If you are able to sink putts on a regular basis, half the battle on the greens has generally been won, even if you struggle to drive considerable distances or fail to make the fairways with ease. Great golfers, even the professionals, who loose putting form - and they all do at some stage in their careers - seldom claim the PGA titles.

The one huge benefit of living on a golf estate in George on the Garden Route is the proximity of the championship golf course. Golfers, whether they boast a low or high handicap, can literally roll out of bed, grab their putter and make for the greens to practice the art of putting.

Like most sports, there are going to be times when you’re able to putt with deadly intent, sinking the ball at will. But let’s face it, these times are arguably far and few between for the vast majority of golfers out there and the only way to improve what is undoubtedly a skill is to practice, practice and practice some more.

In an effort to give you, the golfer, a putting kick-start, we have collected a number of putting tips that should improve the chances of your sinking that little white ball and, in doing so, improving your game of golf overall

• Great putters generally go through exactly the same routine each and every time they line up a putt. Remember this when you are eyeing out the cup and don’t deviate from your tried and tested putt-sinking routine.
• Never move your hands independently from your shoulders and arms when making the shot. This will, almost definitely, change the position of the face of the club and you’re likely to fluff the shot with alacrity.
• Don’t take too much time between your practice stroke and the actual putt - any longer than 8 seconds can seriously affect the fluidity of your stroke. Over-analysis is never a good thing, particularly on the putting green of a premier golf resort.
• A successful putter is generally a sensitive stroker of the ball. It’s important to keep your hands soft and steady while making the putt. Any extra pressure on the grip will definitely change the stoke and it will become more of a jab or stab than a flowing, precise putt.
• Putting demands limited and controlled movements and any deviation of movement like swaying or lifting can result in a miss as good as a mile. The same applies to your eyes - keep your eyes firmly on the prize the entire time and you should be successful at least some of the time.

At the end of the day, it’s partly practice and partly pure skill that will lower your handicap, so make for those golf estate greens and hone the art of putting; you’ll be amazed at how much more you’ll get out of the game.

Kingswood Golf Estate in George offers pristine golf property in a protected family resort with a championship golf course, nature, wildlife and beaches on the Garden Route.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/golf-articles/golf-tips-on-the-putting-green-1045726.html

And doesn't it feel great when you see improvement in your golf game and start lowering your score?  Even better, how good does it feel to win and beat someone good!

I've strived for that, and I know the importance of a good mental golf game and strong fundamentals.  So that's why I want to help you.

For you golf enthusiasts and amateurs out there, learning proper golf swing mechanics is not only important but, if you take golf seriously and want to play on a whole different level, it's essential.

So, to get you going, I've included some information from a course I've found very helpful in improving my golf swing, named Simple Golf Tips.  Your game should improve by simply incorporating this unique setup  routine below and position to every swing you take.

As you will see, this system really is simple. You'll see positive results from this first chapter, but I want to be clear that this is not the complete system. There's a lot more to this swing than a sound setup!

I recommend Simple Golf Tips for 3 reasons:

1. I truly enjoy helping people, and only recommend courses that actually WORK. If you prefer not to purchase the entire system, that's fine. In fact, if you even learn one thing at all from the tips below, then I've succeeded.

2. To show you that this book includes unique material that is new and changing the way thousands of people swing the club. It's not just a bunch of stuff that you already know.

3. To show you that this system really is step-by-step, and that you will be guided through the complete swing in the same easy-to-understand manner.

You'll be pleased to find out that golf CAN be a simple game, and that YOU CAN significantly drop your handicap in just 1 short week. The "Golf Swing Guru" who produces this course guarantees it with a 90-day, money back, no B.S. return policy--and he sticks to it. Most courses I review do.  And most courses actually only offer a 60-day return policy, so the fact that this guy offers 90 days and will not back from it, is pretty dang impressive.

Hope you enjoy it.

Click here to fix your golf swing now

P.S. You can also get the left handed version of The Simple Golf Swing on a seperate page. You can get it by clicking on the link above.

