Not being able to hit the ball well on the golf course is like being seasick 100 miles out in the ocean … as you have 4+ hours of agony ahead of you before getting off that rocky boat onto solid ground.

Now, getting off that swaying boat to a steady golf swing isn’t always as difficult as Golfers make it.
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Believe me – when it comes to golf tips … we may not have heard it all, but we sure have heard a lot. Holy moly, we hear the same swing tips over and over from Golfers coming to see us when we ask them “what have you been working on in your swing?”

From “I’m trying to close my stance and put the ball farther back to draw the ball” to “I’m trying to get my swing more flat so that I stop coming over the top on my downswing”.
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The golf swing can be as difficult as you want to make it or as simple as you want to make it … but it will never be easy. However, the Golfer that makes it simple will be able to repeat their non-difficult swing much more easily than the Golfer that complicates it.
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As most Golfers that hit inconsistent shots are trying to get a better understanding of why they don’t see consistency … even when talking about their bad shots. Why does one shot go right and the next goes left? “If I’m doing the same thing wrong … shouldn’t my bad shots be similar?”

To give you an answer – you must understand that the same bad movement on your backswing can cause different bad shots on your forward swing. Meaning the same error on your backswing could cause you to hit a ball too far right on one shot … while having you hit the ball too far left on your next shot.
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As the “Golf Tip” has become the “go to” source of instruction for most Golfers trying to improve … it rarely works to give more than temporary relief to what most likely is a bigger swing issue. Or in other words … “swing tips” work as well as using aspirin to cure cancer.

Yet, frustrated Golfers continually try to find the next tip that will magically transform their inconsistent swing into something they can be proud of. Though forever disappointed in their less than stellar results … the Golfer is a persistent creature of habit that’s comfortable using this next tip mentality.
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What are you currently working on in your golf swing? Many Golfers answer: “I’m trying to bring the club back more to the inside.”

What are you focusing on to be able to do that consistently? “I have to have my hands and right elbow come closer to my body … instead of away from my body.”

Does it help you to hit better shots? “Yes, when I do it correctly. But that’s only about half the time.”
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1. I will never go to the driving range to work on my golf swing without a Practice PLAN based on using a specific drill after every 6 shots.

Golfers often have ineffective practice habits when they go to the driving range. Remember, the hitting of the golf ball shouldn’t be considered practice.

Practicing a drill to work on a specific area of your swing is effective practice. The hitting of the golf ball should be used to indicate what drill you should practice before hitting your next 6 golf balls.
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There’s a fine line between focusing too much on one or the other. When a Golfer is too focused on his/her mechanics … the smoothness of your swing suffers. When you’re too focused on a smooth golf swing – your swing mechanics suffer.

So the question becomes: which is more important for you to see more consistency?

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The golf swing is a series of “Causes and Effects” that determine whether you hit a good shot or not.

When you hit a good shot – it’s because you either have a perfect golf swing … or you have a swing flaw, but you were able to align your compensations to produce a good shot.

The interesting thing about the statement above is that no one in the history of the world has ever had a perfect swing. Every person has a swing flaw. However, the better the Golfer … the less the flaws.
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To play golf well … you need to be aggressive in how you swing. However, because the typical Golfer is thinking about too many things every shot … they have no aggressiveness whatsoever.

Yet, as many people will say that they’re already “overly aggressive” because they swing too hard – the “too hard” comment may be a misconception on your part.
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One of the most frustrating aspects of playing golf is when you hit one good shot … then follow it up with a poor shot that you hit the ground before the golf ball.

This inconsistency is often caused when a Golfer is trying to get under the ball with their golf club to help it up in the air. The good news is that sometimes you get lucky and hit a good shot … but the bad news is that many times you either hit the ground first or you lift up to try to avoid hitting the ground.
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Here’s a test for you: when on the golf course, do you ever have days where you hit your irons well … but have a bad day hitting your Driver? Or you hit your Driver well … but all of sudden you forget how to hit your fairway woods?

If you answered yes to either (or both) of those questions … you’re the Golfer that relies on different golf swings for each of these shots: a chip, a pitch, another swing for wedges, a mid iron swing, a long iron swing, a hybrid swing, a fairway wood swing, and of course … a Driver swing. Thus, if you continue this philosophy … you’ll be a permanent member of the “League of Frustrated Golfers”.
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It seems that the more a Golfer struggles … the more he/she starts looking for more advanced techniques to solve their problems. Yet, the more advanced the technique you attempt to implement … the worse your swing gets … because “more advanced” also means more difficult.

