One thing that has come out very clearly from this leading golfer’s style and his golf swing technique is his amazing flexibility and high fitness level which have contribute tremendously to his golf career. A career that has seen him crowned in the minds of many as the undisputed greatest golfer in the history of the sport.

The Tiger Woods golf swing technique sees Wood utilizing his flexibility at the back of his swing to comfortably reach far back. As he begins his swing, his level of fitness and muscle strength enables him to build up club head velocity by turning his torso quickly and pressing his right leg forward. There is minimal waste of energy as he maintains his position above the golf ball.

Driving through, Woods uses his hips, shoulders and wrists to concentrate his force and create a high initial ball speed. Research has shown that within a few feet off the tee, the ball is usually traveling at about 180 miles per hour. The average tour pro usually manages only 160 miles per hour.

If you have carefully watched woods and his golf swing technique, you will note that he usually allows the club head’s momentum to extend his follow-through far around his back, thus completing a long and smooth club-head rotation.

Tiger’s golf swing technique cannot possibly be achieved by somebody who is not physically fit or somebody who does not work out regularly. In fact achieving an effective golf swing technique these days requires conditioned muscles that will enable you to perform consistently and at your best.

Gone are the days when golf was viewed as a leisure sport where players would move around the course in electric golf cars to avoid breaking into a sweat of any kind.

This is not to say that a good golf swing technique calls for rigorous golf strength exercising and golf stretching. Actually, most of the critical golf-specific exercises involve stretches. There is also the lifting of light weights to build specifically on strength rather than muscle.

Clearly golf-specific exercises are the only way to develop a good golf swing technique.

There are plenty of young women golfers following Sorenstam’s lead, realizing that women can also excel in what used to be known as a man’s sport. Players like Michelle Wie, Brittany Lang, Paula Creamer and Morgan Pressel are all beginning to make a name for themselves. Creamer, a 2005 high school graduate, had already earned more than half a million dollars this year alone by the time she took her diploma.

Many of these young women are coming up through the ranks of LPGA-USGA Girls Golf, a developmental junior golf program designed to not only teach girls the game of golf, but also life values such as patience, respect, perseverance and honesty. These girls are also learning to lead a physically-fit lifestyle. More than 4,500 girls ages 7-17 participate at 181 sites nationwide.

This is an exciting time for women’s golf and an opportunity for young players to make their mark in history.

Glimpse into these greens hailed as the world’s five top golf courses, as compiled by Golf Magazine. Golfer or not, you will be enthralled and intrigued how these ultra expansive natural settings that seemingly stretch out to the sky in interesting meandering patterns and heights can be so ultra secluded from the public eye.

Pine Valley Golf Club

Located in Pine Valley, New Jersey USA, the Pine Valley Golf Club hits the number one spot. The golf course is reported to take up vast acres of greeneries, so vast that each golfer would feel a sense of isolation, not knowing that other golfers playing in other sections of the fairways feel the same.

Interestingly, Pine Valley is not new in receiving prestige and recognition in the sports world of golf. Records indicate this gold course was already at the number three spot in 1939 in a ranking by Golf Club atlas. In Golf Magazine’s biennial rankings, it has remained at the top since 1991.

But Pine Valley does not only boast of quantity in acres but the quality of the course as well. In fact, it is also considered to be one of the toughest courses. If you crave for challenge, privacy, and ultimate golfing experience, go Pine Valley.

Cypress Point Club

Cypress Point, the number two choice, is the most beautiful course. Located in Pebble Beach, California USA, it is positioned in a piece of land that meets the blue waters of the beach.

This 18-hole golf course has bunkers that have been strategically and fascinatingly built such that there is a seamless connection between what’s natural and man-made. Hole No. 16, specifically, continues to captivate golf lovers, having been acclaimed as the ultimate one-shotter in existence.