Ethan Parker is one of the Net's most respected book review experts. You can find more free stuff and great products at MyBuyOrTry.com.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/golf-articles/simple-golf-tips-how-to-lengthen-your-swing-1039980.html

We are far more likely to say, "I chunked that one" or "your head came up" than to get behind these actions and ask "why?" What was the thought process that caused that outcome? Were you committed to the golf shot or were you thinking "have I got the right club here?"? You will only be able to control your golf game when you learn to control your mind. You need to be aware of what you are thinking before you can change how you think. You also need to be aware of the optimal way in which to think and then you can choose to think in this way.

It's amazing how many people aren't even aware of what they are thinking. This may sound really silly. But to put what I'm saying into context, a Harvard University study found that the average person has 60,000 thoughts a day, and 59,500 are the same as the day before. Are you aware of the 60,000 thoughts you had yesterday? Or were some of them subconscious? And were a few of them repetitive?

Try a little exercise if you like. Go to the range, or the chipping area, or the putting green and plan to spend five minutes in which you only think about what you are doing. See if you succeed in this plan...I bet you don't! It's difficult to control your thoughts even for five minutes let alone the three and a half hours it takes to play a round of golf.

You just aren't going to control your thoughts for a full round of golf. But what you can do is control and consciously direct your thoughts for the few minutes which each golf shot takes, including your pre-shot and post-shot routines. And if you want to make this task easy for yourself you can employ a little bit of self-hypnosis. Remember the definition of hypnosis given before - "a state of relaxation, at one with a state of heightened awareness, induced by suggestion". You can learn to relax and focus at will with the use of hypnosis.

You have the ability to control and direct your thoughts. There's no point saying "but you know me, I always do that". If you think like that, you WILL always be like that. Everything in life begins with a thought; every action is preceded by a thought. There's no point in focusing on changing your actions and behaviors without first addressing your thoughts.

Why not spend a little bit of time in learning to how to control and direct your mind? You can learn how to relax and play golf in the zone with the help of hypnosis downloads. The professionals use golf hypnosis because it works; hypnosis downloads can be used to get you to focus clearly and to play in the zone.

Roseanna Leaton, specialist in golf hypnosis cds and hypnosis mp3 downloads.

With a degree in psychology and qualifications in hypnotherapy, NLP and sports psychology, Roseanna Leaton is one of the leading golf psychologists. You can get a free hypnosis download from http://www.RoseannaLeaton.com and view the golf hypnosis cds and hypnosis downloads.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/golf-articles/playing-golf-in-the-zone-part-2-1033223.html

Golf clubs: Reviews and tips #2: The Nike Ignite features the hottest and strongest titanium ever created.

Golf clubs: Reviews and tips #3: Try the Callaway Big Bertha 484 if you want to maximum your drives.

Golf clubs: Reviews and tips #4: The Titleist 905S is a driver that has a deep face and will also allow for the higher speed or higher spin player who is looking for more trajectory.

Golf clubs: Reviews and tips #5: Take care of your golf clubs, keep them clean.

Golf clubs: Reviews and tips #6: Carry a towel with you when you are on the course. You can use the towel to clean your clubs if you encounter mud, sand or water while golfing.

Golf clubs: Reviews and tips #7: Don't keep your golf clubs in the trunk of your car or in an area where heat, cold and humidity can affect them.

Golf clubs: Reviews and tips #8: Buy headcovers for your woods and also for your putter. You might even consider headcovers for your irons.

Golf clubs: Reviews and tips #9: Every few rounds inspect your clubs for shiny areas on the grips and worn or cracked places.

Golf clubs: Reviews and tips #10: If you are golfing and it rains you should always clean your clubs as soon as you are done playing.

Golf clubs: Reviews and tips #11: Take care of your clubs and they will take care of you!

For your best bargain golf clubs , equipment and accessories shop at

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Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/golf-articles/best-golf-clubs-for-the-money-1032167.html

But hearing the phrase golf core exercises and knowing what your core is are two different things entirely. As a fitness professional it's easy for me to throw out that phrase often to impress would-be clients or customers to my golf fitness training products.

But that's not the case. Understanding what your core is and how it plays a critical role in producing maximum power; injury prevention and even stability is very important. Once you know?you'll soon realize this may be your missing link to a great game.