In order for a Golfer to see improvement … he/she first needs to come to grips with their current skill level. Because there are many Golfers that do not break 90 and 100 that are trying the same (or similar) techniques used by the Tour Players.
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One of our Instructors and I were talking the other night about the increased frustration we’ve seen in Golfers over their inconsistency. We were comparing how much more confused Golfers are about their swings nowadays compared to just 8 years ago.

Yes, Golfers have probably always gotten frustrated since the beginnings of the game. But we’re seeing more people than ever who are at their wit’s end and ready to give up.
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Often times we hear right-handed Golfers say they hit bad shots because they’re using too much of their right side in their golf swing. Left-handed Golfers – just reverse everything I’m saying.

However, the issue isn’t with your right side doing too much … the problem lies with your left side not being able to do enough.
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We have found that to improve your golf swing so that you’re hitting better shots and scoring better on the golf course – Golfers need to improve the ‘tangibles’ in their golf swing … as well as the ‘intangibles’.

A ‘tangible’ would be your golf swing mechanics.

The ‘intangibles’ are the little things that the best Players consistently use … while regular Golfers often ignore. Now this may not be your fault as these ‘intangibles’ may have never been brought to your attention. As most Golfers are taught to focus 100% of their attention on their swing mechanics until they get it.
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Are you on a quest to hit the golf ball better than ever? As far as I’m concerned – there’s nothing wrong with having the passion, desire and drive to make golf more enjoyable. Because not hitting the golf ball well on the golf course is as pleasurable as being seasick on a boat 100 miles out in the ocean with no land in sight.
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If you could improve as little as making just one more putt from 10 feet … as opposed to needing two putts.

If you could improve as little as having one more chip stop 2 feet from the hole … as opposed to 7 feet from the hole.
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Do we need further proof of how frustrating the game of golf can be than looking at the #1 Golfer in the world walking off the golf course in the middle of his round?

This just shows that when you’re not on your game … you’re not on your game. And that it doesn’t matter if you’re trying to break 100 or trying to break 70.
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Golf is truly an International Game. Let me give you this example: In the 90-days, from this past Monday, October 4th till the beginning of December we’ll have had golfers come to see us from Japan, Switzerland, Mexico, Malta, Australia, India, Canada, Nigeria and of course the United States. Showing – It doesn’t matter what country you live in – if you play golf, you’re always trying to get better.
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How may Golf Instructors does it take to screw in a light bulb? If it’s the same amount that it took for me to get my golf swing consistent enough to think about becoming a PGA Professional – it’s a lot more than 1 and little less than 100.

In order to screw in the light bulb – one Instructor will tell you that first you need to position the ladder, then climb up to see what type of light bulb is already being used, then climb back down to get the replacement bulb, then climb back-up to take out the old bulb and put the new one in.
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Are you on the quest to hit the golf ball better than you ever have before? To some, this is what golf is all about. And as far as I’m concerned – there’s nothing wrong with having the passion, desire and drive to make golf more enjoyable. Because frankly, not hitting the golf ball well on the golf course is like being seasick 45 miles out in the ocean with no land in sight.
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What’s the Secret?

Is it something in your grip? Could it be that you need to see 3 knuckles instead of 2 knuckles?

Could it be to start your swing with a little more wrist hinge so that you can set the club with more ease?

How about thinking of the acronym HASH as you swing back? You know HASH, don’t you? Meaning the order in which you should move your body parts as you swing the club back –
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“Play For Your PLAN, don’t plan for your score.” If you can live by this simple sentence on the golf course, you can succeed in playing well.

If you turn it around to say – “Play for your score, don’t plan for your PLAN” – you’re pretty much going to be a frustrated golfer. Or as we say – you’re a Monkey. And we all know there’s too many Monkeys out there for our own good.
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How bad do you want it? It seems that the more you sit inside and the less you’re out playing golf – the more excited and optimistic about your golf game you become. Isn’t that odd? Odd, why odd? Because you might not believe this, but there are people out there that get upset on the golf course. Really, strange as that may seem, there are. I’ve seen it before with my own eyes.
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Do you remember this from January 4, 2004? It was one of our most popular and I’m sure you’ll enjoy reading it again because I’ll wager a good sum of cash that it applies to your golf game!

So Close, Yet So Far Away. That’s my game – I’m so close to breaking through, but I just can’t. I know what it is that I need to do, but for some reason I can’t put it all together at the same time. What’s holding you back from getting it all together at the same time so that you start to see results?
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Nothing! Nothing about golf is fun. I really don’t like the game at all. It’s too dang frustrating for me to play because I can’t seem to be consistent enough to enjoy myself out on the golf course. I mean, how can you have fun when all you do is slice the ball into the trees or hit your divots farther than you hit the golf ball? Hey, I can’t help it, that’s my game!
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How To Score!

