Golf Bunker Shot - The Sure Out Checklist

by MaryAnne Davies

Bunker shot step by step tips to get out of a fairway bunker. My secret is short fast golf stroke with locked wrists. Here's how.

The length of the back swing and follow trough will depend on the distance and height you want to reach. This checklist is the proven key to successful sure out golf bunker play.

1. Take a wedge. A Sand Wedge, but a Lob or Gap Wedge also will do for a bunker shot.

2. Stand more open and dig your feet in the sand. Flex and bend your knees and stay low. Your weight is balanced on the inside of the feet.

3. The ball is a little bit towards the front foot.

4. Open your body, and aim your shoulders a slightly left from the target.

5. Open the face of the wedge a slightly right to the target. Let the wedge hover a few inches behind the ball at a point where you want to hit the sand.

6. Now grip your club. Do not grip first and then open the club face, because then the result will be that the face will be square to the target and not at 1 o'clock when you hit the sand.

7. Choke down for short golf shot.

8. Make a 3/4 backswing with locked wrists. Keep your lower body still, lock your arms.

9. Accelerate and hit hard in the sand just behind the ball. The sand will lift the ball out of the bunker. Remember, it is important to keep the golf club face open at the golf swing.

10. This sure out bunker golf club swing will feel like a powerful long putt: make a short follow through for short shots, and for longer shots a longer follow through.

11. Point the open club face to the target as you finish your golf shot, just as I show at my bunker shot photo sequence.

MaryAnne Davies is editor of 30+ checklists at http://www.all-about-lady-golf-clubs.com for finding the proper golf clubs and other golf equipment. Not for females only...

Tags: golf | bunker | shot | putting | golfing

Golf Training

by Jonathan Mayheart

A lot of golfers dream of getting better, in fact most of the golfers want to get better and also try and do something about it and probably all the golfers out there imagine that they get better and enjoy playing golf even more than they usually do. The thing is that changes in golf are something that is always a product of hard work and these changes are also unpredictable.

Has it ever happened to you that you were thinking about changing something in your game, not necessarily your swing but maybe something like your rhythm or the approach to the putting green, and you found out that while it was working well on the practice area it fell apart on the fairway, or that it kind of worked but not in the way that you wanted it to work? It happens to a lot of us, but than one day you suddenly discover that it is working, like a magic that occurs on a very serious delay many of these things we want to change in our game take time to materialize and present themselves on the golf course.

This is exactly what golf training aids are thee for, to help us practice and train our golf changes over and over again, until we had done it enough times for it to manifest itself on the golf course, a good golf training aid will do just that. The problems start when you need to practice, and you understand that it is going to take a while until you can tell if this golf training aid really does the job, what makes things even more complicated is that knowing golf you know that what works for one guy does not always work for another, so even if the golf training aid comes highly recommended it does not guarantee results.

Golf beginner have a huge advantage over veterans of the game when it comes to utilizing golf training aids, because of the lack in golf experience a beginner can try almost any golf training aid and gain experience just by using it, beginners will stand a much higher chance of profiting from the golf aid than experienced players that have very specific things they want to change.

One good thing that all golfers can get out of golf aids is a golf thought, any thought that is directed towards a specific goal, a setup thought and a swing thought are most handy on the golf course and especially in situations that you are not familiar with. Any golfer working with any kind of golf training aid and practice his or hers golf thought while using the training aid will increase chances of success on the golf course, just by getting using to a routine setup and thought procedure.

Summer has just ended and may of us are enjoying our last few sunny days and low handicap scores of the past few months, soon many of the golfers will have to struggle and maintain some kind of golf fitness in preparation for the next season, golf training aids can make the difference in a few months from now.

Jonathan Mayheart, specializing in BioData, has been an avid golfer for many years now, he is publishing his golf thoughts and some very old, and well known golf tips on Golf Training Aids pages.

Tags: golf | training | golfing | putting | driving

Golfers - why you need to clean your balls.

by Peter Cunningham

When playing golf the aim of the game is simple. You are attempting to hit a ball from the tee into the hole is as few shots as possible. There is a critical element to this - hitting. When you are hitting you are hitting something with something. In golf you are hitting a golf ball with a golf club.

Because of this you need to ensure that you keep both of these items clean - especially the golf ball. You can clean the golf club whenever and wherever you like, however you can only clean the ball in certain places. Keeping both the club and ball clean is imperative to both good contact and good flight.

Cleaning the club is simple - simply clean the face and ensure the grooves are clear of dirt. This will ensure a clean contact with the ball.

A dirty golf ball can effect many elements in the golf game. It can effect role on a green, flight in the air and contact with the club. When in the iar you will not be able to know for sure if the ball is going to go straigh, left or right. At least if you clean the ball and it does deviate in the air you will know that it was not the cleanliness of the ball.

A golf ball is designed to fly through the air with a minimal amount of resistance, that is what the dimples are for, however what if one or more of those dimples is dirty, then the ball flight will be effected and there is no way that you can guarantee the flight and length of the ball. When putting if the ball is dirty this may make the ball deviate on its roll.

Even if a golf ball looks clean it probably isn't. The golf ball will not just pick up physical dirt from the ground, it will also pick up particles from the air which stick to the golf ball like glue. Although these do not weigh as much as say dirt they still have an impact on the ball. The balls weight will change and it will lose its center of gravity.