This area (core) starts roughly at your belly button and goes up to the bottom of your sternum. It is the engine of your body and awareness of your core affects golf the most. Think of it as the link in the chain that needs to be the strongest, not the weakest.

Two simple golf core exercises that will quickly strengthen your core is ab crunches and back extensions. These would be your initial exercises to give you the strength to move onto rotational exercises that put a little more stress on your spine if the muscles aren't conditioned enough.

Once you've accomplished the above exercises, you can move on to a crunch with a twist and a back extension with a twist. This will hit your rotational strength right away...which will quickly equate to greater power output and distance.

You can then progress up to standing on your feet doing several different variations of rotational movements with a single dumbbell, standing upright and also in your golf posture.

Now that you have a basic understanding of golf core exercises?you hopefully will see how important it is in your overall golf improvement plan.

So next time you hear the phrase on the television?you'll know what golf core exercises are.

Do you want to improve your golf game? More than 19,000 golfers in 36 countries on six continents swear our System fixed their swing problems once and for all.

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Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/golf-articles/golf-training-workout-1030633.html

You can use hypnotic suggestion, NLP techniques and positive visualization to assist in controlling your anger. Firstly, it is important to learn to relax. This is easy if you know how, but difficult if you don't. You can be taught simple relaxation which you can practice regularly, thereby "bringing you down" a level or two, and so less likely to respond to anger triggers. You can learn to relax quickly and easily whilst on the golf course; you have the ability to relax just as quickly as you have the ability to get yourself wound up.

Secondly, it is necessary to explore the way in which you think and learn how to change that. Angry people tend to speak in raised voices, swear, move jerkily, etc. They see big pictures in their minds eye (usually in dramatic Technicolor) of what they don't want to happen ("I know it's going into those trees") and respond to this self-created image. Angry people tend to talk to themselves with nasty, aggressive voices and chunter away to themselves about the unfairness of things ("why is it my ball that's always lost?"), or how life is against them, or how unlucky they are. You can learn techniques that will enable you to turn the volume down on these internal voices, speak in a nicer tone and to see nicer pictures in your mind's eye; i.e. to change your instinctive response to these triggers.

It's also worth exploring whether your overall belief system in flawed. For example if you believe that you "always" have bad luck or that such and such "never" comes your way, you will not notice when things are going well, on or off the golf course; You've programmed yourself to only see the bad. And when bad things happen, you've visualized your own angry response, etc. Thus, it is important to explore and alter wider belief structures about yourself and your world.

Anger is often induced by very real problems and frustrations. If you have a belief structure that says you can handle anything no matter how bad it is, you will respond positively to the situation, and get on with the task of taking your next shot, without becoming angry. You will therefore stop the tendency to jump to negative and inaccurate conclusions. If, on the other hand, the belief structure of "nothing ever works for me" comes into play, angry feelings are triggered and the result is negative in every way - you feel angry, stopping yourself from thinking straight, and then make poor strategy choices and then who knows where the golf ball will end up? The problem simply becomes compounded.

One's expectations must be examined. Are they realistic? Many angry people simply expect too much or want something "right now" and then get angry when the impossible doesn't materialize. It is important to restructure such expectations and give them a "reality check". Do you expect every shot to be perfect? The pros don't expect that. Do you expect to play golf on a Saturday morning, after a few beers on Friday night, no practice in the week and hit every ball perfectly? If so, it's time to run that reality check for yourself!

A feeling of inadequacy or insecurity is frequently the heart of the problem. (A fear that you're not good enough, for example). This feeling is then redirected (either consciously or subconsciously) into the emotion of anger, as this angry feeling prevents you from feeling hurt. Thus it is important to change this belief structure as well; to feel that you are good enough in every way. Anger may also really be directed at oneself, but projected outwards onto another person or object.

Balance is of course the goal state to be achieved. Positive strategies towards real problems need to be learned, as do positive beliefs about yourself. The good news is that you are not born angry. This is a learnt response and so it can be unlearned and replaced with a different strategy which works for you, instead of against you.