What’s happening on the golf course around the greens? It’s getting scary out there! When I go out on the golf course I see golfers walking up to play their short game shots with 4-different clubs in their hands and then having a brain meltdown trying to decide which club to use. You ever see anyone do that? It’s like time just stops and their standing over their ball in this purple haze trying to decide what to do.
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Here’s an analogy for you and your golf game- It’s Football season here in America or as our European, Asian, African, South American, Australian, Mexican and Canadian friends say – it’s American Football season. And one things strikes me every year at about this time – why can’t the Arizona Cardinals ever breakthrough to the next level. Please stay with me, this relates to your golf game!
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What are 9 of the most popular golf swing thoughts that many Golfers have before hitting a golf ball?

1. Keep my head still
2. Left arm straight (right arm for left handed Golfer)
3. Shift my weight
4. Eye on the golf ball
5. Turn my shoulders
6. Don’t sway
7. Make sure to swing easy
8. Clear my hips on the way through
9. Follow through all the way

Now which of these 9 are you thinking about before and during each shot? What? All 9?! Before and during each shot? Seriously? Wow!!!
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My understanding of the game of golf is that you’re trying to get the ball into the hole in the least number of strokes possible. Whether it’s for your own personal satisfaction or if you’re in a golf tournament – you’re a winner if you have taken the least amount of strokes.

How you play on the golf course isn’t judged by how beautiful your ball flight is. It isn’t like American Idol or Dancing With The Stars where you get voted off the golf course if you’re not hitting a perfect 1 yard draw.
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Breaking through your Magic Number can be one of the hardest, most nerve raking events a Golfer experiences on the golf course. What’s a Magic Number? Your Magic Number is a score that you want to beat for the first time. And many times it drives Golfers crazy when they can’t get past it. Which often times leads to purchases of what are advertised as game changing training aides seen on late night infomercials.
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As much as you, I, Tiger and Andrew Buckle want to believe that we have the ability to hit better golf shots every golf swing we take … reality says it’s not going to happen that way as much as we’d like it to. That dang reality is always getting in the way of a satisfying golf score!

‘Andrew Buckle? Hey, who’s Andrew Buckle?’
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Come on, tell me – Who’s Your Caddie? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard a Golfer tell me that they played better when they’ve had a chance to play 18 holes with a Caddie. Why is this? And how can you incorporate these same strategies and techniques into your game all the time?
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#1 You don’t practice enough

Do you need to practice your golf swing in order to improve? This is an often asked, yet excellent question. So to give you an answer, I’d like to use an analogy to make a point about improving your golf swing. If you decided at 40 years old that you wanted to become a pitcher for a local baseball team, however you hadn’t played baseball for 25 years – would you need to practice throwing pitches before your first game?
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The Answer is – not the middle of July. The Question – When should you be practicing to get better so you play your best Golf in July? For many Golfers, the next few months are the time you should be working on your golf game to improve. Unfortunately, many Golfers in the US, Canada and Europe don’t use this time effectively.
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Last week we finished Part 1 by saying that we’ll continue with the Mantra of the Golf Instructor – “when all else fails – teach Compensation #8”. Which unfortunately is something you’re most likely trying to do on every golf swing. If you missed Part 1 and would like to catch-up and see how we got to Compensation #8 – click here.
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What movement in sport has more to-do’s, along with more not-to-do’s than the golf swing? In the golf swing we have the Golden Rules like: we need to “shift our weight” – yet not “sway”. In the golf swing we need to “cock our wrists” – yet not “flip our wrists”. In the golf swing most Golfers will tell you that you can’t lift your left heel on the back swing (right handed Golfer) and yet, if you don’t lift your heel – many don’t have the flexibility to make a “perfect” shoulder turn.
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What’s the most difficult task to accomplish in golf? And please don’t say winning the Masters. So to rephrase this – What’s the most difficult task to accomplish for the mortal golfer?

Well, this is just my opinion, but until proven otherwise I’m sticking with it – Shooting Your Age! What’s Shooting Your Age? It’s when you play a round of golf and your score is the same or less than your age. For example: You’re 72 years old and you scored 72 strokes or less.
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Why do all great Players say that the weakest part of their game is their short game and the vast majority of Monkey’s say that the weakest part of their game is their long game?

