turn gales into breezes home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop 10. The more you fight the wind, the harder it seems to blow. Learning how to hit longs clubs with quiet swings can help turn gales into breezes The British weather can change not only day to day but also several times a day. The variety of changes this throws up on the golf course requires us to change our tactics and sometimes our technique. Obviously, warm sunny calm weather suits the majority of players as they take advantage of the fact that golf balls fly farther when the temperature rises. Warmer weather usually means more run on the fairway and players very soon adapt by dropping their approach shots shorter and letting the ball bounce up on to the green. If we encounter a warm but wet spell of weather, again, we soon readjust by taking more club and fly the ball into the softer more receptive greens. These are the conditions favored by many better players as they can attack the flag positions without the fear of hard bad bounces. Another weather condition we all too often encounter is cold weather. A drop in temperature also sees a drop in performance from the golf ball. A cold ball does not compress so easy resulting in poor dynamics and a loss of distance. This is before we see the limiting effect that cold temperatures have on our physical capabilities. No one should consider using a 100 compression ball in the cold and many male players may actually do better by using a ladies compression ball as it could enable you to squeeze a few extra yards out of a drive. It is a good idea to keep your golf balls indoors at room temperature for at least 24 hours before a game in cold weather and change it every 6 holes during the round. Windy weather sees most players throwing their arms up in surrender including many in the Pro ranks. In a field of a hundred players in a club medal on a windy day, as many as      ");
array_files[112]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/articles/tip3.html","2008-03-15","4K","3 - Conscious Competence; the handicap golfer    ","",""," 3 - Conscious Competence; the handicap golfer home publications 101 golf tips (coming soon) online shop Instead of trying harder and going after the game, try to let the game come to you. 3. Conscious Competence; the handicap golfer. When you arrive, as you inevitably will, in the world of the “Consciously Competent player, you will begin to see reward for all your efforts. However, don’t think for a minute you are out of the woods as the many golfers who are already in this zone will testify. A Conscious Competent Golfer remains frustrated because the odd excellent game they have had is the standard they now set themselves by. Having experienced the game they want the player now makes the mistake of making a grab for it in the only way they know how, which is to analyse the technique to a greater degree and filling the mind with more information. Sadly through this approach they more often than not stifle what should be by now a reflex action, in a mental straitjacket. It may be hard to appreciate but for many players at this point, less technical knowledge is required. In other words, you would do yourself a favour in forgetting most of what you have been taught. Trust the fact that the knowledge should be hard wired into your system as muscle memory. There is a well known saying for this situation called Paralysis through Analysis. Chasing the game in this fashion creates anxiety, frustration and eventually loss of confidence as what we want stays just out of reach. Instead of trying harder and going after the game, try to let the game come to you. A client/ friend once made the remark that instead of “trying harder,” why don’t we “try softer.” A very good observation which holds a lot of sense. Trust what you already know, remembering on the occasions when you let it, it can perform very well. How often do we find we perform our best when we would least expect it. Conscious Competence, for most golfers is the end of the road, but it need not be. The last section of this web site can show you the means to p      ");
array_files[113]=new Array(0,1,"http://www.101-golf-tips.co.uk/the-winning-ball-trophies.html","2008-02-27","6K","Golf Ball Trophy    ","",""," Golf Ball Trophy home publications 101 golf tips online shop The Winning Ball Ball Mount... Be proud of your achievements Youre a winner! Don’t let “Today’s Winning Ball” go in the lake tomorrow! Put it on show for all your friends and associates to see Your achievement will feature in our Hall of Fame for all to see. label only £19.99 Select Delivery Option UK +£1.95 P&P Europe +£3.05 P&P World +£7.05 P&P The Booby Ball Consolation Gift... Not everyone can be a winner! The essential “Society Day” prize presentation consolation award. For every event, there is a Winner… There is also the Guy who comes last. This poor fellow does not have any balls left so give him this mounted consolation ball. The Booby Ball is guaranteed to get laughs. label only £14.95 Select Delivery Option UK +£1.95 P&P Europe +£3.05 P&P World +£7.05 P&P     ");
file_count=114;