It's up to you to decide. Do you want to stop "Basiling", to learn to stop being angry on the golf course and to enjoy your golf from now on?

Roseanna Leaton, specialist in golf hypnosis cds and hypnosis mp3 downloads.

With a degree in psychology and qualifications in hypnotherapy, NLP and sports psychology, Roseanna Leaton is one of the leading golf psychologists. You can get a free hypnosis download from http://www.RoseannaLeaton.com and view the golf hypnosis cds and hypnosis downloads.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/golf-articles/do-you-do-basil-fawlty-impressions-on-the-golf-course-part-2-1024331.html

Control for your drives comes from your shoulders and upper arms. These areas are the part of your upper body that you use to keep the shaft of your driver straight, and produce the desired follow-through. To develop these muscles properly you should do a series of arm extensions with heavy weights in each hand. Find a weight that you can lift with one arm, and from a seated position reach down and hold on to a weight in each hand. Simultaneously, and slowly, bring your arms straight up until they are parallel with your shoulders. Hold them there for the count of three, and then slowly bring them back down. Repeat this as often as you can.

They say that the best grip in golf is a soft grip, and while this is very true it still takes strong hands to maintain a soft but effective grip. Ideally you would like to get spring-loaded hand grip exercisers that are very common and inexpensive. Use them whenever you have spare time, and always remember to use them equally on both hands. You may still be left-handed or right-handed, but you will need strength in both hands to properly grip the golf club.

One of the more common golfing related injuries is a pulled hamstring. A loose and warmed-up hamstring allows for maximum flexibility, and this can add distance to your drive. Work with a professional trainer or physical therapist to develop a series of exercises to help you stretch your hamstring, and then do them on a regular basis. One of the easier hamstring exercises is to lie flat on your back, and then extend your leg straight up. That is difficult enough if you have not regularly exercises your hamstring before, but to add to it you should slowly pull your leg back towards your chest and hold it in position for a count of five. If this is too difficult to do with your arms, then use a belt to pull your leg towards you. Do this exercise slowly and gradually, and remember to do it every day.

People usually neglect the lower back until it gives out on them in a painful and frustrating way. Strengthening your lower back will make your golf stance easier to maintain, and it will bring power to your swing. Lie on the floor face down with your hands extended out from your shoulders a flat on the floor. This exercise will seem like a push-up, but the difference is that you are only pushing up your upper body. Extend your arms and then hold yourself in that position for a count of five. Slowly exhale and lower your upper body and then repeat as many times as you can. Another effective back strengthening exercise is to stand straight up, extend your arms out in front of you, and then slowly squat down as though you were going to sit in a chair. Once you have reached the seated position, slowly stand back up. Do these in sets of ten for as much as you can. Never overdo it, and always stop exercising when you feel tired or when you start to feel discomfort.

Be sure to stop by my blog and check out my deals on the Callaway X-22 Irons or the Big Bertha Diablo Drivers

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/golf-articles/golf-exercises-for-a-fantastic-game-1022784.html

Maybe it's the fact you're not relaxed, you're feeling a bit tense and so can't seem to access the more creative part of your mind. If so, ask yourself "Why am I tense?" Maybe the answer is because you don't want to make a fool of yourself, or because you don't think you can hit that shot, and so on. Keep asking yourself "Why?" until you get to the root of the problem. Why are you scared of making a fool of yourself? And so on.

Awareness precedes choice which precedes change. You have to know the cause to change the effect. Once again, this is true of everything in life, not just golf. Why do you worry about what people think? Why don't you think you can hit that shot? Why don't you see golf as a game and have some fun playing it? Why can't you laugh at yourself? "Why?" is a wonderful question, which will encourage mental exploration and subsequent discovery, so long as you are honest with yourself and so long as you follow the thread right back to its beginnings.

Think of the phrase "a train of thought" and imagine that you are in the rear carriage, right at the back of the train, and as you ask yourself "Why is that?" and find your own answer you'll move forwards to the next carriage. Keep working through the carriages of your thought train and eventually you cannot help but reach the engine. And once you reach that engine and become the driver of your train, you can choose your driving direction.