Or let me explain it this way – Do you know how many times I’ve seen a golfer have more than 34 putts during a round of golf? Well, to give you an idea of how many times I’ve seen golfers ruin their score by taking an excessive number of putts – pick a number between 1 and 9 and then add as many zero’s after that number as you can picture (oh, and then add a couple more zero’s after that). And with the consistency of the sun rising in the east and setting in the west, this golfer will look at their scorecard, read out loud that they scored 97 and then with the conviction of a politician say – “If I could just hit my Driver and long irons better, all my problems would be solved!”
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I guess in this day and age of multiple choices for everything we want to buy – shopping for golf clubs is not any different than shopping for a computer – though if you have a sense of humor it can be the most fun you’ll ever have.
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So the search continues. The search for the perfect swing. “I want it, I want it, and I need it! Help me find it!” Hey, everybody’s looking for it and to date nobody has found it. So if you want to have fun on the golf course or maybe I should say – if you want to play your best round ever – stop trying to find it and just hit the golf ball!
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One of the best times for a Golfer to practice their golf game is in the winter. Yes, when most people are putting their clubs away … the Golfer that will be playing the best in the Spring will be the Golfer preparing by working on their body. Because your body is the engine of your golf swing.
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Let’s hear it for Mark Wilson, the winner of the PGA Tour event a couple of weeks ago in Phoenix, Arizona. Here’s a guy that is 5’8” tall and weighs 145 pounds (1.52 meters and 65.7 kg) … yet he was bombing his Driver 301 yards (275 meters) in the 3rd round of the tournament!

This translates into 2.07 yards per pound (4.18 meters per kilo) with his drives! What’s your yard per pound rating with your Driver? Meaning, if you weigh 200 pounds and your average drive is 220 yards, your rating is: 1.1 yards per pound.
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It’s The Hardest Game In The World

Golf has got to be the hardest game I have ever played!

Have you ever heard that one before? That’s classic Monkey Talk! I believe that Golf is not a hard game to play. It may be a hard game to shoot Par, but it’s not a hard game to play.
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When am I going to start hitting the ball good? The definition of a Golfer – a person that goes out on the weekend to have some fun. The reality of the Golfer – “Why am I so inconsistent every time I come out here?” Borrowing the name of a movie that came out a couple of years ago – Reality Bites!
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Can I ask you a question? Do you want to hit the golf ball good? Do you want to hear people say to you – “Oh, you hit that ball good!”?

Now I must ask you – Does my poor English bother you?

Or did you not even notice that I should’ve asked – “May I ask you a question?” along with using word “well” as opposed to “good” in the next 2-sentences. Why do I ask this question? Because even though my English wasn’t proper in those questions, you would’ve probably answered my question without hesitation and without any problems. We could have a nice conversation about your golf game. Yet, on the golf course if your swing isn’t the “Proper Golf Swing” – you might always be trying to make it perfect. And perfection on the golf course isn’t necessary.
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How many times have you been on the verge of playing your best round ever only to “Choke” on the last couple of holes? What happened? Why’d you do it?

This is kind of a loaded question because we’ve all done it. Everybody “Chokes”. Now the funny thing is that I’ll most likely get an email from someone saying “No Marc, I’ve never choked before. I’ve seen people do it, but I’ve never choked.” And if you’ve never “Choked” on the last couple of holes, you’ve never lived! “Choking” on the last couple of holes could be one of the best things you can do for your golf game.
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So if you’ve been reading along the last couple of weeks, you’re probably waiting for the 3rd difference between the 2-golfers. If you’re 1 of the 117 or so new subscribers to Golf Improvement Weekly – let me fill you in on what’s been happening here: I know these 2-golfers that are going in almost opposite directions with their golf games. The first golfer is a 21-handicap that has been playing for 15-years and he’s been stuck as 21-handicap for 13 of those years. The second golfer has a completely different approach to the game and it shows. He’s been playing for 3 1/2 years and this past fall got down to an 11-handicap.
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So last week we were trying to figure out why a Golfer I know that has been playing for 15 years has been a 21 handicap for 13 of those years and another golfer I know has been playing for 3 1/2 and this past October got down to an 11 handicap. And the kicker was that they practiced just as much, they’re both in good shape, they both want to improve just as much as the other and they have bought new equipment in the last couple of years.
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Have you ever played a round of golf where you were hitting the golf ball well and then all of a sudden you lost your golf swing?

We call that the Disappearing Golf Swing.