You can clean your ball on two occasions (three if preferred lies are in operation), these are on the tee and on the green. When on the tee you should clean your ball each and every time. When on the green you should mark your ball, pick up and clean prior to each and every shot.

Cleaning the ball is easy, however you need to ensure that you take the right equipment with you, you will need 2 towels, some water and if possible a club brush. Pour some water onto the ball and then clean it with one of the towels. If there is a lot of dirt on he ball use the club brush, when you are happy that the ball is clean dry it on the other towel. Even when using a ball washer on the course you should always dry the ball. A dry ball does not pick up dirt on the ground or particles in the air as much as they do not have the ability to stick as they do to a wet ball. A wet ball also effects the center of gravity on a golf ball.

Why drop shots in a round just because your golf ball is dirty. Ball cleanliness is a simple and effortless requirement which is so often overlooked. Clean your balls and get the flight and distance that the ball was designed for.

Peter Cunningham manages the Golf Review Center website. This site is dedicated to the provision of quality reviews for golf related products and servers worldwide.

Tags: golf+ball | golf | ball | club | flight

Tips for Golf School Students

by Andy West

Pack your bags, and get ready to have some fun. That is probably the advice you're getting from your friends when they hear you are off to golf school. While golf school certainly will be fun, there are a few things that you want to make sure remain priorities while you are enrolled. Golf school is a place for people wanting to advance themselves personally, as well as professionally. The first step is to establish some rules, or boundaries that will help one succeed.

Always take notes, no matter what the circumstance, or classroom setting. Taking notes in general is something that is often overlooked by students, and certainly is something overlooked by non traditional students, like those enrolled in golf school. The problem is that people would rather just listen than take notes. Of course, notes are what one should study from when test time starts to roll around. They are important to take, no matter what the circumstance. For some classes, taking notes will be as easy as penning some information on a notepad that is rested on your desk. Other classes however, will pose an issue for the traditional notepad note taking since they are outdoor or interactive classes. It is during these sessions that one should record their notes on a MP3 recorder, or a mini tape recorder. By recording the lecture during class, one will be able to go back and visualize what was taught that day in golf school. Doing this will aid greatly when it is time to prepare for a test, or research assignment.

Maintain a professional attitude, and avoid distractions. There will certainly be a temptation to get distracted by any number of elements. Whether it is a class that is on the course, or a classroom that is full of golf memorabilia or equipment. The point is that you will need to be a professional once golf school is over. It is important to establish a professional attitude during the golf school sessions. Remember the time to get a degree is less than two years. Chances are time will go by faster than one could possibly imagine. Golf school should be a fun time, but it should help to promote a healthy attitude of success and professionalism.

Ask questions at golf school as much as you feel the need. There is no such thing as a dumb question, and those that subscribe to this way of thinking will do well in golf school. The smartest students ask a good amount of questions, because they establish what it is their golf school professors are expecting of them. In order to understand the instructor's expectations for any given class at golf school one must ask questions. The most amazing element of attending a golf school is the instructors that often work at these schools are experienced PGA certified instructors. Having time with these instructors would literally cost hundreds, if not thousands of dollars. It is important to ask as many questions as one needs to in order to understand what being a golf professional is all about.

While following the above steps won't guarantee success, it will certainly increase the chance of it happening. Each piece of advice above comes from teachers and instructors all over the world that constantly deal with a variety of students. If one looks at the advice as a blueprint for the successful student to follow at golf school, they can expect a positive experience.

Andy West is a freelance writer and communications specialist for SDGA. San Diego Golf Academy is a premier golf school with five locations across the United States. For information please visit www.sdgagolf.com.

Golf Accessories

by Jonathon Hardcastle

Golf is one of those games that have particular and special attire and has the largest amount of accessories connected to it. Golf is no ordinary game. It has a distinguished and venerable origin. As it developed with time it gained more and more fame. The golf clubs alone were not enough. Today the market of sports goods has a bigger percentage of golf goods than any other sport goods.

The world of golf is an entirely different world and stepping into it reveals minutest of things available for golfers to make their stay of a few hours in the golf course as easy, enjoyable and comfortable as possible. Men and women can play golf in a trendy and fashionable way. When you happen to go for shopping for golf you can be sure of getting surprised at what you will find. It is unbelievable but true that starting off from the head of the golf club to the end of golf shoes there are thousands of different accessories that are available in the market.

Ladies should hold on to their hearts when they find out what cute things they can carry with them in the golf course. There are specially designed soft shoes for their delicate feet. They can now have their stylish golf accessory bags with beads and hangings made of different materials. The most attractive accessory is definitely the colored golf clubs that are available. The pinks and blues and turquoise colored golf clubs. They even get to have diamonds planted in their gloves and their golf clubs! That is of course for royalties and extraordinarily rich people.

Weather is unpredictable and while you are trying to enjoy your game of golf rain might start pouring on your head. So for that you have rain coats, even waterproof covers for your golf bags. You don't have to worry about your clubs and golf belongings getting ruined any longer. Men need not to feel disappointed. They too get to have loads of golf accessories. Their attires and shoes have a wider variety than before.

There are automatic score readers available in reasonable prices so you don't need to wait for your caddie or helper to get the readings done for you. It saves time and makes your game smoother and faster. Without doubt, golf has invited a lot more competition not only in terms of the sport itself, but also for the sports goods makers.

Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles on many topics including Golf, Recreation, and Food