Once you have taken control in this way, you will find that your imagination is truly limitless. You will be able to imagine exquisite golf shots, not only in your armchair, but when you are standing over the ball in a tight spot when you're in the lead on the 18th.

Having a vivid imagination is a priceless skill. Most of us have a vivid imagination that comes to us naturally when we're afraid of the outcome - then we can create internal movies that run like a horror story. All you need to do is to tap into this natural ability to visualize and choose to imagine what you want to happen instead of what you don't. And remember whatever you imagine you're likely to create, so make sure you choose to imagine great shots with great outcomes. In this way you'll walk down the fairway with your head held high and a spring in your step.

Roseanna Leaton, specialist in golf hypnosis cds and hypnosis mp3 downloads.

With a degree in psychology and qualifications in hypnotherapy, NLP and sports psychology, Roseanna Leaton is one of the leading golf psychologists. You can get a free hypnosis download from http://www.RoseannaLeaton.com and view the golf hypnosis cds and hypnosis downloads.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/golf-articles/visualizing-whilst-on-the-golf-course-part-2-1020308.html

Try as hard as you can right now to NOT think about a giraffe.

What are you thinking about? It's almost certain to be a giraffe! Now ask yourself did you see the word "giraffe" or did you see it's rather long neck?

So what does this tell us about how our minds work? Firstly, in order to comprehend what it is we are trying not to think about we have to focus on what that thing is. Secondly, we tend to picture it rather than think about the letters of the word; an image of it comes into your mind's eye. And this makes sense if you think about how you learnt as a child; You would have a picture book with the words next to the picture, and that's how you would learn that that particular word represented that particular picture. The picture has more impact - the picture comes first.

What we can learn from this is that where there is a conflict between your will power and your imagination, your imagination wins. Hence in several previous article posts I focused upon the power of visualization in creating a great putting routine, and more particularly, the power of using visualization as a practice routine which you can execute at any time when you are unable to get out and play golf.

If you haven't quite appreciated as yet the extreme power of this mental skill, think of the times that you have stood on the tee thinking "don't go in the bunker" and hey, presto - amazingly that's exactly where the ball ended up. Your mind is EXQUISITELY TALENTED. Unless you are a pretty low handicap player, for most of us to aim the ball into a bunker that's 180 yards away and 2 yards in width, we would probably have to have a few attempts before succeeding; and yet, just by THINKING "don't go in there", it does. Wow! Isn't that amazing?

Once again, what can we learn from this? As you think "Don't" your mind has to comprehend "don't what?" and will PICTURE whatever the object it. And a "picture is worth a thousand words" to quote a well-known, and insightful, phrase. What we golfers need to do is simply to use this knowledge to our advantage. We can choose to PICTURE exactly where we want the golf ball to go. You can picture the exact line that you want the ball to travel along, picture the trajectory, picture the ball landing and rolling and coming to a stop. Your mind understands and responds to pictures automatically, instinctively and EASILY.

Sometime soon, why not get out to the chipping area with a friend? Take it in turns to ask your friend where they are going to land the ball, and put a tee there to mark the precise spot. Then ask them how high the ball will travel; hold your arm out to indicate the exact height. This is a quick way of assisting someone to visualize their shot. Then move away and allow them to execute the shot they have pictured. It's amazing how your visualization skills will improve as you do this, and in this way you are clearly telling the golf ball what to do - you are chipping with clear intent. The result, quite logically, is that the golf ball is far more likely to go where you want it to.

Once you have done this, you can go home, put your feet up, get nice and cozy and simply picture the process all over again. You can have a lovely relax on the sofa, simply visualizing all those fantastic chips, over and over and over again, thereby strengthening those neural pathways in your brain, creating an expectation that those great chips will come off as you want them to.

Why not spend some time focusing upon your mind instead of the mechanics of golf? You can learn how to really visualize your shots with the help of hypnosis downloads. Why do you think the professionals use golf hypnosis? They use golf hypnosis because it works; hypnosis downloads can be used to get you to focus, to stay in the now, to visualize a great shot and to see what you really want to see thereby making it happen. And that’s what you want; you want to make it happen when you are out there on the course.