We often hear comments from frustrated Golfers that are just coming to see us such as: “I just lost my golf swing! I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. I was doing alright, playing my average game … and then I just lost it!”
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Why is it that on the fist tee you can always tell who’s a Player and who’s struggling with inconsistency. I mean even before this golfer swings to hit the golf ball – you can tell how good a shot they’re going to make. The Player just has this look about him/her – they reek of confidence that tells you that he’s/she’s a Player that’s going to hit a beautiful shot – to the point that even if you’re not in this Player’s group, you stop everything you’re doing just to watch them swing. Can you picture this scenario? And I’m not talking about how they dress. It has nothing to do with their clothes – but more to do with their actions.
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That is my game – I am so close to breaking through, but I just can not. I know what it is that I need to do, but for some reason I can’t put it all together at the same time. What is holding you back from getting it all together at the same time so that you start to see results?
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What’s happening on the golf course around the greens? It’s getting scary out there! When I go out on the golf course I see golfers walking up to play their short game shots with 4-different clubs in their hands and then having a brain melt-down trying to decide which club to use. You ever see anyone do that? It’s like time just stops and their standing over their ball in this purple haze trying to decide what to do.
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Have you ever been playing great golf where you were “even par” through 4-holes of golf, and then your buddy or playing partner slices their drive into the water. No big deal, right? Well, it shouldn’t be except that your golfing partner decides this golf ball is more valuable than his house and spends 10-minutes with his ball retriever trying to fish it out of the pond. And as you watch him pull-up 5 other golf balls, he still proceeds to try to find his ball, as your patience starts to wane.
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How Much Do You Need To Improve?

How much do you need to improve – to score your best on the golf course?

I think we need to say that your answer might be more complicated than just saying – “A lot!” or “if I can keep my drives in play, I’ll play my best.”
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Why You Should – Go For It!

There was a study recently done by a well respected Insurance Company that could relate to your golf game. In this study, the Insurance Company visited 10-different Senior Citizen centers around the country, wanting to know what people nearing their final phase, thought about how they lived their life.
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In golf these days there’s a lot of “Easier said than Done” claims being made (if you know what I mean). And it can be confusing when you’re constantly being flooded with advice on how to improve your scores. So you need to determine which products are going to help you and which are a waste of your valuable time and even worse – which are going to “mess you up.”
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It’s getting to be the time of the year when many Golfers get ‘the itch’. It’s been 2 or 3 months of cold, gray weather that’s not conducive to playing golf – so you get ‘the itch’ for sunshine, warmth and green grass. Your golf group then makes plans for Arizona or Florida to play 36 holes a day for 3 or 4 days in a row.
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The last word any Golfer wants to say on the golf course is four letters long and starts with an “F” … as in “FORE!”

Because this most likely means you hit a bad shot towards another Golfer.

Listen, there is nothing to be embarrassed about when hitting these shots … we all hit them. I’ve seen PGA and LPGA Tour Players yell “FORE” because of a wayward shot. It really does happen to us all.
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We always talk to Golfers that come to see us and ask them “what are you currently working on in your golf swing?” After a brief pause we often get an answer that goes something like this: “I’m working on trying to take the club more on an inside path on the way back. To do this I need to keep my right elbow in closer to my body while turning my shoulders and shifting my weight.”

Now, if that is not already too much to think about … the Golfer often continues by saying: “and I also have been told that I need to keep my left arm straight as I go back because I often bend it too much.”
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There are several actions a struggling Golfer can try in their attempt to find their golf swing … or as we like to say: “Getting out of your Bad Streak and moving into Improvement Mode.”

Unfortunately for these Golfers … many of the techniques they use prolong the Bad Streak or sink them even deeper. As it can be said about a Golfer with a struggling golf swing: “A Desperate Golfer often searches for problem solving golf tips which leads to a chronically Frustrated Golfer!”
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I will never go to the driving range to work on my golf swing without a Practice PLAN based on using specific drills and/or practice techniques after every 5 or 6 shots.

Golfers often have the worst practice habits when they go to the driving range. I cringe to call what most Golfers do as practice. Remember, the hitting of the golf ball isn’t practice. The drill is practice. The hitting of the golf ball is just telling you what drill you will need to practice before hitting your next 6 golf balls.
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“Are You A Harmless Fiddler Of The Golf Swing or A Compulsive Hoarder Of Golf Tips?”

Actually, the above is a trick title for this article because there’s no such thing as a “Harmless Fiddler”. The seemingly innocent act of fiddling with your golf swing has caused many Golfers to say “I have lost my golf swing. I can’t hit the golf ball anymore.”
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