St. Andrews Golf Club

The world’s number three golf course located in St. Andrews Fife, Scotland is the number in Europe, and the oldest in the world. Europe’s quaint setting, which gives off a more relaxed and laidback ambiance so compatible with the nature of this sport, makes this region truly a golfer’s paradise.

The world first experienced golf in Scotland, right here in St. Andrews, as early as the 12th century. It received a royal patronage in 1854. Now, it is considered as the world’s oldest surviving “royal” golf club.

St. Andrews is not really that striking in appearance to new golfers. Its appeal grows as you familiarize yourself with its landscapes, reinforcing the fact that knowledge of course management is a key in golf strategy games.

Augusta National Golf Club

The number four is located in Augusta, Georgia USA. Each of Augusta’s 18 holes has been named after a flower that has come to be associated with it. During grand tournaments, these flowers are in full bloom thereby creating a colorful and festive natural backdrop as you begin those back swings.

But more importantly, Augusta has been characterized with broad fairways, exciting elevation changes, and slick greens that will pose real challenge to skilled golfers.

Shinnecock Hills Golf Club

Golf course number five is located in Southhampton, New York USA. It was originally a 12-hole course remodeled into 18-hole layout in 1895. Its impressive layout features undulating greens and bunkers backdropped with tree canopies, shrubs as well as ponds.

This peek into the world’s best five can be overwhelming. A walk into their greens, a swing into their air, and a golf game follow-through through their fairways, bunkers, and other intriguing nooks and spots will definitely sum up into a par that, in terms of experience, is victory itself.

Take a look at the long drive champions pounding it well over 400 yards. Amazing if you ask me.

How do they do it? Everyone’s got an opinion on that question, but lets take a look at one part of the equation. The shoulder turn is an integral part of what allows these guys to crank on their drivers.

Take a look at Tiger, Phil, or Vijay on tour. Watch what they do with their driver on the backswing.

All these guys take a monster of a shoulder turn, coiling their bodies, and just waiting to unload it on the downswing.

This allows them to flat out rip the golf ball off the tee!

So how can the amateur emulate such a swing, increasing the distance of their drives, and feeling pretty good about themselves and their game?

There are two concepts to focus on:

§ Increases in distance are related to increased Clubhead Speed.

§ Clubhead speed is contingent upon Developing more Power in Your Golf Swing.

Developing more power in your swing is directly related too:

1. Your Golf Swing Mechanics

2. Your Body

Efficient golf swing mechanics will allow for the greatest amount of power to be transferred to your clubhead.

The generation of this power lies within your body.

It is your body swinging the golf club, not the other way around. Your body develops the power that is transferred into clubhead speed during the swing.

In order to develop more power in your swing you must develop more;

§ Flexibility

§ Strength

§ Endurance

§ Power

Improving in all of these areas will translate it into a much more powerful and athletic golf swing (if they are efficient), and end up with more clubhead speed.

Like I said, a little more complex than first thought, but very doable.

Developing more power in your golf swing begins with your flexibility. Increasing your flexibility will improve your power.

This is where the idea of a larger shoulder turn comes into play. Increasing your flexibility allows you to take a larger shoulder turn.

A bigger shoulder turn (resulting from your improved flexibility) allows the body to coil more, store more energy, and translate it into clubhead speed.

Increasing your shoulder turn is a result of improving your flexibility. In the bigger picture flexibility adds to your entire swing.

In addition to an increased shoulder turn, improving your flexibility allows you to take the golf club through a larger range of motion.

Why is this relevant too more power in your golf swing?

It becomes a simple equation in physics.

If you are able to draw the club through a larger range of motion in an efficient manner, the ability to generate more power will be available.

Simple!

Next question; how do you develop more flexibility relative to your golf swing?

Golf Specific Flexibility Exercises are the Answer!

Golf specific flexibility exercises develop your flexibility around the golf swing.

This will enhance your ability of your body to take the golf club through a greater range of motion, and take a bigger shoulder turn allowing you to generate PGA Tour like clubhead speed.