Roseanna Leaton, specialist in golf hypnosis cds and hypnosis mp3 downloads.

With a degree in psychology and qualifications in hypnotherapy, NLP and sports psychology, Roseanna Leaton is one of the leading golf psychologists. You can get a free hypnosis download from http://www.RoseannaLeaton.com and view the golf hypnosis cds and hypnosis downloads.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/golf-articles/the-dos-and-donts-in-your-golf-mind-part-1-1015298.html

I’m not sure how much effort you normally put into choosing what you’re going to wear to the golf course, but I’m assuming that there must be a certain amount involved due to the fairly strict etiquette surrounding what one can and cannot wear on the course.  Recently I got to wondering whether spending a little bit more time deciding what to wear might actually give you some huge advantages and maybe even improve your game – these were my thoughts.

The Shiny Shirt Approach

If you are a shy person, easily put off by having lots of people watching you tee-off, consider bedecking yourself in attire similar to that of Ian Poulter in this picture.  As long as it is a sunny day (which I accept is unlikely), the reflection of the sun in your shirt will blind the surrounding spectators, meaning that they cannot possibly watch you while you play.  A perfect tip for the stage-shy, I’m sure you’ll agree!

The Ball Trousers Approach

This clothing-technique is essentially a cheat for those who find teeing-off a bit of a problem.  Maybe a good option for the employee that is so desperate to get in with the boss that they agree to play a few holes, despite having never held a golf club their life.  The idea is to take a pair of ridiculous golfing trousers, like those modelled here by Payne Stewart, then fill the voluminous interior with golf balls.
When it is your turn to tee-off, step forwards and simply hit the ball as hard as you possibly can – way out into the rough where nobody could possibly have seen it land.  Cover yourself with a muffled curse including either the word “splice” or “hook” and trot off after your lost ball, making a big show about stomping around in the rough grass.  Once you have reached a respectable position, a quick snap of sock elastic will secretly magic a new ball out of nowhere!  After that it’s just a few simple whacks onto the green...

In this way, beginners can take advantage of silly golfing fashion trends and use them to overcome the embarrassment of losing a ball every time they tee-off .  Consider branding all the balls with the same distinctive logo beforehand to remove any suspicion that you may have accidently found somebody else’s ball.  Maybe even accessorise with some binoculars; hit the ball as hard as you possibly can, whip out the binos and then make a big show of watching the flight of the ball before running after it shouting “I’ve got it, don’t worry, I’ve got it!”  You won’t look cool, but you will get through the experience with a far more respectable score.

The Distraction Technique

It’s a very cheap tactic for sure but, if you dress cleverly enough, you can actually distract your opponent into playing badly.  Sure it doesn’t make your score any better but, when winning is on the agenda, it doesn’t matter how badly you play – as long as you the other person plays worse.  So, we’re looking for distracting things; shiny things that catch the sunlight, flapping things that distract the eye and jangling things that interrupt concentration...in other words, it might be best to dress like a Morris Dancer. ?

There are many other classic golf clothing techniques that you can implement, including the old “long spikes in the golf shoes used to “accidently” step on opponent’s foot” move and “aerodynamic clothing” for the intense golfer.  The general rule though is to experiment within the boundaries of golf clothing etiquette.  

Confident and skilful golfers probably won’t benefit massively from this guide, but even they should take some extra time getting dressed before their round to ensure their golf clothes aren’t an embarrassment.  There are lots of stylish golf clothes out there, including personal favourite of mine Greg Norman golf clothing and Nike golf clothing; there is no excuse for wearing the same old outdated nonsense every time.

Even if none of these techniques are for you, at least you can now detect a player’s type by the way they dress; shiny clothes probably means they’re secretly shy; baggy trousers suggests that they’re a beginner; too many accessories for take in at one time may imply that the player feels like the underdog.  Maybe this could apply to life as well as the golf course...

William Klimt manages the golf clothing outlet in the Chiltern Heights Golf Club. For more information about golf clothing, please visit http://www.easytigergolf.com/

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/golf-articles/improve-your-game-using-clever-golf-clothes-1011582.html