Now understand, developing flexibility for golf is not simply performing a toe touch stretch. That is not going to get it done.

You must develop flexibility in the areas of the body that are integral in swinging the golf club.

In addition, you must develop flexibility through the ranges of motion that are required for the golf swing.

These are the reasons it is necessary to use;

Golf Specific Flexibility Exercises

Golf specific flexibility exercises develop your body around the golf swing. Focusing on the muscles incorporated in the golf swing. Developing the ranges of motion required of the golf swing. Improving the shoulder turn in your swing, and increasing the power in your golf swing. Take a look at Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and Vijay Singh. They will all show you the same in their golf swings. Flexibility and a full shoulder turn are needed to develop power.

This question has been brought home to me recently because a good friend took up golf about two years ago. He has really caught the bug and plays several times a week. He also has lessons and practices frequently. Whenever we play together he is constantly asking for tips and advice about his swing.
It is my belief that you should only give a player a golf tip if you are sure that it will fit in with the rest of his swing. I have seen far too many players lose their swings when trying to adopt a golf tip which simply does not fit in with everything else that goes on when they swing the club.

OK, I know, there are certain golf tips which are universally sound, like, “keep your head still.” But equally there are plenty of other golf tips that can be ruinous even when given with the best of intentions.

In particular I recall a good player with whom I’d played many rounds who always drew the ball right to left, usually with good control. One day when his draw was a bit exaggerated, his partner suggested this perfectly sound golf tip: “You know, if you were to keep your right elbow well tucked in on the downswing you would lose that nasty hook.”

The suggestion was well meant. However, for a player who had a well grooved habit of swinging slightly over the top of the ball, as Arnold Palmer was wont to do, it proved to be one golf tip too much. He became so conscious of his right elbow that it threw the whole of the rest of his swing out of shape and it took him months to get it back again.

The point is that the golf tip didn’t fit in with the rest of his swing.

This is a mistake that many golfers make. They listen to all the golf tips out there and try to adopt them all in their desperate search for a good swing. It is my belief that your aim should be to groove a golf swing that will give you streams of straight and long golf shots by modelling your swing on one set of advice. Then you should develop a mind movie of that swing so that you can reproduce it whenever you play a shot.

Think how long some of the most famous partnerships between players and their swing coaches have lasted. Think of Jack Nicklaus and Jack Grout, Tiger Woods and Butch Harmon, Nick Faldo and David Leadbetter to name but a few. All these great players relied on one coach’s vision of their swing to keep their mind movie in shape. They did not go asking for golf tips from other players.

It doesn’t matter what type of shot it is but every player MUST have this ability if they want to improve and stop the “bleeding”! I was lucky enough to have spent time with the late Gardner Dickinson and during our times together we spoke a lot about pressure situations. Gardner was one of the few people that Ben Hogan spent a lot of time with and actually worked for Mr. Hogan during the off season of the Tour as a Teaching Professional at Tamarisk, in Palm Springs California. One day Mr. Hogan asked Gardner what his “GOTO” shot was.  Gardner didn’t have an answer so Mr. Hogan told him that every player has to have a “GOTO”. Mr. Hogan then told him that his was a punch shot. Gardners swing was modeled after Hogan so he decided to incorporate this shot into his own game.

As Gardner and I were talking I suddenly realized that I didn’t have a “GOTO” either so being a Hogan disciple I decided I would “master” this shot as well. Looking back it was one of the best things I could ever do for my game. I know that I can hit this shot under any pressure, in any condition, from any lie. What a great feeling it is to control your golf ball!

When I am teaching short game, and especially wedge play, there are only two shots that I teach. A “stiff-arm” pitch and the “knockdown” wedge. These are both reliable and accurate for the top players as well as the average player. There are virtually no moving parts so there is less risk of hitting poor shots. I personally am not a fan of trying to hit “lob” shots with a big high swing and a bent left wrist…it takes too much timing and practice. Even the best players in the world only hit these type of shots perfect 50% of the time! You can still hit a “lob” shot with a “stiff arm” pitch with much more accuracy and reliability. I recently had the privilege of working with a college player that was #1 on his team. From 100 yards and in he was getting the ball up and down 30% of the time. He used a lot of moving parts, big swings, flip the clubface, etc. After a Boot Camp on short game and learning the “stiff arm” and “knockdown” wedge play we charted his progress. His up and down percentage went to 80%!

Remember, wedges are for accuracy, NOT distance they are the scoring clubs. In fact, if you have ever seen video of Hogan and some of the “old time” players their wedge swings were quite different than their full swings. A much shorter motion and more of a “punching” action.

Are you in this group of golfers? If so, I’m quite confident to say you’ve taken a golf training system / lesson or or two. Golf training lessons can be very effective in getting you back on track, if your swing has gone south. But, not always….

Why is that so? Let me explain…How many golf training or lesson have you taken, only to be more frustrated, disappointing at your scores & performance and hitting the ball worse than before that golf lesson?

Do you know why this is happening even to veteran golfers? It can be many different reasons, such as too many swing thoughts and possibly your behavior; making drastic changes that require hours at the range and hitting thousands of balls; or lastly, your body just can’t effectively move in the way it needs to, to make a mechanically correct golf swing, and many more hidden reasons….

I’m inclined to say that for the majority of golfers, especially the older golfer, it’s the last reason above. Your body just can’t move the way it needs to. The question now is, why is that so?

Why can’t your body do what you know it needs to do to swing the club correctly? It can drive you to the point of quitting the game. But there is hope. There is an approach that will almost 100% of the time correct this problem. Do you want to know what it is? It’s addressing your “physical body and your mind limitations”. That’s what’s keeping you from a great game of golf. Do you know that hypnotherapy and even the misconceived NLP can improve your game of golf?

Do you ever get on the course and just feel like you can’t make a full backswing? Or, it just feels impossible to maintain your golf posture and “stay in your swing”?

No amount of golf training systems or lessons or hitting balls will correct this.

The reason is your “physical and mind” issue, and until you work on it, it will never get better. I’ve seen it time and time again. Golfers walking off the course in pure disgust. They’ve taken many golf training systems or even paying tons of money for lessons that they already knew, hit balls at the range, and even bought the latest, greatest titanium drive; and yet still can’t play like they think they are capable of.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of “Why Talking A Golf Training System Isn’t Always The Answer?”

1 Don’t play the blue tees.
Unless you are at least a 10 handicap or lower, why bother making the golf course even harder than it has to be. If you are shooting in the 90’s or triple digits, it makes no sense making a conscious decision to making the course more difficult. Play the white tees and take the extra level of anxiety out of the equation.

2 Improve your lie
When you are having a recreational round of golf, there is no way you should be playing the strict rules of golf. The average round of golf would be at least 6 hours at courses all over the world. Golfers would be returning to the tees all day after hitting there first ball out bounds, or searching for every lost ball for 5 minutes. So if we are bending the rules to save time, why not bend them to improve your lie, something you can actually benefit from. Play winter rules all the time.

3. Play different games
Instead playing the same match with your buddies, compete in other categories other than score. Some examples would be:
Most fairways hit
Least amount of 3 putts
Most 1 putts

4 If it is your honor, take it.
You just birdie the hardest (or easiest) hole on the golf course, it’s your tee, you earned it, take it. Challenge yourself to get another one, you will be surprised how often you can have two birdies in a row if you are actually trying to get two birdies in a row.

5 Lower your expectations.
If you are a average golfer you play golf twice per week if you’re lucky, on top of that, you don’t practice as much as you should.. You can’t honestly think that your game is not exactly what it should be. Just enjoy the game itself, don’t be so hard on yourself when you’re not playing well. Even the pros have bad days.